I was worried Big Mike was replaced at the tower and went to be a dispatcher..........glad to see he just seen a NS official on the property watching for guys boarding moving equipment and fell over in disbelief instead...................Love Big Mike!
Thats good closing advice Steve! As for standing figures I cut small clear acetate squares and glue the figure onto that. I like to stand figures on my engine walkways, so I make the platforms rather small.
What's up Steve!! Before I became a Trucker 20 years ago I was a GM tech at a Buick Dealership for 10 years, I saved up old brake lines and cut them down for pipe loads for my Gondolas, just an Idea, I love those Slugs they will definitely be cool working the yard!! I got to see some in action when I go up to South Bend to visit my Brother, he just lives a short distance to Elkhart yards so I always went by there in the Conrail days, I still think after all these years it should have been Conrail buying out NS and CSX!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Don't drill, heat up a piece of piano wire of the correct diameter , and get it hot enough so you can just push it up one leg, and leave enough to push into the layout . Always great to see your monthly updates Steve, and really like your rock train in the opening scene.
great video ! that's a good idea to drill a small hole in the little guys foot. But i have used white carpenters glue for years and think it works well, because it dries clear and it is easy to remove with just some water sprayed on. The silver drinking straws can be strapped using Whiteboard Gridding Self Adhesive Draw Line in black. The tape comes in different sizes so you can easily find the correct one for you pipes. I have found so thin ones that i use them for my n scale cargo. If you still have some Erie Lackawanna and Lehigh valley diesels you could have fun in , for a while, change you timespan. Just for a couple of days. Anyway love your Conrail layout. Keep up the good work !
Thank You! As much as id love to change up my era for a few days from time to time I made the decision to sell of my fleet of early Conrail locomotives last fall. I couldn’t justify keep them around when they only are on the layout for a few days every year or two and I really also needed the space.
@@ConrailSteve i can relate to that. I changed scale a couple of years ago, from HO to N scale in order to be able to run longer trains and get some more of Pennsylvania mountains into my new layout. But the HO trains and all the kits , still in their boxes, not built, filled my basement. So i sold it all on auction. Got some nice money that was spent on smaller trains. And got more space ! 🤗
the ballast train looks awesome! also excited to see the final product of the slug unit. i don't know why manufacturers don't offer them in sets (at least not in n scale) - they're such a cool loco.
I would use a 1/32 drill bit or smaller. Then i save the cut off from resistors or diodes and use that to fit the hole with a dab of super glue. Those cut offs can be used for jumpers under tracks and etc. Maybe you could make yourself a display for the Locomotives not on the layout. I am doing that at the moment to showcase some of my Locomotives collected over the years. Also you can grab car wheel weights or fishing line weights which both are lead.. Then hammer and shape them to size for weight in cars and Locomotives. I use them in my N scale which is know to be light weight. Anyway nice video.
Great tips! If I had the space for a display case I would love to have one but for the time being I don’t unfortunately. Ill have to get some lead weights to try out fitting them, if they work for N scale they would probably be great for me in HO.
Interesting lighting on the SD38s. Assuming these are Athearn units? I've converted one GP38-2w to lit numberboards. Would like to see your method to know if there is an easier way. cheers
Yes they are Athearn. Best way Ive found is to use styrene sheet to cover the back of the holes for the number boards and lights to make a backing to mount the smd leds to. Then use clear styrene sheet to make the number boards themselves. Its not perfect and a lot of work but its the best i have found so far. Ill have a video on the SD38 build done sometime in June showing the process.
lots of great projects ongoing-thanks for sharing
Thanks for watching!
I was worried Big Mike was replaced at the tower and went to be a dispatcher..........glad to see he just seen a NS official on the property watching for guys boarding moving equipment and fell over in disbelief instead...................Love Big Mike!
Big mike will always be working the tower on the O&WV! Although he may turn his back anytime any NS power comes by leading a train!
Thats good closing advice Steve! As for standing figures I cut small clear acetate squares and glue the figure onto that. I like to stand figures on my engine walkways, so I make the platforms rather small.
Thank you! Ill have to try to out for the figures I want to put on locomotives and cabooses, great tip!
Though I'm an O-scale floor guy, I really enjoy your channel👊🏽
Thank you for watching! Wish I had the room for O scale!!
What's up Steve!! Before I became a Trucker 20 years ago I was a GM tech at a Buick
Dealership for 10 years, I saved up old brake lines and cut them down for pipe loads
for my Gondolas, just an Idea,
I love those Slugs they will definitely be cool working the
yard!! I got to see some in action when I go up to South
Bend to visit my Brother, he just lives a short distance to
Elkhart yards so I always went by there in the Conrail days, I
still think after all these years it
should have been Conrail buying out NS and CSX!!!
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
The brake lines are an excellent idea for pipe loads! It definitely should have been Conrail and CSX splitting up NS in my opinion!!! 😂😂😂
Don't drill, heat up a piece of piano wire of the correct diameter , and get it hot enough so you can just push it up one leg, and leave
enough to push into the layout . Always great to see your monthly updates Steve, and really like your rock train in the opening scene.
Thank you Ted and excellent tip on the heating up wire for the figures! I’ll definitely be trying that out.
great video ! that's a good idea to drill a small hole in the little guys foot. But i have used white carpenters glue for years and think it works well, because it dries clear and it is easy to remove with just some water sprayed on. The silver drinking straws can be strapped using Whiteboard Gridding Self Adhesive Draw Line in black. The tape comes in different sizes so you can easily find the correct one for you pipes. I have found so thin ones that i use them for my n scale cargo. If you still have some Erie Lackawanna and Lehigh valley diesels you could have fun in , for a while, change you timespan. Just for a couple of days. Anyway love your Conrail layout. Keep up the good work !
Thank You! As much as id love to change up my era for a few days from time to time I made the decision to sell of my fleet of early Conrail locomotives last fall. I couldn’t justify keep them around when they only are on the layout for a few days every year or two and I really also needed the space.
@@ConrailSteve i can relate to that. I changed scale a couple of years ago, from HO to N scale in order to be able to run longer trains and get some more of Pennsylvania mountains into my new layout. But the HO trains and all the kits , still in their boxes, not built, filled my basement. So i sold it all on auction. Got some nice money that was spent on smaller trains. And got more space ! 🤗
Hi CR Steve & it's is Randy and i like yours video is cool & Thanks CR Steve & Friends Randy
Thank you Randy!!
Good Jobs ALL the way around .... keep up the good work....
Thank you!
the ballast train looks awesome! also excited to see the final product of the slug unit. i don't know why manufacturers don't offer them in sets (at least not in n scale) - they're such a cool loco.
Thank you! Maybe someday we will get an RTR slug from a manufacturer.
I would use a 1/32 drill bit or smaller. Then i save the cut off from resistors or diodes and use that to fit the hole with a dab of super glue. Those cut offs can be used for jumpers under tracks and etc. Maybe you could make yourself a display for the Locomotives not on the layout. I am doing that at the moment to showcase some of my Locomotives collected over the years. Also you can grab car wheel weights or fishing line weights which both are lead.. Then hammer and shape them to size for weight in cars and Locomotives. I use them in my N scale which is know to be light weight. Anyway nice video.
Great tips! If I had the space for a display case I would love to have one but for the time being I don’t unfortunately. Ill have to get some lead weights to try out fitting them, if they work for N scale they would probably be great for me in HO.
Nice Video Buddy.
Thank you!
I glued clear plactic under them
Ill have to try that out! Thank you!
nice video
Awesome bench projects, Steve. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you!
Interesting lighting on the SD38s. Assuming these are Athearn units? I've converted one GP38-2w to lit numberboards. Would like to see your method to know if there is an easier way. cheers
Yes they are Athearn. Best way Ive found is to use styrene sheet to cover the back of the holes for the number boards and lights to make a backing to mount the smd leds to. Then use clear styrene sheet to make the number boards themselves. Its not perfect and a lot of work but its the best i have found so far. Ill have a video on the SD38 build done sometime in June showing the process.
How many Locos' do you have? This is my favorite part of the train.
Roughly 150 to 200, I haven’t counted them in a long time.
you could go to wendy's hamburgers and get the straws without the knurl in them......fill them with fine sand and primer paint to color......lol
or.....go buy some strip metal at home depot and cut to fit inside as a floor for the gondolars ,,,,,use rust colored primer?
Good tips! If I hadn’t already weathered the insides of the gondolas I would definitely replace the floors with metal to increase the weight.