Week 332

 Sun, Dec. 6, 2020 thru Sat, Dec. 12, 2020

This Week's Goals:

1. Finish final details on CNW Powerhouse

Progress: Interior walls, roof panels, roof details, membrane

2. Begin work on Clinton Ave. wall sections

Progress: Review design and layout

3. Begin work on California Ave. Metra Maintenance Facility entrance off Western Ave. 

Progress: Not Started

Sun, Dec. 6, 2020

Cutting out the wall sections and roof panels for CNW Powerhouse

Not secured, but adding details to CNW Powerhouse.
It's going to be tricky cutting around the chimney.

Mon, Dec. 7, 2020

My Christmas present arrived today.
Just in time for...

Train Day!

w/Rob Fair & Jordan Osborn

6-8pm 2 hrs.

Kato C44-9W Union Pacific runs like a champ.

Length: 00:00:27 sec.

Adding motive power to the UP fleet.
Christmas present is the engine on the left foreground.

Rob Fair working on the wall sections in the
CNW Powerhouse.

Jordan Osborn greeting our fans.

Rob Fair continues the placing of pieces.

And when they didn't fit quite right he went to 
the workbench to make it right.

Track cleaning car in front of C44-9W

Length: 00:00:11 sec.

More of track cleaning car with Christmas present...

Length: 00:00:06 sec.

Final picture of the night.
All the walls in place and secured.
Roof panels in place, but still need to
secure RTUs (Roof Top Units).

Tue, Dec. 8, 2020

No Train Activity Today

Wed, Dec. 9, 2020

More Christmas presents
arrived today.

Time to build the RTU for CNW Powerhouse.

My goal is to finish these
four RTU in the bottom 
right corner

Mission accomplished!

Another view of the 4 RTUs (Roof Top Units)

Thu, Dec. 10, 2020

My last Christmas present arrived today.
Much smaller than I expected.

I will continue to assemble &
prepare the RTUs for painting.

Done! Now it's time to paint.

I tried the paint, but nothing came out.
So I switched caps and had success.
That's called "Experience".

And here's what the RTUs look like after painting.

Now it's time to paint the roof panels.

Top OFF!

Top ON!

RTUs in place.
Next step? Secure RTUs to roof panels and this
project will be history!!!

Hard to tell with the shadows, but here's where
I'm going to plant the trees that came today.

Fri, Dec. 11, 2020

Another try at capturing the border shrubs.

Finishing up the roof details on the CNW Powerhouse

Closeup

I'm not sure what got into me, but I thought I'd try
my hand at weathering my new Kato C44-9W.

I used "asphalt" paint and watered it down - 
no specific formula.

I'm getting tired of the shiny plastic look, so it's time to step up my game.

I tried two locomotives tonight...

Really hard to see in this photo.
I'll take another closeup tomorrow.

I added black tape which I will paint later.

Jordan Osborn stopped by this afternoon for a few minutes.

What u talkin' 'bout Willis?

Since the engine track is a bit too short...

I thought today would be a good day to extend it.

Sat, Dec. 12, 2020

Need picture of RTUs and roof panels now complete

Finished project...

GOAL #1 DONE! Completed Sat, Dec. 12, 2020

Now on to weathering...another first...

Here's the AFTER photo of weathering my first loco.

Here is the BEFORE photo from yesterday

BEFORE weathering.

My third locomotive weathering attempt.
BEFORE

AFTER

And still another attempt.
BEFORE

AFTER

I also finished "planting"
the shrubs along the perimeter
at the Melrose Park Power Plant.

Not on the goal list, but I wanted to get started
on the streets in the Industrial Park.

One perspective.

Another perspective of the same area.

I also started GOAL #2
Here's one idea.

And here's another idea.

If you look at the prototype I think  you'll agree the first one is closer to the prototype than the second one.

This is the prototype taken from a different angle
than the model picture above it.

This Week's Goals Progress Report:

1. Finish final details on CNW Powerhouse

Progress: DONE! Finished Sat, Dec. 12, 2020

2. Begin work on Clinton Ave. wall sections

Progress: Started Project Sat, Dec. 12, 2020 laying out the pieces to see what we have...

3. Begin work on California Ave. Metra Maintenance Facility entrance off Western Ave. 

Progress: Not Started, hopefully we'll start on Monday.

4. Weathering Locomotive Roster 

Progress: Started Fri, Dec. 11, 2020. Four done, twenty-one to go.