Rail Zeppelin Update

Fantastic article on the Schienenzeppelinhere courtesy of greyfalcon.us I couldn't fin any contact details for the author so hopefully he wont me linking... the rest of the site's stuff on unusual vehicles is fascinating also.

Wiki image of the Schienenzeppelin or rail-zeppelin as it is sometimes known:



N gauge model of the Schienenzeppelin and it's derivative model the SVT 13715 are available from MGSharp here

K

Kato GG1

The mumblings are out there... apparently we can expect a new N scale version of the Loewy's iconic GG1 at some point in the new year... no official confirmation from Kato (and I did ask very directly!) and no pictures anywhere up online but it's enough to make me hold my horses on buying an old Arnold one... got to love that Japanese quality!

K

Layout Update

Updates on some bits and pieces...

The Nn3 streamlined shunter is well underway and has basic body and wiring for the headlamp (GOW bulb) sorted, it runs a treat on the Z scale flex track I got from MG sharp - one of my favourite online shops for railway bits and pieces. I'm waiting on some detailing parts from Nbrassloco and some kind donations from a fellow Nn3 modeller to finish it off. I'm using a nameplate of "The Great Bear" from Fox decals and the whole thing will be nice matt black.

As it stands it looks like this:





Paint job's on the freighter, though I'm still having trouble getting the wood right... I need some custom transfers really to fit with the rest of the layout...

My Church

Built, kitbashed and painted Kibri church for my layout.... more gothic than deco but I love it.

At last a N scale PRR T1

The fantastically weird and gorgeous PRR T1 has in fact been modelled in N scale by someone.... albeit not a manufacturer.

The evidently fantastically patient Max Magliaro over at Max Cow Online scratchbuilt (or extreme kitbashed perhaps?) it from Con-Cor/Kato Hudson chassis with handmade styrene and brass bodywork. More info available here but for the full information a visit to the NTrak Steam Locomotive Information Book is in order.





Thanks to Max for the images:

Max has also got a rather lovely version of the NYC Hudson again with Con-Cor/Kato Hudson chassis using a brass and styrene scratchbuilt body and tender...



Applause in order I think!

Now if only he could be persuaded to make a cast of them...

Anyone else who's found any Loewy designs in N scale please let me know!

K

Station interior.

Had some ideas about the interior of the station, which is for the moment known as Glenstowe Cross.

The upstairs airport area has passport control desks, a central flower bed, waiting seats and a welcome desk for incoming passengers.

The downstairs station has a couple of shops, toilets, tickets and an information booth.

Glenstowe Station

I just finished my mockup of the Glenstowe station/airport to serve until I can build the real thing. It doesn't have the domed back or much of the detailing but it gives a better idea of scale next to my A4 (still can only fit in two coaches :( ). Mocking it up this way has helped resolved a few consturction issues and plans will be tweaked accordingly before I get the final thing laser cut!

Pics of station prototype:









K

Port Rosea Freighter

Hello all,

T minus about 3 weeks til I can afford track and start baseboard building!

In the meantime I've set about kitbashing the bulk carrier for my dock using a 1/130 oil tanker kit I stumbeld upon in Modelzone - saving myself about £70 from the cheapest N scale freighter kit I could find (made by Sylvan). The kit I got is made by "Eastern Express" and whilst it's nice and cheap, it is quite frankly the worst tooling I've ever seen. Almost every piece had misaligned halves (sometimes by up to 1mm), missing bits or corners lost in blobs of plastic! So as well as rebuilding the main deck to look like a bulk carrier not a tanker (complete with 1950s wooden hatch covers) I've had to fill loads of the gaping holes with plasticard...argh...

Anyhow here's my tanker in its current unpainted state:



And the part I'm particularly pleased with - the wooden hatch covers: