1120 Done for Now

After more months than I’d planned, 1120 has left the workbench and returned to Golden Lake to resume service to Pembroke. I decided to experiment with a dot filter on the boiler and tender, and it came out a little heavier than I would have liked. However, considering it is not on home rails, perhaps […]

Coal loads for 1120 and 622

I had already started to put 1120 together again when I realized the coal bunker was still just sheets of lead. I’ve made this mistake before, and narrowly averted disaster when I discovered that #10’s tender was not water-tight and consequently wound up dribbling glue all over the electronics inside. So, this time I did […]

1120’s Tender Rear

The pun was unavoidable. I originally left the lining off the rear of 1120’s tender because the information sheet with Black Cat’s decal set indicated I should. However, it didn’t sit right with me, and when that happens, I go looking for pictures. A photo of 1362 wrecked at Renfrew Junction in 1906 sealed the […]

Lettering for 1120

Thanks to everyone who wrote in to sound the alarm about leaving masking tape on too long! I’m thrilled that anyone reads this blog, and dumbfounded that so many of you care. In the end you needn’t have worried: the masking tape came off easily and the paint stayed on. I hadn’t particularly planned to […]

1120 Visits the Paint Shop

The new airbrush made quick work of spraying 1120 all black. Compared with the old airbrush, this one is a delight. Sure, I can still make mistakes, but I don’t feel like I’m constantly fighting the tool. This was my first time using Vallejo paint and primer. I can’t even write that name without Marc […]

1120 Gets Grand-Trunkified

You could definitely go overboard with detailing a steam locomotive. It’s harder with the earlier engines, which had fewer appliances, but still possible. The intent with 1120 is to get an engine running and looking appropriate so I can use it if I need an extra engine, but not to win any contests. So, I […]

Cricut print and score and cut test

In a moment of weakness, I volunteered to do a table-top clinic about the Cricut at the Railway Modellers’ Meet, which is coming up at the end of May. I may take the opportunity to work on the Pembroke Milling Company’s warehouse, but I also want to show some of the other ideas I’ve worked […]

1120 Running boards modified

There is a fine line separating encouragement from goading. I’m pretty sure Rob Kirkham didn’t cross it, but his assistance in interpreting the Bachmann drawings in an attempt to figure out how this engine might come apart was inspiring. He helped me realize that I wouldn’t be happy with elongated running boards on 1120. I […]

Detail for GTR 1120

As 1120 has been getting closer and closer to staying on the track all the time, I’ve started to think about making her less like the Maryland &Pennsylvania engine she started as. The plan is to 3D-print some eye candy to help convert the post-1900 Baldwin product to a reasonable facsimile of the 1890 Brooks […]

First Business for GTR 1120

GTR 1120 replaced 2543 on this morning’s mixed train (45) and returned on the noon passenger (44). Still in her original Southern Railroad livery, the test run revealed some improvements are in order to both track and engine. In particular, the engine truck needs to be heavier if it is to find its own way […]