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 […]

A New Airbrush

After last year’s rant about my airbrush, I decided to do something about it. The first consideration was that the new tool should be gravity-feed, rather than siphon-feed like both my previous airbrushes. Painting HO scale models uses a surprisingly small amount of paint – drops. Ultimately, I am not going to place a ton […]

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 […]

A Lesson in 3D Composition

During March Break we took a weekend break in Victoria, a short Ferry hop across the Salish Sea. We found ourselves sitting beside the statue of Emily Carr sketching on her corner opposite the provincial legislature, when a little tour group came by. The guide gesticulated vertically toward the statue, and enthusiastically expatiated in some […]

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 […]

So Long Skin Tags!

The other day, I happened to open this site in an incognito browser, and was shocked by how prevalent the ads have become on this platform! Not only were they so loud they overshadowed the blog posts, but they were all depressingly related to the health effects of aging: hair loss remedies, skin tag solutions […]

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 […]

Butchering 1120

The first step in back-dating the Spectrum Modern 4-4-0 to an 1890 Brooks product is getting rid of all the bits that don’t look Brooks-y. There are numerous modern details and appliances that are not appropriate for my 1905 timeframe. In fact, all the boiler fittings came off, with the exception of the stack and […]

Unusual consist at Pembroke

Today’s number 46, the in-bound mixed train, brought with it caboose #2, sandwiched between the combine and the locomotive to provide a little extra relief from the noise, smoke and cinders. The caboose will enable 1120 to run an extra train to Ottawa tomorrow, where it will be taken off the layout for its cosmetic […]