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 […]

Cricut Print and Score and Cut Experiments

It’s time to conclude my Cricut printed car sides experiments. In the end, I’ve not been able to replicate the beaded siding that graced most Canada Atlantic house cars. However, the single-score method might be good enough to represent passenger car siding. In photographs, the freight car siding looks like alternating deep and shallow grooves. […]

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 […]

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 […]