Saturday, June 16, 2012

Live Rust!

     It occurred to me that although I can't copy the "Best-Ever Photo Of A Rusty Locomotive" due to the photographer's chosen settings on Flickr, there's absolutely no reason why I can't provide a link to the photo in its home location. And so, here it is!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joorgawt/3162865216

Hopefully, this respects the photographer's wishes, which I fully support, while providing me with an easy shortcut to the photo any time I need a reference. Not that I'm using it as a "prototype," (it's a really different engine,) but I really love the rust patterns and colors. Great shot, Mr. Photographer!

Friday, June 15, 2012

Rust Never Sleeps

I'm having fun planning the rusty finish on my tank engine, searching out photos, and thinking just how I can best approach the task. In my navy days, I spent hundreds of hours combating rust with scrapers, wire brushes, pneumatic tools, and lead based primer. Rust was the insidious enemy, that gradually ate away our ship! So it's with feelings of mischievous transgression that I conspire to rust my locomotive.

     This is not the best photo I've found (that one is fiercely copyrighted) but it has many of the qualities I'm looking for. I love the combination of white oxidation, remaining traces of paint, and lots of rust. I'm thinking I'll use a more orange rust, and add considerable blue to the black, thus setting up a complementary contrast that will make both colors blaze with life. Maybe I'll show evidence of recent attempts at restoration, such as polished bare-metal, or freshly painted patches. A spectrum of (bare metal / rusted metal / pure rust / paint clinging to rust / rust under paint / solid paint) seems like a good palate. Once I get finished filing the body shell, I'll start rusting!

     In other hobby news, my Fast Tracks order finally arrived! Looking forward to building my first turnout, but first things first. Rust never sleeps!

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Express From Lyon

     It's been a while since I've played with my trains. Big things happening in "life" right now have intruded into my placid world of  chuffing choo-choos, and diverted all my energy and attention. Not to worry, as it's all good. This week I'm interviewing for a nifty new job!

     But a care package has arrived from Tom Brown over in Lyon, France. Tom read my earlier post about missing out on the little Mantua camelback, and offered to send me an extra one he had lying around. Even gave me a choice of which of a group I preferred! So here you see the latest addition to the Delirium Route stable, a spectacular, like-new, Mantua camelback. It's a beautiful engine, nicely weighted, and appears to be wired for DCC, based on the bundle of wires running between it the tender.

     I'll designate her Delirium #3, as the caboose is #1 and the tank engine #2. I doubt I'll have the nerve to try weathering her yet, better to wait until I've had practice finishing and weathering the tank engine. She has great details too, with metal handrails, directional lights, and a brass bell. Thanks to Tom for his generous gift, which is greatly appreciated and will be thoroughly enjoyed! In appreciation, I will be sending him some "transfer traffic" in the form of a T&D car to run on his On30 layout. It will be my first time building anything as large as that, and I'm relishing the idea of unlimited potential for detail. In O scale, I can build board by board, stain and weather to my heart's content, and do all the lettering by hand. And since it will have a place to run, it won't just sit idle on a shelf.

     Regarding the possibility of a new job, I am slightly torn on one account. Leaving my basement workbench means abandoning my current layout plans for the Delirium Route. On the other hand, it's consolation if I should end up staying. Should I be moving on, I will follow the example of our Prof Klyzlr, and go micro! Foam blocks, kitchen cabinet magnets, I have an abundance of great ideas to draw upon. No room for an eight-foot surfboard in my apartment, but a couple of sections that go together? I can work it out =)