As my vacation continues, so does work on my freelance, narrow gauge freight cars. What was a basic chassis with ends and a deck yesterday, is now this:

3/4 view. Mostly stripwood, formed wire for grabirons, kadee On3 couplers. Still needs door hardware and a roof, and I think the door needs some kind of bracing board. Oh, and a brake wheel, and since this is supposed to be old-school, end ventilation hatches at some point.

Behold, for it is vacation time again, which means I finally have time to really work on my railroad! First project up for work was reworking my rolling workshop. I obtained a (cheapish, wooden) microwave cart with two lower shelves and a single drawer, and sorted and piled my project supplies on it. If anyone asks, I can take pictures of this later.

I finally finished my thing-a-week locomotive! Here is CATS #12, a small 'modernish' electric locomotive. She is based off of an IHC, HO gauge GE 50-ton centercab chassis. As shown in other blog posts I have made, the cab is scratch-made from styrene, pantograph came from an IHC GG1 bought LONG ago, painted by hand. YES, I know I need to redo the weathering on the chassis. You don't realize how heavy the weathering is and how...coarse it is until you photograph the model. :P

Okay, I'll bite. I was perusing google maps tonight (was looking at the DMVW rail line) and found something odd...

Well, the thing-a-week has flopped, but to be honest, I don't really care. I can't force myself to work on stuff, and in reality, my "thing a week" might actually be yard work or house repairs in a given week. *shrug*

Meanwhile, I have returned to work on the 4-wheel electric motor that started my thing-a-week challenge! Update so far: Cab is done. Chassis is mostly done. New deck installed. Hoods attached, weights reshaped to fit over the larger Kadee #702 coupler boxes. Pantograph installed.

My Thing-A-Week challenge got a little delayed due to my wife and I both coming down with the nasty cold that has been going around. It lasts about 16 days or so, with the accompanying cough, so neither of us got a lot done over the last three weeks or so.

That said, I am finally feeling better this week, so I have returned to work on train stuff. Alas, due to a lack of parts for the electric locomotive (I need to get some wire, tiny single-wire connectors, and so forth), I have had to shelf that project for the time being.

Well, a new week dawns, and with it progress on my On30 centercab kitbash.

Well, week 4 of my Thing-a-week challenge draws to a close (yes, I know the weekend starts tomorrow, but I usually work weekends and have little time for modeling). What have I accomplished? I disassembled, cleaned, lubed, and repaired the drive mechanism of the little 4-wheel AHM/IHC switcher I am bashing into an On30 electric locomotive.

The "Thing-A-Week" challenge... is something a friend turned me onto. Basically, the concept is that in order to make progress on anything, be it gaining skill, pushing yourself, or maybe, say, building a model railroad, you need a goal. Essentially, the Thing-A-Week challenge is thusly: Each week, do SOMETHING towards accomplishing your goal. Doesn't have to be big, doesn't have to be important, just has to be SOMETHING.

Hi everyone, I am trying to dig up a set of plans for Butte, Anaconda and Pacific Electric Motors #201 and 202:

GE built s/n 32882-32883, built in July 1957 for the Butte, Anaconda & Pacific in Montana.