Train show tips

 I've decided to go ahead and attend the train show in Simpsonville this coming Saturday. It'll be the first show I've been to in the better part of two years. I've going to train shows since I was kid and I've even helped run a bunch with old club up in New York. I that spirit, I've decided to give you some of my tips and advice.

1. Have budget and stick to it.

2. Have an idea of what you want. For example, I'll be on the hunt for buildings and maybe some freight cars. Knowing what you want makes easier to stay on budget and avoid buyer's remorse.

3. Don't buy the first thing that catches your eye. Browse the whole show first. Yeah, you risk missing on that first thing but, if you do buy it, you risk missing out out on something may have wanted more.

4. The best merchandise is there at the beginning of the day, the deals happen at the end. This is an obvious trade off. All the good stuff is there at the start, but so are all eager buyers. At the end of the day, dealers are going to be tired, and more willing to make a deal so they don't have to lug the stuff home.

5. Do your homework. Say a dealer has that new engine you've been looking for. If you've checked several retailers before the show, you'll know if you're getting a good deal or not. Or, you can always use your phone to check the price. Do that discreetly, however.

6. If you're buying a locomotive, try before you buy. Most trains shows have a test track. If the dealer doesn't want you testing it, that's a big red flag.

7. Get business cards, flyers, and receipts. Maybe the dealer has an online shop. Also if your engine is a lemon, you'll want some recourse.

8. This is my most important piece of advice, Don't be afraid to leave empty handed. I get it, you got up early, drove a good distance and paid the admission only to not find what you're looking for. It sucks. The worst thing to do is buy something just to buy something. It's a sure-fire recipe for buyer's remorse. Sometimes the best train show deal is leaving with your money in pocket.

Started Mocking Up the Altoona Backdrop

 As mentioned previously, I ordered some urban photo backdrops off eBay (seller a.b.b.r_81 (link). What I got was a sheet with five two-foot long sections of generic urban building printed on sturdy paper. Ultimately this gives you a roughly 10-foot backdrop. Not bad for $32!

I started by rolling the section up the opposite way from which it came rolled. This allowed it to lay somewhat flat. Next I cut out the first section and mounted it to some foam core board with Elmer's spray adhesive. 

The next step was to painstakingly cut around each individual building with a razor blade. A good bit of work for sure, but nothing I can't handle. As of right now, the first section is temporarily in place with a bit of masking tape. 

At the moment, I'm not sure if I want the buildings at track level or raised up a bit with some kind of retaining wall. I do know I have to somehow fill the gap between the wall and the layout, a task I am dreading. We shall see.

Finished Blair Line's Green Door Lounge Kit

 Wow, more posts this month than all of 2020! Suffice to say, my enthusiasm is rekindled. Anyway, on to what I actually did.

Today's project was building Blair Line's Green Door Lounge kit. I thought this kit would look right at home by the Juanita Shop complex. I'm sure the guys who work there would appreciate a place to grab a few brews and let off steam after a hard day of keeping K4s and I1s on the rails.

I went with Floquil "Reefer White" on the walls, "Coach Green" on the windows and trim, and "Grimy black" on the roof. Assembly was a tad tedious but much easier that the Railroad Rooming House. 

One thing I love is the assortment of old-timey bill boards that come with this kit. I have a feeling a few of them may end up on some of my other buildings.

Now I need to scavenge some more buildings. There's train show coming up on the 11th. Perhaps I'll find some there. Although the Delta variant, I'm not sure I'll go.

Finished American Model Builders' Railroad Rooming House Kit

 My first structure kit in quite some time. As with other laser-cut wood kits, I painted everything prior to assembly. I went wit Tamiya "Linoleum Deck Brown"on the walls, Floquil "Reefer White on the doors, windows and trim, Floquil "Grimy Black" on the roof and Floquil "Caboose" on the chimneys.

As is typical for an AMB kit, assembly is a bit tedious. Each window contains three separate pieces. Truth be told, I left off the upper sashes on the back windows since they won't be visible. 

They way the paint turned out, I think the building doesn't really require additional weathering.

The Hippo is Back

 I'm happy to report my Key Imports I1 is back in service. All it took was a new tender truck from Bachmann. As previously mentioned in this blog, I converted the tender pickup from drawing current from rail to both. Unfortunately one of the trucks fell apart. Replacement at about a fifteen-minute job. 

The locomotive was a bit herky-jerky on her test run. But, considering she sat for the better part of two years, that's to be expected.

A note about the real I1s class, they were nicknamed hippos by the PRR crews due to their girth. They were commonly used to haul iron ore to the steel mills of Pittsburgh and other heavy-haul trains.

Lighting fixes

 The other day, I noticed my streetlights in Johnstown were unusually dim. At first, I thought my low-voltage power supply had gone bad. However, after swapping it with a know good, that proved not to be the case. I ntoiced the PC board became hot within moments of current being applied.

I moved to the barrier strips that distribute power and noticed a small plume of smoke coming from one. Long story short, when my wife was stashing some of her stuff, she bashed to wires into each other, creating the short. This fix was dead simple. Now my N Scale motorists can stop treating the Busch traffic lights like a four-way stop!

Some more lighting in Gallitizin had glitched out on me. Namely a street light and the office light at the cement plant. The street light's wire had come loose, that simple fix. The office ultimatly required a new LED.

Unfortunately the Altoona end of the layout is pretty much dead in the water until all the stuff I ordered arrives. In addition to the structure kits, I've also ordered up a new urban backdrop from eBay. seller a.b.b.r_81 (link). More on this when it arrives.

Finished Ballasing the Mains

I'm proud to report every inch of main line track on this layout is ballasted. All that remains now is  the Altoona yard tracks and the tracks by roundhouse. Then I can kiss the ballast goodbye until the next layout. However, that will have to wait until I can get to the hobby shop.

In other news, the Pittsburgh Staging yard has gone from procrastination purgatory to almost finished. Five of the six tracks are glued down. To honest things weren't as smooth as I expected. I must have gotten a bad batch of rail joiners because I had more than a few that simply would not go onto the rail!

If you're wondering about the white blotch in the middle of the otherwise brown table top, well, the soldering iron had something to do with it. I used a bit of Dap patching Patch'n'Paint to fill the hole Talk about a bone headed move.