SP B30-7 7788 is the third Speed Lettering Southern Pacific B-Boat to join the Meridian Speedway fleet.  The model of SP 7788 received is factory equipped with LokSound.  This consist sure brings back memories for me!  Trios of these were very common in Louisiana and Texas in 1996.  They were so common that they were taken for granted and often overlooked.

These models look great on the display case!  This brings my roster of EsPee locomotives up to 10 which nicely fills out two shelves.

SP 7788, SP 7823, and SP 7850 will be sent off soon to have LED ditch lights and LED headlight upgrades done.  I am looking forward to operating these units when completed.

I ordered this locomotive from Toy Train Heaven as this model was not available from either MB Klein/ModelTrainStuff or TrainWorld.  I ordered two boxcars as well, the third number of the three KCS Atlas HO 50' Berwick boxcars (I was only able to get two from ModelTrainStuff) as well a Mississippi Delta version as MSDR 195224.  One drawback of doing business with Toy Train Heaven is that it takes a while for them to process orders so you never know when your card will be charged.  In this case it was almost two weeks after the order as placed.  In the interim I guess they sold out of the KCS car, so it was not included in the shipment which is too bad.  The MSDR car is quite nice however and I am glad to have it.

The prototype SP 7788 I have photographed several times.  The image below is one example where I photographed her as the middle unit on SP train 1-HOCXM-18 at Patterson, LA on August 19, 1995.  

This unit has air conditioner and antenna equipment on the roof which Atlas did not incorporate into the model.  This is interesting because Atlas puts those details on their SP and SSW GP40-2 models as per the prototype.  This is a little disappointing but not a big deal as these details are not difficult to add.  It is just a bit odd as we have come to expect better from Atlas.

Chris

The theme of the railroad I am building in the man cave has changed from Vicksburg to Gibsland. With some persuasion from Greg McComas and Dan Munson there well be more emphasis on backdrops and scenery so I decided to simplify the operating concept for this layout.

Gibsland offers that simplicity while containing enough detail to keep it interesting.  One landmark in the Gibsland railroad scene is the derelict former Illinois Central Freight House across from the Louisiana and North West diesel shop.

A trip was made to Gibsland last Monday, 3-13-2017, to take some detail shots and gather ideas for the layout.  This post will focus on the freight house.

The below Google satellite image illustrates how the freight house is positioned in relation to the various tracks and the Louisiana and North West diesel shop in Gibsland.

Measurements and photos were taken to compliment images taken on earlier trips to capture enough information to model the structure.  Below we will go around the structure.  The drawings were made from measurements taken on this last trip.  The drawings are not exactly to scale as they were done in PowerPoint, however they are very close.

Below are some more images taken of details and different angles to assist with modeling this structure.

Chris

With the pain booth being back in business I decided it was time to try out the wheel masks offered by American Model Builders.

A new essay has been added to the Meridian Speedway Library.  Noted photographer J. Parker Lamb has written a narrative that outlines the evolving importance of Shreveport in the U.S. railroad network. This essay is illustrated with a number of Mr. Lamb's photographs.  

This the second article that Parker has penned for the Meridian Speedway Library.

Chris

The new air hose and Iwata airbrush come post locomotive display case, so I made a few modifications to facilitate painting.  Swapping the hose with the Badger fitting for the hose with the Iwata fitting was easy enough.  A few turns with a wrench and the job was done.

The air tank is positioned where the air line comes through the floor from the garage below.  I decided to place three brass hook under the display case to hold the air hose as it extends from the air tank to the paint booth.  This keeps it out of view and always handy.  I also place a couple of hooks on the side of the pain booth that fit around the moisture trap on the hose and feed it into the paint booth. 

Looking forward to doing some painting soon.

Chris

The Meridian Speedway paint shop has been inactive for some time now.  A couple of packages arrived in the mail today that will change that!

I was quite displeased with the spray consistence of the last cars I painted with my once trusty Badger airbrush.  These cars were the four Y&MV Thrall all-door boxcars.  At the recommendation of Matt Sugerman, I decided to make the switch to Iwata.  My comfort zone lies with single action, so I elected to get the same brush Mr. Sugerman has, the single action Iwata Revolution.

At first glance, this feels like a finely machined instrument!  The weight and motion of the pieces are impressive.  The kit comes with some needle lube, a wrench, and a bottle.  I also got a badger hose with a moisture trap and the Iwata fitting.  I was quite pleased with the Badger hose I was using before.

I look forward to great things from this airbrush!

​Chris

I must admit I seem to have a case of B-Boat fever!  The fourth new 4-axle GE to join the Meridian Speedway stable this year arrived today in the form of Atlas B30-7 SP 7850.  LokSound equipped, this unit looks great with sister B30-7 SP 7823!

The SP 7823 and SP 7850 are the only two sound-equipped SP B30-7s available from Trainworld.  It looks like I will have to find another source to supply me with the remaining two numbers, SP 7777 and SP 7788.  Yes I have B-Boat fever and there is no cure!

As usual a couple of freight cars were part of the order.  I came across SOU 50127 and NAHX 90401 while looking at the specials on the Trainworld website.  My intermodal fleet is woefully small and the Southern car was impossible to pass up.  As for the NAHX hopper car, well there is no such thing as too many "data only" hoppers and tank cars in the era I am modeling.

Must find more GE's!!!

​Chris