I've always had a thing for the TYCO VIRGINIAN three bay hoppers. At the Medina, Ohio train show I found six four bay VIRGINIAN hoppers. How could I resist? For about $2.50 each, I puchased all six that I could find. A little variety never hurt anyone, right? At left is a rear view of the short string and at right the same cars behind NYC #9622. They will all require coversion to body mounted Kadee couplers, metal wheels, new numbers and coal loads, but what's another project? When completed they will make a nice addition to my VIRGINIAN hopper collection. Now I may have to look for a VIRGINIAN locomotive to handle the whole consist.

On a recent trip to the Mansfield, Ohio Train show I burchased 4 Union Pacific Dome Cars for my George Bush Commemorative train. The cars are relativly bare bones and will require new metal wheels, interiors, occupants and lighting. They are show at left on the BRVRR outer main line. At Right the same cars are on their first (as purchased) test run behind Union Pacifice SD70ACe #4141. The cars track properly and had no difficulty negotiating the layouts 22-1/2 and 20 inch curves.

I purchased this pair of Amtrak F40PH locomotives to supliment my Amtrak roster. Both are Walther's Mainline models. Number 401 has an ESU sound decoder. Number 404 was simple DC. I installed a Digitax DH126MT decoder for lights and motor control. Both have given me fits while trying to program them.

In September 20, I purchased an A/B set of Santa Fe F3 locomotives from Broadway Limited Imports to power my streamlined SF consist. The A-unit is powered and sound eequipped. The B-unit is a dummy. After basic programming I placed them on the layout with my Santa Fe consist and learned to my chargin, that they were incapable of handling the load. As a result, I ordered a second powered A-unit #16 to make an A/B/A power unit and was gratified to see that together the new locos could handle the entire 8-car consist.

This unusual caboose made by MTH was found in Uncle Roy's train shop in Avon, Ohio. As the shop is largely O-scale or Lionel o-27, it kinda stuck out on the shelf. I think it is just a novelty and doesn't represent a real car, it is still a welcome addition to the BRVRR freight roster.

This Riverossi, Union Pacific passenger car was my Guinea pig for the installation of an interior with seats, passengers and lighting. This car and the others in my George Bush Commemorative consist are scheduled for the same treatment. It is shown here after the installations where complete.

the left thumbnails shows three of the GB consist after the installation of an interior, lighting and passengers. The right thumbnail show the detail of the passenger compartment in the Vista Dome cars.

After nearly 20 years of hard use my Digitrax Zephyr finall gave up the ghost. Left thumbnail. The number and command button no longer functioned properly. And programming was out of the question. All that happened was the scrambling of loco addresses. After Digitrax told me they no longer suppported it for repair or spare parts I was forced to look for something new.After searching high and low, I purchased a new Zephyr Express (Australia New Zealand Edition} from Iron Planet Hobbbies. The only difference between the 'American' version and the 'ANZ' version is the plug on the power cord. The vendor was kind enough to include the proper cord for use in the U.S. The new unit is installed on the layout and after an easy orientaion works flawlessly. Right hand thumbnail.

Union Pacific #8314 is shown at the head of a string of new boxcars purchased at bargain prices to suppliment the freight car roster of the railroad. Although difficult to see the cars represent the Chicago and Northwestern, The Soo Lines, Canadian Pacific, Atlantic Coast Line and New York Central. Some minor changes, i.e: metal wheels and Kadee couplers, are still to be made. All of the cars track well as they are.

I purchased the kit for the Milwaaukee, Racine & Troy boxcar #202045 from Model Railroader on a whim and for something different to do. Assembly was easy and the only change that I made was to Kadee couplers. The car now resides in the 'modern freight cars' storage box.

Here NYC RS-32 #8038 is rounding the curve near the cow pasture with five of the eventually, 15-single dome tank cars that will make up my 'Pipeline on Wheels' train. It will be headed by my NYC Mikado #9519 which is the locomotive that powered the original I saw in one of my many New York Central videos.

I purchased these single dome tank cars online to finish out my 'pipeline on wheels' consist. When completed with a new black paint job, identifying decals and Kadee couplers they will make an impressive train for my NYC Mikado. The train will be a simulation of a train I saw in one of my videos featuring the New York Central Railroad. A photo of the first five cars behind NYC RS 32 #8038 is on the Railroading page.

This UP EMD SD70ACe #4141 is my 2019 Christmas present from my wife. A Walthers model, it is equipped with an ESU sound decoder with most of the bells and whistles. I'm going to have to update my Decoder Pro in order to speed match it to UP #8818, and to fully program it to my liking

Union Pacific Flag Baggage Car #5769 is a Walthers model and is my 2019 birthday present from my wife. The car is to be part of a George H. W. Bush tribute train for the BRVRR.

As mentioned on the Home Page, the Black River Valley Model Railroad suffered a major catastophy when a large cabinet/shelving unit, detached itself from the wall and deposited approximately thirty locomotives on the floor in a heap. I was so upset I forgot to take photos of the happening. Damage is still being determined, but it is quite significant, particularly with the steam engines. Some repairs have been made as documented in the photo essay reached through the link at right.

Via the thumbnail at left is a Pennsylvania FA2 #9617 a Bachmann locomotive. I purchased it from Trainworld this month (June) for less than the cost of its Tsunami sound decoder. It is shown with its numbers applied From Microscale decal sheet 87-39. The application of the small numbers at the rear of the locomotive about drove me crazy. The right thumbnail leads to a photo of the loco with numbers in its number boards made with my computer and printer. All it needs now is a little programming and speed matching to my PRR FA #9600.

At right is New York Central E8 #4053 with its number boards occupied. The loco is a tribute to the three experimental Jade Green locomotives on the NYC roster. Here is a link to more photos of the original(?): NYC Jade Green E8

At left and right are New York Central E7s #4034 and #4032 respectively after applying decals to their number boards.

At right is New York Central E7 #4034. The model was modified from Burlington E7 #9924A featured below. The photo was take shortly after completion of the project. A few photos of the steps taken for the conversion are on the How'd You Do That page.

I purchased this pair of Burlington E7s at a train show in November of 2017. I need a few more passenger locomotives and these just happened to be priced right. I intend to chainge their livery to the New York Central cigar band used by the road in the 1960s. They will make perfect locos for Mail and Express or passenger trains, singly or as a pair. The first unit has been completed and some of the steps taken for the conversion can be seen on the How'd You Do That page.

I have a thing for these little Tyco Viginian hoppers. I buy them whenever I see them at train shows providing they are not too beat-up. I purchased four more of them at a November 2017 train show. At the same show I bought some Woodland Senics lump coal for loads. The photos of the process and the finished products are on the How'd You Do That page.

I ordered these two cars from the Walthers May 2016 flier. At left is a 85' Budd Baggage-Dormatory Transition Car. I have scoured train shows for a long time looking for one of these cars at a reasomable price. Walthers finally came through, at half-price, in their May flier. A few interior lights are in this car's future, I think. At right is a 60' Thrall Material Handling car, also purchased at half-price. Both are welcome additions to my Amtrak consist.

New York Central F-7 #1814 is the newest addition to the Black River Valley layout's locomotive roster. It is and InterMountain model equipped with a Soundtraxx (no sound) decoder. It is intended as the running mate for NYC #1821 which is shown below. When #1814 arrived the box had a sticker on it announcing that the locomotive "Was converted to DC only by my dealer." Huh? After removing the shell and studying things through a magnafying glass for awhile, I changed the location of one small plug and the decoder came to life. Except for changing the address and adding a bit of momentum the loco was already speed matched to #1821. The matched pair can be seen together behind the thumbnail at right.

I picked up these two Bachmann coaches in NYC livery at the Vermilion, Ohio train show in mid-January. Both were in pretty good shape and didn't require much beyond a wheel cleaning and new Kadee couplers. I decided to 'light' them with a strip of tape LEDs. I installed the lights with a 270-ohm resister in series to cut down on the internal glare. To give the cars a little more 'life' I installed several 1:100 figures I purchased in bulk several months ago. The results are shown behind the thumbnails at right and left.

I have been cleaning the tracks on the Black River Valley Railroad with alcohol or Goo Gone using a soft cotton rag and lots of elbow-grease. Although it is always a chore it only needs doing a couple of times per-year. Until 'J Bear' a contributor to the Model Railroader Form's Weekend Photo Fun thread gave a brief tutorial accompanied by a couple of photos, on how to make your own track cleaning cars. Since the BRVRR has more than a few of the Athearn BB box cars Bear used to make his, I decided to give it a try. To see how it is/was done, just 'click the thumbnail at right.

The picnic table has been in the central park area in Black River for years without any patrons. On a whim I added a few figures and a couple of pseudo coolers to give the little park some life. Now I have to find picnic ware, plates, bottles and glasses to fill out the scene.

For Fred's Farm Machinery I utilized the little scale house featured below. To spruce it up a bit, I put i LED interior lighting and installed a floor and a people figure (Fred). I mounted it on the layout with Aleene's Tacky Glue and added a few bushes around the foundation. A couple of HO scale tractors and a figure contemplating a purchase completed the basic scene. In photo at left Fred's sign on top of the structure faces south and is easily visible from the front of the layout. In the photo at right the sign faces generally north and is visible from behind the layout with the table pulled away from the back wall. The sign itself is the third or fourth rendition and not completely satisfactory yet. It needs, at least, some serious weathering, and possibly outright replacement. I've been having difficulty reproducing satisfactory small images of tractors and farm implements for the sign(s). One addition, which is coming soon, is a yard light or two to illuminate the scene and make it more noticeable at the front of the layout.

As noted below, this little scale house has been around for a long time. After I dug it out for a thread on the Model Railroader Forum I decided to put it to use. For the abandoned rail car scale I used a couple of pieces of flex-track rail, some movable rails from an old snap switch and a few pieces of Evergreen styrene timber to construct a 'ghost' of an old scale. I haven't decided if I'm going to leave the building as 'abandoned' or repurpose it as a used farm machinery dealer. If I leave it as is there is less work involved, but a farm machinery dealer appeals to me and would allow me to light-up the area more. We will have to see. I'll need a few more pieces of machinery and a few more people to pull off what I have in mind.

Zachary has been looking for a high powered CSX locomotive for quite some time. Number 785 seems to fit the bill quite nicely. It is an Athearn Genesiss SD-70-MAC locomotive he purchased at a train show in Vermilion, Ohio a few weeks ago. I installed a Digitrax DH126 decoder which gives him motor and light control. A new 6-function decoder is on order so he can take advantage of the model's many features. So far he his quite pleased with his purchas. We will know more once the new decoder is installed.

NYC F7A #1821 is my 2015 Christmas gift from my wife. The locomotive is an InterMountain Railways model with a Soundtraxx Tsunami sound decoder installed. It is shown here at the head of a short mixed freight consist passing the Redwing Flour Mill on the BRVRR layout. Although it is shown here solo, I usually pair #1821 with NYC #1872, a dummy locomotive that helps round out the power set. Except for setting the address and turning down the sound, I haven't taken the time to explore the capabilities of the Tsunami. Hopefully, DecoderPro and my home computer will make that task enjoyable. So far I am well pleased with my Christmas present.

This Pennsylvania RR J1A 2-10-4 is a Broadway Limited Imports Paragon2 locomotive. It was our 2014 Christmas gift to our eldest grandson. It is quite an impressive locomotive. Large, heavy and a very good puller. The sounds system and its many options are a hit with the grandson. With 20 freight cars and a caboose it navigates the outer main line on the BRVRR without a problem. The efficient smoke generator is an added plus for the grandson who loves smoking steamers, though it fills my relatively small train room with pine scented fumes rather quickly.

This little structure was built 7 or 8 years ago as an office for grain elevator scales. I found it while rummaging for for another old building for a thread on the Model Railroader Forum. It is constructed out of balsa wood and a couple of pieces of .005-inch clear styrene. It is shown here on the layout near where I am going to install it once again. Interior lighting, some enhancements on the nearby track, a couple of people, some landscaping and it will once again be a useful structure.

New York Central F-7 #1855 and its booster #2425 have been on the layout for 10-years. Just recently the decoder in the A-unit bit the dust. Because I didn't have a replacement on hand, I installed a Minatronics 2-conductor wire set from the power leads on the Soundtraxx DSD100-LC in the B-unit to the motor leads in #1855 as a temorary solution. While I was at it I connected the headlight directly to the pickups on the front truck. The units function every bit as well now as they did when each unit had its own decoder. I'll switch things back when the new Digitrax decoder I have on order arrives.

Amtrak #104 has been on the layout for quite some time as a dummy. As our Amtrak passenger consist grew, Amtrak #120 was not quite enough power. To remedy the situation, I purchased another AMD103 locomotive at the Vermillion train show for the power chassis. After cleaning up the gear boxes and lubricating everything, I installed a DH-123 Digitrax decoder. I speed matched #104 with #120 with my computer and DecoderPro. The two locomotives can now handle our entire Amtrak passenger consist without a problem.

Here are the latest additions to the BRVRR locomotive roster. These Sante Fe E-8s are Proto 2000 models. They were both equipped with DCC decoders, but I installed a new Train Control Systems T-1 decoder in the A-unit and a MRC 1716 sound decoder and speaker in the B-unit. The locos operate quite well together and pull my 8-9 car Santa Fe passenger consist without any trouble. They can be seen making their first test run with the new decoders on the Railroading page. A welcome addition indeed.

Another of my purchases at the Berea show were these two Bachmann Amtrak cars. They will require weighting to bring them up to standards and eventually lighting, but for now the track quite well. I realize that their paint scheme is different from the rest of our Amtrak equipment, but my grandson doesn't care, nor do I actually. They can be seen making their first test run on the Railroading page.

I have posted two new items on the Links page. Both are glossaries of "Railroad Termonology" and quite extensive. The first from the Catskill Archive is very large and features many terms from the steam and transition eras. The second glossary comes curtesy of Union Pacific and has terms for more modern railroaders. I think both would prove useful to any railroad hobbiest. Either of the thumbnails will take your to my Links Page.

Since the locomotive shelves have been full for some time. We have been storing over-flow locomotives on the bookshelf above my desk/work bench. Not the best solution. Since I had some time late last month (June 2014) I made a new shelf out of 1/2-inch plywood. It took most of one day to make and another to paint. The new shelf is the one on the right in the photo at right. Now we have room for more locos!

While at the Lakeland train show in March 2014 I purchased four Roundhouse Arch-Roofed passenger cars in Pennsylvania RR livery. The thumbnails at right and left show a couple of examples of the cars. These are nice little cars with metal wheels and body mounted knuckle couplers already installed. The left thumbnail is a passenger coach. The right thumbnail is a combine. The other two cars included a diner and an observation car. While they are a little old fashioned, the make a great consist for our Pennys K-4 steam locomotive. One day soon I'll install interior lighting and maybe some basic interior details. You can view the individual cars by clicking on the acompanying thumbnails and see some of the cars in use on the Railroading page.

I picked up this Riverossi passenger car at the spring show at Lakeland Community College. I installed body mounted couplers and replaced the truck mounting pins with brass #6 screws. Next on the agenda is weighting the car, blackening the trucks and interior lighting. In the mean time 'Altoona' is a welcome addition to my Pennsylvania RR passenger train consist.

This little Mantua GP-20 locomotive, NYC #6111, has been on the layout for going on 8-years. It is equipped with a Digitrax DH123 decoder and runs is a very smooth, quiet, runner. Its major drawback was the 'bonfire in the cab' caused by a poorly located headlight bulb. This past March I finaly took action and replaced the incandescent bulb with a 3 mm LED and a light sheild. It is shown here on its test run with the new headlight configuration. The operation was a success I think.

Several years ago I purchased an IHC kit Stock No. 2086, with 2 gliders and 4 airplanes from a local hobby shop. A couple of months ago I built one of the tow planes for a thread on another site and placed it above the layout as a conversation piece. I added the pilot figure and a disk of clear styrene to simulate the propeller arc. It has been a real hit with my youngest grandson and adds some color to the upper reaches of the layout.

This Athearn BB kit 62' tank car is a recent addition to the BRVRR's collection of rolling stock. The has resided in the closet for several years and was just recently rediscovered. I added a couple of ounces of extra weight inside of the tank body for better tracking and Kaydee couplers. To improve the tracking even more I installed Proto metal wheels with a little Rust Brown acrylic paint on them to take off the shine. I'll weather the rest of the car when I find a pro-type to use as a pattern.

After long deliberation I decided to change the name of my layout town site from Berea to Black River. The change will require many small changes in the future but will be time well spent. It will also allow me more 'creative license' from the prototype. In the thumbnail at right, BRVRR F-7 #1116 waits at the renamed station for a crew change.

At left is UP Observation Car #1500. The car is a recent acquisition, manufactured by IHC that was much too light and unreliable because of the 'push pin' mountings for the trucks. I disassembled and weighted the car with sheet lead. I mounted the trucks with #6-screws and removed the truck mounted couplers. I installed a body mounted Kaydee coupler and gear box on the front. I left the original non-functioning coupler on the round end. Next, I intend to install metal wheels and basic interior lighting. Another project!

Pennsylvania RR ALCO FA-1 #9600 is a Walthers Trainline locomotive that has resided in the closet for quite some time. I finally took it out and installed a TCS T-1 decoder. It is a welcome addition to the BRVRR's Pennsylvania locomotive roster. Now all I have to do is find a powered B-unit to go with it.

I finally got around to finishing the glass tinting job on the remainder of my Santa Fe streamlined consist. The job required the disassembly of each of the cars. And each car had to be masked to prevent overspray from damaging the exterior finish. The general process and the materials used are discussed behind the thumbnail of the vista dome car on the How'd You Do That page.

For a very long time the only representative of the Black River Valley Railroad was BRVRR F-7 #1116. I had promised myself that one day there would be more rolling stock to represent the layout's 'home' road. The thumbnail at right will lead to a short photo essay and description of how I constructed a new caboose for the railroad.

Union Pacific #1469 is shown here on its DC test run at the head of a short excursion train on the BRVRR approaching Black River (formerly Berea) Station. The locomotive is an Athearn Ready-to-Run that I picked up at the Lakeland Train Show this past winter. I have a Soundtraxx decoder and speaker that I intend to install in the near future. While doing the installation I plan on putting out the fire in the cab, installing handrails, grab-irons, MU-hoses and a few other details to bring the loco up to BRVRR standards.

The Farmer's Market shown at left is a combination of the existing Tourist Scene and portions of Woodlands Scenics Farmers Market Scene. I added the fruit and vegetable display, a couple of extra vehicles and a few human figures to give the scene more life. Although crowded, the scene works for me.

The thumbnail at right leads to my Team Track scene at night. I added a couple of light fixtures to the ends of the crane gantry to brighten the night-time scene. The changes helped but I think I need a couple more pole mounted lights.

Here are two views of my lighting project. At left is a view of the trackside loading dock and personnel access on the north and west sides of the Redwing Flour Mill. I added the light above the personnel door and installed another under the awning above the loading dock. The photo at right shows the light on the west side personnel door again and the light above the truck loading dock on the south side of the building. Together the new lights brightened the scene considerably. Maybe a couple of pole mounted lights in the truck yard are still in order.

I intended to add several signs to the sides of the Farmers Union grain elevator and warehouse for some time now. During the past week I finally took action. I have been collecting the various signs posted by tomkat-13 on the Model Railroader Forum for years. All of the signs used on the elevator and adjacent warehouse/feed store came from him. The thumbnail at left shows the signs and their locations on the grain elevator itself. The thumbnail at right does the same for the warehouse. Just click on the thumbnail of choice for a large image.

The Pennsylvania RR RPO #342 at left is part of a six-car heavy weight consist I purchased used at a trains show in February of this year. Except for needing a few new couplers the cars were in remarkably good condition. I think they are either Rivrossi or IHC cars since they are so light, have truck mounted couplers and have plastic wheel sets. The cars track well and look good behind my grandsons Bachmann Spectrum Pennsy K-4. The Performance of the loco will be improved when I get around to applying a little "Bull Frog Snot" to improve traction.

At right is the thumbnail for Southern Pacific Combine #3050. This car and its brothers, a couple of coaches and an observation car, are all Bachmann Spectrum models. They were purchased used at a train show at Lakeland Community College in early February 2012. All of the cars have suffered from rough handling and some of the diaphragms are missing, but the price was right. I have had to fill in some oversized holes and install new coupler pockets but the cars track well and look really good with my grandson's GS-4 Southern Pacific locomotive. Next will be replacement diaphragms, proper weighting and lighting.

Southern Pacific GS-4 #4449, at left, is a Bachmann locomotive that belongs to my oldest grandson. It was a Christmas present in 2004. To please him I installed the guts from an IHC steam sound car in the tender. Although it produced only white noise it satisfied the boy at the time. With the acquisition of a Southern Pacific passenger consist at a recent train show, it was time to upgrade the sound.

I removed the sound car components and installed a Soundtraxx DSD-101LC sound decoder and a 1-inch speaker in the tender. I fabricated and installed soft brass electrical pick-ups, thumbnail at right, on the underside of the tender and wired them to the decoder. The hardest part was isolating the motor and installing the electrical leads to and from the decoder.

When 4449 was placed on the track with its short consist of heavyweight passenger cars, there was a lot of slippage. After checking all the wheels on the cars and the locomotive and lubricating everything without much improvement I decided to try a little "Bull Frog Snot" on the locomotive's drivers to see if it would improve the loco's adhesion. The photo at left shows the result of the "Bull Frog Snot" application on the rear drivers. I'm happy to say there was a dramatic improvement in the performance and now SP GS-4 #4449 happily travels the BRVRR layout with its heavyweight consist without noticeable slippage.

I purchased this Proto 2000 SW8/900/800 loco in NYC livery from a vendor at the NMRA Div. 4 train show in Berea, OH, on October 1, 2011. The price was just too good to pass up. It is shown here during its DC test run. The gearing is a little gummy so they will need cleaning and lubrication. It still needs some detailing and I'm not fond of the handrails on the hood. A little tinkering and a decoder will make this little gem into a welcome addition to the BRVRR.

A new photo of the West End of the BRVRR layout. There are not many notable changes, but I was trying for a better image of the down town. I have a bunch of new trees that are looking for a place on the railroad. Any suggestions.

I have been working on a small repair scene near the Farmers Union grain elevator. Shockers Electric is replacing a broken ventilation fan for one of the grain bins. To do so they needed a truck with some kind of crane or hoisting equipment. To give them one, I used an Athearn White Freightliner tractor kit that has been on the shelf for some time. I shortened the chassis by removing the rear axle and then primed and painted the cab with Testor's Flat Dove Grey. The cab and chassis are shown after basic assembly in the thumbnail at left. I fabricated the truck body from some .030-inch styrene I had on hand. When the glue was dry I painted it with the same Dove Grey I had used on the cab. I built the hoist from some styrene shapes and painted them with Testor's silver. When the truck bed had dried I applied a light coat of artist's acrylic grey and streaked it with brown. A Sharpie with a fine point provided the seams between the boards in the truck bed. I made a 'broken' fan assembly from a few pieces from a Walther's Roof Top Ventilation Kit and painted it silver. I mounted the fan in the truck bed and installed the dunnage 'wedges' made from a few small pieces of scrap balsa. A couple of figures from my 'People' box give the scene a little life.

After building Santa Fe FP45 #5945 I had every intention of weathering #5941 to match. Well, I finally got around to it. I removed the window glazing where I could and masked off the remainder. Then I applied some Bragdon dry powders to the body shell and the trucks together with some lightly brushed Floquil rust and oily black paints. I sealed the surfaces with a couple of light coats of Dulcote and then reinstalled the window glazing. The results are shown in the thumbnail at right. Just 'click' for a larger view. To see how I built Santa Fe FP45 #5945 go to the How'd You Do That page.

As a part of my layout beautification project I finally filled in the last area of painted ground on the layout. The area around Black River (formerly Berea) Tower has long needed some attention. I finally got around to improving the ground cover with Woodland Scenics mixed green foam. I added a couple of sections of roadway, two rail crossings and several signs. The roadway is made from heavy artist's board painted with flat black latex. The RR Crossing and Stop signs are printed on heavy paper and glued to posts of 1/8-inch brass. After the photo at left was taken I painted some Railroad Junk from a Preiser grouping and placed some barrels near the building and a few paint cans and small crates under the stairs to the tower. A few pieces of Woodland Scenics coarse foam for foliage and the scene was done. Big improvement I think.

I have wanted to stripe the front and rear of my NYC RDC#53 for quite awhile. The arrival of the needed decals from Microscale meant that I had to take action. After removing the body shell, removing the window glazing and taping of the top and sides I sprayed a coat of reefer white Testor's paint on the front and rear panels of the body shell. Once the paint had dried I applied black 8-inch (scale) stripes from Microscale sheet #91152 to each end. It took a little fiddling to get the right match on the entry doors, but I finally worked it out. Next I applied a few strips of 8-inch wide red barricade stripes to complete the design. A few touches with red and black Testor's enamel finished the stripe application. A liberal application of Bragdon Enterprises weathering powders and a couple of coats of Dulcote finished the job. For a larger image of my RDC click the thumbnail photograph at right.

I am always looking for heavyweight and streamlined Athearn passenger cars. The slightly shorter cars look better on my railroad than true scale cars. The NYC had thousands of baggage cars that were often used as mail/express cars. This NYC Baggage car started as an undecorated kit. I painted the body Pullman Green, the top black and added decals from Microscale. A coat of Testor's Dull Cote sealed the whole thing together. The interior is lighted with a single bulb with wound wire pick-ups applied to two axles on each truck. I use a piece of plain white copy paper inside of the shell to diffuse the light a little. With the addition of Kadee #5 couplers the car was complete. A worthy addition to my passenger car fleet.