Sepia Photo Shots

Some interesting Sepia Photo shots of Aliwal North SAR Layout. 
Photographed in Sepia and with Manual Camera Settings (ISO 400, 0EV, F5,6)

Experimenting with Smoke Effects...

Welded Wire Mesh Fence

Erected a 10' welded wire mesh fence with barbed wire around the perimeter of Engen Fuel Depot on my HO scale SAR (South African Railways) Layout.

Cut thin strands from the polymer packaging 
nets and glued to the fence posts. 
A very meticulous exercise.

Made use of polymer packaging nets... 
to resemble barbed wire.

Cut thin strands from the polymer packaging 
nets and glued to the fence posts. 
A very meticulous exercise.

Painted the "barbed wire" silver.

LOTS of TIPS at Mack's Track

LOTS of TIPS at Mack's Track for building Layouts, from Adhesives to Workbench...

http://www.mackstrack.co.nz/Store.aspx

Check out Track Tips (under the drop down menu)

Front End Cow Catcher

New front end cow catcher for my Frateschi OO scale SAR 34 class Diesel Electric Locomotive: 

Fitted handcrafted Vacuum Brake Hoses and HO "scale" head metal "whisker®" Kadee coupler #158

Modified cow catcher, fitted handcrafted vacuum brake 
hoses, closed pilot hole and fitted Kadee coupler #158...

HO "scale" head metal "whisker®" Kadee coupler #158

A real SAR 34 class Diesel Locomotive.... 
with the old Bushveld Train Safaris badge.

Air-horns in incorrect position for SAR

Air-horns now fitted on driver cab...

and air-horns fitted on engine cab...

Another detailed Aliwal North SAR Layout scene...

SAR 35 class Diesel Locomotive (35-345) on the left, 
to make and fit air horns. Almost finished the SAR 
34 class Diesel Locomotive (34-108) on the right.

Last week I revisited this project - 
Tackled the 34-509 and the 34-108

Painted the Handrails black and with the Air horns
on the roof, it represents a pre 1980 model... 34-509 
To fit the Jumper Cable Receptacle Box.

Between 1974 and 1977 Iscor placed forty-four GE U26C diesel-electric locomotives in service on the Sishen-Saldanha iron ore line. The locomotives were designed by General Electric and built in three batches by the South African General Electric-Dorman Long Locomotive Group (SA GE-DL, later Dorbyl). In 1977 and 1978 thirty-nine of them were transferred to the South African Railways, where they were initially reclassified to Class 34-400 ex Iscor and renumbered in the range from 34-501 to 34-539. They later became commonly known as Class 34-500.
(GE U26C breakdown: GE = General Electric, U = Universal, 26 = 2600 horse-power and C = Co-Co bogie configuration - 3 axles per bogie.)

Painted the Handrails black and with the Air horns
on the roof, it represents a pre 1980 model... 34-108
To fit the Jumper Cable Receptacle Box and
to paint two Grills on the RH side.

Between July 1971 and March 1973 the South African Railways placed one hundred and twenty-five Class 34-000 GE U26C diesel-electric locomotives in service. Designed by General Electric, the first three locomotives were built by GE and imported, numbered in the range from 34-001 to 34-003, while the remainder were built in South Africa by the South African General Electric-Dorman Long Locomotive Group (SA GE-DL, later Dorbyl) and numbered in the range from 34-004 to 34-125.

I also revisited this project - Tackled the 35-345

Both Frateschi OO scale models - The one on the Left is 

straight from the box (A low detailed replica of our SAR 
35 class Diesel Locomotives). I am busy super 

detailing the one on the right with scratch built parts.

Adding the Front Frame and the Connecting
Jumper Cable Receptacle Box.

Made and fitted new Handrails. The finished Front
Frame and the Connecting Jumper Cable Receptacle
Box are intact.

Painted all the detailed parts.

Removed the other inappropriate handrails and fitted a 
lens in front of the two vertical headlights. This creates 
the impression that the lights are in fact horizontal. 
To make and fit the Air-horns.

A thinner running board effect was achieved by masking
it with Revell Earth Brown Matte. Then to make and fit
the air-horns and milling the new side windows...

A real SAR 35 class Diesel Locomotive.

Cab changes:

35-345

35-345

The South African Class 35-200 type GT18MC diesel-electric locomotive was designed for the South African Railways (SAR) by General Motors Electro-Motive Division (GM-EMD). The first twenty-five were built by GM-EMD and imported, delivered by November 1974 and numbered in the range from 35-201 to 35-225. The remainder were built in two batches by General Motors South Africa (GMSA) in Port Elizabeth, with seventy-five being delivered between 1974 and 1975, numbered in the range from 35-226 to 35-300, and another fifty between 1975 and August 1976, numbered in the range from 35-301 to 35-350 & in SAR Gulf Red Livery with Yellow Whiskers.

Handcrafted Trees and Bushes

Some of my handcrafted trees and bushes in HO scale. Made use of real twigs, sisal rope strands, various glues and sprays, Woodland Scenics® Bushes (light green) FC1645. Ongoing project.

Another attempt;
The trunk is from a garden shrub, 
drilled tiny holes and added more
branches. Painted the trunk with
various shades of Dala Craft paints, 
then sprinkled generously with 
dried coloured tea leaves. 

VIDEO LINK:

DIY Miniature Twine Trees by PhilipStephens007