CP_SW1200RS Model

[stem]

They look great too!

[Paul Charland]

Hi Steve,

I'm having an issue with the number boards on the action red units that I didn't notice on the previous units, the red and white stripes are bleeding through at a fairly close distance. I've moved the number boards away from the housing as far as I'd like with little improvement so not I'll have to rebuild the housing... and replace it on ten units!

Paul

[Paul Charland]

Hi All,

The SW1200RSs are all working, just have to take a nice screen shot of one and package them for posting to Trainsim.com. I'll try to upload them here just to see it the server will handle the file or not, if it does maybe Steve will find a permanent home for the file here.

While playing around with 8132 I thought I'd try running an RDC as AI traffic just to see what would happen. The SW started at the station, the RDC at Coldbrook. Started the activity, moved the SW and van to a yard track and about four minutes into the activity the RDC came through, stopped at the east end of the station platform for about 20 seconds, then headed east... not bad at all!

Paul

[stem]

I'm just playing with them now. Isn't that great that it accepted it? They look beee-you-tee-ful!!

[stem]

Any change you'll be creating the gypsum gondolas? I can't find anything in the MSTS library that even comes close to either the old wood ones or the "new" steel ones.

[Paul Charland]

...funny you should ask about the gypsum gons... todays project...

I know I don't have the tracks in where the unit train ran but I've been itching to run a 22 car gypsum train behind a pair of SWs just to see how they look. Going to be steel cars for now.

Paul

[stem]

I've been using some coal gondolas forever to imitate the gypsum cars. Looking forward to seeing the real thing!! Remember to check the wiki for some super detailed shots of both styles of gondolas. We've got some good ones.

[Paul Charland]

Hi Steve,

I know I should have looked in the Wiki first, but I had a grainy builder's photo to go by!

Have the car half built, the only real questions I had were lettering, the nice clear shots in the Wiki took care of those.

Paul

[stem]

I figured that was the FIRST place you looked!!

Steel:
http://www.dardpi.ca/wiki/index.php?tit ... 52999a.jpg
http://www.dardpi.ca/wiki/index.php?tit ... C_1993.jpg
http://www.dardpi.ca/wiki/index.php?tit ... 73_126.jpg

Unbelievable detail on the woodies thanks to Bev Buchanan:
http://www.dardpi.ca/wiki/index.php?title=DAR351091

[Paul Charland]

Hi Steve,

The first link is labeled 352941 but is actually to a shot of 352999. Noticed this morning in the 1979 Official Railroad Equipment Register that 352999 is listed separately from the rest of the 352924-352998 order... not sure why, might have been the first of these cars made as an experimental car.

When I start a project like this I check what I have here first, the Wiki second, then Google just to see what turns up. Have a page with the builder's photo and three detail shots, was plenty to work with for now until I got to lettering. The shots in the Wiki are great, large enough the lettering is pretty easy to read.

Paul

[stem]

You can see the end of 352941 on the left. As long as there's even the tiniest piece of another number I'll acknowledge it.

You saw this one too right?
http://www.dardpi.ca/wiki/index.php?tit ... 73_126.jpg

Do you ever do photo repaints? When you can get a pretty good side shot they can look so real. On flat sided cars you can even do a litle stretching and use it.

Pretty well all my repaints have been photo repaints.

[Paul Charland]

Hi Steve,

I have tried this in the past but unless you have a really good set of photos to work with it can get crappy fast. Seeing as most of what I do is from the time before I was railfanning getting good shots to work with isn't too easy... so, I end up doing most of my textures from scratch in Corel.

Paul

[stem]

I was looking at your vans as a repaint subject but you've developed a unique method of labelling and painting your cars. It certainly isn't the standard "side on" car views in the ACE files.

I'll figure it out in short order though and I'm going to try a photo repaint.

[Paul Charland]

Hi Steve,

People have said this since I started drawing. The other way didn't make too much sense to me when I first started, the reason was what I was trying to repaint, one of Dick Cowen's 44 tonners. Dick placed all his parts and then pained the background the same color at the 44 tonner hood and I couldn't figure out where part textures started and ended... so I started doing what made sense to me.

Paul

[Dan Conlin]

Hi Paul,
I'm not a diesel guy but you SW1200s look great in the virtual Kentville yard. I especially like the block lettering scheme.
Dan