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John began work on the northern end of the Boy Scout diorama by placing some Woodland Scenics Medium Green Briar Patch. Next, using the static grass applicator, he put down some 4mm medium static green grass. John was careful not to cover the dirt walking path with the static grass. |
A shop vac with a nylon stocking recessed slightly in the hose allowed loose static grass to be removed and reused. As an added bonus, the suction of the vacuum helped the static grass to stand more upright. Now the adhesive needed time to dry completely before adding more scenic materials. |
John added more ground scenic foam to the stream's sloping edges and then added long strands of static grass to simulate reeds. Next, he added the first layer of Realistic Resin Water. |
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| Video: The Eppley Shops were very busy this week. GP40 #3015 received new trucks donated by an unused GP40 #3005. (Note: Clayton's Alaska Railroad has 24 operational locomotives, but another dozen sit unused in boxes under the layout. Yes, they can be used as hanger queens.) | The floppy coupler on the advertising boxcar was repaired by drilling a hole into the metal frame and driving in 2-56 screws. |
GP40 #3009 runs fine until the shell is put completely in place whereupon it no longer operates. The Eppley Shops are currently checking all the wiring. Apparently pressure must be causing a loose connection or short circuit. |
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Jackie is finishing up the work on the "Flowers at Eppley's Curve" by installing 14 JTT birch trees as well as several black spruce she made months ago. A pin vise and drill bit were used to poke holes in the diorama for tree placement. |
Video: Rick took full advantage of RailPro's speed matching capabilities to run the first Distributed Power Unit (DPU) train ever on Clayton's Alaska Railroad. Here lead units GP38 2005 and GP40 3001 pulled a 40 car train past Alaska Marine Lines (AML). Helper units GP49 2501 and GP38 2001 are placed in the middle to assist in pulling this heavy train. What will be the next milestone? A 50 car train? 60? 70? |
Video: A lot of time and talents went into making this railroad operational. The real rewards was watching the trains run flawlessly. Therefore, it was extremely pleasurable watching this DPU train as it showed just how far everything had come. This 40 car DPU train passed itself at the double crossover switch similar to what the real Alaska Railroad does at MP48! |
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| Here's a view of the entire train, the head end just past the diesel shop while the end is seen curving around the southern end of the Anchorage yard. | Video: John and Rick marvel at the operation of the 40-car DPU train as it descended through TwentyMile. | The DPU train uncoupled between the locomotive and coal car as it ascended the curve just east of the Whittier Depot. Rick replaced the front coupler of GP49 2501 to see if it fixed the pull-apart. |
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| Rick's locomotive coupler replacement did not fix the issue so he replaced the coupler on the coal car. This did not fix the problem so John suggested #2501 and #2001 switch places. That did the trick! | Video: The DPU train slowly passed the Whittier Depot, snaked around Eppley's curve and entered Usibelli near Rudd Spur. The train's undulating action was truly amazing to watch. | This is a slightly elevated view of Jackie's flower field with a backdrop. Pretty awesome, isn't it? |
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| This is a ground level view of Jackie's flower field. The birch and spruce trees bring the scene to life. She also added a few more rocks. Can you spot the moose? | The Boy Scouts are returning from a twelve mile hike and are thrilled to be back at camp. Once they cross the creek the Scoutmaster will give orders to begin cooking dinner. | John loves this scene, but believes he will add a few trees to the back of the field. Shortly, he will add one more layer of Realistic Resin Water. |
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The Indiana grandsons recently made an overnight visit and just had to run some trains. They love the new puppy Tazzy and wanted him to be part of the fun. |
After brother Lincoln ran a few trains, Liam wanted to run just one locomotive. He loved the Bold Alaska paint scheme so this GP40 did the honors. |
Liam turned his attention to a freight train which he ran for the remaining time. One building addition both grandsons requested was a school house. We will see. |
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| Jackie and John's diorama was put into it's final location. John added a few foam spacers to fill in the gaps and then glued everything into place. | As can be seen in the previous photo, an open area existed to the front left of the diorama and John added similar ground scenery on top. Soon Jackie will add flowers and birch trees so it will all blend in together. |
A slightly elevated view of the old and new areas of Jackie's Flower field. |
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| Static grass was added to the foam spacer area between the Boy Scout field and the track. While vacuuming up excess scenic materials John dislodged one of the Boy Scouts and needed to glue him back in place. | As it was Rick and Jackie's 50th anniversary, Terry surprised them with a small party complete with a dessert of special cookies and... the appearance of their daughter, son-in-law and grandkids from Englewood. | Afterward, Rick gave a tour of the train room to his daughter and grandkids. Here he demonstrates one of his many inventions, the electrical motor operation for barge movement. |
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Video: Two GP40s pull 39 railcars through TwentyMile. |
SD70M #7002 was derailing at two locations on the layout. After doing some research, Rick determined the inner axle needed more room for movement within the side frames. He used a drill to increase the size of the hole in the side frame on both sets of trucks. |
Video: The 7002 only derailed one time during repeated operation. A huge improvement indeed! |
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| Video: One of the derailment problem locations was the curve inside the mountain. Rick ran the unit repeatedly without any derailments. | Video: SD70M #7002 and caboose #1090 passing through Eppley's Curve. The modification was so successful that Athearn SD70MAC #4011 will be sent to the Eppley Shops for modification. | Train night is taking a three week break. See you July 10th! |