A Mainline Route is Open!

As mentioned in the last post, Track 2 is now complete, allowing for trains to run around the whole circuit of the main line! Here, Conrail C39-8 #6000 leads two other units and a train that represents Conrail's SEEL (Selkirk, NY to Elkhart, IN) upgrade crossing over from Track 1 to Track 2 at CP 277. The unit is a kitbash I did a few years after college:Here, the train comes west across the newly installed 9 Mile Creek through truss.

And a going-away shot of the same train at the bridge:

It's fun watch the train cross the bridge, with shadows from the truss moving over the rolling stock and locomotives!

The bridge was finished by painting it silver, and then weathering it with an airbrush and also hand-painted rust and grime. Then I applied a coat of dullcoat to take away any remaining shine. The bridge track was weathered separately, using a neat product by Floquil - weathering pens. These are paint pens that allow you to just weather rails or ties, which can then be oversprayed to create good-looking weathered track. An overall view:

And, a closer shot, showing some of the details and also the un-weathered, un-installed bridge track for Track 1. Yet to be installed are the code line conduits that will hang on the outside of the main truss, as well as the ribbon guard and guard rails on the track itself. The weathering really allows the rivet moldings and details to stand out:

I'm continuing to lay track, and at this point have only about 10 feet of Track 1 that remains to be put in, including over the bridge as you can see here. I hope to have that complete this week, and will then start to install switch machines, and finish mainline wiring.

In the mean time, I have been continuing to replace wheels on locomotives - a few images of that will be along soon.