Chuck

The G Ga - National Christmas Tree Display Modular Layout comes up for auction on wed. Don't know how close you are to them but maybe worth buying? https://cabinfeverauctions.bidwrangler.com/ui/auctions/84762

Glad that I could help! MTH added on with 4 more roadnames!

Scroll down to bottom of page where it shows themes. Left click on themes then this menu should appear. The just click on which ever one you'd like!

I see the R20083 Greyhound w/ silver stripes is sold out.

From a recent posting on Trainorders.com... Yesterday four of us from the original 3985 Restoration Committee visited our old friend in the UP Steam Shop. We had a good visit and it was good to recount the work we did on 3985 back in the late 1970's. From left to right are; Bob Fryml, Bob Krieger, Rick Steele and John Boehner. John was the spearhead of our group to get the restoration going. At first we did all our inspections out at the display in the Cheyenne depot parking lot. And then when we got the go ahead from the top officers we began prepping and lubing the 3985 for a movement to the roundhouse. That was where we did all the difficult work. Fortunately 3985 was in good shape when the railroad parked it long ago. So it wasn't that difficult to bring it back to service. Now it is destined to travel to Silvis to be overhauled and place back on the high iron. I wish Steve Sandberg and his group all the best as they take on this project among others. I look forward to see it running again. Bob Krieger Cheyenne, WY Thank you for you kind thoughts. Yes, sadly 3985 will leave the home rails soon but it will be restored and operating again on rails I used to be a brakeman/ conductor on when I worked on the Rock Island. They will have plenty of miles to operate on with the Iowa Interstate. It is my plan with Steve Sandberg's blessing to be there when they fire up 3985 again one day. I remember how I had to hand fire that coal hungry locomotive on our first fireup to get enough pressure to get the stoker screw to turn. I earned my wings that day. I look forward to seeing the Challenger operate. It is one of two in existence and the only to operate after the fall of steam operations on the UP. It and the venerable 844 were stall mates for years. Actually under the UP steam program, 3985 operated 13 more years longer under the heritage program than it did in regular service. So we, the UP and its employees, did well. Bob Krieger Cheyenne, WY

Pat's Trains is offering SD70Ace's in SF Black Bonnet paint 2 roadnumbers very limited quantity. Here's the website page and scroll clear down.... https://www.patstrains.com/Preorder_Items/?startIndex=121&poCat=7 His posted pics are of GE's but paint scheme will be same.

Great news as I have UP 8926 ordered! Also awaiting on the Spirit version from few years ago. I also have some exclusive MTH One-Gauge tank cars on pre-order from Train World. Here's part of the official news letter from MTH.

I picked up a USAT 50' mechanical reefer recently for a great price and was wondering a bit about it. Did Charles Ro Supply decorate various pieces for USA Trains for advertising at train shows? I also seen some blue intermodal cars decorated for USA Trains though the seller wanted some serious money for those. Guess just wondering if this was a USAT/ Ro in house decorating job or by some individual? Thought maybe some folks here that attend east coast shows may know? Think they used stickers on this car and not actual decals. Painting was done very nice and car is complete. I may put a reefer sound module in it!

Those BC units are nice!

I don't know as all I have is a USAT Big Boy

Hi, I make my own decals if I can using microsoft Word. Most all decals lettering uses a free CityOf font which comes close to U.P.s font "style". The script I stumbled upon in Word and is a Brush Script M7 font. The UP Herald was found online. I use MR Decal Paper which I found to be the best and ordered in from the UK. Decal paper makes or break a project as I've slugged thru some really crappy paper when I didn't know any better. After making what lettering I need in Word then I convert the file to a .pdf and open in Adobe Acrobat XI Pro as can manipulate the words a bit such as grouping them tightly together etc. so use less decal paper. I've spent quite a bit of time over the years learning all that as it's the best to print decals at home if mess one up or just doesn't look right. I use a HP CP1215 Laser printer and bought a Ghost White toner for it so can print white when needed. I think next best way to print decals would be a UV printer but those are still priced way too high for me. Thinking of painting and lettering a boxcar for the fictional Weyland-Yutani Corp. like this...

Back when I was into o gauge trains the 1999 MTH uncatalogued DAP (Dealer Appreciation Program) included a U.P. Big Boy along with a matching wide vision caboose. MTH dealers could only obtain 2 of each. Here's a pic of the caboose that I always liked. I think it's a fantasy paint scheme but great non the less. I always wanted one in G scale so I found a USA Trains Wide Vision caboose in New Have paint for cheap. After stripping, painting and decaling I now have a Union Pacific Big Boy caboose. I also removed the rear flashing red light that USAT used and replaced with their heavyweight marker lights as looks better with the era when Big Boys ran.

Sure looks like it Do you have all of it??

Just finished up painting and decaling a USA Trains 60' double door boxcar. The UP had like 100 of the 60' boxcars for passenger train Express Service. They also had 40' and 50' boxcars. All total something like 250 of them at one time in various paint schemes. I was thinking about lettering it as car 9336 that was used up to a few years ago on the UP Steam trains as a tool car but they smashed it up and I don't plan on modelling the current era.

I also recently picked up a Pullman sleeper car that was decorated for PRR. No pictures of it in original paint just this one in UP paint before decaling. All finished. I named this one "Pacific Park".

The RPO is all finished up. When doing the lettering I always use a different car number or name than what USA used just so incase I find the originals the train won't have the exact same car.

Yep, Looking good!

Well in between the cool weather and rainy days I managed to get the PA "B" unit shell painted and decaled. And got the RPO painted. Next be decaling the RPO and then clear coat both with either flat or matte...depends on which will be compatible with the Valspar paint. I quit using the Krylon Acrylic Catalyst Hardener as that was actually making the paint dry slower.

The Railroading Heritage of Midwest America will receive a bunch of trains from the Union Pacific. The RHMA is part of the famous Milwaukee 261 operation. This is great news as 3985 does NOT deserve to be shoved into the corner of a roundhouse as she holds the records for both most tonnage and longest train to be pulled by steam in the 21st century. 3985 also ran 75+ mph all day. Another great take on all this is these trains are to be moved to the huge RHMA location at Silvis, IL. and that is served by numerous railroads including the very steam friendly Iowa Interstate...I see great things happening at Silvis in the near future. Here's the announcement. https://261.com/2022/04/28/up-donation/

That is a good video! 2102 has pulled more freight tonnage in that one video than 4014 has ever done...or will ever do!

Jerry, Shoot as I meant which boards to azmooses in their Big Boy as those have some extra boards in them.

Which boards?

Well made it thru the winter months and can start thinking about painting outdoors. I really should build an indoor paint booth but it would have to be very big to paint 1:29 trains and since I use a automotive type spray gun it would take a big exhaust fan and ductwork to vent it outdoors not to mention the heated makeup air it would consume. Anyways got the ex D&RGW PA "B" Unit stripped and primed. Also have the shell and parts painted in Armour yellow, chassis and parts in Harbor Mist grey. I tried Scale Coat II UP yellow and grey but it didn't match the USAT colors. Yellow was to "bright" and the grey way too "dark". I ended up taking a skirt and a combine door into Farm & Fleet and having them scan the pieces and mix up custom blended paint. It's Valspar Alkyd enamel oil based. Quarts cost $12 and I chose the gloss base. Nobody else could custom mix unless it was latex paint. Years ago I would have just went to a local auto body jobber and have them mix it up in either DuPont Dulux or Centari Acrylic Enamel. Valspar Alkyd is okay just takes days to dry...So does Scale Coat II as basically same stuff for 20X the price. Valspar is super thick so I thinned it at least 50% with Naptha which is a step above mineral spirits. I could probably use Xylol but that stuff is nasty and really stinks! Naptha is basically Ronsonal lighter fluid. I also add some Krylon Catalyst Acrylic Hardener to the paint to help speed up the drying time. Here I stripped and primed the ex PRR RPO car so I'm starting to gain on my projects. Need to stop buying as have a PRR Pullman car awaiting to be stripped and painted along with a NH wide vision caboose and a 44 Tonner. Small parts... Last few rainy cold days we had I managed to get the decals made for both B Unit and RPO...

I don't believe so as I bought the F40 off eBay a year or so ago, stripped the UP paint, lengthened the frame & shell then painted into Metra.

Sorry as I've never separated those 2 pieces. I've only removed body to service smoke unit etc. I did look into tightening a ditch light or see how it's mounted but backed out as looked like a project that I didn't have time for.