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Thanks Bob, I placed a bid on the 40" wheels which I need for a GP38 that I'm building. Powerd by NWSL, Larry

I need one set of Gary Raymond RS133 wheels. (that's 4 axles and 8 wheels) Can be new or used, I called Gary and he is "out of stock" on these and doesn't plan on running anymore. Not good news for us 1/32 people. Thanks Larry

I talked to her and she told me that the reason was "its just time to retire". I ordered another pair of powered trucks and they are so busy, I won't have them for two months. Sadly missed by buy all who model in #1 gauge. Have you ever tried to get a set of powered trucks from MTH?

Bob, I use #2 chicken grit. Available at all feed stores and its really cheap. It has a nice gray color and is the right size. I've used plastic cement (concrete) and have had good and bad results. I don't think there is any water based glue that will stand up to rain. Take a look at it.

Nick, they just take too long and are a ton of work. I'm going to follow Bobs plan and make molds from the master. In fact, I've got everything finished except the roof. They will have 2 different sides, one plug-door and the other double door. I'll post some pictures when I get the roof done. They are both 1/32nd scale, KD820's and scale wheels. Larry

Some of the 40' MTH boxcars have a pretty nice paint job. I wish MTH would make a 50' modern boxcar, but since they don't, I decided to cut up one their 40' ones. I added roller bearing trucks and some Gary Raymond 36" wheels and a plug door. Cut off most of the MTH cast on details, and tried to match the ATSF red. It came out pretty nice, so here it is

Here's a picture of a Piko 2 bay hopper that I cut down width wise, replaced all the molded on handrails etc. Its shown with an AMS 40' boxcar and a MTH tank car. I would never attempt another one. Its just too much work, but it does produce a nice 2 bay hopper. Larry on Orcas Island, Wa. St

Could someone who has a clue how to do this, please explain how you get one of these. I'm still in the kitbash world and don't understand 3D printing at all. I just need a little here to get me out of the 20th century and into the 21st. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Larry

Master Model Maker, Bob Brown. There have been many who fall into this group including the late Ralph Brown Known for most of the Great Trains models. He also did some outstanding heavyweights along with the E-7A. And now we have Bob Brown who's work must fall into the "Master Model Maker" class. My hat is off to you Bob with the work you've done on the P42. You have really blown me away with this model. Its just too bad I'll never own one in 32nd scale. My guess is, one was enough. I hope you'll post a video when you run it. Larry

Joe, I had NWSL machine flywheels to fit these trucks. It requires you to remove the worm gear, press on a bushing and flywheel, then reinstall the worm gear with some Glue on it when you press it on. Spacing is critical (the distance from the ball bearing in the worm gear) to the metal plate. I have extra's of the bushings and flywheels if you need them. Robert Brown made me some decals to fit these flywheels so DCS works well with them. Its very tight inside but it can be done. I can also loan you the NWSL tools you'll need to remove the worm gear. As far as for using MTH powered trucks goes, if you can find them, use them. If you'd like I'll post some pictures of the inside of these powered trucks with the flywheel installed. You made a comment about wheel spacing. If that's off, then its easy to use the NWSL tool to correct the gauge. I think you'll be happy with them once you get them setup correctly. Larry

Joe, can you tell or show us what truck frames you plan on using. There is very little available in 1/32nd scale. The ones available from NWSL are very "toylike". The ones on the prototype were the same as used on gp38's and gp40's. When Lionel went out of the G-scale business I grabbed everything I could from them. Gary Raymond wrote an excellent article on cutting down the Lionel truck GP9 frames to fit the NWSL motor blocks. You can find the article on the web at Finescale modeler archives, name of article is Lionel GP7 or GP9 by Gary Raymond. They are not the correct truck frames for a F40PH but they look really close. Unless you're a big "rivet counter" they look really close. All you need is a dremel, razor-saw and a can of black ABS glue from home depot. From what I've seen of your modeling skills, you'll have no problem making these truck frames. Let me know if you need a pair of them cause I've got an extra set just laying around. Larry

Enginear Joe I have the brushes and springs for the NWSL powered truck that are missing. You'll need to supply the wire and something soldered on the end of the wire. When NWSL went up for sale several years ago, I figured I'd buy a bunch of replacement parts as I run lots of their products. Thanks to the people who purchased NWSL in Hamilton Montana, we can now get all the parts. I'll be happy to send you a set (for free!) if you'll get me your address. Lubrication of the gears if essential for NWSL trucks and never run them to pull over the specified amp draw. Mine have run for mile after mile with only lube required. I use common white grease that comes in a small tube at all auto parts stores. Please post as many photos as you can of bringing this F40PH back to life.Good luck with this new project, Larry

Simon, a really sweet GP7. I think Gary Raymond would be very proud of it and I hope he saw your post. Just think, people are still using his GP7 article almost 20 years after in was published in Fine Scale Modeler. I'm glad I was able to help. Larry

Are these the fans you need? (2) 36" and (1) 48"? As usual I do not sell to people on this forum. The only thing you pay for is shipping. Let me know if you want them. Larry Sorry for the scan instead of a picture, but the camera in the shop.

Nice car Jerry. I can't make out the number of the car. Do you leave the "skirts" on all your U.P. passenger cars. Really looks nice. Too bad MTH didn't make a baggage or a dome. Seems like they would sell a couple of hundred baggage cars. Everyone who has MTH passenger cars would want one. If we can do it, why can't they? Larry

Daylight coach baggage. Here's a real easy way to create a ribbed side (would work for smooth side also) coach baggage car to fill in where MTH left off. (IE- no baggage car available). I took a painted MTH coach, stripped it, filled in a bunch of windows, then cut out an opening for the baggage door. I cut the door out of some sheet plastic, rearranged the interior seats, put some Gary Raymond wheels under it, and added KD body mount couplers. I'm just waiting for the decals to come back. The car number is SP 3302.

Jerry, I've got a pair that are doing nothing. The cost for them is my usual price which is "nothing." They both have the carbon brushes and came off a caboose. I'll ship them to ya in the next couple of days. (Send me your mailing address) Larry

Floquil is no more. You're right, Testors picked them up and then dropped the entire line of paint. Because many people were so upset about this,Testors added a couple of Floquils colors to a new line of paint called "CREATEFX" which has the flat black that I like to use on my metal wheels. Available on their website #79204" Hope this helps, Larry

As I'm sure all of you are aware of Weaver Models shutting down the last day of July. We are very lucky, because someone saw the worth of Scale coat paints and purchased the entire line of paints. I recently purchased some paint from them and I can say their service was actually better than Weaver models was; Here's a link to their homepage: http://minutemanscalemodels.com/ We've lost so many painting options over the last two years, its good to still have scale coat around. Larry

Yep! leave it to MTH to put a picture of an "o" scale catalog on a page that's all about MTH One gauge. I should have known better. Larry

I might be wrong, but check out the new MTH One Gauge catalog page. There is a picture of the front of the 2015 Catalog and it has something very interesting. See if you can spot it. Larry Here's the link: http://www.mthtrains.com/productline/RailKing-One-Gauge

Jerry, before its death, most all of the Milwaukee Road passenger cars had been painted in U.P. yellow and gray. They remained that way until the end of passenger service on the Milwaukee. The E-9's were also painted in U.P. colors. If you want to run a U.P. painted Skytop at the end of your train, it would be perfectly prototypical. I've got tons of pictures of them in U.P. colors. If you'd like me to send you some pictures, just let me know. Larry

I want one. I don't have the slightest idea as to what I can put behind it. If MTH reads this post, how about a set of superliner cars to go with this beautiful engine. Its just too nice to set on a shelf somewhere. How about it MTH, give us some modern cars to run behind your ever improving line of motive power.

Looks really good. I love the truecolor U.P. yellow, It looks to be right on. Keep up the good work and remember, it doesn't matter how long it takes, or how fast you work on it. The only thing that does matter is you're having fun doing it. Any thoughts on a sound system for it? Larry

Jerry, here's a pretty good article. I picked up one of the long green plastic pans to strip my MTH passenger cars in. After 8 to 12 hours, they come out spotless with no damage to the plastic. http://www.gscaletrainforum.com/index.php?/topic/185-paint-removal/ Hope this helps, Larry