Holt steam tractor model

I just finished building the Rio Grande Models Holt steam tractor kit.  I have had this on the shelf for years and finally got around to it.  Rio Grande Models sells very detailed cast metal kits and I have built a number of them.  A year or so ago I built their Mcgiffert log loader for my logging area and posted it on this blog.  While I like the results of these builds I find building these complex cast metal kits to be moderately painful.  I am reasonably happy with the way this turned out.

I built this pretty much per the kit directions except where I needed to make minor modifications to make the parts fit, but that may have been more the fault of my construction than the kit.  I did add a figure seated at the controls.  These steam tractors were built between 1904 and 1910 at which point they were replaced by gasoline models.  Every photo I could find of the prototype seemed to be a little different.  The photos in the instructions - both model and prototype - were poor, however the internet is a great resource.  The instructions in general, while fairly complete,  need careful reading before each construction step.  the resulting model is, at least in my case, quite fragile due to all of the pipes and small details.

I painted most of the castings with Floquil reefer gray (I am so sorry to see the Floquil paints disappearing as they were the best for painting metal parts).  Follow-up painting was done with my usual craft paints and washes, and then I applied final weathering with chalks.

I will likely put this model in the vicinity of my sawmill.

Some vehicles for my layout

I spent the last week assembling two automobiles, one a kit and the other a build-up from a cast metal frame from some unknown kit.  The kit is a Sylvan Scale Models 1937 yellow taxi.  I had built a few Sylvan vehicle kits before but this one was a little disappointing.  First I do not care for the rubber tires for the wheels as it is difficult to make them look good due to the rubber flash.  Then when I tried to apply the "taxi" decal to the roof sign the decal disintegrated.  Before I then applied the "yellow cab" decals to the doors I coated the decal with clear flat to ensure it stayed together - that worked well.  I made a new roof sign by clipping a "taxi" sign off the internet, reducing them to the right size, and glueing two copies back to back.  I did not care for their tail light casting so I substituted two very small pins with the head painted red - the edge of the pin head thus providing a silver edge to the tail light.  They provided a vacuum formed clear plastic insert for the windows but upon inserting it inside the cab I could see that the top of the window casting curved inwards and looked bad so I applied small sections of clear plastic for the windows - a tedious task.
Other then those annoying issues the cab tuned out fairly well and fits my period.

My other project was to create a body for a cast metal frame as shown in the photo behind the auto model.  I obtained the frame with wheels and headlights form an estate so have no idea of the kit source.  I made the body mostly from card stock.  The photo is not great  but the resulting auto gives me a decent car for my layout.

I have a large number of vehicles on my layout but you can almost never have too many.

Sign structure completed

Here is the completed model of my Fine Sign Company.  My lighting for these shots could have been better.

The roof is a card stock seamed copper roof product which I weathered but I do not remember the manufacturer.  The dormer window is built from styrene and card stock.  The gutters and downspouts are a British company plastic product.

Here you can see the sign company adjoining the galvanizing company building - it helps make that building's steep triangular upper floor make sense and is more or less what the prototype block looked like.

The shed on the rear of the building is there to break-up the very square shape of the main building.

I now have to come up with my next project, something that is often the most difficult part of my modeling.  One annual onerous task facing me is preparation of my taxes which will doubtless slow down my modeling progress.  The governments (federal and state) seem to constantly find new ways to grab more of our money, which they frequently waste on nonsense.  I am guessing this pain is felt in every country around the world.  Blogger provides me with a constant flow of statistics on where views of my blog come from and what is being viewed.  It is kind of fascinating to look at these from time to time.  There is no linkage between any of the statistics but I have had viewers from all around the world - some likely came by accident.  In any event the blog seems to draw interest and I have fun doing it.

Sign company model progress

The building I am constructing to adjoin the galvanizing company will be a sign company.  I cannot determine what if any business the prototype is but my model has a similar look other than the signs.  This is still under construction - obvious since it has no roof yet - but that means I will be doing additional details and weathering to the two sides shown.

The right side is undecorated with just the top having brick siding since it adjoins another building.  The rear has one upper window but will have a shed added on the lower level.

The left side of the building houses the sign shop and the right door provides access to the upper floor.  The structure is built from internally braced heavy card stock with a brick overlay made using Holgate & Reynolds plastic brick sheeting.  The left door and windows are commercial plastic parts, and the door on the right which is cast metal.  

This has been progressing slowly as I have some other non model railroad tasks to do.  The colder than normal weather has been really annoying.