So where did those etched parts wind up?

 It can now be told.
Ted Culotta has taken over the line of etched parts
Currently he listing many items on EBay.

See his blog post for more details

 https://prototopics.blogspot.com/2025/09/yarmouth-model-works-etchings.html

Good luck Ted 

So we had a bit of an ops session

 A bit over a week ago, my buddy Trevor was visiting from out west, and as a result an ops session was had
He writes about it better than I can

 Fresno to Friant (Sept 2025) – The Model Railway Show

 

Las Palmas station

 It's remarkable what can happen when one is not distracted by the daily requirements of running a business.

In advance of an operating session this Saturday past, I felt motivated to finally get the station in Las Palmas built.

A rather simple structure after, 20' x 25'. 2 windows in the gable ends and 2 freight doors. What could be simpler?
Out came the styrene and within a couple of hours the model was assembled and ready for paint. Which is where the trial began
Tru-Color offers the 3 SP structure colours. But I have a major loathing for that brand of paint. It can be a battle to get it airbrush properly and forget about ever hand brushing it for touchups, etc.
So a search was started for acrylic alternatives.
AK Interactive Gen 3 has become my go to paint line for acrylic paints. Easy to use, brushes nicely, air brushes like a dream and the colour range is spectacular.
I visited Sunward Hobbies on Friday with paint samples in hand and found these 3 colours.

To my eye, these 3 colours are near perfect match for the SP colours. And I'm well aware that colour perception is hugely subjective. But I'm sticking with these.
The end result was a sweet little structure

Next up is to replace that standin structure in the back ground
 

Trees

 I mentioned in my last post that I have a preferred process for making trees.
So here goes

I start with these lovely armatures from Model Builders Supply, sadly out of business right now but I've been chatting with the fellow who bought up the inventory.

 I clip off most of the branches

 And grab some of that lovely Super Tree material, AKA Seafoam, and cutoff smaller branch sized pieces and use ACC(Superglue) to secure to the trunk

Working my around the perimeter, bottom to top

 

Precision is not desired. The beauty of using the Seafoam this way is that there is a natural randomness that comes from using a natural material.
Once I'm happy it's off to the paint booth. The entire tree gets a quick coat of a medium grey

 

I have  Noch leaves in a variety of colours on hand
For these trees I started with a layer of Olive Green
The tree is sprayed with unscented hairspray, the cheaper the better, and while it's still wet the leaf material is sprinkled on. sometimes 2 rounds are required to the coverage desired

 

Once that's had a few minutes to dry, another coat of hairspray is applied and then a lighter colour of leaves is sprinkled on to the tree

 Poke some holes in the scenery base and plant away

The same process can be used on Woodland Scenics armatures, I find a very different looking tree results

 

There you have it
15-20 minutes a tree
I think they look great, and far more controllable than Polyfibre and groundfoam, in my opinion

Back to the fun stuff

 Now that I've made the big decision to cease my commercial operations, it's time to focus on my layout again.
For the last couple of months I've been focusing on scenery.
I finally got the orange groves and vineyards all in place

 A few hundred grape vine plants from JTT!
I seem to have cleaned out North America of this product.

The other thing was that I was looking at photos of the area I'm modeling and I came to realize that there were far more trees and shrubs than I had first realized.
So it was tree planting time!
A local hobby shop started stocking Martin Welberg products, including some nice ready made trees, so I dropped a few bucks, along with making some more trees using my favorite method. Something I'll blog about later.

It's coming along, I'm very pleased with the results
Trevor is coming to visit in September, have to clean the layout and make sure it's all running. Those cars aren't gonna switch themselves.

For my US customers

 

Due to the threat of new importation restrictions being imposed by the current USA administration, sales to the USA will be temporarily(we hope) suspended, while we investigate how to navigate the current restrictions.
This decision was not taken lightly and we truly wish that we weren’t in this position.
Bear with us as we navigate this current dilemma.

This is a very distressing development, but with the current set of circumstances, it is felt that we have no alternative.
Should the De Minimus be suspended, we're looking at an increase in shipping fees near double what they are now, along with a minimum $15.00 a package brokerage fees.
At the time of this writing, I am aware of 2 other UK based companies who are also taking the same actions.
All of this presumes that the current CUSMA trade agreement remains in place and is honoured by all parties. Should the trade agreement be torn up, all bets are off.

Never thought it would come to this.

Now taking orders online

 Our Reading 50' Stretched boxcars can now be ordered through our website;
https://www.yarmouthmodelworks.com/index.php/ResinModelKits/YMW-148-1

 https://www.yarmouthmodelworks.com/index.php/ResinModelKits/YMW-148-2

 

The last few bits of detail parts are en-route and the final parts bagging will be done shortly, then orders will be shipped.
We're very pleased with how this project turned out, hope you are too.

A new kit and a new approach

Modelers who are keen followers of the anthracite railroads in the years leading up to Conrail will no doubt be familiar with Reading’s “stretched” ACF boxcars. These were a highly recognizable part of the Reading’s boxcar fleet and they represent the bankrupt railroad’s desperate grasp at extending the utility and earning opportunities for significant (for RDG) block of boxcars.

50’ cars were created by cutting 40’ ACF-built boxcars apart and stretching them by ten feet. The middle of the roof received three diagonal panels in the gap created by the stretch. The rest of the roof is comprised of the unique ACF-style panels. Three classes received 8’ doors and one class received 10’ doors. In all, four classes were created: XML e,b,c,h. We’re talking about a total fleet of around 150 cars so this is to be understood as a RDG-specific project. If you’re modelling the northeast and you’re paying attention to freight cars, you know about these.

The models feature, one piece pressure cast resin bodies, photo-etched details, detail parts from Moloco and Tichy, and Kato trucks. Along with custom decals and something new, a precut paint mask for the iconic "READING" banner

148.1a  XMe  115900-115949 8' door  $75.00

148.1b  XMLb & XMLc 19276-19300, 19301-19325 8' door  $75.00

 

148.2  XMLh 19950-19999  10' door  $75.00

 The new approach,
The "READING" banner is not a decal, but rather a precut paint mask, and we've created a paint mix that matches the decal ink for the dimensional statements perfectly.
Military modelers have used these masks for some time now, I'm just excited to bring this to the model railroading world
The models will be listed on the website shortly