And here it is!

In all it's decaled glory!

Now to edit all the photos and write the instructions.
Who has more fun on a holiday weekend than me?

I have a simple request...

To the makers of CA.

Do you think, maybe, perhaps, you could date the bottles of glue as you bottle them?
CA does not keep forever. I'm not sure what the actual shelf life is, but it does indeed have a shelf life.
2 identical bottles, bought from different stores. The one on the right was opened 2 days ago. Thye one on the left just this morning.
The one on the right provided CA that wouldn't cure without accelerator. The one on the left performed exactly as required. Rather annoying when trying to mount tanks onto underframes.
It's also annoying to be tossing a virtually full  bottle of glue.
Is it so much to ask?

And it's off to the paint shop!

The platform is done! And the last little details are on the model. Shortly it'll be deciding which shade of black to apply.
The platform went together far quicker than I was worried it might. Which is always good news.
Heavily aided by thoughtful design and valuable input from the team that helped get this project done.
This project has been in the works now for almost 3 years. It has involved at least 8 different people in 3 countries on 2 continents. My deep gratitude to all who had a hand in this.
It's a great hobby.

Progress this day

The process of building pilot models is draining. Rewarding, but draining.

After far too many delays and minor hiccups, this model is now reaching completion. And I couldn't be happier. So far the model has gone together pretty much as I had hoped. Still have to pause and consider how best to approach some of the tasks involved in assembling this car.
As well as, I have to stop and write down all the steps as I go for the instructions, which slows down progress some.
Tomorrow it's the etched dome platform. With any luck I'll be flinging paint before dinner.
I fully expect to be able to have this model ready for sale at the St Louis RPM in August. Right now the intention is to only offer 50 kits for sale. If there's more demand I'll consider a further production run.

I love this technique!

0.060" styrene sheet for backdrops and fascia.
Delightful!

The plastic is relatively cheap. $100.00 bought me 4 sheets.
It's real easy to work. Just scribe and snap like you would for model making. Admittedly 4'x8' sheets are a tad unwieldy, but we prevail.
No fasteners are required. I use a panel adhesive, No More Nails, it grabs well and drys fairly quickly.
Seams are dealt with by scabbing a splice plate on the back and gluing using solvent cement. In this case good ole Testors.
I'll use spot putty to fill the seams and it'll get painted in a couple of days.
I put up 40' of backdrop in a couple of hours, without assistance.
It's starting to look like a model railroad down here.

Not quite benchwork in a day

Roadbed takes a tad longer.

Thought I'd reward myself a little after getting those MKT cars all done, so I got the roadbed in on the newest section of benchwork.
Once I'd gotten the frame installed and arguing with myself about what the backdrop configuration would be;

(This is what I went with.)
I tossed some strips of plywood onto the framework and stared at it on and off for a couple of days, trying to determine what pleased my eye the most.
In the end I settled on a very slight curve just east of the CPR diamond and then a nice long straight stretch to the corner.
I'll come back now and determine where the culverts may go and start laying ties.
Have to start really thinking hard about Aylmer soon. It's next.

For all you O scalers

I have just finished building 4 of Southern Car & Foundry's  O Scale MKT Single-Sheath Box Car Kit 303.
One is for a client, but 3 are now for sale.

These kits are yet another stunning example of the high quality work executed by Jon Cagle and his cohorts of pattern makers. Very nice castings with laser cut running boards, photo etched details and injection molded details where appropriate.
These cars are being offered with San Juan Car Works scale trucks and Type E couplers. The cars have been moderately weathered and decaled using Protocraft decals created specifically for this kit.
I'm asking $360.00 USD for each car, which includes shipping and insurance within North America.
Contact me at pierre.oliver@elgincarshops.com if you're interested in acquiring one of these cars.