Locomotive detailing

The stock Atlas N scale GP7's have a great ACL paint job, but they don't have the right details.

Here, I'm adding headlights while doing my best to preserve the factory paint. Next, they get MV Products jewels. I've taken off the single-chime horns, and will add five-chime versions. Other details I will be putting on these locos include roof-mounted bells and wire cut-levers.

Then it's just a matter of touching up the purple paint and the job's done.

I will not be chiseling off these grabs and putting wire ones on; I find, no matter what technique I use, I can't get them exactly straight...and it is very obvious if they aren't. I'll probably dab the class lights with silver paint and add a crew to the cab.

My 2'x4' World

Here's the trackplan for the 2'x4' N scale layout I am building in my tiny apartment:

It's a design by M.C. Fujiwara that ran in Model Railroader magazine, although they called the top town "Whiskey Barrel;" either the original name was too long or they didn't know what a bunghole is.

Anyway, I'm building it as a layout representing South Carolina. The Whiskey Barrel side will be a town with a large papermill, and the Gotham side will be...uh...a town with, among other things, a customer for the paper.

It's suitable for F7s, GP7s and 40' freight cars. My original big plans for a layout included passenger trains running on the ACL's famed double-track mainline, but this will do.