I (with a little help from my crew) am still working on the train display in bits and pieces between other larger projects. The engine cab beginnings are in place and the first coat of sculpting epoxy now covers the billboard and base of the sculpture. It is time to install the smoke machine piping through the engine before I get into more details. I am looking forward to working on the trestle soon! Stay tuned...
All aboard!
All aboard! The very last piece we have fabricated for Trinidad is now on the way. We loaded the engine body and one of the riding cars into a giant freight truck today. The pieces won't go directly to the Caribbean however. They are first on their way to our good friends at Hillcrest Shops in Reedly, California. Once there these pieces will be mated to the chassis components which were built in the Hillcrest Shops. They will be thoroughly tested to make sure everything is perfect. The crew in Reedly is one of the most skilled in the world at scaled trains so we KNOW the work will be world class. We are extremely excited to soon see our pirate themed train as a working locomotive.
Stuffing a trailer with cool stuff
Almost everything we do requires some head scratching and a creative solution to accomplish. Today was finally the day to load up the first shipment of arches for the NEBs Bowling Alley project. We devised a clever way to safely get the long features into the trailer. One end was swung into the opening with the forklift and then the boys slid a custom built sawhorse under the outer end. The forklift was then brought around that end to lift and stuff it into the trailer. Twenty arches, along with all of the posts and beams were loaded in a hurry. That's a good thing for it was COLD outside and everyone really wanted to get back inside where it was toasty warm!!
