Let's Get Dirty

Some of JD's new cars

Jake and Alex use prototype photos
as a guide to weather a flat car

In honor of Memorial Day today, Paul Dolkos, John Drye, Jake Brendel and Alexandra Cannole joined Alicia, Mom and I for a cookout. On the menu were grilled sausages with veggies, home made pierogis that mom and I made yesterday, fresh corn salad, grilled chicken wings, fruit, brownies and ice cream.

After the delightful dinner, we descended to the basement for a weathering session. The primary purpose was to jump start John Drye's conversion to HO scale by weathering a bunch of HO freight cars.  Jake and Alexandra offered to help. Paul Dolkos watched the festivities and got inspired to go home and do some of his own cars.

In a few hours we managed to weather about a dozen cars.  Probably my favorites were the covered cement hoppers that I weathered in part with a slurry of white chalk dust and water. When it dries it creates a most convincing look of dried dust.

Hopefully, this gave JD a good head start on his new layout.

Love these cement hoppers

Now that work on my layout is winding down, I am hoping to help my friends with their projects.   I do plan to expand the Aquia Line, but not until after we host Northeast Interchange next November. Also, Alicia and I are coming up on a busy travel period where we will be on the road about half of the time. So I won't be getting too much down on my layout.

Speaking of travel, we will be in Connecticut for the NERPM next weekend. I'll be presenting a clinic on Saturday evening. On Sunday, we plan to visit Mystic Seaport. I haven't been there in over 50 years.

JD posing by his new freight  cars