Monday, February 27, 2012

Second Tropicana Reefer

Whether I am going or not to Plant City this year, I am building a second Tropicana Reefer. Unlike the first, the new model will be 4 studs longer. The master plan calls for the existing car to be reconsidered as a 64' TrinCool and relettered as UP ARMN, while the new one is anchored the Tropicana decals. The new car will also begin to impose different grab iron accents as the faucets are less available.
Photos will be following soon, and an update on whether I can or cannot go to PC this year.

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Plant City - Trains Running

The following units, consists, and what not are planned to be lugged to Plant City. If the depot goes through it'll fit much more nicely.

My CSX locos 4556 (SD70MAC, not decalled) and possibly a modified GEVO (to be 843) will be power.
FEC 714, RA 106, and FEC 701 are options, and I know I want to carry 714 because it is just that beautiful.
714 has to be given stickers and because it is backwards compatible with the Maersk Train engine I am using the trucks from it.

One Tropicana car is complete. My goal by March is to get two more done. Also, an intermodal consist may join me, but usually those are already on display. If you put two and two together, you know that not only can a mini Q741 (Juice Train) be run with 3 whites and 2 oranges (GFLUG product), but also FEC 202 with intermodal and Tropicanas and manifest on top.
I plan on carrying: the boxcar, bulkhead flat, covered hopper, and FRKX hopper
If I magically come up with 89ft. flats, those can come too.
But having four engines and seven cars is enough to go.

I am still waiting a response for the move to get the depot there. I hope it is understood such will put them in benefit as well as those show staff will probably front page it. lol

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Plant City 2012 Display

As is the usual, GFLUG will have a laid back multi-loop train display at Plant City, as has been for about 10 years now. Where has the time gone?

The HBPRRHS has had train shows for a long time now, 21 years now and counting. I have been to three shows, the 2007, 2008, and 2010 ones. 2007 was more of a bad try at a day outing; the weather sucked, I was tired out, and everyone wasn't in the best of moods. 2008 was a much happier event and I got to enjoy it to its fullest, also getting my second CSX video. In 2010, things were a carbon copy of 2008 except I got a rarer-than-ever S604 in Lakeland on tape; as usual I got to run the trains and have camaraderie with many railfans and people my age (more so people my age), except the train pickings were awfully low and Paul Mathis of the SFRM said so. 2012 is here, around the corner, and I expect a blast out of it.

Why you ask? I am going for it. I have just sent a proposal asking to make the GFLUG the first ever operating layout to display a model of the historic Plant City Depot! N-scale diorama? Nope. HO-scale diorama? Wrong area. LEGO? Can do... and I will hopefully make it happen.

In my end the trip is in the planning stages, but it was promised. My folk said either this or Railwatch, and for this I will be honored to do this.

This thing can do it... it can make the papers again! The big icon of Plant City is indeed the station downtown and I am sure the staff will go bananas seeing it in the brick. It'll even be a cooler touch installing this section right up on a curve, just like the real deal.

Hopefully I get a yes, and for this continuous publicity, I believe there is no reason for them to say no. If I can do whatever is needed to get this done, I should be all set.

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Should this get approved, the trip will be carried out in two days;
Friday we rent the car in the early A.M. (7 am), depart 9 am, arrive at the setup 2:20 pm. (2007 I left 8:30 am and arrived 1:30 pm). I believe setup is until 6(?) so I can deviate for one train or two.
I'd probably railfan Lakeland-Plant City from 4-7 and move up to Orlando and sleep well for the night.
Saturday, be up 7:30 am and leave for the show 9:00 am, as always, hopefully unlike 2011 no big jam that holds me up well. Perhaps this time we'll scout a Mickey D's in Haines City to save time.
We'd arrive around 11 am and hang around until 3, catching any necessary and proper train (ie. T081 or the like) in this frame, leave the show at 4 after tearing down, and head to the LEGO store after some railfanning.

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The section being proposed is the depot as seen in Flickr. 3x1.5 BP.
Should I have to fill a half a baseplate, it will be for parking. Should it be 4 and a half, to fit a 6x3 area, it will be parking on the south/north and Reynolds St. on the north. Perhaps I'll begin adding the old cars for the big old car convention every 3rd Saturday (mentioned on the article).

Funny how Biz said that I am recreating a Firestone Pizza, I only mean that I am building the very not-so-flattering Firestone Complete Car Care!

City Car Park

IMG_0003 by Eiker86
IMG_0003, a photo by Eiker86 on Flickr.

I LIKE THIS Set! This is the new 2012 City Car Park. Looking to be a 80 dollar set, it is a close remake of the 6394 with new features. Four cars are included and behind it there is a gas pump. Very functional set, a must-have.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

New LEGO City Garage (No Pics, sorry)

This summer, as I had dreamed of for the longest time, LEGO will be producing a city garage/car park sort of thing. Amazon unveiled the info advertising the product for pre order. Should be a huge set and a fun one. I miss this sort of thing; I am one of those who wondered why LEGO never re-released 6394, the Metro Park/Service Center. Those sets have action, they feel very metropolitan, and are very modernistic.
To this end I believe this, the quarry, and the Town Hall will be the only three sets I ever touch this year additional to the 4438, 4432, 4437. Otherwise I have a few considerable orders I will be low key on until the final product, the models the special elements will be used on, is shown.