I bought one of Class One Model Works' Thrall 86 ft. boxcars. They caught my attention when I visited the company's booth in Springfield. Class One Model Works is a fairly new company. This is the second car I have purchased from them, the first being a well car. It didn't disappoint. Nice clear and crisp paint made this car stand out. It's been roaming around the GM Plant and yard in Oshawa. A great addition to the layout.
I picked up some of MACRail's solar panels for Herzog ballast cars. These panels power the machinery to remotely open the ballast car doors. Before installing the panels on the cars, I needed to place the solar panel decals on the frames. Next, I hit them with some Dullcoat and then installed them on the ballast cars using prototype photos.
The very first new locomotive I ever got was a CN M420 made by Bachmann. I was probably around 8 years old. It was actually two M420s. One had a motor, and the other was a dummy. Both of them were locomotive number 2501. Here's the dummy on my current layout.
I still have both locomotives. However, they aren't on the current locomotive roster. 2501 was my locomotive of choice on my first layout. I think it's the reason why I'm such a fan of CN and model it instead of CP.
The M420 is a locomotive that is a little too old for my current layout. CN either sold or retired these locomotives by 2006. It's just nostalgia that enticed me to purchase a new M420 when Rapido produced its second run of the locomotive. It's a beautiful model.
