Sign in

James McDonald

@jamesdmcdonald.bsky.social
431 followers 716 following 446 posts

Musician, historian, and fabricator. I play drums (ska, reggae, cumbia, punk), write history (lots about trains, but also food and convenience), and build all sorts of things from models to theater sets. Mostly model train posts these days.

PostsRepliesMedia
James McDonald @jamesdmcdonald.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
Looks great!
120
James McDonald @jamesdmcdonald.bsky.social · 17/05/2026
Word circulating that Westerfield Models has shut down. Here’s hoping Andrew finds a buyer for the line. On the heels of a similar announcement from LaBelle and Clover House’s indefinite hiatus, the pre-WWI modeler’s options are shrinking. #ModelRailroading
151
Reposted by James McDonald
ouinne @ouinne.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
sometimes i feel despair about our species but a man who only takes pictures of trains reassures me that we still have the right stuff
051
Reposted by James McDonald
Interurban Era @interurbanera.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
To all my younger modeler mutuals, this is an INCREDIBLE deal and you should absolutely take them up on it. Rapido strikes again with a great idea for the hobby!
27427
Reposted by James McDonald
Iron Genesis Models @irongenesis.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
First print. c.1850 Norris 4-4-0 for the Mantua General chassis. Larger based on the 1850 locomotive Copiapo, since it is fairly close in size to the General. Going to make some minor tweaks for a better fit, and it'll be good to go.
Photos of two HO scale 4-4-0 steam locomotives, one a 3D printed Norris, and the other a Mantua General. photo of 3D printed Norris locomotive.
23610
James McDonald @jamesdmcdonald.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
I do. When I write English my writing is often quite different than when I write German, especially cursive. Even some block letters change, like capital A or K. My brain just seems to make the switch without me really thinking about it much.
010
James McDonald @jamesdmcdonald.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
You must l know this already then? www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrsQ... I miss driving Trabants. Even back then people made fun of them but wow if that wasn’t ever a fun car to drive.
youtube.com
Trabant 601 Werbefilm 70er Jahre - Englisch
YouTube video by Tom Rücker
020
James McDonald @jamesdmcdonald.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
Kayle is a fantastic scholar and great speaker! This talk should be super interesting. #ModelRailroading #ModelTrains
071
James McDonald @jamesdmcdonald.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
A previous attempt. The one here was subject to autocomplete. The earlier one was me flying without an orthographic net.
100
James McDonald @jamesdmcdonald.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
There are some words that I almost always misspell when I type them. I even know as I’m typing them that I’m pushing the wrong keys for the word. My fingers defy me regardless. Anyhow, just correctly spelled the word hierarchy on the first try. Please clap.
130
James McDonald @jamesdmcdonald.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
Fantastic!
010
James McDonald @jamesdmcdonald.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
Yes, PLA. Liquid resin isn’t in my budget. 😞 Blender has a steep learning curve. Luckily there are YouTube tutorials for just about everything I’ve ever needed to do.
000
James McDonald @jamesdmcdonald.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
For the 3D stuff? I have an old Ender that can usually print ok interior parts. For finish stuff I go to my local library where they have higher quality printers. Software is Blender and Cura as a slicer.
100
James McDonald @jamesdmcdonald.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
There’s something really captivating about the kit built as the makers intended. 🙂
010
James McDonald @jamesdmcdonald.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Queen post & bolster castings were from the kit as well as the CalScale brake kit. Now I have to assemble the ends, which are composites of evergreen strip and sheathing, add roof sheathing and grab irons and it’ll be paint ready.
120
James McDonald @jamesdmcdonald.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
It started as a Camino kit from the 1970s but the kit had the wrong roof for my 1904 era. I drew a new roof base in 3D and printed it. Then I found 1 end block was warped so I replaced. The siding had grooves so deep a scale person could put a fist between the boards so I replaced the siding. …
Box from Camino Models boxcar. Image showing drawing of boxcar end with 3D drawing of roof profile sticking out of it. Boxcar subassembly with 3D printed roof. Boxcar with siding attached.
220
James McDonald @jamesdmcdonald.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Great work! A very cool car and the hard work definitely paid off. I find that often “fixing” old kits can be harder than scratchbuilding. I’m working on a CRR of NJ boxcar that started as a kit and will likely have less than 5 pieces from the original kit by the time I’m done. Hmmm.
120
James McDonald @jamesdmcdonald.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
Super excited to be working with the legendary Derrick Morgan again! My September is going to be bonkers! UK tour with EST, then flying directly to rehearsals with Susan Cadogan and Derrick Morgan, and then the amazing Supernova festival where all the ska fam gathers. And it’s not a dream.
040
James McDonald @jamesdmcdonald.bsky.social · 05/04/2026
IC might have spec’d that. Maybe the HABS/HAER records on loc.gov for the RR have engineering diagrams of IC structures that would point to a common brick size.
loc.gov
Home | Library of Congress
The world's largest library. View historic photos, maps, books and more. Contact experts for help with research. Plan a visit. Home of U.S. Copyright Office.
110
Reposted by James McDonald
Trojan Records @trojanrecords.bsky.social · 05/04/2026
"Hurt So Good" was first a major US hit for Millie Jackson, but it was Susan Cadogan’s more understated take that brought the track to a wider audience. Produced by Lee "Scratch" Perry at his Black Ark Studio, her version entered the charts on this very day in 1975
55915
James McDonald @jamesdmcdonald.bsky.social · 05/04/2026
This one’s for @voltyote.bsky.social : remnants of the old Virginian Railway electrification still hanging on (next to the former depot where the event was)
Color photo showing train tracks running left to right. A depot building pokes in from the right side. A highway runs over the tracks on an arched concrete bridge. Across the tracks are the guy wires for an abandoned electric railroad. The guy wires are supported by tall metal masts.
031
James McDonald @jamesdmcdonald.bsky.social · 05/04/2026
Worlds collide. I just played a ska show in a restored train depot.
150
James McDonald @jamesdmcdonald.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
Haven’t been posting any model railroad content in a while because I haven’t done much. I misplaced a tool I use every day and can’t bring myself to buy another when I know the thing is somewhere in one room of my house. Meanwhile I’ve gathered material for 5 new fright car projects. 🤔
020
Reposted by James McDonald
Discontinued FoOoOods! 👻🎃 @discontinuedfoods.bsky.social · 21/03/2026
What's the worst sandwich you've ever had? One that was so bad, it lives on in your sensory memory to this day?
29527326
James McDonald @jamesdmcdonald.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
It looks like something you could likely fix, either by replacing the L iron or possibly by warming the area until the resin is pliable and then unrolling the piece and gluing. Luckily, gons take a hell of a beating so some damage/distortion can work in your favor.
110
James McDonald @jamesdmcdonald.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
South African Railways ran them into the 1990s. Occasionally you’ll find video of them with just exhaust smoke but no steam escaping. Search YouTube for “SAR Red Devil and Class 25 Condenser 1986” and you’ll see some condenser locos (extra large tenders are the giveaway)
130
James McDonald @jamesdmcdonald.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
You’ve got to drop your fire with a quickness. Water is a consumable but it’s also a coolant. Without water on the top of the firebox, or crown sheet, the sheet will fail and because a boiler is a pressure vessel, it explodes catastrophically, usually killing everyone around it.
110
James McDonald @jamesdmcdonald.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
… condensing systems to recover water vapor from the exhaust steam. There was no one solution and the dynamics were very different around the world and over time.
130
James McDonald @jamesdmcdonald.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
The situation changed over time and dependent on circumstance. Passenger demands for speed made frequent water stops less ideal. Curvy or hilly sections worked locos harder so they needed more water. Some rrs did go to bigger tenders or supplementary tenders. Other railroads used …
230
Reposted by James McDonald
Eastern Standard Time @estmusic.bsky.social · 21/02/2026
Had a fantastic time playing at R Bar for our first Virgin Islands show! Thanks to everyone for the warm welcome!! Tonight we’re at Iggie’s for the Bolongo Bay Beach Bash festival, alongside steel pan master Robert Leonard, Soca champion Relo, DJ JonQuan, and Steady Rock Sound System!!Come thru!
Color photograph showing members of eastern standard time smiling while standing in front of the R Bar in Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas, USVI with palm trees in background. Flyer for the Bolongo Bay Beach Bash festival. Text reads Iggie’s Beach Bar Presents the Bolongo Bay Beach Bash concert series featuring Robert Leonard, steel pan, Eastern Standard Time, DC ska jazz reggae, Cooperate with Relo of Ubersoca. Open beach, food & drink specials, local vendors, Saturday February 21st, 2-10pm. Flyer is a yellow green and blue gradient fill with photos of the artists and logos of the venue and CCI Virgin Islands production company.
031
Reposted by James McDonald
Letters of Note @lettersofnote.com · 12/02/2026
Happy birthday to one of my favourite haters, Charles Darwin
157102983045
James McDonald @jamesdmcdonald.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
Not refrigerated. It’s actually a tank car. It would be pre-loaded with brine and then cucumbers at the fields, so the picking process could start as the car moved to the cannery.
040
Reposted by James McDonald
Eastern Standard Time @estmusic.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
Huge news. We’re backing up the legendary Susan Cadogan at this year’s @supernovaska.bsky.social in September!!!
Flyer advertising Susan Cadogan backed by Eastern Standard Time at the Supernova International Ska Festival, September 12-13, 2026 at Fort Monroe in Hampton, Virginia.
1488
Reposted by James McDonald
Hagley Center for the History of Business, Technology, & Society @hagleycenter.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
Join the #HagleyHistoryHangout for a chat w @bordergroves.bsky.social and indep scholar Elizabeth Moore about the many controversies sparked by the Long Island RR during its nearly 200 year history. Here or wherever you find your podcasts: www.hagley.org/research/his... Please subscribe and share!
hagley.org
Rage! At the Train Station: Long Island Railroad Controversies | Hagley
Infrastructure projects have frequently generated controversies in American history, and railroads in particular have been the cause of many a political fracas.
075
Reposted by James McDonald
Eastern Standard Time @estmusic.bsky.social · 19/01/2026
One month away! EST heads to the Virgin Islands! 🇻🇮 19.Feb at R Bar St Thomas and 21.Feb at Iggie’s Beach Club. Both shows alongside DJ Quan and Steady Rock Sound System!!
Flyer advertising Eastern Standard Time shows on St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. Has EST clock logo in upper left. Background is a sky with palm trees. Test says Eastern Standard Time, live, St.Thomas, V.Islands, 2.19 R Bar, 2.21 Iggie’s
131
Reposted by James McDonald
Interurban Era @interurbanera.bsky.social · 06/01/2026
Headlines decades from now will all be about "someone found the last intact copy of XYZ digital media thought long lost because a person saved it for future generations in an old storage format" BE that someone with the stuff you love, especially the ephemeral and obscure stuff. 1/2
15412
James McDonald @jamesdmcdonald.bsky.social · 30/12/2025
There’s def more ppl into both ska & trains than either community realizes.
120
Reposted by James McDonald
Buckinghamshire Archives @bucksarchives.bsky.social · 16/12/2025
Don't steal pies this Christmas.
28996363
James McDonald @jamesdmcdonald.bsky.social · 05/12/2025
Or you could rock it Life Like style with a roll of kelly green painted kraft paper with sawdust glued to it. 😉
030
James McDonald @jamesdmcdonald.bsky.social · 03/12/2025
Drain hose from washer popping loose and draining into the house? 0/10. Would not recommend.
230
James McDonald @jamesdmcdonald.bsky.social · 26/11/2025
mexlist.com has a groups.io mailing list that seems to be quite knowledgeable and helpful for such things. That’s where I’d start my inquiry.
mexlist.com
MEXLIST
110
James McDonald @jamesdmcdonald.bsky.social · 01/11/2025
Anyone want to start a new band? Specifically a duo named after this old soap?
Line drawing of an oval soap cake with words “Buttermilk and Borax” pressed into it in old-timey lettering.
061
James McDonald @jamesdmcdonald.bsky.social · 24/10/2025
Cool! Looking forward to it!
010
James McDonald @jamesdmcdonald.bsky.social · 23/10/2025
Me for sure. Most of the stuff I model isn't available commercially so it's either extreme kitbashes or scratchbuilding.
110
Reposted by James McDonald
Interurban Era @interurbanera.bsky.social · 21/10/2025
My #1 goal for all of what I do is to make OUR lives hopefully a bit more joyful. Are there "serious" topics about the model railroading hobby? Sure. Mostly centered around inclusiveness of gender/race/economic status. The key is inspiring people to enjoy the hobby at a level they wanna enjoy it!
613415
James McDonald @jamesdmcdonald.bsky.social · 21/10/2025
Timonium train show this coming weekend. Hoping to pick up some new tools and maybe a freight car kit or two. #ModelRailroading
040
James McDonald @jamesdmcdonald.bsky.social · 12/10/2025
Check out this super weathering technique for modelers.
040
Reposted by James McDonald
Metro @wmata.com · 02/10/2025
A bittersweet farewell to our 2000-series! 🚇   Today, we removed the final one from Greenbelt Rail Yard. These trains were first introduced in the early 1980s, operated nearly 200M miles, and carried more than 775M passengers.   Now, we’re making way for our 8000-series! 👋
59815
Reposted by James McDonald
Eastern Standard Time @estmusic.bsky.social · 01/10/2025
Our next show is this Saturday in Newport News. One Love Reggae Music Festival!! Come forward!
Poster for One Love Reggae Music Festival. Black background with text in yellow, blue and white. Texts read: Oct 4, 5th annual One Love Reggae Music Festival, 11am to 9:30pm. Free admission. Coastal Fermentory & Ironclad Distillery. 206 23rd Street Suite B, Newport News, VA. Bands listed: Eastern Standard Time, Rio, Cultivated Mind, Lost Soul Society, Nature’s Child, Trevor Daniels and The Reef, Young Lions, Lionsbridge, Native Dread, Josh Craig.
011
James McDonald @jamesdmcdonald.bsky.social · 30/09/2025
This is very true, unfortunately.
100