UP's N Scale Canyon Division Layout Build....

[Sumner]

Scenery by Coal Mine Part 4...

Continuing on …....

 

I had designed some logs for the sawmill complex  this past year but was not very happy with them. Didn’t like what the bark looked like. I had looked into using ‘Blender’ to make the logs but it looked like a pretty good learning curve and didn’t want to spend the time for only one need at this time. Laying awake at 3 in the morning I got an idea how I could use Fusion to maybe do a better job than before. I like them well enough to make a bunch and have it be ‘good enough’ at least for now.

 

I designed some in 36” & 40” diameters and printed them and it won’t take long to also design the smaller diameters also. I did try taking my first attempt, a 36” diameter, and scale it up and down but wasn’t happy with that as it of course scaled the bark up and down and the bark itself would be the same size on all of the different diameters.

There will be a high trestle in the area where I’m now working and I need to progress on it at the same time I’m putting in the foam for the terrain. I had designed the different length and height steel girder sections earlier but needed to make a 40’ long section into a 50’ long section so added another section to the 40 footer I had designed to make the 50 footer.

 

Also needed abutments for both ends of the trestle so designed them also. I’ll put the print files up for the trestle sections and the abutments soon on my thingiverse account as free downloads .

 

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New 50’ section and abutment for it above.

 

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This is going to be a complicated area to hopefully get things to work together.

 

Beginning design of the supporting uprights took place a year or more ago and now have to move forward in order for the terrain and the trestle supports to work out alright.

 

Two curved turnouts had been put in place some time ago but not the two tracks past them where supplies and equipment can be brought to the mine. The two tracks were put in at this point as it is easier to get to this area now before the new foam rock faces go in. Which reminds me I should do the track drops now also.

 

I’ve kind of put this area off as don’t have a compete picture of how to make it all work but that will come as I move along. ..

To be continued…....

A link to this whole build ( HERE ) .

Sumner

[Sumner]

High Bridge Part 3...

Continuing on with getting what I call the ‘High Bridge’ designed, printed and put in place along with the foam work in the area. I had worked on this some back in November of ‘23 (High Bridge Part 1) and done a little more work on preparation for it in December of ‘23 (High Bridge Part 2). Now hoping over the next week or two to have it maybe 90% finished…....

 

I have cereal every morning and save the boxes (not all of them) as they make for great patterns. The top of the pattern is the end view of the bridge section shown that the upright supports will attach to.



The far one above is a single upright to the end of the first span and will sit next to a road there and a bridge that spans the tracks in front of the tunnel (print files are up for it). The next one’s main members go all the way to the ground in the same area. The one on the left is more complicated as …..

 
….. two members will go all the way to the ground but the other two will be further up the hill. I decided to stop foam at this level and move to the computer to design the uprights with the hope of then putting the foam in to pretty much work with them.

 

Before starting the CAD work I thought I should get the trestle in place temporarily. I taped the walkways as the grating there is really fine and didn’t want to clog it with any more paint than necessary.

 

I hadn’t painted with the air brush for probably about a year and not much with it before but do have experience with a large gun. I paint a lot with a brush and forgot how easy and fast it is to use the gun vs. the brush for painting something like the interior of these bridge members. Also you don’t loose as much detail buried under paint.

 

I researched guns quite a bit before buying the iwata and haven’t been disappointed at all in spending the money on it. I also bought a nice gun (good reviews) on Amazon for around $50 and was going to use it when possible. I don’t use it much at all as this gun is so easy to spray with.

I was using the black ModelFlex to the right but was going to run out so thought I’d give the cheap DecoArt acrylic a try. Put some in small cup, added some water to thin it a bit and it sprayed as well as the ModelFlex. I use the DecoArt with a brush as it is cheap and I can get it at the local hardware store. I’ll try more in the gun also now after using it here.

 

I made the paint booth above a while back ( HERE ). Used a duct fan I already had and it works great. Filters are ones I can buy at the local Ace Hardware. I have a long plywood panel that the hose goes through that I can stick under the garage door to the right. With the acrylic and all the air in the shop I hardly use it like that. The hose gets what little fumes there are away from me far enough I don’t even smell them.

 

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Went back to my non-air-brush to add a little weather.



Now on to a lot of CAD work…....

A link to this whole build ( HERE ).

Sumner

[Sumner]

High Bridge Part 4...

Continuing on with the ‘High Bridge’ design, printing and assembly.

 
The pattern above was first made out of cardboard but it was to flimsy and didn’t give a good indication of where the support’s legs were going to hit the ground. Using the heavier particle-board proved to be a better option since it has some mass to it.

 

Part of the support that will go here (above) will hit the ground near the tracks. The other side will hit the hill further up and there will be supports that will also go into the hill.


 

I knew that the design work wasn’t going to be finished in a day but has taken a lot longer than anticipated even though Fusion is a huge help in making this project doable.



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More CAD work coming…....

A link to this whole build ( HERE ).

Sumner

[Sumner]

High Bridge Part 5...

Continuing on with the ‘High Bridge’ design, printing and assembly.

 

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More CAD work coming…....

A link to this whole build ( HERE ) .

Sumner

[Sumner]

High Bridge Part 6 ....

Continuing on with the ‘High Bridge’ design, printing and assembly and finally coming to an end.

 

Above are the three towers for the trestle. All designed with non-commercial Fusion and printed with a $200 AnyCubic Photon M resin printer.

 

I want it to be fairly easy to remove the trestle and the supporting towers from the layout when needed, like now when I need to finish the scenery by them. The first two towers sit on and are pinned to the footers under them. The footers stay in place and those two towers sit on the footers and are located by them.

This last tower only has two legs. It pins to the footers under it but with no horizontal stability would fall over. Two locators were designed and glued to the top of the tower. The tower is held in place and the trestle lowered onto it. The locators then wrap around the bottom of one of the trestle’s cross-members and keep the tower from moving horizontally (see next two images).

 

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The trestle and supporting towers lift off in a minute that that will slow down some when the tracks are put into place. Will paint the towers and continue on with the foam board scenery next.

A link to this whole build ( HERE ).

Sumner

[John]

Good stuff.   Awesome work

[Sumner]

Painted the towers with a first coat and will come back later and weather them some.

 

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Continuing the foam board scenery under the towers…. more to come on that.

A link to this whole build ( HERE ).

Sumner