Weekend Update - August 19, 2007

[3rdrail]

Okay, anybody got anything interesting to report for the week just past? Photos appreciated.

I got a little sidetracked, as I got a catalog several weeks ago from Historic Rails that had some real bargains on books. REAL bargains, like $60 books for $15. Well, my two volumes showed up this week, a History of the Jewett Car Company, builder of many interurbans and a surprising number of rapid transit cars, and Bill Middleton's Metropolitan Railways, the last of his volumes on the history of electric railways in North America. Kalmbach didn't publish this one, the University of Indiana Press did. Anyhow, I found it far more engrossing than I thought I would, some really interesting stuff. Considering that the elevated railways were electrified before the turn of the last century, there are a lot of photos in this book of Forney powered trains. But the political and financial machinations were possibly the most fascinating.

So, what'd you do??

[John]

I have been tracking down a short in the upper level ... its driving me nuts .. I have it down to a 12 foot long area .. that has 3 turnouts .. so .. now to isolate turnouts

[John]

Lesson Learned:

Don't use a staple gun to affix both DCC bus wires to the bottom of the benchwork. Apparently, the short was caused by a staple stripping enough insulation from both wires to cause a short. Now I have to put all my wiring back // but at least I found it without teasing down the layout

[TheDude]

This is my freelance Indiana Railroad Shelf layout. As of right now it is only taking up one side of the room but eventully it will cross in front of the window to the other side. This is my first layout attempt. So any help would be appreciated.

[TheDude]

Here Are the two projects i was working on the week.
Lumber yard. I still need to attatch the saftey railing and the ladders on the second building.



And the loading ramp. I made this by glueing two pieces of foam road bed together and cutting the edges off.


Not the greatest ramp ever, but it was cheap and didn't turn out to bad.

[Chris333]

Not N scale and not new, but I haven't posted them yet. My Z scale layout is 8' long and about 19" wide, just 2 loops for double roundy-round East-West action. The layout splits down the middle.

This was an early mock-up:



Later with all trackwork done, code 40 rail on PC ties. Done the Robert Ray way:



This bridge is supposed to mimic the one at Mill Rift, PA at the state line with NY. The girder work was laser cut by Robert:



Even a small splash of scenery:

[Ian MacMillan]

Finally work related things have calmed down and I can get to work on the layout.

Currently while finishing the drywall and electrical in the rest of the layout room, I have a 20' section that I have already started so that I can write a series of articles for Railroad.net and to keep myself from going insane not working on trains.

I got a chance today to add some turnouts and ties in Blair. The town is at the end of what was a busy branch line. The town has a small mill and a propane dealer left in town, where the rest of the line has been removed, leaving these the only customers, and town on the line.

The track is very NH backwoods branch line, resembling the Hillsboro Branch, so there is little to no grade profile along the line.

[tom mann]

Nice work, Chris.  It's good to see it all come together.

[engineshop]

Peter from NScaleKits (who took over Alan Curtis' N-Scale line) asked me about yellow DODX flatcar decals. With his help and hours of internet search I found enough (confusing) pictures to design them.





Of course I found now another DODX flatcar, painted redish, that is similar but not indentical to the yellow.
Here is a link to the picture. If anybody has some close ups on the lettering, I would appreciate it if you would send me PM.

http://image24.webshots.com/25/1/14/88/2929114880071367402lgiDxC_fs.jpg

Thanks

[up1950s]

Wow Chris , that looks like it will be museum quality . Those bridge spans are super , and I see some relatives/goblins in that rock outcropping just past that cool roadway overpass .

[Chris333]

Now if I just had that RTV rubber impression of Tom Mann's head  ;D  Mt. Mannmore


The bridge is from Monroe Models, slightly altered to fit. Still have to add railings:

[qantaqa]

this week: MT coupler conversions, more styro landscaping, too much ebay buying, and a realization that the 10+ year-old tablework I'm doggedly attempting to use is woefully unlevel and unstable... but that's next week...

please forgive the crappy pic quality... :-[

One SP E-7 done, one to go...


Testing my recent Ebay splurges...


you can see the styro work I've accomplished, including some "placeholders" for rough shape ideas.  No adhesives yet, still have to tear down the top level of track to paint the tablework; level; roadbed on the lower area; repair damaged track; replace atlas track with ME c55 handlaid (rail on order, saving for my FastTracks order) -- side question: fasttracks jigs - could I conceivably (sp?) use a double crossover jig to assemble a single turnout of the same radius? just using the appropriate spaces? just thinking of how to save a *little* money (for weathering supplies  ;D )

Whaddya think?

[TiVoPrince]

Now if I just had that RTV rubber impression of Tom Mann's head  ;D  Mt. Mannmore

Using
a small watermelon is an acceptable substitute...

[Virginia Atlantic]

A Brace of VAR Ortner Ag Hoppers sit loaded, awaiting shipment.



While Work-weary SD9 #903 awaits its next assignment.

[Erik W]

Not a whole lot of modeling done this week but I got my bookoholic fix at Caboose Hobbies this weekend with the purchase of my 54th D&RGW book.  Unfortunately my wife isn't helping much by suggesting we buy a bigger book case . . .

Erik