Weekend Update 3-3-08

[wm3798]

Here we go again!
In anticipation of next week's ops session, I fixed a nagging problem at North Junction.


When I first built the fly-over bridge in front of Andy's closet door, I put the west end of the run-around right there, figuring I'd only need it to switch a couple of cars to the two industries there.  I quickly realized that the Penn Central turn would typically need more room, and also a longer siding would help facilitate thru trains while the local was switching, thereby opening up better traffic flow.  So Friday night I soaked the ballast, and made with the putty knife.



Fortunately, the local Hobby Town now carries C-55 track (albeit at list price! ) so I was able to also replace the turnout, which had been repaired after a track cleaning incident, and never quite worked properly...  So now I have a siding that can easily stow a 10 car local.  Also, westbound trains can now move up off the drawbridge across the aisle before holding for any eastbounds headed for staging.

I also finished up two decoder installations for Bobcat...

Here they are at the fuel rack, fresh from the shops.
We'll be pressing these into service next weekend before shipping them back to their home road... ;D

Lee

[wcfn100]

Just more work on the CGW gondola and articulated flats.  But I figured I've posted enough pics until they're finished.  The 60' flat will be while.  I can't even read half the decals on the sheet, let alone figure out which ones to use.  I always forget how poor the MS diagrams are.


But in a moment of either clarity or insanity I decided I has to put louves on my Kato NW-2 to make it more correct for a phase IV.  I don't know what I think if it yet, it needs a shot of primer.




I know it's nowhere near perfect (I think this is the good side), but, for me, it may be better than not having them at all.  And if it ends up looking good, I might finally feel my modeling skills are adaquate to tackle a couple of interurbans cars I have done drawings for.


Jason

[John]

Jason .. they look good to me ..

[Chris333]

Jason,

How'd you make the louvers?

Erie's first 4 NW2's are ph1's so I can get away with the stock Kato shell, but still would be nice to know how you did it.

[up1950s]

Louvers look perfect , tell us more .

[wcfn100]

OK, first of all thanks, I staged a couple shots to show the basic stuff.  I can expand on anything a little later i.e. after I weed my yard.

Here are the tools and a sheet of .005" styrene.




Using the micrometer I set the triangles postions within the square.  The first measurement is arbitrary, I started at .9".




Then I scribed the grooves using three medium passes.  It take a little practice to get the feel. I try and keep the blade edge at a 45 which makes the backside of the utility blade 90 to the styrene and flush against the triangle.  You can use different angles if you find one the works well and doesn't leave a bunch of styrene residue.  Just be consistant with that angle or the louvers won't be all the same size.




From there, it's a matter of resetting the triangle with the micrometer.  In my case I used .0145" as my increment, but would make it smaller if I had to do it again since the louvers ended up being a bit on the large (tall) side.  I just hope there is enough of a 'letterboard gap' to fit the decal.

Carefully cut out the louver strip using the first scribe you made as the base - meaning make sure it's a nice stright cut. The individual louvers are cut using 'the chopper'.


If nothing else, maybe someone will come up with a better or easier way based on what I did.  And FWIW, positioning them isn't too difficult since you have a lot of parallel references on the doors.  I could have done a little better job had I used a slower setting adhesive. 

I think that's most of it.  Like I said before, let's see what a coat of primer will do.  My fear at this point is the louvers filling in with paint.

Jason

[Dave V]

Here's my contribution this week:

Train 33 leans into the curve through the cut and flies over US522 behind PRR Class EP-22 #5890 (EMD E8A) en route from New York to St Louis, following a locomotive change at Harrisburg.

[Chris333]

Those louvers are crazy 

I did something today:


A Robert Ray Z scale laser kit.

[Erik W]

I don't have any new photos (I'm too lazy to break out the camera stuff).  I spent about six hours today planting about 200 conifer trees.  I used a techinique I read about on Bernie Kempinski's website.  He takes Heki trees, sprays them brown, while the paint is still wet adds dark green static flock and then paints them dark green.  My best guestimate is I'll need about 2000 of these total.  I'm about a third of the way there.  I have another 500 trees coming from Walthers for the next section of scenery.

Here's an old shot showing some of these trees.


and a closeup.


Erik

[Caleb Austin]

I've been messing around with my new layouts trackplan.


By atsflamy at 2008-03-02
I added an interchange track here.


By atsflamy at 2008-03-02
roll by...if I had track :

[atsf_arizona]

Here's one more from the SP photo shoot last week:



By the way, my Kato GS4 arrived and runs great.  Incredible loco.  Congrats, Kato, on a winner.

Have a good week, all.

[Iain]

Make sure you don't run trains off the edge of the layout there :

I worked on my NS F1 Berkshire project.  So far I have extended the mechanism and started working on the firebox.  I need to see if I can get a trailing truck from Walthers and a cab from Con Cor.

While I've got the thing open, I'm going to try to get it ready for DCC.

[diezmon]

ah this weekend... Well, I got they 'ol snippety-snip friday so I've had to lay low for the weekend, literally LOL

Got started on the new shelf layout though!

[John]

ah this weekend... Well, I got they 'ol snippety-snip friday so I've had to lay low for the weekend, literally LOL

Swing Low .. sweet chariot .. that should be worth at least 4 Locomotives in sympathy

[Caleb Austin]

Make sure you don't run trains off the edge of the layout there :

Heh heh, its for looks only