Weekend Update - 1/25/2009

[flight2000]

Hi guys,

Great stuff as usual. 

Love the unloading dock Tom.

Only a couple of new items for me this time.  I finished off an SD9043MAC for the INRD and touched up the FEC SD40-2 from a few weeks back.  Ed, painting the inside black made a big difference.



A Missouri Pacific fantasy paint scheme for the C44-9W.  I'm sure they would have picked up the Dash 9's if they had made it to that point :'(.



Brian

[SecretWeapon]

     http://www.nscale.org/photos/data/500/medium/11-19-08_007.jpg        (ftp://http://www.nscale.org/photos/data/500/medium/11-19-08_007.jpg)

[wm3798]

This just in... Progress shot. Obviously there's still some tweaking to do... Happily the handrail set from an Atlas C-630 fits like a glove... just need to figure out how to bend the far end down for the steps...  I'll also need to get some RS-3 end railings from the most recent run get the ends to look right.

Next will be to smooth out the top radius, looks a little wavey, and fix the errant stanchion mounting there in the middle.  Then I have to add the sand filler platforms at each end, and a headlight housing at the rear.  I'm going to wire in a TF-4 I have to get the headlight to reverse with the BL-2.  I'm going to hardwire the pickups together between the BL and the slug, then nip them in the middle and make a simple solder connection that will be easy to pop apart if the need arises.

I took the idler gears out of the trucks, so they roll pretty freely, although not as freely as other Atlas trucks.  But alas, it's the lesser of the two VO drives that got sacrificed for this, so I'm not crying.  I'm going to test it in the yard to see how it tracks before I put additional weight in it.  There's the whole motor cavity I could fill up with bricks, and since it'll be mated to a split drive BL, I'm not worried about it affecting pulling power.  The main objective is solid track power pick up to get around a couple old c-80 turnouts that have been giving me fits.  I figure a little added weight will help maintain solid contact with the rails.

Lee

[Midniteflyer]

Got my trestle almost complete, only 300- #79 holes to drill in the guard ties to put the nut/bolts in. Also have removed the trestle now and starting some of the ground cover.....

[Ed Kapuscinski]

You know Lee, a sound decoder would probably fit...

[up1950s]

Scale footage wise , that probable the longest one I have seen modeled Midniteflyer . You have to be nervous working on that . I know you're careful , but with so many hours with intimate contact it has to be tempting fate . Have you had any bad luck so far .

[wm3798]

You know Lee, a sound decoder would probably fit...

A lovely thought... but let me get a few more bills paid (and my F units out of hock with Chuck) and we'll start seeing about that sort of thing...

Lee

[delamaize]

no pictures yet, but I finished building randy's 70 ton kit, got it painted, but looking for US Army Transportation Corp WWII Decals to finish it, I added a headlight, but messed up trying to do the rear headlight. Pics tomorrow.

[diezmon]

I'm been doing street work.. experimenting with cracks.   thanks jamie! 

[tom mann]

Whoa - tell us about the cracks!

[wm3798]

I think a very useful book would be a compilation of weathering techniques for scenery...
Lee

[lashedup]

I think a very useful book would be a compilation of weathering techniques for scenery...
Lee

But if everyone wrote books that they wanted to sell about given techniques, then there would be no more helpful discussion in the forums as we would expect you to buy the book!

I agree, scenery weathering and something covering modern scenery techniques would be really good. Although I'm more partial to just putting it up online in one location like z-trains does so that is archived forever and can be updated easily. Plus it is easier to organize in one place and make searchable. A lot of times I can't remember where I saw a given technique and have to rumage through books and magazines and websites looking. Putting it up online is less work (for me) than working on a print publication. Plus videos would help a LOT when it comes to scenery techniques.

Those cracks turned out really nice. It is just a drafting/mechanical pencil with a very thin lead tip. Once you get the hang of it, it is really easy. Only drawbacks are that they can rub off and in some direct light the graphite pencil marks can be reflective if you catch it just right. Otherwise they look really good.

-jamie

[up1950s]

Diezmon  , thats the best street I have seen in any scale . 

[MEC_FAN]

Diezmon, that street really rocks man very cool!!!

[diezmon]

Those are Jamie's cracks.    I used one of my kids pencils, sharpened as well as I could.. then just drew 'em on.

for the dark stripes in the center of each R.O.W., I just scribbled on the pencil and rubbed it in with my finger.

Jamie,  have you tried sealing yours?  I was thinking a layer of dullcoat would help protect it.