Weekend Update 2/27/11

[Dave V]

So, some progress has been made on the N scale Durham & Southern Apex, NC layout I'm building with my son Jacob.

Here Jacob helps me paint the underside of the layout...



Timmy is supervising (with his shirt inside-out):



So, while it's beautiful down here on the Florida Gulf Coast, it's also crazy humid, so paint doesn't dry very quickly at all.  We picked a color that reminded us of the clay-rich soil around Apex, NC...  The Raleigh area is along the transition between the Sand Hills and the clay cap geological areas:





The frame is 1x3 with 1x2 cross braces and a 1/4" interior finished plywood top.



The sheen is from wet paint.  This being sunny, warm Florida, the best I could find on extruded Styrofoam was 1/2".  In order to gain enough vertical separation to model the Williams Street (NC 55) overpass, I had to laminate 3 layers of the 1/2" stuff with Liquid Nails Projects.  The edges will eventually be hidden by 1/8" Masonite hardboard fascia.



The layout rests loosely on a 2x4 plastic banquet table from Costco.  Not only is it cheap and portable, it's also a great kid-height.  The 1x3 outside frame prevents the layout from sliding off if bumped.

[Puddington]

Got the doors done on my Walther's baggage.  Heven't decided yet how much detail to put into this car.  Probably just replace the roof grabs, but ya' never know.



Jason

Do you have a link to proto photo of this series of PRR baggage car Jason ?

[eric220]

Phenomenal work this week!  For my meager contribution, I mentioned last week that Altoona was moved in.  This week, I got the legs chopped down to allow room for a second level. Once that was done, the roundhouse went up.



Quickly followed by the shops and throat.



Everything is hooked up, and I wish I could say running. Apparently, being on its side for six months, including five in the garage, and three moves was a bit much for it. There's a short somewhere, and it's going to be no small feat to track it down.

On the plus side, the transcontinental PRR is officially underway!

[seusscaboose]

Dave & Eric...    nice stuff!!!!

i got my benchwork done this AM, pics later today.  I am running off to a NMRA meeting this afternoon, then back for more car cards and an eventual pic or two.

Looking forward to seeing Lee's benchwork progress.

EP

[pnolan48]

Dave,

Can you special order the thicker extruded foam at one of the big box stores? I managed to do that in West Palm Beach, and was given a choice: about $50 for quick delivery, or $0 for delivery whenever it happened. I chose the latter and it was about three weeks.

[Dave V]

Pete,

Probably, but what's done is done.  Besides; because it was so thin I was able to trim it to size in the Lowe's parking lot so it would fit in the back of my Pilot with the tailgate shut.  No big deal.

[wcfn100]

Do you have a link to proto photo of this series of PRR baggage car Jason ?

Nope, it's just what Walther's sent me in place of the smoothside undec they advertised but didn't actually make.

Jason

[Puddington]

Nope, it's just what Walther's sent me in place of the smoothside undec they advertised but didn't actually make.

Jason

 ....nuff said ! LOL

[John]

And you can't take out something already in existence why exactly?

Because I am now 56, and I really want to get this thing done before I die

[pnolan48]

Pete,

Probably, but what's done is done.  Besides; because it was so thin I was able to trim it to size in the Lowe's parking lot so it would fit in the back of my Pilot with the tailgate shut.  No big deal.

LOL. I had my sheets "trimmed" by a gale force wind between the door and the tailgate. At least it was better than chasing my dog, a Gordon Setter who follows scents on unpredictable paths. We did get the pieces back when they lodged in bushes at the edge of the parking lot.

[SebastianLee]

Not much train related done this weekend.  My first gen apple TV came in the mail on Friday. So far I've got Xunbuntu running on it with JRMI installed.  I need to do some 'load tests' to make sure it sure its up to handling 3-4 throttles. After that I'll work out the automation scripts and hopefully get it running headless.

[DKS]

That is really beautiful David.

Thanks, Pud. It came out much better than I'd expected.

[Dave Schneider]

So, some progress has been made on the N scale Durham & Southern Apex, NC layout I'm building with my son Jacob.

Dave,

Great pics. I like what you have done with the lawn....looks like you have reduced your lawn cutting time to a minimum. I would also like to complement you for (likely) being the first person to included a geologic map in a Railwire post. You meteorologists get referenced all the time when people talk about the weather, but us geologists need to feel the love once in a while. Well done!

Best wishes, Dave

[Dave V]

@Dave,

I'm first an Earth scientist...! ;D

No, the lawn will be lush and green again, but as you know we've had some record cold lately that's hit it hard.  We've had over a dozen hard freezes here, which, although very tame by most standards, is still not the norm for the Redneck Riviera.

[wcfn100]

As a follow up to my BLMA bolster request, I found someone in Springs that can do some work form me that I'm not able to do at home so I've been working on a drawing for freight car that should at least make Richie happy. 



I have no idea yet how to make this boster (home) castable, but something will come to light eventually.

Jason