Weekend Update 3/18/12

[up1950s]

Long time commin' but UP 7869 4-8-2 is done . Next up is a UP 2-10-2 in the 5500 class maybe .

[Dave Schneider]

Nice to you see back in the saddle Richie. Looks great as usual. Hope your remodel work turned out as well.

Best wishes, Dave

[wazzou]

Nice Richie!

[coosvalley]

Ritchie...Nice header and VERY nice steamer....

This week I have a few things to share....
First is a rare in-progress shot, a MEC caboose and a foobie kaolin tank car.....



Next is a MEC GP-38 that was factory painted, I added details and a little weathering...still needs wipers....



Next is a pair of Athearn B&M boxes that I weathered lightly, to mimic their appearance in 1980...I also renumbered one of them, they were the same #....





And finally, here is an Atlas L&N boxcar that was factory painted, weathered to mimic this car......

http://rr-fallenflags.org/ln/ln102913akg.jpg

Here is my version....





Thanks for looking and have good weekend...

[Puddington]

Killer header Richie, Mega killer steamer too...... I bow to the master............ and to the work afore presented.........

Got another Geep done; this one with Pyle head lights....



The parts have arrived so I can both finish the Geep fleet and attempt the GP9 w/DB and TT unit.........wish me luck....

One more view of the new unit...........

[rochsub]

Fun with Ballast!  More info on Geneva Sub Blog http://genevasub.blogspot.com

before



after

[Van Horne]

"Fun with ballast!"  Now there is an oxymoron if I've ever heard one!  Scene looks great, though.

Dave

[Puddington]

That looks really well done ! Nice work....ballesting - yuck !

[eric220]

Even with the in-laws in town and trying to get on my feet at a new job, I've still found a little time for the railroad.  I picked up an "expansion set" of the old Con-Cor Merchandise Service boxcars on the 'bay a few years ago.  Not the best quality in the world, but a nice, cheap way to add a dozen box cars to the roster.



Of course, the major drawback was the giant truck-mounted Rapidos.  Over the last couple of weeks, when I've been able to find a few minutes, I've slowly been converting them to MT trucks and couplers.



All 10 MS cars from the set, plus an individual that I had, have been converted and tested on the layout.  All I've got left from the set is a pair lettered for REA.

[Dave Schneider]

Ritchie...Nice header and VERY nice steamer....

This week I have a few things to share....

Next is a MEC GP-38 that was factory painted, I added details and a little weathering...still needs wipers....

I have never seen an actual MC train, but I have always loved this paint scheme. You did a nice job with this line.

Best wishes, Dave

[BCRail_FSJ]

Started mocking up the track arrangements at Fort St. John yard

[MichaelWinicki]

PRR SD45...

[bbussey]

Still playing around with the ProJet process to determine what works and what doesn't.



These are builds from a couple of weeks ago, now properly de-waxed this past week by soaking for a few days in Bestine.  While having the higher rez and being able to specify the build orientation makes these light-years better than the Shapeways parts, it's not where I want it just yet.  The remaining issues are (ironically) with the large flat surfaces that have no relief on them, regardless whether parallel or perpendicular to the build plane (faint trace of the build path), or at an angle (slight stepping).  Any areas with intricate relief come out great.  So the next step is designing the models with insets on the flat areas and etching thin stainless steel plates to fill those insets.  I'm sure that will work, and I'll be able to confirm it this coming week.

[Zox]

The remaining issues are (ironically) with the large flat surfaces that have no relief on them, regardless whether parallel or perpendicular to the build plane (faint trace of the build path), or at an angle (slight stepping).  Any areas with intricate relief come out great.

Brian,

In computer graphics, it's sometimes possible to make things look smoother by actually adding a bit of "noise" to a surface, to break up the artificial lines caused by the digitizing process. I wonder if something similar would work for these objects?

If you put a very shallow random 3-D texture on the flat surfaces--of a scale comparable to the resolution of the printing process--it might help "dither" the stepping lines, removing the linearity and thus making them far less obvious to the human eye.

[wm3798]

How about digitally mastering some "oil canning"... that might just do the trick where appropriate.

Lee