Weekend Update 11/11/12

[DKS]

DKS, I'm dying to know...  What did you use for the roof, especially the curved turret roof?  And the turret roof detail?  It's dead-on.  I have to know!

Glad you like it--it was actually pretty easy to do. All of the roof parts are made from cast resin cinderblock sheet (I forget who makes it). The turret roof was done by dipping a piece of the cinderblock in boiling water, then forming it into a curl while it cooled. The pieces were cut in a miter box using a jig to hold them at the right angle. The roof detail are bits of decorative etched brass fence glued to a square of sheet styrene, with a bit of phosphor bronze wire stuck in the center. It's not "dead on"--the turret roof angle is too shallow, but it's close enough to get a grin.

[Ntrainz1]

Finished benchwork. Roadbed is next.


Bob.

[M.C. Fujiwara]

Been working on the last scene on the Free-moN "Shoo-fly" module: bridge construction.









Still have a ways to go.
Currently building a bulldozer and crane car (to be perminantly positioned above the yet-to-be-poured abuttment.
Need to figure out how to make churned dirt / dozer tracks / mud (thinking brown paint and some Durhams water putty, or maybe just paint and matte modge podge).
Workers, water tank, tools, more wood, more framing, more rebar, etc.

Any other construction detail suggestions appreciated.

Last will be a final water pour to raise the creek a smidge and cover all the crap & scratches there now.

At least I won't have to explain the lack of bridge there anymore 

[DKS]

Love the rebar, M.C.

[M.C. Fujiwara]

Love the rebar, M.C.

Thanks!
Screen-door repair patch in rear (two layers, sprayed grimy black) and piano wire up front (hard to see but matches the "low" front section of the finished abuttment).

[Chris333]

I like the stance on that.

Thanks. Not quite hellaflush, but there is no camber adjustment   

Like the bridge scene MC.


Also just got my 2-6-0 in the mail. Changed the front coupler and shortened the draw bar. Now I need to find an article on how to convert it to DC 

[DKS]

Need to figure out how to make churned dirt / dozer tracks / mud (thinking brown paint and some Durhams water putty, or maybe just paint and matte modge podge).

I did something along those lines using Sculptamold and a lot of brown acrylic paint.

[BCRail_FSJ]

Started work  on a 16ft long photo backdrop for Fort Nelson.  I am using a mix of site photos, generic images and rendered sky texture.  Plan is have it printed as one seamless roll.. Software is Adobe Photoshop Elements

[M.C. Fujiwara]

I did something along those lines using Sculptamold and a lot of brown acrylic paint.

Just tried this:



Liquitex Brown with some water, dirt and Durham's Water Putty mixed in.
Painted it on the area, let it set a bit, then squished the tracks of the tractor around the muck to get prints and piles.

Not sure if it was a success, as it seems to be drying a bit light tan instead of darker brown, but I can always paint over / stain that as long as the texture is good.
That's the problem with real dirt: even fine sifted it's still a bit grainy for N.
That's why I think the paint / water putty works alrighty.
Was first experiment: will refine!

[mmagliaro]

Nothing earth shattering, but I did something today. I already lowered the boiler on a Bachmann 4-6-0 and today I narrowed the pilot and foot boards:

This is a mock up using my 2-8-0 tender shell:

I like the stance on that.

Well put.  Lowering it, and that tender, somehow make the whole thing look "real".  What's with that tender shell?  Did you have
that etched from your own artwork?  That is fine!

Here's my work for the week.   More photos and explanation are over on the 4-4-2 project thread, but here's the summary state:
Got the boiler mounted with a screw (which hopefully you cannot see!), got the firebox lower sides on and now the trailing truck spring doesn't show, and put the GHQ W-3 sideframes on the tender.    (You should be able to click on this image and see it in high-res)



 And here's a little video of the valve gear running on the workbench:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21HATZk2Uws

[Chris333]

What's with that tender shell?  Did you have
that etched from your own artwork?

The shell is from my Ma & Pa 2-8-0:
https://picasaweb.google.com/ErieChris333/MaPa280
Can you believe I built that 2-3 years ago and still haven't painted it 

I based my 4-6-0 on the Ma & Pa drawings as well. The tender size it the same, but they are slightly different.


That valve gear is rockin' 

[HuskerN]

nice work here again this week.  I actually have something to share.  Working on 6 GHQ forklift kits.  I plan to use these on a lumber loading/unloading facility on a future layout, with the centerbeams and lumber loads that I am working on.





HuskerN

www.nscaleaddiction.blogspot.com

[JSL]

Very nice work, HuskerN. Those are cool... Here is my latest project, loco storage. Now to build some more for the rest of my locomotives

[jereising]

This week's installment of Mitch Legg's custom (by Brian Kuhn) GDRMCo SD70s tour of the Sub; southbound at the farm crossing meeting another ethanol train:



Passing CP Cliff:



And just a curve away from Oakville:



Bypassing Oakville yard on the way to Mojave:



We'll finish next week...

[DKS]

Not sure if it was a success, as it seems to be drying a bit light tan instead of darker brown, but I can always paint over / stain that as long as the texture is good.

I've found you need to really go heavy with the acrylic to keep it moist-looking, like adding something to paint, rather than adding paint to something. The texture looks really good; might want to try twisting a track around to churn it up a bit more in spots.