Best Of ACL MEC low side gondola , interest ? ESM please read .

[Missaberoad]

Mine survived customs and arrived today 

I only have one complaint, @bbussey ... They are packaged so nicely it feels sacrilegious to open them up and build them!

Very professional looking, Thank you Bryan for sharing the process and involving the community in this project/product. 

[Chris333]

I only have one complaint, @bbussey ... They are packaged so nicely it feels sacrilegious to open them up and build them!

Very professional looking, Thank you Bryan for sharing the process and involving the community in this project/product. 

The foam is cut out so that the assembled model will still fit into it.

[peteski]

Yes, the packaging is very well executed.  I give it a Peteski Seal of Approval! And that is the highest possible honor you can get.* 

@bbussey  , I have couple questions:
1. Where did you get the foam cradle die-cut?  Can they do very small runs?
2. IIRC, the decals are printed by Microscale. Why then are they printed on a solid layer of clear decal film (instead of each decal being printed on a spot of clear film like Microscale usually does)?  Is it because the images are very densely packed?


* statement emulates POTUS' tweets.

[bbussey]

Mine survived customs and arrived today 
I only have one complaint, @bbussey ... They are packaged so nicely it feels sacrilegious to open them up and build them!
Very professional looking, Thank you Bryan for sharing the process and involving the community in this project/product. 

Glad you approve!  Hopefully you overcome the urge to keep the package pristine and crack it open to build it! 

Yes, the packaging is very well executed.  I give it a Peteski Seal of Approval! And that is the highest possible honor you can get.* 

@bbussey  , I have couple questions:
1. Where did you get the foam cradle die-cut?  Can they do very small runs?
2. IIRC, the decals are printed by Microscale. Why then are they printed on a solid layer of clear decal film (instead of each decal being printed on a spot of clear film like Microscale usually does)?  Is it because the images are very densely packed?

* statement emulates POTUS' tweets.

Thanks!  I'm hesitant regretfully to name the source of the foam because I don't know if the entity wants that information to be revealed.  The person who performed the task is familiar with Railwire and I will defer to that person on whether or not the identity of the source will be revealed. 

Regarding the decals, it is less costly to have the entire sheet clear-coated than to have the cookie-cutter application (even though more coating is consumed).  The full coating is the same thickness as it is via the standard Microscale practice.  I do also tend to pack in the printing densely to get the biggest bang for the buck, which is one reason I double up on the sets in the kit so that a slip of the knife does not mean the end of finishing the kit.

The foam is cut out so that the assembled model will still fit into it.

Yes.  The foam nest actually is from the G32C kit, as it was less expensive with a shorter timeframe to reuse the G32C pattern rather than to design and plot a new specific nest for the LSG.  The good thing is that the finished 41' LSG still fits in the nest even though it was designed for a 45' model.  The Lackawanna wood caboose, whenever that gets to market, will utilize the Keyser Valley nest, as will the Dunmore caboose.  The acid tank will have a new nest.

[Missaberoad]

Glad you approve!  Hopefully you overcome the urge to keep the package pristine and crack it open to build it! 

No worries there, building one of these will become priority one... 

[peteski]

No worries there, building one of these will become priority one... 

The collector in me likes to keep the ESM's true-blue-American (not Chinese) air in the box!   
But seriously, with my current hobby workload it will take me a while to get to it.

[Chris333]

The instructions say a #53 drill for the bolster pin hole. I ended up using a #48 drill (0.076").

EDIT: used a #47 drill (0.0785") bit in the end. The pin is still tight, but I can pull it out without blowing up the bolster. 

I drilled into a scrap of styrene to test the fit before drilling the gondola.

[coosvalley]

Got mine today...Going to try to get it built before I get the bright idea to chop it up for a pulpwood version!

[bbussey]

The instructions say a #53 drill for the bolster pin hole. I ended up using a #48 drill (0.076").

EDIT: used a #47 drill (0.0785") bit in the end. The pin is still tight, but I can pull it out without blowing up the bolster. 

I drilled into a scrap of styrene to test the fit before drilling the gondola.

I will change the instructions to reflect the better option.

[Chris333]

And right in-between #47 and #48 is 5/64" (0.0781").



The bowed sides you see when you open the case goes away once you pop in the center under body section.

[Cajonpassfan]

And right in-between #47 and #48 is 5/64" (0.0781").

I wonder whether a 2mm bit would be about perfect? (it's a common metric size used in model components like axles manufactured in Europe and Asia, and many folks may already have one in their toolbox).
Otto K.

[peteski]

I wonder whether a 2mm bit would be about perfect? (it's a common metric size used in model components like axles manufactured in Europe and Asia, and many folks may already have one in their toolbox).
Otto K.

I suppose that it would probably depend on whether the pin was designed using metric or imperial system.

[coosvalley]

Got mine today...Going to try to get it built before I get the bright idea to chop it up for a pulpwood version!

I found a solution to my problem!. I really didn't want to attempt to cut up one of these to get the more typical pulpwood version, but then I found this photo, no cutting required! I think I can fudge those ends from styrene based on this terrible, yet somewhat legible picture..These were converted later, but I'm okay with ignoring that, who knows, maybe one got missed!..

[bbussey]

I found a solution to my problem!. I really didn't want to attempt to cut up one of these to get the more typical pulpwood version, but then I found this photo, no cutting required! I think I can fudge those ends from styrene based on this terrible, yet somewhat legible picture..These were converted later, but I'm okay with ignoring that, who knows, maybe one got missed!..

I'm glad you're not chopping up the body and found a prototypical alternate solution.  FXD chips easily if you're not careful, tough to have it do what you want.

[Cajonpassfan]

Okay, I'm eagerly awaiting pics of the first finished kit to see if I really *need-* one for my circa 1950 Cajon layout
I'd like to *need* one,  it's a great cause...
Otto K.