Weekend Update 5/12/13

[jereising]

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

Progress continues on the Bealville ranch complex.  Much more detail to be added.

[dougnelson]

These are a couple of Hallmark Centipedes as produced somewhere during the 80s or 90s. They were originally made by KMT from Japan and hardly ran at all. Inside there is a completely new mechanism.

Marc

Marc and Hans:

Great work on the Centipdes!

Doug.

[Scottl]

Always lots of nice work here.  Mark, the Kettle River bridge is spectacular!

My modelling is over for a month- in the Arctic waiting for flight conditions to improve.  While waiting, I have started to work with the drawings for etches of the unique CN beam cross braces on the pillars for the approach to the Cisco bridge.  These were commonly used on CN structures across Canada and I could not find a ready-made solution.  Here are my first cracks at the art:



The example on the right is how I envision putting the etches together with 0.188 X 0.030 styrene strips (shown as blue).  I need to add some bits to connect the etches to the fret, but I think this might work.  I think I will try some of the other elements of the bridges toolike the riveted gusset plates and cross beams to fill out the sheet.

[delamaize]

So I pulled the trigger and bought the layout I mentioned in this thread: https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=29578.0

it's not too bad, scenery isn't as good as it looks in the pictures, but it is better than most of what I have done in the past. the trackwork is all code 80 atlas flex and atlas turnouts. like I said, not too bad overall, their is some problems though. First off, no switch machines, not even any ground throws, so I gotta come up with a way to fix that. that is the least of the track work problems though, one whole corner, the side with the bridges, needs to be totally relaid, and the radius redone, it's really choppy, various radi, everything from roughly 10" clear down to like 7"  , also the turn outs going in and out of one of the sidings suffers from the same issue. Overall, for $80, I think it's worth tinkering with. I'll get some pictures up later.

EDIT: Pictures
Overall view:

Problem area 1, the boxcar in all the picture is a Micro trains 40' boxcar:

Problem 2:

Problem 3:

[flight2000]

Awesome work on the new ranch area Jim!!

So here's the pile o'stuff I've finally finished this week.  I get a lot of down time to work after everyone in the house is asleep. That's what I get for being a night owl that can function on 6-7 hours of sleep. 

I'll start with this batch of police vehicles.  Disassembling the Atlas Taurus and Explorer isn't as bad as I thought and these little stinkers came out pretty well.  Not perfect, but nothing is when it's that small to begin with... 





Next is a slew of SD70M's for Leggy.  Tried to make a custom blend of dirt that is consistant with Aussie 'Mud."  Leggy will have to tell me if it's close when he gets them.  Hard to match off pictures, but the ones I saw were more red then tannish brown.













Also finished weathering and detail 3 SD45's, but will leave those out this week. 

Brian

[Catt]

So I pulled the trigger and bought the layout

no switch machines, not even any ground throws, so I gotta come up with a way to fix that. 

Mike ,one trick I picked up after buying a layout done similarly to this one was to slide a piece of strip styrene under the throw bar.Use a piece just thick enough to cause a friction fit.I did this over 10 years ago and the current owner says it still works like a charm (in fact he is buying some of DKS's dummy switch machines to use .

[Packer]

Really? You don't get the reference? How about working on your camera focus. Great job on the hardware but I felt like I was trippin' looking at your shots.

Ok, now I get it. I'm using a Canon Powershot A610, not really sure what to do to get a "broader" focus.

[Hornwrecker]

Clump of redbuds added near the portal.

[Zox]

Last Monday--just after the last Weekend Update--MARRS had perhaps its smallest-ever N scale setup, at the inaugural Open House for Club125 in Greenbelt, MD.

Club125 (https://www.facebook.com/Club125) is a nascent hackerspace/public workspace--so new that they don't have their "real" website working yet. They put out a query asking some of the area train groups if they wanted to participate in the Open House. Apparently we were the only people crazy enough to set up a working modular layout for a three-hour event.



Our HO guys also brought a single module as a static display, but the moving N-scale train (with the camera car on the lead) was a big attention-grabber. Hopefully some of the MARRS flyers we handed out will bear fruit.

[peteski]

Ok, now I get it. I'm using a Canon Powershot A610, not really sure what to do to get a "broader" focus.

Looking at your photos, they seem to be a bit odd (psychedelic ). If I had to guess, your camera might have image stabilization enabled and the photos were taken handheald with slow shutter speed.  So the image is blurred but some parts are more blurry than others. This is just a guess.

Try using a tripod or put the camera down on a stable surface and use timer to release the shutter while the camera is steady.  Or use better lighting so the shutter speed is at least 1/60 of a second.

[Packer]

Looking at your photos, they seem to be a bit odd (psychedelic ). If I had to guess, your camera might have image stabilization enabled and the photos were taken handheald with slow shutter speed.  So the image is blurred but some parts are more blurry than others. This is just a guess.

Try using a tripod or put the camera down on a stable surface and use timer to release the shutter while the camera is steady.  Or use better lighting so the shutter speed is at least 1/60 of a second.

I had the camera resting on the desk I took the picture on, or on boxes on said desk.

I tested the same surface, with all the lights on, and the timer set for 10 seconds. Any better?

[mmagliaro]

Jim,
Love the ranch scene!

I've been working on my little road/markings/signage project near the station.  I showed some of this in the other
thread on road markings but...
Grade crossing boards, signs, fences, gravel... wow,  there's a LOT to a small road scene once you get going.
(Working crossbuck flashers too,, and most of it is ballasted)

[nkalanaga]

Daniel:  Nice work on that IH...now maybe someone will mass produce one!  It seems to work that way...

[S Class]

Next is a slew of SD70M's for Leggy.  Tried to make a custom blend of dirt that is consistant with Aussie 'Mud."  Leggy will have to tell me if it's close when he gets them.  Hard to match off pictures, but the ones I saw were more red then tannish brown.

If I'm not mistaken Leggy was modelling Queensland (?) so I'd say needs a bit more raw sienna/warm yellow tones in there from my memory.

If nothing else they look reeeeeeeeeallll nice and I'll take them off his hands if he gets offended by the colour  .

[peteski]

I had the camera resting on the desk I took the picture on, or on boxes on said desk.

I tested the same surface, with all the lights on, and the timer set for 10 seconds. Any better?

Yeah, it is better Vincent. Here is one of the original photos. In this one the caboose is in decent focus but the background shows some sort of movement and double exposure (all the items seem to be doubled). Like the number 5127 and the lettering on that GP38-2 box. I know that the background is not important, but it does create a bit dizzying feeling.



In this photo the number boards show double exposure (probably caused by slow shutter speed and camera movement).


I'm not trying to put down your skills - just explaining why someone may find those photos a bit dizzying.    Other than that,  your models look pretty good!