Weekend Update 12/21/14

[Iain]

No modelling as I am all packed up.  Tomorrow I start my journey westward.  I'll stay a couple weeks with my dad, then it's on to California.

[nkalanaga]

Richie:  My desktop picture is a pair of TranzRails diesels at Mount White Bridge in the summer.  Those are some impressive winter pictures on the page your header shot came from.

[nickelplate759]

Well done, and something to look forward to in the new year.

Yours truly may be in for a Wabash version.  Tried bashing one myself- but never have figured out how to get the 4 little windows on the one side.

I'd definitely be in for a Wabash version!

George

[C855B]

A small project I've been working on isn't necessarily model-related, but interesting nonetheless. Mentioned under "railcams", two weeks ago I programmed the railcam to take continuous 20-second snapshots, which I then process into time-lapse videos of each day's railroad traffic. For an example, Thursday from last week is uploaded to Vimeo.

By condensing train watching this way, I can finally get a consistent and accurate count of traffic through here. Actual counts aren't too far off from my SWAGs - average of 34 a day, peak so far was Thursday this week at 46, worst day was this past Monday (just 14) when CN completely closed the line, running zero trains in the 24-hour period and also forcing cancellation of four Amtrak trains. While two instances doesn't constitute a trend of anything, I find it fascinating that years of "pocket observation" that Thursdays are by far the heaviest days here is so far supported by the data.

I don't know if I can or even want to keep up with this project, but at this point the results are fascinating.

[Puddington]

"Ten minutes at a time".... that seems to be my new mantra; I get little bursts of energy and when they come, I try and accomplish "super human" tasks (like getting dressed, walking to the mail box or going to the modelling bench and working on a project)



In that spirit it is "so good" to say I finished the second side of the long sitting ATSF 50' car I began in September. Please forgive the crappy snapshot but it's good to be able to say I got back to some modelling (albeit just decaling and weathering - these seem like building an entire layout when you haven't been able to do anything for a while)

The car is a BX66 with the fork damage plates added and retains it's high ladders and running boards awaiting a repaint and refit - I plan to do two other cars in this series with the large ATSF logo and running boards removed.

My best work - not even close - satisfying - you bet! 

[Iain]

Welcome back, Pud!

[Jeff AKA St0rm]

Great to see you back at it when you can Mike!! Keep getting better.

[SecretWeapon]

I built up the city & put an 8 track yard under it.
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

[cv_acr]

Painted some scratchbuilt sheds I've been working on recently. Just need to apply shingles to the roofs yet.

The sheds are based on photos and measurements of standard Algoma Central Railway designs.

(These are HO.)

[Power Stroke]

Last week



This week

[SP-Wolf]

My project.

Repainted and did some detailing of Model Power stock cars.






Thanks,
Wolf

[basementcalling]

Looking good, Wolf.

[delamaize]

Fine work there Puddy! Good to see you at the workbench again!!

As for me, I have been stress testing the JMRI-Wifi-innabox hardware, and thus far I have ran into one issue, that I can't seem to figure out. for some reason, only my phone, it will think it has lost connection to the JMRI server, although according to the software on the computer, it's still connected. The problem seems to have resolved it's self once I moved to a dedicated router. I also have discovered that small screen tablets work the best with Engine Driver over Smart phones. The larger size of the screen makes the controls a little easier to use, and the text is a little easier to read, although, I wish it when it rotated to landscape it would move the throttles side by side rather that vertical. THAT would be awesome. Although it may do this, and I have not figured out how to make it happen. At this point, I am ready to test in a larger scale, and continue designing the box for the hardware. I'm going to bring the set up with me to the Tacoma show next week, and as long as the powers to be are agreeable with it, I may conduct more testing during the slow, middle of the day hours.

More info on the whole project here:
https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=34625.0

[Erik W]

After daily progress on cleaning track, cleaning locomotive wheels, tweaking sluggish locos, and running all locos I own for at least an hour in both directions, I am happy to report after sitting idle for a couple of years, everything runs smoothly and flawlessly. 

Here's my fancy track cleaning equipment.   


Erik

[OldEastRR]

Scaling the scenery to the trains to provide a feeling:
 
For my unplanned industrial area that popped up while laying the mainline there, I wanted the buildings to make the trains, with their steel trails scurrying along, into and between the industries, look small



In the small mill town, however, I wanted the trains almost matching the size of the structures with tracks built to follow the city grid, making them important parts of the town



I went through countless re-makes of the track arrangements in both scenes, and obviously most of the scenery is mock-ups, building shells, and plain homasote, but hopefully you get the idea of what I tried to project in each.