How is he going so fast?

[chicken45]

Is it because your "the Man(n)" and that's just how its going to be?

@mu26aeh YEAH! Fight the power! Stick it to the Man(n)!!

 

[Ed Kapuscinski]

The horn stands out as looking a little rough. There's flash on it, and the bell could use some work too.

[tom mann]

Ok, so I moved up the rail bumper, which I agree looks a lot better.  I'm happy with it now.

I'm about to make another one of these and I would like your honest opinion on what to do with the bumper.  In the movie, there are two pieces of small rail welded with (what is probably 8" long) rod.  So what I have is a huge compromise.  Remember the small size of this and how that limits ideas.

[wazzou]

I'd try to simulate smaller weight rail with Evergreen Styrene strips and Phosphor Bronze wire.
I think what you have shown on the completed model looks a little too bulky, IMO.

After looking at your pic again, did you attach your rail bumper to the existing bumper?
Maybe, if removing that, it would look more appropriate.

[Missaberoad]

It might be possible to simulate it with small brass I or H beam stock... What is the smallest size made by K&S?
Perhaps you could use Bryan's wire idea to create a rounded profile on the head end...

[chicken45]

What if you used a U channel brace? You could round it off, it won't have a full rail profile, but may be more to scale.

[Lemosteam]

@tom mann Skip the ladder behind the rail- tape the rails down to a wood block and drill holes right under the head of the rail through the webs of the rails in line with each other and solder four short brass wires in there like the pic.  Make it wide enough to span the height of the original bumper, this will allow the rail to move toward the grill for proper appearance.

[chicken45]

The problem is that the rail itself it too large.

[chicken45]

What if you used a freight car ladder, cut out rungs to match the protobumper, and just build up a railhead on the ladder sides with very thin styrene that you shaved off with a sharp knife? In essence, the sides of the ladder become the rails, you just give it a little depth with additional styrene. You can shave a wider piece for the base, and a thinner but wider than the ladder piece for the head.

[Lemosteam]

The problem is that the rail itself it too large.

I disagree, I think the reason they look too large is because of how far they protrude forward. The ladder thickness, and putting them in front of the bumper instead of above and below exacerbates that illusion.

[chicken45]

I disagree, I think the reason they look too large is because of how far they protrude forward. The ladder thickness, and putting them in front of the bumper instead of above and below exacerbates that illusion.

It is without a doubt, oversized. Look at the screen cap on the previous page. Compare rail width to the lisence plates.

[tom mann]

Yeah but look:



I have the rail in the right spot, it's just 2x bigger than it should be.

[Sokramiketes]

I'd take about a .010" x .020" strip of styrene, and etch a line down the wide sides, to get the light to hit it, to make it look like a rail profile.

[wazzou]

@tom mann - the problem is that the proto bumper is beneath the front edge of the fenders, while the model's overly thick bumper protrudes from the front of the fender by the entire "over" thickness of the bumper, which makes the rail addition look a little out of whack.
The solution might be to relocate the stock bumper.

[Spades]

 Micro trains ladder cut from the their original SP wood caboose end railing set has the right profile , just remove rungs adjust spacing. http://micro-trainsline.com/image/cache/data/Product/Packageditems/49950905-1000x800.JPG   Also there is Gold Medal Models freight carr ladder stock, leave 4 rungs and glue the exterior side to the bumper.  http://www.modeltrainstuff.com/Gold-Medal-Models-N-Freight-Car-Industrial-Ladders-p/gmm-160-25.htm