Weekend Update 9/13/15

[sirenwerks]

They were pilot etchings for a Kaslo Shops RS-3 kit which failed to materialize.  I purchased the pilot etchings in anticipation of the Briggs Models replacement sides eventually appearing.  Unfortunately most were damaged or raided for parts.

Tim

Darn, my hopes got up for a minute.  I've been hoping someone would release detail etchings for the Alcos in my life.

[Chris333]

Some slow progress on my HOn30 2-6-0. Got the tender basic frame built up.

[Puddington]

I have an upcoming business car build but I don't have the artwork ability so I guess I will have to poke holes in styrene . . .

Three of the new run Atlas RS-3s showed up today:




Much will be changed - new sides, filters, screens, pilots, etc.

Tim

I am eagerly awaiting the results of this conversion as I want to dive in with some PGE and CP Rail RS units - they had similar filters. However hearing the project was cancelled is extremely disappointing..... what the H - E Double Hockey Sticks happened????????

[sizemore]

They were pilot etchings for a Kaslo Shops RS-3 kit which failed to materialize.  I purchased the pilot etchings in anticipation of the Briggs Models replacement sides eventually appearing.  Unfortunately most were damaged or raided for parts.

Tim

Great so you tease us with a fret of Alco parts a lot of folks can use. Good Job!


The S.

[PiperguyUMD]

Thanks for the compliments guys. The car really surpassed my expectations. Picking up the ability to do my own artwork for etchings has really brought things up to a new level for me. Things that were impossible to build with conventional means can be done now. I have Bryan Bussey to thank for that.  Without his knowledge I would still trying to poke holes in styrene.

Scott

I would love to see a basic how-to thread on this. I'm neck deep with 3D printing so being able to etch a few things would be a great addition to the modeling tool kit!  The catch is that I'm one of those goofy artists that's a Mac user!

[peteski]

I would love to see a basic how-to thread on this. I'm neck deep with 3D printing so being able to etch a few things would be a great addition to the modeling tool kit!  The catch is that I'm one of those goofy artists that's a Mac user!

If you are proficient in CAD 3D, you should have no problem with designing 2D photoetch artwork. Here is a tutorial (probably from the same company Scott uses) http://www.ppdltd.com/images/example-artwork.pdf

That tutorial came from http://www.ppdltd.com/artwork-guide.html

BTW, to me the blue/red artwork thing never made sense. In the tutorial they eventually make the artwork all black/white. That is how I have been doing my artwork all along.

[Scott Lupia]

The May 2014 issue of Railroad Model Craftsman magazine has an article I wrote on doing your own etchings.  The basics of setting up artwork are there.  A tutorial on this is difficult because each type of metal and each metal thickness has its own set of rules.  Rivets in .010" brass have to be drawn differently than rivets in .010" stainless.  Rivets also need to be different sizes on the same artwork based on what is around the rivet.  If it is sitting in wide open space it etches more than it does if there are areas of raised detail within close proximity.  All this stuff was learned with trial and error.  Expensive trial and error since the artwork fee, production and shipping from the UK is not cheap.  I have a ton of time invested in drawings.  If I didn't love doing this it would be a lot more irritating.  There is nothing like seeing your sheet of etchings for the first time when the arrive.  It is definitely one of the more enjoyable aspects of the hobby for me.

Scott Lupia

[jmlaboda - RIP]

Great so you tease us with a fret of Alco parts a lot of folks can use. Good Job!

Nope... not me... I have no use what so ever for an etch that can be used on an ALCO (as Southern Railway referred to their RS2s and RS3s)... except for maybe that illusive Danville & Western RS2 that's supposedly tooling around on my freelanced lines branchline passenger trains... (no... don't ask... its not really around yet... but neither are the trains...)

[R L Smith]

For whatever reason, I've not done a thing for the layout this year except accumulate some more equipment.  Not sure what the lethargy was about, however I recently received a kick in the tail feathers. First, Adam @mu26aeh installed decoders in a pair of C424's for me.  Shortly after that I received an ABA set of F3's from my LHS. Then two weeks ago, I captured several image of this scene while visiting Steamtown:



So, that motivated me to decoderize my new F3's and try to setup a similar scene on my layout:



So now that NS is taking over the CP trackage in Scranton, can a scene similar to this be in our future?





Now to figure out why the one section of track has purple rails...

[BCR 570]

am eagerly awaiting the results of this conversion as I want to dive in with some PGE and CP Rail RS units - they had similar filters. However hearing the project was cancelled is extremely disappointing..... what the H - E Double Hockey Sticks happened?

The Kaslo Shops RS-3 kit was cancelled years ago and I do not know why; i haven't seen John Whitmore in many years now.  Fortunately Jeff Briggs has just released his replacement sides, and there are a few suppliers offering mesh material from which to cut the filter screens.

Great so you tease us with a fret of Alco parts a lot of folks can use. Good Job!

Apologies; that was not my intent at all.  I can refrain from further posts on this project if it is a problem. 

Perhaps we should be chatting with Craig Martyn about offering us some ALCO detail parts . . .

Tim

[davidgray1974]

Been making more progress updating the foreground of the layout.  Trying to add more visual interest so I built a couple Blair Line company houses and added some more details to the company store and the surrounding scenery.  Also purchased some Tomar searchlight signals and have started to add them to the layout. Thinking about buying some photo cell block animators from Logic Rail Technologies.  Has anyone else used these?






Thanks for looking,

David

[basementcalling]

I spent my weekend on parking lot duty. Didn't get far, but did pencil in markings for handicapped spots and 8 regular spots by the main building. Debating if sloping the lot at the loading dock is worth the trouble.

Here is a helicopter view
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Here is the main mill. I need to go ahead and dull coat the building so those windows quit glowing.

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Here is another track level shot. This will be the truck entrance.

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I also played a bit with elements of the backdrop between buildings. I am leaning to not getting a continuous backdrop printed but just getting key details pulled out of the 228 shots to place between buildings. Out of 10 feat of scene, 4.5 feet of the backdrop will be hidden by various buildings against the sky board.

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[Dave V]

Testing track and playing with trains...



Here's the finished steel trestle.  The "concrete" Fine N Scale footings were carved to represent stone:



I took a break from layout construction to build a boxcar for the Midland.  It's one of the Fine N Scale resin kits.  Here it's representing one of the Midland's Barney & Smith 1887 34' boxcars.  The door type is all wrong, but it opens left like the prototype.  The Midland had right-hand open boxcars as well.  These kits are very well detailed with tiny etched details that make them look even nicer than the RTR 36' cars from Roundhouse/Athearn.  I am well stocked with correct custom Midland decals.



Lastly, the Midland now has its own public Facebook page!

https://www.facebook.com/N-Scale-Colorado-Midland-Model-Railroad-962404053798467/timeline/

[Dave V]

Been making more progress updating the foreground of the layout.  Trying to add more visual interest so I built a couple Blair Line company houses and added some more details to the company store and the surrounding scenery.  Also purchased some Tomar searchlight signals and have started to add them to the layout. Thinking about buying some photo cell block animators from Logic Rail Technologies.  Has anyone else used these?

David

Hey David, welcome back!  Your layout is looking absolutely fantastic!  You really have the scenery and track looking top-notch.

Yes, I've used block animators from Logic Rail Tech, and I highly recommend them!  I really like how simple they are and yet they look like there's all kinds of complicated signal logic going on.  I used the ones for PRR position lights, but I imagine the 3-color ones are even easier.  The photo cells are easy to hide, but you'll need to drill through the Unitrack.

[johnb]

David, that grocery store is great! Where did you get it?

As for modeling, nothing done this week, still about 105* in the garage. I need materials for some more warehouses.

Did work with my hands and finished a honey-do project in time for the wonderful Arizona fall, I made four Adirondack chairs for the wife.