Weekend Update 3/6/16

[up1950s]

[Puddington]

Ok; I'm not too techie so if there's a slicker way to do this I'm sorry...

The Golden Spike (actually last piece of track) was driven about 1500 hrs and we tested the main line.... and guess what; the little train, she go round and round....

Lots of track improvements needed but "we got a layout".....

Have a look at a quick vid from my FB page....

 https://www.facebook.com/mikemcgrattan?fref=nf

[Catt]

Nice video Mike.One question though.Was the train crew heading for lunch,they sure were in a hurry.

[Joetrain59]

What I see is Mike's FB page, no direct link to video.
 Joe D

[jmlaboda - RIP]

What I see is Mike's FB page, no direct link to video.

Set for Friends... add him and you then should be able to see it.

[Puddington]

Opps, me fix

[Puddington]

Nice video Mike.One question though.Was the train crew heading for lunch,they sure were in a hurry.

No; their exact instructions were "track is filthy, damned if I know whether this beast will stay on the rails so pray for luck and punch it....."

Seriously, that was the very first "roundy roundy".... track is filthy.... the loco came off the tracks seconds later due to crud.... mucho crud....

What, no facepalm for the Apollo 13 theme in the background....???? Really, I expect better from y'all...........

[wazzou]

This one's for the carpenters out there.  I am building an AMB Rooming House. 
This is the one AMB kit I've built of many that required pretty extensive modification. 
Every one of the windows required trimming to fit in the frames.  It's not as if the windows aren't a pain in the a$$ already.
I substituted 3 Tab asphalt shingles instead of the supplied rolled felt. 
I also changed the stairway from the ground level to the 2nd floor.
As built, it would go from the top to the bottom on one long flight along the end wall from front to rear.  This didn't seem plausible to me in the 1960's.  I thought the stairway should begin closer to the front, commissary/lobby area.
That is the genesis of my question...I built a landing and new railings at the end of the landing that match the height of the OEM railing and built the inclined railing from styrene to match the pitch of the OEM railing, but as can be seen in my photos, the diagonal railing at it's top is higher than the railing at the back/bottom of the landing.

This kind of crap bothers me.  How should I address this?

[Lemosteam]

long Island #39, Spec'd by LI to the PRR for a G5s class with a Kiesel tender, just like the K4s!



Proto photo:

[up1950s]

This one's for the carpenters out there.  I am building an AMB Rooming House. 
This is the one AMB kit I've built of many that required pretty extensive modification. 
Every one of the windows required trimming to fit in the frames.  It's not as if the windows aren't a pain in the a$$ already.
I substituted 3 Tab asphalt shingles instead of the supplied rolled felt. 
I also changed the stairway from the ground level to the 2nd floor.
As built, it would go from the top to the bottom on one long flight along the end wall from front to rear.  This didn't seem plausible to me in the 1960's.  I thought the stairway should begin closer to the front, commissary/lobby area.
That is the genesis of my question...I built a landing and new railings at the end of the landing that match the height of the OEM railing and built the inclined railing from styrene to match the pitch of the OEM railing, but as can be seen in my photos, the diagonal railing at it's top is higher than the railing at the back/bottom of the landing.

This kind of crap bothers me.  How should I address this?

Nice building . Just leave the non oem railings off , add a small pile of new wood and some carpenters sitting on them . Let them figure it out . Maybe also lay out a broken railing there as if there was a haymaker on the steps . Would be more interesting that a perfect railing .

[x600]

This one's for the carpenters out there.  I am building an AMB Rooming House. 
This is the one AMB kit I've built of many that required pretty extensive modification. 
Every one of the windows required trimming to fit in the frames.  It's not as if the windows aren't a pain in the a$$ already.
I substituted 3 Tab asphalt shingles instead of the supplied rolled felt. 
I also changed the stairway from the ground level to the 2nd floor.
As built, it would go from the top to the bottom on one long flight along the end wall from front to rear.  This didn't seem plausible to me in the 1960's.  I thought the stairway should begin closer to the front, commissary/lobby area.
That is the genesis of my question...I built a landing and new railings at the end of the landing that match the height of the OEM railing and built the inclined railing from styrene to match the pitch of the OEM railing, but as can be seen in my photos, the diagonal railing at it's top is higher than the railing at the back/bottom of the landing.

This kind of crap bothers me.  How should I address this?

I could write you up a bid and you can give me a check for the full amount. I'll get it finished in 2 weeks. (see movie The Money Pit)

Seriously, I run into this all the time. The rail from the upper set of stairs should extend a bit farther on to the landing, making the inside, lower stair rail lower. this should match the deck rail on the
landing. Match the lower stair rail height at the top to the deck rail. Wa. code for deck rail is 46", Stair rail is 34-36" from the nose of the stair tread. This causes them to meet at the top of the stairs.
Cut twice, measure once, give or take, +/- 1/8"
I'll send the bill.
Greg O.

[OldEastRR]

And what power unit do you sit the body on?

[OldEastRR]

Got the "Downtown Sears" assembled into 4 complete walls, now on to painting, window glass, signs, roof, goods in the display windows, etc.



On the back side I modeled a small version of the fancy front entrance, something I remember on stores when I was a kid



With all those windows this thing is going to need a LOT of interior detail. Who makes N scale dollhouse furniture?

[OldEastRR]

As for the carpentry problem... how about lowering the whole railing assembly by about 6 scale inches? Just cut off some of each support post.

[LIRR]

Waz,

The rooming house looks great. I wouldn't worry about the railing. After its painted, weathered set on the layout and the scene completed....anyone that notices it should be asked to leave your basement. I did the something similar on my church. The rear railing on the fron steps is nearly a foot lower than the front railing. Clearly visible in this photo on the work bench:



Not so in this shot.....



After the gazebo is added and the scene is finished, and adjacent and foreground areas are finished, no one will ever notice. Besides, the attention will be on the train passing by. When that happens, everything fades into the background.