Weekend Update 5/15/16

[Mark W]

While waiting for the next batch of 3D printed Code 40 Flex ties to arrive before I can begin on Z Scale Thunder Ridge, I decided to throw together a small diorama layout using Rokuhan snap track.

I came up with this track plan using just two Oval Starter Sets and ended up with a bean shaped slice of foam for the benchwork, then really just started gluing scraps in place with Great Stuff. 


Used a saw bit and dremel to carve out the mountains.   


And here we are with the base coat.  Really pleased with how this is turning out so far!





Here's a short video tour, following the two newly released American Z Line BNSF SD70ACe's. 

[eric220]

I've finished the first couple of fascia control panels for the switches on the railroad that are hand-thrown and feature an electric time lock. Pretty happy with how these turned out!

Please tell us more about that lock capability......

Yes, please do!

[randgust]

My "West Hickory" T-trak module is coming around nicely, but one nagging issue has been the creation of the signature structure of the effort - the PRR depot at West Hickory.   Last week I discovered that the original depot that was there apparently burned down in 1922 when the tannery burned down, leaving me with only TWO photos of the replacement depot, and of course, no drawings, and no surviving structure to look at either - torn down some time after 1961.   The tannery was rebuilt in 1922 after the entire complex burned, and I'm guessing it took the original depot and much of the immediate area with it.  It's unbelievable what's on Google Books - 1922 fire insurance claims turned that one up.

So, I figure take the toughest part and take that on.    I started with this photo, taken in 1925, from the back.   Finding out that the structure probably was rebuilt in 1922 at least explains how this relatively simple combination depot was in such perfect shape for paint, and why anybody would take a picture of it with no people and no trains (look at our nice new station!):



If you can start with at least one basic assumption and prove it, you can figure this out.  In my case, I knew of another PRR freight house that did survive built about the same time, same windows, same design.... and the battens came out to exactly 12".    Given that.... well, off you go with 'best guesses' and start counting battens to measure about everything.  The is Evergreen board & batten with is dead-on for width in N.    I have fitted all the Tichy windows and doors, but I'll have to paint everything separately.  The Tichy baggage doors with the transom are about two feet too wide but I decided to use them anyway.

The height of this thing is proven is another shot I've got from the front - Triumph VII page 352 of the semi-front view, showing a 1960's steel boxcar parked in the back tucked under the roof edge.  If you look at that rear shot, the siding is obviously able to directly unload to the freight door.  So the roof really is that high, making the entire building look a big awkward in proportion.





There is a bay window in the front with three regular windows, nothing elegant at all and that overhang roofline doesn't help it much.

It's still a big of a guess, but with the building gone and darn few photos, it's a pretty good one.

[carlso]

Mark Watson,

That z scale layout is really cool. Blow a little snow around on the mountain and roadbed and voila, your finished with a nice winter scene.

Nice work,
Carl

[bbeegle]

Mark W really like that layout,what did you coat the foam with?

[Kisatchie]

Mark W really like that layout,what did you coat the foam with?

Yeah, I want to know too.


Hmm... I would use
mashed potatoes...

[Mark W]

It's just latex paint I found on the mis-mixed shelf for cheap.  They usually have dozens of cans of off-whites, but I prefer this tan color (even though 98% of it is covered over with scenery later).  The clerks are always happy to tint a mis-mixed white to something better, so I basically get the color I want for cheap. 

Once the latex base dried, I laid down several light coats of spray paints.  Starting to really come to life now.


Damn focus




Another progress lap with the AZL ACe's

[strummer]

Wow, that's really nice. What's the over-all size of this layout?

Mark in Oregon

[OldEastRR]

Back to working on the downtown. I'm making a single solid base for blocks of buildings: to have ground elevation changes, set the foundations into the ground (no gaps along building base), install continuous features that run past individual buildings (like sidewalks, alleys  and parking lots), etc. The practical rreason is a long switching lead runs through a narrow corridor of buildings. To do regular maintenance or repair I can lift off entire blocks and have plenty of space to work. Also I can build up and detail the block comfortably at the workbench.




The block will be sunken into the foam base. Another plus is the seams will be straight lines (curbs, streets) and easier to hide. The track runs parallel to the far side of the wider building, which also sits higher than the other building. The gray building foundation will be cut at the pencil line for a narrower kitbash building. The open space will be a parking lot with a slight slope for drainage. I'll use some kind of putty to form the pavement.




Putting buildings at slightly different elevations helps differentiate them by breaking up the "solid storefronts all even and perfectly in line" look. The sidewalk is also a long continuous piece at a slope. The store doors too high or too low to match the sidewalk will have cutouts or a step to bridge the gap.

Here's "the Hole" where I spent several back-straining evenings working on installing the track roadbed and supports to finalize my tracklaying. It's not wide enough to go through with both shoulders level. And obviously it's a duckunder. What with that and attaching feeders to bus lines (with my arms working above my head and straining) I got quite a workout, thank you.
And I'll have to go back in there someday to lay more cork and track. Yay!

[nkalanaga]

Chuck:  Looking better!  And the vegetation looks about right.  Like Pasco, much of Wenatchee isn't green most of the year, as you've probably already noticed.  Isn't it nice living where you model?

[Mark W]

Wow, that's really nice. What's the over-all size of this layout?

Mark in Oregon

Overall size is 52"x 34". 

[bbussey]

Etched, drilled and cut my first PCBs this weekend, these are for dwarf signals.  Got it right on the first attempt.  Thanks to @Sokramiketes and @peteski for steering me in the proper direction.

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[narrowminded]

Definitely like that, Brian.   That's a task that's in my not so distant future so I've already been doing some research.  Any quick do's and don'ts you could share from your experience?

[bbussey]

Definitely like that, Brian.   That's a task that's in my not so distant future so I've already been doing some research.  Any quick do's and don'ts you could share from your experience?

www.pulsarprofx.com.  Everything you would need to know is there.

[up1950s]

www.pulsarprofx.com.  Everything you would need to know is there.

Geez that is a long winded site . They ought to sell a 2 lb booklet .