Weekend Update 1/28/18

[up1950s]

[Philip H]

That's a really cool find Ritchie.

[C855B]

I saw that, "Wow, that picture looks familiar!" It was... taken roughly the same time we were there. 'Cept my pic includes the proposed water supply for the rebuilt boiler.

[Caleb Austin]

Late afternoon sunlight through a window made for a pretty good storm light effect for this shot.



Thanks for looking,

Caleb.

[haasmarc]

Caleb,  what are you using for foliage on your super trees?  They look good.

[Caleb Austin]

Caleb,  what are you using for foliage on your super trees?  They look good.

Thank you Marc. Most of the foliage is a mix of woodland scenics medium green coarse turf and Scenic Express Super leaf flakes. The WS foam does a good job of filling out the trees and the leaf flake helps with the texture. I ground up the super leaves in a blender to make them the right size for N scale. I'm pretty pleased with the effect, it adds a bit of shine to the leaves unlike ground foam.


Stock SE Super Leaf vs Ground down Super leaf.

Caleb.

[SP-Wolf]

My MK-6 Mikado gettin to work.


Thanks,
Wolf

[Wardie]

I have been working on some Maine Central Magor pulpwood flats.

[bnsfdash8]

I found one of these Trainworx reefer trailers today at the LHS and thought it'd be cool to make a spread axle trailer. I need to add mudflaps and paint the rims chrome to make it look a little more owner operator.

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[haasmarc]

Thank you Marc. Most of the foliage is a mix of woodland scenics medium green coarse turf and Scenic Express Super leaf flakes. The WS foam does a good job of filling out the trees and the leaf flake helps with the texture. I ground up the super leaves in a blender to make them the right size for N scale. I'm pretty pleased with the effect, it adds a bit of shine to them.

What color super leaf? Are they as green as they look in the pictures?  I am having trouble getting the foliage the right shade of green.

[mark dance]

I'll have to try the blender thing on the SE leafs...beautiful result Caleb!

Last weekend I was on a 7 person road trip down to WA to operate on a couple of layouts.  VanRail hosts had been invited to operate on Al Frasch's Pilchuk Division Saturday

and Burr Stewart's BN layout on Sunday http://www.burrstewart.com/index.php?n=Main.Trains.  Both have been associated with the semi-annual VanRail op event and Al's session was his third to last before he tears his up and moves to Arizona.  The hosts and their home crews were wonderful and a great time was had by all.

Modelling-wise, I completed a couple of experiments.  Late last year I sent files out for laser cutting the Nelson freighthouse and South Slocan station.  On these orders I added parts to build a couple of detail elements out of profile "slices" which were when wrapped in laser cut 0.005" self adhesive paper. The first was for watchman heaters to help convert stock Atlas S2's to more closely resemble CP's MLW S4 switchers and the second was for the distinctive vents for the Nelson diesel house.  Both details were arguably better fabricated in another manner - the heaters from solid styrene stock and the ducts by 3D printing - but I thought I would try laser cutting them to see.  The parts arrived over the holidays and I got to assembling them this week. They turned out ok. 

The heaters were quick and most importantly for me, consistent.  They need painting and striping which may be a trick on such a small part...we shall see.  At this point I would try this approach again for something of similar scope.





The 15 vents also turned out to my satisfaction but required way too much assembly time - about 20 minutes each - when I could have just ordered them from Shapeways.  As my friend Rene Gourley showed me on the roadtrip, I could have built the 3D model in under an hour using OnShape https://pembroke87.wordpress.com/2017/12/30/sweet-anticipation/.  I *will not* use this approach again on something of this level of complexity where I need so many repetitive and highly visible parts.  Oh well, that's in the rear view mirror.











Have a great Sunday!

md

[BCR 570]

when I could have just ordered them from Shapeways.

Yes, I would have got those 3D printed (but experimenting with alternate methods is never a bad thing, and occasionally leads to discoveries!).  They are similar in scope to some unique dust collectors I needed for grain elevators at Dawson Creek and small parts like those are something which the 3D process typically excels at.

How will you do the raised Canadian Pacific script on the side of the building?  That will be a neat feature to capture.


Tim

[mark dance]

Yes, I would have got those 3D printed (but experimenting with alternate methods is never a bad thing, and occasionally leads to discoveries!).  They are similar in scope to some unique dust collectors I needed for grain elevators at Dawson Creek and small parts like those are something which the 3D process typically excels at.

How will you do the raised Canadian Pacific script on the side of the building?  That will be a neat feature to capture.


Tim

Well, learning a new tool always creates a barrier.  But I am familiar with parametric CAD and I picked up OnShape with Rene's assistance in a few minutes.  Which CAD pkg do you use Tim?

On the lettering I hadn't given it much thought (partly because that side of the model faces the backdrop )...probably have it etched.

md

[unittrain]

Late afternoon sunlight through a window made for a pretty good storm light effect for this shot.



Thanks for looking,

Caleb.

That is spectacular modeling!!!! liking the storm clouds!!

[wm3798]

Beautiful as always, Caleb. 

As I was left unsupervised for a bit in the company of my band saw and a door panel, I started roughing out the location of Bayview Yard, where the Canton, Highlandtown and Fells Point will interchange with the wider world.



Hmmm.  Looks like there's a couple inches of clearance there behind the book case...  Maybe I should change the name to Canton, Highlandtown and Pacific!!

Lee