VIA Rail Super Continental (or is it the Canadian?)

[jjb62556]

That's a GREAT looking Canadian!!!! someday I'll learn how to post......

[peteski]

Nice job Craig!

[craigolio1]

Thanks fellas. I’m very excited to be modeling this train. I’ve wanted one for about 35 years. I kept thinking that Rapido would announce it. But then they never do so one day recently I went into eBay and thought I would see what Concor stainless cars were going for. I found a guy selling groups of cars. I literally just had to go through his list until I found the group that you see here and bang. I had the entire consist the price was incredible. eBay being what it is these days you could t believe my luck and figure it was meant to be.

I figure now Rapido will announce it. At first I thought I would sell this one off but a 22 car summer consist sounds pretty appealing too! 

Taking a break for a week or so to visit with family but I should be done the park car and FP9 soon.

Thanks for checking in. It’s very motivational.

Craig

[craigolio1]

I finished up the Canadian consist today with the final connections and assembly for the drum head and marker lights. I wish I could take batter pic with my phone. In real life the VIA sign is not bright like that.



Connected to DCC there is no flicker when rolling and the lights are bright enough to be seen in the light at a train show but not like suns.

Next up final details on the FP9A.

Just about time now for Rapido to announce it!

Craig.

[peteski]

I finished up the Canadian consist today with the final connections and assembly for the drum head and marker lights. I wish I could take batter pic with my phone. In real life the VIA sign is not bright like that.

LEDs are difficult to photograph because they are very concentrated sources of light. The marker lights are fiber optics only emitting a small fraction of the LED's light, so they show up fine. If the ambient light was much brighter when you take the photo, that should change the exposure setting on your camera making the drum head less washed-out looking.  Or power up the lights from a variable DC power supply or DC throttle,and turn down the voltage until the drumhead is much dimmer, then take a picture.

[craigolio1]

LEDs are difficult to photograph because they are very concentrated sources of light. The marker lights are fiber optics only emitting a small fraction of the LED's light, so they show up fine. If the ambient light was much brighter when you take the photo, that should change the exposure setting on your camera making the drum head less washed-out looking.  Or power up the lights from a variable DC power supply or DC throttle,and turn down the voltage until the drumhead is much dimmer, then take a picture.

Good to know. I tried another angle as Tim suggested. No good. Maybe I’ll try daylight. Or with a white back ground.

[MK]

The reason why you are getting that "effect" is that the dynamic range of cameras, even the professional ones, don't have the same (and much larger) dynamic range as the human eye.  I bet in real life the drum head looks great in that picture. 

What is happening is that the camera is exposing for the majority of the scene and since the drum head is only a small part, it carries less weight in the camera's exposure determination.  This will not change if you select a different focus point or use a different angle (as you have found out yourself).

You could do a few things to minimize or elimnate the outcome.

Use exposure compensation and reduce it, as a start, by -2/3 f-stops.  You will probably have to dial in the correct number.  If your phone camera doesn't have full manual, then you can't do this.  What this will do is reduce the brightness overall of the entire scene allowing the drum head to be exposed correctly.  But the negative effect is that the rest of the picture will look dark/dim.  If this is your only solution, photographers usually go for an in between, splitting it between the drum head exposure and the exposure of the rest of the photograph.

Turn on flash (or use constant lighting).  The idea here is to increase the brightness of the overall scene and thus reduce the dynamic range difference between the drum head and the overall scene.  If the flash is too strong and mutes the drum head you may have to use flash compensation and dial down the flash a little, again if the camera you are using has that feature.  With constant lighting you have more control on how bright you want to light the overall scene so that the drum head comes out better.

Use HDR (high dynamic range) if you camera has it.  On higher end cameras like my D500, there is a HDR function you can turn on.  It basically takes two pictures, one exposed for the dark stuff and one exposed for the bright stuff and then it merges the two inside the camera's electroinics and produces an overall balanced photo.  This is great if you are photographing a room lit by indoor lighting during the day when the windows are very bright from outdoor light.  Without HDR, a normal photo will make it look like there's a million candlepower searchlight outside the windows shining in.

[peteski]

The idea here is to increase the brightness of the overall scene and thus reduce the dynamic range difference between the drum head and the overall scene. 

That is what I mentioned (except that you have greatly expanded the explanation). 

[craigolio1]

Today the FP9A got grab irons, a head light lens, and paint touch ups.





I also cut some front windows and after they are done I’m putting this one to bed.

Craig

[BCR 570]

I finished up the Canadian consist today with the final connections and assembly for the drum head and marker lights. I wish I could take batter pic with my phone. In real life the VIA sign is not bright like that.

Good work - told you you'd get some projects finished when the kids are older!

BTW Check out the cover photo of the current issue of TRAINS magazine . . .

Tm

[craigolio1]

HA! Thanks Tim.

The kids are busier than ever! Evan swims 23 hours a week and is travelling the country. What I have leaned to do is better manage my time..... sort of.

But I digress.

I’ll check that out!

Craig.

[shark_jj]

Hi Craig, the consist looks great.  I am in South Carolina on vacation this month but will be back at the beginning of November and open for the HOMES Club Layout Tour on the 3rd.  If you would like a place to run the consist and take some photos, feel free to drop in, I'll be running all day.

John

[craigolio1]

Hi Craig, the consist looks great.  I am in South Carolina on vacation this month but will be back at the beginning of November and open for the HOMES Club Layout Tour on the 3rd.  If you would like a place to run the consist and take some photos, feel free to drop in, I'll be running all day.

John

John that very generous of you to offer and I am honoured. But I have an engagement that day.

Craig.

[craigolio1]

Good work - told you you'd get some projects finished when the kids are older!

BTW Check out the cover photo of the current issue of TRAINS magazine . . .

Tm

I saw the magazine Tim! Thanks for the heads up. I’ll have to grab a copy. Clearly I inspired them to write this. Haha.

[craigolio1]

Hmmmm. Maybe I’m not done yet. My park car would look better if put a Z scale coupler on the back, closed in the gap, and add some electrical connections. I’ll have to check if those were present in the steam heat era. But a Z scale coupler would really look better.

Craig.