Weekend Update 11/3/19

[diezmon]

We decided to take a trip north and visit our friends in Minnesota for the weekend. Anyone in Twin Cities area, come on out to Shakopee and say hi!

Quite proud of this little mess we made. 


https://i.imgur.com/rpjjo07.jpg


We got about 80% set up and operational before they kicked everyone out.  Just need to align the last leg on the left.  This is going to be an awesome set up!


https://i.imgur.com/vjRrg9n.jpg

well sh1t.  I'm bummed I can't get over there this weekend.     Looks like an impressive setup.

[Iain]

It was a busy week in smallest scale... 

I drafted 2-foot narrow gauge Lima arch-bar trucks (per prototype picture of ore car) for a fellow modelling former Gilpin Railroad equipment.  If anyone has better pictures--I was working from that picture so this is mostly dead reckoning and educated guess drafting.  These will be Zn2 scale..so trucks are actual 3mm gauge.  so the design will need to be modified to print properly because they would be far too fragile as-is.  I reckon these would print in HO or larger just fine though, so if interested let me know.   <edit--I just noticed something on the rendering that needed to be fixed!  Douh! .. well it's fixed. >

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What if you designed it to be etched?  I have seen etched trucks in N, and they seem to work pretty well.  Just 3D print the journals, everything else is an etch.

What are you going to do for wheelsets?  Get some 28" wheels and cut down the axles?

[Iain]

Now that steamship season is over, I have time and energy for model trains again.

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Painting the handrails to SAL 1416.

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And, here I'm testing my DCC via Arduino project.

[Jesse6669]

What if you designed it to be etched?  I have seen etched trucks in N, and they seem to work pretty well.  Just 3D print the journals, everything else is an etch.

What are you going to do for wheelsets?  Get some 28" wheels and cut down the axles?

I like the idea but not sure how practical it will be.  On the other hand, I'm not sure how practical 3D printing will be either, but it's plan "A"!  I've gotten good results with my T scale truck design, so hopefully these comparatively large but narrow-gauge Z scale trucks with 18" wheels (about the same size) will be doable.  The modeler has his own wheelsets and I'm waiting on him to provide their dimensions after which I was going to design the "practical" version around them.  The real trucks had 18" wheels (so 2mm diameter..).  The rendering shows true-to-scale wheels (a la Proto 48) with thin tires, etc.  and accurate detailing like the brake shoes, etc.  I presume at least the model wheel tire is far thicker than shown and they probably aren't 18" either.  The general plan is to add a backing to the relief of the framework shown,  delete/thicken/exaggerate some parts so the correct overall impression remains.  After paint and a dark wash should look acceptable.  We'll see..

[altohorn25]

Working on some E7's for my Texas Special. These are Life-Like E7's.  Added stainless steel car siding to the lower half of the carbody, replaced the steps with gold metal models, filled in the pilot opening (the other one will have a coupler of course), filed off the factory numberboards as they were too small and too far back on the sides.  I have a set of Kato FP7's numberboards coming in the mail to replace them.  I have the decals (Circus City Decals) so as soon as I get the numberboards installed, these can go to the paint booth.

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[Iain]

Working on some E7's for my Texas Special. These are Life-Like E7's.  Added stainless steel car siding to the lower half of the carbody, replaced the steps with gold metal models, filled in the pilot opening (the other one will have a coupler of course), filed off the factory numberboards as they were too small and too far back on the sides.  I have a set of Kato FP7's coming in the mail to replace them.  I have the decals (Circus City Decals) so as soon as I get the numberboards installed, these can go to the paint booth.
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OMG, you're making me want to model some passenger streamliners.  I need to do some SAL models; the citrus scheme was hot.  But, I'm also feeling a slight twinge to a Burlington fluted stainless F.

As an aside, I once saw a pair of stainless EMD 567s.  No shinier an engine have I ever seen.



As an added remark, this was my first time doing straight up wire handrails.  I know I can do better, and once I've practiced some, I intend to replace these.  I feel like I'll eventually really get a feel for it.

[nickelplate759]

Now that steamship season is over, I have time and energy for model trains again.


Painting the handrails to SAL 1416.

What's your technique?  I've got some yellow handrails to do as well.  Spray painting would require masking ('cause it's just the rails - same as in your  loco).

[Mark W]

well sh1t.  I'm bummed I can't get over there this weekend.     Looks like an impressive setup.

We're planning to be back up in February for the Worlds Greatest Hobby show.  Mark your calendar.


Here's a few pics from today's fun.


https://i.imgur.com/0i3bI8A.jpg


https://i.imgur.com/U8T4Ok4.jpg


https://i.imgur.com/jFQjmaH.jpg


https://i.imgur.com/wjZ4Hrq.jpg


https://i.imgur.com/VyEYfqV.jpg

[Iain]

What's your technique?  I've got some yellow handrails to do as well.  Spray painting would require masking ('cause it's just the rails - same as in your  loco).

Yellow was sprayed a week ago, black brushpainted today.  The handrails are not glued down yet.  I bent them to be drop in, and then sprayed them held by tweezers (with an elaborate support system so could dry without touching anything)

[altohorn25]

I didn't want to wait for Lowell Smith to come out with the tail car for the train, so I painted one up myself.  Kato Super Chief observation car repainted and decaled.  I also added a true-scale coupler to the rear.  I just ordered the tomar drumhead so I have the artwork to put on the light up drumhead already on the car. 


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[Vince P]

I didn't want to wait for Lowell Smith to come out with the tail car for the train, so I painted one up myself.  Kato Super Chief observation car repainted and decaled.  I also added a true-scale coupler to the rear.  I just ordered the tomar drumhead so I have the artwork to put on the light up drumhead already on the car. 


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Very nice looking boattail speedster

[m_nanson]

OMG, you're making me want to model some passenger streamliners.  I need to do some SAL models; the citrus scheme was hot.  But, I'm also feeling a slight twinge to a Burlington fluted stainless F.

As an aside, I once saw a pair of stainless EMD 567s.  No shinier an engine have I ever seen.



As an added remark, this was my first time doing straight up wire handrails.  I know I can do better, and once I've practiced some, I intend to replace these.  I feel like I'll eventually really get a feel for it.

That Stainless Steel EMD 567 probably was from a Bay Class Minesweeper built for the Royal Canadian Navy.  "The Woodpecker Squadron" was built in the 50s in Various Canadian shipyards with wood hulls, aluminum structures, and Stainless Steel EMDs as power.  All so there was no magnetic signatures, to prevent them from "influencing" magnetic mines.

Mike

[hegstad1]

Ready for the paint shop.

[Philip H]

I used my most favorite scale ruler to add sinage to an Atlas equipment shed from the DKS Collection:

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[wm3798]

Having fully recovered from last weekend's adventures, I came home to eagerly await the return of Metroliner service on the Retro 2.0 layout.

By midweek, I had received a parcel from @randgust , who had taken my botched repower project and performed the necessary refinements to make it a smooth performer from platform to top speeds.



Very thankful to have this back in the fleet!  Next i need to restore the headlight.  Hopefully I can do so without undoing Randy's wizardry.

Lee