Weekend Update 4/5/20

[mu26aeh]

Anybody seem a "cattle guard" in N scale?  I guess we could use some roof walk etchings, placed edge-to-edge, but not exactly right.  Still, it might make a nice "easter egg" for people to find.

P.S.  This isn't intended to be a criticism, just another wild idea in my stream of thought.  I up-voted your post because I like your model.

Yesteryear Creations had them included with a barbed wire set.  Are they still in business ?  There are HO versions on Shapeways, could probably be scaled down to N scale or one of our talented designers here could produce them

[TMatt253]

Dairy Queen and this water tower are also on my list of projects for the weekend.

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Trevor

[John]

Working on some M1 Abrams prints in the photon .

I downloaded some 1/100 modern military vehicles from Thingyverse, and have been converting them to 1/160 .. The M1 you see in this picture is next to a MT version on the right ..  The tank on the left is the Photon print. I have some minor adjustments to make, and once I get the files to where I like them, I'll share them back on Thingyverse for the original designer to use.

[arbomambo]

    At the beginning of March, before most of this craziness got into full gear, my Sweetheart and I loaded up the two pups, and set out on a two week car trip from our home on the Alabama Gulf Coast, across the American Southwest, picking up route 66 in Albuquerque, following it all the way to California, (one of the highlights was staying at La Posada in Winslow, the beautifully restored ATSF Harvey House) then returning back home via I-10 through Phoenix, Tucson, Tombstone, etc...She had never seen the Southwest, and it provided some great "I want to come back here" memories.
  Because we brought the pups, the trip was a great "Social Distancing" excercise, as we ate most of our meals on the road, utilizing drive-thrus or take out. Obviously, some GREAT railfanning occurred along the way.
   Now, I said all that to say this...after two weeks on the road, by the time we returned home, we were almost THANKFUL for the subsequent "stay at home" mandates!...giving she and I GREAT excuses to involve ourselves in home projects and hobbies!

 I've been really grateful to get going and start/finish some of the DOZENS of projects in my queue...

Finishing the detailing of the lead unit of my ATSF 217 LABC lashup


building a few of the excellent Red River Models Baggage carts


Starting the Red River Models ATSF Glorieta Depot for a future T-TRAK module


Continuing work on the latest Southwest T-TRAK module, trying out Cripplebush Valley rubber rock this time, instead of hydrocal castings, for the cut.


Here I've washed and weathered the rubber rock mold and am ready to blend it into the feature with AZ Rock & Mineral pigments, powders, gravel, and rock.


Building and installing some of the GREAT 'Roomettes' interiors for structures that will populate the town of Hutton T-TRAK modules.

[johnb]

Bruce, you were less than a mile from my house

[bdennis]

My friend's layout room originally had a hard PVC tile floor. He installed carpet later, and it is *SO* much easier on your feet during the operating session. It is not a typical home carpeting. It is more like the hard-wearing low-pile carpeting you see in office buildings.  Parts that fall down stay on the surface.  Sure, because if the colouring of the carpet it is harder to find them than on a smooth PVC floor, but the low-angle flashlight search method usually reveals them quickly.

Thanks guys.
I plan on using used office carpet tiles that have next to no pile on them.
They are easy on the feet / legs and relatively easy to find parts compared to think pile house carpet.
Fortunately I have a separate work area so finding parts should not be a continual issue.

[MK]

My friend's layout room originally had a hard PVC tile floor. He installed carpet later, and it is *SO* much easier on your feet during the operating session. It is not a typical home carpeting. It is more like the hard-wearing low-pile carpeting you see in office buildings.  Parts that fall down stay on the surface.  Sure, because if the coloring of the carpet it is harder to find them than on a smooth PVC floor, but the low-angle flashlight search method usually reveals them quickly.

That's Berber carpeting.

[w neal]

Got these babies finished during "spring break". It only took 15 years!

[jereising]

Anybody seem a "cattle guard" in N scale?  I guess we could use some roof walk etchings, placed edge-to-edge, but not exactly right.  Still, it might make a nice "easter egg" for people to find.

P.S.  This isn't intended to be a criticism, just another wild idea in my stream of thought.  I up-voted your post because I like your model.

I have a couple on the layout but they're right up front like this one at the Bealville Ranch:



Easy to make...

[TMatt253]

Finished maintenance shed for the water tower lot. I feel like it looks too big. Looking for some opinions!

The inspiration:
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The shed:
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[ns737]

the roof pick looks to high and the screen looking doors look high. is the door the  same size as the door on the blue building?

[u18b]

Bruce,

Tell us more about the twin beam headlights on those Santa Fe Fs.

[mu26aeh]

I think if you cut the slope of the roof peak, making it flatter you'd have a better rendition.  I think the rest would look more in place then, ie the screen doors etc

[nkalanaga]

Cattle gurads come in many variations, some commercial, some homemade.  If one only needs one, it might be just as easy to make it out of styrene strips.

I've even seen some that were simply painted on the road.  Apparently cattle aren't too bright...  I've heard that sheep won't even slow down for the painted ones.

[wm3798]

Weathered some track, ran some trains.  Ballast coming soon!

Lee