Weekend Update 7/12/20

[John]

Got busy with some benchwork this weekend. 

is that your new garage?

[DeltaBravo]

is that your new garage?

No this is in my basement.

[jpwisc]

I am thinking of just glueing the loads into the cars. They don’t look right without the loads. What is the consensus ?

This is a huge project, I got only 40 cars completed

Having spent a fair amount of time railfanning the DMIR, I can say with full certainty that loaded cars only look right half the time (maybe even a little less). On the N Scale ones, the loads do help minimize the thick walls of the Atlas car, and they hide the weights that help those cars perform well. But operationally, you needs the empties to get the real feel of what is going on with the cars. If loaded trains are going both ways, it kills the illusion.

[sd45elect2000]

I haven’t glued in any of the natural ore loads yet for the exact reasons you outlined. Unfortunately the empty cars don’t look very much like an empty car should look. Hiding the weights and the car interior is one concern.

The processed ore loads I have to glue in because they don’t fit well enough to keep themselves situated in the car. In addition the side extensions and the load are not separate parts.

I was a WC employee for many years so I had opportunity to see trains on the Gogebic, Menominee ,  Messabe ore ranges so I also think that empty car would be great. Pity they look like crap empty..

Randy

[C855B]

... Pity they look like crap empty.

Yeah, there's the rub.

Deep in the creative recesses here is the urge to tool-up a new design (UP's jennies in particular) for 3D printing, but there are simply not enough hours in the day, days in the week, etc., to wedge it into the overflowing project queue. Such a design could get past the clunky appearance of the ancient Atlas model, but it still doesn't solve the weighting problem, which will have to be accommodated somehow.

[diezmon]

Or in the bedroom??   

Or you could put them in your bar.

 

[DKS]

Put one in the garage and wire it up to one of these: https://www.amazon.com/Striker-Adjustable-Garage-Parking-Sensor/dp/B00W9EBF0Y

[diezmon]

Put one in the garage and wire it up to one of these: https://www.amazon.com/Striker-Adjustable-Garage-Parking-Sensor/dp/B00W9EBF0Y

For the win! 

[C855B]

Put one in the garage and wire it up to one of these: https://www.amazon.com/Striker-Adjustable-Garage-Parking-Sensor/dp/B00W9EBF0Y

Twelve years ago I acquired an ex-Frisco signal with a similar thought in mind. However, as cluttered as our garage became, the likelihood of it being hung someplace visible quickly diminished as wall space was eaten by ladders, tool holders and storage shelves.

At the moment it and three other signal heads are taking up space in the workshop and barn waiting for the roundtuit for a signal "garden". Or maybe hanging on the one non-backdrop wall in the layout room. The problem with hanging them on the wall is the SA with the cast iron case weighs at least 100#. So we'll see.

[John]

those would make great brake lights on the truck

[DeltaBravo]

Twelve years ago I acquired an ex-Frisco signal with a similar thought in mind. However, as cluttered as our garage became, the likelihood of it being hung someplace visible quickly diminished as wall space was eaten by ladders, tool holders and storage shelves.

At the moment it and three other signal heads are taking up space in the workshop and barn waiting for the roundtuit for a signal "garden". Or maybe hanging on the one non-backdrop wall in the layout room. The problem with hanging them on the wall is the SA with the cast iron case weighs at least 100#. So we'll see.

You could build a stand and have them in a corner with a random light sequence. Would be a cool piece.
 

[SkipGear]

Eden Park print test 2. Thicker walls, added detail, planning for window inserts.

Still need to work on the supports, much better than the first print but still a little wave around the baggage doors and the end supports did not hold again causing a bit of a flare. Only other miss is the vents printed, but only a recess, the louvers did not come out so it looks like I may plan for photo etch there.

[peteski]

Eden Park print test 2. Thicker walls, added detail, planning for window inserts.

Still need to work on the supports, much better than the first print but still a little wave around the baggage doors and the end supports did not hold again causing a bit of a flare. Only other miss is the vents printed, but only a recess, the louvers did not come out so it looks like I may plan for photo etch there.

Very impressive. Especially knowing that this started as 2D Corel Draw drawings.
Could you try to  exaggerate the louvers even further to still get them printed on the shells, without needing photo-etched parts?
As for the window inserts, if you print them in clear resin, you will not mind the fact that they will not have flat surface or be crystal clear?

[Chris333]

Yeah with 3D I make board gaps .010 deep and wide. They fill in a little during printing.

[SkipGear]

Very impressive. Especially knowing that this started as 2D Corel Draw drawings.
Could you try to  exaggerate the louvers even further to still get them printed on the shells, without needing photo-etched parts?
As for the window inserts, if you print them in clear resin, you will not mind the fact that they will not have flat surface or be crystal clear?

I already exaggerated the vent details more than I wanted and they did not print. I think I am going to have to go another direction for them to work out. I have even thought of maybe printing them as a separate piece because printing the body at an angle may not be helping the vents. The Anti-aliasing may be cleaning them up for me, even though I would rather it not.

I did add the body panel recess for the windows and that did print quite well so it can handle a .1mm pretty well.

I have a plan for the windows. I think that I can pull off a truly clear window. If it works the way I want it too, I may even be able to print gaskets on the windows. I'm not there yet though.