Weekend Update 4/25/21

[Dave V]

Late entry for me.  As long as my hand is in a cast, JFRTM is the best I can muster.  So here's some San Juan Central fanboy fun on the RGS:

[nkalanaga]

Mark:  KD/MT has made their PS-1 combination-door car in GN, NP, and MILW.

[basementcalling]

Beautiful work, @Bob!  Your technique is so effective.

@SAH, for the kind of detail work you like to do, you could find tons of things to use a printer on.  Hand rails are probably not one of them though, so keep pressing on.  I love to see that kind of effort in N scale.

Right... For the corn syrup tanker, I was able to simply thread the old guard rails out of the stanchions and re-thread new .015" steel wire, but I'm also working on a Kaolin tanker upgrade.  The stock car has guard rails and stanchions cast as one piece from a very soft plastic that might as well be string (I hate those!).  For that project I actually printed some new stanchions to accommodate wire.  That is working surprisingly well; I'll post photos when they're done.

So, will Gary Hinshaw Industries break out and make you a millionaire marketing these replacement ends, or will you do the humane thing and send the drawings to @Atlas Paul so Atlas can fix the problem on future releases? Who knew it took a rocket scientist to design railroad cars.

[peteski]

So, will Gary Hinshaw Industries break out and make you a millionaire marketing these replacement ends, or will you do the humane thing and send the drawings to @Atlas Paul so Atlas can fix the problem on future releases? Who knew it took a rocket scientist to design railroad cars.

Um, I believe Gary is an astrophysicist. Close enough I guess. 

[gi-depp]

First test load on flats yesterday

[Mark5]

Mark:  KD/MT has made their PS-1 combination-door car in GN, NP, and MILW.

Yeah, I think they did UP too. The main problem for me with the MicroTrains model is that it is vertically challenged.

The few 40' MTLs that I still have (I bought them when they first came out) are kept for nostalgic reasons at this point.

I know that the doors are wrong on this Roco model, but this will be a placeholder until something better comes along - and it didn't cost me a dime! (well, roofwalk, paint, and decals will cost me some dimes).

Anyway, this should be fun (the Roco tooling looks pretty nice with that paint removed BTW).

Mark

[wazzou]

I've done this to nearly all that I have, save for maybe one or two @Mark5
It helps.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

The next tranche of benchwork is going in.

[sirenwerks]

Yeah, I think they did UP too. The main problem for me with the MicroTrains model is that it is vertically challenged.

The few 40' MTLs that I still have (I bought them when they first came out) are kept for nostalgic reasons at this point.

I know that the doors are wrong on this Roco model, but this will be a placeholder until something better comes along - and it didn't cost me a dime! (well, roofwalk, paint, and decals will cost me some dimes).

Anyway, this should be fun (the Roco tooling looks pretty nice with that paint removed BTW).

Mark

This might be an idiotic suggestion, but how about using an Atlas PS1 as a starting point and adding the plug door?

[ednadolski]

So, will Gary Hinshaw Industries break out and ... do the humane thing and send the drawings to @Atlas Paul so Atlas can fix the problem on future releases?

That would be awesome, esp. if Atlas is adopting the LEZ body mount coupler on N scale cars 

Ed

[Mark5]

I've done this to nearly all that I have, save for maybe one or two @Mark5
It helps.

Thanks Bryan - looks good.    Representing one of the "Brainerds" eh?

This might be an idiotic suggestion, but how about using an Atlas PS1 as a starting point and adding the plug door?

It's a very good idea. But more work (sill and door, also $) than I am willing to shell out. 

I hope that someday Tangent or someone will bring these to N. My approach here is on the cheap (gives me some easy projects to mess with while preparing to move).

[SAH]

@SAH, for the kind of detail work you like to do, you could find tons of things to use a printer on.  Hand rails are probably not one of them though, so keep pressing on.  I love to see that kind of effort in N scale.

More than once I've thought "Perfect application for 3D printing." but as the current goal is to build a reliable operating, good looking replica of the transportation system the AC&Y played a role in I'm afraid the 3D printer would become a distraction.  And you're right, the technology is not yet ready to do .008" diameter handrails.  So I'll keep bending.

BUT, you made tank car parts man!  Some guys have a weakness for blondes and red heads.  My weakness is for tank cars and covered hoppers.  As one gets older it makes things easier.     Looking forward to seeing the finished model.

Steve

[EJN]

Um, I believe Gary is an astrophysicist.

Wow, I didn't know that. I googled him and he has a wikipedia entry. Very cool.

My *other* (main) hobby is amateur astronomy.

This is one of my telescopes:

[ Guests cannot view attachments ]


And this is a photo of M13 I took a few years ago:

[ Guests cannot view attachments ]

[Spades]

So, will Gary Hinshaw Industries break out and make you a millionaire marketing these replacement ends, or will you do the humane thing and send the drawings to @Atlas Paul so Atlas can fix the problem on future releases? Who knew it took a rocket scientist to design railroad cars.

I can't speak for Paul or Atlas but I am pretty sure they are happy with the product as is.  I don't think the Atlas manufacturing team is going to say lets burn some cash and cut some new molds for a better looking model. 

Perhaps Gary will share the file so if you own, calibrate and mix the resin for your Photon Mono. 

[CRL]

If Atlas were to build a perfect covered hopper, it would deprive you of printing the improved end pieces and improving the model.

What would you do for fun then?