post your model RR tips........


take your projects one at a time and go slow with them, if you rush you will make mistakes and miss things...found that one out after I took a picture of my Hall class and found I flipped the drive rods around so the steam piston was on the wrong side...:( wasn't too thrilled after spending 10 minutes fighting it before hand just to figure that one out...
 
If working on your railroad starts to feel like a chore, take a break.
Once you have the thought, "that's close enough," it's time to do something else.
 

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For shelf layouts

For shelf layouts, I like to use rigid electrical conduit instead of having legs on the floor to stub your feet all of the time while operating. It's cheap and excetionally strong.
 
montanan said:
For shelf layouts, I like to use rigid electrical conduit instead of having legs on the floor to stub your feet all of the time while operating. It's cheap and excetionally strong.
Click to expand...

That's EMT not rigid conduit. Rigid won't bend like that.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2
 
RBMNfan said:
That's EMT not rigid conduit. Rigid won't bend like that.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...

To the best of my knowledge, it is rigid. After cutting the conduit to length, I crush about 2 inches of the end in a vise, drill 2 holes in the flattened end for screws and then bend it to the desired angle.Once flattened out it bends rather easily. Could be EMT. I installed this benchwork over 25 years ago.
 
Are you working on a building and looking for material for window shades behind the glazing? Here's one I heard about somewhere (can't remember where, though).

A good source for window shades -- go to a big-box hardware store and pick up some paint chip cards in the paint section. One can find about every color one could imagine.

I usually try for colors from the ivory / antique white shades, into the green / yellow / tan pastel colors. Those are the colors I recall having seen most often used in window shades, and the pale colors look like shades that have been faded by sunlight. I suppose a similar, darker color could be used to represent a newer shade -- or a "cleaner" white.

I figure as much as I spend there for home and gardening supplies, they shouldn't mind if I pick up a few paint chip cards now and then! ;)

Regards,
Tom Stockton
 
If I want to *mock-up* a building I use my kids LEGOs. I can build any size I want to see how it will fit in the space I have. And if you are into scratch building, you can kind of rough out the building to see how it will look with them before you start.
 
1. Cover the hose attachment of your vacuum cleaner with pantyhose. You can pick up small items without losing them to the vacuum.

2. When using super glue, use a plastic bag or film as your work space instead of wood, paper or cardboard. It won't adhere as well, making it easier to remove.

3. Store ground cover, ballast, gravel etc in used water bottles instead of plastic bags.
 
Had read back awhile, about use of 2" thickness ISO FOAM industrial ceiling insulation, for layout sub-roadbed material. It IS: stronger, more rigid, lightweight, cost about same per 4 x 8 sheet as regular pink/blue extruded foam. Immediately obtained sheet, to try on new HO module. I then discovered the possible HEALTH HAZARDS associated with it's use, for SOME of you modelers out there!
It has fiberglass strands running through it. When I cut 4 x 8 sheet in half, for 24" shelf modules, violent itching started, as it is very irritating to human skin! I then developed cough, with severe respiratory irritation [asthmatic since childhood]. This meant NO further contact with the product, for me. Panels should have hazard warning labels on possible Health Risks! Panels went to town dump ASAP! IF I'd known ahead of time, maybe long-sleeved shirt, gloves, dust mask as PPE [Personal Protective Equipment] would have worked fine! I would have also SEALED ALL PANEL EDGES with thick layer of paint or two. Like the Old Saying goes: You [should] LEARN from your Mistakes! AND, making holes in panels for electrical wiring, would have also been a source of trouble. Hope this Tip is of use to some folks out there. TTFN.
.....Old Tom aka papasmurf in New Hampshire
 
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From the good folks at Wikipedia:

Tulle (English pronunciation: /tuːl/ TOOL) is a lightweight, very fine netting, which is often starched. It can be made of various fibres, including silk, nylon, and rayon. Tulle is most commonly used for veils, gowns (particularly wedding gowns), and ballet tutus. Tulle comes in a wide array of colors and it can also easily be dyed to suit the needs of the consumer. It is readily available.

Tulle netting

On their website, Jo Ann Fabric & Craft Stores is currently (as of 12 January 2014) selling a 36" long x 54" wide piece of tulle for $1.49 USD. As the disclaimer says: "Your mileage may vary." :D

Regards,
Tom Stockton
 
papasmurf37 said:
Had read back awhile, about use of 2" thickness ISO FOAM industrial ceiling insulation, for layout sub-roadbed material. It IS: stronger, more rigid, lightweight, cost about same per 4 x 8 sheet as regular pink/blue extruded foam. Immediately obtained sheet, to try on new HO module. I then discovered the possible HEALTH HAZARDS associated with it's use, for SOME of you modelers out there!
It has fiberglass strands running through it. When I cut 4 x 8 sheet in half, for 24" shelf modules, violent itching started, as it is very irritating to human skin! I then developed cough, with severe respiratory irritation [asthmatic since childhood]. This meant NO further contact with the product, for me. Panels should have hazard warning labels on possible Health Risks! Panels went to town dump ASAP! IF I'd known ahead of time, maybe long-sleeved shirt, gloves, dust mask as PPE [Personal Protective Equipment] would have worked fine! I would have also SEALED ALL PANEL EDGES with thick layer of paint or two. Like the Old Saying goes: You [should] LEARN from your Mistakes! AND, making holes in panels for electrical wiring, may have also been a source of trouble. Hope this Tip is of use to some folks out there. TTFN.
.....Old Tom aka papasmurf in New Hampshire
Click to expand...

Glad you posted this warning, have been telling deaf ears for years of the health dangers of this stuff. I used to use this in it's Batts (insulation) form when building commercial kitchens with similar effects. One day I happened to be handling some (just moving it) and the sun was streaming through the windows. I was standing in the middle of a great shimmering cloud of fine glass particles. Another source of this nasty material that also gets overlooked are cutoff discs for metal (and yes the same stuff is present in the Dremel discs) with the same result as I saw in that sunlight.

One of these days they're going to discover that this stuff is next to asbestos in ill-effects.
 
I added insulation batting in the garage and finished with drywall and texture, paint, etc. I saw the same thing, maybe day 1 or 2 or the project and realized there were so many invisible particles in the air that I got a mask later that day and put a fan in the garage, blowing all the air outward


To this day, I turn the fan on in the garage if I do any kind of sanding, sawing or other job that creates potential breathing hazards. My layout may be in the house, but my workshop is in the garage for that very reason. (Well, that and for the fact that with the exception of driving in and out, my wife never goes out there!)
 
It's amazing what we humans can come up with in the name of "progress", only to find out what we've done is made things ten times worse and a hundred times more dangerous that if we'd just stick with the old, proven materials and methods of doing things. Of course, I realize that we can't just stick our heads in the sand and stop progress althogether... but sometimes, I just shake my head in amazement at the dumb-ass-ery we display.

Fortunately we've discovered Model Railroading (in all its sizes and forms) to help bring some sanity into this world... and occasionally, it works! :D

Regards,
Tom Stockton
 
Before I use a tube or bottle of cyanoacrylate, I spray the inside of the cap with mold release or silicone spray, and then shake out the excess. This keeps the screw on top from getting glued on to the applicator.
 
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