Weekly Photo Fun 710-7/16


Ray, those Jordon kits are about the most fiddly little things I ever built. The buckboard came out just great. Mine would be full of painted over glue globs. :) I painted my semaphore silver because that's what I used to seeing out west but I think black is more common back here. I guess I'm getting used to the black looking more realistic now.

Mat, that is really a nice shop. What are the counter tops made of? That's about the classiest workbench material I've ever seen. I can see whay you can build with such speed now. You really have the organization thing down pat. Now, if I could just add an extra room to the house...D)

Crandell, I think that wavy look is what makes your yard. Most real yards are laid without a lot of attention to leveling and straightening, especially as the ravages of time take thier toll. As long as you don't have derailment problems, I'd guess you just happened on the right tracklaying method to make the yard look like a yard instead of an extension of the main line.

Dan, I'd say your wavy look is a little over the top. :eek: Did that really happen from heat expansion? I've heard of it being a problem but I've never seen it that bad before.

TSFRJ, I assume those are computer generated pictures but of what? I don't recognize them as any type of trains I've ever seen...or maybe that was the idea. :confused:
 
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Jim: Counter tops are just plain formica roll edge tops again from Lowes in one of their stock colors. Base cabinets were unfinished oak from Home Depot. By the way none of the pieces are attached to each other, counter tops simply hold everything in place with their weight which allows me to rearrange things if needed though it has been this layout for the past three years.

Matt
MD Custom Models
 
I spent 15 minutes and installed a FRED on an Athearn BB Wisconsin Central boxcar. I used a prefabbed flasher that runs off batteries, and a small piece of orange plastic that was the perfect size already. (it was leftover from my GE slug project). The coupler was salvaged from my scrap gon, and is not servicable. The whole unit can be moved to another car if I ever need or want it to.

The result is passable... My biggest goof was cutting the notch in the body for the wires to deep. if you look real close you might see a hole between the ribs. I'll fix it once I get some WC paint.

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The unit has a small push button, accessible by opening a door. the best thing about it? The module cost $10.

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Today I met up with another modeler who I found out lives not far from me. He has a great layout and though he models a whole other era, it was great to see my train on his tracks. It reminded me a lot of the MRL in Montana.

I can't take credit for the photos since he took them or the layout but the train is all mine. I am very grateful for the opportunity to have visited this amazing layout. Here are a few photos of the day:

These are my Athearn GP35s that I custom painted
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Dan, I've been fighting heat problems in my building for years. Your bowed track looked just like mine about 6 months ago. The only places I had big problems was where I used plastic sheeting for spacers under the track. When the 100* heat pounced on those sections it bowed up about 2 or 3 inch's. Since that time I removed all plastic under everything including buildings & track. When I put my track together I use a business card thickness to seperate the joints. I can't ever solder the tracks together because of the heat problems. Most days my building is over 100* by 10 or 11am w/the outside temp at 90*. After the doors have been closed all day in the heat I check the temp about 5 & it's about 105 to 110*.
 
Selector said:
Thank-you, Jim. It's funny, but they don't look that 'bad' when I am standing near them, looking over the yard. It only looks like that with the low angle, but the camera don't lie...know what I mean. In some ways I am a little uncomfortable with the amount of weaving, and I think I will take some pains to reduce it by near to half on my next layout.

It is a startling effect, though, and I have seen it in proto photos as I am sure you have.

Ray, I really like the way your sempaphore turned out. I t'ink I'm gonna have to spring for one. Are these from Tomar's site or from Walthers...both?

-Crandell
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Crandell I seen a few yards that had that look, weaving in and out. My wife thinks that you do weaving there!!

As far as that warbly look to the yard---A Greg McDonnell book I have has a couple of pix in it of my favourite branchline showing a compressed version of the up/down thing going on in those tracks out there. Some of the branchlines out there had 15mph speed restrictions on them b/c of that---I love the look you got there:D:D

Railroad Guy What you trying to do?:eek: Create a hump yard without the work? :D:D:p:p Expansion joints do seem to work on my silly layout----:eek:
 
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Larry said:
Dan, I've been fighting heat problems in my building for years. Your bowed track looked just like mine about 6 months ago. The only places I had big problems was where I used plastic sheeting for spacers under the track. When the 100* heat pounced on those sections it bowed up about 2 or 3 inch's. Since that time I removed all plastic under everything including buildings & track. When I put my track together I use a business card thickness to seperate the joints. I can't ever solder the tracks together because of the heat problems. Most days my building is over 100* by 10 or 11am w/the outside temp at 90*. After the doors have been closed all day in the heat I check the temp about 5 & it's about 105 to 110*.
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I never in all my years have I ever had track bow!:eek: Holy crap, my layout see 100* temps too and I've yet to experience warping, waving, or anything.... My layout sits in that oven of train room during the summer and sub freezing temps in the winter. Knock on wood(not that I'm complaining).....Wonder why I don't experience warping?:confused: Hmmmmmmmm:confused:
 
Something a bit different.

Went to a model exhibition today. Its an annual show devoted to North American outline. Previously its been quite good. Today though was a major disappointment. To make up for it a couple of us headed to the near by 'Watercress Line' for some trainspotting retro-style.

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West Country class 'Wadebridge' heading north from Ropley.
 
V&AL, looks like a passable attempt at a FRED to me. The only thing I'd change is get some red glitter nail polish and color the LED so it lookd red when it's off.

Zak, your engines really stand out when they are on a good layout. That pin-connected truss bridge is real beauty,

Jeffrey, nice patch job on the covered hopper.

Andrew, too bad the show wasn't so good but the 1:1 action looks like it was worth it. those British steam engines always look so sleek.

I guess I'm lucky to have a nice air conditioned basement. I sure wouldn't like to deal with expansion problems like that. :eek:
 
Getting Some photo practice in this weekend. Mostly centering on increasing the F-stop and ISO settings. MP15DC and GP40.
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HB, looks like you're getting the techniques down. Good focus and depth of field, although that tree in the second picture doesn't look quite right in terms of composition.
 
Some more progress photos of the Sn3 mine. The wench house doors have working hinges and are a scale 1" thick with interior bracing in case the client ever decides to enliven the building with a full interior. As is it has a basic boiler shape under the stack and the leg bracing. Rail for the mine track was made from 1/16" I beams with the top flange cut off since it needed to be code 25 rail. What is left to do tomorrow is the bin gates and the chutes along with some weathering. If you look under the head frame you will see a small square of the cutting mat, the base is cut out in case the client wants to build a shaft for the mine.
 
And some more progress on the O scale oil distributor, the doors and windows were added with the warehouse doors being scratch to get the right size. Also got the front dock built and installed. A photo shows the start of a HO scale warehouse, this one a bit bigger then the piece for Galvaston and of a different shape on the building which will perch on the platform.
 
Working on some kit projects this week. A couple of Bowser Clinchfield 100 ton tri hoppers and an Athearn Gondola with Freezer lockers.

Those support struts in the hoppers were a real pain to install byut they look good when it's done.
 
The next weekend project is finally gettting a start on the Revell Big Boy kit. I am not the best painter in the world, but I am learning and this is coming out better that a lot of the cars I have done in the past. I just wish I had a steadier hand!
 
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