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  1. switcher

    40' x 8' x 8' shipping container layout

    If it's an issue, it will be a city ordinance, not a state law. The city I'm in doesn't allow containers on residential property (I'm in Canada, though).
  2. switcher

    7/8ths scale trains...on H0 track ?

    HO scale standard-gauge track would equate to 8.9-inch gauge in 7/8-inch-per-foot scale. That would be far narrower than the narrowest narrow-gauge track.
  3. switcher

    Why won't Lego bring back the monorail?

    Apparently 4dbrix.com sells 3D-printed monorail components through various third-party storefronts.
  4. switcher

    Why won't Lego bring back the monorail?

    When Lego de-commissions a mold, they bury it in the foundation of one of their new buildings, to ensure it never ends up on the black market. Some years ago, they loaned some 2x4 brick molds to a company in the UK to experiment with different plastic formulations, then found out that the...
  5. switcher

    4x8 HO Layout from Boys' Life Magazine, Dec. 1971-Dec. 1972

    I'm a computer programmer, and more than once, I've considered making my own track-planning software package (I've made other drag-and-drop user interfaces before). The only difficult part (aside from handling flextrack) would be obtaining the precise geometry and measurements for all the turnouts.
  6. switcher

    What items would you like to see the manufacturers come out with? Locos, cars, ETC.

    One of the reasons I want a 3D printer is so I can design a custom locomotive shell. It should be possible to shorten an SD locomotive's chassis to convert it into a TP130.
  7. switcher

    4x8 HO Layout from Boys' Life Magazine, Dec. 1971-Dec. 1972

    Nice, that looks much better :) When I was a teenager deep into armchair modeling and layout dreaming, before I had access to any CAD system, I recall generating an "Atlas track cheat sheet" of x and y displacements for every available piece of Atlas curved track at every 15° rotation, so I...
  8. switcher

    An HO-scale shelf layout: The Cascadia Rail Link

    The office already has shelf brackets spaced every 16". I may upgrade to plywood, plywood + frame, or plywood + foam (to carve out a stream) at some point. I was only starting with the melamine shelves because I already have dozens and dozens of them left over from back when I owned a hobby shop...
  9. switcher

    An HO-scale shelf layout: The Cascadia Rail Link

    The Cascadia Rail Link is a freelance regional railroad straddling the US-Canada border, with trackage in British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon. I'm planning a shelf layout along two walls of my 10'4" x 11'9" home office to represent one tiny part of the network. I'm primarily interested in...
  10. switcher

    2x4 N Layout from Boys' Life Magazine, Oct. 1974-Nov. 1974

    I like that they made the passing siding asymmetrical. A bit of asymmetry adds visual interest and makes it look less toy-like.
  11. switcher

    4x8 HO Layout from Boys' Life Magazine, Dec. 1971-Dec. 1972

    I decided to check the track alignment of the plan using Atlas' track planning software. (I omitted the spurs to avoid hitting the free version's track section limit. You'd think Atlas would make the full version of the software free so people would design bigger layouts and buy more track...
  12. switcher

    2x4 N Layout from Boys' Life Magazine, Oct. 1974-Nov. 1974

    Boys' Life published several track plans over the years. This is the only N scale layout I'm aware of, and it's about as minimal as they come, with only four turnouts. There were only two one-page articles about it. I'm sharing it here for completeness, since I already posted both the other...
  13. switcher

    4x8 HO Layout from Boys' Life Magazine, Dec. 1958-Dec. 1961

    Boys' Life published several track plans over the years. This one is an up-and-over folded dogbone with a reversing loop, using "cookie cutter" benchwork. As near as I can tell, no exact plans were given for the sizes and positions of risers, you just had to re-invent them yourself. For...
  14. switcher

    What items would you like to see the manufacturers come out with? Locos, cars, ETC.

    When I read "cryo" and "preserving today's perishables for tomorrow", the first thing I thought of was a load of human cadavers (and severed heads for those unable to afford full-body freezing) being delivered to a cryogenic storage facility...
  15. switcher

    What items would you like to see the manufacturers come out with? Locos, cars, ETC.

    I'd like to see models of Tractive Power's modern switchers (TP56, TP70, TP90, and TP130). The first three are end-cab switchers, and I hope the fourth (with six axles!) will be as well. I expect the TP130 will look like BNSF's TEBC6, which lacks a prime mover and is considered a slug. I'd also...
  16. switcher

    4x8 HO Layout from Boys' Life Magazine, Dec. 1971-Dec. 1972

    Boys' Life published several track plans over the years. This one most resembles a bowl of spaghetti, but I still find it interesting for its remarkable complexity. I wonder if Glenn Wagner owned a hobby shop and wanted to make a profit selling turnouts? This layout has 20 of them! I imagine the...
  17. switcher

    415 printed prpgress

    Was that made with a resin printer? It looks great! I'm hoping to acquire a 3D printer of my own.




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