I would like to suggest that you put down some insulation foam before you lay track. On my layout I used 1/2 inch blue foam and 3/4 inch pink foam before I installed cork roadbed and track. By doing this you can model below track level scenery. It will make enough distance to model a small stream or ditch. The blue foam will act as a warning track, to borrow a baseball term, when carving out the scenery. I use a keyhole saw to carve the foam, it makes quick work and is easy to do. Joe
Are you referring to my post Joe? If so the pink stuff is 1" foam and there is little elevation change in this area. The mainline and siding will be on N scale cork and the rest directly on the foam. The 1" is more than enough if I want to add a drainage ditch or the like.
working on a new design for a GREX shell to fit over a LL switcher. i call this the "naked" test. no details only the main shell to check for clearances and anything to fix early on.
Finished the caboose project last night. I added two bobber types and one more type based on an Overton combine bringing that type total to four now. I finished patching a few remaining ones that had been lettered for GN and SP&S. In the process I also created a power generator car from the caboose that donated its cupola to the Overton project. It houses three diesel generators and will be part of a three car set eventually consisting of a tankcar for fuel and a boxcar for equipment in addition to the generator car. It is to provide emergency power anywhere on the Turtle Creek Central system, but mainly the port of Friday Harbor. It is in the front row and fabricated out of the caboose body, two Bandai diesel roofs. some parts off of an American Limited core kit and from the part boxes. There are five 25 foot cabooses in the back rows that are my pride and joy constructed from wood laser kits. The two in the third row right are drovers cabooses. 000_0219-1 by John Moore posted Apr 30, 2018 at 11:12 AM There are no plans to add anymore to the fleet unless I find a nice transfer caboose and I am eyeing two types of Japanese transfer models.
jhn_plsn, yes, I was answering your post. The pink foam I have is both 1in. and 3/4in. I purchased the 1in. a long time ago and now all that is available in my area is the 3/4in. Joe
Well I had been looking for a circular saw blade for the Dremel and not a composite cut off wheel, and all the places that stocked Dremel parts did not have them. I went on the web and found an entire set by Drillpro that was cheaper than one saw blade alone. Dangerous little blades that have a lot of kickback if used on too high a speed or even low for that matter but great for cutting wood. Five sizes of blades with both coarse and medium to fine. Three mandrels and two drill bits are in the set. I ordered and got delivery within two days. Nice service. 000_0220-2 by John Moore posted Apr 30, 2018 at 6:05 PM
Not content to set still doing nothing so another car project, a transfer caboose. Took a 50 foot flatcar and cut it down to 35 feet, then added the ends of a caboose platform to each end creating a 40 foot car. 000_0221-3 by John Moore posted Apr 30, 2018 at 9:03 PM Then I got into my spare Bandai B train parts for a roof section and sides and ends. 000_0223=5 by John Moore posted Apr 30, 2018 at 9:03 PM Bunch of sanding left to do on the cab and I have to cobble up some sides for the platform. All out of white Turtle Creek lettering so I have to go with some color that black lettering shows up on.
Transfer caboose coming along. 41 N scale feet from platform ends. Working on another that will be only 30 feet long. 000_0227-2 by John Moore posted May 1, 2018 at 8:24 PM
I've just started the preliminary cutting of my 1908, Tonopah Mining Company Building, Tonopah, Nevada. The building was torched by an arsonist in 1962. I've used Sanborn insuranse maps as well as collection of photographs. The building was originally stucco. I'm using Evergreen .33 plastic and the windows will be modified Tichy. Several years ago, Robert Hundman, the original publisher of N Scale published an article using the double wall technique. The photos are my preliminary cuts. The first photo is the east portion of the building and the next photo is the original. The north, west and south walls are next with the accompanying corresponding photos.
That’s going to look very nice and thanks for sharing the photos. Be sure to keep us updated. I love scratchbuilding threads.
Getting close on finishing my one of a kind transfer cabooses. 000_0230-4 by John Moore posted May 2, 2018 at 8:52 PM
Here is a photo ( do not know who to credit ) of a delayed Coke Unit. Not all refineries coke their resid as some make liquid asphalt cement out of it. This is a medium sized unit with 4 coke drums. What does that have to do with my workbench. Well here are 2 pics of my attempt to model a delayed coker unit for my small sized 100-150 K barrels/day "Ewing Oil" refinery on club layout. Petcoke is a very hot burning fuel but is not "in favor" in the USA because of air quality, so a great amount is exported. At any rate here is where I am at today with much detail such as 2nd derrick, extra piping, one more column, and a water tank, and lights to be added. If there is interest, I'll post finished product after painting has been done. This is all scratch with two Walther's pieces added. I will add an auger system to move the drilled coke from the drums to a pit on the end, to be loaded into hoppers with a large front end loader. Keep in mind the coke comes out suspended in water. As always, thanks for looking and have a fun day, Carl
What's on my work bench? A pile of N items I am going to put up FS. After I get that mess gone, hopefully start assembling a T-Trak module kit.
Carl, I too would like to see your project as it's being built. I want to scratchbuild a oil refinery on my layout, module 06. Your model looks great!!! Joe
Finished the paint job on my detailed RSC-2 and the sound decoder and speaker are installed. Now on to some weathering !
