Well figured out the design for my lifeboat davits and almost have one side installed. They are made from .060 H-beam and now working on the davit winches. And DHL was nice to me today in a Sunday delivery about an hour ago I got my next set of Bandai passenger cars and the trucks for the trailing units. The 11-099 Kato trucks all have rapidos so I have to assemble and install Kato couplers on 4 sets. 100_1015-2 by John Moore posted Feb 21, 2021 at 3:29 PM
Well last night the ferry got set aside since I am waiting on some material to arrive later this week. Instead I was up late working on my latest addition to my passenger fleet. I had ordered some new passenger cars to replace those taken in hand and converted to electric freight locos and those new cars were assembled and now ready for decaling. So this morning I dug out my colorful little passenger fleet and posed it for a photo or two. In the back next to the ferry are my 3 rail buses of which two are completely scratch built. Then the luxury blue train wraps around the others, the two full dome cars in this train I built using domes from Shapeways. On the far left are my original mini RDCs, 2 cab cars and a coach. A number of these were taken for my electric freight loco project that created the passenger fleet shortage. So the next 4 sets of 2 cars each are my replacement series and are an older version of an RDC. The two green cars are electrics. All cars are by Bandai except for the rail buses and are powered by either a Kato mechanism or a Bandai mechanism. The pantographs are by Kato and are all metal and working in that they extend up. The Turtle Creek Central is a colorful railroad. 100_1017-1 by John Moore posted Feb 22, 2021 at 1:09 PM 100_1016-2 by John Moore posted Feb 22, 2021 at 1:09 PM Because my railroad can now be run as an all steam, all diesel, or all electric power I have two sets of 34 foot Overton that consist of an express box, full baggage, combine, two coaches, and an obs car that can be run behind the steam. The Bandai cars are all between 32 and 34 N scale feet long. Because my railroad runs a max curvature of just 8.5 inch rad and turnouts are 6 inch rad and 7 inch rad with curvatures the same in places a standard passenger car would be silly looking on my layout as would a 60 N scale foot car. My Bandai fleet can be run as and 8 car train only taking 16-17 inches of track space and can take the tightest curvature I can throw at it. Passenger stations only take about 8 to 9 inches of space and the village station can have up to 4 trains loading/unloading 2 East and 2 West. Turning to running an all electric operation on the Turtle Creek I can now run all freight and switching operations with electrics and part of the passenger operation. In the back right are the two passenger cars that can be run as singles because both are powered. The next row in back are the electrics I built by converting the Bandai passenger cars. The yellow and the blue two car sets run as pairs with a cab at each end the center unit is meant to be run as single unit with cab at each end. The blue and red sets at the front are two different styles and are Bandai locos with Kato mechanisms. The front black steeple cabs are Bandai with Bandai mechanisms and the red units are Bachmann 44 tonners converted to electrics. Couplers are either Bandai or Kato and the pantagraphs are either Kato or Tomix. All are capable of handling over 30 plus cars and the single electric can handle 40 plus cars because of the all wheel drive Bandai mechanism. All have had a little extra weight added with tungsten putty or with weights provided with some Bandai mechanisms. 100_1018-3 by John Moore posted Feb 22, 2021 at 2:23 PM
John, your family is fantastic. Even more so by being well supported with a delightful back story. Thanks for sharing your creativity and imagination.
Thanks, the story behind the creation of the electrics was finding what would run on my layout plus the cost of buying some. After looking at some Japanese prototypes I could see some similarities between those and my Bandai passenger cab cars. A check of the parts box for vents and other items had me off and running and in about a week and a half I was done. Then with the money saved I ordered two sets of Bandai electric freight locos and four Kato mechanisms to power them. Those locos are only 2 axle but a two car set of them can walk a 15 plus car train up out of the 2% grade from the port area without a hiccup.
@John Moore I was at Effies this last weekend and they had the greatest Scottish Blonde Ale, Cheers and I am enjoying !
Only place where you can sit at a table, or the bar, and rail fan at the same time. And should you fall off the stool and damage something the rescue squad is right next door.
I'll make sure to sit at a chair that is low enough to the ground. The winds those trains create is sure something !
Well my passenger additions are finished and ready to go into service. Each car has a cab at each end and can operate either MU'd or as a single car Bandai cars come already painted in the color scheme and with windows trimmed in silver and windshield wipers. I realized that I did not have enough black lettering so I mixed some Vallejo blue and black and managed to get the exact shade for the top color band. That way i was able to use white letting on those two cars. I also varied a bit in decaling giving me even more individual variety. 100_1019-1 by John Moore posted Feb 23, 2021 at 5:11 PM 100_1020-2 by John Moore posted Feb 23, 2021 at 5:11 PM Starting back on the ferry again this time measuring and carefully routing out where my mooring bollards will go then it is back to waiting for materials again. I stripped both of my older smaller ferries and some of the parts have gone on the new one. Left are two hulls and two pilot houses that will go on another new one. The next ferry will be a bit smaller than this one but will follow the same design. 100_1021-3 by John Moore posted Feb 23, 2021 at 5:26 PM
Well I decided to get the 2nd hull started by cutting and splicing the two hulls shown in the previous photos. They were originally cast resin hulls I cast years ago and the previous ferry boats had been built on them. Each ferry boat is being built to fit my docks and their ability to maneuver in and out of those dock when equipped with bow and stern thrusters which allow a large vessel to spin on a dime in real life. The big ferry is 12 inches long the small ferry will be a little over 8 inches long. The technique I am using to join the two resin sections together involves squaring them off as much as possible then lightly tacking them together with ACC. The resin residue created when I cut them is used. When the ACC tack has dried I take the resin residue and lightly pack it into the cracks. It fills the cracks and I then drop ACC on it wetting the resin dust which bonds solid to the two halves and fill the cracks making a solid joint that will need no if any putty filling. Tomorrow after it has sat overnight I will sand it smooth. 100_1022-4 by John Moore posted Feb 23, 2021 at 7:20 PM This shot shows better the resin dust and ACC crack filler 100_1023-5 by John Moore posted Feb 23, 2021 at 7:48 PM
John... You keep making boats your harbor is gonna look worse then a California freeway during rush hour !!!
Actually I am making better boats that replace boats that after I have looked at them awhile I know I can raise the bar on the next build. In this case the original two ferries have already been scrapped. A couple of fishing boats have been bashed into a bit larger fishing boat and I have a big harbor that occupies almost half of my layout.
Well the splice and fill the crack in one operation of the hull went perfect just had to sand some with a dremel and a rotary sanding drum. 100_1025-2 by John Moore posted Feb 24, 2021 at 3:01 PM I am already well underway with smaller ferry having got the well deck for autos done painted and glued together and now working on the passenger cabin and the next step is to paint, install doors, and glaze windows before it get added. And I finally got around to installing the bollards on the larger ferry which is still having things added to it. 100_1026-1 by John Moore posted Feb 25, 2021 at 1:06 PM
The 2nd ferry boat has made progress while the 1st one awaits some supplies due in next week. Once again I have gone into my surplus of catenary steel masts using them for deck supports and the framework for the loading ramps at either end. As you can see the parts yet to be added arrayed along side and in front. 100_1031-1 by John Moore posted Feb 27, 2021 at 2:49 PM
Have pretty much reached a stop point on the ferry boat due to once again deliveries are messed up with both UPS and USPS. Stuff that have should of reached here Monday is running late and non railroad orders are also running late. And everything is a US origin. So tonight when I put the last lifeboat davits on the small ferry that is probably going to be it for awhile. 100_1032-1 by John Moore posted Mar 2, 2021 at 8:15 PM
The large ferry boat was finished this morning and placed on the layout. The 2nd smaller on is awaiting railings, life boat installation and a few other things. How does it get into the tight mooring spot? Bow and stern thrusters that allow the ship to move sideways. 100_1034-1 by John Moore posted Mar 6, 2021 at 12:20 PM Starting work now on my bicycles while waiting for ship parts. I just received 24 Bicycles that all need painting made by Peco. In another order I received more bicycles with riders and some scooters and mopeds with riders made by Tomytec. 100_1035-2 by John Moore posted Mar 6, 2021 at 12:20 PM And I am waiting on a third order of bicycles with riders. An in yet another order I am waiting on some sets of heating oil trucks, beverage trucks,garbage trucks, some semi tractors, and a set of low boy trailers with tractors all by Classic Metal Works.
Got the bicycles painted and after the paint has had about an hour to dry it will be time to gingerly separate this little rascals from the sprues. They are very delicate. Peco part number 5189 package contains 12 bicycles. 100_1036-3 by John Moore posted Mar 6, 2021 at 3:33 PM
And the contents of the Tomytec package #116 mopeds, scooters, and motorcycles with riders. 100_1037-4 by John Moore posted Mar 6, 2021 at 4:34 PM
Well the first of the cycles and the scooters went on the layout creating another mini scene as Old Man Pratt the owner of the grocery store talks to one of his delivery boys about to leave for a delivery with the box of groceries on the back of a scooter. Meanwhile two of the cycles pass by on the street. Some serious vac work needs to be done in this area. 100_1038-5 by John Moore posted Mar 6, 2021 at 7:38 PM Meanwhile I have six sets of railings with the paint drying on them for the 2nd ferry boat. And the first bicycles have gone into the rack at the station parking lot. 100_1039-5 by John Moore posted Mar 6, 2021 at 7:51 PM
