Comment to Jason on his metal-framed benchwork (page 93 of this thread): FYI, I found the hard way that square-framed benchwork is subject to twisting, unless it includes cross-bracing. In my case, it was a 4' x 8' section made of 3" aluminum C-channel bolted together (a la MR Clinchfield). Yours looks welded, so maybe yours is more rigid. But maybe not... Mark H.
Hey Mark, After alot of testing we came up with this system,believe me there is to zero twisting over the 3 mtr length frame.After tig welding all joints,it is very rigid,altho the two bigger main frames have some twist in them as they sit in the photo,this will be eliminated once the top sheeting is fixed on. I did try C channel & that failed badly hence the RHS construction now. There will be 50mm (2") blue foam sheeting glued onto these frames with cork road bed glued onto that.Theory behind this type of construction is that after a couple of years (being an exhibition layout) the scenery,track work everything can be de-bonded from the frames & either sold off or moved into a home layout & the frames can then be re-used for the next project. Next month or two should see some real progress as Im awaiting shipment of aluminium & foam.
Wellllllllll...THE Train Trailer has become my 'workbench'. After the last big snow and the roof leaking like a sieve...I decided its time for some reconstruction. I removed everything from the layout that wasnt glued down. I tore the wet ceiling panels down. The roof joists are really that warped...its not the angle of the camera lens! I am going to jack the joists back up and sandwich each joist between 2...1/4x1.5 inch steel flat bars and dril/bolt them straight again. Then I will sheetrock the ceiling and repaint the whole thing inside Till then...I am thinking of doing some routine maintenance on every locomotive and piece of rolling stock ! *THE Wife bought me a handy dandy Digital Caliper and a Digital Micrometer for my birthday. Now maybe I can sort all these axles I have by length !!! .
Finally got the last of the siderails on the ships and the superstructures and trim painted. Applied hatch covers and started painting the hulls. Still need to sand the siderails and touch up there and figure out installing anchors and anchor chain. Then its time to start laying out the masts and booms, and hopefully by then the first of my detail parts should have arrived. Final overall length will be about 67-69 feet from bowspirit to sternpost
Today saw a new locomotive and ten new freight cars added to my fleet. I finished detailing these RTR models a few weeks ago and my friend Jeff Briggs applied the weathering for me. First up is the Atlas ALCO C-420 632, which was my first attempt to detail and touch up a ready-to-run locomotive: Next is one of two forty foot RTR boxcars from Intermountain. This is a 4001-4072 series boxcar in the Pacific Great Eastern map herald scheme. These cars served the grain elevators at Dawson Creek: Tim
This is one of two 4601-4642 series newsprint cars from True-Line Trains also in the map herald scheme. These cars were used in veneer service on the north end: BCOL 4700 is one of three cars from the subsequent 4651-4750 series which has been repainted into the British Columbia Railway dogwood logogram scheme: BCOL 1227 is not exactly a new model - I built it years ago but it fell to the floor and broke in half. I managed to resurrect it and it is pictured here with a lumber load from Details N Scale: With so many new models joining the fleet, it was time to take them for a test run! Here is 632 leading the new cars across the Pine River bridge: C-630M 701 has gone to the paint shop, and I have started work on two M-630 locomotives to run with it. Tim
Still more vehicles - a 1950 Buick 4 door, 1952 Nash 4 door, 1950 Nash 2 door, 1950 Nash 4 door, and a 1951 Studebaker 4 door in the back. Here's what was advertised as an HO scale 1952 Henry J, cast in fiberglass resin. I had to make two large saw cuts through the front of the car, all the way into the roof, to get the front of the car narrower. I also had to move the front wheel wells further back, fill in the back of the door openings and the B pillars so I can make the doors longer, make the C pillar areas of the roof much wider, fill in the back window so that it can be re-done, re-shape the backs and tops of the rear quarter panels, grind off the front bumper and re-shape the lower front of the car, and fill in the sides of the hood and tops of the front fenders. It is actually starting to look like a Henry J with primer on it. Stay tuned...
Well George, it looks like you have your work cut out for you. Well my layout is upside down making its own workbench. I’ve been wiring up LEDs for Switch indicator Lights and servos for my turnouts for weeks. I’m getting a little burned out, but I soldering up my last two LEDs and have 4 more servos to mount before I can run trains in my yard/open staging layout.
Weathering Test - Bad Result I should have known. Still a learning experience. This is brush and acrylic wash. Basic engine One application of white wash. Very effective. I didn't think it would be so harsh. After three applications of black wash. Not nearly as effective as I thought it would be in subduing the white wash. I will probably try two more applications of the black wash. In any case, I think that chalks or air brush (grimy black or earth or both) will allow a passable, really dirty engine. I really want to do the others with much less weathering effect.
Flash, I kind of got away from washes and go with the more subtle effects of chalks and other dry bush techniques. I use a lot of MAC eye makeup, the kind with no sparkly mica that comes in grays and earth tones.
I have done that and will go back to it. I guess we will just "chalk" this one up. Probably useful in a lashup somewhere. At least useful for showing a difference! Chalks added.
Here is my version of #240. It still has the "barrel" lights that came on the locomotives when they were delivered for passenger service on the T&NO.
That's awesome! Is there anything special you need to control/drive the servos besides a DCC switch controller? Great idea, with good servos now only $2.77 and cheaper ones for about $1.99, it's a cheap solution for switch machines.
Looks like it was based at Plaster City, CA at the gypsum plant.. At least, that would be my story I was sticking to...
