Yes, as TrainzLuvr has said these are Tracksetta tools. The red one is 24 inch radius, the blue one is straight and I use it quite a bit to hold alignment of tracks I am connecting while soldering. In this photo it was used to hold alignment while both sides of the bridge gap are being soldered.
Interesting, I suppose I could use these with Unitrack to hold the straight sections while I glue the trackbed. I doubt they would work on the curves as most are in mm and fractional inches. I will need to investigate!
I don't think these would work with Unitrack. Most of the ones I have were given to me by a friend who decided to use Unitrack and he could not use them.
My update since the last time: Completed the Lift-up Gate mechanism. A major milestone in the build because until now I had to use clamps to hold the gate up and it was not convenient at all to use. Besides, I could not lay any track on it because the mechanism was not done, so a compund problem. The idiotic idea, that only I can come up with to make my life harder, transpired after some effort. It's a two hand operation, one hand opens and holds the door handle while the other lifts the gate up or down. I still need to do polish such as markings as to how high to life the gate (until the bolts click) and maybe some safety stripes, etc. For now I can lift it up and down and it seems pretty durable. I've already begun the process of glueing cork on the top surface and installed contact screws for track power, but that will be update for next time.
Well, that is a marvellous bit of engineering, I hope you don't mind using the idea, this solves a problem I was looking into for a similar situation.
Good Morning Everybody - Going to pick up the breakout boards this morning at the LHS - Good news as now I can start the wiring and laying of track. I continue to experiment with and build the cardstock structures. I come to the point that this is going to work out well. I have found that depending on the complexity and height of the structures I need to a bit of styrene to the corners and additional stock. I have settled on Photo Matte presentation paper and Xerox cardstock photo quality. The xerox I will use for fewer contrast structures such as silos and concrete buildings. Photo Matte will be used on structures the represent bricks, blocks and wood cladding. Slow, Steady hands, sharp knife, sticky glue and small clothespins are lifesavers and keys to success. I'll also be picking up a small 12" By 12" corkboard to mount the structures on to get them at the same height as the Unitrack. It will be either that or 3/16" foamboard or core flute - we'll see what works out best.
it was a real pain fitting the 5/16" (closest dimension to the hole in the door handle) steel square rod into the door handles. because I had to grind it for an hour (with a power grinder at -5 C outside) to shave off a few millimeters thickness from the ends. That's because the door square rod and the hole inside it are not really 5/16" but slightly smaller - they were made in China with Metric system, for an Imperial market. I suppose they figure nobody would ever think to kitbash a cheap door handle, and re-purpose it.
Currently I am ballasting the rear track in the Palisade Ranch area. It's about 5 feet of track that is being ballasted. Everything will be done on the rear line before I start to lay track on the front line. The is because I need to lean over the front line to reach the rear line. This is why most of the layout is built in modules with almost everything done before installing into the layout. I was not able to do this section that way. This is the view from the bridge looking at what will eventually be Carlin, Nevada. While waiting for the ballast to dry I cleared off everything from this area to begin to arrange an extended return loop with a staging yard using Kato Unitrack. This will be temporary until such a time that I am ready to start work on this section. When I do, this section will be removed and set on saw horses which make everything easier. But that's going to be at least a year away and this temporary setup will allow me to operate the layout. Up to now this bare section has been getting used as a shelf so now I am going to have to get used to not placing things on it.
- That's always the way... me too I have crap all over my benchwork and since it's flat my wife has it full of her craft stuff as well. Time to clean up.
Hardly any progress on the OHF interior since 2 weeks ago. Although I made a jig that will help me keep the charging portals square with the vertical girders and another jig that will facilitate gluing the sill below the plate with the inspection hole, I'm only half-finished with one of 13 charging portals needed. I've been spending most of my time putting together a clinic on making scrap iron loads and how I've modeled the scrap iron recycling process on my layout. I've been (VERY slowly) upgrading my scrap loads from last May's scrap load clinic by correcting some construction flaws and improving the paint jobs on some loads; and I've been weathering more of the 100+ gondolas in my scrap iron fleet, and taking pics of the upgraded loads and weathered gons out on the layout to use as slides in the presentation. My weekly work crew has been upgrading some building mock-ups: the Rod Mill in the Keystone Steel and Wire Mill and the Pickers' buildings in the I Bork and Sons Scrap Recycling Yard. Initially, I thought replacing the dried out masking tape that held the Rod Mill together would be sufficient. But adding some more details around the building led to modifying the Rod Mill footprint, so a new mock-up is being made. The Rod Mill's machine shop siding, doors, windows, and details made with Evans Designs Model Builder, and the red cardboard water cooling tower will both be reprinted/replaced; all of the Rod Mill's exterior walls will be covered with Model Builder printed stucco, siding, doors/windows, and other details; and a dozen roof vents (that I still have to scratchbuild) will be added to the roof. This pic shows the old Rod Mill mock-up in back, and the new one in front. Rod Mill new mock-up by ppuinn posted Jan 31, 2021 at 4:50 PM These white mock-ups of the 2 Processing Sheds (where the pickers strip out car engines and interiors) are being replaced. Photo Jan 31, 3 32 33 PM by ppuinn posted Jan 31, 2021 at 4:36 PM After I print out the metal roofing with the panels going the correct direction, these 2 Processing Sheds will go in, and I'll add some block walls to separate the areas (right outside the 3 garage doors) where removed engine motors, car seats, and tires will be stored. Photo Jan 31, 3 41 44 PM by ppuinn posted Jan 31, 2021 at 4:36 PM Photo Jan 31, 3 36 42 PM by ppuinn posted Jan 31, 2021 at 4:36 PM
I want to upgrade both of these scrap yards on my layout, so I can get some pictures for my clinic presentation about recycling scrap iron. Heller Tin Compress is a small scrap yard that takes in light scrap metal, junk appliances, and sheet metal scrap, sorts the Ferrous scrap from the non-ferrous scrap metals, compresses the scrap iron into bundles to be shipped out by rail, and sends out non-ferrous scrap metals by truck. I'll upgrade the fence and crane, make some light scrap piles with foam and chopped up wire (for small steel pipes) and 3D printer brims, rafts, and supports (for miscellaneous light scrap), put a roof on the building and Model Builder siding on the walls, and ballast the track in the yard and in front of the yard. Photo Jan 31, 3 52 23 PM by ppuinn posted Jan 31, 2021 at 4:36 PM Mervis Rail Scrap needs some work done on the rail scrap piles (painting and weathering), ballasting of the tracks in and near the scrap yard, adding a jib crane or mobile crane for loading and unloading the gondolas, making a sign for the building, and finishing the gate across the driveway. If I have time, I may also try to upgrade the road. Photo Jan 31, 3 51 29 PM by ppuinn posted Jan 31, 2021 at 4:36 PM
I’ve been doing small things. I picked up some fencing and did a test fit, ordered three more packages so I can complete the scene. Fixed a couple sound effects that had small issues. Now starting this next week it will start pushing to finish some modules I started last fall.
The last week or so I've been busy with work around the house (mainly dealing with the cleanup after wind/snow/rain) and working on a couple infrastructure tasks for the layout that I haven't put much work into the layout itself. But that will change this week! I'll be posting the infrastructure work in the weekend wrap up thread shortly.
I am almost at the finish line with this year's party self-assigned project. First and foremost...GOLDEN SPIKE - HOORAY !!! Then couple of views of the lift-up gate with track across it, completing the loop around the layout. And from the outside of the layout room This track still needs to be electrified, and the main line does not have any power at all, so I'm not done yet. Before I can run a train across the entire layout, including staging, more work still needs to be done, but I'm reallly really close to meeting the goals. YAY!!
Got almost nothing done this weekend. Made not one but two trips to relatives' place south of Detroit. Came home after class tonight totally frazzled and did absolutely NOTHING! Since tomorrow is one of my late class nights, the next opportunity to get anything done is Wednesday.
Lots of travelling @RailMix, I'm located just south-east of Windsor, we're almost neighbours in TB terms.
This Past weekends progress. I continue to work on cardstock structures. Advanced Silo Company and 10 16 Ft Dia silos out of 1.35 Inch Conduit, Bulk Silos with 3 30ft Silos out of 2.36 Dia Conduit and the freight house for background scene. Now that I have a bit more experience, I will redo Advanced Silo Elevator out of less bulky card stock and support sides and corners with angled styrene. Also, need to finish wallpapering the silos themselves. I might add 10 more silos on the left side of the elevator, but first I will need to measure it all up and crosscheck with the layout plan. May not have enough room. Works out to be about 16 inches so we might be okay! Since I am a freelance modeller, kind of glad I went through this first as I took stock of what I collected over the years. Which means my primary industries will be Grains, Potash, Coal and Iron Ore. Some boxcars and oil tankers to feed other industries. The surprise after watching a few Virtual Railfans spots is I realized how much intermodal comes into play so that's something else I have a fair bit of. Might be back to the drawing board to accommodate the last one. Motive Power - CN, CP, CSX, NS, BNSF and UP. I've noticed on Railfan that there is a lot of mixes and matching amongst those. Of course, I'll hang on toe my 1950 CP Canadian, Old Blue Smoothside VIA, Amtrak Regional and the Southern Pacific Daylight. Got to keep the stuff running around for the GK's Having blast guys, why I gave this up years ago I don't know. Thanks for all the help, likes and advice. onwards forward.
Are those 3" or 4" thick XPS foam panels, they look pretty thick and definitely not a normal find at the big box stores?
