For me it is memories from back then and even earlier, of seeing such actual buildings still common, and in everyday use.
the curved brick building reminds me of some of the buildings in Los Angeles that were still standing around 2005....with abandoned tracks
There are curved buildings all over Oakland, some still in use: http://goo.gl/maps/wk1Ok Thanks for the kind word on the buildings. The two-story railserved Unnamed Industry is made from some Gripp's Luggage sections, scratched loading docks and sandpaper-on-styrene roof. The small shed of the fenced-in industry are some DPM modular wall sections and styrene roof (I think I made the "roll-up" doors from corrugated metal siding, small spaced) And the curved freight house on the other 45 was made / is being made from sections of DPM Trackside Transfer and will have a currugated sheet roof (when I get to it). My hat goes off to people who build building-intense urban scenes, as these things take a lot of time!
MC, If you feel up to it, I'm sure many of us would love to see a tutorial on how you do your mortar work. I know you mentioned how you prefer to do it on page 3, but I attempted to use the "watered down white paint" method, and my dark brown building is now purpleish grey. There is hardly anything on youtube, and nothing for N scale. Thanks!
I'll see what I can do when I build the last building on these 45 deg modules, but really it's very simple. And you have to make sure the initial paint coat is totally dry before applying the mortar wash... Two days until the show and almost at the point where I can bring these two 2', 45 deg modules with at least a basic scene, minus moocho details. The local watering hole finally opened up: Seems as though the barkeep might have had a few before sign-painting. (Either that or he's as poor a speller as me) But at least one "industry" on the modules now has a name. Behind the Loose Caboose you can see my latest loco acquisition, Central California Traction #60 (GP-7), which I hope to be my first successful foray into diesel detailing. As of now it's still new outta the box: though I'll put in MT 905 Z scale couplers before the show (that much I know how to do). The freight house on the other module is almost done: Though I really need to do something about the brightness and brown-ness of the "concrete". Really stands out when you put the modules together: As soon as the ground cover / static grass / ballast dry I'll add more tufts and bushes and maybe a few trees. Eventually there'll be another small building across the tracks from the freight house but I'm not going to be able to get to that before the show, methinks. Anyway, any/all comments, feedback, suggestions appreciated! Thanks for looking.
Picked it up in the consignment case at my LHS. SP flatcar with nicely detailed load & cables. Still need to replace the trucks & couplers, as they're like Accumates only about 60 years older :wideeyes:
Hey M.C. I have the other number and 2 cabooses I'll bring on saturday so you can run a local with modern power (For you anyway):teeth:
We might just be running yours. Yesterday I installed the TCS CN-GP in the Atlas GP-7, followed directions, isolated motor (well, wrapped it in tape, yes?), wires fit down past plastic motor frame fine. Put on Programming Track: "Cannot read CV" So I need to go back and make sure that the motor really is isolated, but other than that I'm not sure what the problem could be. And I don't have a fancy decoder tester to find out if the decoder is bad / fried. Hmm.... Until then, a happier picture of a happier time:
MC - without taking it apart, just check to see if either the black or orange wire show connectivity to either half of the frame. Will let you validate if the motor is isolated correctly.
The TCS CN-GP is supposed to work: http://www.tcsdcc.com/public_html/C...ion_Pictures/N_Scale/Atlas/GP7/Atlas_GP7.html Seems like if I use the multimeter and touch the orange and the black (??) it should tell me if it's isolated, yes?
Orange and grey, not black (my bad). Just check the solder pad on the board to the frame halfs. They should be isolated. (This only checks your isolation, nothing else). I, too, would have gone with the Digitrax decoder, but the CN-GP works just fine in this loco
LHS didn't have the Digitrax, and since I've already clipped the motor tabs, looks like I'm committed. Motor seems isolated fine. When I hook up the multimeter and touch one decoder tab (RED), the meter shows no current through grey, black or orange. However, when I touch the other tab (YELLOW) and those three wire solder points, the needle moves a wee bit. Does this indicate something fried, miswired or normal ?
