Hi everyone. Got some quite time to work on some painting jobs and to add some more to my ongoing modular project. You can see some of the overall pics and a provisional drawing at LosAnglesSouthernPacific Cheers Joe MTL
It does look large. The scratchbuilt buildings are awsome! is your trackplan decided yet or are you adjusting as needed?
Hey Joe, I like you new module project, its going to be very cool to have a Z scale city scene... I liked you photos, and description of your work. As i looked over the photos i noticed something....... is that a lady's leg lamp i saw in the background of one of your photos...... It looked like the one in A Christmas Story... Was it a "Major Award"??? LOL Tony B.... Wasatch Z Club
Hi Tony and Joe, Yes, it's the "taking on more work than you have hours in the day award" ) Christmas story is one of those family favorites and the kids and friends have given me all sizes of leg lamps over the years. I even made a Sheep Leg Lamp with fish net stockings as an homage to Woody Allen's "Everything you wanted to know about sex but were afraid to ask". That baby raises a lot of eye-brows when I display it at work ) As for the layout, yes, the track plan is still a moving target and only reflects some of what I want to do. (anyone have ideas, I'm all ears!) As I was drawing it up I looked back and saw a number of problems and shortcomings. Taylor Yard needs a lot of flushing out and this will happen next week when I can lay it out one-to-one. I want to fill the space, but not make it look cluttered. Also, I used snap track geometry so things do look stiff. I plan on using the roadbed switches sunk in the base so they level with flex track so some minor routing will take place. I think that will allow me to be more "organic" with the track flow. I doubt you'll see to much arrow straight track outside the yards. Happy Holidays, Joe
Joe, Looks great. I like seeing large structures in Z. They aren't so cute and fuzzy. Not that I don't like cute and fuzzy in it's place, but I love massive warehouses, city blocks and industrial complexes. I also like the curved and tapered structures. Once again, something that you see in the real world, but rarely in model railroading. The four story structure with the exposed stairways (apartment building?) is also very cool. It is a fairly basic structure, but the exposed starways and landings adds another twist. Nice work, Joe. Thanks for sharing. Dan S.
Nice work Joe! Sure like the SP engines and rolling stock. Where did you get the what appears to be cast resin trailers backed up to the Davis Warehouse building? Lindley
The trailer is a casting I did a few weeks ago. I am working on the wheels now and will cast the whole thing and decorate them in SP Daylight Colors for my shipping area. I'll post some shots later this week. Next, patterns for a Tractor to pull them ) Joe MTl
Nice work on your LA scene Joe. It's really got a big city look to it now! I thought you were going to be working on a Dunsmuir based layout though?
will MT make some modern structures? Dare I ask when MT will introduce some modern structures like the one's you've built? Although I love all the old time kits from MT, RSlaser , gclaser, etc... it seems like most of the z scale motive power and rolling stock is post 1960. That being said, there's not many options for structures if you want modern scenery. The best you can do is have modern rolling stock in a town of yesteryear .... Basically, what I'm saying is, why can't MT beat walthers to the punch? You know it's only a matter of time before we see all those great walther's n scale kits appear in z. But it seems like MT has a leg up????
I should have suspected they were scratched built and cast by an old ship caster! I forgot to say "thank you" for the links to other SP model railroads - a wealth of information there. Lindley
Un-offically I want us to do stuff like Downtown Deco and the like. It's a possiblity and something I'd like to propose in the upcoming product development meetings. Some of this we can do with the Laser and resin castings (working on this with Loren), but your right, good injection molded structures would be very cool. Cheers Joe
Dunsmuir is the ultimate personal goal, but right now I am doing this layout for the book. I need to show in a more general way, how to do some of the basic work involved in module building and conceptualizing. The editors felt for the first go around, that Dunsmuir might be too specific and not cater to all the different interests in Z. This way I can show, Urban (not much has been done here in Z) countrysides, small town, industries and yard work in one package. I also needed something that could give me varied backdrops to photograph projects at work and at home...so it's serving a lot of needs. This project is also giving me a lot of experience, so I think when I can get to Dunsmuir in 2009 when the book is finished, I can save myself a lot of "thinking" time on Loren's floor ) Joe
Update alert! I remade the round nose trailer, found out it was too big. Looks much better now and is ready for casting. I have four days off this week and will get the rest of the trailers done and re-construct the web site. Needs more organization and photo's...lots of editing as well. Anyway you can check it out at:LosAnglesSouthernPacific http://www.southernoregonz.com/images/DSC_00433.JPG http://www.southernoregonz.com/images/DSC_00362.JPG Cheers Joe
Yep, these in particular were painted in the Daylight Scheme with the silver and black band and logo. The scheme only lasted a few years new in the mid 1950's before newer units showed up in the more common silver and black scheme. Still, they lasted many, many years in the Daylight colors. Joe MTL
Joe those trailers look better than some castings I still have in N. Looks great can't wait to see them in Daylight colors.
