Gibbon, Cozad & Western - "The 100th Meridian Line"

[Ed Kapuscinski]

What about using something even thinner than styrene? I bet paper might do the trick.

[wazzou]

What about using something even thinner than styrene? I bet paper might do the trick.

I'd wager standard bond copy paper is as thick or thicker than .05 Polystyrene.

[Tom L]

For no real reason, here's Cozad about a week ago from eastbound I-80 at 85 mph. I saw it coming up and thought of this thread. I just pointed my phone and clicked, I was surprised I got it in frame.

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Tom L
Wellington CO

[C855B]

Thanks, Tom. That's cool. It explains the extra-large lettering on the silos - visible from the Interstate. Never noticed that view since we're always on US30 through town. Used to be a big "P e a v e y" on the left group of silos; it went away about a decade ago after Gavilon bought Peavey's parent, ConAgra.

Since I'm supposedly modeling ~1970, I'll have to be creative with the "Peavey" in what will be a compressed version of the silos, two spliced Walthers kits.

[nscalemike]

Other than that, I've been a lawn-mowin' fool. The wet summer has encouraged the acreage around the studio to grow at nearly double the rate we normally see, so barring a machete to find the buildings the mowers have come out every 4 to 5 days. It takes three to five hours to do the whole property depending on how intensely I trim and edge, so this has been costly in terms of time and personal energy. Although I hate the cold, looking forward to fall for a break here.

I'm maybe two hours north of you, its so dry here I haven't cut my grass in over a month now!

Mike

[Cajonpassfan]

Mike, CHEAP CONDUCTIVE GLUE! 
What a brilliant idea! Why didn’t I think of that? Please share more detail...perhaps a dedicated thread?
Thanks, Otto

[CRL]

Don’t they already make conductive paint?

[peteski]

Don’t they already make conductive paint?

Yes, either carbon/graphite, nickel, or silver based.  Conductive epoxy adhesive is also available.  The silver version is the most conductive and most pricey.

[C855B]

I'd wager standard bond copy paper is as thick or thicker than .005 Polystyrene.

Turns out Ed's right. Plain ol' copy paper is 0.003". But after a few tests tonight the styrene shield alone appears to be the solution.

Changing the center point of the servo horn travel from noon to 2 o'clock didn't work, it didn't translate to enough linear motion. What did work was trimming a little more on the servo lever to make sure it had enough clearance under the ballast shield. Also, having the shield cover the entire well (rather than only the area around the throwbar) and mounting the servo to the shield instead of gluing directly to the underside of the ties added 0.005" of clearance. Bottom line is I don't have to re-engineer the linkage, the existing version will do fine.

But that doesn't mean there isn't a buttload of work ahead. All turnouts will still need to be removed, the servos peeled off and glue surfaces cleaned-up, shields added, some levers trimmed, and servos reattached and realigned. Joyous.

[Cajonpassfan]

Yes, either carbon/graphite, nickel, or silver based.  Conductive epoxy adhesive is also available.  The silver version is the most conductive and most pricey.

Yea, but here we don’t want it overly conductive, right, just enough for reliable detection.
How would one go about it to get consistent results around 10K Ohm?
Otto

[C855B]

Actually I was seeking a simple direct connection, a way to glue a 10K SMD resistor to the wheel and axle, across the insulator. A tiny bead of the CA/graphite mix on each end does the trick. Building a resistor out of the CA is obviously possible, but you would then have to first paint the axle to insulate, then run a thin bead of the CA mix from wheel to wheel over the insulating paint. Challenges there are having to be perfect with the insulating paint, then getting a consistent result with the CA mix since bead width dictates the amount of resistance.

Sticking an 0603 resistor at an angle across the insulated wheel is how FVM does it, similar to how it's been done in HO for a long time.

[wazzou]

Turns out Ed's right. Plain ol' copy paper is 0.003". But after a few tests tonight the styrene shield alone appears to be the solution.

We must splurge for the thick stuff.   

[C855B]

The sparse shade of the lone cottonwood does its best to keep our friends at the Kelso depot sheltered from the scorching Mojave Desert sun:



Cottonwood trees in the "front yard" of the Kelso depot were as much of a signature feature of the station as was the architecture. UP planted the trees for shade on the south side since they grow very quickly, the disadvantage is they require huge amounts of water. So when UP closed the station in '80s, they also turned off the wells, and the cottonwoods were dead within months.

Robyn has been toiling in her studio for the past couple of weeks working from photos, doing her best to capture the essence of the mature trees. I think the result captured in the first finished tree is absolutely stunning. There are three or four more to go. The tree cores are wire armatures covered in Play-Doh (really!) and heavy-body artist's acrylic, to which SuperTrees clusters have been glued and faired into the branch structure. SuperTree leaves have been glued to the canopy after hand-applying matte medium (no spray here).

She is having a blast working on these and other trees, and her enthusiasm and talent are visible in the results.

[James Costello]

Robyn has been toiling in her studio for the past couple of weeks working from photos, doing her best to capture the essence of the mature trees. I think the result captured in the first finished tree is absolutely stunning.

Agreed! What a great scene this will be!

[Chris333]

Just one a day is all you need.