Weekend Update 3/27/16

[nuno81291]

Work continues on the shelf layout

[Puddington]

Nice across the bridge shot....

Two control panels done and installed, lexan face plate backing installed, SPDT switches installed in lexan and each has been pre wired. All wiring for Kanto has been terminated at the panel site and all I need to do is "hook up". Moleman (Sam) will return to his home (under the layout) and begin terminating the mill side lines this afternoon.... with any luck we'll have two operating panels, and a relieved Puddy, by Wednesday.... lots of time before a Saturday débuted at the Lindsay show eh???????

[Chris333]

Gave this feed mill a few more alcohol washes and installed the "glass"


Helped a buddy sand blast his 0-4-0 24" gauge Porter. You can see where the front and the back of the frame was cut off. He is getting it prepped to ship out and have the frame welded back on.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Helped a buddy sand blast his 0-4-0 24" gauge Porter. You can see where the front and the back of the frame was cut off. He is getting it prepped to ship out and have the frame welded back on.

I am continually impressed with what Rick is doing there. Also, that Porter is insane. It's like a battleship.

[Chris333]

The frame is made from five 4" thick steel plates to give it the tractive effort of a standard gauge 0-6-0. One thing I thought was odd is how deep the draw bars mount. I drew red lines where the pins are.

It ran on sharp curves inside a steel mill.

[sirenwerks]

Gave this feed mill a few more alcohol washes and installed the "glass"

Chris,


The mill is gorgeous.  Is that an optical illusion or does the siding have a grade?

[Chris333]

Chris,


The mill is gorgeous.  Is that an optical illusion or does the siding have a grade?

Optical illusion. The 2 foreground mainline tracks curve (and bank) and the siding is straight (and flat).

[trainforfun]

Glad to see the Rochsub rebirth !!!
Great work Darrell .
 

[tehachapifan]

These guys are great.   You can custom-order the measurements you want, and you can even get them in acrylic.   Getting one that could be drilled and cut with a hacksaw solved my lifetime problem of putting a signal bridge just over a hole in the mirror for a 'naked' exit.
http://firstsurfacemirror.com/

The mirror here is about 12x18.  There's a hole on the inside of the signal bridge for the track to exit.  Half of the signal bridge is mounted around the hole edge.   I just redid this entire mirror area with a first-surface a few months back.   It's really hard to see the line, I upgraded the signal bridge to tricolor LED displays, and it's a precise fit now to the mirror hole.

Excellent example and great modeling! Can't tell there's even a mirror there at all in this shot!

[Ed Kapuscinski]

The frame is made from five 4" thick steel plates to give it the tractive effort of a standard gauge 0-6-0. One thing I thought was odd is how deep the draw bars mount. I drew red lines where the pins are.

It ran on sharp curves inside a steel mill.

Yeah, that's nuts. Makes sense though, given what it was to be used for. Definitely an interesting piece there. I forget, is he planning on steaming it up when he's done?

[Chris333]

Yeah, that's nuts. Makes sense though, given what it was to be used for. Definitely an interesting piece there. I forget, is he planning on steaming it up when he's done?

Hell yeah! Plans a whole "railroad" around this museum.

[wazzou]

The Porter that Chris is working on reminds me of the "Chiggen" which is operable here in the Pacific NW now.

http://www.scpc2.com/

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Hell yeah! Plans a whole "railroad" around this museum.

He's a mad genius.

I love it.

[up1950s]

Notice that the cylinder head bolts have an extra long gap where it ports into the steam box . I will have to look at other types to see how common that is .

[randgust]

I now have four first-surface and two conventional mirrors on an 8' x 5'6" layout, from that big one in the photo above to an itty-bitty one under the cantilevered end of a motel wing to reflect cars in the parking lot.

The part that I don't immediately confess is that even ATTEMPTING to cut a rectangular hole in a conventional glass mirror - back in the 80's when I first did it - resulted in a lot of broken cheap mirror glass.   And some mysterious events after that, superstitions notwithstanding, that result in the unqualified recommendation of ordering precut mirrors and only attempting to cut holes in acrylics (aka plexiglass).

Lots of people credit John Allen for mirror tricks, I credit N scale Guru Tom Hoover, first time I ever saw a 'naked exit' using half a highway overpass and a mirror and he was my inspiration.   He only scaled his up as well, dig his Barstow Shops:  http://m7.i.pbase.com/g4/17/804917/2/137617277.UNlz8WLs.jpg