Traincat skewed bridge / Tom Mann

[nkalanaga]

Filling the holes and using decals sounds like the best option to me as well, if all of the strips are bad.

[chicken45]

Fun Fact:

@tom mann sold that bridge to one of the 46 Erics here on TRW and gave me the leftovers.
We even took turns holding it!
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There's a picture of me holding is somewhere, but I actually don't know who took that photo.

The missing bridge served as a major plot point during the MMMT travels.

[peteski]

This. Especially since most (all?) of the kit's rivets are etched in reverse. I'd be tempted to re-do most or all of the kit's rivets with decal rivets.

That reverse-etch thing just made me think: Since this kit uses multi-layer etching, I wonder if those pieces were just over-etched and the rivet detail was simply etched away, resulting in flat surface with slight undulations where the rivets were supposed to be?

[DKS]

Fun Fact:

@tom mann sold that bridge to one of the 46 Erics here on TRW and gave me the leftovers.
We even took turns holding it!

There's a picture of me holding is somewhere, but I actually don't know who took that photo.

That was me...



I also took one of Tom--

That reverse-etch thing just made me think: Since this kit uses multi-layer etching, I wonder if those pieces were just over-etched and the rivet detail was simply etched away, resulting in flat surface with slight undulations where the rivets were supposed to be?

Nope. The missing rivets are part of a completely unetched surface. I have some other TC kits and have found errors just like this one--as if someone at the etching shop left an object--perhaps just a scrap of paper--sitting across part of the brass sheet while it was being exposed.

 

[tom mann]

I miss that diorama and bridge.



I can’t remember why the rivets were reversed - I guess Bob thought they would appear correct in photos.

[peteski]

Nope. The missing rivets are part of a completely unetched surface. I have some other TC kits and have found errors just like this one--as if someone at the etching shop left an object--perhaps just a scrap of paper--sitting across part of the brass sheet while it was being exposed.

Oops, I misunderstood that.  I thought reverse rivets were protruding, where it meant that they were etched dimples (depressions).

[Hyperion]

For whatever it's worth Bill, my kit (and it's been many years now -- at least 8 or so) had the exact same problem.    In my case, a number of parts did not receive the half-etch pass and were missing the 'details' on them.  I'm not terribly familiar with etching, but it struck me as really strange that some parts on the sheet would be etched fine, and others not, so it took me quite a while to come to the conclusion that it wasn't me, but the sheet.

After wracking my brain for hours trying to make sense of instructions versus what I had on my sheets, I finally sent pictures to Bob who agreed it was a bad etch, he had said he would send me replacement parts, but before he could his wife fell ill and he stopped doing anything with the business.

As far as a solution goes, I never made mine. But I would imagine you can just fill in the rivet detail and then apply some rivet strips from Archer Decals (their 'decals', but actually resin printed on decal film).   It'll actually be an upgrade as the rivets will be raised.

[chicken45]

I miss that diorama and bridge.



I can’t remember why the rivets were reversed - I guess Bob thought they would appear correct in photos.

You can have it back if you do a fall 4 track hillside for me

[DKS]

I can’t remember why the rivets were reversed - I guess Bob thought they would appear correct in photos.

AFAIK, that is correct--at a glance from a distance, the dimples could be perceived as being raised. Although I don't know for sure, I suspect it was done because raised rivets would involve etching rather large areas of metal, thus reducing its overall thickness and also creating a rough surface. This might require using thicker brass, which in turn might preclude etching everything on one sheet, since thickness would then vary considerably across different parts when they should be the same. All of which would increase cost. Again, I'm not certain this is the case, but it makes the most sense.

[DKS]

There's a picture of me holding is somewhere, but I actually don't know who took that photo.

Fun fact about the pic of Tom:



Here are the photographers, me on the left and you on the right...

[Jbub]

Fun fact about the pic of Tom:



Here are the photographers, me on the left and you on the right...

This is making me think of csi Miami....yeeeeaaaaaahhhhhh!

[MK]

Nothing gets by DKS! 

[Bill H]

For whatever it's worth Bill, my kit (and it's been many years now -- at least 8 or so) had the exact same problem.    In my case, a number of parts did not receive the half-etch pass and were missing the 'details' on them.  I'm not terribly familiar with etching, but it struck me as really strange that some parts on the sheet would be etched fine, and others not, so it took me quite a while to come to the conclusion that it wasn't me, but the sheet.

After wracking my brain for hours trying to make sense of instructions versus what I had on my sheets, I finally sent pictures to Bob who agreed it was a bad etch, he had said he would send me replacement parts, but before he could his wife fell ill and he stopped doing anything with the business.

As far as a solution goes, I never made mine. But I would imagine you can just fill in the rivet detail and then apply some rivet strips from Archer Decals (their 'decals', but actually resin printed on decal film).   It'll actually be an upgrade as the rivets will be raised.

Hyperion:
Can empathize with your situation. Getting further into assembly, I now have six different major parts missing rivet detail and there is often limited to no correlation between the instructions, which are clearly done for the HO scale fret and the N scale frets. Several parts that must be in the HO fret didn't make it to the N scale fret. It is abundantly clear to me that there was limited QC, given our mutual experiences. However it should be noted that Bob was a one man band and that makes it difficult at times to be both manufacturer and QC. And with Bob apparently having moved on, at least for the moment, to other interests such as RC planes, I doubt if there will be any opportunity for replacement parts. So, in areas that are highly visible, I am going to fill in the holes and put Archer rivets in the appropriate places.

I understand why you never built the kit. In my younger days, the kit would have already been dumped or at least salvaged for parts. But after putting two weekend afternoons into the kit, I have become just a bit hard headed and will  see the endeavor to its conclusion. I will post the completed bridge once i get the rivets from Archer.

Thanks to all who contributed.

Kind regards,
Bill

[chicken45]

Fun fact about the pic of Tom:



Here are the photographers, me on the left and you on the right...

I noticed that while ago, too. In fact, it was my Facebook profile picture for that reason. I think only Tom actually knew why.