N Scale Hi Rail - Retro Hollow Core Door Layout

[wm3798]

The B&O retro fleet.

Arnold Pacific, ConCor Rivarossi Heavy Pacific, Atlas Rivarossi light Pacific, and Atlas Rivarossi Mikado.
 I also have an Arnold 0-6-0, and an Atlas Rivarossi 0-4-0, but they've become embedded in the strata of jewel boxes I suddenly find myself immersed in...

Lee

[nkalanaga]

CRL:  I agree.  I started out with a Lone Star 000 set - junk to start with!  The only reason I didn't give up in junior high was an Arnold FA.  It actually ran, and ran well.  Rapido couplers and the LS loop/hook couplers even worked together, with a little bending of the hooks.

[wm3798]

Well.  How about that...


It turns out that on a day when all I do is stare at my design program accomplishing nothing, it turns out I can accomplish something!  Computer generated highway stripes!

Lee

[davefoxx]

@davefoxx heh.   I got a dissertation on traffic circles, you get a dissertation on guard rails! Is this a great model railroad forum or what?!?

@wm3798, you're going to need some guardrails. 

DFF

[wm3798]

Oh great.  You HAD to go THERE!
The plan is to add a walkway on one side, and a guardrail on the other.
I'm going to tinker with the art to make the bridge deck concrete, with the necessary expansion joints.
Lee

[peteski]

Since you are designing and printing the bridge surface on the computer, why not go to the next step and print the entire deck as a folding paper model? Then just cut it out,  and fold it into a 3D shape.    Print the expansion joints too.

[Point353]

@wm3798, you're going to need some guardrails. 

DFF

Or a good ambulance chaser attorney.

[wm3798]

I already got me one of them!!!  And his hair dye stays in his hair!

Now that you mention it, @davefoxx should update his handle to "The Fixer"

Lee

[davefoxx]

Too funny. 

DFF

[Point353]

I already got me one of them!!!  And his hair dye stays in his hair!

Now that you mention it, @davefoxx should update his handle to "The Fixer"

Lee

Is he still licensed to practice law in N scale?

[nkalanaga]

Once one has a good pavement color, this is actually a fairly easy way to do N scale roads.  Most of mine are painted styrene, with dry transfer stripes, as they're straight roads (town streets).  But I have one that needed to be a nice curve, to match the railroad's curve.  I drew it in Paint (in sections), had it laser printed, on cardstock, at a local office supply store, and it looks as good as the styrene ones.

The reason for laser printing is that inkjet inks DON'T like water, and the road may get a few drops on it during scenery work.  I tested it, and that doesn't bother the laser printing, or the cardstock.  Of course, soaking it would be another matter!

[dem34]

Once one has a good pavement color, this is actually a fairly easy way to do N scale roads.  Most of mine are painted styrene, with dry transfer stripes, as they're straight roads (town streets).  But I have one that needed to be a nice curve, to match the railroad's curve.  I drew it in Paint (in sections), had it laser printed, on cardstock, at a local office supply store, and it looks as good as the styrene ones.

The reason for laser printing is that inkjet inks DON'T like water, and the road may get a few drops on it during scenery work.  I tested it, and that doesn't bother the laser printing, or the cardstock.  Of course, soaking it would be another matter!

hmmm, would sealing it with some kind of varnish help with that?

[peteski]

hmmm, would sealing it with some kind of varnish help with that?

In my experience, coating paper with any sort of varnish/clear-coat will make the paper translucent because the clear coat gets absorbed by the paper.

[wm3798]

The real estate developers are working their dark magic.

[nkalanaga]

Dem34:  It probably would, unless it turns the paper translucent, as Peteski warns.  The problem is that most inkjet ink is water-soluble.  In fact, on test pieces, using ordinary white glue on the back caused problems with the printing, as the moisture soaked through the paper. 

Laser toner is waterproof, and I glued the pieces with no problems.  Of course, being on cardstock, instead of ordinary printer paper, probably helped.  I haven't tried a flat clear coat, but the copies themselves were cheap, so it would be worth a try.