Weekend Update 6/23/24

[up1950s]

https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=6f9e1a7fb0ade677&hl=en&q=devil%27s+train&tbm=vid&source=lnms&prmd=ivtzmnbs&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi7ntu3s7uGAxXZEFkFHQRLBocQ0pQJegQIEBAB&biw=1920&bih=911&dpr=1#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:34bae9ff,vid:7JtpHtuWnwQ,st:0

https://locomotive.fandom.com/wiki/Texas_and_Pacific_No._666

https://advanced-steam.org/5at/modern-steam/modern-steam-miscellany/the-red-devil/

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https://www.flickr.com/photos/13893317@N06/8069986666/

https://bosshorn.com/blogs/blog/what-does-it-mean-when-a-train-honks-for-a-long-time

[Albert in N]

   If this starts a thread on the ancient Marx 666 tinplate 3-rail toy train locomotive, it will have to be moved to HO and larger!

[dangerboy81]

Well, I think I'll call it done. I still might put a cork board or something on that wall behind those big windows! If I get ambitious I may put a desk or something in the room, but you can't really see in when it's in place on the layout, and I don't really turn on the lights very often, so I will probably leave it as is.
The Woodland Scenics lights are not quite perfect, but I think they are better than what I made, and I should tone the interior LED's down a bit, I feel they are a touch too bright. Hahah I could pick it apart all night, but I think it's fine. The 3D print was really nice! Still blown away by the little details he was able to get in there.

N scale Hawk Junction, finished.

[craigolio1]

I kitbashed a house for the Lake Cowichan module set this week.



More in the build thread.

https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=49229.msg799438#msg799438

Craig

[spookshow]

I built my first ever batch of Super Trees this week. Call it 8 down and about 100 more to go 



The "prototype" -



-Mark

[flight2000]

@spookshow  Once you go Super Trees, you can't ever go back (they are addictive and I too need a ton more... )...the pond scene is coming along great!  Did you use a deep water poor for the water or another method?

@dangerboy81 I may have missed it, but who did that 3d print?  Looks really good! 

I've been making slow, but steady progress on the layout.  Here's one photo for this week's thread.  More photos are in my Layout Engineering thread linked below in the signature...

[ Guests cannot view attachments ]

Cheers,
Brian

[spookshow]

Once you go Super Trees, you can't ever go back (they are addictive and I too need a ton more... )...the pond scene is coming along great!  Did you use a deep water poor for the water or another method?

As labor intensive as they are, it's a good thing I saved them for the "end times" of layout construction. I'm thinking that if I'd tried to make them back when I was in more of a hurry I probably wouldn't have had the patience to finish them. 

Thanks, yes, the pond is WS Deep Pour Water (tinted Navy Blue).

-Mark

[Jesse6669]

I got a request for some SP stuff, and I'd been mulling it myself so I modified the T-scale FP7 appropriately and did a test print.  I didn't attempt icicle breakers.  I *might* try making a jig to bend them out of stainless steel or brass, but they'd be incredibly delicate.  Started working on decals as well.  The bloody nose will probably be decals for the cab sides "wings", with matching paint on the better part of the nose.


 

[chuck geiger]

@spookshow  Once you go Super Trees, you can't ever go back (they are addictive and I too need a ton more... )...the pond scene is coming along great!  Did you use a deep water poor for the water or another method?

@dangerboy81 I may have missed it, but who did that 3d print?  Looks really good! 

I've been making slow, but steady progress on the layout.  Here's one photo for this week's thread.  More photos are in my Layout Engineering thread linked below in the signature...

(Attachment Link)

Cheers,
Brian

Brian you got those Summit buildings looking great.

[Sumner]

I've started to speed match my locos to the 128 speed steps on the throttles I use. Speed step 10 = 10 mph, 45 = 45 mph and so on up to speed step 65 which is 65 mph. For most all of my locos that will be the top speed. For some locos used for passenger service I might up that to speed step 90 which would be 90 mph. Even with the passenger locos having a higher top speed 65 would still be 65 mph.

The slow part to doing the above has been doing it by timing a full or partial lap on my oval test track and then seeing what scale speed that is. I know the length (circumference) of a lap and from it and the time can figure the scale mph. I've set up a spreadsheet that has the times for a lap for 0 mph to 90 mph in seconds and use it.

Recently I saw a YouTube where the person was using a track speedometer that sits above and alongside the track. The loco runs through it and the scale speed shows on the display. I looked for one to see how much it is but I think it has been discontinued. Finishing the HandCab project and doing a little coding for it and what I did for the turntable project got me thinking building and coding this should not be very hard compared to those projects so that is the plan.

As I write this there has been no code written and I'm still finishing up the design for the physical part of the speedometer so no guarantees that this will be a successful build. You will notice that it is designed to be used on a curved section of track. My test layout doesn't have any real straight sections so needed this type of layout. I do plan on making a second one that can be used on a straight section of track to use on the main layout when it is further along of if there is a demand.



Took about a day to design the vertical uprights. Printed them and wanted to make some changes so tweaked the design a bit and printed what is shown in an image further below and above.



Hopefully another day will be all that is needed to finish the case type part that will house the electronics on the top. Some of the items, like the part shown above to hold the ESP32 were stolen from my HandCab design. Having a program with the power of Fusion 360 that you can use free if you are non-commercial is wonderful.



I plan on doing another of these for use on straight track. Shouldn't take long using most of the elements of this one.



I printed the uprights with the resin printer as Chitubox makes it easy and quick to put in the supports for something like above. I'll probably use the filament printer for the rest thought as it works well for printing the rest of the speedometer and has a larger build volume. I designed the uprights so that they would fit in the AnyCubic Photon M3's build volume and they barely did.



The parts come in under $50 for the speedometer.

For the whole build of this throttle go ( HERE ).

Sumner

[chuck geiger]

Getting a few things done. 115 and working as much in the early hours and in the house to keep AC usage down in the train room.
My wife has a great printer at work and was able to produce some FMCSA signs on the crossing signals. Also K&S corrugated sheets, weathered and painted for Coop Fertilizer Service. I have
to come back over the roof with additional cut-in sections to cover the European tile on the original roof.

[John]

Nice work chuck.  I would lower the traffic signs some.  The appear to high in relation to the car.  The are usually 7 to 8 feet according to https://www.usa-traffic-signs.com

[chuck geiger]

I have to do that with all of them and the phone poles. Broke out scale ruler and
went 7-8'. Much better thanks, John. I don't glue anything down so it's easy to
adjust.

[dougnelson]

After completing Palmer Union Station for the HO Central Vermont in Northern California layout group, I was asked to work on another signature structure on the CV - the footbridge in Willimantic, CT.  This steel pedestrian bridge (actually a series of spans) was built in 1906 and is still used today.  The main span was approximately 150' and crossed the CV and NH tracks.  I figured out that the Central Valley N scale 150' truss bridge was an almost exact proportioned copy of the pedestrian bridge in HO scale when two kits are spliced together.  For the two smaller spans leading to Willimantic's Main Street, I prepared simplified drawings and created the truss components with a laser cutter.  Bridge supports included a stone tower at one end and a stone ramp at the other that I created with a laser cutter and added rustic stone texture with matte gel medium (same as was done for Palmer Union Station).  Steel supports were created from spare Central Valley bridge truss parts and styrene.  HO scale railings are by Tichy.




Bridge components:





The Bridge installed:

[dougnelson]

I also scratch-built a couple of iconic structures next to the bridge: Curran's Drugs and the Railroad Street building.  The space available for these buildings was less than actual, so the buildings were somewhat compressed.  Curran's Drugs is a typical 1930s or 1940s storefront with Carrara glass, glass block, large windows, and 3D architectural lettering.  The store also had a large neon sign added.  I created drawings for this building and used a laser cutter to make the storefront window frames and the architectural lettering.  Brick walls were printed with an ink jet printer on matte photo paper and then laminated on mat board and cut to sizes.  Walls were glued with wood glue and corner joints were lap cut to eliminate the mat board edges.  The hanging neon sign was created in Adobe Illustrator, printed, and glued onto a wood shape with rounded ends.

Curran's Drugs:





The Railroad Street building was created in similar fashion - walls were printed brick pattern with windows and a faded Coca Cola sign, laminated onto mat board and glued together with lapped corners.  The roof was also printed shingles glued onto mat board.  The storefront window frames and doors were created from a drawing and then made with a laser cutter.  Signs were made from scratch and from a Coca Cola sign found on the internet.  Sidewalks were made from mat board painted with added sponge textures and joints and cracks added with pencil.  Asphalt streets were made from black EVA foam sheets that were painted with added crack lines and center stains using Pan Pastels.

Railroad Street Building: