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

[TLOC]

Mike

Your commentary on large layouts posted on the September issue of MRH. Very well done, truly a very good listing of things to remember when building a layout of any size. Congrats.

Some readers still won’t get it that you are not advocating or condemning anything.

TomO

[C855B]

OMG, it's up! And thank you! It wasn't there when checking on it this morning.

Cool! 

[learmoia]

With an issue cover story "Small Layouts can be fun"   

~Ian

[GaryHinshaw]

Congrats!  Now back to work on the layout.  You have a long march ahead of you.      

[C855B]

What?!? Can't I bask in the glory for at least a couple of minutes? 

Working on the layout now, having unloaded the first batch of windows for Kelso on the Photon a couple of minutes ago. Need to figure out why half of the support rafts didn't stick to the platform. I'll direct that to the 3D forum.

[C855B]

I figured out the support raft problem, so through the miracle of 3D printing, the second floor has windows:



I am giddy, frankly. This Photon-thingambob contraption changes everything about my modeling outlook. It may not be a "replicator", but for my MRR needs it comes damn close. In the curing oven right now is a dozen old-style UP signal heads I'm testing for LED placements. In the Photon, just about done, is another run of UP switchstand lanterns, trying to fix the shaft attachment issue from the original run. I don't have that much other stuff ready to print and need to draw the remaining Kelso details, but, wow, this thing certainly clears the path on a bunch of "wanna have" details for the layout.

A big "Thanks!" to everybody here for the great documentation and the pioneering work with these resin printers. It made my startup a breeze.

[James Costello]

Just going to leave this here:
https://www.railpictures.net/photo/710145/

[TLOC]

I saw the picture James posted above yesterday and right away I thought, would this fit Mike’s railroad? Those are some really big locomotives.

TomO

[C855B]

Just going to leave this here:
https://www.railpictures.net/photo/710145/

I saw the picture James posted above yesterday and right away I thought, would this fit Mike’s railroad? Those are some really big locomotives.

Let's just say these and UP's other diesel giants of the 1960s pretty much define why the layout exists.   

I have two of the B-units (DD35) in the picture under construction (Shapeways shells). The DDA35s are elusive at the moment, a Shapeways shell exists, but it was not fully drawn and not designed to fit any known power chassis, so it's on the short list for the Photon. Also on the bench is an ABA set of Alco Century 855s - also Shapeways - in various stages of assembly, at least a half-dozen Con-Cor U50s all needing DCC, detailing and numbering attention. Add to this the 15 or so 3rd-gen Bachmann DDA40Xs in the fleet, most operable but in need of mods and detail tweaks. DDA40X's are 10 feet longer than the DD35s in James' link, and typically ran in threes and fours in their earlier years.

Only thing missing from the in-the-works list is the short-lived U50C, and it's a gotta-have as well.

Next July's convention deadline (NMRA national) has put all of these projects on the back burner while we get the layout far enough along to be presentable.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I saw the picture James posted above yesterday and right away I thought, would this fit Mike’s railroad? Those are some really big locomotives.

TomO

I think it would ONLY fit Mike's railroad!

[C855B]

Speaking of layout progress, an important LDE making progress thanks to the 3D printer:







Batch in both head styles in the Photon right now, revised to ease a wiring issue.

[GaryHinshaw]

That will be really sweet!  Are you using Showcase parts for the base & mast?

I would love to have a searchlight head with a slightly thinner body wall to more easily accommodate to the 3-color LEDs I'm using.  As it is now, I have to ream out the Showcase head just a bit for the LED to fit nicely, and the process is a bit tedious.  I think I need to have a chat with Jeff Briggs.

[peteski]

That will be really sweet!  Are you using Showcase parts for the base & mast?

That's what those bases look like to me. Or maybe even Sunrise Enterprises?
But me thinks that since Mike owns a Photon, he should be able to design and print his own bases, for fraction of the cost.

[C855B]

Yes, those are Showcase bases (and masts). Their US&S single and double (stacked) relay cases are modeled after SP, but the single is a reasonable stand-in for UP practice at the time. As Pete suggested, I might want to tool my own anyway, there is a medium-height single-door cabinet between the single and double cases that Showcase offers.

Let me see what I can do about SA cases. I have the same issue, of course, and might take a shot at what I can do with the Photon. I've had some luck with 0.008" on the targets and visors, but I don't know yet if I can hold that consistently. I have a 1:1 SA head out in the garden shed I can use for measurements.

[C855B]

... more easily accommodate to the 3-color LEDs I'm using.  As it is now, I have to ream out the Showcase head just a bit for the LED to fit nicely, and the process is a bit tedious. ...

You're using Dick Bronson's tri-LED, right? What are the dimensions? I have Showcase's (Richmond Controls), and they are 0.062" x 0.075" and even with the head reamed still don't fit. I just poke them in enough with a little CA to look like the back of the head, but as a detail this approach only works when the case is black such as on signal bridges. Painted silver on mast signals you can see the "fudge".

EDIT: I found dimensions on Dick's order sheet, 1.3mm X 2.0mm. That should work. I ordered a batch for confirmation. Also realized I have two 1:1 prototypes to measure, and now sorry I didn't take detail pics (and measurements) when this one was still on the ground: