Rivit Counter ?

[Eriediamond]

"Rivit counter" ---- hate that term, but for lack of a better heading I used it. Also I'm hesitant to post this as I feel it may be going against the way I feel about modelers doing their own thing. With the hopes you'll read this with an open mind, let me begin. When looking at magazine articals and visiting other modelers pikes I marvel at the time and craftsmanship that went into building those models. I'm paricularly in admiration of the detail that goes into the locomotives. So wonderful sometimes that I find myself looking for little clues, in those close-up photos, to determine if it's the real thing or a model. The one thing that catches my eye is the classification lights on steam engines in particular. The "lenses" are painted white. Some have no lenses at all molded into the light, but a cone shape hole and they are painted white. Some personal thoughts here. Those painted on lenses to me distract from the hard and meticulous work put in to detail these locos. Clear or the appropiate color lenses installed in those lights, even if they are not really working lights would surely look better and even enhance the other hard work put into model. In closing, I'd like to say this was not posted to put down anyone or their hard work or craftsmanship. Just my thoughts and what I see. My doctor has a file on me called "lights" and I think he sees me as his source of income as he keeps schedualing me for weekly visits.[(-D][(-D][(-D]

[Anonymous]

You da Rivit Counter, man! [swg] Thanks, my wife works for a "Mental Health Clinic" and we can use the job security!

[dharmon]

Very easy solution.

Take a punch and make small disks from thin sheet styrene. Then take an Xacto knife and carefully remove the offending light. Then glue disk over location, let dry and paint to match model. If you blank them off with plates, then there's no problem anymore....[:)]

[tomwatkins]

Another easy solution for steam locomotives is to use the cast brass marker lamps available from Cal Scale or Precision Scale. Paint them black, mount them to the locomotive and use the appropriate size and color lens from MV or Roundhouse. It's easy to do and really adds to the appearance of the model.
Have Fun,
Tom Watkins

[Jetrock]

R-I-V-E-T.

If you're going to be a rivet-counter, eriediamond, at least try to spell "rivet" right...

although I agree. If you're going to superdetail a locomotive, don't skimp on the lights!

[Anonymous]

I agree with ya Jetrock, "...don't skimp on the lights!"

[Eriediamond]

[(-D][(-D][(-D][(-D]Ok, lets see, rivit ryhems with visit, drop the v and add r becomes risit, drop the s and replace with the dropped v and that becomes rivit again. It has got to be another one of those railroad things in spelling. Depot, drop the de and youhave pot. Pot has several meanings but for this lets say it is some thing you put flowers in. So if you depot something, you take the flowers out of the pot. "Depot" should be spelt "deepo" or in the UK "deepoh". I was head of my class in spellin. [(-D][(-D][(-D]. Yeah, your right, rivit-- should be rivet, sawry bout that. Now that's a headlight!!!!!! Oups, messed up again, that should read "that's an aheadlight", --- a headlight is a light worn on your head.

[Anonymous]

Erie, You got it right. I have misspelled Rivet--Rivit, also! Look, the danged things are pronounced RIV IT, not RIV ET. Here is another example of how english is a stupid language!!! However, I can clear this all up for you. Rivet was originally a French word which was spelled rivette and meant; little round thingy that gets pounded on that is fluffy! Naturally when the English started importing rivettes they changed the spelling to Rivet.

I have found in my New Custer's Last Dictionary that rivet is spelled both ways, RIVET and RIVIT, so we're all right! What a happy ending to this story!

Erie, when you going to tell everyone about your brother being Niel?

[Anonymous]

Weeeelllllll, I'm not a rivet counter but did add a lens to the marker lamp area, although I was unsure of the color, so I put red in ???? Is this color incorrect. I'm kinda new to the steam stuff. All the pictures I have are B & W and the running steamers of today are clear, as I assume they use these as a style of ditch lights. What would be appropriate for the lens proto.
I like your lens snake, but a tad large for my HO scale.

[Eriediamond]

Niel[%-)][%-)][%-)] Not my brother, He married into the family, no one likes him[(-D][(-D]

[dharmon]

QUOTE: Originally posted by higssy

Weeeelllllll, I'm not a rivet counter but did add a lens to the marker lamp area, although I was unsure of the color, so I put red in ???? Is this color incorrect. I'm kinda new to the steam stuff. All the pictures I have are B & W and the running steamers of today are clear, as I assume they use these as a style of ditch lights. What would be appropriate for the lens proto.
I like your lens snake, but a tad large for my HO scale.

I'm no steam expert..but the marker lights were red, green or white and indicate if a train was an extra, or section 2 or 3 etc of a scheduled train, etc. The color had meanings and there were lenses placed on the lights.

Most modern locos have them blanked off with plates or painted over....Except it seems for the Canadian Safety Cabs..not sure why...perhaps a more knowledgable one can tell.