Will this structure be at eye level? Many of these details take tons of time to be buried in a structure that will be viewed mainly from above…..
I have two engine house structures on my layout. The one on the upper deck has all the goodies/details because you can see in it at eye level…The one on the bottom deck has interior framing but little else as you can’t easily see into the structure…
Guy
see stuff at: the Willoughby Line Site
Hey Guy!
Thank you for all the suggested sources. I have some SS Ltd hand tools already but they were out of the packages so I couldn't remember where they came from. I'm going to make my own large machine shop tools. I have done some lighter duty tools already and they came out OK. I have been looking at examples of larger tools so the next batch will be a little heftier than these:
Ditto with the workbenches. I already have a box of the Tichy oil drums.
trainnut1250Will this structure be at eye level?
I understand your caution about spending a lot of time on details that can't be seen. The front of the roundhouse will be on about a 45 degree angle to the viewer. I'm going to make at least part of the roof removable, and the roundhouse won't be so high in the air that an adult couldn't see inside it, so some detail is desirable. There are also two other factors. One is the need to have enough detail for photography purposes. The other is simply the enjoyment of scratch building. I'm not going to place a masterpiece where it is totally out of sight, but I do want reasonable facsimilies where viewers can get a glimpse of them.
Thanks again.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Dave,
Good looking machines! Don't forget the possibilities with interior lights:
Have fun,
trainnut1250Don't forget the possibilities with interior lights:
Sorry Guy, but I am way ahead of you on that! I have several hundred LEDs on hand and I intend to make full use of them in the roundhouse. I have to order some more industrial lamp shades, and I have a plan for using the SMD resistors to stimulate junction boxes for the wiring. I've also already made up yard lights for the surrounding area and I will install wall lighting over the exterior side doors. I am a lighting addict!
Thanks again for your suggestions!
Cheers!
Dave, Tichy offers some hand tools and shop details in styrene.
Wayne
Hi Wayne:
What I'm really after is things like hand wrenches (especially big ones), screwdrivers, pliers, hacksaws, squares, drills etc. etc. Actually, tonight I lucked out big time. I found a source for laser cut hand tools which will be perfect for what I need. Here is the eBay listing. Note the excellent shipping costs!
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/152407210709
OK, we have work benches! Probably more than I will need in the roundhouse but I can use the extras in the machine shop.
Now to start making bench vises and grinders and the like to populate the benches. You can see a couple of early attempts in the background but they are too big. They need to be about half that size.
Take a look at Preiser Workshop equipment #17185....I used them for many scenes. I got them yrs. ago though when they were cheaper. I believe they are a lot more now, but I believe they are still being made if interested. They are plastic.
Good job on the benches......The one in the pic' is Northeastern stripwood and styrene table top......it's behind Br. Lion on the ladder, with an exhaust pipe sitting on it.
Take Care!
Frank
EDIT: Here is a link to the Presier, it's out of stock at Walthers and it's also ten dollars more than what I paid for it...WOW.
https://www.walthers.com/workshop-equipment?ref=1
Hey Frank,
Thanks for the suggestion. I have most of the stuff in the kit covered already. I'm going to make my own large machine shop tools. They won't be as finely detailed but they will be a couple of feet away from the viewer so I don't think that will matter too much. I found a set of eight oxy aceteline welding rigs on Shapeways and the price was pretty good considering the number of sets that I got. I believe that the red machines on wheels are portable compressors but I'm going to model stationary air hoses with the air lines on spools so that is covered too.
I still have to put backboards on some of the workbenches. That is where I will mount most of the hand tools.
Well You really can't see them too well in the photo of the link, but there are bench vises, along with a bench grinder and self standing grinder in those details, but the price is sort of a turnoff for unpainted, just different color plastics.
Are you familiar with "Rusty Rail" resin details?
I have used several of their detailed workbench castings and junk piles.
http://www.rustyrail.com/CastingsHOScale.htm
After a coat of light gray primer and some painting with artist acrylics they look fantastic!
Have Fun! Ed
Hi Ed:
Thanks for the link. It just cost me a fortune! Seriously, I ordered several items which I will use where they can be easily viewed. The other stuff I have made I will use in the background.
Good thing my wife makes lots of money!
Take care!
hon30critter I want the roundhouse to look reasonably cluttered like some of the prototypes I have seen. I started with some shelf units: Don't look too close. They're not very precise. Next step after painting will be to figure out how to make them look reasonably full without having to make dozens and dozens of little bits. Frank and Ja Bear gave me some good suggestions on the WPF thread. Frank suggested using printed images which he has done quite effectively, and Bear suggested using bits of sprue to simulate cans and the like. Both good ideas. Any other suggestions would be much appreciated. That's where the project sits right now. Like I said, please don't expect ground breaking progress every day. I like to take my time. Regards, Dave
I want the roundhouse to look reasonably cluttered like some of the prototypes I have seen. I started with some shelf units:
Don't look too close. They're not very precise. Next step after painting will be to figure out how to make them look reasonably full without having to make dozens and dozens of little bits. Frank and Ja Bear gave me some good suggestions on the WPF thread. Frank suggested using printed images which he has done quite effectively, and Bear suggested using bits of sprue to simulate cans and the like. Both good ideas. Any other suggestions would be much appreciated.
That's where the project sits right now. Like I said, please don't expect ground breaking progress every day. I like to take my time.
Regards,
Hi Dave and others.
A quick building tip for those type shelving units is to cut up pieces of those egg crate fixture covers off of old flouresence lights, or the ceiling panels for suspended ceilings below flouresence fixtures, and they are precise although they might be slightly larger than you might want. But you can make them as long or as tall as you want. Just file or sand down the cut edges to smooth them, a little paint and you are done. They work for me.
At a train show a few years back, I saw some one had used those same panels to build a tall multi-floored building with some reflective foil on cardstock behind them. It looked very convincing as a modern concrete structure.
Johnboy out....................
from Saskatchewan, in the Great White North..
We have met the enemy, and he is us............ (Pogo)
last mountain & eastern hoggerA quick building tip for those type shelving units is to cut up pieces of those egg crate fixture covers off of old flouresence lights, or the ceiling panels for suspended ceilings below flouresence fixtures
Johnboy! Where were you when I needed you?!? That would have been far too easy!
Thanks,
You should take a look a "Roco Minitanks" kit number 576 "Maintenance Facility Accessories." It has a lot of shop equipment that could be useful and is not too expensive.
.
Not too bad on eBay ($15.00 USD with shipping), probably very difficult to find in a hobby shop unless there are a lot of wargamers in your area.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
SeeYou190You should take a look a "Roco Minitanks" kit number 576 "Maintenance Facility Accessories."
Thanks Kevin
Scratch built bench vises. They look ok to the naked eye but the camera doesn't lie. They are pretty knarly. They're also still a bit on the big side but I'm not going to try to make them any smaller. The dark vise is from Preiser.
Once they dry completely I'll see if I can attach handles to them. After doing 10 of them my neck and shoulders are killing me!
I have several vices myself, Dave, but it is probably best not to mention them here in a family forum!
Yours look great and I do not believe they are too large. I have seen some monsters in my time.
I'm glad you found some things of use from Rick & Mary's RustyRail site. Yes, the prices seem deceptively low but when it adds up... it can really ADD up. I hope the shipping was not too damaging to your wallet!
He changes his catalog of items so you have to check there every once in a while.
One of the first things I bought were these three scrap yard locos and the outhouse tipping scene!
I'm glad to see you having fun with your project! That's what the hobby is all about!
Ed
gmpullmanI have several vices myself, Dave, but it is probably best not to mention them here in a family forum!
My vices are much bigger than HO scale too!!
Cheers!! (And I mean that literally!)
Installed the handles. Used Frank's suggestion to put a dot of CA on the ends to make them look more realistic. The CA also eliminated the sharp ends which were sticking into my fingers:
Dave, your round house project and turn table are nothing short of fantastic! I love watching this thread.
Mike.
My You Tube
Mike,
Thanks for the kind words!
I have to say that this is a great way to undertake a major project because I am getting lots of great suggestions from people who have done this before which I can immediately put to use. Even simple ideas like Frank's suggestion to put a dot of gel CA on the ends of the vise handles are worth their weight in gold.
hon30critterI have to say that this is a great way to undertake a major project because I am getting lots of great suggestions from people who have done this before which I can immediately put to use.
AND it helps to disseminate information to folks who might otherwise not be aware... such as the laser-cut hand tools from Hungary! I just ordered several sets! Neat stuff, indeed...
Thanks everyone,
Those hand tools are great ! I'm trying to come up with reasons why I shouldn't buy a few... We'll see who wins!
Mike
We have anvils. They still need a little TLC. It is amazing how the camera shows just how lousey your work is!
hon30critter We have anvils. They still need a little TLC. It is amazing how the camera shows just how lousey your work is! Dave
Rich
Alton Junction
richhotrain hon30critter We have anvils. They still need a little TLC. It is amazing how the camera shows just how lousey your work is! Dave Dave, without making any judgment on your anvils, your comment about how the camera doesn't lie is so true. A couple of years back, I bought a mini camera and ran it at track level. I have never quite recovered and I never ran the camera again. Rich
Dave, without making any judgment on your anvils, your comment about how the camera doesn't lie is so true. A couple of years back, I bought a mini camera and ran it at track level. I have never quite recovered and I never ran the camera again.
Rich,
I have to laugh...cause I remember that. You sure used a crooked ruler on some of that trackwork....LOL If You recall I did a similar thing. Took a couple shots of a scene with a caboose in it and the caboose sat in that scene for quite a long time. It took the cameras eye to show Me that one of the trucks was derailed.
Dave,,,Your vices (vises) look great! Also Your anvils, a little gun metal paint will make them pop!
Take Care, All!
Frank, my only consolation is that it looks prototypical.
To the OP or anybody else lurking, consider making interior brick walls by simply sticking the painted and finished exterior brick walls in a photocopier. Given that its an interior detail, the lack of texture shouldn't be an issue. Photo details seem to be good enough for Lance Mindheim's models even for exterior walls, so I'd think it would work just fine for interior walls.
And it costs a few sheets of paper. Use the Plastruct stock for the exterior walls of another project in the future.
- Douglas
I know there are really monster wrenchs in the world, but plier and screwdriver are not so big. At 1:87 they are hardly more that small splinters.
You could carve some styrene shavings and make your own.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley