My job required me to spend about the next 8 months straight working at the Tampa location. This semi-permanent arrangement switches my trips to Tampa from a "travel expense" to a "relocation allowance", so basically I need to find a room instead of staying in hotels.
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I rented a room in an old, 1960s, ranch house in Lakeland. I have not been a "roommate" since I was in college back in 1985!
Anyway, this is a great modeling opportunity. I went to IKEA and bought a couple tabes and a drawer section and made this make-shift modeling bench complete with a bright 48 inch light bar.
I have time during the week to build Funarao & Camerlengo kits lilke this BOSTON & MAINE 1930 boxcar:
This is a weird living arrangement for a fellow my age, but I am loving it so far. I thought I was past IKEA furniture, but I guess not.
Making the best of it.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
The IRS has some very unrealistic rules. Glad to see you can make the best of it.
- Douglas
I remember those days and I am not envious.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
Are you going to have cold pizza for breakfast and Raman noodles for dinner?
Kevin or others, what brand cutting board as shown is recommended? I looked online but some said the one they got would not lay flat, or did not self heal very well. I work on a desk blotter calendar and these boards look like a better way.
Paul
Modeling HO with a transition era UP bent
I've had several different varieties of those self-healing cutting mats, absolutely worth it over a plain blotter. Never had a problem with them not laying flat - if shipped rolled up like many larger ones are, if left unrolled with some stuff on the corners to hold it down, it will quickly stay put. My ESD mat on my electronics bench was the same way - when first unrolled, the ends wanted to curl back up. Now it's just fine. I like having a large desk-size one with plenty of workign area, but I also have a small one that fits in my toolbox to take along to work on things if at a show or if I go away for work.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
I too went to college raltively close to home, but I did lived on campus, glad I did. I I probably could have done a small shelf thing in my room, but around hat time I was more or less out of the hobby and concentrating on my electronics education. My last two years of college, I definitely could have done somehing - I lived in a single room, no roommate to deal with. Small room, but I could have done a reverse loft bed - pu a layout OVER my bed. Or have the loft bed and a layout under it instead of the more typical couch. But really, between studies and work, and work when I was home over the Summer, there wasn't much model railroad time.
Weird times, traveled by myself for the first time accross the country, knew nobody or anything about the city but the name, never lived on my own before. Looked for a place to live with Pneumonia, that was fun.
kasskaboose Are you going to have cold pizza for breakfast and Raman noodles for dinner?
Thank you for the laugh.
The life of a bachelor . Don't miss those days at all.
Fear an Ignorant Man more than a Lion- Turkish proverb
Modeling an ficticious HO scale intergrated Scrap Yard & Steel Mill Melt Shop.
Southland Industrial Railway or S.I.R for short. Enterchanging with Norfolk Southern.
SeeYou190 I have time during the week to build Funarao & Camerlengo kits lilke this BOSTON & MAINE 1930 boxcar:
Those L shaped plastic pieces screwed to the bolsters look like a good idea.
Please tell me more about them .
Those are quite simply a 2" long piece of Plastruct 3/8" styrene angle with a #41 hole drilled in the center of one side.
I have used these on every kit I have built for the past 20 years. They stay on the model for assembly and painting. They do not come off until the model is ready for trucks and couplers.
I presume that they are removed when the underside is painted and then reinstalled to paint the body of the car, or do you install the trucks right after painting the floor?
Thanks
peahrens, what brand cutting board as shown is recommended?
I have a Hobbico If I lay it on top of something, it has a slight memory and will warp. A short trip to lie on the patio table in the sun makes it flat again. No problem with cutting on it, even if I use a utility knife.
I suppose you could King Kong your way through a piece of styrene and cut right through it.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
peahrensKevin or others, what brand cutting board as shown is recommended
I love the cutting mats I have. I do not know the brand name. They just say "Gradient" on them. That is the only marking they have.
I buy them at Hobbytown USA in Brandon, FL. They are less than $20.00 each and last about two years with heavy use. They are much heavier than a normal cutting mat, and I have not complaints.
Before this I had Fiskars cutting mads, and they tended to warp often.
Sorry I cannot be of any more help.
Well, I do miss my days in the Penn State Model Railroading Club...and the railfanning trackside in Altoona that I had plenty of time to do (prior to University Park Campus)...and the simple apartment with 5' x 9' layout that came later after college...
Sometimes the worst of times can be the best of times.
kasskabooseAre you going to have cold pizza for breakfast and Raman noodles for dinner?
Absolutely not! I think if I tried to eat ramen now my body would just implode.
I might be renting a room for Monday-Friday, but I am going to continue to eat at the best restaurant's in town. Tampa has some great places to eat.
The first 2 yrs of my undergrad days I was on active duty in 5he Navy but I managed to keep my model railroading hobby going by building Athearn BB kits in my quarters. While unable to do more than thst, the completed models served as inspiration for future modeling-sort of a touch of home away from home. Although I was on shore duty I heard of several fellow model railroaders who managed to do something similar on board ships and at overseas locations. While we all have competing interests in our youth and throughout later life, if you love trains you can find a way to enjoy them no matter where you go!
Cedarwoodron
SeeYou190 The most amazing thing is that even after stocking the new model building work area in Lakeland, my model building desk back home in Cape Coral is still overfull and cluttered! . . -Kevin .
The most amazing thing is that even after stocking the new model building work area in Lakeland, my model building desk back home in Cape Coral is still overfull and cluttered!
maxmanThose L shaped plastic pieces screwed to the bolsters look like a good idea.
Tichy includes a pair of similar supports with their boxcar kits. They simply plug into the screw holes where the trucks are later fastened....
Because of its design, it will work with cars of various lengths (at least until the metal fatigues and breaks).
Wayne
Painting stand, place to handle the model (kits like those Tichy and F&C kits have pretty fine detail parts) and keep the underbody details from getting squashed on the work surface (see previous part of the answer). I haven't built any Tichy kits, but most newe F&C kits are one piece bodies, so unlike say an AThearm or Accurail kit there isn't a seperate underframe/floor that you can simply lay on its back to do the underside detail. If you do the underbody detail first, before the rooftop stuff is done, you may be able to rest the car upside down. Then put on those supports and turn it right side up to do the roof details, while the underbody is prootected from crushing. At least, that's probably the order I'd build them in.
rrinker Painting stand, place to handle the model (kits like those Tichy and F&C kits have pretty fine detail parts) and keep the underbody details from getting squashed on the work surface (see previous part of the answer). I haven't built any Tichy kits, but most newe F&C kits are one piece bodies, so unlike say an AThearm or Accurail kit there isn't a seperate underframe/floor that you can simply lay on its back to do the underside detail. If you do the underbody detail first, before the rooftop stuff is done, you may be able to rest the car upside down. Then put on those supports and turn it right side up to do the roof details, while the underbody is prootected from crushing. At least, that's probably the order I'd build them in. --Randy
Thanks Randy, never thought about the fragile stirrups and underframe parts that can get damaged. Haven't tackled craftsman freight car kits yet. Have many unbuilt ones though
This is my sequence for F&C, Yarmouth, Sunshine, and Westerfield kits:
1) Drill as many holes as possible.
2) Assemble the body (not necessary on 1 piece bodies).
3) Install weights and floor.
4) Rig the brakes (skip for deep side sill cars).
5) Put my angle irons on the bottom!
6) Install the sill stirrups.
7) Install side ladders and grabs.
8) Install "A" end ladders and grabs.
9) Install "B" end details, ladders, and grabs.
10) Install roof details.
I pretty much go from the bottom up. It takes about two days to assemble a freight car.
doctorwayneTichy includes a pair of similar supports with their boxcar kits. They simply plug into the screw holes where the trucks are later fastened....
I have been building train's for over 40 year's , and never knew what those "Extra" part's were for ! I save everything so .... somewhere , I have a box FULL of Tichy support bracket's. ( I always thought it was Odd for Tichy to add part's that didn't go with the kit. I also found it Odd , that the same un-used part's were in ALL their kit's .) I just figured they were extra floor support's for the frame.
I guess you really do learn something new every day !
Thank's Doctor Wayne !
( Anybody need some "Low Milage" Tichy Train Support's ??? )
Rust...... It's a good thing !