Here's Part B to a photo I posted a couple of months ago showing the streets in the little downtown area. The building pads were cut from 0.040" taskboard. The areas not covered by structures (or mailboxes or lamp posts or benches or pedestrians or urban landscaping, etc) will remain exposed and will serve as concrete sidewalks and the face of curbs that delimit the asphalt streets. Modern era, so plenty of parking (including ADA Handicap stalls). Actually the 1:1 scene would have at least twice as many parking spots.
Needs a little work on the joints and whatnot and a little bit of paint to even out the color shades, but serves the needs at the moment to outline the downtown area.
Robert
LINK to SNSR Blog
Here're a coupla photos from the other thread showing the 1:1 library:
The latest scratchbuild: Natrona County Library in Casper, Wyoming. This project was kinda introduced in another thread, but the info is brought here.
Partially assembled and completely unpainted, unwindowed, and undoored, but the footprint is about right and the sidewalk and plaza are about right. The pedestal awaits a suitable Prometheus.
Renegade1c Very nice CAD model! I have a similar structure, a coker tower for my refinery. Can't wait to see final model and progress photos! Here is early shot of it installed in refinery. Here is final shot of refinery! If you want I can share the cad files with you. (HO scale but can be scaled to N scale).
Very nice CAD model! I have a similar structure, a coker tower for my refinery.
Can't wait to see final model and progress photos!
Here is early shot of it installed in refinery.
Here is final shot of refinery!
If you want I can share the cad files with you. (HO scale but can be scaled to N scale).
Hey Renegade-
Thanks for the interest.
I use AutoCAD Civil 3D 2018 at the office and AutoCAD LT 2020 at home. I've been using Acad for a very long time, and I use it to sketch and doodle and whatnot; including the renderings shown on this thread. I also use it to prepare detailed and precise technical drawings and schematics for all the pieces and parts that go into scratch building, but those stand-alone drawings are kinda boring by themselves.
The inspiration for this structure is the wet product loading facility at a calcium carbonate (limestone) slurry plant in Alabama. It has been stylized and simplified and stripped down to something generic, while still keeping enough stuff to have an interesting appearance. I have a fairly expansive view of the freelance part of freelanced prototypical, and I try not to get too bogged down with facts.
Acme Chemicals and the San Juan Pulp and Paper mill are two separate entities that are cabobbled together as a massive industrial complex and share space on the middle peninsula. Each provides background structures to the other to give breadth and scope to the overall vista. Borrowed scenery, as it were. I make no claims about prototypical correctness or functionality; aesthetics were (and are) my main concern. Freelance.
There's a fairly long and detailed narrative on my blog describing this and other design elements and features of my layout.
ROBERT PETRICK Looking at the second image . . . Notice that the structure has three levels. From the top: round dome of tank, middle cylinder, bottom hopper. All cut through with floors/walkways. The tanks are not solid constructions that pass through holes in the floors, but three separate pieces and the floors are solid. All stuff is readily available commercial Plastruct materials and detail pieces. Floors made from diamond check plate. Top round dome from molded acrylic. Bottom 'witch hat' funnel from vacuum formed ABS. Middle cylinder from regular old ABS tubing. Piping and structural steel is extruded ABS. Looking at the trackplan . . . The Wet Product Loading Facilities straddle two spurs on the Acme Chemicals plant complex. There is about 1.5" clearance below the hoppers. The tanks are 6" overall length. So, about 8" structure height. N scale. I'm typing this on my cell phone. I'll move over to my laptop in a few minutes and add a photo. Robert EDIT Here's a quick photo. Vacuu-formed 'witch hat' solvent welded to tank cylinder and painted a dignified shade of colonial blue. Unpainted acrylic dome out front. This is why I don't participate in the Show Me Something thread. I never seem to have any decent photos lying around . . .
Looking at the second image . . .
Notice that the structure has three levels. From the top: round dome of tank, middle cylinder, bottom hopper. All cut through with floors/walkways. The tanks are not solid constructions that pass through holes in the floors, but three separate pieces and the floors are solid.
All stuff is readily available commercial Plastruct materials and detail pieces.
Floors made from diamond check plate. Top round dome from molded acrylic. Bottom 'witch hat' funnel from vacuum formed ABS. Middle cylinder from regular old ABS tubing. Piping and structural steel is extruded ABS.
Looking at the trackplan . . .
The Wet Product Loading Facilities straddle two spurs on the Acme Chemicals plant complex. There is about 1.5" clearance below the hoppers. The tanks are 6" overall length. So, about 8" structure height. N scale.
I'm typing this on my cell phone. I'll move over to my laptop in a few minutes and add a photo.
EDIT Here's a quick photo. Vacuu-formed 'witch hat' solvent welded to tank cylinder and painted a dignified shade of colonial blue. Unpainted acrylic dome out front.
This is why I don't participate in the Show Me Something thread. I never seem to have any decent photos lying around . . .
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If you want I can share the cad files with you. (HO scale but can be scaled to N)
Colorado Front Range Railroad: http://www.coloradofrontrangerr.com/
I have photos and sketches and whatnot taped to the walls of my office and layout room, including a large-format plot of the current trackplan. I keep forgetting that because of file size and screen resolution and so forth, the other members of this forum cannot see what I see. So, here is an enlarged image of the lower middle peninsula that includes Acme Chemicals that is discussed these past couple of posts . . .
SeeYou190 Just guessing by looking at the staircases, will that be about 6 inches tall when done? What are you gong to use to build the tanks? I have never built a structure like that one. -Kevin
Just guessing by looking at the staircases, will that be about 6 inches tall when done?
What are you gong to use to build the tanks? I have never built a structure like that one.
-Kevin
Hey Kevin -
Living the dream.
Current scratchbuild. Here are a few rough sketches of the Liquid Product Loading Facility of Acme Chemicals. It is located in the lower right corner of the middle peninsula.
I have a little animated movie from the viewpoint of a tiny electronic insect drone flying over, under, around, and through the structure, but I don't know how to upload it.
mbinsewi I should have known! NICE! Mike.
I should have known! NICE!
Mike.
+1
I'm beginning to realize that Windows 10 and sound decoders have a lot in common. There are so many things you have to change in order to get them to work the way you want.
My You Tube
Following up to previous post.
Speculating on some more projects Robert? Maybe that Gulf Life building?
More Mid-Century Modern stuff . . . this time, two skyscrapers from Florida. Well, one fairly short skyscraper (420') and one fairly tall tree-topper (250'). In fairness to the Gulf Life Tower, there was a time in the 60s when it was the tallest building in Florida. It was quickly surpassed when NASA built that one-story Saturn rocket Vertical Assembly Building at Cape Canaveral.
Frank Lloyd Wright would have hated both these buildings. He did not ascribe to the idea of glass curtain walls. He would have ridiculed them as having 'windows upon windows to the nth degree; the buildings are completely bewindowed'.
We use to make a yearly trip down to your town Rich, wifey went to a podiatry convention at the Hyatt on Wacker, a block east of Michigan, and the only time I've seen the river NOT calm was the time when the convention was during St. Patrick's Day. I watched a crew in a boat stirring up the green dye.
Love those river taxis, used them to get back and forth from Navy Pier and the Shedd Aquarium, and Union Station on a rare summer time visit. If Photobucket was being nice this morning, I'd post some pics of the river.
Anxious to your see your layout progress!
After I posted those comments about an unrealistically calm Chicago River, I found this image on a Twitter. So much for unrealistically calm water. Who knew?
https://twitter.com/barrybutler9/status/721750922842529792
Rich
Alton Junction
ROBERT PETRICK richhotrain I am in the completion stage of adding a river in an urban area of my new layout. After experimenting with different materials, I decided to go with Envirotex Lite. The results are fantastic, but the only shortcoming is that it is self leveling and dries like glass, no water movement whatsoever. But I think that I have found a solution by adding gloss gel and shaping movement. Rich Hey Rich - Thanks, this is good. Now . . . and I realize this is a lot of me to be asking from you . . . do you have a sequence of photos and a description of what you've done? My area is about 52" wide by 28" deep and has a smooth masonite hardboard surface. How thick should the pour be and how much material will I need? Is it poured directly from a bottle or do I need to mix two parts in a coffee can or something? Paint compatibility? How long to set up and/or dry? Do I do it all in a single pour or multiple pours? I'm okay with the self-levelling smooth-as-glass surface from the Envirotex, but what about the gloss gel you mentioned? N scale ripples/waves are very tiny and I'll need a million of them. What kind, what brand, and how much gloss gel will I need? I'm sure I'll probably have more questions, but I don't want to wear anyone down. Robert
richhotrain I am in the completion stage of adding a river in an urban area of my new layout. After experimenting with different materials, I decided to go with Envirotex Lite. The results are fantastic, but the only shortcoming is that it is self leveling and dries like glass, no water movement whatsoever. But I think that I have found a solution by adding gloss gel and shaping movement. Rich
I am in the completion stage of adding a river in an urban area of my new layout. After experimenting with different materials, I decided to go with Envirotex Lite. The results are fantastic, but the only shortcoming is that it is self leveling and dries like glass, no water movement whatsoever. But I think that I have found a solution by adding gloss gel and shaping movement.
Hey Rich -
Thanks, this is good.
Now . . . and I realize this is a lot of me to be asking from you . . . do you have a sequence of photos and a description of what you've done?
My area is about 52" wide by 28" deep and has a smooth masonite hardboard surface.
How thick should the pour be and how much material will I need? Is it poured directly from a bottle or do I need to mix two parts in a coffee can or something? Paint compatibility?
How long to set up and/or dry? Do I do it all in a single pour or multiple pours?
I'm okay with the self-levelling smooth-as-glass surface from the Envirotex, but what about the gloss gel you mentioned? N scale ripples/waves are very tiny and I'll need a million of them. What kind, what brand, and how much gloss gel will I need?
I'm sure I'll probably have more questions, but I don't want to wear anyone down.
1. Your 52" x 28" area is 10.1 sq. ft, so you will need 1/2 gallon of Envirotex Lite if you go that route.
2. Envirotex Lite is a 2-part epoxy, so a 1/2 gallon kit includes two 1 quart bottles, one of which is a hardener. The mix may be tinted with acrylic paint and, based upon my tests, you can use up to 1 ounce of paint per quart.
3. The two parts of the epoxy, plus the tint, are mixed in equal portions in a smooth sided bowl for two minutes and then immediately poured. At that point, you have 25 minutes of working time.
4. The mix can be poured in portions, but all portions must be poured within a 25 minute time span. If you try to overlap separate portions over a longer time period, the overlaps will show.
5. Envirotex Lite is self-leveling and should be poured in such a manner that the depth is 1/8", no more than that.
6. Once poured, the epoxy dries to the touch in about 6 hours and takes a total of 72 hours to permanently harden. The epoxy should be covered during the 72 hour hardening period.
7. I haven't yet experimented with the gloss gel, but I will report back once I know the results.
ROBERT PETRICK richhotrain Robert, what material do you plan to use to create water under that bridge? Rich Hey Rich - I dunno. I'm not sure, I'm still dithering. I've never really done large bodies of open water before. A few creeks and ditches here and there, and the chicken-out version of a dry gulch arroyo. Please feel free to jump in with any info or advice.
richhotrain Robert, what material do you plan to use to create water under that bridge? Rich
Robert, what material do you plan to use to create water under that bridge?
I dunno. I'm not sure, I'm still dithering.
I've never really done large bodies of open water before. A few creeks and ditches here and there, and the chicken-out version of a dry gulch arroyo.
Please feel free to jump in with any info or advice.
For the water of the Wind River Canyon, I painted the plywood deck dark dark green and black, and then slathered on about six heavy coats of water based polyurethane. It came out all right, but not as great as I envisioned (nothing ever does).
This bridge spans the inlet of a deep-water port: ocean to the right, tidewater river estuary to the left.
The waters of the St Johns River in Florida (near where I grew up) vary from muddy murky brown to murky muddy brown. In the glamorous world of model railroading, I hope to be a little more . . . umm . . . glamorous.
My port scene is based, more or less, on the Port of Miami and the Port of Los Angeles. Since the ocean in the vicinity of South Florida is a light aqua-greenish, that's the color I'm going for. Some silty sandy brownish tans, of course, and lots of ripples and windcaps, but no rolling waves.
But I'm still not fully confident how to proceed. I've been looking for detailed videos or photos or narratives how others have handled similar challenges, but the stuff I found so far is lacking. I'm looking for step-by-step sequential photos and clear instructions. Most of the photos I've seen appear to skip over the mundane procedures and jump right to the finished product. Interesting, but not terribly informative.
Thanks.
I really like that river scene! I can just imaging is fully sceniced! You've made a lovely long bridge that really makes that scene look super realistic! Can't wait to see move of your work!
Regards, Isaac
I model my railroad and you model yours! I model my way and you model yours!
A View of San Juan Inlet from the Owl Creek Mountains. Or, a more accurate title: Fooling Around While Ballasting.
Same scene, from operator eye level.
Pruitt Robert, There's an HO scale version of the bank (originally the Wyoming National Bank back in the '60's) that sits on the Central Wyoming Model Railroad Association layout. I heard you did that one, too...
Robert,
There's an HO scale version of the bank (originally the Wyoming National Bank back in the '60's) that sits on the Central Wyoming Model Railroad Association layout. I heard you did that one, too...
Hey Mark -
Yeah, that was eight or nine years ago when I lived in Casper. We'll call it the first initial exploratory pre-preliminary prototype. It was a model of only the blooming onion corner of the building and had twelve sides. It was made of white cardboard, and the windows were cut from a glossy black file folder I got from Office Depot.
It's funny how ideas can sit idle in the back of your mind for years and still continue to peck away at you.
EDIT
Even the current iteration is not completely complete. There's still something gnawing at me.
There is a curved sloping second-story shed roof sort of thing over the gallery between the round corner room and the square main building. I still haven't quite pondered how I'm gonna model that. I'm perfectly okay having the current model on my layout in its present state for the duration, but still . . .
ROBERT PETRICKThis is the N Scale version of the Wells Fargo bank in Casper that I scratch built a month or two ago.
That is an incredible model! I can't imagine the complexity of getting the 'flower' section so exact.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Mark P.
Website: http://www.thecbandqinwyoming.comVideos: https://www.youtube.com/user/mabrunton
Very nice work.
Gary
SeeYou190 Robert, Please keep the updates coming.
Robert, Please keep the updates coming.
I think the Wells Fargo buildong is very impressive.
Printing roadways could be the best way to go. When I build my city scene I am going to look into some large fprmat printing on cardstock.
I printed some of the roads I used on my photo prop board.
Backtracking a little . . .
This is the N Scale version of the Wells Fargo bank in Casper that I scratch built a month or two ago.
When an engineer or a designer uses the phrase 'prototype', its meaning is a little different than when a model railroader uses it. To a designer it means the first thing; or better yet, the thing before the first thing, especially if the intent is to follow the first thing with more things. But sometimes the prototype is the only thing.
I get ideas. Once in a while ideas come to me more or less fully formed, but usually the ideas are only ideas that need to be developed and fleshed out. I think about them and ponder them and turn them around in my head. I doodle on a piece of paper with a piece of pencil. Sometimes I doodle with AutoCAD. I piddle with the pieces and parts and work out dimensions and whatnot. I draw sections and details and elevations and schematics. Sometimes I prepare fairly complex 3D sketches and renderings.
But nothing really counts until I pick up the raw materials and let the chips fly and give substance to the thing . . . and create the prototype. This is that. It's a little rough and the details are lacking. It's unpainted and barely sanded and the joints are not as smooth and clean as I'd like. It was cut and assembled from 0.0625" sheets of white, black, and tan styrene and 0.032" sheets of smoke gray translucent acrylic. The goal was to give form and shape and mass and color and texture to some abstract ideas and then stand back and squint a little to see what's what. Not too bad.