As I'm still in laser withdrawal I have to find other ways to work on the layout. The left half of the tunnel track didn't have walls yet so I started cutting some foam and gluing it on:
Michael
The Breitenbach - Rosenheim Railroad V3
I added another 8 feet of subroadbed to the branch line:
Update on the laser: after doing a few tests it looks like the high voltage power supply for the laser tube is dead. I've removed it from the machine and shipped it to the manufacturer. Now we sit back and wait...
This is the last subroadbed I can mount in place before the laser comes back to life. I have enough roadbed for this area so I will glue it down and then lay track in this area.
I've glued down and painted/sealed the last of the roadbed until the laser comes back to life...
Without my laser I have to find other jobs around the layout. Today I decided it was time to install some lighting at Gustavsburg. It's not complete yet but 17 feet are up and shining.
Before:
After:
I added a few more led strips to light up the corner:
This part of the mainline doesn't need any bridges so I can lay track in this area:
I laid more track along the back wall of the layout room:
I still have the mill from the last layout, even if it's been damaged a little bit. But it gives an idea of how this scene might look later on:
A few additional pictures of this area:
I laid some more track at this small station:
More progress:
What's happening with the laser repair?
Mark P.
Website: http://www.thecbandqinwyoming.comVideos: https://www.youtube.com/user/mabrunton
Brunton What's happening with the laser repair?
Waiting for the test result. Takes a while...
They should send a loaner.
At any rate, this layout is awesome. Free magazine article.
Thanks for sharing.
T e d
tedtedderson They should send a loaner.
Wouldn't that be nice !
michaelrose55 tedtedderson They should send a loaner. Wouldn't that be nice !
Hey Michael-
In industry there is a phrase 'mean time between failures'. It denotes a reasonable expected working life for a given piece of equipment.
You've done a ton of work and cut hundreds, if not thousands, of pieces. In terms of calendar months or machine hours or pieces cut, has your laser stood up to the tasks and performed as advertised? Or, has it suffered a premature death? And if so, is it covered under warranty? I assume you haven't abused it or tasked it beyond its limits.
I'm just trying to get a feel for the useful lifespan and output of one of those marvelous toys. Should you have gotten a higher-capacity model? Or a heavy-duty industrial model? What would be the cost differential of the next higher model? And would that extra cost result in a longer life for the kind of work you've been doing?
Robert
LINK to SNSR Blog
Robert,
Many questions...
I have used the laser for 4 years so no warranty. I have cut a lot of pieces so I've always expected that something would fail. I would call this a normal occurance. Laser tubes have a limited life, that's well known. I didn't expect it to kill the power supply though but I've since learned that it can happen.
This machine costs $3,500. The one I would really like would be about $15k which is the reason I didn't get it as I'm only using it for my hobby. But that does not meant that the more expensive one would hold up better, laser tubes are still laser tubes. The higher priced machine has some additional features that would be nice to have but in my opinion don't justify the extra $11,500 (and I wouldn't know hot to explain it to my wife...).
So hopefully next week I will get replacement parts shipped to me and then life is good again!
As I need a lot of rocks for this big layout I have been thinking of different ways of rock coloring lately. One thing I didn't like the last time was the way my mountains looked, way to lightly colored. Therefore this time I want to make them look a bit darker.
Today I took a leftover rock casting and tried my new concept. This is how it looks:
So what does everybody think? Is this acceptable? Should I go even darker or is it too dark already?
Looks like rocks to me!
I thought that it looked just a bit dark. But, if you thought the previous try looked a bit too light, then you are there with the current try. Go for it.
Rich
Alton Junction
That looks pretty much exactly like some rock cuts I've driven through. The shape, the texture, the color variations - looks spot on to me. Around here there is a lot of slate and shale (lots of coal around here, and one nearby area isn't called "the slate belt" for nothing), which looks completely different, however there is also a solid formation through the area so there are highway and railroad cuts through harder types of rock that come out looking like this.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Thanks everybody for their opinion. I like the way the rock looks quite well and will probably go this route.
Today I've made 18 tunnel walls for the layout. I'm using 12" long strips of 5mm foamboard, covered with a thin layer of sculptamold to give the walls enough texture.
I've laid the last few missing pieces of track in this area today as well:
I came in early this morning and put on some alcohol/india ink mix:
Update on the Laser:
The manufacturer has found that the power supply is bad. Because the laser tube might be bad as well I have ordered replacements for both which should be shipped today or tomorrow. With a little luck I might get them before the weekend.
Yesterday I had a visitor again: Jeff Shultz from Model Railroad Hobbyist Magazine came to see the G&AM.
The replacement parts for my laser won't be delivered before Monday so I'm still looking for other jobs...
Today I gave a few tunnel portals and retaining walls a first wash:
The beginnings of more background mountains:
I haven't done much on the layout this weekend. Only a single tunnel portal has been placed: