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The RRRR Engine House--Done! (finally)

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  • Member since
    September 2003
  • 21,669 posts
Posted by Overmod on Thursday, August 6, 2020 12:04 PM

SpaceMouse
This one went right over my head

GERN is a long-running model-railroad trope.  Think snake-oil patent medicine company with formulae adapted for 'industry' instead of pharma.  While retaining the nostrum-like cagy reluctance to describe precisely what is in the products or how they work... but good with the branding campaigns...

  • Member since
    December 2004
  • From: Bedford, MA, USA
  • 21,483 posts
Posted by MisterBeasley on Thursday, August 6, 2020 11:30 AM

rrinker

 Needs a poster advertising Lili von Shtupp appearing at the local saloon. And maybe a "Re-Elect William J. Le Petomane, Governor" poster.

                                     --Randy

I made up decals for my old streamlined passenger cars.  Governor William LePetomane is on the observation car.  The dining car is Alferd Packer, the only American ever convicted of cannibalism.

Hi, Space Mouse!  Long time no see!

It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse. 

  • Member since
    December 2004
  • From: Rimrock, Arizona
  • 11,251 posts
Posted by SpaceMouse on Thursday, August 6, 2020 7:51 AM

rrinker

 Be a shame if they ended up being bought out by GERN. Laugh

                          --Randy

 

 

This one went right over my head. Even Professor Google couldn't help. 

Chip

Building the Rock Ridge Railroad with the slowest construction crew west of the Pecos.

  • Member since
    September 2003
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Posted by Overmod on Thursday, August 6, 2020 7:45 AM

rrinker
Be a shame if they ended up being bought out by GERN. Laugh

Strange you mention this as so much of the proprietary chemistry in binder conditioners and fireproofing is sourced by them.  As the salesmen say "Our sufficiently-advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic'.

  • Member since
    December 2004
  • From: Rimrock, Arizona
  • 11,251 posts
Posted by SpaceMouse on Thursday, August 6, 2020 7:45 AM

Overmod
No, this is the venture by the finance guy who married Ridge sister Mantelle, the secret plan to make bricks out of compressed wood dust and chips to be set with 'renewable' mortar with low taxable carbon involvement (made with processing of wood).

I just can't picture a tree-hugger in a logging family. They could get some of the fake wood made with recycled styrofoam. (Save your blue and pink scraps modelers.) At least that almost looks like wood.

Chip

Building the Rock Ridge Railroad with the slowest construction crew west of the Pecos.

  • Member since
    February 2002
  • From: Reading, PA
  • 30,002 posts
Posted by rrinker on Thursday, August 6, 2020 7:33 AM

 Be a shame if they ended up being bought out by GERN. Laugh

                          --Randy

 


Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's

 

Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • 21,669 posts
Posted by Overmod on Thursday, August 6, 2020 7:06 AM

No, this is the venture by the finance guy who married Ridge sister Mantelle, the secret plan to make bricks out of compressed wood dust and chips to be set with 'renewable' mortar with low taxable carbon involvement (made with processing of wood).  Touted as the greatest potential improvement since glulam, a technology I see the Ridges seem to have missed in general...

Modeled economically by just not painting the laser-etched sheets when you use them... Wink

  • Member since
    December 2004
  • From: Rimrock, Arizona
  • 11,251 posts
Posted by SpaceMouse on Thursday, August 6, 2020 6:06 AM

rrinker

 Needs a poster advertising Lili von Shtupp appearing at the local saloon. And maybe a "Re-Elect William J. Le Petomane, Governor" poster.

                                     --Randy

 

 

Good ideas. I have a Mongo somewhere. And I'm pretty sure I can come up with a toll booth.

Chip

Building the Rock Ridge Railroad with the slowest construction crew west of the Pecos.

  • Member since
    February 2002
  • From: Reading, PA
  • 30,002 posts
Posted by rrinker on Wednesday, August 5, 2020 11:14 PM

 Needs a poster advertising Lili von Shtupp appearing at the local saloon. And maybe a "Re-Elect William J. Le Petomane, Governor" poster.

                                     --Randy

 


Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's

 

Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.

  • Member since
    December 2004
  • From: Rimrock, Arizona
  • 11,251 posts
Posted by SpaceMouse on Wednesday, August 5, 2020 8:24 PM

Overmod
Oooooh, you have a treat in store.  Look up the recent thread on 'scratch building brick walls' and see what is available in laser-etched brick in wood.

I must not have been clear. I wanted wood to begin with. This is a town built around the lumber industry and so naturally, the guy who owns the Rock Ridge RR would buy the lumber from himself, the owner of Rock Ridge Lumber. He is after all, Randall "Rock" Ridge. 

His brother, Douglas "Duke" Ridge owns the silver mine and foundry. Lawrence Ridge, who has no "middle name" is currently trying to start a new saloon/whorehouse to compete with the Flattened Penny. He's not been very successful with his preveous grand schemes either.  

Chip

Building the Rock Ridge Railroad with the slowest construction crew west of the Pecos.

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • 21,669 posts
Posted by Overmod on Wednesday, August 5, 2020 8:13 PM

Oooooh, you have a treat in store.  Look up the recent thread on 'scratch building brick walls' and see what is available in laser-etched brick in wood.  You can use these as patterns for molded fascia brick if your budget doesn't permit...

  • Member since
    December 2004
  • From: Rimrock, Arizona
  • 11,251 posts
The RRRR Engine House--Done! (finally)
Posted by SpaceMouse on Wednesday, August 5, 2020 7:51 PM

Before you ask, it's Rock Ridge Railroad.

As mentioned in a previous post, I've been building the kits I've been meaning to get to since before Brutus stabbed Caesar.

So I picked up the Muir Models Alameda Engine House and looked inside. The picture on the box looked like this:

Now right off the bat, I know I don't need an engine house that will hold two Big Boys end-to-end, so I know I'm going to cut it down some. Now I recently had a bad experience with a Muir Model where the guy who I got it from on eBay had built it and sent me only what was left when he quit 3/4 of the way through. So the first thing I did was stack all the bits of wood and count them.

They were all there, but the wood walls were in odd sections. When I read the instructions, I found out what I was supposed to do is tape them together from the back, then glue a brick print to the wood. I swear the model in the picture on the box looked like wood.

But it got worse--or so it seemed.

The print of the bricks was faded badly. But not evenly. It was perfectly new in places, but it was obviously been out in the sun for like 6 months with the instructions sitting on top of the bricks. Because the instructions are faded too. I could recreate just how they were laying if you want. The bricks were unusable even if I wanted to, and I wanted a wood engine house anyway.

So, I decided I'd use the big old windows and the back doors and everything else would be made of popsicle sticks and coffee stirrers.  So, I drew up a plan. My engine house would be only 9 inches long and have only one vent instead of four. And 9 inches fits the longest engine I have by over an inch. Engines weren't that big in 1895.

 

 

I miss my drafting table. 

Here's what I got done the first day. Doesn't look like much but the walls are square. And I ripped 50 popsicle sticks to size on my mini table saw. I couldn't figure out why MicroMark sold cutoff saws, but after trying to cut my popsicle studs with my Chomper, and having the razor blades bend and cut the wood long and at an angle, I can see the advantage. 

I was going strong and was going to finish the framing the next day. Now if you are like me, while you are sitting around waiting for glue to dry, you're figuring how it will look on the layout. Now this engine house has big old doors and when it is lit up at night, you're going to see everything along the far wall. Except there's nothing. And there has to be something. And I figure if I'm going to detail that wall, it is better that I do it when I can reach it instead of trying to do it through the doors over my yard. So here's what I did the first day.

After holding the wall with one hand and using tweezers in the other hand to hold the styrene bits in place, and dabbing on the plastic solvent on with the brush in my mouth, I was all ready to air brush it to perfection. I even got an air brush spray booth for Christmas. 

Trouble is, I couldn't adjust the pressure on my Portercable compressor. I used to be able to. And it drives nails like a big dog. So, I painted them all by hand. It took 3 coats to cover.

I have a new dedicated air brush compressor on my new Christmas list. 

Now I just have to figure out what would look good on those shelves. I figure some STP cans, a Pensoil banner, and a Victorian nudie calendar should do the trick. Just what did they keep around in those days? and what was the floor? Was it dirt? Balast? Concrete with a lube pit? Inquiring minds who stay at Holiday Express want to know. 

I'll try to keep you posted. 

Chip

Building the Rock Ridge Railroad with the slowest construction crew west of the Pecos.

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