Weekend Photo Fun 9-21-2007 thru 9-23-2007

[Mark R.]

A bit of competition for Jeffrey W. this weekend, hope you won't mind Jeffrey.

This tanker was painted with an airbrush for me by a member of our local club, he is very talented.

Jack W.

That top one is based on a real tank car - MR had a picture of it some time ago. Yes, Blairline also has the decal for it as well.

Mark.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Jack: That top one looks just like the decal on my grain hopper. Very good! I'm gonna dig through the Blair Line offerings and see if I can find one similar to that bottom one. I like that.

[loathar]

Jala-Normally I hate graffiti, but those look cool!! I've got a couple Walthers 33,000gal. tankers that would be good candidates for that.(that's about all they're good for.)

[mikesmowers]

 jala.... Man I would have to say your friend IS in fact talented! Heck, I can't draw a straight line with a pencil and ruler.   Very good, are you going to weather them?             Mike

[Anonymous]

Jeff, nice scenery and a nice video. You've got some big ones to try five units and 40 cars on a home layout. I don't know if you noticed it but there's a definite bump just as the train enters the bridge. I only seem to see it in the longer boxcars so I'm not sure if it's in the track or a clearance problem.

It's on a curve and you are seeing the force of all of the cars behind wanting to pull the cars into the curve.  The bump you are seeing are the cars leaning back upright as they exit the curve.  If you look really close you'll see them swaying side to side. I actually had a few derailments on the first couple of attempts. I had to move some of the lighter cars towards the back to eliminate it.  The curve is also at the top of a long grade so the drawbar pressure is at its maximum.  I didn't notice the same effects on 35 cars so I believe I am right at the maximum limit for my layout, unless I put a helper in the middle somewhere.

 

Oh, you mean like my 22" curve at the summit of a 4% grade?

I need helpers for a train half as long! 

[jalajoie]

A bit of competition for Jeffrey W. this weekend, hope you won't mind Jeffrey.

This tanker was painted with an airbrush for me by a member of our local club, he is very talented.

Jack W.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

[jbinkley60]

Jeff, nice scenery and a nice video. You've got some big ones to try five units and 40 cars on a home layout. I don't know if you noticed it but there's a definite bump just as the train enters the bridge. I only seem to see it in the longer boxcars so I'm not sure if it's in the track or a clearance problem.

It's on a curve and you are seeing the force of all of the cars behind wanting to pull the cars into the curve.  The bump you are seeing are the cars leaning back upright as they exit the curve.  If you look really close you'll see them swaying side to side. I actually had a few derailments on the first couple of attempts. I had to move some of the lighter cars towards the back to eliminate it.  The curve is also at the top of a long grade so the drawbar pressure is at its maximum.  I didn't notice the same effects on 35 cars so I believe I am right at the maximum limit for my layout, unless I put a helper in the middle somewhere.

 

[jwar]

UP2CSX...I hear you on the turnouts, Oh well as long as we enjoy it huh...Project wise I am where I wanted to be last weekend and I must quit putting time lines on a hobby, usually dont do that. I am trying to get things done, and squared away before Oct 6th. I offered my layout for an NMRA tour. Will be only a hanfull of people, would be nice if everything stayed on the tracks and the wire's dont smoke LOL. And this little red light put an end to this project...

[UP2CSX]

John, you've got to be a civil engineer. Only an engineer would go through all that just to get their bridge on an abutment. It came out good though. I just had to replace a turnout this week and got the ground throw mounted after I took up the turnout and, when I put the new one in, realized the ground throw was on the wrong side of the turnout. Opps. I hope the guys find out what they did with that signal.

[UP2CSX]

Art, what can I say? Breathtaking. And now you have to some it apart to finish and put it back together? That alone would be a lifetime job for me.

[UP2CSX]

Jeff, nice scenery and a nice video. You've got some big ones to try five units and 40 cars on a home layout. I don't know if you noticed it but there's a definite bump just as the train enters the bridge. I only seem to see it in the longer boxcars so I'm not sure if it's in the track or a clearance problem.

[fiatfan]

thanks, are these like work spotlights or are these permanently mounted?

They are work lights with a clip for mounting but are also available with a stand.

 

Tom 

They are similar to these.  I picked them up at Menards for aorund $5-10.

http://www.residential-landscape-lighting-design.com/store/images/TPI-CP-QH-1.JPG 

Tom 

[jwar]

Art, Kimms kanyon is stunning. I removed eveerything I did last week to just get 1/4 clearence under the bridge girder, then after replacing the bridge and track, I glued in ballast to the turnout. The next morning I found a direct short, no insulators (Duhhh ) removed the track and redid it again. Everythings working and will ballast the turnout, and wire the signals. The missing signal, have the crew looking for it, so other then that it has been a good week, wasent late for dinner one time.LOL John

[fiatfan]

thanks, are these like work spotlights or are these permanently mounted?

They are work lights with a clip for mounting but are also available with a stand.

 

Tom 

[ARTHILL]

Great pics. Here is the first long look at Kimms Kanyon, and the last for a while. I will need to take some parts out to finish the river, and the trees and bushes in the back of the Kanyon. Some work on the back wall is also needed.

 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

 jeff, I assume these are mounted in the ceiling or simply overhead the layout? i definitely need to get away from the incadescents!!

They're mounted over the layout. Two over the north-south extension and two over the main part of the layout. Fluorescents are the only type of lights I've had in my trailer.

[P & LE RR]

I agree, the fence (and the freight cars) look great. How did you do the fence? Mine always look like they are about to fall over.

thanks! i used BLMA chain link fence, which while a tad pricy at $20 for 110 scale feet, looks great with minimal effort... as for keeping them upright, i used Elmers Super Glue Gel... it has a thicker consistency, so it doesn't run and i just held each fence segment in place for about 15 seconds... 

P & LE, the modeling is excellent.  For lighting, I use a couple of quartz work lights to provide better lighting for my photos.

Tom

thanks, are these like work spotlights or are these permanently mounted?

My layout lighting consists of four 27 watt daylight fluorescent spiral bulbs. It's excellent for my photography.

 jeff, I assume these are mounted in the ceiling or simply overhead the layout? i definitely need to get away from the incadescents!!

This is very high calibre modeling. I really enjoyed the pics. Your fence is good... the only criticism I can think of is that you are missing the top bar that spans between the fence posts. Or maybe I can't see it due to the picture quality?

dustin, thanks for the comments... your eyes were not deceiving you! i didn't put in the top bar, as the ones that came with the kit just didnt look right, i've seen a few fences that have just basically been posts with the chain link spanned between it, so until i find a material that looks right i am going to stick with the story that this industry is run by some cheapskates that didn't want to splurge on a proper fence! :)

[Dustin]

please give any suggestions/criticism!

 

This is very high calibre modeling. I really enjoyed the pics. Your fence is good... the only criticism I can think of is that you are missing the top bar that spans between the fence posts. Or maybe I can't see it due to the picture quality?

Really good stuff

 

[jbinkley60]

 

I completed some scenery work this week and picked up a couple of Athearn trucks for my shipping company. 

I also did a 5 unit lashup to hooked 40+ cars to see if I could make it around the layout without any derailing problems.   I decided to make a video of it since I won't generally be running trains  this long or putting 5 locomotives up front.  Up from is 2 Atlas 8-40CWs, a BLI SD40-2 and 2 Atlas GP-40s. 

http://www.thebinks.com/trains/movies/jersey3.wmv

 

[Dustin]

No photos these weekend...  ....just the video tour I did Thursday night:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veEvKHFGd5s

Dave, I had no idea your layout was only on a 36" door! I loved the video... it made your layout seem huge! I especially loved the signals switching as the trains passed into the next block.

Was there an N-scale sized earthquake at the 2:35 mark of the video? Looks like it was a 7.9 magnitude! 

Thanks for the inspiration!

 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

My layout lighting consists of four 27 watt daylight fluorescent spiral bulbs. It's excellent for my photography.

[fiatfan]

P & LE, the modeling is excellent.  For lighting, I use a couple of quartz work lights to provide better lighting for my photos.

Tom

[UP2CSX]

I agree, the fence (and the freight cars) look great. How did you do the fence? Mine always look like they are about to fall over.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

I like that fence. That looks good.

[P & LE RR]

two shots of projects this week... building the fence, adding some grass, weeds, wines and foliage, plust weathering a pair of boxcars... i need to add better lighting so these photos come out clearer though!!! please give any suggestions/criticism!

 

[UP2CSX]

Good work, Bergie. Too bad we can't send a real Police Interceptor over to have a chat with him.

[mikesmowers]

   Man, Bergie is on the ball today! Thanks Bergie.            Mike

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Great stuff everyone!!!

I especially like the subway, Mr. B!

PS: The troll is gone! Thanks Bergie!!!!!

Yahoo! All hail Bergie! The troll is gone!

[Anonymous]

Great stuff everyone!!!

I especially like the subway, Mr. B!

PS: The troll is gone! Thanks Bergie!!!!!