In N scale you'd probably want the finest grade you can get. Even if it looks too fine for gravel, it would still look like an asphalt or concrete roof.
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I finished the switching video this morning and then promptly forgot to post it here. Alex (RailfanAlex) supplied most of the sound for the video - thanks Alex! LE-1 will switch out the cat food plant, then intermodal hotshot WJNA passes behind the yard.
Switching in Lebanon with LE-1
Fix those handrails before I call the mFRA.
Alex
Wow - I didn't even notice those until I read your post...but they're fixed now.
TrainManTyIn N scale you'd probably want the finest grade you can get. Even if it looks too fine for gravel, it would still look like an asphalt or concrete roof.-------------------------------------I finished the switching video this morning and then promptly forgot to post it here. Alex (RailfanAlex) supplied most of the sound for the video - thanks Alex! LE-1 will switch out the cat food plant, then intermodal hotshot WJNA passes behind the yard.Switching in Lebanon with LE-1
thanks man. I've actually got access to 1200 grit though; I'm thinking maybe 600 or 800 will do the trick.
sweet video, but youtube quit streaming after about 4 seconds or so. from what I could watch though it looked good, I'll either edit this post or reply when I watch the whole thing haha.
Sawyer Berry
Clemson University c/o 2018
Building a protolanced industrial park layout
Sawyer, like Tyler said, I'd go with the finest you can get.
Very nice Tyler!
Well, I actually did get those photos. I was able to get them in WPF last night, but then my computer died (YES, AGAIN!!!), and I didn't feel like starting it back up. I'm to lazy to repost them here, so I'll just give a link. It's the last post:http://cs.trains.com/trccs/forums/t/170366.aspx?PageIndex=3
My Model Railroad: Tri State RailMy Photos on Flickr: FlickrMy Videos on Youtube: YoutubeMy Photos on RRPA: RR Picture Archives
Tyler, finally got a chance to watch the video, sweet man!
Joe, excellent work on that loco, especially since it's brush painted. no stroke lines that I can see.
I'm not sure when I'll get around to getting the sand paper to use for the roof. Hopefully I'll get a job reffing soccer games this spring at the rec department, which will give me some layout cash and savings cash
Page 4? Really...
Thanks Sawyer! I can't find any stroke lines either, and didn't go on thick at all. Just goes to show that you CAN achieve good results with a brush!
ns3010 Thanks Sawyer! I can't find any stroke lines either, and didn't go on thick at all. Just goes to show that you CAN achieve good results with a brush!
true. My GP35 turned out decent when I brushed painted it. should have definitely thinned the paint though, but oh well, I've got an airbrush now, and it does give way better results, no matter how careful you are brush painting lol
Amherst Show car, finally assembled.
Doublestacks anyone?
Guilford GuyDoublestacks anyone?
Think of how much undercutting they'd have to do to the bridges for those to run...not to mention they'd need some really special intermodal cranes!
Well, I did some scenery work this weekend and weathering work this weekend and last. I need to clean off the tracks still, but here's some pics of the new scene:
Those are some huge man-eating plants!
No Tyler, his trains are just too small...
TrainManTyThose are some huge man-eating plants!
welcome to the wonderful world of KUDZU haha. though this is supposed to look like a deciduous forest in the south lol.
What did you use for the road?
Chris
Most of the road is white chipboard that has been airbrushed black, and weathered with shades of gray and powders. The portion of the roadway between the rails is white styrene. I filed down the corners so narrow wheelsets wouldn't ride atop the road, and then airbrushed it black before installing it.
When I redo the roads, I'm replacing the chipboard with sheet styrene. The chipboard looks fine, except it has a tendency to fray at the corners.
Over the past few weeks, I have had breakthroughs and disasters.
1. I went to Florida on my Birthday. That night, I had a celebration with my Grandparents. For my Birthday, I got
and an organizer. The organizer has worked miracles already. When I got home, I dumped everything on my workbench onto the floor. I then went through everything and decided where it should go, or if I should keep it. The Workbench looks so clean! Ill get you guys pictures soon
Before I left for Orlando, I did a little work on a locomotive that fell.
First, the smokestack cracked, so I cut out some Styrene, (I actually picked it up in North Dakota on my Cross Country trip; over the course of 13,581 miles, 32 states, and 3 months, I spammed Hobby Shops all across America) painted it silver, glued it on, and cut it tight. I will soon bore out a hole, and paint and cut the rough edges. Here are some pics
On the same locomotive, aA back step fell off. I also cut out some styrene, painted it black, and put it on. On the same end, I replaced a coupler for my first Kadee. Funny Story, I never knew there was a back ladder on the locomotive until I saw the picture.
I accomplished all this with a home made loco cradle; I hope to get a professional one soon.
Then finally, a disaster.
The other day, I was working on the layout when my little sister and her friend came in. Somehow, they got it into their heads that they were entitled to do scenery on My Railroad. Being a nice person, I told them what to do, and how to do it. I brought out my new xacto knife set, cut away some expandable foam, and let them at it. After thinking about it, I told them to wait a moment more, and went to the bathroom.
This was not an errand for what you think it was for. I got a bowl of water, and a roll of toilet paper, and came back. I folded the TP so it had a nice edge, wet it, and put it just to the edge of my nice new ballasting job. This was the smarted decision I have ever made in my life!
After that, I watched them work. I thought they would be much more methodical, pushing the dirt up as a realistic embankment, and then lightly sifting some over the plywood, before applying a light coating of grass. I was very wrong. Dumping hoards of dirt on the layout, they didn't care at all about where the dirt went. I was horablified (family slang used to describe cat when ignored and select other occasions, hore-a-bli-fied) as I watched not one mm, but two, three, five, a centimeter of dirt pouring onto nowhere in particular.
Then came the Grass, O the grass! Twisting the woodland scenics caps off because they were too lazy to work the top open, grass was poured onto the dirt, in deep pools, uneven, splotchy, and a sore sight for eyes. Forrest green, dark green, light green, dead grass, dry grass, underbrush, static grass, every brand I owned fell onto the disastrous pile.
I initially said they could cement everything down. I gave the not so untrue excuse that I had work to do, and I would do it later. Protests came flying. I ducked. Finally, my sister came over to my side (for still some unknown reason) and said, "Well, come on, this is his model train (Insult in the upmost extreme, I am a Model RAILROADER, not a Model Trainer), and I know him not to budge on the subject." I was saved, or so I thought. The damage was done. Hours in dirt sifting lost. Hundreds of dollars down the drain (okay, not really). As I discovered last night (clock just clicked to 12 AM), it would cost me a good half an hour in damage repair. So far, a point was jammed due to vehement dirting, and plenty of ballast was covered with dirt dust, which required vigorous brushing to remove. Here are pictures.
I hope I gave you all a laugh with the unfortunately true tale (let it be noted that both girls are very kind, and did little wrong except give me a heart attack) and I hope to be back as a regular again.
~G4
19 Years old, modeling the Cowlitz, Chehalis, and Cascade Railroad of Western Washington in 1927 in 6X6 feet.
I spent over 4 hours replacing the trucks (thanks Vincent for the new trucks!) on GP7 #8569 - the loco now runs pretty well although I'm pretty sure one of the axles is cracked - a common problem with older P2K units. I have plenty of gears left over from the now-unused old trucks, but I don't feel like ripping apart the locomotive AGAIN! When I get around to it, I'll try to pull the offending truck off without having to take off the frame, wires for DCC installation, etc. If I can just pop off the gear tower housing, the truck will come right out and I'll only have to cut and later resolder one wire. But that's a project for another day.
EDIT: Oh, and Alex -- It also runs forwards now! I set CV29 to 35, and now it goes the right way!
Tyler, I hear ya on the project for another day!
John, well, hopefully the landscaping crew will be by shortly on the layout. I REALLY need to organize my desk too; I've figured out how to kitbash an insulation contractor building from two DPM kits and soke parts from a couple of pikestuff kits; jsut can't find the derned walls, though I've found every other part of the pikestuff kit.
Speaking of which....
I've started some scenery on the town side. I have the lot for the scrap yard sceniced, and the lot for the insulation contractor has paint down and the building (for the most part, see above) is there. Until I get some perfectcast, this is the only scenery I can continue working on
Guilford GuyTyler, you're WAY over-thinking disassembly. Flip the loco on its back, and take a flat head screw driver in your good hand. On the bottom of the truck is a plastic clip which holds the axles in place. Slide the screw driver head into one end and gently wiggle it upwards to pop off the cover. You may need to repeat this step on the opposite end of the truck. Just lift out a wheelset, pop a new one in its place, and snap the gearbox cover back on.
No no, I know how to do that - the trucks Vincent sent me didn't come with axles so I know the insides of the trucks very well in between the replacement and subsequent re-gauging to fix a short. I was assuming the gears inside the trucks were cracked since I don't remember that sound before truck replacement. Of course, I just watched a raw video clip from my hard drive (before dubbing audio) and I think I do hear the same sound, but quieter.
This is actually a good thing since I don't have to tear the whole engine down again, but of course I don't have a spare axle...are any of the gears inside the truck (I have 2 spares) the same size as the one on the axle? Also, how big are the cracks I should be looking for?
Tyler, can't help you there; wouldn't know the inside of a p2k loco at all.
Well, found the pikestuff walls (on top of a set of drawers). the kitbash is complete; just wish the SD card reader would work. oh well, pics tomorrow y'all!
Very nice everyone!
Sawyer, dunno, but it looks to me like that train isn't coming back...
John, ah, sisters. That's why I don't have one
Yep...that's it. It's not usually noticeable, but it is annoying when it is. Short of replacing the entire axle with one I don't have, is there any way to fix or replace the cracked gear using only parts I have? Do any of the gears inside the gear towers of the old trucks fit on the axle?
Why can't you just take the wheelset from the old truck?
Sweet John.
Well, here's some cell phone snapshots of my work so far on the scrap yard and insulation contractor:
And here's the roughed-in pine/deciduous forest that will be behind the houses and frame the downtown
The new truck didn't come with wheelsets - it had the truck sideframes, the gear tower, and nothing else. I used the axles from the original trucks which are now sitting in a drawer with just the truck sideframes, the gear tower, and a boatload of grease. (I oiled the new trucks myself with a minimal amount like you're supposed to!) So I have two trucks sideframes and a gear tower left...no axles or wheels.
Steal one from 2752. I have some laying around here that you can replace it with later.