Thanks CG!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Hi Guy:
The boards don't come off as being quite so 'rusty' in reality, but I have some grey wash that I could use to tone the orange tints down a bit.
I deliberately left the center unplanked because I wanted to mimic the oil/grease stain pattern that was evident in the picture Henry posted. You can clearly see a pattern where the grease has dripped between the center ties on the bridge when 'hot' (incoming) locomotives arrive at the turntable:
http://www.railpictures.net/images/d2/5/1/7/3517.1478039898.jpg
I have made an initial attempt at copying the grease stains but as usual they are a bit overdone and too rusty:
The bridge will have a railing and a shack. I don't care too much for the railings that came with the kit so I'm going to make my own. I will probably use the Walthers shack unless something more interesting comes to mind.
The turntable will be part of a small service facility which will include a nine stall roundhouse, all the usual fueling, sand and water supplies, plus a diesel maintenance shop, machine shop, paint shop and steam plant.
It looks fantastic to me. Kudos.
CG
Dave,
Finally the bridge is back!! Turned out great.
nitpicky things…. (disclaimer) - you could do nothing more to it, call it done and have a great looking weathered turntable.
The rust powder on the bridge boards could be toned down slightly. The boards look a lot better in terms of spacing and gaps. – I still think it might look good with a planked center section between the rails. Does the bridge have a railing and or shack/superstructure?
I think the pit could use some loose debris in the center if that doesn’t gum up the works. It would add another layer of texture and tie the textures and colors together. The white looks really good and rest of the weathering in the pit looks good. You got some great textures and some good details.
At the very least - Get yourself a loco and a mockup of some scenery and shoot some low angle shots just to see how it looks. I think it will look great….(post them here)
Is there a place for it on the layout?
Nice job!!
Guy
see stuff at: the Willoughby Line Site
Here is the second attempt at adding real wood planking to the deck. As Ed suggested, I tried to not leave any gaps between the boards:
I'm pleased with how the bridge weathering turned out.
Thanks again CG!
I thought I had seen the same roundhouse and turntable earlier today in another video but upon closer examination the bridges were different.
Thanks for the link.
I just stumbled across this site. They have an 80' armstrong turntable at a small engine facility that is very modelgenic.
http://hawkinsrails.net/shortlines/cagy/cagy_columbus.htm
Wayne:
Thanks for that info. It seems to me that since I am modelling service facility the turntable would have its own power so I guess I'll do a tower.
CG:
Thanks for the link to the videos. I made some interesting observations. One was that the Tennessee Valley pit rail was not covered with grease, nor were the rails on the bridge. Back to the drawing board on that part of my pit.
There was a second turntable video that came up after the one you linked to. I noticed that the pattern that the grease stains formed on the bottom of the pit under the bridge when it was in its most commonly used alignment are very similar to the picture that Henry posted. I was going to plank the bridge between the rails but I'm thinking that I will not do that so I can re-create the grease stains falling from the bridge ties.
I could spend the rest of my modelling career just painting the pit over and over again!
Thanks guys!
Here's a video of the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum's turntable in action. The turntable uses electric power, but the manner of power collection is not obvious.
It measures about 80 foot in diameter using Google Earth's tools, which I have found to be fairly accurate. The museum states that the turntable was originally built in the early 20th century.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9taFjeZ66mg
gmpullmanIn the meantime, in Bethlehem— https://www.flickr.com/photos/78326321@N05/8345821459/in/datetaken/
hon30critter ...it appears as though the locomotive was coming out of the roundhouse. Someone must have really messed up to have that much power applied, although I guess the locomotive would still try to move forward whether the wheels were on the tracks or not. I didn't see any guard rails on the bridge. I'll bet they regretted the lack thereof.
...it appears as though the locomotive was coming out of the roundhouse. Someone must have really messed up to have that much power applied, although I guess the locomotive would still try to move forward whether the wheels were on the tracks or not. I didn't see any guard rails on the bridge. I'll bet they regretted the lack thereof.
By the looks of it, the locomotive must've missed the tracks on the turntable by at least half...perhaps the wheels on one side on the rails of the opposite side, and the other wheels on the walkway or over the edge ot the table.At least it got turned....over.
hon30critter I didn't know about air driven turntables. I haven't given much thought to how to model the power system.
I didn't know about air driven turntables. I haven't given much thought to how to model the power system.
The CNR, and probably a lot of other roads, too, used air from the loco's brake hose to power turntables at the end of rural branchlines. Most of these locales had no enginehouse, but needed a place to turn the locomotive. The turntable might be in town, but many were simply in a field at the end of the track. There are several photos of this operation in Ian Wilson's series of books on various CNR lines in southern Ontario.
Wayne
Hey Ed:
gmpullmanCan you fit another track in there?
I don't think so!
I didn't know about air driven turntables. I haven't given much thought to how to model the power system. Thanks.
What were the wife and kids doing at the roundhouse?!? Did they let the kids run the train and they went too fast as usual?!? Seriously, it appears as though the locomotive was coming out of the roundhouse. Someone must have really messed up to have that much power applied, although I guess the locomotive would still try to move forward whether the wheels were on the tracks or not. I didn't see any guard rails on the bridge. I'll bet they regretted the lack thereof.
Thanks Ed
I came across a few photos from the NYC's Ashtabula roundhouse. NO arch for the motor power? Some turntables were air driven from the locomotive's brake pipe. Looks like wires strung along the hand rail?
https://www.flickr.com/photos/115892967@N03/13977905194
Can you fit another track in there?
Your pit is the pits!
I found a photo in the NYC Headlight Magazine where they used an old pair of tender back-up lights as spot lights at the bridge ends. I'll have to dig that up and post it...
In the meantime, in Bethlehem—
https://www.flickr.com/photos/78326321@N05/8345821459/in/datetaken/
Regards, Ed
Found some Polly Scale greys in the back of the paint drawer that I could mix to match the original grey base colour. Got rid of the rust stains:
Next step will be to add some grease and oil stains under the bridge position where the main access track lines up with the pit.
Yes, as you and CG have pointed out, the rust stain is much too prominent. My problem is that I have run out of the grey Polly Scale paint that I used for the base colour. I have several other greys but none of them is even close. I'll have to do some mixing.
Thanks for the compliment on the other stains. Henry's wonderful example was a great inspiration. However, I still have to tone down some of the white marks because they are too symetrical. Like I said, by the time I get it right the pit will be full of paint!
Take care!
The pit looks better with the toning down on the bridge rust spot. I would soften it a bit further if it were my project.
BTW: I really like the other stains and debris that you added.
I can’t wait to see the bridge in place. Did you find a reliable source of Kiwi yet?
Don:
You are not too late to the party! I'm sure that lots of folks with the built up units are watching the thread.
I have addressed the contact issues with the rings on the bridge shaft by bending the contact strips into a 'V' shape so the pressure is more concentrated. Someone suggested that earlier in the thread.
An auto reverser will still be required to keep the locomotives running in the right direction.
Thanks for your input.
CG!
Did that come with goldfish?!?
Yes, the rust stains are still way too prominent. I seem to lack a subtle touch. I should have paid closer attention to Henry's photograph. I had it in my mind that there was lots of rust but there wasn't. It actually looks more like grease and oil stains that have dropped between the ties on the bridge. I'm still learning! There is hope!!
rrebell CentralGulf It seems to me that the only thing that can explain that rust staining in the prototype pit is parking the bridge in the same position when the turntable in not being used. That makes sense in a museum setting, but would that also be the case on your railroad? And to that degree? When I browsed my limited collection of turntable photos, I saw a couple that had some degree of staining, but nothing as severe as that in Henry's photo. Here's another pit for your consideration. CG Never seen that one before, filled with water and alge growing.
CentralGulf It seems to me that the only thing that can explain that rust staining in the prototype pit is parking the bridge in the same position when the turntable in not being used. That makes sense in a museum setting, but would that also be the case on your railroad? And to that degree? When I browsed my limited collection of turntable photos, I saw a couple that had some degree of staining, but nothing as severe as that in Henry's photo. Here's another pit for your consideration. CG
It seems to me that the only thing that can explain that rust staining in the prototype pit is parking the bridge in the same position when the turntable in not being used. That makes sense in a museum setting, but would that also be the case on your railroad? And to that degree?
When I browsed my limited collection of turntable photos, I saw a couple that had some degree of staining, but nothing as severe as that in Henry's photo.
Here's another pit for your consideration.
Never seen that one before, filled with water and alge growing.
And as bonus, a worker in the pit requires two flags, one blue, and one red with a white stripe!
The biggest issues were:1. Keeping the pinion teeth clean and free of debris. Many people resort to covering their table when not in use.
2. The contacts getting dirty between the finger brushes and the ring on the bottom of the bridge.
3. The cutting out of sound as the turntable crossed the halfway point.
Problems 2 and 3 are solved by replacing the center split ring/brush arrangement with a slip ring system and a DCC auto reverser.
Edit: I'm talking about the built up DCC one. But I see I am late to the party. Sorry.
Don - Specializing in layout DC->DCC conversions
Modeling C&O transition era and steel industries There's Nothing Like Big Steam!
Toned down rust stain:
Waddya think? I'll have to make the bridge really rusty to explain the stains in the pit.
Sorry that I haven't posted recently. I was waiting for some shoe dye to arrive so I could stain the bridge planks. It is 10 days overdue so I have asked for a refund.
In the mean time I have taken a shot at modelling the sort of weathering shown in the picture that Henry posted. Here is where it stands. The rust stain will be under the bridge when the bridge is set to the main turntable feed track, hence the accumulation of deposits where the most traffic is. However, the rust stain needs to be toned down significantly and made to look greasier in the middle:
Here is Henry's picture for reference:
By the time I get this right the pit will be filled up with paint and weathering powder!
Henry!
What a great shot!!! That is the best picture of a well used pit that I have seen! Thanks so much!
The pit is obviously well soiled from years of use. I love the rust and grease stains that have accumulated where the locomotives come on the the bridge from outside the roundhouse. The apparent water stains or wet patches look great too. I now have a much better idea of how to get the look I want.
Quite the collection of locomotives too. All nice and shiney.
All the best!
Tone it down? Well admitedly this pic was not taken in the hey day of an actively used TT
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Thanks Tony
Dave.. On yur weathering .. you can try adding a bit of gray to tone it down to your liking. light or med, just a little at a time. I would also suggest doing avery small section at first to see if it has the effect you are after. If you need to remove weathering, use a q tip or cotton ball with alcohol. I have done this on painted models, and as long as you dont scrub the paint will stay...
Tony
EK Sub in HO Scale
Thanks Ed K.
You have caused me to stop and think about the turntable location. On second examination, it is too far away to see the track alignment properly. A little while ago I increased the size of the helix over which the turntable will sit. That added about 1' to the reach in distance. The result is that the turntable can barely be reached. Not a good plan! Back to the drawing board.
Hi EMDSD40:
Quite the ordeal! You have every right to be frustrated.
I'm hoping that my bridge will be quite stable with the kit bashed bogie assemblies. As far as I can tell the new wheels sit nicely on the ring rail and everything rotates smoothly. The bridge doesn't rock. Of course I don't have any track set up yet to test it.
I'm going to use a train set power pack to turn the bridge so I can control the speed of rotation. Alignment will be visual. I'm hoping that will work. It will be a while before I can test it.
The engine service facility will be one of the focal points for me. Having a turntable and roundhouse were two of the first requirements when I started the track plan.
Regards,