My wife wants different colours for the pots. I'm ok with that. Will make the glass roof tonight at the National Stained Glass Studio.
Like flower pots!
My old school pencil sharpener is very useful for making tapered wooden parts.
Working on plants for the greenhouse using real reindeer lichen that I picked from one of the abandoned gypsum quarries in Walton, Nova Scotia back in May. The lichen was boiled in a water-isopropyl-green-dye combination and has held up well, as expected (several references on this in the model railroad literature).
Randy: Good idea. When I start to replace all the plastic ties in my layout I'll go the jig route.
Track with wooden ties complete and will look great on the shale ballast. Tomorrow I'll finish the shale sub-ballast, add shale ballast with shale powder for smoothing under the ties, and make a bit more track for the Alberta side.
If you made a simple jig to space ties the right distance, you could do a whole string at a time instead of on by one. In fact, if you are cutting your glass ties to prototypical width as ell, you could use the same jig to replace plastic ties with wood OR glass, a whole strip of track at a time.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
All 33 ties painted. I install 10 or 11 at a time, evenly distributed over the length of the track. E6000 glue starts firming up quickly so I'll be able to complete this track this evening.
Great suggestions. The wire I used here was stranded and kindly donated by Maritime Hobbies and Crafts. I've ordered solid to see if it holds a catenary better. Thanks.
None of those wires will look as if they're hanging in natural catenary, without 'flat spots' or kinks.
As a suggestion, the method used to make watch hairsprings: use a fine wire that hardens when 'fired', cut a groove in a metal plate that corresponds to your span and catenary curve at 'prototype tension', and heat the plate over silver sand or whatever until the wire blues up - you could build up enough oxide thickness to give reasonable black over time, if that helps.
(This approach can also be used with curved plate jigs and appropriate braze material to make complex OHLE arrangements with pulloffs and sinusoidal wear offset at even small scale, for a future project 'under the cat'...)
The easiest way that I have found to replace plastic ties with wooden ones, while maintaining factory rail separation, is to use my Chopper to cut out one at a time and replace one at a time. For me this is not work but fun! This old Made-in-Austria brass straight track will be used on the Alberta side of the display. Each wooden tie is painted before bonding to the rails. Oh, and I keep all the plastic ties and wood bits for future use.
Night has arrived in Nova Scotia and another coat of Scenic Cement applied to the shale and gypsum sub-ballast to dry overnight. More sub-ballast layers tomorrow. Display case grooves have been made with my router so I'll be able to cut and fit all the glass pieces soon.
richhotrain Sometimes I feel like I am living in an alternate universe.
Sometimes I feel like I am living in an alternate universe.
Alton Junction
When/if I publish my Pidgeon Creek layout or geothermal plant, none of the manuscript material, including photographs, will have been seen by anyone but me and my professional photographer. All of the photos I post here are from my iPhone or iPad. I will not be publishing my display case in a magazine so this thread will continue until the case is finished.
I have no problem with anyone using material I post here for any purpose, including financial gain. That is why I withhold a lot of material and information (why I don't answer some questions for example). What I send in print for publication is not here including photographs. That is what I mean by prior publication - my prior publication online or in print. I have many professional publications under my belt. I know the routine. Thanks.
GraniteRailroader OldSchoolScratchbuilder My geothermal plant manuscript will be sent to both Model Railroader and Railroad Model Craftsman after Christmas. Prior publication is not allowed. Have you read the Terms of Use for the Forums and Kalmbach's online media? Just so you're aware, you gave up the ability to disallow that by continued use of their platform. Direct quote from the Terms of Use: By submitting work to this website, the submitter agrees to grant a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use, reproduce, distribute, prepare derivative works of, display, modify and perform the user submission in connection with the website owner’s business in any media formats now known and hereafter developed and through any media channels. All rights in this paragraph are granted without the need for additional compensation of any sort to the submitter.
OldSchoolScratchbuilder My geothermal plant manuscript will be sent to both Model Railroader and Railroad Model Craftsman after Christmas. Prior publication is not allowed.
My geothermal plant manuscript will be sent to both Model Railroader and Railroad Model Craftsman after Christmas. Prior publication is not allowed.
Have you read the Terms of Use for the Forums and Kalmbach's online media? Just so you're aware, you gave up the ability to disallow that by continued use of their platform.
Direct quote from the Terms of Use:
By submitting work to this website, the submitter agrees to grant a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use, reproduce, distribute, prepare derivative works of, display, modify and perform the user submission in connection with the website owner’s business in any media formats now known and hereafter developed and through any media channels. All rights in this paragraph are granted without the need for additional compensation of any sort to the submitter.
This space reserved for SpaceMouse's future presidential candidacy advertisements
Mirror groove cut with router and gypsum sub-ballast layer installed.
Bonding stained glass ties to brass rail this morning. Used E6000 adhesive.
Richhotrain. Shale and gypsum are very soft materials and would never be used on railroads or in any other load-bearing applications. They are ideal to work with in my train modelling and my gypsum carving art studio. There is an article in MR where kitty litter is even used as ballast. In my case, Nova Scotia shale, gypsum and sandstone are readily available, in abundance, and located in many areas that are not private property. Unlimited and fascinating modelling materials for FREE!
PS. Rock and mineral collecting is permitted by law in Nova Scotia.
OldSchoolScratchbuilder Subgrade complete. Now I need to crush and sift shale from Walton, Nova Scotia into sub-ballast and ballast grades.
Subgrade complete. Now I need to crush and sift shale from Walton, Nova Scotia into sub-ballast and ballast grades.
Turns out, the the Canadian National Railway has specifications concerning crushed rock ballast. These specifications prohibit the use of shale which is a form of mudrock.
"The ballast and trowelling stone shall be composed of hard, strong and durable particles, clean and free from clay and shale and from an excess of dust or elongated pieces."
http://www.winnipeg.ca/finance/findata/matmgt/documents//2013/539-2013//539-2013_Appendix_D-CN_Ballast_Specification.pdf
But that's the prototype. I don't see any harm in using shale in a display case. Heck, I use Woodland Scenics ballast on my layout and that is crushed walnut shells.
Got it - Thanks for the explanations.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
If you look at my avatar you'll see one of my shale roadbeds. The underside of the track is almost 100% in contact with the shale. That's why I also keep the very fine stone powder. It is mixed in with the top ballast layer under the track for a smooth bonding surface - just as smooth as cork but real Nova Scotia rocks or minerals. A final ballast layer over the track is brushed on and sprayed down in the usual way.
Got it...but what about the track?
The ballast will only provide "points" of contact underneath the ties of the rail rather than a larger, uniform surface area (e.g. cork roadbed) for better adhesion. If the surface of the ballast is uneven then you'll have high and low spots that your adhesive will need to "gap" to contact the rail ties. While the track may "appear" to be locked together with the ballast and the sub-ballast base, it may - in reality - not be as stable.
I'd hate to see all that work and effort made only for the track to give way and dislodge from the ballast; thereby requiring you to repair it.
SeeYou190. Our specialty hardwood shop is amazing. Everyday new items appear in the smaller wood bins and on the shelves. Here is the link
http://eastcoastspecialtyhardwoods.com
You will see four categories: lumber, millwork, plywood and slabs. My olivewood base is a slab.
Oh yes glue. The subballast sits on a layer of fast drying wood glue (I have lots of experience with this in my GypsumWorks Studio). Before the final subballast layer is applied, Woodland Scenics Scenic Cement is used. I have lots of experience with this cement on both shale and gypsum ballast - works well. Everything will stay in place even when the entire display is tilted at a steep angle.
Good questions. I'll try to answer all of them together. The reason I cut a subgrade (close to CN specs) was to lay the track slightly above ground (olivewood) level. This provides for better overhead clearance for tall locomotives and rolling stock through the tunnel and under power lines. On the Alberta side of the tunnel the ballast and sub-ballast will be shale. You will see both the ballast and sub-ballast. Inside the display case will be gypsum ballast and sub-ballast around glass ties. This is the Nova Scotian gypsum quarry line. Two completely different environments on one piece of olivewood.
OldSchoolScratchbuilderPicked up a beautiful piece of exotic thuya burl from Morrocco yesterday at the specialty hardwood store.
.
I never heard of a specialty hardwood store before... I guess I kind of knew there had to be such a thing.
Quick Googling... there is one in Atlanta! I will be stopping in there next week.
The piece you selectd is gorgeous!
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Two Three questions that you will most likely not answer but I'll ask anyway:
I had to analyze potential issues at my prior job. So, these are the types of questions that immediately come to mind when I look at other people's work. You may have it already figured out but it's not particularly clear from my perspective.
Filling the subgrade with shale sub-ballast. Shale grades are the same as the gypsum grades.