Scratch Building Standards at MR

[Anonymous]

So I am into my first real foray into scratch building in N and I'm all excited. I choose the "Build a Giant Steel Grain Elevator" by Jon Greggs in the February 2000 issue of MR. First before I whine and moan, let me say I have thoroughly enjoyed building what I have accomplished so far. But in building the structure not every moment has been Utopian.

First may I suggest some standards so that when an author puts forward an article, certain basics can be covered before it hits the mag.

Rules to live by:

1) There should be a picture of the completed structure showing "everything" that is visible. For example, in the article of Feb 2000 I am working on the one person elevator and I am having a hard time visualizing it in my brain - but no pic.

2) The article should tell you how to build everything. For example, back to the one person elevator - how is it attached to the track, and what did he use for track? I'm building in N so I had toyed with Z scale track. But how is the elevator hocked up to the track. And is there a cable that runs down to lift the elevator, what is its source of locomotion (in theory, not reality).

3) The article should be accurate. Jon Greggs shows how he made a curved "ladder" and safety cage. But from the diagram, the "ladder" (or the hopped safety cage) is over the one person elevator area, which is not the ladder. Or so the picture seems to imply.

Again, I'm having a good time with this structure, but it seems to me the directions could have been more revealing and the pics could have shown more.

[Anonymous]

So I am into my first real foray into scratch building in N and I'm all excited. I choose the "Build a Giant Steel Grain Elevator" by Jon Greggs in the February 2000 issue of MR. First before I whine and moan, let me say I have thoroughly enjoyed building what I have accomplished so far. But in building the structure not every moment has been Utopian.

First may I suggest some standards so that when an author puts forward an article, certain basics can be covered before it hits the mag.

Rules to live by:

1) There should be a picture of the completed structure showing "everything" that is visible. For example, in the article of Feb 2000 I am working on the one person elevator and I am having a hard time visualizing it in my brain - but no pic.

2) The article should tell you how to build everything. For example, back to the one person elevator - how is it attached to the track, and what did he use for track? I'm building in N so I had toyed with Z scale track. But how is the elevator hocked up to the track. And is there a cable that runs down to lift the elevator, what is its source of locomotion (in theory, not reality).

3) The article should be accurate. Jon Greggs shows how he made a curved "ladder" and safety cage. But from the diagram, the "ladder" (or the hopped safety cage) is over the one person elevator area, which is not the ladder. Or so the picture seems to imply.

Again, I'm having a good time with this structure, but it seems to me the directions could have been more revealing and the pics could have shown more.

[BRAKIE]

Rick,Indeed the more pictures one has of a structure one plans on building the better..Nothing like a field trip to look over the building if possible.This will tell you more things then a picture can in most cases when it comes to details...

[BRAKIE]

Rick,Indeed the more pictures one has of a structure one plans on building the better..Nothing like a field trip to look over the building if possible.This will tell you more things then a picture can in most cases when it comes to details...

[Anonymous]

Well Brakie,
The structure is somewhere in Alberta (as he looks for mag and looks up article to see if the town is listed - I think the author lives in Calgary - stalling for time here - ). Okay I find the structure to be located in Starland Alberta. The only problem with that is when I looked up the town in my AAA Road Atlas in Alberta; it isn't listed.

But say I have two alternatives:
1) You could mail up a donation so that I could go check it out.
2) You come up from Alabama and we'll do a rail fan tour that'll knock your socks off, including Fraser/Thompson Canyon and the Canadian Rockies. Bring beer. This area has three seperately owned passenger train services to take people there: Via's - Canadian, Rocky Mountaineer, and the American Orient Express. Find out where God lives.[;)][:D]

[Anonymous]

Well Brakie,
The structure is somewhere in Alberta (as he looks for mag and looks up article to see if the town is listed - I think the author lives in Calgary - stalling for time here - ). Okay I find the structure to be located in Starland Alberta. The only problem with that is when I looked up the town in my AAA Road Atlas in Alberta; it isn't listed.

But say I have two alternatives:
1) You could mail up a donation so that I could go check it out.
2) You come up from Alabama and we'll do a rail fan tour that'll knock your socks off, including Fraser/Thompson Canyon and the Canadian Rockies. Bring beer. This area has three seperately owned passenger train services to take people there: Via's - Canadian, Rocky Mountaineer, and the American Orient Express. Find out where God lives.[;)][:D]

[BRAKIE]

Rick,It just happens I am heading to Toronto for the convention..I will be leaving around 2:00am..Will you be there?

[BRAKIE]

Rick,It just happens I am heading to Toronto for the convention..I will be leaving around 2:00am..Will you be there?

[Anonymous]

Unfortunately not. I met Dave Koch of the Atlas Forum and Dispatcher 42 also at the Atlas forum, but so far that is it. I hope I get to meet you some time; you're very prolific in the forums (and I mean that in a positive way). I would love to support Toronto after all the wimpy company's listened to their lawyers and withdrew. I knew from the beginning by the time of the show SAR's would settle down.

I don't think Canadian cities will be rushing to host another NMRA event like that again for a long time. The guys in the other cities who are the ones who would do all the work looked at the fiasco and thought - "I don't think so." NMRA types have wanted Vancouver to host an NMRA event, but most of the guys I hang out with are very active in the NMRA and work on the local show here; and there response is - "I don't think so."

On the positive side, Vancouver just received the winter 2010 Olympics so we're still on a high about that.

[Anonymous]

Unfortunately not. I met Dave Koch of the Atlas Forum and Dispatcher 42 also at the Atlas forum, but so far that is it. I hope I get to meet you some time; you're very prolific in the forums (and I mean that in a positive way). I would love to support Toronto after all the wimpy company's listened to their lawyers and withdrew. I knew from the beginning by the time of the show SAR's would settle down.

I don't think Canadian cities will be rushing to host another NMRA event like that again for a long time. The guys in the other cities who are the ones who would do all the work looked at the fiasco and thought - "I don't think so." NMRA types have wanted Vancouver to host an NMRA event, but most of the guys I hang out with are very active in the NMRA and work on the local show here; and there response is - "I don't think so."

On the positive side, Vancouver just received the winter 2010 Olympics so we're still on a high about that.

[krump]

God also lives in the Shuswap...
isn't "scratch-building standards", somewhat oxy-moronic???
I agree with you though, the more details, info, diagrams and pictures the better. Have fun with it Rick.
cheers,

[krump]

God also lives in the Shuswap...
isn't "scratch-building standards", somewhat oxy-moronic???
I agree with you though, the more details, info, diagrams and pictures the better. Have fun with it Rick.
cheers,