Progress report #2

[ginzokid]

I locked the other thread. There is some good stuff in there that probably has been reposted in other threads. I'll check. In the meantime, here's another place to write. B-)

[ginzokid]

I'm in the process of tearing up my passenger yard tracks and the caboose track. These were already ballasted and really glued to the benchwork. What a mess this will be, but I must relay these three tracks to place the new car shed on the layout next to the enginehouse. Why did I find this structure after I had ballasted! Not fun!

[ginzokid]

Success! I tried just scraping the ballast off with a putty knife without wetting it. Surprise but it worked. I didn't get all of it off but enough that the top was level and after I cleaned the track, I was able to relay it and install the car shop. Now I just have to reballast some of the area instead of all of it. Once finished I really should take a picture for you guys of the whole engine facility.

[ginzokid]

Working on the finishing touches for the car shop, I had to assemble several figures. The arms had to be attached and positioned properly and now I have to paint them. I was having quite a brain strain as to how to hold them while painting. I had tried setting them down on two sided tape or temporally gluing them to a stick, but turned those ideas down. Then it dawned on me that years ago I read an article about how to make a handle for these figures. Simply, it involves drilling a small hole into one foot of the figure with a #71 drill in a pin vise. Then after cutting off the head of a normal straight pin and filing the rough edges off with a file, you just insert the pin into that hole with the point end sticking out. I did not even need to use any glue. Instant handle and also a handy way to mount the figure on a soft surface, I use a piece of ceiling tile, while drying. Then the same handle can be used to mount the figure on the layout, making it movable.

[ginzokid]

Decided it is ballasting day. I love the high I get since I use 70% alcohol to wet the ballast before gluing it down. See how much fun boring work can be in this hobby.

[dl85vette]

What no martoonies while ballasting? Or does that follow?  

[ginzokid]

Martonies? Martoonies? I don't need no stinkin martoonie.........

[taz-of-boyds]

Now that I read it again, it reminds me of a story my wife told me.  When she was a kid, her parents would occasionally drink Martoonies.  She said one time one was left sitting around and her pet cat drank from it, then went stumbling off drunk as a skunk or cat!

Happy railroading,

Charles

[ginzokid]

Snowy II, American Eskimo loved her martoonies. Princess the Wonder dog preferred beer. Snowy I, a Malamute, was a teetotaler. I'll drink anything........

[ginzokid]

Well here is the car shop and the two MOW sheds I just built from a couple of boxcar bashes. This is the whole engine house yard complex. Sorry about the shakey photos. Old hands. Still ave to finish the ballasting as you can see.

[ginzokid]

A couple more shots. Too bad eBay cropped all these shots. The right side of all of them is missing.

[taz-of-boyds]

Pete,

Looks nice, you have quite the railroad empire built up there, despite eBay's efforts to cut-off the right side.  I like it thanks for posting.

All the best,

Charles

[taz-of-boyds]

Hello,

I might be ready to try a 3D print for replacement G Gauge side frames for the Bachmann passenger cars I plan to slice and dice into C&P facsimiles.

An 8 ft. Passenger Truck Side Frame Drawn for a C&P Passenger Car planned for G:29 Scale.

 This reuses the bolster and wheels from the Bachmann car, but instead of a 6' 8" wheelbase truck as the original Bachmann is in G:29 Scale, it is an 8' truck.  It has added detail and sizing to better match the Cumberland & Pennsylvania trucks as best I can figure out from the grainy shadowy photos of the cars I have access to.

It needs tweaking to make the drawing proper for printing, and some other practical aspects.

All the best,

Charles

PS, I have learned a lot about how the truck actually operates to be able to interpret what I saw in the photos into what seems a reasonable representation of a real operating truck.

[taz-of-boyds]

Hello!

I figured since I am printing new side frames in G29 for the passenger car experiment, I should try to fix a triple-valve, break-cylinder, auxiliary-reservoir for passenger cars as well.  It uses some of the same parts as the other drawing I made, the triple-valve and break-cylinder, with a separate auxiliary-reservoir tank.  So I was not too sure how it would turn out, but I just waded through my books, and this is what I have so far:

Overview Break Machinery for Passenger Car

Detailed View Triple-Valve attached to Break-Cylinder

That's it for now!

All the best,

Charles

[ginzokid]

Are you still using Google Sketchup for these excellent drawings? Keep it up and you may have a part time job selling your parts to others.

[taz-of-boyds]

Pete,

Thanks.  I am still using SketchUp, I have not tried to take the time to learn much else for this yet.  I am actually using an older version that does not have the "free for not commercial use only" statement.  So I can sell these if it works out that way.  Who knows...  At least maybe I can have a little fun with my own stuff.  I am pressed for time with all the around home projects, trains the house, cars... etc.  Not very idle at all...

What else you guys up to?

All the best,

Charles