Killashandra - 1940s Rural Ireland in Nn3

[VonRyan]

To make an otherwise long story shorter, I'll give you the brief version and the link to the primary thread over on the Railwire.
As I make further progress, I'll post individual updates.

I was gifted the basis of an 11"x17" layout. Just foam, Masonite roadbed, and handlaid code 40 track.
I quickly adjusted the landforms and started to shape the tiny layout into a slice of rural Ireland in the 1940s and early 1950s, the end of many of the Irish narrow gauge lines.

The basis of the line is primarily a coal hauling line for a power-plant. So other than passenger traffic and goods, there are empty and loaded coal trains that frequent the line.

The scenic siding on the layout will be for a small cattle dock. The two turnouts are non-functioning, and I don't plan on making them function. Way above my pay-grade.

No houses or major buildings. Just a few trees. Lots of tall lush grasses. A dirt road and a man with his horse and cart.

Motive power is a Märklin 0-6-0 (newer one with 5-pole motor) and my current rolling stock roster is all Peco N6.5 wagon kits. The engine is due for a kitbash sooner or later. Whenever I feel motivated about it.


Anyhow, the main thread on the Railwire is here: http://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=32771.0


Cheers!


-Cody F.

[ScrewySqrl]

hey Cody. Good to see you over here on the nSn.

[ngaugecharlie]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1oVHaREJJU

still running today :D

[VonRyan]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1oVHaREJJU

still running today :D

The influence for my line is primarily the Tralee & Dingle Railway. I say influence only because my layout doesn't portray an actual location.

[ngaugecharlie]

The influence for my line is primarily the Tralee & Dingle Railway. I say influence only because my layout doesn't portray an actual location.
Lovely part of the country
if you need any info pm me
thx
charlie

[VonRyan]

Onward with some progress.

I got some lightweight spackle and smoothed out the land contours.

https://scontent-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xaf1/v/t1.0-9/11182091_956237081074549_8157125643882369529_n.jpg ?oh=782310708d0c0f20d09d7ca179997cba&oe=55C45785

https://scontent-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xtp1/v/t1.0-9/18812_956237101074547_1155900247082298934_n.jpg?oh =5d61a946c9cc97240557e02c83fc45f0&oe=5604F9C2


Then I decided to use some of my Peco slate-pattern styrene to start on the cattle dock. I painted it a base color of "Slate Grey" and highlighted some individual slabs with two other colors.

https://scontent-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xta1/v/t1.0-9/11257073_957873840910873_6935834329163438845_n.jpg ?oh=518e55d2a464d7327dbcd7024fcc6200&oe=55C13FDE

And of course I also painted the landscape "Medium Brown" again to see how things are coming together.

https://scontent-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/10641273_957873854244205_2490504202474449733_n.jpg ?oh=c963b851f7047b03fa74a12f47be20e4&oe=55C39E2A


I also cut another piece of the Peco styrene just as a placeholder for the small stone bridge/culvert. The slate look doesn't work here, so I'm open to hearing about any possible alternatives for what to use to make the stone bridge/culvert.

https://scontent-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xta1/v/t1.0-9/11261799_957873880910869_7426151157565464550_n.jpg ?oh=ce5db0b15861a909154f5c0ec63c413f&oe=5600E654





Cheers!

-Cody F.

[WP&P]

For making the culvert, you could just take a slab of air-dry clay and draw in mortar lines with a fine-tipped-something (pencil?), to give a whatever stone pattern you want. Make it have a nice arch and it could be rather sexy. You might even be able to find a photo of something similar, and just print it out to the right size then trace the lines, making impressions in the clay as you do. If it were me, though, while I might refer to some photos for inspiration, I'd just wing it when sculpting the clay.

Also, you probably want the stone wall to extend a bit further left and right than what you show, so that there is room for the slope of the ground to fall on either side. You could maybe use some junk cardboard (from used packaging) to rough out a shape that fits the area, then use that as a pattern for shaping the block of clay.

[ChicagoNW]

You could go with rough cut stone made of linoleum tile. Very adaptable. Creates very realistic structures because you are using prototypical construction methods.

You pick the thickness of the tile and score-snap to size stones. Use PVA (white) glue for mortar.The score-snap cutting method leaves a rough stone-like surface o the edges. Top and bottom a smooth and flat. If creating an arch use the stones perpendicular to the others, just like the prototype did. A compass cutter with help you layout curved stones.

[VonRyan]

For making the culvert, you could just take a slab of air-dry clay and draw in mortar lines with a fine-tipped-something (pencil?), to give a whatever stone pattern you want. Make it have a nice arch and it could be rather sexy. You might even be able to find a photo of something similar, and just print it out to the right size then trace the lines, making impressions in the clay as you do. If it were me, though, while I might refer to some photos for inspiration, I'd just wing it when sculpting the clay.


Also, you probably want the stone wall to extend a bit further left and right than what you show, so that there is room for the slope of the ground to fall on either side. You could maybe use some junk cardboard (from used packaging) to rough out a shape that fits the area, then use that as a pattern for shaping the block of clay.


Well for the culvert once it is installed, it'll get lightweight spackle around it to blend it in, so the width of it will be the same width as the piece of styrene that is in there now.




You could go with rough cut stone made of linoleum tile. Very adaptable. Creates very realistic structures because you are using prototypical construction methods.

You pick the thickness of the tile and score-snap to size stones. Use PVA (white) glue for mortar.The score-snap cutting method leaves a rough stone-like surface o the edges. Top and bottom a smooth and flat. If creating an arch use the stones perpendicular to the others, just like the prototype did. A compass cutter with help you layout curved stones.

That's more or less my last ditch effort.
Building the entire thing (it has to have he interior walls/ceiling for when I take photographs) from individual blocks is something I am hoping to avoid.

[ChicagoNW]

It goes a lot faster than you think plus you are not doing something that big. Since this is a railroad bridge larger stones make the task faster.

[VonRyan]

So the linoleum option isn't going to work for what I need. I'm currently at a loss for other options, but hopefully will have something sorted out sooner or later.

In other news, there is now more ballast on the layout and the cattle dock has been back filled with spackle.

And since photos don't want to upload from my phone, they'll have to wait till I have a chance to sit down at my laptop and pull the URLs from Facebook.

[VonRyan]

I forgot to post the photos of the recent ballasting while I was on my laptop yesterday, so I must remember to do that tomorrow.

Anyhow, I was given a suggestion for a solution to my small stone bridge problem over on NGRM-Online.
So I went ahead and purchased this: http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=380241131439

I know it says it's a OO kit, but it's small size makes it the perfect solution. All I'll have to do is buy some thin stone-pattern styrene sheet and make the interior walls/ceiling.
Once that arrives and is installed, and once I get the final capstones on the abutments of the other bridge, I can then ballast the rest of the track.

My ultimate goal is to have at least the ballasting and the dirt roads finished in time for me to take the layout to the Bedford N-Scale Weekend in August. Anything else I get completed before then is an added bonus.



-Cody F.

[VonRyan]

Here's those progress photos that I've been meaning to post...

While the glue was still wet:
https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xtf1/v/t1.0-9/11391411_973654255999498_6539362546001749570_n.jpg ?oh=f67fef1da137758eb2cb0b272febc3e4&oe=55F6D83F


When the glue was finally dry and some discolored ties were touched up:
https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/11052455_963562177008706_6126353191356375109_n.jpg ?oh=5a2315a22603834320473769276d7320&oe=5628BEA2


And now for a comparison...
7mm Standard-Gauge and 2mm Narrow-Gauge:
https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xaf1/v/t1.0-9/18893_963566703674920_244220104296534487_n.jpg?oh= 1892238b0f990d6fc00a5fef68d1b998&oe=55F97E0F




Still to do (while I wait for the OO cattle-creep kit to arrive) is the capstones on the bridge abutments and a tad bit more spackling to do around the loading platform.
I also need to harvest some fine soil for the dirt road and for the top of the loading platform.




Until my next update...

Cheers!
-Cody F.

[VonRyan]

So my "perfect" solution for the small stone bridge turned out to just be a waste of money.
The Wills cattle-creep won't work, even with extensive modification.
So now I'm back to searching for a solution... And hoping that my five Walthers kits sell soon as I need to put some money into my pocket if any progress is to be made in the next few months.

[Mobile One]

My first thought was a piece of foambaord with the stones drawn in with a ball point pen to create the grooves. The type of foam that would work is sold at Hobby Lobby for a couple of dollars and is sandwiched between 2 thin layers of cardboard. You just cut to shape, strip the cardboard off, then stencil in the stones. I think it is just called foam board and it is back by the poster/canvas supplies behind the models section.

The first 2 ideas were very good, also, but this may be a faster method if that's what you are looking for. BTW, I really like this super neat diorama!

[VonRyan]

My first thought was a piece of foambaord with the stones drawn in with a ball point pen to create the grooves. The type of foam that would work is sold at Hobby Lobby for a couple of dollars and is sandwiched between 2 thin layers of cardboard. You just cut to shape, strip the cardboard off, then stencil in the stones. I think it is just called foam board and it is back by the poster/canvas supplies behind the models section.

The first 2 ideas were very good, also, but this may be a faster method if that's what you are looking for. BTW, I really like this super neat diorama!

If it wasn't for this layout, I'd probably consider it. But with Killashandra I'm going for as much fine detail as physically possible, so I need something less coarse.

When scenics are completed, the layout will be subjected to a lot of macro photography, so fine detail is a huge requirement.

[Mobile One]

Well, good luck!

[ChicagoNW]

Do you have a picture of the prototype you want to mimic?

You might want to consider the stuff I used for these retaining walls. The texture could be enhanced with some weathering or mortar lines.
http://www.nscale.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=24305&d=1328134815
It's from one of the European companies. It's a molded closed cell foam that has some flex to it. It comes in sheets of about 5x12 inches. It could be originally for HO retaining walls. I capped it with styrene strip.

[VonRyan]

Update:

Soil was collected and sifted.

I put it in my toaster oven to kill any bacteria, and I think I ended up burning my dirt...
When I put it in the toaster oven it was light tan, and when I pulled it out (and even after it cooled down) it's now brown.

So it looks like I'm going to have to try and see if I can buy the right shade of dirt that I need...

[Chickenhawk]

Toaster oven probably isnt the right type of oven, a standard oven at 105C or 220F (there-about, 10 degrees above water boiling point) is the best way to dry out soil. Geo-technical labs do this all the time and it doesn't discolour the soil. it will be 100% moisture free and nothing worth thinking about will be left living on it.

[VonRyan]

Toaster oven probably isnt the right type of oven, a standard oven at 105C or 220F (there-about, 10 degrees above water boiling point) is the best way to dry out soil. Geo-technical labs do this all the time and it doesn't discolour the soil. it will be 100% moisture free and nothing worth thinking about will be left living on it.

I had the toaster over up to about 250°F
From what I was told elsewhere, the discoloration has in part to do with the composition of the soil.
So now I need someone to hurry up and buy the Walthers kits I have for sale so that I can buy some fine soil from Highball.

[VonRyan]

Do you have a picture of the prototype you want to mimic?

You might want to consider the stuff I used for these retaining walls. The texture could be enhanced with some weathering or mortar lines.
http://www.nscale.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=24305&d=1328134815
It's from one of the European companies. It's a molded closed cell foam that has some flex to it. It comes in sheets of about 5x12 inches. It could be originally for HO retaining walls. I capped it with styrene strip.


This is what I was going to chop up for use as the small stone bridge:
http://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=36345.0;attach=365 3;image

It's actually a OO-gauge kit.

[VonRyan]

Progress has ground to a halt. Between being unable to find a solution for the small stone bridge and the fact that no one has bought any of the Walthers cornerstone kits that I'm trying to get rid of, I'm dead in the water.

The only "progress" is on the virtual frontier with the ongoing creation of a locomotive shell to suit the Märklin 0-6-0 that I have.


It would appear that a period of unavoidable dormancy is due to set upon the layout.

[ChicagoNW]

There's no reason you have to buy "dirt" from a far away company. There are only about a thousand different ways to simulate bare earth. Not all of them expensive.

Have you taken a look at the local landscaping company? The stuff you want to shell out big bucks for is their scrap. Yeah it's the stuff left over from crushed rocks. It's just rock dust. A landscaper will have several colors of it. Then again some people call it colored grout.

I've made pretty dirt like stuff using Tempra Paint. Need thicker stuff add stuff like talcum powder, baking soda, art sand, plaster, Celuclay or even Sculptimold.

After looking up that kit on other places what's the matter with it? It looks very adaptable. Easy to chop up and reconfigure. Then again the linoleum method is a lot faster than you think. Once you've snapped a bunch of stones they assemble in seconds. The landscaper has great kits for stone bridges, just add glue and a form.

[VonRyan]

There's no reason you have to buy "dirt" from a far away company. There are only about a thousand different ways to simulate bare earth. Not all of them expensive.

Have you taken a look at the local landscaping company? The stuff you want to shell out big bucks for is their scrap. Yeah it's the stuff left over from crushed rocks. It's just rock dust. A landscaper will have several colors of it. Then again some people call it colored grout.

I've made pretty dirt like stuff using Tempra Paint. Need thicker stuff add stuff like talcum powder, baking soda, art sand, plaster, Celuclay or even Sculptimold.

After looking up that kit on other places what's the matter with it? It looks very adaptable. Easy to chop up and reconfigure. Then again the linoleum method is a lot faster than you think. Once you've snapped a bunch of stones they assemble in seconds. The landscaper has great kits for stone bridges, just add glue and a form.

Highball offers the specific color I need, so rather than burn a tank of premium trying to find something even relatively close to what I need at a garden center, it's cheaper in the long run to just order exactly what I need.

As for the Wills cattle-creep. It's no good. The archway is too large. I need something with a 18-22mm opening.
The linoleum method is just too large and too coarse to work in such a tiny space, especially one that has to stand up to macro photography. There's just too many variables with it and not enough fine control over it for me to be able to work with it. My hands won't do with it what needs to be done to reach the required outcome.

[VonRyan]

Ordered some Highball fine light-brown soil from M.B. Kleins.
Other than that, no progress.

[VonRyan]

Highball Products #171 "Earth" "fine light brown" clearly isn't any form of soil whatsoever.
It obviously looks like a sack of tiny sawdust rather than a fine soil.
It's also a cream color. Not light-brown.
This stuff FLUFFS when I shake the packaging. And when I grip it, it holds it's shape.
The biggest giveaway is it's size in relation to weight. The bag is the size of a 4x6" notecard, yet it only weighs 3oz.
I can even see a sliver of wood inside the packaging.


I'm extremely displeased. I expect this kind of nonsense from Woodland Scenics, but not from a company like Highball.


Now I have to figure out how to do the returns process.


Highball Products shall be hearing about my displeasure.

[VonRyan]

I have two potential solutions for the small stone bridge. One is a casting from a friend, and the other is a plastic arch made by Wills and is exactly 20.5mm wide and combined with some Slater's embossed sheet it should work quite well.

Once I have both options in hand I shall paint both of them and figure out which one will suit the space best.

So I'll at least have the bridges done, which will allow me to finish ballasting, but this whole nonsense with Highball's fake "earth" has left quite a sour taste in my mouth so to speak.

[VonRyan]

Working on one of two possible solutions for the small stone bridge issue. One if them will ultimately be permanently installed on the layout. Right now it's just a matter of determining which one.

Still haven't found a soil solution. I have one idea in mind that all depend on whether it yields the fine grade of light-colored soil I need.

- - - Updated - - -

Working on one of two possible solutions for the small stone bridge issue. One if them will ultimately be permanently installed on the layout. Right now it's just a matter of determining which one.

Still haven't found a soil solution. I have one idea in mind that all depend on whether it yields the fine grade of light-colored soil I need.

[OTFan]

I've used a couple of Arizona Rock and Mineral's products, including "high desert" and "low desert" soils. It's real dirt, and useful when you want a particular shade that you can't just go out back and scoop up. I've found it on the usual online stores, and also ordered a particular type (the low desert soil) from Fifers when I couldn't find it in stock anywhere.

[VonRyan]

So it's about time that I post some progress photos... Especially since these were taken before I left to head to the Bedford N-Scale Weekend:

https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xaf1/v/t1.0-9/11988773_1013204635377793_3407780912547184811_n.jp g?oh=77e19fe97bf39556f7765c2b8b136048&oe=56627B90 (https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xaf1/v/t1.0-9/11988773_1013204635377793_3407780912547184811_n.jp g?oh=77e19fe97bf39556f7765c2b8b136048&oe=56627B90)
https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xta1/v/t1.0-9/11223951_1013204645377792_8154912018899323260_n.jp g?oh=65700b3efb9bd43920629c461d93ad3a&oe=5660C050 (https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xta1/v/t1.0-9/11223951_1013204645377792_8154912018899323260_n.jp g?oh=65700b3efb9bd43920629c461d93ad3a&oe=5660C050)
https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfa1/v/t1.0-9/11201878_1013204655377791_5302505763904247689_n.jp g?oh=c05989ce6f9c0abdeac53c0d4d07861f&oe=56602F1B (https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfa1/v/t1.0-9/11201878_1013204655377791_5302505763904247689_n.jp g?oh=c05989ce6f9c0abdeac53c0d4d07861f&oe=56602F1B)

Of course, I owe a great many thanks to a fellow Railwire member, Lemosteam, for the awesome castings which solved the lengthy "small bridge dilemma" that was plaguing progress for the longest time.

The interior wall of the bridge didn't go as well as I would have liked, but the thin Slater's stone sheet worked as planned, just that I suck at things and there are some gaps under there. So that means no taking photos that may reveal the shoddy job I did under there.


Anyhow, here are a few recent photos of some more progress:

https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xat1/v/t1.0-9/11202809_1013579535340303_2197939138707896090_n.jp g?oh=065f4e084394a0748b2ecaf58c78241c&oe=5680E64A (https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xat1/v/t1.0-9/11202809_1013579535340303_2197939138707896090_n.jp g?oh=065f4e084394a0748b2ecaf58c78241c&oe=5680E64A)
https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/5306_1013579525340304_6221711513598842595_n.jpg?oh =99ae95d192896980314bcff91fafe38f&oe=56756A33 (https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/5306_1013579525340304_6221711513598842595_n.jpg?oh =99ae95d192896980314bcff91fafe38f&oe=56756A33)
https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/v/t1.0-9/11222132_1013579558673634_9102883003100390850_n.jp g?oh=1f718853b6e83b0fbea858d602f65d87&oe=5677E0DC (https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/v/t1.0-9/11222132_1013579558673634_9102883003100390850_n.jp g?oh=1f718853b6e83b0fbea858d602f65d87&oe=5677E0DC)
https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xlp1/v/t1.0-9/11959963_1013579582006965_2998685177576005416_n.jp g?oh=5197d065c3fc32bb8786aa38ce5e1c26&oe=566DDE6A (https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xlp1/v/t1.0-9/11959963_1013579582006965_2998685177576005416_n.jp g?oh=5197d065c3fc32bb8786aa38ce5e1c26&oe=566DDE6A)

I finally finished putting the capstones on the lefthand abutment, meaning that now both bridges are 100% finished.
And of course, that means that I can complete the ballasting of the trackage, which of course is an important milestone. One which I would have liked to have completed before I went to Bedford, but ultimately that didn't happen.
I also finished the terrain around the small stone bridge and painted the bare white spackle the usual Duncan "Medium Brown".
Once I have the trackage 100% ballasted, I shall turn my attention to rolling stock. I need to order up some tophat bearings to install in the sideframes of my Peco wagon kits so that the Marklin wheelsets will actually roll rather than slide along. Although, I may look into Fox Valley's Z-scale wheelsets since I suspect that they have a much nicer look to them.


https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/11224107_1013579612006962_3713868240080781416_n.jp g?oh=a86838156bbf10d63b511c5a5eb56794&oe=56755903 (https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/11224107_1013579612006962_3713868240080781416_n.jp g?oh=a86838156bbf10d63b511c5a5eb56794&oe=56755903)

For the layout to actually be at a point where the land contours are finished, supporting infrastructure is finished and installed, and the track is almost completely ballasted... It's quite a humbling sight. Being that I'm one who doesn't finish many of the projects that I start, it is quite a change of pace watching various stages of my layout reach completion.



Cheers!

-Cody F.

[VonRyan]

Don't everyone talk at once...

[VonRyan]

A quick update:

I'm currently in the process of assembling a couple point levers which will adorn the cosmetic turnouts.
One little etch is designed to yield 12 point levers, but I've lost enough parts for two and only managed to paint enough parts for two. Now to try and assemble them...

I'll post a couple photos once I have them completed. However, I won't install them just yet. They're quite fragile so they will be some of the last things I install.

[tappertrainman]

I find it fascinating that is a nickel in the upper left. I didn't quite realize the size!

[VonRyan]

So while hiding in the air conditioning on Friday, I put together a couple of extremely tiny detail parts...

http://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=36913.0;attach=439 0;image

http://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=32771.0;attach=439 2;image

They are Point Levers made by Shire Scenes. They're an etched-brass kit. Each point lever is made up of three very tiny parts. Of course, for each one that I completed (two) I lost enough parts to make another. Luckily I only had to build two of them.



And yesterday night I made some progress that can actually be seen without squinting. More ballast!


Seen here while it was still wet:

https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/11898778_1016929055005351_8871062267860547005_n.jp g?oh=8e051216240b875d302e848c3739f62d&oe=566B53D7


And after it was pretty much dry:

https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/v/t1.0-9/11232940_1016957921669131_3453745231748737772_n.jp g?oh=f3fe6a42c4ec9b8267ef522280c40685&oe=566712D6

https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/11960094_1016957938335796_7624983790478117729_n.jp g?oh=a3e8f56c5d72a2cfdbf2b046c1486389&oe=566CE746



Only 4.5" of track remains unballasted, but it is soon to be done as all I need to do beforehand is finish a couple minor details involving the girder bridge.

I also shall be taking care of putting soil down for the riverbed. I still have yet to locate a suitable fine light-tan/cream-color real soil/sand for use on the dirt roads.
Having the roads and the riverbed completed is a prerequisite for putting down some real scenery, of which a good bit of the scenery is going to be static grass, which I have luckily been offered help with.
But if I can't find what I need to get the dirt roads done, then it means no greenery.


-Cody F.

[VonRyan]

I find it fascinating that is a nickel in the upper left. I didn't quite realize the size!

It can be quite deceiving since I take a lot of the photos pretty close up with my iPhone.

The layout is only 11x17 inches and the "benchwork" (really just a baseboard in this case) is nothing more than a slab of 2" thick pink foam.

Of course, working with a layout this small ultimately means that it is more challenging to get things right. Every detail needs to be just so or it may ultimately make the layout look too crowded.




Speaking of which, my plan for non-train details is that they all will be in "resting" positions. All people and animals on the layout will be placed so that they are in stationary positions. Like there will be livestock in the cattle pens, and the farmer and his partner will be leaning against the fence chatting. The few sheep on the hillside will either be laying down or grazing. There will also be a farmer and his horse-drawn cart, but they will either be loading/unloading some things at the platform, or they will be at one of the two level crossings waiting for the train to pass. That way, since only the trains will be moving, figures and such wont appear to be frozen in mid-action. Plus, it all contributes to the overall laid-back rural atmosphere.



-Cody F.

[Jugtown Modeler]

They are Point Levers made by Shire Scenes. They're an etched-brass kit. Each point lever is made up of three very tiny parts.

Those are decorative though, right?

Sharp looking narrow gauge track work. Made even better by the clean ballast work.

[VonRyan]

Those are decorative though, right?

Sharp looking narrow gauge track work. Made even better by the clean ballast work.

They are indeed decorative Steve. I couldn't imagine trying to make them function. I'd probably loose my mind doing so.
The turnouts are also cosmetic, so no worries there.

And thanks for the compliments on the trackwork. I probably should have gone with a cinder ballast, but since this layout isn't based on any one specific railway or location, I can live with it.

If I were to do another layout, it would be based on a prototype location(s) and lines. But for now, I'm more focused on getting the layout further along.

[Chickenhawk]

This is coming along really nicely, keep up the great work. Once you start adding the ground foam and similar it's really going to start to pop. :-D

[danielb]

What a lovely little layout. What are you planning to do for motive power? Any particular prototype loco or will you be going for a tram type? :)

[VonRyan]

What a lovely little layout. What are you planning to do for motive power? Any particular prototype loco or will you be going for a tram type? :)

I have a Märklin 0-6-0 which is ultimately just a donor chassis for a loco shell that will eventually be available on Shapeways once it's designer approves it as being ok for sale. It's just a generic-ish shell to give the feel of a standard Irish narrow gauge locomotive.
Meanwhile I may make a quick tram-style body to put over the stock Märklin metal body, but we shall see.

[danielb]

Be sure to document your progress either way, cos that'd be awesome to see. :)

I'm just delving into Shapeways models at the moment as it's not something I've ever looked at before, but there are some cool loco kits on there I'd like to try. :)

[VonRyan]

Yesterday evening I made more progress on ballasting the layout.
There now remains only one inch of unballasted track which will be taken care of once I finish some work around the bridge abutment.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-gH8duwQXFA8/VfB7L7Eoq7I/AAAAAAAAASs/MX9Ush3Dn48/s720-Ic42/image22.jpg

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5cSo2E4ySy8/VfB7MPM4CeI/AAAAAAAAAS0/-5O5jVU0WuI/s720-Ic42/image23.jpg

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-X7pZ1HNdM-8/VfB7Ml8uugI/AAAAAAAAAS4/qrXSFQX4FLo/s720-Ic42/image24.jpg



And for those wondering about the "big picture" in regards to the overall layout:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0BODZ0chQkQ/VfB7NAMpc1I/AAAAAAAAATA/_hww6BOzdVo/s720-Ic42/image25.jpg




I also ordered three different types of "earth" from Arizona Rock & Mineral Company to see which one will work best on the dirt road.
The objective is to get the ballasting, riverbed, and the dirt road finished before the end of the month as a friend has offered me his assistance with putting the greenery (static-grass) on the layout.




Cheers!

-Cody F.

[VonRyan]

Some dirt I bought on the interwebs arrived on Friday.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-HrAXv0-bdOc/Vfc3mKPOKOI/AAAAAAAAATY/sdJltcGxGlg/s720-Ic42/image26.jpg

[VonRyan]

And now for some major progress...

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-MSlboDOhCTk/VgwKLW6ZhSI/AAAAAAAAAT4/699rRKjONRo/s720-Ic42/12032031_1028617733836483_2405329370886407707_n.jp g

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZaW3f6sG2zU/VgwKLqP1EFI/AAAAAAAAAUA/3o26jQ8ZBgA/s720-Ic42/12038548_1028617747169815_5394219995098312570_n.jp g

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rRTd9RHylMo/VgwKMIkEtLI/AAAAAAAAAUI/qV2odzNu2C0/s720-Ic42/12032142_1028617770503146_2188597855616377205_n.jp g

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-p_kbDqRfxxM/VgwKMQRbGII/AAAAAAAAAUQ/KvHx9RejZ0s/s720-Ic42/12042614_1028617793836477_455251102065471295_n.jpg

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ouKd7R8tlx8/VgwKM81d6qI/AAAAAAAAAUY/fT9zM0TG1ec/s720-Ic42/12074781_1028617817169808_6055002120637278898_n.jp g

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OSWyZw83-iU/VgwKNFmsmAI/AAAAAAAAAUg/WrM2OkTIPyU/s720-Ic42/12019857_1028617840503139_3853442045780135355_n.jp g

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vkYgjagJf70/VgwKNg8fNGI/AAAAAAAAAUk/dDHu4XdJG4o/s720-Ic42/12079123_1028617863836470_4331731257809849514_n.jp g


Over the weekend the layout got "Grassinated" and as a result it hardly looks like the same layout as before.



-Cody F.

[ScrewySqrl]

very Irish green!

[VonRyan]

"That's all she wrote."


My little Märklin 0-6-0 bit the dust today. I tried every trick I've learned and nothing will get it going.
I got it for an incredible deal of only $50 second hand from a Z-scale modeler, so there's no chance I'll find another one for that price. So no running trains on this layout.


Now that it's dead, the layout is now just a scenic diorama.


Oh well :(

[WP&P]

Say it isn't so!

Maybe there is something we can do to help out. Hopefully someone who's good at fine-tuning small locos will step up, with an offer to give it a makeover for you. Maybe the mods here can offer that person FREE NSN MEMBERSHIP FOR LIFE in payment for such a good deed. Or maybe someone else has a chassis they are willing to part with.

Somehow, we just gotta see this layout in action!

[Tred]

Yeah, I was kind of lookin' forward to seeing this layout in operation. You do all this work and POOF, it's only a diorama now? So much for the BIG finish. Nothing? Kind of anticlimactic, ya know. Oh well, it's looks good.

[VonRyan]

Yeah, I was kind of lookin' forward to seeing this layout in operation. You do all this work and POOF, it's only a diorama now? So much for the BIG finish. Nothing? Kind of anticlimactic, ya know. Oh well, it's looks good.

Unless a miracle happens, it'll be a diorama for the foreseeable future. I can't afford a replacement locomotive of any sort as my trip to Danville, VA to get the layout sceniced has drained my coffers indefinitely.

[Tred]

Bummer. Sorry to hear that.

[Janbouli]

I looked on Ebay Germany , but man Z-scale loco's are expensive.

[Jugtown Modeler]

Ouch.

The grass came out great! Stinks that you are have loco troubles.

Is it a motor problem? It is possible I have an "unused" replacement motor or a "cheap" Z mech in working order....
I am a Nn3 armchair enthusiastic wannabe but don't have results to show for it. Seems a shame your efforts are hampered not by a lack of results but atechnical challenge.

Let me look around and see what is sitting around with no purpose and I will PM you to see if we can work something out...

[VonRyan]

I looked on Ebay Germany , but man Z-scale loco's are expensive.


Yea. I found two 5-pole 0-6-0s for €55 and another €9-€12 shipping. Why I went and looked, I have no clue...




Ouch.

The grass came out great! Stinks that you are have loco troubles.

Is it a motor problem? It is possible I have an "unused" replacement motor or a "cheap" Z mech in working order....
I am a Nn3 armchair enthusiastic wannabe but don't have results to show for it. Seems a shame your efforts are hampered not by a lack of results but atechnical challenge.

Let me look around and see what is sitting around with no purpose and I will PM you to see if we can work something out...

Thank you for the compliments on the grass, Steve.

I can't quite tell what the problem is. I was given a link to a list of diagnostics or somesuch of issues these little locomotives can incur, but none really fit the bill for what happened to mine.

And many thanks for your help! Even if nothing turns up, I very much appreciate the gesture!

[VonRyan]

While I strip some Romex, I was wondering if there would happen to be anyone out there who would be able to loan me a small Nn3 locomotive (capable of negotiating tight radii) just for this coming weekend? I'd really prefer to have something running on it if I'm going to be taking it's first train-show this weekend.
I can pay you in Railcraft code 70 rail or ME code 40 rail, or I can pay you with an assortment of original Camden & Amboy Models factory-seconds castings (various vehicles and building details).

If not, no big deal. I'll just leave the layout home in its cardboard box.



Cheers

-Cody F.

[Jugtown Modeler]

PM sent.
Found a Z 0-6-0 loco sitting forlorn in a corner of my Nn3 project box. No hesitation when I asked for a volunteer and it jumped at the chance to be put to use.

Will want to see video posted if this works out.

[VonRyan]

PM sent.
Found a Z 0-6-0 loco sitting forlorn in a corner of my Nn3 project box. No hesitation when I asked for a volunteer and it jumped at the chance to be put to use.

Will want to see video posted if this works out.

You can certainly expect to see a video as soon as it gets it's new body and is put to work on the layout :)

Many Thanks, Steve!

[VonRyan]

So I have been fiddling with the dirt road. I have created what I am calling the "oil and chips" method.
I paint on full-strength white glue, fall some soil over top of the glue, then tamp with the flat of a pair of vintage Swiss watchmakers tweezers. Only problem is that only a rough layer sticks down. And the glue gives some slight discoloration to the fine soil. Trying to figure out how to get all the soil that is applied to stay down and to stay the same color and smooth-ish texture.

If I get time I will try and take some photos and post them.

[VonRyan]

No photos of this yet because I'd rather wait till it's finished.


The first rendition of my wooden tram-engine body for the Märklin 0-6-0 is now in the trash can.
I was too dissatisfied with my scribing and the thickness of the wood I had used.
So I emptied my change bowl and bought some 1/32nd basswood to try scribing it with a fine dental "explorer" and see how that goes. I also picked up an 89¢ strip of .016" brass for the sideplates.


Steve mailed an 0-6-0 off to me yesterday, so it should be here tomorrow afternoon.
He and I worked out a deal, so the upside is that I can have the layout running at the show this weekend.
And, hopefully I can make a proper video of the layout in operation.
Of course, that also means getting my two wagons converted to three-link couplings.

[ChicagoNW]

Rather than stick your road into a layer of glue, you might be to lay the road out then flood it with a watery glue. The glue will spread out and penetrate every crevice in the rock dust.

[VonRyan]

Still working on getting a proper video put together. Didn't have time over the weekend, plus I nixed the idea of making the 3-pole 0-6-0 into a wood bodied tram. Working on fudging another idea together.

Meanwhile, here are some photos I took with my DSLR in some natural sunlight that came through a window during the show:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--XkUmnV7SX4/VhwHKyKl5zI/AAAAAAAAAU8/V_OydNuQCoM/s800-Ic42/IMG_1291.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-UwXs0SVn8b8/VhwHRGLif-I/AAAAAAAAAVU/kqRzWePWSKE/s800-Ic42/IMG_1294.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Cif4m4bxgak/VhwHTP2Y2hI/AAAAAAAAAVc/y5LEaCLxp40/s800-Ic42/IMG_1295.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wbrysIYUCDE/VhwHf63waYI/AAAAAAAAAWU/aX5KfRC81R8/s800-Ic42/IMG_1302.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qdLtXPmzC1A/VhwHlS1M7uI/AAAAAAAAAYY/m-9r_w1fOm8/s800-Ic42/IMG_1305.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-sLGWU4jIQvQ/VhwHnMZd6jI/AAAAAAAAAW4/yzHqT3B4JTo/s800-Ic42/IMG_1306.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-fHYAtNIRFRA/VhwHtw7cSaI/AAAAAAAAAYQ/4JSBx-QttE8/s800-Ic42/IMG_1310.JPG

[VonRyan]

Still no progress on the video. My efforts to turn a Märklin 0-6-0 into something more indicative of a narrow gauge locomotive has not been satisfactory. So until I get that figured out, filming will have to wait.

[VonRyan]

Still no progress on the video. My efforts to turn a Märklin 0-6-0 into something more indicative of a narrow gauge locomotive has not been satisfactory. So until I get that figured out, filming will have to wait.


Still no progress. Every time I try something, I end up throwing it out. I just can't get any satisfactory results.

After selling off an old Western Railcraft interurban kit and GHB brass Interurban chassis, I'm debating whether to buy a PowerMax chassis, or try and work a deal with a gent over in the UK for some locos with Peco body kits and some more rolling stock.

I may just shoot a comprehensive video with the unmodified Märklin 0-6-0 so that I can get it done and stop worrying about it, but I'm on the fence about it.

[ScrewySqrl]

maybe you can show us what you've been trying? the collective brain around here is pretty good

[Jugtown Modeler]

Do you think you could start with a N scale shell, Graham Farish / Dapol / etc, and customize it into a reasonable narrow gauge loco? At least a starting place...?

Ex: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Graham-Farish-N-Gauge-Class-3F-Tank-Jinty-Diecast-BODYSHELL-LMS-Black-Livery-/221908891427?hash=item33aaccf723:g:fGIAAOSwKsRWF8S P

(S&H is too high (negotiate?) but price is not bad...)

74537

Not for sale but have you seen this: http://www.shapeways.com/product/EZ4AN2YAK/n-scale-narrow-gauge-steam-shell

[VonRyan]

maybe you can show us what you've been trying? the collective brain around here is pretty good

They are probably in the landfill by now. I emptied my trash-can in the studio Monday evening.

The problem is that I have a terribly hard time getting my hands to do what my mind envisions.
The only thing I still have that I sorta tried is a spare 0-6-0 shell with the start of I-don't-even-know-what on it.
I suppose I could dig it up and post a couple photos of it.

[VonRyan]

Do you think you could start with a N scale shell, Graham Farish / Dapol / etc, and customize it into a reasonable narrow gauge loco? At least a starting place...?

Ex: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Graham-Farish-N-Gauge-Class-3F-Tank-Jinty-Diecast-BODYSHELL-LMS-Black-Livery-/221908891427?hash=item33aaccf723:g:fGIAAOSwKsRWF8S P

(S&H is too high (negotiate?) but price is not bad...)

74537

Not for sale but have you seen this: http://www.shapeways.com/product/EZ4AN2YAK/n-scale-narrow-gauge-steam-shell

In theory, it would work. Except for the fact that it'd be significantly larger since the Graham Farish models are N Gauge (1:148) and I'm working in 1:160/1:152 and with relatively small 3' gauge locomotives.

I'm trying to make just a basic steam-tram to go around the Märklin shell, but it always boils down to a lack of well-defined direction, no clear steps to take, and even with a relatively simple tram there is just too much for my mind to process, which exacerbates the fact that my mind doesn't readily translate things for my hands when it comes to trying to make something like this.

Fine, demanding work such as this is a major hurdle for me, and usually is where I draw the line with projects. It's why 99% of my projects I've started in the last 6-7 years have gone unfinished. Most are just parts and bits in boxes.

[Jugtown Modeler]

Fine, demanding work such as this is a major hurdle for me, and usually is where I draw the line with projects. It's why 99% of my projects I've started in the last 6-7 years have gone unfinished. Most are just parts and bits in boxes.

I hear you. I suffer similar maladies.
Sometimes we just have to create/make to finish something even if it is not up to "our" standards. Completion, even if compromised, is an achievement and quite satisfying.
Do your best. There is nothing to lose and nobody to prove anything to.

[jimil]

I hear you. I suffer similar maladies.
Sometimes we just have to create/make to finish something even if it is not up to "our" standards. Completion, even if compromised, is an achievement and quite satisfying.
Do your best. There is nothing to lose and nobody to prove anything to.

More importantly, getting better at it takes seeing projects through. Bailing out of a project as soon as it gets tough means you never learn how to get out of the tough spots.

No one started out building fine super accurate models. We all started out on something. Most of the people who build their first model railroad and it's beautiful have some experience they're bringing to the table from elsewhere. Or they're inhumanly talented and we need to find an exorcist.

Magazines sometimes do more to hurt the new hobbyist than help as it can create too much of a perception of ease. We see all these projects done by someone who appears to do it in an afternoon. In reality, they probably are on their second or third or fourth or whatever time building that by the time the photographer shows up. They also have plenty of experience and what is simple for someone who gets paid to do it and simple for someone making a couple of hours of time a week to do it are vastly different things. The seeming ease and great result don't compute for the person taking that on for the first time.

Magazines also create the illusion that all you need to get the skill to create great models are the information and the tools. For one thing, you will not get ALL of the information by reading it. You need to teach your hands too. It's the muscles that do most of the work, not the brain. You need that initial info, but it's the start, not the end, of what you need to know.


We all have our turkeys. We also will eventually have our projects that we don't think turn out great but are actually pretty darn good. As the creator, we only see what is wrong we don't see what is right. It takes a lot of experience before you can assess your own work.

The great thing for me about model railroading is that vast variety of aspects that go into it. We need to be artists and craftsmen in multiple disciplines. The only thing we don't usually do is plumbing. That diversity of skill is also the primary drawback. Some folks can do shoot for the moon modeling and come out great, but they can't paint for beans. Other folks can take even a crappy model and put the right paint on it so that it looks like a true 1:1 object.

So, get some projects done. It's the only way to learn.

[Jugtown Modeler]

More importantly.....

Well said. Excellent points (worthy of their own thread!)

[VonRyan]

More importantly, getting better at it takes seeing projects through. Bailing out of a project as soon as it gets tough means you never learn how to get out of the tough spots.

No one started out building fine super accurate models. We all started out on something. Most of the people who build their first model railroad and it's beautiful have some experience they're bringing to the table from elsewhere. Or they're inhumanly talented and we need to find an exorcist.

Magazines sometimes do more to hurt the new hobbyist than help as it can create too much of a perception of ease. We see all these projects done by someone who appears to do it in an afternoon. In reality, they probably are on their second or third or fourth or whatever time building that by the time the photographer shows up. They also have plenty of experience and what is simple for someone who gets paid to do it and simple for someone making a couple of hours of time a week to do it are vastly different things. The seeming ease and great result don't compute for the person taking that on for the first time.

Magazines also create the illusion that all you need to get the skill to create great models are the information and the tools. For one thing, you will not get ALL of the information by reading it. You need to teach your hands too. It's the muscles that do most of the work, not the brain. You need that initial info, but it's the start, not the end, of what you need to know.


We all have our turkeys. We also will eventually have our projects that we don't think turn out great but are actually pretty darn good. As the creator, we only see what is wrong we don't see what is right. It takes a lot of experience before you can assess your own work.

The great thing for me about model railroading is that vast variety of aspects that go into it. We need to be artists and craftsmen in multiple disciplines. The only thing we don't usually do is plumbing. That diversity of skill is also the primary drawback. Some folks can do shoot for the moon modeling and come out great, but they can't paint for beans. Other folks can take even a crappy model and put the right paint on it so that it looks like a true 1:1 object.

So, get some projects done. It's the only way to learn.


For me it's not a matter of just finishing something for the sake of finishing a project. It's a matter of there is a point where I no longer can do what needs to be done and no amount of perseverance can overcome that.

In this instance, I'm not even going for anything necessarily accurate. Even when just trying to wing it and see what happen, a point will be reached where my hands will no longer function as my mind cannot get the information to my hands.

It's not a matter of me not trying. I literally hit points where I cannot physically or mentally continue. Sometimes it's due in part to a lack of specialized equipment, other times it is purely an inability to go on. Any attempt to try and continue usually ends up with my hands, and then my arms, shaking, and to some extent my body sometimes shakes as well. At the same time my mind is stuck in what computer programmers call an infinite loop. My mind just keeps repeating it's desired action over and over again with rising "volume" to where it is as if 10 people are screaming inside my skull, but my hands just do nothing but shake.

The result is what some would call frustration, whereas it is more of a different feeling, one which I cannot describe.
Then, the depression will set in. And I'll loose all desire to do any modeling for anywhere from three days to over a month. And even when I want to get back out in the studio and work on something, my body just doesn't cooperate.

I go into a project knowing what needs to be done, how to do it, and how to make it all come together, but as soon as I start work, it's as if a thick grey haze comes over my thoughts, and subsequently my hands now are more sluggish and less responsive. Despite the fact that I do know what I'm doing.

Another thing is that the way my mind works, I need steps, and I cannot create steps. Well, technically I can, but it's like someone talking to me through a wool blanket. I get the basic idea of what I came up with, but still have no idea what it is that I thoght.

My mind requires a certain degree of information in order to function when working. Like with trying to make a simple steam-tram body (just 4 damn walls and a roof), my mind need to to know exactly things need to be cut (more complex actually, but I cannot describe it), and a whole jumble of other information that most people would probably see as unnecessary.

It's why I don't (because I can't) handlay track. It is that type of demanding work that requires a level of fine control that my mind cannot get my hands to do. It's as if my hands are not my own, as if I was attempting to tell someone else how to accomplish a given task.

It's not a matter of learning. It's a matter of I simply cannot do certain things. There are just too many outside factors, along with my own internal factors, that ultimately I cannot control and which weigh on my mind. Combine that with my issues with processing thoughts to get my hands to work, and it's one helluva situation.

I have Asperger's Syndrome, and while what I described here isn't quite something I have heard of in other folks with AS, it certainly isn't helping things.
The heart of the matter is, I go through each day with a constant feeling of being trapped, a feeling as though my mind is trapped within my body. In effect, my mind is a prisoner in my own skull.

[grrf]

dont discount the 1/148 stuff , the scale may be larger BUT the locos themselves are smaller loading gauge so it could balance out.

[WP&P]

VonRyan - thank you for clearing up your meaning; relatively few of us have to face a situation similar to yours, so please bear with us if we took your initial comments to refer more to the kinds of frustrations that we tend to face. In most of our cases, it really is just more of a psychological thing, giving up versus choosing to see it through. And choosing to learn from our mistakes, knowing that we will be making those mistakes.

In your case, it does seem to be more of an actual medical condition. I would revise the advice that has been given by saying that you should keep it clear in your mind that it's not really the project's fault, and thus you shouldn't trash efforts. Rather, shelve them for a time, and come back to it later. There might be other methods you can try to achieve your ends; maybe scratch building a log cabin board by board isn't going to be the best way for *YOU*, in other words, but are there other approaches that could work? What about modeling in 3D design software and relying on Shapeways for the physical part? Or maybe you can be satisfied with printed paper textures that you adhere to a relatively simple shape? Maybe you even entrust one of your friends (even friends here at NsN) to do something for you, and perhaps offer them something that you are good at in exchange? I think all you need to do is to offer YellowBeard a beer and you can get him to do almost anything. Or find a way to phrase your current dilemma as a technical challenge, and see how quickly TwinDad steps up.

I am currently helping a fellow club member to do scenery on his layout, because he doesn't trust his skills in that area. Along the way I am trying to teach him, and he has been working with me in some manner of apprenticeship, but he is reconciled to the fact that the prominent scenic features aren't going to be done by him. I have leaned on other club members, too, to diagnose and recondition an engine that isn't running, for instance.

So maybe you just need to look for ways to steer clear of the kinds of tasks that are likely to produce the kinds of frustration you now face, and focus on other aspects of the hobby. Let some of us come in and take up the slack!

[ChicagoNW]

Simplify!!!!!!

[jimil]

It's not a matter of me not trying. I literally hit points where I cannot physically or mentally continue.

My apologies. I've seen so many people toss in the towel too readily that I did not pay close enough attention to get your meaning. Don't mind me while I un-stick my locomotive from my caboose.

[ChicagoNW]

It may be possible if we knew what you are trying to do we could make it easier for you to do. If you post an image maybe we can help you get going better.

Are you trying to create a loco similar to Toby from the Thomas the Tank Engine Series of books?

http://www2.thomasandfriends.com/en-as/Images/lg-toby_tcm688-94762.png http://www2.thomasandfriends.com/en-as/Engines/Toby.html


He was based on this loco…

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fb/Stratford_Locomotive_Depot_tram_engine_geograph-2380139-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg/300px-Stratford_Locomotive_Depot_tram_engine_geograph-2380139-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GER_Class_C53

To me that loc looks a lot like a common Brakevan from GF…

http://www.nscale.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=40007&d=1358646081



Construction starts pretty easy by prying off the chassis. This leaves you with a solid bottom car.
First remove the factory smokestack from the roof.
The first decision is do you want to do the full skirt and cowcatcher like Toby or leave it open like the original. If you go Toby then you can use any mechanism for power.
Either way you want to make a pattern for cutting out the floor of the car.
Then using an Xacto scribe the pattern into the floor until it falls out.
Then test fit the mech and make alterations as needed.
You may need to add or subtract plastic to make it work.
When the mech fits test run the raw body and mech
Start on the roof
Add steam loco details to the roof
Paint
Add decals
Enjoy your newest kitbash

Granted this work list is thin on details but I have little clue of what you want to build or what materials you have.

You don't need exotic tools to be a model maker. The ancient ones did it with old used scalpels stolen from the doctor. Today we use an Xacto.

[YellowBeard]

I'm here for the beer. What do you need me to do?

[TwinDad]

You rang?

(.......)

[VonRyan]

It may be possible if we knew what you are trying to do we could make it easier for you to do. If you post an image maybe we can help you get going better.

Are you trying to create a loco similar to Toby from the Thomas the Tank Engine Series of books?

http://www2.thomasandfriends.com/en-as/Images/lg-toby_tcm688-94762.png http://www2.thomasandfriends.com/en-as/Engines/Toby.html


He was based on this loco…

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fb/Stratford_Locomotive_Depot_tram_engine_geograph-2380139-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg/300px-Stratford_Locomotive_Depot_tram_engine_geograph-2380139-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GER_Class_C53

To me that loc looks a lot like a common Brakevan from GF…

http://www.nscale.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=40007&d=1358646081



Construction starts pretty easy by prying off the chassis. This leaves you with a solid bottom car.
First remove the factory smokestack from the roof.
The first decision is do you want to do the full skirt and cowcatcher like Toby or leave it open like the original. If you go Toby then you can use any mechanism for power.
Either way you want to make a pattern for cutting out the floor of the car.
Then using an Xacto scribe the pattern into the floor until it falls out.
Then test fit the mech and make alterations as needed.
You may need to add or subtract plastic to make it work.
When the mech fits test run the raw body and mech
Start on the roof
Add steam loco details to the roof
Paint
Add decals
Enjoy your newest kitbash

Granted this work list is thin on details but I have little clue of what you want to build or what materials you have.

You don't need exotic tools to be a model maker. The ancient ones did it with old used scalpels stolen from the doctor. Today we use an Xacto.


Originally my plan was for a wood-bodied tram, with sideplates and the like, but the Märklin 0-6-0 mechanism would have resulted in a far less than desirable length, so I turned my attention towards other possibilities, of which I haven't found anything simple enough to wrap my brain around. So, I tried bodging a couple ideas from styrene, but nothing was working.
the only thing I still have is a spare 0-6-0 shell that has a piece a brass stock kinda wrapped around it.

I just unboxed the rest of my layout stuff today so I'll get pictures taken of it and post them tomorrow.

[VonRyan]

On a sorta related note, I supposedly ordered a Searails "PowerMax!" chassis, but it says " PowerMax! PAID ADVANCE RESERVATION" whatever the hell that means. They took my money, so I expect delivery of a chassis.


So if you'll pardon me, I shall now begin attempting to put to words how to attempt to ask for the assistance that I require.

I don't want to waste the fact that folks stepped in and asked what is it I am looking for help with.

Stand-by.

[ScrewySqrl]

one thing, VonRyan. Narrow Gauge trains are often just smaller than standard gauge:

http://i.imgur.com/V8MxPJC.jpg

so maybe just a slightly taller/wider cabin will do the trick?

[VonRyan]

https://youtu.be/k5zrcqOJAEA


Pardon my terrible voice. I am ill right now and it is effecting my speech somewhat.

[The Ol' Curmudgeon]

How about something along these lines? It's an Irish steam dummy, and it's definitely narrow gauge.

74616

http://www.freerails.com/view_topic.php?id=5450&forum_id=45
(http://www.freerails.com/view_topic.php?id=5450&forum_id=45)

[Tred]

Looks great, even better with something running across the rails! I'm glad you didn't give up on this.

[ScrewySqrl]

:y:

looks great!

[VonRyan]

Here are a couple photos of a Peco N6.5 saddle-tank body kit atop a Märklin 0-6-0 mechanism, which arrived in a package along with two others (and some other things) on Friday.

The body kit is whitemetal and a good bit heavier than the stock Märklin shell, so it not only gives the mechanism better traction/pick-up, but it also helps to smooth out the running quality of the Märklin mechanism.

I stripped all the original paint off the body, disassembled it and cleaned all the parts thoroughly and took care of any rough spots and removed mold-lines. Then it got a coat of Tamiya semi-gloss black (because my LHS was out of flat black) and then a good coat of Dullcote.

I'll remove the stock couplers at some point and fill in the space in the pilot of the locomotive.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nZtCgewJ6FU/VkqqwKyiyJI/AAAAAAAAApw/1ILZOiy_nzA/s720-Ic42/IMG_5986.JPG (https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nZtCgewJ6FU/VkqqwKyiyJI/AAAAAAAAApw/1ILZOiy_nzA/s720-Ic42/IMG_5986.JPG)

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mb_VCCzMswo/VkqrDDIhiWI/AAAAAAAAAq0/KgY0kxU7CxE/s720-Ic42/IMG_5987.JPG (https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mb_VCCzMswo/VkqrDDIhiWI/AAAAAAAAAq0/KgY0kxU7CxE/s720-Ic42/IMG_5987.JPG)


And here it is compared to the Shapeways shell locomotive:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-aFRlUTpPatE/VkqrSMQGaJI/AAAAAAAAAsg/7QPR4lBgjAU/s720-Ic42/IMG_5989.JPG (https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-aFRlUTpPatE/VkqrSMQGaJI/AAAAAAAAAsg/7QPR4lBgjAU/s720-Ic42/IMG_5989.JPG)

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-jP6aZHiATUA/VkqrJpsxM4I/AAAAAAAAArc/97vgNAep7Ew/s720-Ic42/IMG_5988.JPG (https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-jP6aZHiATUA/VkqrJpsxM4I/AAAAAAAAArc/97vgNAep7Ew/s720-Ic42/IMG_5988.JPG)


The shapeways locomotive still needs weight put inside of the boiler before it can be put into service on the layout.

[Janbouli]

Never knew that Marklin made N-scale chassis, or did I miss somewhere that your layout is Z-scale?

[Jugtown Modeler]

Never knew that Marklin made N-scale chassis, or did I miss somewhere that your layout is Z-scale?

Narrow gauge N runs on Z track. Nn3.


The shapeways locomotive still needs weight put inside of the boiler before it can be put into service on the layout.

Looking great Ryan!

[VonRyan]

Never knew that Märklin made N-scale chassis, or did I miss somewhere that your layout is Z-scale?

As Steve pointed out, the layout is N, but narrow gauge. It uses the Z-scale track spacing of 6.5mm to represent roughly 3ft gauge. Although, it works out to be a tad wider than Cape Gauge.

The layout is actually using 2mm Scale, which is 2mm to the foot, or 1:152 (as opposed to N which is 1:160), so the track gauge scales out to 3'3".

[VonRyan]

My PowerMax! chassis arrived over the weekend. I have yet to put it on the layout for a test-lap, mainly because I'm using the workbench space for other projects, but I plan to give the it a proper test later today.

[VonRyan]

I'm not dead, I was just merely resting.

I pulled the layout back out of the catacombs a few days ago and blew some of the dust off of it. And before the thought of running a train even crossed my mind I started back to work on the scenery.

It went a little something like two steps forward and four steps back, but then I took three steps forward again.

Pictures are soon to come.

But fear not! Progress is being made, and things are coming along smoothly. The dirt road is 98% finished, the riverbed (in its second iteration) is finished and awaits water, but the riverbanks and an adjacent hillside require new static grass. I have parts to build a static grass applicator ordered and they should be here in the next couple days.

[VonRyan]

I now have all the electronic components for my static grass applicator.

All I need to do now is scrounge up parts for the body and such so that I can start assembling everything.

[VonRyan]

Static grass applicator was built.

Static grass applicator did not function properly no matter what I did to it, and no matter what power supply I used for it.

And since I can't afford to try to build another (I had to scrounge for a lot of the parts for the one I just built...), the layout will remain unfinished, placed in the catacombs for deep storage, and won't be on display at the Atlantic City N-Scale Gathering.

[OTFan]

Sorry to hear the static grass applicator didn't work out. I think it looks pretty good as is though. Nothing wrong with displaying it now and still improving it later.

[Moose2013]

VonRyan Moose agree with OTFan ... Just keep working on other areas of the landscaping and such until you can get the static grass applicator figured out. :)

[VonRyan]

Sorry to hear the static grass applicator didn't work out. I think it looks pretty good as is though. Nothing wrong with displaying it now and still improving it later.

I haven't had a chance to post any current photos yet. The riverbanks have been stripped of grass, and the neighboring corner has been stripped of static grass as well.



@VonRyan (http://www.nscale.net/forums/member.php?u=15542) Moose agree with OTFan ... Just keep working on other areas of the landscaping and such until you can get the static grass applicator figured out. :)

The only thing left to do, other than the re-grassing, is to put "water" in the river, but I haven't found a material that doesn't creep up the banks.
Envirotex was suggested, and it looks good, but it does tend to creep up the banks, which is something I'm not too keen on.


The plan was to have everything except the water done in time for set-up on Friday the 22nd for the Atlantic City N-Scale Gathering on the 23rd and 24th, but unless a working static grass applicator appears on my workbench by the 20th, I'll be boxing up the layout and the rest of my Nn3 stuff and putting it in deep storage in my basement indefinitely.