|
Post by atw on Jan 2, 2016 15:09:45 GMT -5
Bob, looks like your iPad is also stuck in some odd timezone - I can see the January 2016 new items perfectly And thanks AZL for the ATW cars, that's cool (my initials but also a great little railroad) cheerZ Adrian
|
|
|
Post by atw on Dec 31, 2015 8:19:00 GMT -5
I think the "pink" insulation board is made from extruded polystyrene (XPS, also called Styrofoam) which has a much higher density (28–45 kg/m3) and is therefore much more rigid than EPS (expanded polystyrene, the "white insulation board"), which has a density of around 15 kg/m3. Personally, I use the latter, because it's a lot lighter in weight (it's effectively made up of 98% air) yet still rigid enough for a layout/module base once it's framed with 0.4" plywood boards - I have said goodbye to "bomb proof" heavyweight construction methods with timbers and all a long time ago, I prefer my modules to be well and truly portable (using lightweight construction and scenery methods also means no warping of any kind). In any case both XPS and EPS are great modelling materials (I find I use the 2" sheets most often).
cheerZ Adrian
|
|
|
Post by atw on Dec 30, 2015 14:53:02 GMT -5
Bob - I used the rail brown on MT's sectional Micro-Track and it wasn't bad, but I found it didn't really make the work any easier so ultimately I stuck with the paintbrush. But give it a try, it works quite well. Dieselfuelx - right you are, consult the prototype and not Auntie Google. Except, well... whoever is painting the rails for CSX down in Wildwood FL just keeps changing their mind every few yards ...
|
|
|
Post by atw on Dec 29, 2015 12:11:08 GMT -5
Sounds like you guys are talking about *next christmas* ... I think you got that wrong Me I got two AZL NYC geeps so now I can run my modules both in 1950s and contemporary style - cool Adrian
|
|
|
Post by atw on Dec 23, 2015 10:37:42 GMT -5
My apologies, but given the high volume of releases we have been doing recently, I cannot remember off hand which locomotive product is planned for each particular railroad. Good heavens, Rob, definitely NO need to apologize for that I've never had more fun being in Z scale than now.
|
|
|
Post by atw on Dec 21, 2015 17:24:00 GMT -5
I don't try to avoid getting any paint on the tops of the rails, so they always get their fair share of paint. After painting a piece of track I then roll up some kitchen tissue into a pad which is just slightly wider than the two rails and move it along both rails of the track, wiping the still wet paint off (sometimes takes more than one swipe). Once the paint has dried (usually the next day), I run a Dedeco "fine" scratch-free track cleaner over the rails, which removes any residual paint and leaves you with nice and shiny tops of the rails.
|
|
|
Post by atw on Dec 21, 2015 15:41:00 GMT -5
I always enjoy John's blog very much, but I do wonder if this approach will work just as well on curves, let alone switches. Cutting the masking tape for those track configurations seems like a daunting task to me. I can't offer a video, but IMHO the one big mistake many fellow modellers make when hand painting rails of any scale is that they use a brush which is *way too big in size*. For Z you really want a 4/0 or 3/0 size brush, i.e. with a tip of less than or around 1/62". You will have to get that from a specialist outlet, but it's worth it. It also prevents getting too much paint onto the rail at once, reducing the amount of paint in places where you don't really want it. I always paint the track pieces before I fix them down, that way I can rotate them around to get at the rail from all sides more easily - and like ballasting, you don't want to do it all in one go as it can get tedious fairly quickly. Paint depends on the colour you want your rails to have; I use the Revell range as this is readily available here in Europe. I always get paint where I don't want it, though. Not a lot, but still, it's there. If it looks bad, I'll wipe it with thinner (which often adds a weathering effect). On the whole, I find that especially with Z scale it's the overall appearance that does it - close-up pictures are always cruel in our scale. Just my two cents plus 25 years of painting rails cheerZ Adrian
|
|
|
Post by atw on Dec 20, 2015 6:30:47 GMT -5
I just got my first Tropicana reefers yesterday and I have to say I am both impressed and delighted - what a cool (pun intended) looking piece of rolling stock The detail is simply amazing (apologies for my mediocre close-up photography skills...) and the cars roll very freely. My hat is off to you guys at AZL for this one. Now to sit back and relax and watch those AZL reefers roll by with a glass of oj in my hand cheerZ Adrian
|
|
|
Post by atw on Dec 13, 2015 16:40:17 GMT -5
Mark
At least BB9004 (and I gather the second locomotive as well) was equipped with a purpose built pantograph which had a stronger upward force and was able to handle up to 4000 A. Arcing was a problem too, so two of the three coaches carried special equipment to counteract this.
Just like the NYC "rocket RDC", the equipment used for these high speed trials was heavily modified and never truly seen as ever entering any kind of regular service - quite unlike most high speed train designs of today.
But looking back to the original post of this thread - it *would* be nice to get a rerun of the RDC in the Amtrak scheme 8)
cheerZ
Adrian
|
|
|
Post by atw on Dec 4, 2015 15:37:47 GMT -5
I might be wrong but I'm interpreting "a short production run of Genesee & Wyoming GP38-2" in contrast to "another full run of GP38-2 with multiple road names planned for release in early 2016", i.e. just one road name now, not necessarily a limited number of locos. But we shall see...
|
|
|
Post by atw on Dec 3, 2015 16:55:40 GMT -5
Rob The "blank" G&W is evidently an excellent idea bordering on a stroke of genius - to each his own G&W loco Mine will be sporting this: Once they're released you could almost start a "show me yours" thread cheerZ Adrian
|
|
|
Post by atw on Nov 30, 2015 16:54:22 GMT -5
We do have another full run of GP38-2 with multiple road names planned for release in early 2016, but in the meantime, we had a short production run of Genesee & Wyoming GP38-2 that we will release before Christmas. Thanks Rob, that's like an early christmas carol choir to my ears Adrian
|
|
|
Post by atw on Nov 29, 2015 8:16:19 GMT -5
Rob
Back in February you told us about how some of the GP38-2s were starting to sell out, numbers as well as entire roadnames. You also mentioned you're planning a second "delivery" in 2016.
Amidst all the wonderful new models we're getting every fortnight the GP38-2 still holds a special place IMHO - not the least because it's a great eye-catcher with people who aren't modellers (yet), and better still you can tell them they could have one too for less than a hundred dollars (plus shipping and taxes here in Europe, but it's still a great entry level price). They run great, look great - okay, I'll admit it, I'm a great fan of the GP38-2 both in 1:1 and 1:220 scale.
So... about this second "delivery" - any information you can share? I guess you might do additional numbers for roadnames which sold well (the usual suspects), but are you also thinking of adding new ones? The GP38-2 of course offers almost endless possibilities...
Just a rush of curiosity while running my AZL GP38-2s 8)
thanks and cheerZ Adrian
|
|
|
Post by atw on Nov 28, 2015 16:55:34 GMT -5
Good point Frank. Besides, regardless of scale, I perceive a pronounced tendency over the past few years of moving towards more detail and accuracy. Obviously, this comes at a price, but few of us want "toy models" anymore, we want "prototypically accurate".
I think prices for Z are fair, given its overall market size and the viable production runs this dictates.
cheerZ Adrian
|
|
|
Post by atw on Nov 26, 2015 13:50:28 GMT -5
Very interesting - and just goes to show the quality we're getting in AZL's current models. Now I'm looking forward even more to the Tropicana release...
Adrian
|
|