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Post by rvn2001 on Jul 26, 2020 12:18:56 GMT -5
I built a Artitec signal tower for a friend who's building a Z scale layout for a model train museum where he volunteers.
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Post by neverland on Jul 26, 2020 19:08:55 GMT -5
Those staircases are a devil! And my eyes ain’t what they used to be, even with a mag light!
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Post by tjdreams on Aug 2, 2020 21:17:27 GMT -5
Did a little more work on the Z-thek shell this weekend. I had to use a hot air gun to keep the roof hot from the outside while i un-soldered it from the inside. Once the cab roof was off while the whole thing was still hot i was able to straighten out the sideboards and the front window frames. After it cooled i drilled out the mounting holes and bent some new hand rails and grab irons from a piece of 0.0125 wire. They are just sitting in place for I'm not going to permanently attach them till after everything has been painted.
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Post by neverland on Aug 16, 2020 16:34:01 GMT -5
Spent another rainy yucky day assembling GCLaser fuel oil tanks. Shoot me now. Glad I ordered two kits of two, because by the time 2-3 pieces would go flying off my work table (never to be seen again) I had just enough parts for three tanks.
Flat red oxide paint replicates rust rather well. Once they dry I need to create some stands to mount them on because the ones that come with the kit are much too flimsy.
Anyone build these? I could use some tips. I currently have the rest of the components corralled in a frozen food tray. 😬🙄
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Post by tjdreams on Aug 16, 2020 19:02:51 GMT -5
Like neverland Thanks to a Rainy weekend i had time to work on the SW-1 With the Cab roof off i spent some time sanding, filing, and scraping more of the excess solder from inside the cab and off the roof. And while I had easy access I cut front and rear light housings from a piece of scrap tubing and soldered them on. Then i reshaped the roof by laying it on my cutting mat and rolled a dowel stick back and forth over it. Next step on my list is the chassis And since I don't have a Marklin 8805 donor chassis handy. I decided to use a Rokuhan shorty like i did in the Shorty Power Chassis Thread from a couple years ago After cutting up a Rokuhan Shorty and using it to make some motor and truck mounts I wasn't happy with the way everything was looking or fitting + it was going to be too light So on to plan #2 Make a chassis out of something a heavier, maybe Brass like Z-Maker did. But his are too big to fit in a SW-1 or are they
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Post by tjdreams on Aug 16, 2020 20:45:53 GMT -5
and on with plan 2 After taking some measurements I decided to try and use one of The Z-Makers SW-1200 bras chassis. Lucky for me I just happen to have 2 of them on hand. Now since the 1200 chassis is bigger wider and has a longer wheel base than the Z-thek SW-1 shell its going need to be cut down. And since the Z-thek shell isn't what you would call a true scale model i'm going to use my calibrated eyeball for some of the measurements. fast forward a trim here, a cut there, and after taking a little more off the sides i wound up with
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Post by tjdreams on Aug 16, 2020 20:53:48 GMT -5
And the test fit looks pretty good if i do say so myself
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Post by BAZman on Aug 16, 2020 21:28:58 GMT -5
who's micro mill are you using? I need to downsize from my 12" CNC
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Post by tjdreams on Aug 17, 2020 19:03:03 GMT -5
The mill is a Proxxon MF 70 that's had a few upgrades. I re-milled the top housing to make room for the addition of Thrust Bearings on the Z axis lead screw, and I added Digital Readout to the Z axis. The X and Y axis will also be getting the same improvements & DRO as time and $$ allows.
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Post by neverland on Aug 23, 2020 16:03:19 GMT -5
Busy painting Shapeways fire tower and found that Stonebridge Models log cabin kit fits in nicely as a US Forest Service field office. Waiting for some dried static grass to “landscape” the tower base. Now if I can just find a ranger with some binoculars...
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Post by tjdreams on Aug 23, 2020 16:26:09 GMT -5
This weekend I started by soldering the two halves of the chassis back together. After test fitting the front truck I decided to file a taper around the top of the front truck mount to increase the clearance between it and the power pickup tabs on the truck. I also sanded down the truck sides, glued on a set of "The Z-Makers SW-1200 side frames, and hit them with a coat of primer.
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Post by tjdreams on Aug 23, 2020 17:07:28 GMT -5
After test fitting with both trucks mounted I realized the body was sitting way too high so i milled a little more off the chassis mounting points to give it a better stance. Next i installed the front and rear handrails. Then I turned my Dremel into a mini lathe and tried my hand at turning a horn. Finally i put everything together for one final test fit only to realize i forgot the fuel tanks and still need to come up with a Bell for the front. So I ordered a piece of brass rod to try and make them out of. Still a ways to go but it's getting there.
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Post by modelwarships on Aug 31, 2020 21:39:36 GMT -5
I added a couple of new engines to help keep those double stacks rolling.
Test fitting an awesome, but severely chopped REA Transfer Warehouse into the layout drawer edge as a background building.
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Post by tjdreams on Sept 6, 2020 20:48:41 GMT -5
A little more progress on the SW-1 After adding the fuel tanks i hit it with some primer then lightly sanded and used a fine tipped scribe to bring out the Grill and Door details on the hood. Then i gave it a few more light coats of primer before setting it aside to dry. Looks like i am going to have to do a little more light sanding to get rid of the fuzz and excess paint buildup around the handrails before hitting it with the final coat of paint.
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Post by zdave on Sept 7, 2020 21:37:11 GMT -5
Finished up swapping out some MTL turnouts with the newer Atlas ones, plus Atlas flex track, and reballasting. As always, it took me longer than I thought it would, but my freight yard now looks better and, best of all, operates much better. I’m very pleased with the Atlas turnouts. A simple and clever design that works smoothly and reliably, with little to no “fiddling around” with. I just use a dental pick to operate them. Great job, Atlas!
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