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Post by dazed on May 4, 2024 10:28:34 GMT -5
Trivia fact. BTW after the second run is completed, the George Bush model will be the rarest UP heritage in Z with only 30 units produced as AZL has decided to not do a second run of GB. All others will have have had two runs although some will have slightly different cab roofs. Did they officially state that they decided not to do a second run of the George Bush unit EVER? I just figured there would be subsequent runs of the ACe locomotives and it might make a re-appearance. I'm actually hoping they do another run of the previous tooling with the GPS dome configuration and the original non-iso cab. I still want to get at least the original BNSF version and that's likely the only way I'll be able to. I would buy a non-iso UP as well, and then we'd see about the MoPac, MKT, and George Bush units if that comes to pass. I don't have a massive interest in the heritage units, probably wouldn't get the 4141, probably would try to get the MoPac. And the BNSF and UP are of great interest, but not important enough to spend $500-600 on them. I can still field and very believable mid-2000s roster without them, once the C44-9W's and AC4400's hit the shelves. And yeah I realize that another run might be 10 years down the road, if ever.
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Post by dazed on May 1, 2024 9:59:53 GMT -5
Depends on the extent you want to go with it. I might be inclined to look at Micro-Engineering components from their N-scale line. Probably the best route would be 3D printing using a resin printer, but I'm not sure how intricate they can get. For the girders it's probably do-able. For the intricate cross braces you might have to find some sort of etched metal source.
Nice looking bridge and should make for a nice scene. I'm sure you know this, but keep in mind that most people will do selective compression...so you wouldn't necessarily have to build the entire 44" long bridge, just one that is long enough to capture the essence.
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Post by dazed on May 1, 2024 8:42:52 GMT -5
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Post by dazed on May 1, 2024 8:13:09 GMT -5
Yes, what atw said. I think most of the track planning applications let you do 1:1 printing, and it is an invaluable capability both for planning and for construction. EDIT: I use XTrkCAD which is free. I also purchased Anyrail but haven't done much with it yet.
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Post by dazed on Apr 28, 2024 9:13:15 GMT -5
I'm not sure why anyone has been "waiting for a shark nose for a very long time" given that AZL has publicly stated on many occasions its dislike for them. (stopping just short of a lifetime ban)
Probably a good candidate for a 3D print project, although I've no idea what mech would be used.
But yes, "Sharknose + Undec + AZL + April 1st = JOKE". If anyone is upset by this, it would be an unreasonable response. Unreasonable seems to be the rule these days in our world though, so here we are I guess.
I personally love the Baldwin Sharks, but I would not buy one since they don't fit my purchasing criteria. I will cheer for one to get made in some manner though.
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Post by dazed on Apr 26, 2024 14:29:51 GMT -5
A couple of Conrails as we wait for the shipment to arrive Wow, these are really nice. I'm looking forward to the SD60s and M's arrival. I sure hope the Oakways made the cut but I'm in for a BN 3-Window either way.
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Post by dazed on Apr 26, 2024 11:46:36 GMT -5
I added the black BN bethgons onto my wish list, and still looking for the CHTT cars too.
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Post by dazed on Apr 26, 2024 8:59:02 GMT -5
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Post by dazed on Apr 26, 2024 8:38:24 GMT -5
By widely use, lets say 300 units used by at least 4 class 1 railroads. Huh, did we just learn a trade secret? Guess we won't be able to sell any of our AZL stock for some time. I came up with a second example, the P42DC. So if we qualify the question with "Has AZL ever done a non-passenger loco that neither UP nor SP owned?", then the answer is probably no. (and again, that probably isn't a bad thing)
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Post by dazed on Apr 25, 2024 23:45:34 GMT -5
Has AZL ever done a loco that neither UP nor SP owned? F59PHI, for one. I know you were trying to be coy, just volleying back your way. It was sort of a cheap shot....UP and SP probably owned most of Alco, GE, EMD, et al's catalogs. Hard to make a loco that doesn't count one or the other as owners. (and especially a commercially viable one at that!) I am a bit surprised that at least one of the AZL principals wouldn't find an excuse to visit Southern California...I don't care if they are having the convention in a livestock barn....it's Cajon and Tehachapi, man!!!! I mean, Hawaii's great and all but the railfanning is abysmal!
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Post by dazed on Apr 19, 2024 13:11:09 GMT -5
It's pretty common to adapt shelves for other uses. I actually bought an HO shelf for my Z stuff. That allowed me to stack two rows for each HO row. The advantage is it was much wider than the N version. Yes, a Z version that was similarly wide and had narrower height rows would be epic, but here we are. This was before I finished putting in the backdrop for the sky on the second level, but you get the idea. I will probably just buy more of these going forward, as they are fairly inexpensive. (sfdisplay.com $116.47 USD Shipped in 2018...EDIT: They've jumped up to $149.99 USD Shipped now.) FYI, this display shelf is a little more than 1/3 of the width of Mike's Showcase Express setup, and allows two more rows in the "doubled-up" configuration. If you bought three, side by side, you would have space for two extra 55ft freight cars, and the aforementioned two additional rows, for about 1/3 1/2 the price. Granted, there is a little customization needed with that, and the SE display looks *way* cooler.
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Post by dazed on Apr 19, 2024 9:03:43 GMT -5
From Mike, "they work fine for Z scale too, and you can fit track on the base or just nudge everything against the lip on the shelf. "
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Post by dazed on Apr 19, 2024 8:15:44 GMT -5
The N/Z case is one and the same. The case Mike Skibbe has is the N case.
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Post by dazed on Apr 18, 2024 23:12:35 GMT -5
Right. So, I use a precision flat head screwdriver and steam - yes, steam. I utilize steam in the same way I use it to straighten out Scenic Express SuperTrees, direct application. Holding the car at both the A-end and B-end, place the roof a few inches from the steam being discharged - this will help soften the factory adhesive and allow you to slowly pry up the roof, working from the outside ends first, then towards the 2 center roof support posts. I also recommend adding a single wrap of Super 88 vinyl electrical tape around the shaft of the screwdriver to help protect the car body and roof, as this is being used a leverage. I have done over 10+ autoracks this way and haven't broken one yet. Can you give us a rough idea of how long this takes for the glue to soften? I attempted it tonight with the second half of my broken roof and never was able to make much headway. And I had the benefit of the steam going directly into the inside since half of my roof is gone. Do you just use steam from boiling water or do you have like a clothes steamer you use?
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Post by dazed on Apr 18, 2024 21:42:38 GMT -5
You are kind. Also, know that … Laying N scale track alongside Z scale track—I never ever thought of until I visited a certain someone’s Facebook page. I’ve thought of mixing road names. I’ve thought of mixing eras. But I’ve never thought of mixing scales in the same space. Very cool. Good job. You lost me there.... Are you talking about my test track? Yes I had a piece of foam I used for testing, started out when I was in N and inherited some old school Atlas track from somewhere and needed something to test locos for my N sell-off after I decided to go 100% Z. And that was about the time Atlas Z flex came out too I think so I figured it would be useful to lay some to test as well. So it was never intended as some "innovation" or forced perspective or anything like that, if that is what you were inferring. Here's the video for the spectators... www.facebook.com/mockind/videos/303984740522904
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