Thoughts on Modeling Prototype Trains

Category: Workshop

Thoughts on the Year Ahead

Posted on by jkdummler
Sights of things to come. A F&C boxcar (Central Vermont 36′) was recently on the workbench for decal work.

It’s time once again to set some goals for the year.  I find that goals, as opposed to New Years Resolutions, make it more likely that I’ll continue to aim at achieving the things I decide to prioritize.  With 2019 upon us, it’s a good time to look back at some accomplishments and set some goals for the year ahead.

2018 saw some significant work accomplished toward getting our layout up…. And then because of choices I made to re-use materials or to make-due with things, saw the layout, and those materials, go away.  It really is a combination of factors there, struggling with my vision, having close to but not exactly the tool to do what I wanted to do, making some mistakes in calculations of weight (remember, the layout was going to roll), and finally, the wrong materials and reused materials that just weren’t up to what I was trying to do.  I did learn a great deal, and had fun to the point the layout got.  In the end, the saws-all cured the issues and the trash truck hauled it away.

There were good things in 2018 too.  I managed to complete close to 20 freight cars, amassed a large number of cars to work on in the coming months, and discovered the N&W in Cincinnati, which will now wind up being the first part of the next iteration of our layout.  Lots of research was done, structures were chosen, and plans are being made.

It was a good year in modeling.

2019 should be as good, if not better, in terms of hopefully having a layout to show for the effort.

So, my goals for 2019 are:

  1.   Complete the benchwork for a 3’x14’ section of layout, including backdrop, sub-roadbed, sturdy legs, and straight cut lumber.
  2. Build as many freight cars as I can, two at a time, from start to finish.  The rule I’m setting for myself is that for each boxcar I build, I need to also build some other type of car.
  3. Build 3 structure kits.

That’s it.  I should be able to accomplish those goals, more guidelines, in 2019.  There are other things that I would “like” to do, like finding a shay, building a helix, laying all the track… but some things come faster once the bigger things are done.  Benchwork takes me FOREVER to build.  By setting my sights on getting the benchwork up and in place, and not pushing myself to get all the track in, maybe, just maybe, we’ll see trains running in 2019.  That would really be fun!

-JD

Improving Processes

Posted on by jkdummler

It’s time once again to look at the modeling year ahead.  I learned a lot in the last 12 months, and my plan for the year ahead includes putting into practice a few things that I want to change in order to make my modeling even better.

One thing I have been trying to do for a long time is to get even more organized when it comes to planning a project, from freight car to structure.  Stuff tends to fly around and be out of control until I’m focusing on what the “next step” is, and then I’m waiting on parts or waiting on decals, etc….

To address that issue this year, I plan to do two things.  First, I plan to work on smaller batches of projects. It makes sense to me to work on more than one thing at a time.  When I have equipment set up to do work on brakes, or for drilling, or for decals, it makes sense to do more than one car at a time.  However, fewer than 19 all at once is probably better.  It took me most of a weekend to polish the wheels I put on cars this year, and I really would like to not make as much green dust from the Vert polish all at once.  I think a “manageable” size for a batch of cars are the 6 cars I can fit in one of my storage trays at a time.  If I can get 6 cars started, built, detailed, primed, painted, lettered, and finished, then move on to the next batch of 6, I feel like I can make progress without stalling out because I’ll see the progress along the way.

The second thing I’m working on now, before I start building, is to get projects organized on paper.  Anything I need to order, change, add, etc… to a car get’s listed on the page, and the page can be either printed or referenced on my cloud.  The eventual goal is to collect information sheets on each model, listing the parts and changes, but also the history of the car, and a prototype photo or drawing that I’m working from.  In the end, the sheets will be printed with the prototype info and the model info and can be my display at an RPM where the cars are shown.

This is an example of the initial setup sheet I’m doing for each car. This one may wind up in my 2nd or 3rd batches of 6 cars at a time this year, but the general idea of tracking everything that I need or need to do on a project in one spot will make things easier to manage when it comes to starting a project and getting it finished.

With parts inbound for the first 6 cars, and arriving before the weekend, I’m hoping to sit down and get a good start on everything.

The first 6 cars for this year are:

A pair of ACL K-7 low side gondolas

A BAR 1927 A.R.A boxcar

A Central Vermont 36’ boxcar

A SSW USRA DS clone

A Norfolk & Western bobber-style caboose

In keeping with my pledge to myself that for every box car I build, I’ll build 1 of another car type this year, that’s 3 boxcars and 3 others.  It’ll be interesting to see what happens with this batch, and then what I pull out of the kit stash for the next group. 

-JD

Freight Crate Modifications

Posted on by jkdummler

It’s that time of year again when I build the newest batch of Freight Crates from Fast Tracks to carry cars to RPM Chicagoland as well as store them until they’re in use on the layout that, (fingers crossed) will be up and running in early 2019.

For a few years now, I’ve had a couple of bits of difficulty with my crates, but in my book there isn’t a better option on the market for storing and protecting equipment.  About 6 years ago I had things in large cardboard boxes that are made to store and transport cars.  During a move, 95% of my equipment, including locomotives, were smashed to the point of unrecoverable.  After moving over to using Freight Crates, I have taken cars to multiple RPM’s and not broken anything, so the protection is sound.

The issues I’ve had surround two items.  1. The locking tabs on the bottom of the crates have a tendency to brake off.  During repeated opening and closing of the crates, I’ve broken more than one.  2.  Getting the locking tabs to not become glued in place during construction is difficult (for me),  3.  Getting crates to open when the lid slides all the way down to the bottom can be difficult.  Humidity and air temperature can affect how things slide.

So when I set out this year to build my newest batch, I decided on two things.  First, if I could avoid using the locking tabs, because I don’t really need those, I would.  Second, if I could solve the opening issues by figuring out a way to add leverage for my fingers I would do that as well.

The bottom of the Fast Tracks Freight Crate shows the mounting points near the ends for the locking mechanisms that also work to allow the crates to stack.

 

These pieces I now leave out of the bottom construction.

 

The mounts for allowing the Freight Crates to stack are still used, just without the lock portion.

The first part that solves both of my first two issues was easy.  I simply build the bottom of the crates following the directions and leave out the locking tabs.  The way I handle the crates I always have a hand on the bottom anyway.  Replacing the locking tabs with a pair of stout rubber bands around the crate wound’t hurt either, or I may wind up adding some velcro straps to the sides to keep the lids on.  Either way, without the tabs, there is no frustration and the crates still stack.

A newly assembled lid is seen drying here with blue painters tape used to hold everything together.

Solving the lid-opening issue took a little more thought.  What I decided to do was to set my Bladerunner table saw to have a 1.5″ cut.  Then I ran the parts for the sides and ends of the lid through there before assembly.  Once cut, I used a sanding sponge to just knock down any “hair” from the bald that was raised on the hardboard material, and assembled the top following the rest of the instructions.  I use blue painters tape to hold everything in place while I’m gluing and assembling both the top and bottom.  I find it works nicely to hold joints together, but peels off with ease once things are dry.

A pair of modified crates awaits filling with cars. The side modification tom the lids can be easily seen.

The end result is a Freight Crate that I can lift the lid off of easily, that stacks, and that protects my equipment.  This modification isn’t for everyone, but for me, it works.  The same modification I made to the new crates I can make carefully to the existing set, at least to the lids, with the saw, so they function just as easily.

I have a bunch of cars to finish if I’m going to make my deadlines this year, so it’s probably time to get back to the workbench!

-JD

Moving Indoors

Posted on by jkdummler

The spray booth moved inside this weekend from the garage to the laundry room all thanks to a new vent hose attachment.

For the last few years, any painting, gluing with MEK, weathering…. anything that created fumes, had to be done in our garage.  That means everything had to be done during the Spring / Summer / Fall and was subject to the outside temperature, bugs, humidity, and general idiosyncrasies of painting outside.  With the really difficult time we’ve had this year getting any time in the booth because of the strange weather patterns, things piled up that are now causing a rush ahead of RPM Chicagoland later this month.  I’m still hoping to finish 18 or so cars, but wow, wouldn’t it be nice to build and finish a project one at a time?

We solved the issue there with the addition to our spray booth of the available hose attachment.  I was able over the weekend to move all the painting equipment into our laundry room, set up, and weather cars inside without having to worry about all the outside elements.  The fan cleared the fumes nicely.

I’m looking forward to finishing cars and structures going forward as they’re ready and not waiting for everything to pile up all at once.

-J