April 14th - Working on the Railroad?

railohio

Active Member
I am cataloging slides tonight for an article I hope to have put to bed over the summer. Since it's snowing outside today (BAH!) I guess there's not much else I could be doing this weekend.
 
weekend workers unite!

Hello Y'all. Friday is my day off (yes, only one day a week) but often I have no appointments on Saturday and Sunday afternoon/evening is usually free as well.

I did have an appointment this morning but spent the gorgeous afternoon outside working on my trellis for the raspberries I am planting there. Needed a 1/2 yard of earth to amend my soil (shallow layer of clay above mostly volcanic sand and river rock - dredge from the Cowlitz post-St. Helens). Got some great stuff with plenty of good organic matter (chicken poo, etc.) that reportedly will grow just about any seed you throw at it.

Anyway, no plans to work on any trains tonight...so I might just end up out in the garage. Yesterday the family all went to Costco...consumate temple of consumerism. I dropped my wife off at the front door then the boy and I headed across the way to the LHS.

Here I must put in a plug and some major kudos for the Hobbytown USA in Vancouver, WA, just off the Padden Parkway exit in front of the Home Despot. I had purchased a turnout and I decided I didn't really need it afterall, but it was past the 15 day return period. Well, the guy behind the register (kindly) decided to let me exchange it for store credit or another item.

I was so impressed with his decision to give above average customer service (vs being a hard-nose and sticking to store policy...his right, of course) that I went ahead and bought the Mining, Logging and Industrial Annual from Fine Scale Modeler...a worthwhile investment in hours of 'reading room' time.

Oh, and the exchange, well, I probably wouldn't have purchased it first, but since I had already 'spent' the dough, I got an Athearn RTR 40' reefer, lettered for the C.A. Carlson Cheese company of Chicago, IL. A lovely car which my 2-1/2 year old son spent much of the ride home admiring. Yes, it was still in the box...much to his chagrin. "duk, daaey, DUK!"...translated, "It's stuck, Daddy, it's stuck". I just hope he never intends what it sounds like...I'd be headed for a wallop, certainly.

Alright, enough rambling. I LOVE your workbench setup, Gary. The monitor displaying The Gauge in the background is a nice touch, btw.
 
Say Gary, where did you learn about that plywood and plexiglass structure core technique?

Would you share a bit of your rationale with us?
 

Gary S.

Senior Member
Most of my structures are on the large size, and I come from a construction background, and I've always had an "overkill" mentality. I mentioned somewhere else, but I feel more comfortable with a rip saw and sheetrock screws than with glue and plastic. I am trying to get my layout to a state where I can run full-fledged operating sessions as quickly as possible. Then I can take my time on doing all the painting and detailing and weathering on the structures. With that in mind, I decided to make them very stout so I could handle them as needed, from the layout to the workbench and back as i slowly get them to a completed state.

Awhile back, I had purchased a couple of buildings from the consignment shelf, these were structures that someone else had built but then for whatever reason they had dismantled the layout and put the stuff for sale. I was surprised at just how flimsy they were. I decided mine wouldn't be like that.

Also, several of my structures will have open freight doors, so I needed to build up a floor in them anyway. I originally started out with some leftover manufactured flooring as the bases, then I got a 4 foot x 6 foot sheet of 1/4" thick plexiglass for free... so the materials haven't cost me anything.

And it just feels good picking up something that is quite substantial and solid. Perhaps it is an obsession?
 

Gary S.

Senior Member
One other thing: I did read somewhere, maybe form the Chicago Museum layout or such, that the skyscrapers were built out of plexiglass boxes, with plastic strip glued on the outside. The windows are just plexiglass that isn't covered.

Oh... with the manufactured wood flooring scraps, and with the plexiglass, I feel confident that I won't get any warping problems.
 
That manufactured flooring is indeed stout and warp-resistant stuff. I have a few sheets of that in my shed...came with the house as extras for what's in our kitchen and hallway. Hmmm....

Thanks for the good explanation and other thoughts.

btw, I've used a plexiglass type material (broken 'table talker'...you know, the rigid plastic thing at restaurants where you just pull it open and slip in a piece of paper for today's special) for making a glass brick wall/window I sawed notches into it using a hobby saw, then painted the whole thing with a thick coat of gray spray paint. Then I used a fine grit sandpaper to remove the paint and simultaneously 'etch' the glass brick face...as if it were old, or finished that way. This left the paint in the gaps as mortar. Didn't come out as well as I'd hoped but it's not a bad way to go...as long as your sawed gaps are evenly spaced and parallel/perpendicular. I wasn't using a miter box or square as I made the cuts and that probably would have helped. Maybe I'll finish that engine shed someday...
 

Gary S.

Senior Member
Great idea for making glass block walls.

For connecting the building to the base, whether plexiglass or flooring, I drill a few holes through the wall and into the bas and use some short finishing nails... along with lots of Aleene's Tacky Glue if using the flooring, and model airplane glue works on the plexiglass.
 

UP SD40-2

Senior Member
Great Work!

Gary:wave:, i think your doing an OUTSTANDING JOB on your structures:thumb:. i had to laugh when i seen your workbench:D, it's setup EXACTLY LIKE MINE!:thumb::D well...except my TV is to my right;), and MY workbench is more messy:eek:ops:. :D-Deano
 

Gary S.

Senior Member
Having a nice workbench is great isn't it? And having my own little room is wonderful. When we built our house, I had this room put in, didn't know what I was going to use it for, as I wasn't in the hobby then. But it ended up perfect. It does double duty as my library (which is about half railroad literature now!)

Now, the bad thing is, I get distracted by the Gauge and the TV and it slows down progress!
 

Jim Krause

Active Member
Plexiglas is a preferred material for professional modelmakers. Large buildings are built up from plexiglas and then the exterior finish, whatever its, can be applied over the plexiglas. tinted windows can be created by using tinted plexiglas. It is easy to cut with an correctly ground saw blade and can be machined easily.
 
Doc Holliday said:
Anybody else like me still doing their taxes?
Come on, be honest.
Doc

Not anymore:thumb:
I'm finaly done and e-filed. Must have made mistake cause I'm getting a BIG state refund, first time in years.bounce7
Looks like Arnold's gonna have to write me a check. I see an expansion of the BAD Western pulling fleet in the near future.

BTW Gary, great warehouse.:thumb:
Doc
 

davidstrains

Active Member
Didn't do anything railroady. We hit the road in our RV following Church on Easter for a week in Savannah GA and Charleston, SC. We did a lot of sight seeing, lighthousing, and mmmmgood eating. Paula Dean's in Savannah is to die for. Gained 5 pounds this trip : (
 

Torpedo

Member
Doc Holliday said:
Not anymore:thumb:
I'm finaly done and e-filed. Must have made mistake cause I'm getting a BIG state refund, first time in years.bounce7
Looks like Arnold's gonna have to write me a check. I see an expansion of the BAD Western pulling fleet in the near future.
Wish I could say the same. I just e-filed my Tennessee state taxes, and I had to give them a bank account number and authority to tap it for the amount due. :cry::cry::cry::cry::cry:


Don't let anyone tell you Tennessee doesn't have a state income tax. When they do, they lie, lie, lie!!!:curse::curse::curse::curse::curse:
 

shaygetz

Active Member
Gary S. said:
Most of my structures are on the large size, and I come from a construction background, and I've always had an "overkill" mentality.

And it just feels good picking up something that is quite substantial and solid. Perhaps it is an obsession?

I think it's great you can pull out the stops. Scaled out, most "industries" on an average layout aren't big enough to fill a UPS truck once a week much less 1-3 freight cars a day. It's good to see that kind of modeling:thumb:
 
Gary S. said:
Thanks Doc, and congrats on the big refund. Gonna spend it all on trains?

Nah, that wouldn't be fair to Mrs. Doc. We just bought a time share in Cabo San Jose so think we'll spend a week there as well.
Doc
 
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