Future home of the Northern Pacific and Black Hills Ry.

badlandnp Mar 17, 2013

  1. badlandnp

    badlandnp TrainBoard Member

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    Yay! Found energy and motivation today to do some scenery in this transition corner from the old layout to the new. It's a 6 foot piece leading up to the bridges. I wanted a curved fill leading to the mains on their way to the bridges. So, got busy with foam, mud and chunks of sandstone. Also trying a new technique sifting drill cuttings from local stuff onto the wet sheetrock mud. We will see when I get the area done up some more. Now, waiting on letting it dry. PIC_0746.JPG Drain pipes under the fill, for the sharp eyed! PIC_0747.JPG Cut out for drainage. PIC_0748.JPG PIC_0749.JPG PIC_0750.JPG PIC_0751.JPG Tape the track and mud! PIC_0752.JPG First sifting. Hmmm... PIC_0753.JPG PIC_0754.JPG Got to build some bridge piers next. PIC_0755.JPG
     
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  2. badlandnp

    badlandnp TrainBoard Member

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    Have found time to color up the new stuff these few evenings! The sand I sprinkled on just hot loose and mixed in with paint as I worked. Just gotta love the tape, I was such a messy worker this time! PIC_0807.JPG I really like the way these drains are looking under this fill. PIC_0808.JPG And this cut looks so much better than my earlier ones. Practice, practice!! PIC_0809.JPG PIC_0811.JPG Next are some bridge abutments so that I can run trains again! PIC_0810.JPG
     
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  3. badlandnp

    badlandnp TrainBoard Member

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    Built some abutments and put on feet. PIC_0815.JPG PIC_0816.JPG PIC_0817.JPG PIC_0818.JPG And then got busy putting on mud. PIC_0820.JPG PIC_0821.JPG I think this spot will become an abandoned quarry from building the railroad. Some left over equipment and scattered rocks and debris...Hmmm PIC_0819.JPG
     
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  4. badlandnp

    badlandnp TrainBoard Member

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    And we're making progress! bridges have more detail and weathering and inner guardrails. PIC_0832.JPG PIC_0833.JPG And two semaphores are in. Had to add extensions to the actuator rods and wires, and mounted them in square brass tubes glued through the ground. Next is some weathering on these and then deciding how to actuate. PIC_0831.JPG
     
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  5. badlandnp

    badlandnp TrainBoard Member

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    Got some ballast laid in here and some greenery and other rocks and sand put down today. PIC_0107.JPG PIC_0106.JPG Ran a train before that, PIC_0095.JPG
     
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  6. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    I always enjoy seeing how quickly the character of a scene changes, when some color and/or scenery is added. It all begins coming to life.
     
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  7. badlandnp

    badlandnp TrainBoard Member

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    Have had issues with the cab-forward picking switch points and crawling up the outside rails on curves. Finally put the gauge to the wheels and the first driver was a half a flange too wide. Dissassembly time, which is a delicate adventure. IM was smart in making all of the piping in flexible plastic!

    PIC_0116.JPG However, squeezing the wheels back together was a bit tricky. Ended up using a wheel press and gently shifted it over. Voila! PIC_0117.JPG But, reassembly is only partial at this time. I need to get traction tires and then I can reattach the running gear. This side will require some lock tite. PIC_0118.JPG
     
  8. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    I have never had issues working on diesels. But disassembling steamers has always been scary stuff for me!
     
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  9. WFOJeff

    WFOJeff TrainBoard Member

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    I'm late in responding but I can appreciate all of time spent, very nice.
     
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  10. badlandnp

    badlandnp TrainBoard Member

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    Box - All it takes is patience, a good light and a fairly steady hand. Fairly! Mine shake some here n there!

    Jeff - Thanks!
     
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  11. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    :( I suffer from tremors. They are made worse by age, a past broken neck and other illnesses atop. :(
     
  12. badlandnp

    badlandnp TrainBoard Member

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    Made time this weekend to finish up the crodss bracing in my CV truss spans. Then got all four spryed with rattle cans. PIC_0300.JPG And here is their future home, maybe..... PIC_0318.JPG And here I soldered tohether bits of 1/16 brass tube stock to create outside timbers for the ties. These will hopefully provide more ridgidity to the flex track as it runs through the spans. PIC_0316.JPG PIC_0311.JPG And lastly, some progress on the double tracking of the steeper hill. PIC_0312.JPG
    All in all a productive day in here!
     
  13. badlandnp

    badlandnp TrainBoard Member

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    So the track gang has been able to start laying track to double track "the Hill." (Ain't come up with a name for it yet.) The gang spent time leveling the grade out and widening it to make room for the double tracking. Here is where the siding at the bottom of the hill will be getting a new crossover. PIC_0495.JPG And a couple of views of the curve. PIC_0496.JPG PIC_0497.JPG And here I tried my hand at soldering up a freehand, non-jig #8 switch. PIC_0501.JPG Success! PIC_0502.JPG So I built a second one and tied them together all set up to become a crossover. PIC_0508.JPG And where it will go in on the straight section of the hill. PIC_0509.JPG
     
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  14. gcav17

    gcav17 TrainBoard Member

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    Let's see the whole room now!

    Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
     
  15. badlandnp

    badlandnp TrainBoard Member

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    Got the crossover soldered into place and cut gaps etc. Tested them with a multimete and no shorts. Rolled a truck through them, have a little gauging to do on the one switches points. Now to fonish with the flex track connections and some more switches. Getting a twirch going from not driving trains! PIC_0526.JPG PIC_0527.JPG In the real world, we are having a very warm fall, so I have gotten started replacing windows at this 1956 church. The originals are well past needing replaced. I have custom tin fascia ordered to cover the cross on all 8 of these, which will be fun to install. Then on to the rest of the windows in the whole building. PIC_0528.JPG
    And this guy showed up to pray for me towards the end of the day! I didn't even know they existed hereabouts!
     
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  16. badlandnp

    badlandnp TrainBoard Member

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    Got the new switches wired in and the double track all laid around the grade. I even super elevated the curves, which sure looks really cool! PIC_0571.JPG And here are two overviews of the mess I call a railroad !
    PIC_0574.JPG PIC_0575.JPG Out of place, but more wiring.

    PIC_0572.JPG
    And lastly, a short video,
     
  17. gcav17

    gcav17 TrainBoard Member

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    I love the elevator on top of the hill! One question though. How do they get grain up there?

    Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
     
  18. badlandnp

    badlandnp TrainBoard Member

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    Hmm, going to have to build a switchback and use a Shay?

    Or, maybe Dorothy's tornado put it there?

    Naw, I think that the fickle 5 fingered hand of fate will probably get involved somehow . . .
     
  19. badlandnp

    badlandnp TrainBoard Member

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    Did some scenery buildup with foam to try and get a vision of this climb. I also had to run two trains and test for clearances track to track.

    PIC_0626.JPG
    The old readbed will become a bit of abandoned track with a road alongside to get to the town site. The freighthouse is just there for the pics, a depot will be up above a couple feet to the right. PIC_0627.JPG And today was mostly spent building three #8's while running trains around. PIC_0628.JPG PIC_0630.JPG PIC_0629.JPG
     
    Joe Lovett likes this.
  20. Joe Lovett

    Joe Lovett TrainBoard Member

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    Nice work and steam action!!! I see you like to use insulation foam to build up your scenery the same as I do. It's so easy to work with. The guys over at frisco.org think I own stock in foam because I talk about it so much. lol

    Joe
     

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