Mixed Update Weekly 'Cept on Sundays

Well I've been up to a lot of model railroading but I haven't done a specific post about any one of those things in particular.  So here's my "mixed traffic" update.

I started working on the HOn3 RPO again after having run out of 0.030 quarter round stock.  Picking up on it again I found myself at the point that is my least favorite part of model building: fishing line and turn buckles.  I really wish kit makers would come up with a better way of doing this.  In any case, I think I've got most of it done, and I just need to do a little cleanup work on it.  Here it is with glue drying.

I finished putting on the Grandt Line #4001 details onto my freelance/scratchbuild Sn3 boxcar.  I've got a couple more detail parts I picked up that I'll stick on it too.  Caboose is still out of Kadee #26 couplers so I may just resort to ordering those online from somewhere.

There's still a lot to do on it, including the roof walk, grabs, and brake system.  I'm still not sure if I like where the bolsters are.

Speaking of bolsters I started playing around with 3D designs/shapeways again.  Previously I had tried shapeways for printing entire models.  With the scratchbuilding though I've started thinking of designing just small parts to be printed, ideally things that are hard to fabricate or have lots of small or intricate detail.

I began fooling around with bolsters actually.  Using the plans and photos for the F.C. Mexicano Boxcar #204 (2 ft. gauge) as published in the Narrow Gauge Gazette May/Apr 2012, I drew up some bolsters.

I did two versions, one exactly as dimensioned for the 2ft gauge and a second slightly widened for 3 ft. gauge.  This will be an interesting path, printing just small parts of a whole model rather than the model itself. One side effect of this is in order for the items to be cost effective, I have to do several at a time.  So for example, on the bolsters I was doing 8 at a time (enough for 4 boxcars).

I'd also like to make up a few alternate door or door hardware styles other than what's currently available (ie. Colorado-only details).

Also, in other news I attempted my first re-gauging.  I successfully altered an HO locomotive to Sn3.  After all, what's the fun of making a boxcar if I can't have an engine to pull it around with, and I sure as heck am not buying a $1000+ PBL model, so it seemed like the most reasonable choice.  To be honest, regauging seemed like such a feat until I actually tried it.  Then it turned out to be much easier than expected.

I put together a little video of me driving it back and forth on the work bench.  The system is the S-CAB R/C DCC system w/ battery power.



And since that went well I decided to attempt a regauge on a real mechanism: a Bachman On30 0-4-2.  That one was even easier and now I've got a solid platform to do something nice on.  I decided to take a shot at drawing up plans for a steam dummy in Sn3.

I picked up a few packs of dimensional styrene this week at Caboose but I probably won't start on this guy until a few weeks in the future (I've got too many "open" projects right now).

And that's my weekly mixed update.