WHAT’S ON THE WORKBENCH AT THE MOMENT

@mike g. As long as you have a object you want to replicate creating a mold is relatively easy. In this case since the guy was out of business I thought I would be fine to use his column as a template.  Keep looking at 3d printers. I keep looking but since I never learned any CAD well enough I did not think it was a reasonable buy. But need to keep on learning to keep the grey matter functioning - so maybe.

@TrainWatcher The mold released the casting in great shape. I do not know how many you could get out of one, but at this point I could see making at least 10 with no issues. I presume the details would gradually be lost over multiple castings. I have heard the latex molds age so that after 6 to 12 months of storage they can get brittle, then you are done.

@ScoutingDad posted:

@mike g. As long as you have a object you want to replicate creating a mold is relatively easy. In this case since the guy was out of business I thought I would be fine to use his column as a template.  Keep looking at 3d printers. I keep looking but since I never learned any CAD well enough I did not think it was a reasonable buy. But need to keep on learning to keep the grey matter functioning - so maybe.

@TrainWatcher The mold released the casting in great shape. I do not know how many you could get out of one, but at this point I could see making at least 10 with no issues. I presume the details would gradually be lost over multiple castings. I have heard the latex molds age so that after 6 to 12 months of storage they can get brittle, then you are done.

Jeff thank you sir! I did cad back in high school and that was it. But looking around there are plenty of places to get free plans for printing things. They even have a 3D library here on OGR that I think would have most of what a person would need to print for a layout. I also learned today that there are people out there willing to do the hard work around the world for around $5 and up. Once you pay for the file its yours to do whatever you want with it!

We used to make molds using liquid latex as kids, then plaster to make the object.

Smooth On has dozen of mold making compounds and just as many resins to fill those molds. Resolution is nearly perfect to the original. And than can make dozens of reproductions.

Pete

I have a target signal that stopped working. Before I pulled it out I wanted to check for loose wiring under the table.

So I put my Blink camera on the layout. With everything powered up I sat under the table checking for loose connections. As I pressed on each connection I looked at the camera view from my phone to see if the target lit up.

Alas no luck so I will put in a new target signal.

Blink camera facing the block target.

View from my phone under the layout.

Good idea to be in two places at once!

@mike g. posted:

Jeff thank you sir! I did cad back in high school and that was it. But looking around there are plenty of places to get free plans for printing things. They even have a 3D library here on OGR that I think would have most of what a person would need to print for a layout. I also learned today that there are people out there willing to do the hard work around the world for around $5 and up. Once you pay for the file its yours to do whatever you want with it!

Mike, you learned some CAD in High School!!!    We didn't even have any computer classes and we learned to type on manual typewriters!  I must be older than I thought!!   While the above is true, I'll stop poking fun and get on a serious note.  I would go for the OGR and other libraries and forgo trying to learn CAD at this point. 

@Norton posted:

We used to make molds using liquid latex as kids, then plaster to make the object.

Smooth On has dozen of mold making compounds and just as many resins to fill those molds. Resolution is nearly perfect to the original. And than can make dozens of reproductions.

Pete

Pete, SmoothOn is who our artist daughter has used when buying mold compounds.  She discussed it almost ad nauseum on trips back and forth to college.  I don't remember why, but she tried to mix dissimilar products for molds or the parts she was pouring.  Now it's been 10 years since she was using what is now my train room as her mad scientist laboratory! 

Oh, I almost forgot to compliment Jeff @ScoutingDad for the nice job on the portal and the column made from your mold.  Your first attempts are looking good!

The CB&Q built 60 of this type baggage car in their Havelock shops. #990-1009 were assigned to Zephyr service and were painted aluminum.  The other 40 cars were dark green.
This car was part of an MTH two car (RPO and baggage) set with beautiful paint and details.  The boxes are long-gone so I do not know the set number.  
I am boxing up a lot of cars to sell in the upcoming Grapevine Train-a-Palooza show,  and this car was supposed to be included…the RPO will be for sale, but this baggage car is just too nice to let go.  It was originally AT&SF and was part of a very nice Fast Mail train.  The Fast Mail is leaving to make room for all the Ft Worth & Denver projects I have going.

Off the workbench and back home with the owner is the Santa Fe Lionel tugboat  I converted to the EDNA G.

Built in 1896 by the Cleveland Ship Building Company, the EDNA G. was the last steam driven tugboat in operation on the Great Lakes when it was retired in 1981.   She currently is owned  by the City of Two Harbors and is moored in the harbor.  

Named after the daughter, Edna Greatsinger, of the President of the Duluth & Iron Range Railroad, this tugboat is still in operating condition.  Operating with a crew of four, the EDNA G. was used around the clock to help bring boats to the ore docks, move boats around from dock to dock and to assist in life saving efforts.  Since the early ore docks were constructed of wood, a water gun was mounted on the upper back deck to fight fires.

The boat is currently listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The EDNA G. resting in Two Harbors - June 1, 2017.  Picture taken by my friend.   He is also the one who requested the repaint.

The conversion was a promise to him in exchange for a LV MTH Big Hook rail car which I recently converted to the DM&IR Big Hooke - 7.   Both were fun project!

It came in the box as a Lionel Santa Fe Tugboat and went home as the EDNA G.

Cheers, Dave

The Edna G. Looks great, Dave.  Thank you for the history.

Over the last couple of months I finished assembling the White Tower restaurant kit from Twin Whistle Sign & Kit Company and detailed it with gooseneck lamps and an LED interior light from Woodland Scenics.  My local hobby shop helped me solve the "light leak" problem in the tower by gluing a piece of black styrene to the underside of the tower's roof piece.  Here's a "night photo" I took on my workbench during the kit's assembly.

I furnished the interior with the items that Twin Whistle included with the kit as well as additional items purchased on Etsy, namely a bar and stools, two tables and stools and a commercial stove.  The people came from Woodland Scenics except the cook, waiter and waitress that were purchased from Model Tech Studios.  Here's how the interior looked before I installed the building's shell over it.

Here are some up close photos after I completed assembling everything.

Memo to model railroad manufacturers:

• We need more people of color figures; there aren't that many on the market right now. I refuse to model a "Jim Crow" era restaurant, so I used a brown Sharpie to create two African-American customers who you see sitting at a window-side table.  (I hope my African-American model RR friends won't take offense at my results.)
• We also need more individual figures of people who work in restaurants or even packages of restaurant employees.  I hunted quite a bit for some on the Internet during December and January.  I found Model Tech Studios is about the only place advertising and stocking any individual O-scale restaurant figures for sale.

Pat, your White Tower looks great inside and out.  The interior details make me want to stop in for a burger and shake!

Wrapping up my PS/2 Test-Set project.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

Wrapping up my PS/2 Test-Set project.

Hello gunrunnerjohn,

Sounds interesting - is it for testing/troubleshooting PS2/3 electronics?

@FortyFivePalms posted:

Sounds interesting - is it for testing/troubleshooting PS2/3 electronics?

Yep, you can see it all here.  With the unavailability of the factory test-sets, I decided to see if I could fill the void.

A new PS/2 & PS32 Board Test Set Arrives!

Thanks to the assistance of the great @RSJB18 I found a better fuel tank from a Lionel nw-2 that fit perfectly on my k-line mp-15. Part provided by Trainz.

@Donnie Kennedy posted:

Thanks to the assistance of the great @RSJB18 I found a better fuel tank from a Lionel nw-2 that fit perfectly on my k-line mp-15. Part provided by Trainz.

It takes a Village.......Happy to help out.

A really great looking PW GG 1 number 2460.  A friend passed, this was in their attic for who knows how long.  His wife asked me to help dispose of it.  Lubed and placed on track, it dragged itself along.  One motor wasn't turning.   Reset it in the mount, there was no grease of any kind.  Now it runs but the offending motor requires a few more volts before it starts turning.   Got sick so left it alone, will go back to it this weekend.

More GARX insulated boxcars.

Upgraded my MTH PS1 SP AC-6 to PS2. Detailing consisted of blackening the cut bar, handrails and drivers. Also added real glass to the front windows, swapped out the red class lights for green and added lenses to the housings.

Pete

@Norton posted:

Upgraded my MTH PS1 SP AC-6 to PS2. Detailing consisted of blackening the cut bar, handrails and drivers. Also added real glass to the front windows, swapped out the red class lights for green and added lenses to the housings.

Pete

WOW...I'm a diesel guy but that loco is gorgeous! Nice work!