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fighting procrastination fifteen minutes at a time

Category: Planning (Page 3 of 3)

Project 6: Z Scale Micro and Test Track

28th November 2013 / / 0 Comments

zscalePlan5

Whilst starting to sort through all my rail related box that have come back from storage I came across my Z scale items. I guess it was 10 years ago I started collect this and it was primarily Swiss at that time. I started collect the 460’s as I like the logos on them and then went on to get some Re6/6 freight locos in order to have a bit of diversity. Like a lot of my modelling it started off in a blaze of glory and then fizzled out all to quickly. Having collected all these items I would seem rude not to use them and that’s where P6 comes in.

I have thought that in order to keep things simple I would have a loop that then expanded into a triple deck ascending loops mimicking the Gotthard Route. I thought that watching the trains run up and down the hills would be relaxing and similar to the real route. The loop would tighten towards the top and then drop down within the inner loop. Gradients and distances need to be checked as I realise that the height needed between each layer maybe more that first envisioned.

Firstly I am going to build a test track as I plan to lay the rails using pcb and code 30 from the 2mmSA, but might make this code 4o depending on the wheels on the Maerklin stock. Originally I had planned to have only plain track but have been considering a very small station at the bottom of the valley which would have a couple of switches off it for mainly logging and maybe a freight depot.

Make out of foam board this will be light but strong to stop the track flexing and is primarily going to be a test bed for checking stock through points, coupler connections and also shunting ability 🙂 The crossing will be fun to make as this will be first time I have attempted anything such. More to follow tomorrow hopefully..

Screen Shot 2013-11-28 at 17.07.58

P4.2: Mini Challenge

28th October 2013 / / 0 Comments

jigsnstuff

Time goes by and I am still not able to do anything physical with the challenge at the moment but I have been able to acquire some ‘things’ for the project as you can see from the picture below. I managed to get all of this for under five quid from a very generous chap who must of had these in his gloat box for quite some time, the going rate for the gauges are now £5 each and as you can see the price tag of £1.50 my guess is that it points to them being c1980’s.

As you maybe able to see from the photo on  one of the jigs it denotes that these are for code 75 rail, now this being an cheap n cheerful project I have to think about how it is going to interface with the Peco track that I already have. Also sourcing Code 75 cheaply is going to be a bit of a challengeI think. I also need to find the PCB ties(sleepers) to build the turnouts and although I know you can get a sheet reasonably cheaply it then needs to be cut to dimension and this is where it then gets tough. So I will now look at other avenues. I know the 2mmSA do them but they will be over sized as the track gauge is 9.42. Would I want to individually cut each tie or leave them as is and try and cover up the additional length. Then theres always Fast-tracks but this is not a cheap option. I have been looking at and thinking about getting one of these tools but as most of my track planning is done on curves it would not seem to be suitable for this method.

Although I have manage to source some foamboard I am trying to work out whether this will be suitable for the project. I would like to build the picture frame effect and am not sure if a) I have enough FB b) it will be strong enough to support the weight of the proscenium effect. However the ease of construction and the amount of bracing can over come this given the right amount of materials to do it. The other option would be to use ply. I do have some 12mm ply, this is not light, from an old table tennis table but am not sure about the the structural integrity of it as it has been leant up against a wall for 20 odd years. Also the weight may be an issue. Cutting along long straight lines has never been one of my strong points and so I would have to beg, borrow or steal, (well maybe not steal 😉 ) a power tool of some sorts to assist me in this task.

So now the hard part I just have to come up with a track plan that is believable. So its off to scour Google Earth for an appropriate location in Vermont, New England. I want to keep it simple but have enough operational interest to keep ones attention and given that this will be a micro layout that maybe a bit of a stretch as generally the spaces needed for NA locations is greater than that of UK prototypes. I like the idea of switching cars out using a card system and that ties in with project three but don’t want to make it too complicated as to spoil the fun! Having now recovered my goods and chattels from storage amongst a whole bunch of things I had forgotten about I have uncovered some hefty book tokens and couple of iPhone programming books. Maybe an early Christmas present to myself of some Python books or maybe the new Gordon Gravett; Wild Swan scenery books will take precedences so I may get side tracked with those possibilities…

P4.1: Mini Challenge

12th October 2013 / / 0 Comments

Image

Whilst rummaging around at the top of the house I came across these items and thought ahh something to challenge me until I get my modelling kit back from storage. So this looks like the start of Project 4.

The location is New England, the period; current, and the scale obviously N. The Peco track if code 55 and I have no switches which makes it rather limited. So in the spirit of days gone by I am going to see if I can build some from PCB and some home made gauges using templates printed out from Templot. My idea is of a shortline with a couple of industries along it that are currently serviced by VRS. Maybe in the future they will get there own leased loco and have a nice respray. I particularly like the covered bridges of NE so will be looking to incorporate one of these and seeing as most of Vermont’s industries are based around timber there will probably be a sawmill.

The beginnings are in the baseboard and think I am going to keep it small 4-5 feet long by 12 inches wide, probably. I have my eye on an old home made table tennis table thats made out of 9mm ply. Once I have got the go ahead to dismantle I then have to work out how to cut and fear I may have to use hand saws which when cutting sheet materials is not a good mix with me as I can cut as straight as a bendy inner tube! Am going to have to see what power tools I can find in the house!

Wombling here we come.

Projects

8th October 2013 / / 0 Comments

Ok, so here I am going to boldly set out a number of projects that I am going to give 6 months to see how far I get with and either bin due to in-activity or for what ever reason there is no progress, or to document my experiences along the way. I am not putting rigid goals on myself to produce as have found in the past I have failed to meet my expectations when they have been set too high, but I have ideas about the rough timescales needed for each one.

In fact the thought of running things in an agile environment has some appeal. In my last work contract I came into contact with this methodology and felt it would have benefit to other areas of my life Although at the time I thought it was being completely misused for the piece of work being done. But and it’s the but, this is not a job! it’s meant to be a hobby and fun. Whilst I have time, well more than I did when I was working this can be done at a more leisurely pace, although since moving back I seem to have less time for me-things than when I was hanging in the metropolis. However if I can do 15 minutes a day on any one project I will be happy!

So the list is started

1. 2mmFS Test layout before embarking on my ‘big’ plan of Leyburn.

2. Micro Layout for S Scale plan – This maybe more long term/winded.

3. Learn Python to code a random wagon selector – start off with a scale calculator.

4. US N Scale Shelf layout – Always like the Guilford and NE Shortlines.

5. Secret plan – to be revealed.

I think that while I am an inveterate rubber scaler I this will give me some focus that I did’t have before and hadn’t really thought about it effecting the outcome of all my modelling activities. So ‘Must Model’ is my mantra from now and lets see how far I get!

From above..

6th October 2013 / / 0 Comments

photo

Following on from the previous post of attic rummagings  I manage to find a in a dark damp corner a carrier bag of my old Railway Modellers from the early 80’s that my mum use to buy me from my pocket money once a month on a Friday when she went to the local market as I was at that point still having to go to what we called Colditz in reality was the local comprehensive school. Wasn’t till I got into the 6th year and they treated us ‘like’ adults that I was able to go down into town and get my own copy along with a quart of sherbert BonBons, ahh happy days.

What might you ask has this to do with fifteen minutes of modelling well I call it research! 🙂 As with most RM’s there are scale plans in most issues and in one of them there are 4mm drawings for a ‘Jinty’ or better known as an LMS Fowler 3F loco. This is something I am planning on looking at building for my S Scale Micro. Being a small branch/yard type loco it will fit in nicely with the locale and also as I plan to do this as a 3D Shapeways print project it should be relatively easy to get going, I say easy but then I remember the opposing force of procrastination slipping in and teaching myself CAD. I have Sketchup but feel it is not suited to 3D modelling and is more aimed at architecture. Anyway more of that story to come later.

In other news I have been thinking and planning a kind of test bed to my plan to build Leyburn on the Wensleydale Line in the 1940’s. This is to get a feel for the scenery and buildings that I am going to need. I would really like to build this as real roundy layout like Brafferton that I really like as it ‘gets’ the feel of its location, but also as I want to actually build something before launching into a full blown proto-based layout.

2mmplan

Basically at the moment it feels like I am treading water until I can get my railway stuff out of storage and back home where I can really start to get cracking, although money is tight at the moment building on a budget can introduce interesting methods and modelling. I think I am going to start to label posts by project so as not to confuse you dear reader as to which I am currently working on.

And finally two events to look forward to firstly the meeting of L&Y 2mmFS group, not sure what to expect but it is a do’ing group rather than a talking one so looking forward to that and secondly the 2mmFS AGM over in Burnley which will be good to go to not just for the socialising. Will report further.

10th September 2013 / / 0 Comments

After a very long hiatus I have some ideas and plans that I want to explore. Now that I have some time to do some modelling I am going to settle for two projects rather than do the normal scattergun approach and end up doing nothing.

So, Plan A, an S Scale Micro Layout. It is a scale that I have long admired and thought that it is a nice space between 4mm and 7mm. However in this scale pretty much every thing has to be scratch built. I plan to use a mixture of tradition kits and scratch building and also invest in getting some 3D Rapid Prototyping. More of that later. So first of all you need an idea. Something that has been in the back of my mind is a plan I saw in an O Gauge Guild publication many years ago and thought that would make a nice micro layout. With only two turnouts/switches it should be easy to build the track plan and I have create the plan from Templot (which is free now) and overlaid it onto a sketchup 3d model. It’s early days yet and I need to get hold of the APA box and I will need to join the S Scale Society in due course. So hopefully it all starts here.

S Scale Micro Layout Plan

Looking Westwards

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