Moving panes

...are now assembled. No more windows needed for this car, except in the clerestory. It's coming along nicely.

I'm looking forward to taking a picture of the 128 window panes needed for the two coaches. Intriguingly...I can fabricate them fast than to duplicate them in resin.

I built one extra pane...just in case I'm not happy with or destroy one of the others.

The 10th pane is from the paycar. There is no optical illusion in this picture...it is noticeably large than the panes for #40. It is also of a different construction technique...11 pieces instead of 4, with an internal pocket for the glazing. I'm using a simpler technique this time to ease the installation of the glazing. I kind of like to get some super thin glass from Clover House, but I tend to think that it is too clear for 19th century glass...I feel that clear plastic is more accurate for the time period.

The photo that photobucket didn't like yesterday...

windows installed

#40 has her windows. I created and installed them while watch da Bears beat the Saints.

Trying to decide on whether or not to light her. I'll have to hide the decoder in some freight if I do. I might just make provisions for lighting, but not actually install a decoder for now.

I need 2" moldings for the people doors...but probably won't get to the hobby shop to fetch them until 2009...we'll see. I'll turn my attention to sheathing the interior of the walls next.

The windows awaiting installation...
The windows are installed, but photobucket doesn't want to let me display that image.

40 sides nearing completion

#40s sides are coming along nicely. I spent a pair of hours on the pair of sides. I examined the only known photos of either #40, 41, or 45 (nearly identical in photos...subtle differences in clerestory windows, width, and such). This helped me to determine how I was to cut the fascia. The coaches are awaiting my decision to give them either 6" or 7.5" Fascias (probably 7.5").

I then cut to fit and installed the sides of window frames. My new audio book, Retribution, is quite fascinating. I covers the last year of the Pacific War...but not in the usual sense...I don't really need to know how many shells the Adm Jesse Oldendorf's squadron fired on a particular occasion, but I am interested in the experience of the average Japanese soldier, the British soldier in Burma, and the Chinese civilian in Manchuko. This book gives me the latter.

Here is #40's sides...with only the center door frame, fixed window panes, and interior walls to complete. Then I'll build a pair of ends and slap the body together. I rejoice that this car doesn't have a dropping bullnose roof or end windows. I hate the former and don't care for the latter. I'm really looking forward to all the simple duckbills (child's play compared to some bullnose roofes) on the Colorado Central cars. I've successfully assembled to bullnose roofes before, and there will be plenty more to come :-(

Passenger car update

Here is the current progress. I spend a couple hours each of the past two nights on these. While the glue was drying last night, I began cutting pieces for the 2-8-0's tender. I need to decide on a number for the 2-8-0...so she'll have a name.

Gluing and soldering

I spend this evening (which didn't get started until 8pm) gluing the foam & track to the benchwork. I managed to get slightly more than half of it down. I also wired 1/4 of the layout for DCC using Free-mo standards (14 gauge buss, 18 gauge feeders). Every piece of rail has a lead and no rail joiners are used on each section (solder instead). I'm trying to force myself to get the mainline back into service for when Evan and Addy come to visit. In prep for this, I also created my trestle deck template. I want the full oval to be back in service...and maybe some rudimentery scenery.

Chester got a little too excited seeing the Grandt Line porter make a test run...so had him go downstairs with me. He's a good little model railroader, but he's sometimes too aggressive. His fuzzy paws with claws aren't very good at helping. He came back up when the Goose #4 was making a test run (Goose #4 has sound). Finally, C&S #22 took a pair of Grandt Line stock cars and caboose #1006 over the freshly wired track. #40 is currently in pieces for when I feel like creating molds of the domes.

I'll probably decide some night that it is again time to go back to the passenger cars and knock all 4 sides out. The first two are looking quite nice. I've got to decide if #3 and #5 had 6" or 8" boards above the windows. I guess I should just calulate it from the specs...

Marching forward

I assembled the window frames and paneling for a second side. I plan to have 4 passenger car sides together within a few days.

I stained the remainder of the stringers for the trestle's deck. Mit mein Neffe und Nichte besuchen im Dezember, bedurft ihr Onkel seine Bruecke abarbeiten.

Thankful for Dell

My laptop returned on Monday...various new parts including a new motherboard. Additionally, they're sending me a replacement main battery...something which hasn't worked for months. Everything was covered by my Complete Care warranty.

I have on passenger car side looking very much like it. It is 38'10" long exactly...and will be 40'6" once the corner moldings are added. I need to create the fixed window panes now.


This pile consists of about 200 pieces for the window frames needed to produce two coaches. The rectangle is my assembly jig (which I modified after this picture) to have a uniform window spacing.


Here is one of the upper frames in place.

Here is the side in its current state of development. Above it is the side of baggage car #40. I intend to finish both coaches and the baggage car at the same time. I'll probably use slightly different construction techniques for the other 3 coach sides. If the paycar sides were sitting there, they'd be in between them in length. The cars are 34', 36'2", and 40'6" long.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Lisa and I took Liam to Johnny's Toys yesterday. I picked up a variety of supplies, including styrene tubes for the 2-8-0's cylinders and 1/2" tubes for making brake shoes. I can't bring myself to spend $3 per car to purchase them from a manufacturer...at least not now.

Here are the brake beams for the way car. There are also the four window frame tests in the shot.

Here is the car sitting next to the team track. I sure hope I receive some Link & Pin couplers for Christmas so that I'll be able to pull it. (mom, dad, Lisa, family...hint hint). She'll receive her white paint soon enough. The next one will receive red paint. The South Park had apprx 20 of these cars...the first ten were red and the rest were either white or pale yellow. The early cars had less hand rails and strap steps, they were red, white lettering, and I think they were 14'11". The last red cars had black lettering and were 12'11" long. The next cars were white (or pale yellow) with black lettering, box steps, and more hand rails. The last cars had different lettering, different windows, rounded corner moldings, and I think they were only 12'4" long. No one really knows which ones were the long or short ones...but we do know that some were these lengths because there were a dozen that survived to become C&S cabooses. We know that 72-73ish were 12'11" because one became C&S #1006 and is sitting in Silver Plume, Colorado.