Creative fulfillment aside, one the main reasons I model railroads is that I’m mesmerized by the full size version. In particular, the sense of overwhelming mass and the stunning horsepower numbers it takes to move just a few cars. (A GP38-2 tips the scales at 125 tons.) As I watch YouTube videos such as THIS […]
Category: Construction
Some Vertical Details
I spent the better part of Saturday scratch building two utility poles and one cross buck for the Everett Avenue crossing. I’m guessing I had about six hours into the project and the cost of materials probably didn’t crack a buck. (lots of recreational play value per dollar!) On top of that, when I was […]
Working With Powdery Soils
Working with powdery soils is difficult from the standpoint of getting a flat, smooth surface, free of ridges, bumps, and craters. There are two challenges. First is applying the material smoothly. Second is applying the adhesive without disrupting your application. To get a smooth application, avoid pouring the material from a cup. Instead, use a […]
4722 S. Everett Avenue
I’ve finally finished up the structure at 4722 South Everett Avenue. Although I was able to obtain several dozen photos from my trip to the area last fall, the screen captures from Google Streetview ended up being more usable due to better lighting. With this project I experimented with adding a lot more depth to […]
What Is “Accuracy”
Avoiding the Placeholder Trap When we say something has been modeled accurately, what exactly do we mean? Does it mean that we’ve performed a careful survey of the bristling details on a specific locomotive, documented them on an excel spreadsheet, tracked down said details, and meticulously applied them? Can we go back, compare […]