Thicket Trial Run

Using a paper template, I jig-sawed a plywood base for the thicket. The plywood is 6mm thick, and so, I cut the cork away to bring the new landform closer in height to the edge of the pasture. With a little luck, I won’t have to fill the gap between the two sections as it […]

Thicket Shapes Begin

Very few model railway activities lend themselves to sunny days on the deck. I reckon tree-making might, and so, I’ve started laying out the shapes of the first row of trees in the thicket. I started tracing the trees in InkScape, but that turned out to be very slow. So I switched to an iPad […]

A Perfect Saturday Morning

Somewhere, there are some coal cars waiting for loads. If I look for jobs around the house, I won’t have to look far. If I look for something to do in the garden, it will surely grab me by the ankle. But today it is raining, and my darling wife took me to the Loutet […]

Coal Cars and Unintentional Braking

The coal cars, as displayed at the Railway Modellers’ Meet, were curiously difficult to get onto the rails. Well, there was no time to fuss, and so, into the box they went for inspection by the 100 or so modellers who came up to SFU. Once home, and after some final details had been applied, […]

Coal Cars Ready for the Meet (Almost)

With house guests encamped in the workshop, I turned my attention to tasks that were appropriate for the dining room table. I picked up some Invisafil fine thread from a sewing store near the hobby shop, and made myself a little crochet hook. The finer thread was much more consistent and less aggravating than teasing […]

Coal Cars Enter the Paint Shop

The coal car project is entering the frantic phase as I stretch to meet the deadline imposed by the Railway Modellers’ Meet. Photos are sparser and messier, and blog posts are dropped in favour of time at the work bench. Once assembled, it is difficult to get into the interior of the cars for detail […]

Alternative Chains

When it comes to chains, like those that wind up the hopper doors, the finest real chain I can find is 40 links-per-inch. Some jewelry is slightly finer chain but those have square links and look better for personal adornment than industrial utility. 40 links per inch scales to slightly bigger than 2-inch chain, and […]

A Marc-Sized Hole

Last week, after several months of illness, Marc Simpson passed away. A year younger than I am, and even worse at saying “no” he leaves all of us reeling. Marc was the clinics coordinator for the Railway Modellers’ Meet of BC, which kicks off online this Thursday. In addition to his committee work, the Friday […]

64 Coal Car Grabs

Yesterday evening, I impressed myself by forming and installing all the grab irons and steps on the coal car bodies. Repetitive tasks like this allow lots of time to think and improve the process. By the time I had finished the ladders on two cars, it was pretty dialed in. The steps and half the […]

Coal Car Progress

Despite all the 3D printing, there is a satisfying amount of traditional modelling in these coal cars. I elected to use cast acetal plastic corner steps (Grandt Line) and air hoses (Detail Associates) along with brass truss rods and cut levers to avoid crunching these exposed parts. The ladders and corner grabs will also be […]