Coal Car Brakes

The brake systems on hopper cars are often tight for space. So, it’s useful to be able to check clearances before construction. In the case of the coal cars, I found the train line was a little too close to truck bolster for my liking, and so, I raised it a scale inch or two. […]

Flat Cars Finished?

With the loads painted, the flat cars are substantially finished. I sprayed the underframes with a dusting of Vallejo “Smoke” so they’d look like they’ve done work if they should ever flip over. The trucks, body and the steel and iron parts received a muddy wash of raw umber and white so they’d look look […]

Painting Wood Loads

I had three flat car loads to experiment upon, and with time running short before the Railway Modellers’ Meet, I got right to work. I had picked up a Vallejo paint pack for wood and leather when I went to Burnaby Hobbies for some primer. The “Dark Sand” in the pack seemed a good starting […]

Lumber Loads

The 3D printer has been busy cranking out loads of lumber for the flat cars as I get ready for this year’s Railway Modellers’ Meet. I’d already printed quite a few loads, some of which are “factory seconds” and good only for experimenting, when I went back and looked at some photos of Canada Atlantic […]

Lumber Load Trials

The flat cars, despite being scratch built the old-fashioned way, were jig-built so that the loads can be swapped. The trick is to confidently locate the stake pockets in a 3D model to locate the stakes themselves. I started by measuring, and then printed a couple of test loads on the FDM printer. Its resolution […]

FeatureScript Changes the Game

Speaking of flat cars, what about their loads? Most of the time, these cars would have carried lumber or logs. Without a sawmill on the line, it is unlikely they carried logs in my town, but there is a photo of a flat car of lumber in Pembroke. I’d always imagined I would create lumber […]

Standard Parts

As I’m working on a 3D model of a freight car, there are some parts that lend themselves to reuse. Brakes, stake pockets and pipe fittings are natural candidates for standardization. So, I’ve established an OnShape document of some standard parts that I can import and use on any other car I might design. John […]

Coal Car Progress

For one reason or another, I’ve been absent from the railroad room quite a bit these past few months. This makes progress on physical projects difficult, but virtual projects can continue. The coal car, which I’m almost ashamed to say has been on my desktop for a year, is nearing completion. In thirty years of […]

Modelling on the Road

Years ago, I worked as a consultant for a database company. A road warrior, often away early Monday morning, returning home Friday evening. It seems like other modellers are able to get some modelling done while travelling; I’ve even heard of a pilot who would build models in the cockpit during long flights. However, the […]

Cricut print and score and cut test

In a moment of weakness, I volunteered to do a table-top clinic about the Cricut at the Railway Modellers’ Meet, which is coming up at the end of May. I may take the opportunity to work on the Pembroke Milling Company’s warehouse, but I also want to show some of the other ideas I’ve worked […]