Percy’s Wheels are Mounted

The second set of wheels went onto the axles substantially better than the first. I recalled that it was a good idea to get the axle about halfway into the wheel, and then take it out of the press to inspect how axle was lining up with the key. The inside of the key is […]

Turnout Control Rod Realignment

The short run-around has been working quite well, and so I decided to torture myself by using the siding to get around the passenger car. Half-way down, I found that the switch for Lee’s manufacturing was reversed, and looked down to rediscover that there is no control for it. That is why I hadn’t noticed […]

Hay Field Fence

Despite countless household projects, the fence between the hay field and the wheat field managed to get completed this week. The hay will be on the near side of the fence in this view, putting the bright gold wheat field in the foreground from the usual viewing angle. I oriented the fence so it points […]

Flat Car Safety Equipment

I needed a project to take to the North Shore Modellers’ night a couple of weeks ago. It had to be something relatively self-contained and unlikely to make a big mess. No taking big pieces of the layout and slinging scenery on them! So, casting about for a project, my eyes lit on the three […]

Swinging around IPMS Vancouver

The Vancouver chapter of the International Plastic Modellers Society holds their annual show on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, and occasionally I remember to go. This year, I had the pleasure of The Boy’s company. Frankly, I barely know what I’m looking at, but it’s always worth a turn around the display to see some outstanding […]

Roundhouse Gets a New Floor

I’ve never been happy with the roundhouse floor. Being made from a thick layer of ballast, it was not flat, and some of the rocks were real ankle-turners. As a result, details like work benches and water barrels were crooked. As I had the roundhouse module off the layout to protect it while working on […]

Water Tower Roof

It took four or five hours of shaping Monashee Laser Engineering shingles into trapezoids, peeling tiny scraps of backing, and sticking the tiny trapezoidal pieces of paper in concentric circles, which I had, with a level of foresight for which I am still congratulating myself, inscribed in the 3D printed core of the roof, but […]

Balancing the Water Spout

With masses of tape and whatever I had lying around on the modelling desk, I rigged up a prototype of the sheaves and spout to see if I can make the spout raise and lower. The real spout would been connected to counterweights to hold it up when not in use, with the connection being […]

The Inspiring Modelling of Laika

We just returned from an impromptu visit to Seattle’s Museum of Popular Culture, where the temporary exhibit is a collection of puppets, props and sets from Laika Studios, the people who brought us movies such as Coraline and Box Trolls. The movies (the ones I’ve seen anyway) are amazing, but when you can take your […]

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