Details on Cricut board and batten

Scribed and cut lines on the CricutA recent comment over on Model Railroad Hobbyist, where I cross-post some of this blog, made me realize that I didn’t do a great job of explaining the approach to board and batten. I actually thought it was simple and self-evident from the photos, but I guess it wasn’t. […]

Cricut shingles

Perhaps there is no harder problem for railway modellers than shingles. First of all, because we tend to have a bird’s eye view, they are right up front and centre. Secondly, it takes a team of workers about a week to re-roof even a modest house. So, while you could install individual shingles, it will drive you […]

Cricut board and batten

It is so nice when a plan works on the first attempt. Frequent readers of this blog know it’s rare for me, and so, I’m taking a moment to savour the victory. The battens went on today, pretty much as planned. I was amazed at how well they lined up with the board joints beneath […]

Roundhouse shed cut and coloured

The Cricut got quite a workout today. Between soccer games and making dinners and lunches for the younger crowd, I had it going almost all day. I actually cut out two copies of the roundhouse shed patterns as The Boy has asked for a set for his own use. They look pretty good, if I […]

Roundhouse shed designed

There was a small shed on the east side of the roundhouse. In later years, according to Del Rosamond, it contained ice. It doesn’t actually appear on the 1908 B&B listing, but then, the roundhouse is barely described in that book. So, I’ve decided to include it. Based on a sketchy distant half-view and a […]

Roundhouse saved by the cloud

I had been lamenting the loss of my roundhouse designs. For some reason, one back wall and a side wall were cut and sitting on my desk for a couple of months while I worked on 622. Then, as I was riding home the other day, I remembered that if I had already cut the […]

Scribed and cut lines on the Cricut

Up to now, when I’ve wanted some lines scribed and others cut, I’ve simply run the whole pattern on the Cricut with a lighter touch. Then I have chased the scribed lines with a knife to cut them through. It’s simple, but tedious. Tonight, as I was cutting out the inside layer of the rear […]

Even on Linux, I blame Microsoft…

I’ve been waiting for parts for the wheels for 622 for a couple of weeks now. They are coming from Apogee Vapeur in Switzerland, and I suspect they have been held up in customs, while they decide if they’re dangerous or not. Hopefully I don’t get hit with some huge brokerage charge when they finally […]

Improved roundhouse wall parts

Today’s lesson: when you’re cutting many window panes, don’t aim to cut right through unless you’re willing to babysit the Cricut. If the panes are cut right through, then they may pop off the cutting mat, and eventually the blade will land on one of the freed squares. Then, dragging the square around like a kid […]

Learning from Roundhouse Test Cut

Well, this is why we test! As you can see, something went horribly wrong with the studs this time out. They are the same .034″ dimension (3″ in HO) as on the previous test wall, but for some reason they came out thinner this time. Indeed they are so thin, and perhaps the blade is getting […]