Oyster Car

Now that things are moving again, there is space to day dream about adding yet another project to the list.  Gasp! Not another.....yes, another.  But I promise there is more progress in the wings on a few fronts.

Colin King's post on the Friends of MRCS Facebook page gets the blame.  The little nugget he posted from Wikipedia for Schools led me to do a bit more digging, which promptly turned up a set of articles in The Cannonball, the newsletter of the Sunrise Trail Division of the NMRA.  The 2 part article series chronicles one modelers journey to building such a car.  I feel a lot better about my random pursuits reading this set of articles, because the author's journey is nearly as long as my life. By those standards I'm at least on pace, or maybe even a speedy modeler.  The two articles can be found here: http://www.sunrisetraildiv.com/ .  The two issues are fall and winter 2014.

Boiler House

This is the last of the retro-posts, after this we're all caught up.  I've gone ahead and dated the posts in appropriate chronology to keep things organized.  We'll see if I can keep current for a bit.

I've always loved the steam boiler house at the Rhode Island State Capital.  It's traditional form and diminutive size make it a perfect model subject.  Added to the list!

Dick Kerr 09

A retro-post from June 3, 2016, we're almost caught up.

I've gone ahead and assembled the first set of Dick Kerr Prints.  All I can say is "wow" to the Form 2. Once primed, these will require very little post production.  I'm confident that I can make the body consistently.  Time now to step back and fill in a couple details such as the cab interior and the brake system.  Also need to work out the mechanism mounting.  Briefly flirted with the idea of making this little monster "dead rail" using my new Blue Rail Board from David Rees.

Another retro-post to catch us up.

The Dick Kerr Coupler printed on Form 2.  The part is designed to fit a standard Kadee draft gear box.  I've added a vertical hole to the pin slot to allow cars to be coupled using a "staple" as a link.  I still need to test whether this can be done with a magnet, but I'll need to get some rolling stock going to do so.

Reviving Dick Kerr 08

A retro post from late Spring 2016..... I promise, we're catching up.

The Dick Kerr Project reached a stopping point when we relocated.  To be honest, however, I was at a frustrating juncture because I had designed the pieces based on what I thought were the limits of the Formlabs Form 1.  As it turns out, the parts I designed were right at the limits, and probably slightly beyond judging by the success rate and the gymnastics I had to do to print them consistently.

Enter Form 2.  Thanks to a loyalty upgrade, I switched Form 1 for Form 2.  Before I reworked any files I went ahead and set up prints with the existing file.  All I can say is that the improvements to the peel mechanism, resin level management and laser power make a difference.  Taken together with the addition of a tank heater, the machine is a dream.  Resolution is much more consistent.

Uncle Paul's gets an awning

A retro post from Winter 2016.

More than a few projects came along for the ride.  It was nice to re-visit Uncle Paul's--I've been thinking about the awning, and decided it was time to tackle it.  The prototype has faded letters with soft edges, mainly from the paint or pigment "bleeding" into the adjacent canvas.  I think I can do it with the airbrush, but I need a frame to start with, so I got this bad boy soldered up.

Catching up on kits

A retro post from Winter 2016.

With a new place to work, I was finally able to catch up on a few kits purchased since the move. Carts from Train Troll, a Dory by Atlantic Scale Models, and tools from Alkem Scale Models.  I built the Train Troll kit's and the tools as designed, dedicating my attention to painting.  The Dory received minor modifications, including oar locks soldered from brass wire.  All fun builds that I'm looking forward to using on the new railway.