...built for me by a long distance friend in the hobby.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Light is life...
The simplest form of animation in model work is working lights. The price of said lights borders on the absurd though so I've come up with creative ways to add lighting effects to my modeling. By using two of these simple two LED flasher circuits set at different flash rates, I was able to give Dudly Dooright's modified Micro-Machine Highway Patrol vehicle the necessary attention getting lights he needs to keep my LPBs under control.
I used one of those same circuits to build these grade crossing signals as well. I mount them on removable wood bases and use battery power for ease of maintenance.
Snow daze...
Hyram and Billy Joe Ray Bob warm up the Chevy before headin' off to work.
A little baking soda was used for the snow effect. I'd be careful though as my Model Power Chevy has lost about 50% of its chrome plating since then.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
There is an interesting fellowship...
...in model trains. Currently in the 2 Guys forum, we're passing around custom painted boxcars in HO and N scales to each other. We then post pictures of them in action on our layouts, then pass them onto the next in line. Hey...it at least keeps us off the streets...
A little grade crossing action on my Inglenook shunting puzzle layout...
And a shot from my N scale layout...
Friday, February 22, 2008
Never build a layout your child can't invade at least a small part of...
My son's perspective on how my vehicles should be placed...
Your children should never feel that your models are more valuable than they are. While there are models they know they cannot handle, my children understand that I would crush them to dust before I'd ever let them think the models were more important to me than they are...even if it means quietly overlooking a wall knocked out of one of my buildings.
NOTE: My computer is being serviced so posting will be sporadic at best for the next week. Blessings to you and yours, Br'er Shaygetz
"What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Monday, February 18, 2008
Today's monster scratchbuild...
...comes from the website of Mike Stacey in England.
From his website...
It took several years of Saturday afternoons to complete
And was first run on compressed air on the first of July 1994
First run on steam was on the sixth of June 1997.
The steam engine was constructed from scrap brass
Virtually all the brass was cut from a gear box cover
And the girders where made from a old brass letter box lid."
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Are you ready? Matthew 24:42-51
The opening quote comes from the crew of Apollo 8 as they circled the moon, December 24, 1968.
(42) Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
(43) But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
(44) Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
(45) Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
(46) Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
(47) Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
(48) But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
(49) And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
(50) The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
(51) And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Flatcar loads...
...don't have to be expensive. A couple of bits of strip wood, some toy monster truck shocks painted with red oxide primer and a little creativity gives you a slammin' load for one of your empty flats...
Friday, February 15, 2008
I just found a toy tractor blog...
...Zac's Tractors. My own 1:87 John Deere collection warming in the sun as Bubba and Billy Joe Ray Bob ready themselves for the Peanut Festival...
Thursday, February 14, 2008
My $3 HO scale Bachmann Santa Fe 4-8-4 Northern, Part 2...
A great effort on Bachmann's part if it weren't for the trashy split axle drivers that would crack and lose their quartering. Can you believe they powered this beast with the same pancake motor they used in their Brill Trolley? Fortunately, Bowser came up with an excellent retrofit drive that can make one of these beauties run with the best of them. The detail is excellent for the price and a fine effort to enter into the lower end scale rail modeling sector in the early 1980s.
This one was in a junk box, weathered with water soluble paints. It's tender was damaged and its pilot was busted. Once the weathering was scrubbed off and missing parts replaced or repaired, I touched it up to look like they did in their later years before retirement. It really looks great---standing still---just don't ask me to run it.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
100 POSTS....S-S-S-Smokin'.....
Monday, February 11, 2008
O.S. FP Max .40 model airplane engine...
I finally cobbled together a mount for my model airplane engine. I found that there is a whole hobby devoted to just running this engines on a test stand, especially in Europe. Because that fit well with a low budget, I mounted this engine to a combination test/display stand I built out of scrap wood and hardware.
I made it attractive (in a Rube Goldberg sort of way) so that it would look good as a display stand but able to take being clamped to a picnic table and fired up without worrying about the finish getting messed up. The fuel tank still has to be finished. It is a tomato sauce can---yup, still full---that I am going to solder inlet/outlet pipes and a filler cap to. The throttle is a push pin head on a brass rod. I used scrap 1/2" copper pipe buffed on a wire wheel for the finish. Four carriage bolts hold it all tight. A simple electrical system is in the works.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
1 Thessalonians 4:12-18
(13) But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
(14) For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
(15) For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
(16) For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
(17) Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
(18) Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
---I wanted to tell you how closely I've kept
The memories of you in my heart
And all of the lifetimes that we've had to share
Live even though we're apart
But don't cry for me
'Cause I'm finally free
Chorus:
To run with the angels
On streets made of gold
To listen to stories of saints new and old
To worship our Maker
That's where I'll be
When you finally find me
---Now don't you be weary cause waiting for you
Are wonders that you've never known
Just hold on to Jesus, reach out for His hands
And one day they'll welcome you home
And that's when you'll be
Finally Free
Finally Free
And all of the dreams that you treasure
Will soon come together
And that's when your sorrow will find tomorrow
And you will rise again
I wish you were here
Mark Harris, "Wish You Were Here"
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Friday, February 8, 2008
Today's monster scratchbuild...
...from Kevin Klein over at Mamod forums who, like me, also models in HO scale. Based on the science fiction paintings of Chesley Bonestell, it apparently can be flown. Check out the size of it compared to that HO tank car on the siding...sweet.
---Kevin Klein photograph, all rights reserved.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
AHM freight car assortment circa 1976...
I've always appreciated AHM for its willingness to produce affordable odd locomotives like the 5 axle C Liners, the Kraus-Maffai diesels and the BL2. Their freight cars followed along the same lines with oddballs such as these that take away from the ho-hum of a string of boxcars.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Some of my trains on video...
Featured are clips from both my N scale and HO scale layouts with footage taken of my models on the Miracle Strip Model Railroad Club layout.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Colossians 1:9-29
(9) For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
(10) That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;
(11) Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;
(12) Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
(13) Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
(14) In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
(15) Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
(16) For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
(17) And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
(18) And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
(19) For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;
(20) And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.
(21) And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
(22) In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:
(23) If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;
(24) Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church:
(25) Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;
(26) Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
(27) To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
(28) Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:
(29) Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
My new bedside valet...
...I just knew vegging out on all those episodes of "Design on a Dime" were gonna pay off. I found this by a local reclaim/recycle bin---read that "dumpster"---and, with the addition of a $7 piece of glass and a print I already owned that needed a home, came up with this. The only thing I had to do to it was repair two holes that were bored into it for hanging, an odd note as it had two perfectly good mortised brass hangers in its back already. The finish on it is as found.
OK...OK...my LAST TE1a video...
...it's actually been a refreshing change as I've been in a modeling funk lately. One can only take so much of Ambroid's Pro-Weld fumes and Floquil paint.
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