SPA Modeler

I really like the work you do on these railroad builds. Not that the other stuff isn’t awfully nice, but you seem to have an affinity for these builds.

Lyle,

Thank you so much! I like to believe it is my father’s influence that guides me here. He was of the 1960s slot car and train generation of model builder. To admit candidly that painting a model aircraft is more difficult conceptually for me is also true. Sometimes I think I should take the pressure off and simply build train kits. Building from scratch seems to have fallen out of favor in model railroading which is a darn shame. Truthfully everyone here is so good my own work has improved by following along. Plus, I finish railroad kits, which is not something I do with other subjects.

I am not used to working at this scale. Tweezers are necessary! I need to rig fishing line across the bottom and over these forms.



I am sorting out how to do this, keeping the lines taught and in place at the same time. Did I mention I am not used to the scale? This is HO, I’m used to O. I guess I do have a scale preference when it comes to trains.

Reference:

Okay, so era dome thoughts that will hopefully get wheels turning...or, make you pass ou from laughing.

Could you the top of the crossmembers, notch the beam, drop in a tiny piece of tubing and replace the piece that was sliced off? Yeah, I know.

Could you bend up a stiff wire with a 1/4” piece sticking out, heat the wire and melt the holes?

Would the pin portion of a push pin be able to push through with help?

Since it is a box car, could you cut just below floor level, removing the box part drill your holes and reattach the box?

As for the line,

Really thin music wire?

The “stressed concrete” approach. Drill ab extra set of holes that let you out eac end. Tie a knot at one end, pull taught at the other end and glue in place. Then when all secured removed the extra and fill the holes.

Get a Micro Mark catalog. They have a bunch of RR stuff.

Hi Lyle,

Great ideas, sincerely, and I appreciate that you are following and frankly I did take your suggestions a bit earlier when I replaced one of the supports holding the archbar trucks in place, so thank you very much and get ready for a massive run on sentence here as well. I sincerely appreciate your ideas, and they are good ones, I think it’s important to have the discussion because I have already filed away points you made. Without discussion, is there learning? There’s only a form of show and tell. I managed to hack myself through to having the wires strung tightly. I chopped into the frame but not all the way—



The red arrows represent where I drilled holes. There are some size issues with the monofilament. I’m pretty sure that this is not what was packed with the kit. It’s not out of scale but I did have to change drill bits.

I finally see the scale of how tiny this is. You're doing a great job on this!

It's pretty amazing the small scale, but still so detailed that it could be sort of 1:35 ..

- Kari

Man that looks great Bruce!!

Thank you Clint, Kari, Mike, Tom! I sincerely appreciate your comments and follow through. I broke a #77 bit on this project. I needed to order a new one since its diameter is used for the grab handles on the ends. The Microscale decals arrived. These are beautiful but I’m going to have to make a letter by letter, line by line assembly. I think it’s going to be tough to do this correctly. I may have to tape a card stock jig on the sides of the box car.