Happy Holidays & A New Years Resolution or Two

 So much for plans and intentions!  This past year has been full of  life's curveballs and my batting average has taken a big hit.  Work and family have taken precedence while I have little to show for progress on modeling projects, although some key kits and detail parts have been acquired for existing projects and several (many) new ones have been added to the stash. My wife has accused me of being a collector and the current view would lead one to agree with her.  Time to change that and build something.

 On the plus side, we finally have our occupancy permit for the new house that I mentioned in June (!).  Moving has commenced and space is cleared for my modeling workbench.  Over the next couple of weeks I should be able to move the stored kits, supplies and such while setting up the space for active modeling, so my first resolution for 2024 is to build at least three resin kits before the end of June.  A Westerfield Canadian National long gondola (kit 7111) purchased in June of 2022 will be my first.  After that, there are a few one piece box car kits to choose from (RCW or Yarmouth first probably) as good next steps in building my resin "muscles."

The layout configuration is becoming clear, likely an L-shape shelf by the workbench with a pulp & paper mill complex.  This will be the Puget Sound Pulp & Timber plant, loosely based on the actual mill (later Georgia Pacific, now a park) on the waterfront in Everett Washington.  My space will only allow a compressed portion of the mill, but it will include switching for a nice variety of my cars.  I will cover much more about this plan in future posts.  

The potential for another layout that will be more operational and grandchild friendly has opened up in our loft space.  The intention is to have them build some nice basic cars (Accurail, etc.) so that they can see their handiwork as we play with trains together.  This is a great use for many cars that I purchased before getting the rivet-counting, super-detailing, prototypical modeling bug.  It also should satisfy my desire for watching some trains go around the loop.  I have a track plan from many years ago that may get adapted for this endeavor.  

Which leads me to my second resolution for 2024, to blog regularly.  For now, I am setting a goal of 15 posts in 2024, which, given my track record over the last couple of years, is plenty to aspire to!  

I really hope to get into a regular cadence of model building this year while working on the shelf layout to provide a place to enjoy completed cars.  Not going to call this a resolution, but rather a goal, with the pledge to blog helping to keep me on track.

Wishing all of you a very Happy Holiday season and all the best in the new year. 

Onward!

 Well, it has been awhile.  Life gets busy at times, with family, work and...stuff.  While I have not been getting many models built, there has been progress on other fronts with my hobby.  These developments have re-energized me to get back to it.

Most importantly, we started construction of our new home, where we will retire, late last year.  I have a few years of work left but we have decided to make the move now, rather than hold on to both houses.  My work has been remote for years so no change there.  What will change is that we are downsizing substantially.  I am fortunate that I will have a dedicated space for a workbench and a small shelf layout, as final arrangements for our living space have developed.  This was a bit uncertain until we were well underway with construction and a serendipitous change was made in the location of the washer and dryer in our laundry room.

In progress photo, no lighting, tile not yet grouted

This is the space, small but can be dedicated to a workbench on the far wall with an "L" shape shelf layout above and on the left side.  It is about 7' x 5' of wall space.  The washer and dryer were originally to go on the wall to the left, below the cabinets but the plumber, in his wisdom, installed the connections on the wall behind me in this photo.  What at first seemed to be a mistake became an opportunity to gain more room for my hobby than we originally planned.  

My shelf may be a bit lower than originally conceived, to allow room under the cabinets, but I think it will be ok.  I was strongly considering a proscenium framed shelf design so will see if I can incorporate the cabinet as the top of my layout frame.  The counter on the right will have the laundry sink at the near end, not yet built out in this photo.  

Finishing work continues on the house, and we expect to move in sometime in July.  I will be moving my workbench and all hobby materials once we are in.  It may make sense to build a new workbench in place in the corner with the layout shelf above.

As typically happens, building a custom home, even a small one, has been an "adventure."  Coordinating subcontractors and working through the questions, crises and compromises has taken up most of my "leisure time" bandwidth this past year.  It is nice to see the end of the tunnel ahead.

Tale of The Tardy Tank Car

 There is a tank car on my workbench which seemed to have taken up permanent residence in a partially finished state until just recently.   I would pull it out, fiddle, ponder and slide it off to the side, having made incremental progress at best. I allowed contemplating some of the finer details to intimidate me until finally pushing through those challenges and finishing assembly last month.  Here it is now, just needing a coupler, the trucks mounted and a little touch up paint.

The model is a Proto2000 10,000 gallon Type 21 riveted tank, with nice detail and paint, including very fine printing. When I purchased it, I was taken with the binary road number 10101, and can always put  a plain black tank that could carry a variety of liquids to good use serving the mill. 

It built into a fine looking model, although there are some fiddly bits, particularly the tank band ends, and the hand rail around the tank.  These finally submitted to gel CA to help tack them in place.

While finishing the model was done at county road crew pace, I did take the opportunity to replace a few detail parts with wire and etched metal replacements for durability, and practiced my wire bending skills.

Last month I shared a wordless photo of the brake wheel end of this tank car after completing what was supposed to be the last detail.  Did you spot my mistake?

Unfortunately, in my excitement about finishing, I glued the brake staff and wheel in place with the coupler lift bar flipped back.  Due to the design of the lift bar with a curve to fit around the brake staff, it was trapped out of place 🤬.  Stepping away from the workbench, and handy implements of destruction, I calmed down and thought through how best to fix my goof. Remove the brake staff or the lift bar attachments?   I decided to remove the lift bar by cutting off the Tichy styrene eye bolts.  This then required drilling out the pin of the eyebolt left behind in the end frame so I could replace them.  I had wanted to try the Tichy eye bolts I had on hand and they do look nice.  It was also probably easier to replace those than it would have been to remove wire ones. Here is the final result.

Tichy .0125 inch phosphor bronze wire was used for the cut lever and .015 for the brake staff, with a Tichy brake wheel.  The kit styrene brake lever part was used as a template for bending the wire.  The A end lever is similar, without the curve to fit around the brake staff.  Bending the wire went well using several specialty pliers.  I have a small pair of chain nose pliers (red handle in photo below) that work well for tight curves.  The sharp angles were accomplished with Xuron 575 micro bending pliers along with their 450 tweezer nose pliers for holding (blue handles in photo below).

I also upgraded he kit provided sill steps with very fine looking etched metal ones that Yarmouth Model Works made specifically for this kit.  These add on details will get brush painted after cleaning with alcohol on a cotton swab to remove oils.

One other lesson learned was to consider replacing kit furnished styrene brake rods with brass.  I had already built the underframe per kit instructions early on and ended up breaking on of the brittle brake rods during handling in a later assembly step, so replaced one section with wire. I may end up replacing more.

All in all, a positive experience and a sense of accomplishment in getting this model out of the shop. Once painting is finished.

Wordless Wednesday - What’s Wrong With This Picture?

 

Happy Holidays!

 

Drill Bit Organizer Review

 I have been looking for a drill bit organizer for awhile now.  As I start to build more craftsman type kits, including resin and kitbashes, the need for more, and a wider variety of , drill sizes has made me realize that my current single container for bits is inadequate.  Not only is it too small but it necessitates measuring the bit diameter with calipers when a bit is changed.  This was not a major issue when only using a couple of sizes that could be left in the pin vices, but it is a major inconvenience when drilling a larger variety of hole sizes.  In addition, I had need of more bits to replace broken ones.

Small Bit Storage Container & Pin Vices

There are a few bit organizers that have been commonly available for the very small bit sizes we typically use for modeling.  One is a circular holder or stand with a base having a marked hole for one of each size from 61 to 80.  Some versions have a clear plastic dome cover.  A drawback of this design is that it holds only one of each size, so another method is needed in addition to store multiples of a size.  Some have reported issues with snagging and spilling bits when trying to pick up just one, or working near it.

Another popular storage organizer is a flat plastic case with a clear sliding lid, having individual slots for each size from #61 to 80.  Again, it is intended for one of each size, although the flat design is compact and easily stored in a drawer.  Unfortunately, it appears this may no longer be available, at least from the sources such as Micro-Mark that I have checked.

A third organizer is a metal case with a lid and flip up holder for the bits, a miniature version of a design that has been in use many years for larger drill bits one might have in their tools at home or work.  These seemed clunky and not very practical to me.

Some organize their small bits in small individual envelopes or resealable plastic bags, even plastic pill bottles.  

I was searching for a solution that would store multiples of each bit size, be easily accessed, and sturdy.  While looking for some good quality drill bits at Otto Frei, a jewelry supply company, I came across a 3D printed drill bit organizer and dispenser made by Nashef Designs. The design was intriguing and looked like it met my needs.  Even better, Otto Frei had a bundle that included the organizer, either 5 or 10 of each bit size, and a bonus tube of cutting lubricant.  I decided to purchase the "Basic Kit" with 5 of each size from #51 to 80 (150 bits total).  The cutting lubricant has already been put to use in tapping holes.

BORE (tm) Drill Bit Organizer

The organizer is very cleverly designed, with 32 compartments that are labeled with the bit size.  The top rotates with a distinct click between each compartment, allowing easy access to one size.  Clear windows on the side provide a visual check of the compartments.  This organizer holds a wider range of bits than most, from #51 to #80, with an extra compartment, and a closed position.  

The resin material it is printed from seems durable, almost like a nylon.  Typical for 3D printed items, there are striations or small ridges on the material that are artifacts of the printing process, although the markings for each bit size are very clean edged and easily read.  The overall size may be a bit large for some at roughly 4 inches in diameter and a similar height, but I appreciate the design and storage capacity, along with the clearly indicated bit sizes. It has found a home on top of a storage bin on my workbench.  The tube of lubricant fits in the center hole, keeping it handy.

One observation so far is that it can be a bit tricky to get the smallest bits out of the organizer.  Because it is designed for #51 size and down, the compartments are tall and the small bits, #74-80 in particular, will sometimes catch on the striations inside the compartments or get lodged at an angle.  I have found that a long pair of tweezers can be a help to grabbing one of the tiny bits and pulling it out.  It may be that using a small wood stick or wire with a little piece of tape or a dab of a tacky glue might serve well also.

 The organizer itself is available directly from Nashef Designs, but I recommend checking out the kit options at Otto Frei, as the price including the bits and lubricants is a good deal.  I am not sure how often I will use the larger bits in this set, but even so, the pricing is good on a per bit basis.

Otto Frei has been recommended by several people in various online groups as a source of quality tools such as tweezers, pliers and cutting tools, as well as good quality high speed steel (HSS) drill bits.

Wednesday Wanderings - Tank Car Edition

 Travel, whether for work or pleasure, can sometimes provide an opportunity to find and photograph interesting railroad subjects.  In this Wandering, I share a few tank cars that could have been in use during the period that I model, and which offer interesting details for reference in modeling.

This first tank car was located at the Marias Museum of History & Art in Shelby, MT.  My wife and I were attending the Great Northern Railroad Historical Society (GNRHS) convention held at Glacier National Park in 2010.  One of the activities offered was an all day bus tour to several locations along the BNSF (former GN) line, including a stop at this eclectic museum, which had a caboose and tank car alongside a collection of antique farming equipment.

I have not been able to determine the origin of this car, which has reporting marks USA 19049.  The other lettering was too faded to read, so I do not have many details.  The car is sitting on a very nice set of Andrews trucks and easily accessible on all sides for photos.  I won't overwhelm you with all of them, but this next photo shows an interesting lever hand brake and some of the rivet detail clearly.

Further back, my work regularly called for driving trips to Eastern Washington, including the Richland - Pasco - Kennewick Tri-Cities area, which is the location of the Department of Energy's Hanford Site, which was the Manhattan Project site that produced the majority of the plutonium used for nuclear weapons beginning in WWII and ending in 1987.  Pasco is also the location of a major rail yard that was once owned by the SP&S Railroad and which still serves the BNSF today.

Behind some warehouses that date back to the WWII era and are now an industrial park, there is a collection of vintage railroad equipment, both freight and passenger, that is openly accessed.

This welded ICC 103-W tank car built by GATC in August 1949 is one of the pieces of rolling stock there.  The stenciling notes that the tank is Saran lined, likely for corrosive chemical service of some kind.  Original reporting marks were painted over, and the number HO-10H-3686 is not one I have identified. 

This photo is a close up view of the double shelf coupler on the brake end of the car.  This type of coupler is relatively newer than the car, and is designed to prevent another car's coupling "riding" up or under the tank car coupling and possibly puncturing the tank in a derailment.  From other stenciling on this car, it appears that it may have been in use until the mid 1990's, which could explain why this coupling was retrofitted.  Note the air brake hose detail also.

Here's one last tank car view to finish off our Wandering this week, this one also taken in Pasco on the same trip in 2005.  This is a riveted car, built by AC&F in January 1941.  Unfortunately I did not get a clear picture showing the type of the car, but it has an unusual large platform around the dome.  My guess is this was added some time after the car was built, as it still has a small side platform below the dome on this side that appears to be original.  Again, it seems this car was in use into the 1990s.