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Post by TBird1958 on Jun 5, 2022 8:06:43 GMT -8
Here's a couple weathering projects I finished up this week. Tangent 40' Combo door car, a nice mate for the GN waffle.  A Spring Mills 2785CF PD hopper, a really nice plain Jane car - I need more of these!  A little something of interest I spotted while riding the Sounder into work this week, it was on one of the stub tracks at King Street. Have a great Sunday. Mark Hills  |
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Post by riogrande on Jun 5, 2022 8:50:52 GMT -8
Fantastic weathering on the NP boxcar and PD hopper!
I noticed the earlier PD hoppers at Sprint Mill sold out the soonest and later on it was mostly the 3-panel COTS that were left. I managed to snag one of the last 2-panel NATX before they sold out. It would be nice if Spring Mill would run more, but it's any ones guess. They seem to be having difficulty getting projects done anymore.
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Post by fr8kar on Jun 5, 2022 9:11:41 GMT -8
I first printed these ThermoKing clip-on gensets last year and while they were well received the main comment I got was something to the effect of, "nice... what about decals?"  So that led to me gathering up all the prototype photos I could find to commission some decals. Eventually I learned I could work up the artwork myself using Inkscape so I did. And finally I got some painted and decaled the other day:  Without getting too personal this has been a pretty challenging year so I have no idea when I'll be able to offer these (and other decals and printed items) for sale. That is the goal ultimately, but I won't do it until I'm positive I can deliver. Just having the little time it took to throw these together was a bright spot for me. |
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Post by upcsx on Jun 5, 2022 9:40:41 GMT -8
Fantastic weathering on the NP boxcar and PD hopper! I noticed the earlier PD hoppers at Sprint Mill sold out the soonest and later on it was mostly the 3-panel COTS that were left. I managed to snag one of the last 2-panel NATX before they sold out. It would be nice if Spring Mill would run more, but it's any ones guess. They seem to be having difficulty getting projects done anymore. Jim,I have two PD hoppers when they came out and not long ago wanted more called Bill he said he had one BJ in stock I took it and when I got the shipment their were two PD's in the box called Bill to tell that I got two he said he was keeping the last one for the last one sold I was that lucky one it is a Spring Mills custom PD. |
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Post by csxt8400 on Jun 5, 2022 9:55:07 GMT -8
Kickass Ryan!
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Post by riogrande on Jun 5, 2022 10:24:00 GMT -8
Fantastic weathering on the NP boxcar and PD hopper! I noticed the earlier PD hoppers at Sprint Mill sold out the soonest and later on it was mostly the 3-panel COTS that were left. I managed to snag one of the last 2-panel NATX before they sold out. It would be nice if Spring Mill would run more, but it's any ones guess. They seem to be having difficulty getting projects done anymore. Jim,I have two PD hoppers when they came out and not long ago wanted more called Bill he said he had one BJ in stock I took it and when I got the shipment their were two PD's in the box called Bill to tell that I got two he said he was keeping the last one for the last one sold I was that lucky one it is a Spring Mills custom PD. I came a bit late to the party but managed to get two PD hoppers from SM that are good for the 70's. After that pretty much all that was left were for the 80's and later. |
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Post by upcsx on Jun 5, 2022 12:05:13 GMT -8
Jim,I have two PD hoppers when they came out and not long ago wanted more called Bill he said he had one BJ in stock I took it and when I got the shipment their were two PD's in the box called Bill to tell that I got two he said he was keeping the last one for the last one sold I was that lucky one it is a Spring Mills custom PD. I came a bit late to the party but managed to get two PD hoppers from SM that are good for the 70's. After that pretty much all that was left were for the 80's and later. I can go for some more 70's and 80's. |
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Post by riogrande on Jun 5, 2022 12:38:37 GMT -8
I came a bit late to the party but managed to get two PD hoppers from SM that are good for the 70's. After that pretty much all that was left were for the 80's and later. I can go for some more 70's and 80's. Me too, but I don't know if we will see another run of those but it would be nice. I recall the last run was $55 or so, but a new run will surely be a lot more if it happens. |
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sd50f
Full Member
Posts: 101
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Post by sd50f on Jun 5, 2022 17:21:38 GMT -8
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Post by fr8kar on Jun 6, 2022 4:55:15 GMT -8
My decals can't do that exact scheme since I didn't include the Eco-Power decal in the sheet or the SG3000 name (along the top of the right-hand door), but you can get pretty close just painting them black and white and using the other included ThermoKing decals. For reference I did all six of the printed parts using a single decal sheet. |
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Post by 12bridge on Jun 6, 2022 7:13:16 GMT -8
I rushed through a pair of Southern Indiana Railway S2's, done for the railroad. While not even remotely accurate, they just wanted something representative of them.  Painted an Overland GTW Caboose. Used K4 decals. While they are not perfect, they are not as bad as I remember them being, and they have quite the catalog now too.  A 4+ year project - A totally scratch built model of a New York Harbor stone scow. I finally had the decals made up so I could knock it out. Now it just needs a crapload of weathering..  How about some 1:1 modeling? I bought a vinyl plotter to get some of our locomotives at work lettered.    |
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Post by packer on Jun 6, 2022 12:06:24 GMT -8
Did a bunch: Weathered these UP boxcars:  And an NP flat:    Also been fixing up some locos:  This is getting a loksound and a SSS speaker. As for what it’s doing with my BN or SP stuff, I dunno.  NP F7 ABA needed new speakers, lights, and some glazing. I thought the round speakers that came out of my F45s would fit. Nope. So I gotta order some (wish I would have known that when I ordered the stuff for that tunnel motor). |
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Post by Gino Damen on Jun 6, 2022 12:23:29 GMT -8
I could take over two ScaleTrains GE ET44AC - Norfolk Southern units from a friend. One of them (a second run unit) had a LokSound 4 factory installed and the other (first run) was DC with an LokPilot 4 added by my friend. I upgraded both of them with a LokSound 5 21MTC decoder. With the LokSound version, this is a quick job. It took longer to replace the cheap tape they used with Kapton tape and painting the back weight which represents the fans black (it was white). The other unit was a bit more work. I started with this unit and only afterwards I discovered that inside the frame there is a space you can place your speakers. The downside of that location is that you have to desolder the board before you can remove the upper halve of the frame and add the speakers. I went an other route. I removes a part of the fan weight and placed the speaker in the back. Yes you lose partially the ability to look through the back of the engine. On the other hand, how often do you do that when you run your train?
 Adding sound to a SXT GE ET44AC by G.Damen, on Flickr
Soundwise, there isn't a noticable difference between mine solution and the factory solution.
Why bother replacing the LokSound4 with a LokSound 5? The sound of the LS4 is very nice but I want both of them sound equiped and be able to MU them together. With the same type of decoder that is the most convenient solution. But I don't have a second LokSound 4 21MTC. I do have two LokSound 5 21 MTC's and I can reuse the LS4 21MTC to replace the Tsunami I have in my Athearn Veranda turbine. ESU has a fitting soundfile for the LS4. Because I have the LokProgrammer I can easily change the soundfile of the decoder.
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Post by simulatortrain on Jun 6, 2022 13:33:31 GMT -8
Love that NP flat! Wish I had grabbed one!
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Post by riogrande on Jun 6, 2022 15:49:06 GMT -8
Love that NP flat! Wish I had grabbed one! Was it an Exactrail flat? |
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Post by packer on Jun 6, 2022 17:19:15 GMT -8
Love that NP flat! Wish I had grabbed one! Was it an Exactrail flat? Yup. Doing up a Q bulkhead like that soon too. |
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Post by trainboyy on Jun 6, 2022 21:32:51 GMT -8
I first printed these ThermoKing clip-on gensets last year and while they were well received the main comment I got was something to the effect of, "nice... what about decals?" So that led to me gathering up all the prototype photos I could find to commission some decals. Eventually I learned I could work up the artwork myself using Inkscape so I did. And finally I got some painted and decaled the other day: Without getting too personal this has been a pretty challenging year so I have no idea when I'll be able to offer these (and other decals and printed items) for sale. That is the goal ultimately, but I won't do it until I'm positive I can deliver. Just having the little time it took to throw these together was a bright spot for me. You just reminded me that I need to get Inkscape so I can make all of my raster graphic logos into vectors...  thanks Ryan!!! Also those gensets, and the graphics on them, look absolutely INSANE!!! Amazing work! |
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Post by fr8kar on Jun 7, 2022 9:00:08 GMT -8
You just reminded me that I need to get Inkscape so I can make all of my raster graphic logos into vectors... thanks Ryan!!! Also those gensets, and the graphics on them, look absolutely INSANE!!! Amazing work! Thanks for the comments! If you've ever used the pen and Bezier curve tools in Photoshop or Illustrator then Inkscape will be a breeze for you to pick up. If you haven't, it doesn't take long to get a handle on how to use them. There are some great tutorials out there on YouTube (logos by nick is fantastic) so you can be up and running in a few hours as a beginner. And of course the more you work with it the better you get. I was able to find a few logos online as svg vector files, but the majority I had to create from raster images. Once I got comfortable doing that I was able to move on to more complex projects, such as creating my own font glyphs for other projects (I drew the glyphs in Inkscape but finalized the actual fonts in Font Forge). Once you have the vector files they can be scaled up or down to any size you want. For something that's completely free it sure is a powerful program. |
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Post by Baikal on Jun 7, 2022 10:20:34 GMT -8
If you've ever used the pen and Bezier curve tools in Photoshop or Illustrator then Inkscape will be a breeze for you to pick up. If you haven't, it doesn't take long to get a handle on how to use them. There are some great tutorials out there on YouTube (logos by nick is fantastic) so you can be up and running in a few hours as a beginner. And of course the more you work with it the better you get. I was able to find a few logos online as svg vector files, but the majority I had to create from raster images. Once I got comfortable doing that I was able to move on to more complex projects, such as creating my own font glyphs for other projects (I drew the glyphs in Inkscape but finalized the actual fonts in Font Forge). Once you have the vector files they can be scaled up or down to any size you want. For something that's completely free it sure is a powerful program.
Can Inkscape export dxf files (to import to CAD)?
I use The Gimp vector program occassionaly for that, but I understand Inkscape is better for drawing vs. photo editing.
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Post by fr8kar on Jun 7, 2022 10:42:08 GMT -8
Can Inkscape export dxf files (to import to CAD)? I use The Gimp vector program occassionaly for that, but I understand Inkscape is better for drawing vs. photo editing.
Inkscape actually works in concert with Gimp for a few things. For example, color palettes made for Gimp work directly with Inkscape. And Inkscape is not much a photo editor. I think you might find some functionality but an actual photo editor like Gimp or Photoshop is much better suited to the task. You can import and export CAD files using the dxf format. I just exported my Farmland Industries Co-op logo from Inkscape to dxf then imported it into AutoCAD. There is a process you have to follow to break the objects down in Inkscape before you save the file as a *.dxf, but once that process is complete it's quick and easy (try the method outlined here: kellylollardesigns.com/blogs/news/converting-svg-to-dxf). AutoCAD interprets the curved objects from Inkscape as splines, so they cannot be joined with straight line segments to form a polyline. However, you can draw over them getting close to the imported linework using the polyline command in AutoCAD. |
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Post by Baikal on Jun 7, 2022 12:05:20 GMT -8
Can Inkscape export dxf files (to import to CAD)? I use The Gimp vector program occassionaly for that, but I understand Inkscape is better for drawing vs. photo editing.
Inkscape actually works in concert with Gimp for a few things. For example, color palettes made for Gimp work directly with Inkscape. And Inkscape is not much a photo editor. I think you might find some functionality but an actual photo editor like Gimp or Photoshop is much better suited to the task. You can import and export CAD files using the dxf format. I just exported my Farmland Industries Co-op logo from Inkscape to dxf then imported it into AutoCAD. There is a process you have to follow to break the objects down in Inkscape before you save the file as a *.dxf, but once that process is complete it's quick and easy (try the method outlined here: kellylollardesigns.com/blogs/news/converting-svg-to-dxf). AutoCAD interprets the curved objects from Inkscape as splines, so they cannot be joined with straight line segments to form a polyline. However, you can draw over them getting close to the imported linework using the polyline command in AutoCAD.
Thanks for the info. I do mapping using a GIS program, then export dxf files into CAD where they are further manipulated into presentation-quality finished products. Occassionally I need the use of a program like Gimp or Inkscape. I had Inkscape about 5 years ago, don't remember why I didn't re-install it when I changed computers.
For CAD, I use DraftSight 2D version. It was free for a few years, so I dumped AutoCAD, then it went to $99 a year, now it's going to be $250/year. Still a deal since it does everything expensive AutoDesk CAD does.
For GIS, I use the free open source QGIS. No need to pay for a program like ESRI desktop.
I need to try my hand at creating some printable objects.
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Post by Donnell Wells on Jun 9, 2022 11:49:34 GMT -8
Hi Ryan, I love seeing you 3D prints! You have inspired me to finally purchase some resin in preparation for doing some of my own 3D prints. I have an Elegoo Mars 3 that has been sitting in the box since last Christmas( if you can believe it!) I ordered Elegoo's water washable resin as I could use regular tap water to clean off the prints as opposed to using up my 91% alcohol stash, especially with the looming supply chain issues. There are so many parts that I would like to develop for my models, and this process will open a world possibilities! It will likely be a serious game changer for me! Thanks, and awesome work everyone!
Cheers,
Donnell
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Post by stevef45 on Jun 10, 2022 4:13:47 GMT -8
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thanks Ryan!!! Also those gensets, and the graphics on them, look absolutely INSANE!!! Amazing work!
