Time once again to share my all-time favorite Christmas video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=Vnt7euRF5Pg&vq=medium


Enjoy, and have a Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from Ray and Cris Dunakin, and the In-ko-pah Railroad!

Here's an nice article about a local guy who puts up a big Halloween-themed model railroad display every year:

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2015/oct/30/fred-mcdowell-halloween-train/

I use conductive lubricant on the wheel treads. I have a lot of tight curves, and without lubricant the wheels squeal a LOT. Not only is this annoying, but it also means that there is excessive wear taking place on both the wheels and the rails. Plus it creates extra drag that your loco has to overcome.

I've used lubricant on the wheel treads for a long time, including when I was running on track power. I'm currently running on battery power, so electrical pickup and track cleanliness are no longer an issue.

Thanks Chris!

BTW, currently I'm working on a depot. As depots go, it's not exactly Grand Central Station but it will be one of the largest structures on my layout. Also the most labor-intensive!

Here's an in-progress shot of my Dos Manos depot:



I'm making it out of Sintra PVC foam board, scribed and textured to look like stone. It'll have Spanish tiles on the roof. At the east end will be a shaded waiting area.

Here are a couple photos of a bridge I just finished. It's for a 15" gauge mine tram, that will run from the mines above Mineral Ridge, across to the mill. I gave it a planked deck because I figure they wouldn't want to risk spilling rocks onto the building, pedestrians or vehicles below. This is also the reason for the corrugated metal along the sides (plus it hides some less-than-prototypical construction elements):











I still need to extend the concrete base of the bent, and also fill in a couple small voids in the concrete. The bent, and most of the bridge, is made from strips of styrene textured and painted to look like wood. The deck is 6mm Sintra.

I finally finished organizing the photos from my trip and getting everything posted to my website! The report on my trip begins here:

http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/Nevada_Trip_2015_Part_One.html


I had some car trouble again this year, and definitely need to find another SUV before my next trip. Also had a very scary near-wreck. But mostly I had a really great time and saw a lot of amazing stuff, including mines, mills, mining camps, pioneer ranch buildings, and a huge steam tractor. Here's a list of some of the places I visited this year:

Mazourka Canyon, CA
Black Eagle and Alhambra Mines, CA
Kearsarge, CA
Sylvania, NV
Sylvania Mine, NV
Four Aces Canyon mines, NV
Four Aces Mill, NV
White Wolf Mine, NV
Grantsville, NV
Nevada Cinnabar Mine, NV
Ione, NV
"White Ranch", O'Toole Ranch, "Adobe Ranch", Hess Ranch and others in the Reese River Valley, NV
Diamond Tunnel and Diamond Camp, NV
Eureka, NV
Willow Creek, NV
Keystone Canyon, NV
"Ground Zero" at the Project Faultless nuclear test site
Two mills in Eden Creek Canyon, NV
Clifford, NV
Tonopah, NV
South Klondike Hills, NV
Brannigan Mine, CA
Paymaster Mine, CA


I also added a lot of new reference photos to my Modeler's Resource pages:

http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/Modelers_Resource.html


Enjoy!

Thanks for posting this! I've been wanting to do the same on my loco but couldn't quite figure out how to make it work without interfering with the wires/plugs.

Quote from: mickeykelley on July 12, 2015, 11:43:51 AM
There was one in action just recently. It was moved from somewhere to the UP rebuild place. I don't remember if it was under its own power or just being towed. I'm sure others will chime in with the specifics. Wish I could have gone to see it moving.

Yes, that was the 4014 being towed to Wyoming for restoration. It'll be a few years yet before we get to see it running under its own power -- but well worth the wait! I sure never expected to see a Big Boy "under steam" in my lifetime!

BTW, the Union Pacific is currently restoring Big Boy #4014 to run again! This is in addition to the two other large steam locos they've been using for excursions and special events, a 4-6-6-4 Challenger and a 4-8-4.

http://www.up.com/aboutup/special_trains/steam/index.shtml

Here's a new photo...

A passenger train goes by Serenity's Sandwich Shack in the town of Grandt Cliff. High above is the Cliffside Mine:

BTW, you gave me some help a while back when I was converting my 4-6-0 to battery power. Really appreciate that, it would have been much more difficult without the info you provided.

Quote from: Loco Bill Canelos on June 22, 2015, 02:09:48 PMGreat work! Great website!  You should plug it in your signature line here on the forum!!

Thanks Bill! Somehow I overlooked adding it to my signature here. Got it now, plus an avatar photo.

Quote from: Loco Bill Canelos on June 22, 2015, 08:54:15 AM
Thanks for the link.  At $2.65 a sheet in a package of 10 is not bad at all pricewise. 

Just make sure you're getting a sheet size large enough for your needs.

BTW, if there is a plastics dealer in your area they may carry it too. The dealer near us recently started stocking it in 2' x 4' sheets.

QuoteOn the eatery with the peaked roof, do I see the 6MM sheet under the corrugated tin roof??  On other buildings with peaked roofs say with shingles or roll roofing how do avoid the thick overhang using the 6MM sheets. 

Yes, I used the 6mm stuff for the roof. You can use use thinner material but it must be properly supported to prevent sagging.

QuoteHave you ever thought about writing an article for Garden railways on scratch building with this material??  The Eatery or something similar would be a great candidate for an article!!

As a matter of fact, I built this structure specifically for a 3-part series of articles I'm writing for GR.

QuoteBe sure to post on your next project, and maybe take a few pictures at several key points along the way and post them as well.    Your quality work and techniques are some of the best, if not the best I have ever seen!!

Thanks Bill, I appreciate the kind words! BTW, I have step-by-step details for most of my structures on my website.

Quote from: Loco Bill Canelos on June 21, 2015, 10:12:16 AM
Another great job!  Loved the detail under the front overhang corrugated metal awning, also rust treatment on main roof and on an on.......

Tell me more about the Sintra PVC board.   What is it(thickness etc)?  How do you work with it?  where do you get it?  cost?

Thanks Bill!  

Sintra is a brand of PVC foam board. Although it is technically a "foam" board it doesn't have a coarse or foam-like texture. It's smooth, inside and out. But unlike regular PVC used in pipes and such, this stuff is slightly soft, just enough that you can indent the surface with your fingernail. This makes it really easy to texture it, either by carving, scribing or debossing. It's also stiff yet somewhat flexible, and it's made for outdoor use so it's very durable.

I've been using it to make "stone" buildings, "brick" buildings, and now wood. It also takes paint well, and you can apply other materials to the surface for various effects. For instance I used an artist's acrylic stucco material to make a cast concrete jail out of Sintra:




These buildings were all made of Sintra plus some styrene for doors/windows, etc:



I get Sintra from this online supplier:

http://www.foamboardsource.com/sintra-pvc-foam--sintra-pvc-board.html

They have it in a variety of sizes, in thicknesses from 1mm to 13mm. I use the 6mm stuff for most structural walls -- it's about 1/4" thick. The glue I use is mainly Weld-on 16. To glue the corrugated metal to Sintra, I use Dynaflex 230, which is a paintly silicone sealant.