Module Spotlight ~ Trolley Crossing Guard Jct.

Getting fancy with the 1' x 4' module. SCTCs Module 972. The Trolley Crossing Guard Junction Module.

The Southern California Traction Clubs module 972. Built in 1997 it was the 2nd module built that year.

There was a need to transition from the center street running of module 971 to a private right-of-way. So this module does just that with a highway intersection as well as a steam road crossing.

The divided highway matches up with module 971. It terminates at the highway that crosses the module at an angle. The tracks of a steam road also cross here and a small elevated interlocker helps guard the junction. The diverted highway freed up some space on the rest of the module for some scenery. In this case a siding and a substation.

With the junction being a prominent feature on this module, the SCTC members decided to have some fun with it.

 Remember those old movies where if a car breaks down, inevitably it stops on railroad tracks? Then there would be the sound of a train whistle~  Its happened to the best of them...

Harold Lloyd...

Buster Keaton...

... and of course, the Keystone Kops. 

And we know the outcome. Their vehicles were no match for the locomotives that rendered them to a state of less than Blue Book value.

Now in the real world, if a streetcar was to stall because of dewiring, the last place you would want it to come to a stop is across some steam road tracks. A streetcar wouldn't fare much better than the Keystone Kops Kruzer against a speeding locomotive. This was a very real danger to some traction companies. So they devised Trolley Crossing Guards.

Here is a traction line junction with a steam road in Toronto with trolley crossing guards in the overhead. Should the streetcars pole dewire at this spot, the shoe would catch in that wire mesh covering the contact wire. That wire mesh is energized and would power the car far enough to clear the crossing and out of danger.

So the builders of this module thought that that would be a pretty nifty feature to model. And it does get noticed by the public who often ask about it.

Pete DeBeers Mt. Lowe car speeds through the junction without fear of being smashed to smithereens should it dewire under that trolley crossing guard.

A fully detailed and lit substation rounds out a fun 4 square feet of model railroading. Yes sir! A fun 4 square feet of model railroading!

Dandy

Niles Project ~ Window Shades

Super Detailing Continued. Adding Window Shades to #107

 Styrene? Brass? Nah, just simple card stock. Index card in this case. The windows are in groups of twos and threes, so that's how I grouped the shades. Cut them size and painted them Floquil Freight Car Brown for its nice reddish brown color.

Glued 'em in place with good 'ol Micro Kristal Kleer and we got it made-in-the-shade. Yes sir! Made-in-the-shade!

Dandy

2012 State of the Layout Address

Happy New Year Folks! 2012 is going to be a gang busters year I just know it! Yes sir! A gang busters year! I have some new projects ready to start as well as finishing up old projects, as I resolve this year to be my most productive year yet! So bring it on!

State of the Layout:

This is how things stand at this moment, January 1st 2012:

SD&SE Ry #107 Niles Car. During this holiday season I added the finishing details. This car is 98% DONE!  I'll post more about that in the coming weeks.

SDERy Birney #103 has been making regular runs on the Southern California Traction Clubs layout. The car with its BullAnt mechanism performs beautifully even through rough, intricate trackage. The car was declared 100% finished until Fred Gurzeler presented me with some beautiful, delicately built fenders for the underbody that I have yet to install. This car will be an important representative of 4 wheeled equipment when I start fine tuning the track and stringing overhead on my layout, hopefully soon this year. Yes sir! Hopefully soon this year!

SD&SE Ry #105 Niles Car is listing to one side! That's not good. Leaning like that causes the trolley pole to be off center and so has to reach over to the overhead. Which means the shoe is contacting the overhead at an angle. Which means dewirements are frequent.  I can't figure out why its listing but I do know how to fix it thanks again the invaluable Fred Gurzeler. He gave me some hardware that replaces the tiny Hollywood foundry screws that attach the trucks to the body. The listing isn't the fault of the Hollywood Foundry equipment but this swapping of hardware will probably fix the problem. When that's done, the car is ready for super-detailing.

 

Point Loma RR #109 / #402: I've been referring to this car as #109, but the prototype was later repainted and renumbered to #402. The paint scheme of #402 is the one I'm modeling so this car will be referred to as #402 from here on out. Progress has stalled on this car because this car requires some custom printed decals since the lettering and striping include silver. I don't have the funds for that right now and so concentrated funds on getting #105 and #107 done. They will represent big interurbans when I'm fine tuning the track and stringing overhead on my layout.

The Layout is in a state all right. A state of chaos!  The layout has suffered. From the destruction of its overhead by rambunctious kittens, to dust, to over a decade of storage, and the trial and errors of learning how to build a traction layout. So it was stripped down to just the track and streets and is ready to be rebuilt stronger, better. A canopy (what I was originally been referring to in this blog as a valence) designed to look like a streetcar deck roof, has been built to keep dust off the layout and to house the layouts lighting. It features faux stained glass clerestory windows and a brass conductors bell. I recently covered the wooden roof with a waterproof paper mache to simulate canvas covering. Sides will be installed to insulate the layout from the inhospitable world of dirt and varmints and anything else that could cause damage and grief! 

Then and only then can I start stringing the overhead again. This time tailored to a sample of each type of rolling stock that's going to be running on this layout. Which brings me to my next project...

San Diego Electric Railway Class 5, 400 series car. This project will be built from a 1970s brass import by Pacific Traction and feature the new Diablo mechanism from Hollywood Foundry.

Dandy Blog. As you can see, this blog is sporting a new 1920s look to it and features an art deco portrait of the man himself, ol' Sparky along with one of the 400 series cars. The new "Module Spotlight" feature has been met with happy comments and so will continue. Bloggin' along. Yes sir! Bloggin' along.

So that's where it all stands. As you can see I got my work cut out for me. One more car to go and then I can concentrate on getting the layout running. Yes sir! Concentrate on getting the layout running!

Dandy

Niles Project ~ Signs of Destiny

Super Detailing Continued: Adding Dash Signs to the Niles Cars

A SCTC club member showed me a car that he had bought on which the dash signs were decaled right onto the front of the car. To me, that is what it looked like. Because it conformed with the curve of the front of the car, the sign looked painted on . But dash signs are flat. I prefer the 3d look of separate signs. So that's what I'm going to do. And its easy enough to do.

 

K+S Engineering offers a bag of Shim Brass of assorted sizes. Some of these are really thin. Much thinner than what can be achieved with plastic. And yet still be nice and rigid.

The brass is thin enough to be cut with an X-acto. I cut the brass to match the size of the decals that where made and printed at the same time as the rest of the cars decals.

Decals adhere to glossy paint best. So the decals were printed on clear decal paper and the brass painted the background color. White in this case. I used Floquil Antique White. Its cream color isn't as stark as Reefer White would be. So that the paint doesn't flake off, the brass has to be prepared before painting. I used the exact same technique as I did to prepare the brass models for painting. After the paint dried for a day, I gave it a coat of Floquil Gloss and another day to dry. Now the decals can be applied.

The dash signs are glued in place with good ol' Micro Kristal Kleer. Now these cars look like they got somewhere to go. Yes sir! Somewhere to go!

Dandy

Module Spotlight ~ Burma-Shave

The first module to be featured here is a simple 1' x 4' module. SCTCs Module 971. Better known as the Burma-Shave module. 

In the beginning there were doubters. Yes sir! Doubters! Doubters and naysayers that claimed that modules with overhead or catenary wouldn't work. And rightly so. The tight tension of the overhead would be compromised when the modules were disassembled. And that could result in wires and poles becoming bent as everything is pulled towards the center of each module. So a quick proof of concept had to be built to see if modules featuring overhead wires could be built and maintained. Assembled and disassembled time and time again. 

That's where the 1' x 4' modules comes in. Mainline modular model  railroading has been around for decades now and developed the standard 2' x 4' module. But why waist time and expense on scenery when the concept might not work. So the first traction modules were 1' x 4'. Plenty of room for operational track, streets, poles, overhead, and even some scenic features.

SCTC Module #971 (built 1997 it was the 1st module built that year) wasn't the first module built, but its about as basic as modules get. A straight, double track mainline. Centered line poles. Private right-of-way between a divided highway. Its a good, hard working, reliable, proof-of-concept module.

 Despite its small size, it does feature some areas of interest. Here, the Caterpillar shows up just in time because Mac just broke his shovel. Don't ask me what Sam is doing! Though I think he used to have a jackhammer. These modules do take a beating. Maintenance is constant. But the real feature of this module are these:

 Anybody old enough to remember the old Burma-Shave signs on the side of the highways?

Click Pics to see the Rhymes

Click the pic to see the rhyme. In reality though, these signs are so small they are beyond the limits of detail. Visitors can't read them, so we have to tell them what they say. But they are a conversation piece. A lot of folk remember the old Burma-Shave signs.

Next month I'm featuring another 1' x 4' that gets a little fancier with the scenery. That's right. It is possible to do more with the 1x4. Yes sir! More with the 1x4!

Dandy

Niles Project ~ The Cheap Seats. And the Expensive Ones Too.

Here come the paying passengers! Filling #107 with folks.

Funny that Preiser folks are pricey. Pricey Preiser. But truth is, Preiser offers some outstanding figures. Best on the market if you ask me. So I really like using them in my modeling. But averaging over $3 per folk and rising, and each Niles car requiring around 25 figures each, well I'm going to place them strategically.

The Preiser site has cool photos of models modeling for the figure modeler modeling figures. (as an interresting side note, Germans make a distinction between human "models" and miniature "modelles"). Check it out.

Not only are Preiser figures well done, they are also available in era specific costume. So I picked up their 1900 era figures for the 1908 vintage Niles trolleys. Here is #12136 Seated Persons (above, with parasols removed),

#12137 Seated Persons, (I don't know what I'm going to do with that cat.).

#12190 Seated Passengers, (my favorite. I think these are very nicely done).

#10351 Seated Industrial Workers. (The working class ride the trolley too).

#12191 Railway Personnel.(remove the shovels and we got our trolley crew).

Woodland Scenics (#A1908 Sixteen Passengers) on the other hand, aren't quite as sophisticated as Preisers, but they are full of character and somewhat "generic" enough that they can fit many eras. Considering that the closest we ever get to HO models is about a scale block away,  Woodland Scenic folks will work just fine. Especially at a third of the cost of Preisers, Woodland Scenics figures average about $1.25 per folk.

So here is the plan. The Niles cars are "California Cars" which means they have a glassed in center section and open air sections on the ends. So...

 The pricey Preicer figures will adorn the open end sections where they are more easily seen and appreciated, and the Woodland Scenic characters will ride in the enclosed center section behind the glass windows. The figures are glued in with good ol' Micro Kristal Kleer because of its rubbery characteristics. If a figure is accidentally bumped, its less likely to snap off.

Some of the seats couldn't be filled because of mountings for the motor and shell. But I did manage to fit 24 figures in there! 25 if you count the double figure of a man with a child on his lap.

This is where the bulkhead of the shell attaches to the floor. So only the seat backs are present.

Figures add so much to model. Look how much life is in that populated car! You'd think the line was turning a profit. Yes sir! Turning a profit!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving Folks!

Dandy

Module Spotlight ~ New Series!

A new series that will feature an in depth look at each module of the Southern California Traction Clubs (SCTC) HO scale modular layout.

My reasons for this are twofold. First, the SCTC modular layout is always a favorite at the train shows. So I thought I would share it with yous guys who don't live in our displaying area. Secondly, I'm an itchin' to build some modules for the SCTC layout. So I'm studying the intricacies of the clubs modules that mine would fit in with. So I might as well share that information with you guys.

The Southern California Traction Club

One of the outstanding features of the SCTC modular layout is that all the modules are designed to blend seamlessly from one module to the next. Some modular clubs claim that they never set up their layout the same way twice. Which is fine for variety. But what happens is that they end up with a mix and match look. Such as an authentic SoCal citrus packing scene situated next to a module featuring Dracula's castle with dragons. The SCTC on the other hand sets up their modules the same way every time. It is in essence a portable permanent layout. The modules are set up in a rectangle shape. Each side of the rectangle is "zoned". That is, we basically have the City side, Suburban side, Industrial side, and Country side of the layout. The individual modules are detailed according to what side they are situated in. And it is these modules that I thought I would showcase here.

The SCTC layout is themed as Anytown USA set about mid 20th century. And despite the layouts custom look, practically all of the models are built from kits with occasional kitbashing where needed. Very little in the way of scratch building. I don't know if its a club policy to use only commercially available kits (I'm sure its not, its more about practicality), but it goes a long way with promoting the hobby. When visitors see the level of authenticity achieved with just store bought models, well the hobby feels more accessible to them and they leave fired up about building their own layouts at home.

The track and overhead on the other hand are a different matter. They are very custom built. The track less so than the overhead. But the truth is, Traction Modeling is not for the entry level modeler. The beginner needs to cut his teeth and be comfortable with two rail railroading before adding the additional pain-in-the-aspirations of building and maintaining overhead. Fortunately, with the rise of the internet we have many resources available to aid us in building traction layouts. Websites such as Trolleyville, web groups such as HO Traction Modeling, HO Electric Traction Modeling, and Interurbans. Various blogs such as this one and organizations such as East Penn Traction Club, and of course, The Southern California Traction Club are each doing their part to advance this fascinating facet of the hobby.

So if you ever wondered what goes into building traction modules then stay tuned as I examine, analyze, and discuss each module and then hopefully build some of my own modules. Yes sir! Build some of my own traction modules!

Dandy

Niles Project ~ Strategic Seating

Arranging seats around the motor so its not so conspicuous.

Additional seats are fabricated using the original seats as reference:

From Right to Left (above), the narrow brass bar stock is used for the seats and the wide bar stock for the base. The bar stock is measured, marked and cut. The wide bar stock is notched so that the tabs can be folded up as the seats legs. The wide center tab is ground off with a moto-tool. The narrow stock is bent matching the angle of the original seat backs. Then the seats and base are soldered together. Take care with soldering the seat assemblies to the floor. My seats are a tad too close to the sides and scrape when the body and floor come together.

Installed and painted. Some seats are right over the motor mounts. So seats were fabricated and then soldered to flat bar stock thick enough to get the seats to their proper height. Holes are drilled to accommodate the mounting screws for the motor. So what you see here is a sandwich of floor, mounting plate, insulation, motor tab, and then seats, all screwed together.

See? The motor is already disappearing into the background. If you look closely, the front seats of the center section (behind the figure) are seat backs only. You can see holes on the floor in front of them where the tabs on the bulkheads attach to the floor when the body and floor come together. Right where the seats are.

Alright, the seats are in and ready for paying passengers. Yes sir! Paying passengers!

Dandy
.

Niles Project ~ Gates

Passenger gates make for a nifty little detail to add to these models.

 

 These gates in the doorways are included on all the San Diego Niles cars, so my models shall be so equipped. And why not? They are easy enough to add because...

 

...Cal Scale offers "Tailgates" for passenger cars that should fit the bill here just fine. They are available in brass (left) of plastic (right). I bought both to see which I preferred but forgot to add the brass gates during the soldering of brass details stage of construction. Soldering after the fact will ruin the paint on the cars. So #105, #107, and #109 will get the plastic gates. #110 will get the brass gates since it hasn't been painted yet.

Even though the plastic gates are black, I painted them with Floquil Engine Black paint anyway. Black plastic always looks like black plastic. Floquil paints are dead flat and kill the shine beautifully. A little bit of weathering chalks will help bring out the detail again.

A tad bit over sized, the Cal Scale gates achieve the desired effect anyway. The gates are glued in with good 'ol Micro Kristal Kleer.
The Passengers have found there seats and Conductor Carl has closed the gates. Were ready to roll. Yes Sir! Were ready to roll!

Dandy

5 Years and Still Going Strong!

Well... for the most part.

Welp! I've been making regular updates to this blog for 5 years now. And what do I have to show for it? Three superdetailed trolley models and $23.67 of ad revenue in an untouchable account. Hmmm... this must be one of them "labor of love" type of things.

This year was actually shaping up to be the most productive year for my modeling as well as blog posts. But this darned economy finally caught up to me and all but put a stop to my traction empire building. Seems that things like modeling have to take a back seat to making a living. Silly world we live in.

Surprisingly, its not so much the lack of funds that is the problem (though it is a big part) so much as it is the time factor. I don't have the time to model like I did when I was gainfully employed full time. I'm busier now than ever before. Go figure that one!

Now for what your really here for.... the stats!:
This blog entertained 3787 visitors these past 12 months. That works out to an average of 10.38 visitors per day.
The #1 page visited is my April Fools day photo trickery : My Old San Diego Trolley Layout. Followed by the much more useful post: Painting Brass Models. The Birney Project page rounds out the top three posts read.
And as I already mentioned, ad revenue is only $23.67. I wasn't expecting to get rich doing this, but I was hoping for some extra modeling funds. But 23 bucks in 5 years... I might do away with the ads. 

All right fellas, I have a streetcar model a year addiction to feed. So I got to hit the pavement and make some dough. Yes Sir! Gots to hit that pavement!

Dandy