DJK Modeling

Rio Grande Progress

2011-11-15T12:52:00.000-08:00

I was doing a demo on craftsman kit construction at TrainFest over the past weekend. I used the Raggs to Riches Rico depot model as the subject. I spent the two days adding the planking around the perimeter of the building. The kit is well engineered, I did not need to split any of the planks to make them fit the surface, amazing!

KBScale Update and New HOn3 Module

2011-10-15T11:13:00.000-07:00

The above photo shows where things stand with the KBScale McEwan locomotive. The body is just about done I have only to complete the jackshaft covers and add the brake rigging. I did receive the replacement connecting rods from the manufacture so now its back to getting the mechanism running. The figure is a 1:48 model so it is slightly under size for 1:43. The kit has a option to build to 16.5 mm track gauge (On30) so this gives an idea of what it would look like in a 1:48 setting, looks good to me.

This is a new iron in the fire, an HOn3 module, 1foot deep 5 feet long. This photo shows the basic inglenook 3/3/5 switching puzzle track arrangement. This will allow it to function and give me a chance operate both my Blackstone K27 that I purchased a couple of years ago, and my new C19.

I have added the passing track to the front edge and applied the fascia around the baseboard. Keeping with the Rio Grande theme, on the right is a Raggs to Riches Rico depot (yet another iron). I have a completed Banta model of the Pro Patria mill (also located a Rico CO), so I am planning on a 2 foot by 3 foot module on the left of this one for it. The mill will be served by an extension on the middle track.

Later, David

New NAPM Project

2011-10-09T21:30:00.000-07:00

It has been well over a year since I have done any major projects on the NAPM layout, the last being the mountain project, so it is time to get going on something new. The city industrial area has not had any serious efforts made to it in several years and there was a great desire to get the wharf area completed as one of the club members is just about done with a model of a tug to complement the car float. Unfortunately, the tug will be on the aisle edge of the layout and there was no plan to do anything with the area behind. If the scenery was done on the front it would have been subject to damage when the scenery was done behind it, it became necessary to come up with a plan for the background.

The track work in the area was particularly difficult as the double track main passes over the

single track main at this location. The length of the area is about ten feet and the width varies from four feet to two feet. The area where the track is located is about twelve inchs wide

My solution is to cover the area in large structures all placed at angles to hide the track configuration and produce visual interest. The views from various directions need to make the tracks look as though they disappear behind buildings. in essance we are creating a short tunnel through a ridge of buildings. The following photos show my initial plans.

Here are some low angle views to give an idea of what it looks like if you were looking at the scene at eye level.

Five Plank Wagon Done

2011-09-14T20:46:00.000-07:00

Finished with the Slaters 5 plank wagon! It has been quite a pleasure building this model and I am pleased with the results, I am looking forward to building another car, most likely a goods van. I learned a new weathering technique in the process so it is a real win for me.

The local NMRA is having the first meet of the winter season on Sunday and the popular vote contests will be on. Freight cars is an open category so I will enter this, needless to say it will be the only entry of a UK freight car. Since it is not an "American" prototype I would not expect great results in the voting but it is fun to display something that you are proud of and share it with other modelers.

The KBScale locomotive progress has gotten back on track. I have received the iron and having it and the RSU gives me great flexibility in this form of "hot gluing"! I had not heard back from the manufacture so I went forward with problem solving on my own. I fabricated a new end for the connecting rod from some of the scrap material and used the good rod as a pattern, I also needed to fabricate my own rivet to assemble the rods. I decided that I would solder the rivet to the outer rod, a very tiny dab of solder paste made that a snap. I used a small scrap of paper as a separator to keep the solder from flowing to all the rods. It worked! Twice!! The photo on the left shows the hand made parts. The photo on the right shows the cab front, frame and engine cover/fuel tank. This has been a pleasure, especially the learning of new skills.

Progress Slowed

2011-09-03T21:29:00.000-07:00

No pictures today but I have added the brake gear to the Slaters wagon. When I was working on the parts I managed to lose one of the brake lock down fixtures so I will need to scratch build a replacement using styrene strips.

I have managed to ruin one of the connecting rods on the McEwan and have written the manufacture to see about a replacement and some construction advise. I attempted to peen over the end of the rivet holding the rods together. Instead of expanding the end of the rivet I caused the entire shaft to expand seizing up the pivot hole. In my efforts to loosen it I tore apart the end of the rod. I should have asked how to do this first!

To aid in construction of the body of the locomotive I have order a temperature controllable soldering iron. The resistance soldering unit works well for attaching a part but I have not had much success with soldering seams, the iron may be the correct tool for that process, we will see when it gets here.

Later David

Slaters Continued 2

2011-08-28T20:50:00.000-07:00

Model building is continuing, this weekends work has been on the 5 plank wagon. I painted the under carriage Polly Scale light freight car red and then washed the exterior wood with a diluted mix of the same color. When dried I painted the iron work with Model Masters raw umber as a rust base, splotched Model Flex rail brown onto the umber, then brushed on hair spray. Each color was allowed to dry between coats. I had never tried the hair spray weathering method so I experimented with the process. I applied Model Flex Milwaukee Road dark gray to the iron work and then used water to lift off the paint. At first I let the paint dry a little to long and it was really difficult to remove, later I found that you needed to let the paint set but not dry completely. It is hard to describe how long to wait you really need to experiment and it may always work out a little differently each time. This closeup of the buffer and wheel assembly shows the result. This seems to work well in 7mm scale not sure how it will work in 3.5mm. I will find out. Later David

KBScale McEwan Locomotive

2011-08-25T21:11:00.000-07:00

I have started the construction of a etched brass locomotive kit produced by KBScale. This link will take you to an album that shows the parts that make up the kit. It is definitely a kit because it is compsed of nothing but parts, some assembly required!

KBScale McEwan

I am using a resistance soldering tool and an 80 watt heavy duty soldering iron for assembly. So far so good as I have gotten the chassis completed. I have had the resistance unit for quite a while but have never used it before, it has worked well for attaching the bearings. For the major assemblies I have used the iron, its large heat capacity makes seaming the joints quite quick without excessively heating the surrounding material.

O14 Day

2011-08-17T20:46:00.000-07:00

My kits from KB Scale arrived today. They specialize in 7mm narrow gauge, I had ordered a track demo kit, a side dump wagon and a locomotive kit. The track demo included a flat bed wagon so I decided it would be a great place to get my feet wet in two foot gauge modeling. It was a simple build the only trick was to narrow up the bolster frame to provide additional space for the axles this yielded free rolling wheels. The photo shows the completed model. What is really cool is that it comes with a link and pin coupler.

As far as a layout for two foot gauge is concerned I am going to model a typical copper smelter as seen in the Upper Michigan copper country in the 1920's. I have laid out some track on the work bench in a 1 x 4 foot area and will start with that. On the far end is the railroad warehouse and next to that will be the mineral house. Not totally sure what will be next but possibly the machine shop and a small building for the locomotive. The locomotive is a KB McEwan Pratt Baguley 10 HP locomotive, I have open the box and reviewed the instructions, it is going to be a challenge!

Slaters Continued, Upson Building Update

2011-08-16T20:54:00.000-07:00

The construction of the Slaters model continues. These two views show the current state of the project. I added a lot of wood grain effect to the exterior ends and sides I am not sure if this is how weathered these cars would have become but there use in the coal trade and apparent longevity in service suggest to me that this would be likely.

So far everything has fit well with only a minimum of filing needed to get things to fit well. One point that took a bit of figuring was adding the solebars, they needed to fit flush with the floor deck side, they do not touch the center frame cross bearers (gap is about 1/16")

The next step will be painting, as can be seen the iron work on the ends and the solebars is not factory finished, since this is a in service car I will proceed to paint the metal parts dark rust and then add black overtones.

I really like the size of the model, it feels good in your hand.

I have been working on the Upson building since last summer when I discovered the prototype in northern Wisconsin. Here are a couple of views both prototype and model. It has been a long project. Fortunately I am now able to work on something for an extended period and not loose interest, I seems when I was young I needed to get the whole thing done in a week or it would never be completed. This model is in 3.5mm scale.

Tomorrow, David

7mm O Scale

2011-08-14T20:43:00.000-07:00

Can't believe that it has been a year since I posted to this blog. Well I am still here so that is very good from my point of view. I am currently expanding my modeling skills by doing some builds in UK 7mm O Scale. This is quite a change from all of my past modeling experience which has been confined to North American US models.

I have chosen to start with a kit of a open coal wagon from the turn of the twentieth century, Slaters kit 7044S. Everything about this is new to me, terminology, parts, how the cars are constructed ( both prototype and model) so it is quite exciting to undertake this build. I have been directed to some useful 7mm modeling sites which have helped bring me up to speed.

The following photos on Picasa show what is included in the kit.

Slaters Kit 7044S

The first thing of note is that the interior of the model is not detailed. In searching the internet I discovered a vendor who provides etched brass interior side an floor components. They look really nice but since this is my first attempt at one of these kits I have chosen to take a conservative approach and create my own interior details. By using no.40 grit sand paper I textured wood grain on the interior surfaces of the sides, ends and floor (both top and bottom). I then scribe planks to match the exterior spacing and 6" floor boards. I also textured the underframe members as well as adding the seams for the side door.

More later, David

Update On Snow Shed

2010-08-14T20:47:00.000-07:00

The humid weather we have been having lately is causing adverse effects on the urethane casting resin. I have ordered some new types of resin from Smooth-On to see how they work. Have added a dehumidifier in the work shop unfortunately it raises the ambient temperature causing the resin to catalyze to rapidly. New resin has a longer pot life and slower set time.

David

1897 Niter Storage Building

2010-08-08T19:32:00.000-07:00

The final building associated with the sulfuric acid plant is the salt peter storage shed. It is a single story building with 9 foot eaves and is 15' x 12' in size. It should be noted that this building is set apart form other buildings in this complex. This is due to the explosive nature of the product being stored.

A Google Book Reference

2010-08-02T21:17:00.000-07:00

http://books.google.com/books?id=uRJDAAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=a+treatise+on+chemistry&hl=en&ei=HZhXTKbEMNC2ngfK54CcBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAA

The above link is to a Google book (A Treatise On Chemistry) that gives a very good review of the chamber process for creating sulfuric acid. The description begins on PDF page 440. It is contemporary to the time period and has several illustrations of the manufacturing facilities. I have reviewed several other period references and they are essentially the same in there descriptions of the manufacturing process. My continued discussion will utilized the information learned to make educated guesses as to how these buildings looked as I have not been able to locate any photographs of the Carbon Works.

David

1897 Chamber Building

2010-08-01T19:22:00.000-07:00

The acid chamber building is 190 feet long and 72 feet wide with eaves 32 feet above the ground. There is a raised roof 8 feet wide and 3 feet high at the peak and it is indicated that the structure is 3 stories tall with the first story empty. A single story 18' x 50' office and engine room with eaves at 12 feet is on the end of the chamber building.

The acid chambers are voluminous lead walled rooms built on wooden frames and supported above the ground, in this case about 12 feet to match the single story eave height. If we assume that there are 10 foot walk ways around the entire interior of the chamber building for inspection purposes and that this is a three chamber process then the size of an individual cell could be 15 feet wide by 170 feet long. The height of the chamber can be estimated as 15 feet; 20 foot height of walls less 5 feet for the support frames. This calculates to be about 38,000 cubic feet per chamber which is well within the established specifications for these types of facilities.

As the acid collects in the bottom of each chamber it flows by gravity to storage tanks under the chambers. It is then pumped from the tanks to the Glover tower for concentration. The usual means employed for pumping the acid is compressed air, I speculate that the engine room has a steam driven compressor to provide this air for the entire acid facility.

1897 Acid Towers

2010-07-31T20:35:00.000-07:00

This detail shows the layout of the acid towers and there relationship to the burner building and the chambers. An enclosed pipe conducts flu gas from the burner building to the Glover tower, another covered pipe conducts gases into the chamber building. An additional covered pipe travels from the chamber building into the Gay-Lussac tower. The drawing indicates that the towers are 60 feet tall and having a foot print of 10 feet by 25 feet. Although not clearly identified I believe that the 8 foot square below the nitrous recovery tower is the chimney.

1897 Buildings Burner House

2010-07-18T20:08:00.000-07:00

This is the 1897 burner building and pyrite storage shed. The shed is a one story open sided building with 20 foot eaves its dimensions being 48' long by 58' wide.

The burner house is also a one story structure with 12" thick walls (brick) on all sides, 88' long and 58' wide. There are two windows indicated on the side opposite the shed, this side extending 24" above the roof line. The side walls do not extend above the roof line and are also 20' above the ground.

Why Talk About Chemistry?

2010-07-16T21:06:00.000-07:00

Before I go further in my discussion I want to clarify how I look at modeling an industry. I believe that you need to understand what an industry does in order to model it effectively. In the case of the sulfuric acid plant it is necessary to understand how the acid is synthesized, this allows you to understand how the manufacturing process effects the building in which the process occurs.

In this case it clearly allows you to understand the relationship between the components described on the 1897 Sanborn map. The acid towers are the Glover and the Gay-Lussac towers. The modern plant has no towers shown but since they are essential in the production of the acid they must be on the interior of the building. In fact the end of the building by the burners shows alternating high and low roof elevations, the high ones most likely cover the acid towers.

David

An Industry You Can Model 3

2010-07-11T19:49:00.000-07:00

We will start the examination of the components of this facility by looking at the Sulfuric Acid Plant. This plant exists in both the 1897 and 1950 Sanborns. The 1897 plant is comprised of four components; a pyrite storage shed, a pyrite burner building with horizontal furnaces, two external acid towers and an acid chamber building. The 1950 era plant has a pyrite burner building with vertical furnaces, attached to a three cell chamber building with no acid towers indicated.

The primary raw materials in the production of sulfuric acid are iron pyrite (source of sulfur), water and sodium nitrate (catalyst). The pyrite is burned to release SO2 and provide heat for the reactions. The sodium nitrite is mixed with sulfuric acid releasing nitrous fumes which promotes the reaction of the sulfur dioxide, oxygen and the water in both the Glover tower and chambers.

The Glover tower is a reaction vessel in which nitrated sulfuric acid and chamber acid are introduced at the top of the tower. In there passed down the interior they encounter the hot combustion gases from the pyrite furnaces. The interaction of the nitrated sulfuric acid and the SO2 gas releases the nitrous fumes dissolved in the acid. As the chamber acid passes down the tower, any water it contains is evaporated. The steam created reacts with the SO2 and oxygen to create sulfuric acid. Concentrated acid is collected at the bottom of the tower and pumped into storage tanks.

After the gases pass out of the Glover tower they enter a series of large lead chambers where more water/steam is misted into the gas flow to produce additional acid. This acid is collected along the floor of the chambers, it is known as chamber acid, and is drawn off through floor drains. After passing through the third chamber the majority of the sulfur oxides have been converted to acid, the residual gas vapor now being nitrous gasses.

The nitrous gasses are recovered in the Gay-Lussac towers. Concentrated sulfuric acid has a great affinity for nitrous gas and is introduced into the top of the Gay-Lussac towers, the chamber gases entering from the bottom. As the acid mingles with the chamber gas stream it absorbs the nitrous gases. The acid recovered at the base of the tower is then pumped to the Glover tower. After passing through the tower the flu gases are vented to the atmosphere.

An Industry You Could Model 2

2010-07-08T20:41:00.000-07:00

Examination of the map reveled several bone warehouses, gelatin plants, a bone black plant, a sulfuric acid as well as a muriatic acid manufacturing facility, ammonia storage tanks, a lime kiln and an ammonium carbonate plant, a phosphate rock storehouse, a fertilizer plant and packaging building. Also scattered about were several smaller warehouses and a water treatment facility.

Questions I asked myself were how did this diverse assembly of factory's create fertilizer and gelatin? What is bone black? Is this the gelatin you eat or something else? What was the history of the Michigan Carbon Works?

This link gives a history of the company and an overview of the products produced, http://www.ebonex.com/hist.htm

I will continue this discussion looking at each individual facility and try to explain the relationships between all of the various plants.

An Industry You Could Model

2010-06-30T21:20:00.000-07:00

I have had long time interest in the Wabash railroad. In studying photos in the book Wabash In Color II, particularly photos taken around Delray tower, I noted that a spur ran south off the West Detroit Branch track crossing the joint trackage and paralleling the Michigan Central's mainline as it enters the city of Detroit. No mention of this spur was made in the book and I was curious as to where it went.

I had access to some Sanborn maps of the area and they suggested that this track was a connection to the MC and also served, via what appeared to be joint MC track, an industry identified as the Michigan Carbon Works. A quick look at the complex indicated that it was a fertilizer factory. This didn't sound particularly interesting until I took a closer look at the individual buildings which comprised the factory complex.

More later, David

Will It Work

2010-06-24T20:49:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos of what I will call the prototype model. It is composed of 25 sections and is about six feet in length. The purpose was two fold, first to provide a really interesting model for a western mountain scene on the NAPM club layout, and second to proof out that the parts could actually be assembled into a model. It has worked out as planned and the next step is to build up the pilot model and document the construction steps.

The first photo shows the side with open ventilation doors.

The next photo shows the sides with closed ventilation doors.

The last photo shows the end view.

Four side variations will be possible in the kit. The model can be built without any side sheathing allowing a full view of the interior. It can be constructed with the ventilation doors closed or open. A final alternative is to modify the open doors to create a completely sheathed wall.

My plan for the kit is to provide enough parts to construct a 10 panel shed, a scale 200 feet. Each panel will consist of exterior sheathing closed door, back of open door, outside frame, support footings, center frame, support footings, rear retaining wall, roof supports, and roof section. Additional parts will be provided to allow construction of two 100 foot sheds if the modeler chooses.

So long for now, David

Snow Shed Model

2010-05-25T21:54:00.000-07:00

Currently under development is a model of a typical western snow shed. The model is based upon a Great Northern prototype and is fabricated from resin castings. I have created the pattern work and am currently in the process of assembling a pilot model.