My project begins

[keitaro]

My new 1720

 

while using rapido couplers it doesn't display any of the issues i have had with kiha 91.

 

It runs really well to if i flick it over at 50 it doesn't get insta speed like kato's do. it takes a few seconds to accelerate which looks a little more realistic.

 

it handles corners pretty well and is quiet till it picks up speed (unrealistic speeds)

 

it also picks up power pretty well and runs smooth.

[Martijn Meerts]

Gotta love the bonnet/nose on that one ;)

[keitaro]

pic of new track changes

 

also did some foilage on the side

[keitaro]

base ball field design

 

edit * printed the layout design it will have a fance around as well does it look too small?

[Mudkip Orange]

does it look too small?

 

Dunno, what are you modeling? Little league? High school? Puro Yakyu?

 

Pro baseball diamonds in Japan are the same size as America, so 90' between the bases and generally a minimum of 320' to the R/L field walls, 400' down center field. As in America, older stadiums may be smaller than these dimensions.

[keitaro]

elementary school right next door to it so i guess for the little ones.

 

it's 8cm from batter to base 1 not to scale in other words. just wondering if it looked insanely to small or not

[Mudkip Orange]

8cm is 40 feet so yeah, that's a little small.

 

US Little League is 60' or 12cm, tee ball is 50' or 10cm. Not sure about Japan LL

[keitaro]

ahh ok thanks mud i think though given my limited space i'll leave it that size.

 

BTW this is what i'm up to atm

 

did some ballast and made the base ball netting

 

and of course some train running. 

[keitaro]

had to have 2nd post wouldn't upload more

[Tecchan]

The baseball field is a great idea! Really a japanese look!

 

Your ballast seems really wide. 

[keitaro]

Wide ?? Really the outer side is 2.5 cm all way round approximate I did not measure for complete accuracy.

 

Inner is 1.5cm.  I left it for fence and room for details to fit in between fence and track.

 

First time ballasting so was worried I'd stuff the track but the trains all run at a super crawl without getting stuck.

 

I usually find black spots by getting a non motor car with light installed and slide it across track to find weak spots and only one spot had a slight flicker.

 

Cleaned and fixed

[Tecchan]

Yep, I find that there is a bit too much rocks aside form the tracks.

Otherwise, it's a great layout and it's moving forward so fast!

[Mudkip Orange]

Nice work on the fence.

[keitaro]

thanks for input guys.

 

mudkip i think i may extend the field a bit larger otherwise the fence will lok out of scale to the field haha.

 

I'm looking for a great way to make a tall fence to go around the park. I was thinking something like fly screen or a netted fabric from the local shop. Then dry brush it with some silver and a rust color to look like an old fence.

[keitaro]

So while i am slowly building my current project i'm designing my next layout.

 

The plan so far is to have 4 lines and i am thinking of starting with the largest line being dcc to test out so i am currently looking for a easy dcc compatable train. I'd like ot have it as the express service line but i am having trouble finding a dcc friendly set. I'd like to get the cassiopeia set but it's not dcc friendly.

 

Reason it's dc friendly is my skills in wiring involve ducktape and thats as far as it goes.

 

i really cannot see my self wiring up another one safely.

 

any suggestions. I also was interested in the sunrise express but same issue.

[keitaro]

more progress havn't finished the trees but yeah.

 

I need to weather the buildings and glue em enough to hold togther.

 

Will wire them in the future for lighting. basic street design but i need more houses.

[Bernard]

Doing a simple decoder install for the motor really isn't that hard, but depending on where you live there are some members here that can do it for you.

 

As for the Sunrise Express...nice train, it's a double-decker so it's a little taller than some of the other trains...the one thing I'm not wild about is that mine has the knuckle couplers on it and doesn't have the tightest of fits to other cars, but other than that it's a nice train!

 

 

So while i am slowly building my current project i'm designing my next layout.

 

The plan so far is to have 4 lines and i am thinking of starting with the largest line being dcc to test out so i am currently looking for a easy dcc compatable train. I'd like ot have it as the express service line but i am having trouble finding a dcc friendly set. I'd like to get the cassiopeia set but it's not dcc friendly.

 

Reason it's dc friendly is my skills in wiring involve ducktape and thats as far as it goes.

 

i really cannot see my self wiring up another one safely.

 

any suggestions. I also was interested in the sunrise express but same issue.

[keitaro]

i like double deckers so thats fine for me. are they easy to install ? would be less room due to the split levels?

[keitaro]

Since I am waiting for 3 packs of balast to come from rainbow ten (sal). I have painted some of my plastic fences I have.

 

Painted with a tinbitz paint so it looks like a rusty metal fence. Going to have fences different on each side due to having no cash .

 

Doesn't really worry me that much though can always upgrade them later.

 

Since I did not realise 2 packs of balast will only do 1/4 of my layout error on my part I now have to wait. I'm not even sure if this next 3 packs will be enough. but hopefully it will allow me to get the main parts done so I can start the roads.

 

Once I have painted the fences I will paint the tunnel portals. Although looking on tips how to paint them.

 

I have the green max diesel single track portal. I want to paint with a old clay brick colour.

 

Any tips on how to go about.

 

I was thiking black undercoat and a layer of a light brown then dry bush a more orangy brown colour ??

 

Never painted brick walls before. Any suggestions?

[keiichi77]

For brick walls paint the walls the colour your choice if they are not already molded in a colour you like, once it is dry rub an off white toll paint (most dollar stores sell toll paint) in the grout lines.  Let the toll paint dry, once it is dry rub the bricks off lightly with a damp paper towel, since toll paint is water based even when dry it wipes of plastic with ease. When done it should leave the white in the grout lines. This has worked well for me, in HO scale anyway...I haven't tried it in N scale yet. Hope this helps

[rankodd]

If you're modelling a location in Japan, real brick buildings are very rare. Most things that look like brick are usually moulded concrete and are painted a uniform colour. The only buildings I have that are brick are the Tomix small business buildings, and I'll be repainting them to some variant on solid white.

[keitaro]

it looks awfully brick made to me got anypics of a tunnel portal that looks like a brick portal but not?

 

cheers

[rankodd]

is it this:

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10007587

 

As far as I know, those are usually stone or cement - gray in colour.

 

 

That last one is almost exactly what you're looking for.

[keitaro]

ahh ok yeah thats the one hmm i wonder what colours to get that look with.

[Samurai_Chris]

I am envious that you are in the building stage. And I am stuck in designing hell until we get back to Australia.. It's looking good..

 

One thing that I might suggest is your bridge section.. I just feel that each side of the bridge, the cut out is way too strait.. If a bridge is needed, then it means that water is normally present. Which in turn means that the valley has been created by water.. I would just suggest that you leave the tunnel entrances as they are, but just put a more natural curve on each slope under that point leading down to your river. It will just make look a little more realistic....

 

Chris