cteno4 Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 Mardon, The 3d effect on the decal graphic really is great! Jeff Link to comment
tossedman Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 You know what? It sucks. It sucks that such great work is not in my basement! Great work Mardon. Thanks for sharing. I love seeing your progression as you put this together. Todd Link to comment
JR 500系 Posted June 26, 2013 Share Posted June 26, 2013 Nice Mardon! But you need a longer train! I like the height, it's perfectly at the door, and the gap is good enough just for the train to run through... Detailed great work! Link to comment
macdon Posted June 26, 2013 Author Share Posted June 26, 2013 @Jeff @Todd @JR - hey thanks guys! The double tracks on the platforms has 1/4" of play - so there is a possibility of the tracks moving outward due to the centrifugal force of the train coming into the station from a curve track? Of course, trains are suppose to slow down entering stations - but I was also entertaining the option of running a fast train thru the station. One option is gluing tracks (but I dont really like to do that) or maybe add 1/8" material to both sides of the double track to eliminate them moving. Due to the proximity of the train next to the platform, any track movement will surely have a negative result. Moving on........... I stumbled into skyscrapercity.com forum and in that forum is a thread entitled "Japan/Railways". It is currently 63 pages long: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=484031 While I simply browsed thru all those 63 pages, I enjoyed the wealth of info most specially pics and youtube videos of various japanese trains, stations and everything JR related. Interior and exterior pics of both stations and trains was vast and includes artist renderings of proposed station remodeling projects as well as proposed new stations. There's this guy in the forum named "quashlo" and is responsible for posting all the pics and videos on that thread - probably 80% of those 63 pages are his/her post. For a newbie in the hobby like me living outside of Japan - the thread (like this forum) gave me a good insight into the world of JR. While I was just aiming for a very simple boxed station facade for my DIY station, seeing the various real world pics of JR stations made my meager attempt really look like crap! Lol! Sure, I keep telling myself we are merely making representations of the real world - but darn, it really doesnt help none! Lol!!! Mardon Link to comment
macdon Posted June 26, 2013 Author Share Posted June 26, 2013 By the way - didnt the Kato Unitram set came with a poster/backdrop of their buildings? Could anyone provide a hi-res photo? Mardon Link to comment
cteno4 Posted June 26, 2013 Share Posted June 26, 2013 mardon, yep ill email you jeff Link to comment
macdon Posted June 28, 2013 Author Share Posted June 28, 2013 mardon, yep ill email you jeff Jeff - thanks for sending your scanned files buddy! I thought it was only a backdrop pic but now I know it was meant as a foldable backdrop to create a block of buildings for the Unitram layout. Since I was planning just a linear backdrop, I did connect your 4 scanned files and did a quick photoshop to add the new buildings of Kato. Originally, the backdrop came to 18" x 96", but was a bit too big for n scale - so I resized it to 10" x 54". Mardon Link to comment
macdon Posted July 6, 2013 Author Share Posted July 6, 2013 This is the proposed facade for my custom station - made out of fiberglass. Mardon 2 Link to comment
cteno4 Posted July 6, 2013 Share Posted July 6, 2013 Mardon, Wow, great! now you have a mould? you could go into production! love how working in the negative of laying out the window opening with blocks is so much easier than cutting them out in the positive! cheers jeff Link to comment
macdon Posted July 7, 2013 Author Share Posted July 7, 2013 Mardon, Wow, great! now you have a mould? you could go into production! love how working in the negative of laying out the window opening with blocks is so much easier than cutting them out in the positive! cheers jeff Yup, we do have a mold so replicating it wont be a problem. Ill probably make another building using the mold - probably a combination of fiberglass and some scalescenes card details since I already have the files anyway. Might as well maximize the purchase. Mardon Link to comment
macdon Posted July 9, 2013 Author Share Posted July 9, 2013 Here's the facade now............... 1 Link to comment
tossedman Posted July 9, 2013 Share Posted July 9, 2013 Mardon, how big is the clock? Could you squeeze a small watch movement behind it? Looking great. Todd Link to comment
cteno4 Posted July 9, 2013 Share Posted July 9, 2013 Mardon, Nice! Ohh yes lots of cheat watch mechs on ebay! Now you need the big video screen in there somewhere! Jeff Link to comment
macdon Posted July 9, 2013 Author Share Posted July 9, 2013 Mardon, how big is the clock? Could you squeeze a small watch movement behind it? Looking great. Todd Its 1" x 1", so yes I could actually use a real cheapo wrist watch and just toss the straps/bands away! hehehe! Mardon Link to comment
macdon Posted July 10, 2013 Author Share Posted July 10, 2013 (edited) Kato piers .................. I have the 2 kinds of Kato piers - 23-019 and 23-020 (18pcs each kind) and was wondering if anyone has feedback on one or the other? The 23-020 has a bigger footprint, more support for the viaduct tracks and uses the longer (outside the viaduct) catenary poles. Downside is, it doesnt leave much room for ground level roadway or tracks extending beyond the oval viaduct tracks. The 23-019 is a slimmer design and uses the shorter (inside the viaduct) catenary poles. But naturally offers less support/footprint for the viaduct tracks. Mix and match perhaps? Lastly, would anyone know what kind of (custom?) double height piers was used in the Washington Hotel layout? Here's the video: Mardon Edited July 10, 2013 by macdon Link to comment
Bri Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 (edited) I've used 2 Kato piers. The upper ones have some plastic pins glued to the bottom of the legs which fit into the tops of the lower ones perfectly. I used some pieces of sprues I had. The pins have to go in this position to work properly Edited July 11, 2013 by Bri Link to comment
Densha Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 I find that the pictures on the boxes are pretty much self-explanatory. The large ones are usually used for viaducts, while the smaller piers are used for example bridges crossing rivers. Small one: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rashko/555994553/ & http://www.flickr.com/photos/4510waza/2065272659/ & http://www.flickr.com/photos/27889738@N07/7824362794/ Large: http://goo.gl/maps/Wmro0 & http://www.flickr.com/photos/lastarial_japan/4884506282/ & http://www.flickr.com/photos/simondavies/6295705116/ Link to comment
KenS Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 I've seen the 23-020 (pre-cast style per the box) used in both urban and rural contexts. These parts also have both the row of 3 S-Joiner holes for supporting single and double-track viaduct and the wide-spaced pair of holes used for supporting the viaduct station plates (the flat part inside the station that supports the track). Note, however, that Kato produced an older styles of these (23-018, long discontinued) which worked with inside-the-viaduct supports. Kato appears to have moved away from that at the same time they started using banked viaduct curves, likely to avoid hitting the poles inside the viaduct. The 23-019 never got updated to match, but that's only an issue if you connect curved viaduct to a bridge. The 23-019 (which Kato USA calls pre-cast, although I don't think that's correct) seems more commonly used in approaches to river bridges across flood plains or in rivers (places where water can flow around the bridge piers and a streamlined design is needed). They only have the three holes, so while they can support double-track viaduct they can't connect it to a viaduct station or support the station. Kato USA does not appear to stock the 23-019 style separate from the elevated viaduct set, however they do sell the incline sets (23-048/23-049) to raise viaduct up from ground level, which are in a similar style. Kato Japan illustrates the 23-019 style with the bridges on their site's stock list, implying that the two go together, while they illustrate the 23-020 with the double-track viaducts. Link to comment
macdon Posted July 12, 2013 Author Share Posted July 12, 2013 @Bri - thanks! So you customized your piers then? Yeah, I saw the canals on the rectangular piers and thought that doubling the height is possible. I just didnt know if Kato is/was selling some sort of joiner to put one on top of the other. Great idea you did, thou! @Densha - yes, you are correct and thanks for showing the flickr pics of the actual. Yes, I also have bridges so will use the round base piers for those. However, depending on the city block planning on the ground level - some rectangular piers may have to be swapped out for the slimmer rounder base. @Ken - again, great info Ken. Thou I placed all shorter (inside viaduct) catenary poles for now - I can swap them out for the longer (outside viaduct) at any time. Or maybe, longer poles on curve tracks and shorter on straights? Would that look weird? I had to shave a bit off my station platform as the Nozomi was hitting it coming out of the curve and into the station. I'll probably add a straight viaduct track after the curve before it enters the station. Mardon Link to comment
macdon Posted July 12, 2013 Author Share Posted July 12, 2013 Here's a short video of the run.............. Mardon 1 Link to comment
cteno4 Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 (edited) Mardon, Hey it's going! Great idea for the curved platform roof! Going to be an interesting station! Great imagination and making it so! Cheers Jeff Edited July 12, 2013 by cteno4 Link to comment
tossedman Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 I likes it Mardon! What's the diameter of the tube you've used for the station? Todd Link to comment
macdon Posted July 12, 2013 Author Share Posted July 12, 2013 Jeff and Todd - thanks guys! On cost, cant argue on a $10 pvc tube! Todd - its a 6" diameter pvc tube. I got it for $10 8-ft long and just cut it to 1240mm (49"). Each side has 5 long windows (representing the 5pcs of 248mm double tracks inside) cut with a dremel and large enough to both see the trains and for the hands to enter for maintenance, etc. Facade is detachable and I could elect different looking facades to mate with the tube. Mardon Link to comment
Densha Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 It looks very futuristic Mardon! Link to comment
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