The Grand Experiment

The Grand Experiment

Last night I worked until three in the morning, so I skipped the office today. After waking up with the sun, I decided to play trains for a while.

Those things that look like cookies gone bad, are actually test blobs of the static grass. I put a handful of dirt in the bottom of a paper cup, made a depression in the center, and then poured in some plaster. Once it dried, I painted the plaster blobs Trail Tan and then tried different ratios of the Woodland Scenics static grass. I ended up liking the Honey Gold sprayed on and then mottling some Burned Grass over the top of it. Solid colors just looked like I took a giant hole-punch to a deer pelt.

I painted the concrete abutments, and then the canyon and other areas of the module. I'm pretty sure I will be repainting the canyon because it looks too Arizona Highways and not enough like the local scenery. Once that gets done, I will be adding lots of shrubs and some grazing cattle, barbed wire fence, creekside clutter and the usual trackside details. These elements will go a long way in making the grass look like something other than the back dash on a Caprice.

Design Improvement

Design Improvement

For those of you making your own "little-flocker" you might want to change the output pipe to this new design. With sustained use, the gap between the two barbed adapters collects flock and eventually makes a clog. This new design eliminates that problem. Just go to the electrical department of your local hardware store and get a 3" steel nipple (Westinghouse 70603) and a set of locknuts and washers (Westinghouse 70628). Use the rubber washers from the previous assembly to keep things airtight.

Mother Flocker!

Mother Flocker!

Back in December, I was trying to come up with a cheap method of making tall grasses in my scenery. I tried the auto carpet route, but as Steve told me, "The only thing that sticks to auto carpeting is dog vomit and Milk Duds." That made attaching bushes a little tough, though I enjoyed the Milk Duds, especially with a bowl of popcorn.

I remained envious of the results that Bernd had with a very expensive electrostatic flocker (click on the barn for an up-close look), but I had a hard time spending $120 or so on the device. Bernd uses a blend of three different types of electrostatic grass from German manufacturer HEKI: Sommerwiese (Heki 3360), Winterboden (Heki 3363) and Wildgras (Heki 3367). He says the fibers of the first two are about 3mm long, the Wildgras is about 5mm long.

A Google search came up with an alternative to electrostatic applicators for half that price, but I'm a tight-wad, and convinced myself that I could make something at home.

Ignoring the sickly color of my sample flock at right, my home-built device worked fantastically and it only cost $20 for the parts. I'm sure someone with a decent scrap box could cut the cost even more. Make sure you click on the photo below for a good look at the parts list.

One of the things I like about my flocker is that the cup is translucent so I can see how much static grass is left. Make sure you don't go over 25 PSI and keep the nozzle about ten to twelve inches from the surface. I would also recommend that you keep the air intake centered, and the outlet off-center, that way the fibers swirl around and ultimately line up for the trip down the tube and into the glue. Assembly should be self-explanatory, and I wouldn't bother with any teflon tape because of the low pressures. I also wouldn't skimp on the plastic cup, I liked the EZ Touch-Up Cup because it had lots of deep threads to hang on when pressurized (just cut off the brush with a hacksaw). NOTE: please see the design improvement here.

Get to work

Get to work

Apparently tired of being the primary workers at the N-Land Pacific Work Day, Jeff and I cruised while Bob and Stan did most of the work. Here Jeff has donned the BNSF Supervisor's helmet and directs Bob and Stan in the scratch-building of a hangar for Stan's new helibase module.

If you read the bucket, it says "I can't Believe it's not Butter!" and that's not a big leap. Here Stan is spreading the sanded grout we all use for soil on our modules. This new module is going to be pretty cool. There is going to be a farm house on top of the hill, with a palm-lined driveway going down to a rural road. On the other side of the tracks from the hill will be farm land and a crop-dusting helibase.

I spent the day working on some miscellaneous projects, some module legs, and fixing the broken scenery on El Gato. Another great day in the garage. Thanks guys!

Only 17 Months to Go

Only 17 Months to Go

The National Model Railroad Association will be having their 2008 convention in Southern California, July 13-19th.

Prior to the tearing down of the Cajon layout, I was asked to participate by having my layout included in the layout tours. Once I had torn it down, I was told by several folks that the tours were a year-and-a-half away, and that I needed to get my butt in gear so I would be ready for the show. Just the motivation I need.

The N-Land Pacific group was also invited to attend the National Train Show by setting up a modular layout. At Saturday's monthly breakfast meeting, we decided against displaying our modules at the Train Show. Instead, the modules will be incorporated into the layout tour at my home. I think this is a great opportunity to show how home layouts and modular layouts can work together, and may inspire others to do the same. The group also believes it is a great opportunity to hang out at the pool and drink margaritas in between tour buses!

Road Rage

Road Rage

I was driving into the civic center today for a meeting with a bunch of lawyers when I noticed this truck behind me riding my tail. As I drove on, the driver of this truck seemed to grow more desperate to follow me. Being the suspicious type, I did my best to ditch the guy, but he became even more aggressive in chasing me. I pulled into a busy construction site, hoping to have at least some backup if things got rough, and to my amazement, the truck flew through traffic cones and pulled along side me. Having shed my seatbelt and opened the door in anticipation of a quick exit, I stopped cold when I recognized the logo of a railroad on the side of his truck. I looked up to see the driver just five feet from me. Like nothing had happened, he very calmly asked, "Where'd you get that cool knuckle hitch?" He was talking about the trailer hitch on my truck being a replica of a railroad coupler. It turns out he is a signal maintainer for a railroad (to remain nameless) that operates downtown. I'm glad to know that safety is his number one priority.

Cool campfire

Cool campfire

I remember paying six bucks for a single LED and seeing a model campfire effect circuit for $36. Now, LEDs are everywhere, and are so cheap they are almost disposable. Here is a case in point. GE sells these "tea lights" for under two bucks each. It uses three of the button batteries (included) and a circuit that makes it flicker.

I bought one of these, dissected it, and I'm convinced I will be using it on a model. It was easy to cut off that plastic flame and the outer case with some wire cutters. Inside is a circuit board smaller than a postage stamp, a slide switch, a battery compartment and an orange LED. The circuit melts down with more than 3 VDC, but rewiring it to an AA battery should make a flame that will last for at least a week. A quick touch with a soldering iron and the orange LED could be replaced with a white LED for a welding effect. Not bad for two bucks.