Layout for the steamers.. & new designs

The weekend just passed saw development of a layout purely for the nz120 Steam Engines. Perfectly level with a lazy 2% grade climbing a whole 3/4 inch in elevation.

A wee video of it working

 I'm considering buying the instant grass mat as seen on a recent motorised dandruff post. However I have given static grass an attempt. A wee diorama showing off the DSG crying out for some decals!

Purely as an after thought,

New Designs...

Kiwirail AK Class, Available through one product, scaled correctly and waiting on a test print.

F Class Version 1, simple little tanker. Other versions are following pending printing outcome.

NZ120 ZH.

KATO ; Double Track Plate Girder Bridge, Gray.

With the recent purchase of  4x 186mm (7 5/16") Double Track Plate Girder Bridge, Gray. I find myself painting it in red brown followed by dry brushing with lighter colours. The effect worked really well although it needs a bit more work yet.

A rather smart looking NZ120 Trackgang Products WM DG kit. Also worth mentioning are the new florescent lights you can just see, imported about 60 of em from thailand so selling em on trademe should pay  themselves & more!

A rather shy DG on what appears to be a lazy train makeup..

Another view of the bridge.

DG at speed (it does happen..)

Showing off what appears to be a tunnel portal into another dimension, I really need to finish the hill...

Moving the camera on HDR gives a rather messy effect. Oddly enough the loco came out ok.

Its been a rather busy week with old friends turning up from overseas, so nothing new to mention except the K test print is almost on its way.

For the steam lovers,

And a wee video...

Or two, eeDF & JA

NZ120 DG Class

Designing the K Class (1932) for 3D Printing in 1:120 (NZ120) Scale

Currently I'm designing the K/KA/KB class for nz120, a version of the K with ACFI feedwater equipment is also being talked of so who knows what will eventuate!

History

The three G class locomotives were introduced by the New Zealand Railways Department (NZR) in response to increased tonnages, especially on the mountainous, demanding North Island Main Trunk Railway. However, various faults led to their swift withdrawal from service and NZR still needed a large and powerful type of locomotive. It decided to develop a conventional rather than articulated locomotive, to avoid a repeat of the G class failure.

Initially conceived as a 4-8-2 locomotive, the K class was to be at least 50% more powerful than the A^B class, and due to New Zealand's narrow gauge track and limited loading gauge, the power had to be very carefully compressed into an area smaller than would usually be used for such a locomotive.

Constructed at Hutt Workshops, the class utilised plate frames, partial mechanical lubrication, Franklin butterfly firehole doors, and roller bearings on all but the trailing bogie. The class had a distinctive appearance when first outshopped, with a pressed smokebox front and the headlight jutting out forward of the top of the smokebox. This latter feature was soon changed at the insistence of one of the Railway’s Board of Management – instead it was sunken flush into the smokebox, which required some modification and changed the aesthetic look of the class quite markedly.

K 919 was given an ACFI feedwater heater system as a trial, a feature that was continued on the subsequent K^A and K^Bclasses.

Sourced from Wikipedia

The design of the K at test stage. An order placed for the K including the tender & bogies. This will help in the final design, thus is the advantage of rapid prototyping. The rivets placed along the tender sides and rear are perfectly prototypical. I'm pretty sure it will please even the "rivet counters"!

Some pictures of progress & prototype

 

Yeah Right...

A few pics taken of all the locomotives, steam & one with diesel's & electric's.

 I had 2 brand new chassis arrive for the J's, & now have 2 JA's & 1 Streamlined J all running well. So well that we've got all the diesels lined up with nothing to do but watch J's all night long. Some vid's of the J's playing together..

Arrival of the NZ120 Ba

Today saw the Ba arrive, after a coat of plastic primer she's looking the part, some surfaces need some minor sanding. The chassis is a cheap n scale 2-8-0 bachman. The chassis is now facing backward & needs a round motor to be installed & she should run well.

Showing ever increasing variety in the NZ120 Steam Range.

The very nice scratch built P kindly gave its life so the Ba could use it's chassis, It was not a shell body attached to the main chassis, rather the main parts literally glued to the chassis. It ended up at the creek, but always on display & never forgotten :P. After some weathering & placement of "remaining bits" i'm quite happy with the scene.

NZ120 Pics of the week.

Next week with any luck the Ba might appear.. If we are really lucky perhaps the Zh's. In the mean time 2 more Zm's arrive at the paint booth that demand attention.

Nothing really new or exciting going on in the development world, some more pics of the layout as it gains momentum.. 

NZ120 Steam Shed, not sure why a shunter needs to be on the turntable... "back away real slow like"

DXR Crossing the creek/stream/river, keep changing my mind on what it is.. If I were modelling a Chinese High Speed Railway the bridge would be perfect as it is, but alas... more intricate steel work needed please!

High Dynamic Range goodness..

A rather uncommon but nice view. Is that atmosphere? :P

Mmmm, DXR

The DXR run's through a restricted speed area until this area gets regraded & Flexi laid. This section is quite possibly the last of the dodgy track work before steam can resume its revenue service.

JA & DXR Painted

Showing off JA & DXR Pictures of them after a paint job. The JA is based on an Auckland JA with the white stripes. The DXR paint scheme is based on how it first looked, in the NZR Corporate colour scheme.

The stream underneath has built up a thick surface on top, like custard after its cooled. I think in the next couple of days it will be ready for water effects to be applied.

The JA tender is sitting on a donor tender chassis (Quite happy to murder a perfectly good n gauge loco for chassis) so it appears to sit a bit higher than it should, once wheels are fitted on the 3d bogies it will look good.

And yes.. I will be 3d printing a more suitable NZ steel girder bridge....

As mentioned on a motorised dandruff blog, lipstick on a pig... I do have the "New Zealand Railways" logo to go on the long hood with the logo, but as usual it seems, if you need it you wont ever find it with the organized decals tray...

Shes got a sexy mid section..

The actual prototype.. (Image credit's to Wikipedia - Original Link)

New Models (Ja, DXR ,Zm)

Today the courier arrived to much joy! Now the long sanding / priming process.... But first a few pics.

Where to buy DCC Sound that would fit in NZ120 3D prints

Today i'm looking at my loco go around listening at the sound of well oiled gears & the "clickety" - "clack" in what appears to be no apparent order of the 2. To have sound requires DCC decoders with built in sound, if you ask your local model shop dealer about whether they sell or can source any they tend to respond in a "it ain't gonna happen" way. After searching online & indulging in many fruitless search tangent's leads me to this website. Here's a list of N scale decoders at decent prices & they deliver to NZ with a variety of delivery options catering to those who understand the arrow of time and how to bide it, right through to $150 for a 3 day delivery (i.e you've won lotto, money has no immediate limit)...

Listing just more than a few worth at least a mention;

$39.99 Digitrax SDN144PS N Scale Plug in Mobile Sound/Motor/Function Decoder with SoundFX (Preloaded with generic diesel and steam sound schemes)

$49.99  MRC N 1959 Universal 16-Bit Diesel Sound Decoder

$59.99  MRC N 1644 Diesel Sound Decoder for Kato SD70MAC and AC4400

$82.49  ESU N 73814 LokSound Select Micro Sound Decoder Programmed with Steam Locomotives, 4 Driven Axles


Heres a Link to the complete listing of N scale DCC Sound Decoders, with & without sound

I might print this list, Instruct them to buy & stock a few, tell em to stick on some profit, and see what happens.

If you dont want to goto the trouble, then perhaps a decent stereo system playing train vids in the back ground type of thing, like the following vid.

The next update should showcase some new prints, Happy easter!

PS, Some pics of what I got up to re the layout over the long weekend.

The riverbed is built up & now I get to play "pop the bubbles" over the next many hours after scenic water is applied. Its quite important to use flexi paste in multipule layers that will effectively give a seal. You create a "basin" thats quite liquid proof then build up the stones etc. I sealed everything with many coats of contact glue. I've added bigger rocks & debris floating around. Once it sets I will apply "scenic water effects" to get the ripples etc.

 Some nice 3D lettering to tidy up the presentation of the steam roster.