Good Morning Folks;

That non-sleeping club is growing. Issues in the left foot (gout) kept me up as the medicine did not want to win the war until about 1 am. Love the photos folks, amazing. I came across one I will share of an oil rig around 1910 in Ohio that was actually on the Miami-Erie Canal. By 1922 almost all oil drilling had moved down to Texas Oklahoma, but in the 1890-1920 period Ohio and Penn were the oil patch parts of the country.

Plan to watch football this weekend end start planting all the buildings I've made on the layout next week. Have a great weekend.

Jim

Good Morning Folks;

I've had my second cup of coffee while sitting on the back porch enjoying the cool morning. Today high expected to be around 83 and sunny so all in all a great start to another weekend. Yesterday I finished up the detailing of the Cundy Hotel and it now sits waiting to be planted. First I need to figure out exactly how I want the canal to exit through the back of layout and make sure I have enough room for two draw bridges that will be crossing the canal., so next week will be fiddling with the layout scene. Today I have the modeling group over for our two week get together so that takes up train time and this weekend I am just going to enjoy the weather and watch some football.

I think I have mentioned before that the Miami-Erie canal I am modeling (1912) went through some of the oil fields in ohio at that time. I came across this photo showing a drilling rig right next to canal. Pretty interesting, by 1922 the oil rigs were almost all gone, moving down to TX and OK. 

Have a great day.

Jim

Hopefully what ever was wrong with the pictures is fixed as I see the deer pictures also.  Woke up to a nice cool day, even took a walk, which for me has not been the norm for last couple months but we will get back to it I hope.  I finished up the hotel I have been working on as well as an engine work shed and the Flour Mill so it is time to switch gears and work on the layout. I am figuring out were each will be exactly and then planting the buildings as well as finishing up the canal scene. The hotel with detailing, ready to go on layout.  Have a great day.


Jim

Good Morning;

Little tired today, gout decided to act up late night. Has not done that in a while. I'm seating on the back deck with coffee enjoying a beautiful morning, times like this I remember Life is Good. Yesterday we watched on tv the 11 launch of Space x Starship, incredible. From what I could see the ship flew flawlessly and accomplished all objectives. It is watching history in the making. My bride actually saw it briefly as it was passing south of Florida. She had taken the dogs out and it was a clear night. Looked like a fast moving comet she told me.

After coffee I will get back on some layout work. Enjoy the day folks.

Jim

Good Morning Folks;

The lights are on in the Clubhouse, coffee is brewing and donuts on the counter. I woke up to learn that apparently some verifiable progress has been made in the Middle East. I hope so, we sure know how to kill each other, be nice to see if we can learn to live with each other. I don't think saying that is political so please do not take it that way.

It also sounds like I also touched a nerve for a few concerning NMRA, I did not mean to. Judging contests, no matter in what field are by their nature 'judgemental'. My efforts to improve my own modeling and learn new or better ways to accomplish this includes using the NMRA AP program as a benchmark.

Weather today can only be described as wonderful. 60 out right now going into the 70's so the windows will be open!  Today I plan to work on re-arranging my own work area incorporating some of the ideas I learned at the convention. I also ordered a couple of tools I saw that I think will really help me. Well that is it for now. Hope everyone has a great day!

Jim

Good Afternoon Folks;

Finally have a chance to check in and begin to catch up. I have been finishing up detailing a couple )of structures for NMRA evaluation. I went to the Sunshine Region NMRA convention this year, first time I have been to a regional since the first one I ever went to in 2018. I commuted since it was just up the road in Ocala but if I ever do it again I will stay overnight. By end of each day I was tired. I entered the structures for evaluation as I am working to get my AP- Structures (merit badge?). They both passed and won awards which really surprised me but also made me feel good knowing the program is doing what it is supposed to do, help me become better at modeling.

Today was a recovering day and hope to watch the Bucs football game shortly. This week I hope to get serious working on the layout. Time to get some trains moving around the room. I need to have two more structures evaluated to meet the AP Structure requirement so I will be thinking on what next for that as well. Perhaps a rolling bridge to cross the canal scene. Well have a great day. Here are photos of the two structures. The Flour Mill won overall as well as the President's award which was way cool.

Jim

Well it looks like I need to open the clubhouse on a more regular basis. So coffee is on and the windows open. It is 74 as I write this in Central Florida. I have been absent for a while finishing up a couple of structures for contest at the Sunshine Region of the NMRA. The convention was held past three days. I learned quite a bit. 1 no matter how good you think your model is take it outside and look at it in the sun!  2 Take a tool kit, if it can break it will. 

I never entered an NMRA and my hopes were to achieve merit on one and perhaps place in top three for structure category for the other. I was incredibly surprised when instead I won following. It was a good day, hope yours is too. 

Good Morning Folks;

Woke up to a cloudy but cool (for Florida) morning. Sitting on the porch enjoying coffee and reading the paper. Then to workbench to push on with the contest model I am working on for regional convention this coming week. My football team won last night (USF) in a sloppy game so all good. Hope everyone has a great day.

Jim

Good Morning Folks;

One of our Pups turns four today amazing how fast time is going by, he is four already, the other turns four in two weeks. Yesterday we went out to lunch and watch a football game at Hooters. Going the wife apparently hit the button to lower back truck door while I was still near it and it hit me in the head coming down. Next thing I knew I am on my knees, trying to clear my head and wondering where all the blood dripping on the floor was coming from. Ended up with a good gash as I caught the door edge but nothing worse than a headache. Apparently it is true, I do have a hard head.

Today I continue the detail work on the hotel I am preparing for the Sunshine Region Convention. I am in the bored phase of working on it. Making lots of tiny parts, knowing how much needs to be done and knowing it is all fiddelebit stuff, needed but painful to complete. Sounds like a great day to be fishing instead but it won't finish itself. Have a great day everyone.

Jim

I came across this subject and as a heavy user of 3D printing in my own modeling I thought I would put my two cents forward. I have both a filament printer and resin. The resin is an Anycubic Mono 5. It has a big print plate and each layer prints at .05 mm so no print lines. It has become the goto printer with the Anycubic filament printer getting dusty. 

What I use the printer for is two areas of modeling. The first a filament printer could do equally well, that being making the 'bones' of a structure. Using the simple to learn on line program CAD (tinkercad) program I design the interior framework of the building. Usually wood siding is then attached. If I intend for the roof to be removable I often make that with the printer as well since the shape is ridged and has tight tolerances. 

The more exciting purpose is printing complex items. As I write this the printer is making two detailed 1910 coal stoves and ovens that include details like door hinges, tool hangers, even manufacture name. All in HO scale. 
 The door handles are .2mm thick and the resin printer handles it no problem. The file was downloaded from Thingverse. They are free but I tip the designer up to 5 dollars if design is very complex. I do have to resize, attach other items (chimney in this case). It allows for detailing not often seen. I will post a photo when complete. 

Resin printing does require cutting the parts from supports, washing them in an alcohol bath (ten minutes) and UV light final curing (either sun for an hour or an inexpensive UV machine for 30 minutes). I wear gloves and work only in a vented area doing this. Much like fiberglass the resin is toxic when in liquid form and smells if not vented. This drawback puts many people off, which is fine, it is a complex machine process and not for everyone. For this reason I think its advantage for a home modeler is in making unique parts not mass production of hundreds of the same part. Still, my printer could print hundreds or thousands per day of simpler designs(barrels, trash cans and such) fairly inexpensively if set up to do so. 

Later today I post photos showing the support structure idea and complex details idea I mentioned. 

Jim

Well Late Good Morning;

Coffee is still on for those that need a top off. I am pushing to get a couple of structures ready for viewing at the Sunshine Region convention next month. Currently working on a detached kitchen for the hotel. 3d printer currently making a couple of coal stoves for the interior. Hope to have a complete interior included for kitchen. Perhaps even a working window fan. I'll post a couple pictures when done. 

Hope everyone well and has a great day. 

Jim

Good Morning;

Sitting on the back porch enjoying coffee, very nice morning today. Had a hawk visit in nearby tree but he is off for his own breakfast now. Larry sorry about your buddy, it is the only really bad day having a furry friend brings.

It is good to see the site continues to grow and provide a place gather and share ideas. I need to restart my own layout posting but frankly I have been just enjoying seeing everyone else's.

Well, need to get stuff ready for our trip to Georgia latter today. The Boss is part of a dragon boat racing team. They compete in the breast cancer survivor events and a big one is this weekend in Macon. I will be rooting for her and doing some computer design work for my next model. Hope everyone has a gear day.

Jim

Another late day check in for me. Hope everyone had a good day. Yesterday we had plans to visit my brother in law and have a gathering for his 75th birthday. Instead we visited him in the hospital after my sister in law rushed him to ER. He did not know where he was, could not move normally, double vision and flashing in the one eye.  He has had a couple TIA attacks and this was the worse. Today he is home but still out of it and continues to have the double vision. Growing old is not for the timid.

My own modeling efforts have switched to fixing up the Cundy Hotel by Bar Mills I made a few years ago. I plan to get it judged in the Sunshine NMRA convention next month. I am improving the back of hotel which was left bare in original kit so there will be added a garden entrance, Kitchen entrance with a separate kitchen building connected by a walkway. Kitchens of commercial hotels were often separate buildings back in 1900 so if it caught on fire the entire hotel would not burn down. Hopefully with the additions I will get credit for my work towards the AP Structures category. Here is a picture of the hotel as it was when I first finished it. Well off to dinner, have a great day.

Jim

Enjoy the hike Rick;

I got some yard work done this morning, palm fronds cut, bushes trimmed and some pressure washing. Perhaps a little too much, kind of out of it now. However, sitting watching my USF team playing Miami now, or at least I will when lighting storm moves away from stadium.

Hope everyone has a great day.

Jim

Good Morning;

Coffee is on and donuts on the counter. My football team USF beat Florida yesterday and actually looked good doing it. So was fun to watch.

Today I will get some bench time in then watch some more football and get a swim in. Hope everyone enjoys this fine Sunday.

Jim