North Coast Railroad

[Dave Buchholz]

I had seen where a modeler set the windows from the inside. I went the easier route with outside mounting.
I agree the plaster kit has much greater relief in the stonework than does the molded plastic version. Night to day difference.

( Or is it night AND day?)

Dave.

[Dave Buchholz]

In many ways, I'm disappointed in myself that so far, all I am reposting here, are pictures of things I've done in the past. Nothing is current. Hopefully, the posting process, and the encouragement of my fellow modelers here, will get me off the couch.

 In the meantime....

When I was planning control panels, I wanted to make sure a visual representation of routes was obvious to the "engineer" I decided upon dual color LEDS. red/green at turnout locations to show where train is going. So this is the panel for the harbor area, there are toggles for Tortoise turn out motors, and for block controls. the path then becomes obvious by the green/red lights

[Dave Buchholz]

Been doing slow and boring, but methodical work on the second of three control panels. The current project is the panel for  the main yard in the center of the layout.

[Jerry]

In the meantime....

When I was planning control panels, I wanted to make sure a visual representation of routes was obvious to the "engineer" I decided upon dual color LEDS. red/green at turnout locations to show where train is going. So this is the panel for the harbor area, there are toggles for Tortoise turn out motors, and for block controls. the path ios obvious by the green lights

God Dave that looks like a traffic circle in New Jersey!!!! 
Just kidding!
Your work is great.

Jerry

[Dave Buchholz]

The FAA already told me to "Knock it off" snd stop messing up their flight patterns. They have enough trouble as it is.

[deemery]

In the meantime....

When I was planning control panels, I wanted to make sure a visual representation of routes was obvious to the "engineer" I decided upon dual color LEDS. red/green at turnout locations to show where train is going. So this is the panel for the harbor area, there are toggles for Tortoise turn out motors, and for block controls. the path ios obvious by the green lights

God Dave that looks like a traffic circle in New Jersey!!!! 
Just kidding!
Your work is great.

Jerry

There was an infamous Jersey Traffic Circle that looked kinda like this in Eatontown NJ.  A guy ran around someone stopped at the red light and plowed into my wife's car.  He went to court to try to beat the ticket.  Wife was on the stand, guy's lawyer asked "And did my client stop to help you after the accident?"  Wife:  "No, the gentleman over there did [this was the person -stopped at the light-]"  The lawyer gave his client a filthy look and said, "No more questions, your honor."  In the judge's summation, that's where I learned the legal term for "liar" is "testimony is not credible."  

dave

[nycjeff]

Hello Dave, your track control panel design looks like a bird in flight. Seriously though, nice work.

[Dave Buchholz]

The pattern was created by taking an overhead picture of the actual trackwork.
I loaded the picture onto my laptop, then loaded it into good old Windows Paint.

First I saved it down to 16 colors.
 Then S-L-O-W-L-Y reduced it to black and white.

I own a vinyl cutter. I loaded the final version of the drawing into the cutter program to produce the white vinyl skin to apply to the black background.

[Michael Hohn]

Dave,

That's a nice looking and useful panel.  Puts me in mind of the now-gone Can o' Worms in Rochester. 

Mike

[Dave Buchholz]

Thanks Mike and Dave,

...as well as all who have shown interest in the progress of the North Coast Railroad, both here, on its new home on the Modeler's Forum, and is old home on RRL Forum.

 As mentioned earlier this morning, it started out as simply an overhead picture in my Camera, so it is the absolute exact design of the area.

 After reducing it to black and white, and running the result through a vinyl printer, drilling all the holes. Inserting toggles, inserting bulbs, screwing up a few times testing and wiring them, then pinning into 25 pin " D " connectors,  the back side ended up like this.  There is more wiring for the block controls that I've been working on of late, to a point that the  block feeder lines  simply need connection from the "D" pin under the layout , up to the rails.

[GeorgeD]

Nice work on the panel, Dave.  Vinyl is a great way to do the graphics.  What type of cutter do you have?

George

[Dave Buchholz]

Nice work on the panel, Dave.  Vinyl is a great way to do the graphics. What type of cutter do you have?

George

I've got a Roland 24" cutter. along with a sign graphics program for Software to run it.  No printing just cutting. I have previously used for car club graphics and one color signs for my Son's auto business.

 If you need some vinyls or lettering made for panels, let me know I can hook you up.

[friscomike]

Howdy Dave,

The control panel looks great.  Using vinyl is a terrific idea.

Have fun,
mike