Horace and William Creek Sandhouse

[bparrish]

Dave...

Just great.

In the last photo the wrinkle in the sand makes it look like there was an auger to the drying shed. 

Very cool

Thanx
Bob

[DACS]

Hey Bob!  Long time no see!  Thanks for the drop in. 

Besides placing the sand today, I also went to work on making the receiver for the tower.  This may be a little on the large size.  Then perhaps not.





Still needs the strapping, the operating lever and some NBW's.  Oh and don't forget the weathering!
Then I start on the intricate piping.

Dave   HWCRR
Seattle

[bparrish]

Dave....


Great stuff

You are really playing on the size capabilities of O scale

Thanx
Bob

[DACS]

Hey again Bob.   What does that mean?  Playing on the size capabilities of O scale.  Is that a good thing or bad?

Dave   HWCRR
Seattle

[DACS]

Here we go, up with the tower.







I was afraid I had made the receiver too large, because I had no actual measurements for any of this.  Just looking at pics and trying for a reasonable facsimile thereof.  It isn't too large, but just a little bit too large.  But not so much that it overpowers the sandhouse.  I think, maybe, perhaps, not real absolutely sure....yet, or not.





Dave   HWCRR
Seattle

[DACS]

This will be my last entry into the thread tonight.  Getting late, getting tired, getting up early.
My son and I are going to grab the light rail into Seattle tomorrow and head for The Crab Pot restaurant.  Downtown on the piers.   Gonna order a big pot of Crab, mussels, corn, etc., with all the spices that are inherently added.  They bring it to your table in the steaming hot pot, pull the basket out and then dump the whole shebang right into the middle of your table on a piece of butcher paper, then.....ya dig in and get messy!

Here are a couple more shots of the tower since the last tonight.  I thought I was going to quit for the night then, but that did not happen.





Enjoy!

Dave   HWCRR
Seattle

[S&S RR]

This is really starting to take shape. I love all your details.

[bparrish]

Dave ....

That's a good thing.  In O scale you are able to put in a lot of detail stuff that smaller scales don't allow.

See ya
Bob

[DACS]

Thank you John and Bob.  Well John, it is all in the details.  Sometimes, I think I go overboard.  I thought so Bob, but I wasn't sure.  I think, actually, that I had a senior moment.   

Well, I got just a little more done today.  Got back from our sojourn and decided to sit down at the ole work bench and go at it.

Here is a pic of the control valve.  This is made from aluminum tubing, brass rod and brass shim stock.



Here is a pic of the strapping.  These are made of brass shim stock.
Probably a little too much rust.  Need to send the maintenance crew out to wire brush and repaint this thing.



Full side and a quarter view of where it's all at right now.





What you see in the background of this pic, is a gantry crane and a flat car behind that.  Both are scratchbuilt.

Dave   HWCRR
Seattle

[DACS]

As you can see, in the last pic posted above, I still need to make a lever for the valve actuation rod.  Well, I thought about this for quite some time.  I decided finally, to use a piece of aluminum tubing.
What I have ended up with, is a bit oversized, but I believe it will work just fine in the end.  If not, I will remake another way, as the valve shaft is not permanently fastened to the valve piece.

Anyhow: I first file down a piece of 1/16" o.d. aluminum tubing.  It has a 3/64" i.d.





I then drill a 3/64" hole in the end and round off the corners



Then it is cut from the tubing and placed on a piece of 3/64" brass rod and the lever tab is bent upward.





Then it is placed on the valve shaft of the receiver.
It does look somewhat out of scale.  If I do not like it in the near end, I can always change it to something else.  The shaft is not permanently attached to the valve yet.



Anyhow, here it is painted and perhaps in its end configuration.



Dave   HWCRR
Seattle

[ACL1504]

Dave,

Wonderful details and fantastic build. I'm lovin it!

Tom

[DACS]

I thank ye Tom!

Today, I am going to finish putting in all the NBW's and finish the tower framing and details.  Once I am finished with that, I am going to start building the downspout.
Here is a pic of what I am going to try and make.  It will not be an exact duplicate, but I am hoping, it will look okay.  If the kit was still being made, I might, (even though I scratch most everything) probably would, purchase one.

This is a pic of the Raggs to Riches spout on the Sandhouse Kit produced by them at one time.  I am not affilliated with this company nor do I intend to be doing any infringing here.



Anyhow, mine will probably look no where as nicely done as this.  I have no drawings or measurements to work from.  Only the pic.  I believe most of this was made up of castings made by another gentleman who no longer produces injection molded parts.  I am using eyeball construction.

Dave   HWCRR
Seattle

[bparrish]

Dave...

I'm sure yours will be just fine.  No two were ever alike and they took a beating from the first day. 

See ya
Bob

[DACS]

Thank you very much Bob.  You are way to generous.

I didn't get all the NBW's placed, but I did start on the fill piping and bracing.  For this, I used cardstock for the funnel. Aluminum tubing for the piping.  White styrene for the stops and slides.  1/32" brass rod for the alignment slides.

Here is the section that goes directly under the valve of the receiver.  I used cardstock to make the funnel section and 1/16 O.D. x 1 1/8" length aluminum tubing for the pipe section.  The hingeing is a piece of brass shim stock.



Next I made the lower section of fill pipe with 1/16" I.D. x 3/32" O.D. aluminum tubing, so it would telescope over the first section.  I cut it to a length of 1 5/8" in length.
Didn't take a pic of this.

Next I took .040 (3/64") x .025 Evergreen styrene strip to make the guides and stop with.



Once I drilled out the center holes for the 3/32" O.D. tubing, I cut and filed these to shape.  Then milled them to a thickness of 1/32" with a jewelers file.





I made the third piece in this same manner.  It has a tab off to the side.  this is for the valve actuation rod to slide in.  The second tab in, is where the strut rods are fastened at their outboard termination.  this tab slides up and down on the tube it resides on.  The back tab is fastened permantently.  This allowed the lower section of piping to slide up and down and be kept in alignment.  There is a fourth tab, which I have not made yet, that will be fastened permantently to the upper section inboard end of the 1/16" tubing.  Once all this is done, it should resemble the professionally made one.



This pic shows the lower pipe completely retracted.  This will be the up and out of the way attitude.





Well, this is as far as I go today.  Join me same time, same thread in about five days for the grand finale for the piping!  It is all somewhat on the out of scale side, but it's as small as I can get it and still work with it.

Dave   HWCRR
Seattle

[DACS]

I said I was not going to do anymore for five days.  But, I got home from work tonight and just could not help myself.  I went ahead and made the inboard stop and placed the guide rods.  I still think this is a bit oversized and may make a new one.  The guide rods would be closer in to the downspouts.
Anyhow, here are some pics with the rear stop in place.

In these pics, it is fully retracted. But not elevated.  I still have to put in the elevation and valve actuation gear.





Dave   HWCRR
Seattle