Bradford Valley Lumber Co Model Railroad

A chronicle of the construction and development of my freelanced On30 model railroad layout (mostly).

[doodleoo]

what you learn from hobbies:

consistent practice opens up whole worlds of skill that you couldn't imagine

making mistakes in the process of learning is not only natural, it is also essential

activities that you enjoy can give you more energy back than you spent on them

wow everything is so expensive

[doodleoo]

my hands hurt

[bvlcorr]

Yes to the above. I built several On30 model locomotives from HO scale models. Most of the early ones ended up in a 'graveyard' box of failed projects.

I was able to use the experience and some of the parts from these failed projects for my later ones. In fact, my latest build, loco no. 17, uses the cab from my second ever build.

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Some photos from today's running session. Number 17, my most recent build, takes its first train in revenue service. A small supply run up to logging camp B and back again.

[bvlcorr]

BVLC No. 17 - An On30 SW9

I've always liked the EMD SW series diesels, mainly due to the way they look. So, about a year ago, I bought a Proto 2000 SW9 with a view to making an On30 version of this diesel. Recently, I got around to doing it.

I started with the donor locomotive, as well as some cabs left over from previous projects. I went with the (maroon) one made from plastic, as the texture and window shapes on the 3D printed one weren't suitable.

After marking out the footplate, I used the original model's footplate to trace out where the gap would need to be cut to accommodate the hood.

After removing the hood from the original cab of the model, I glued it in place. I had to file the cut hole slightly, but it fit in place.

I added some styrene strips along the sides, to hold the body slightly higher than it had been originally.

With that done, I added the pilots and a bit of an overhang.

My next step was to install the electronics. With the speaker suspended over the rear truck, I was able to put the TSU-1100 and keepalive on top of it. I did have to widen the hole at the rear to accommodate this, but that will be covered by the cab.

With that done, I added some footplate details and the cab itself. I then test-fit it. After this, I raised the body by another 1mm, to allow a bit more space for the electronics.

The cab I recycled had a flattened lead weight glued to the roof which I couldn't remove, so I needed to account for this. The wires for the rear headlight actually run through this weight.

With that done, the model was ready to paint. On my previous On30 diesels, I usually painted the body in Tamiya 'Hull Red', with a black footplate. This time, however, I decided to do something a bit different.

I'd painted a few N scale diesels in a custom livery for my N scale 'Inglenook Harbour' shelf layout:

These had the blue and grey painted on, with decal lining separating the two colours. I decided to do a similar livery for the On30 SW9.

After priming the body, I masked off the bits that I wanted to remain red.

I then airbrushed Tamiya 'NATO Black', which is really a very dark grey, over the model. After removing the masking tape, I was left with red panels around the side. I then put black paint on the radiator grilles, to add some depth.

After a coat of lacquer, I applied the decals. I used Microscale HO scale 4" wide white striping, and 'Block Gothic' lettering. The usual 'Railroad Roman' that I've used on my other locomotives didn't seem to fit, as this is a more modern diesel.

After a bit of weathering, I put the locomotive together and programmed it.

[bvlcorr]

Do you have any tips for scratchbuilding?

Thank you for asking.

The first thing I'd say is to make sure the locomotive runs well. That it has a good chassis and smooth motion. I've had a couple where I didn't, so they ended up looking okay but running poorly.

It helps to have a good idea of where the project is going. Unlike a 3D model on a computer, making a scale model doesn't have an 'undo' function. Parts can be removed, but they'll leave glue marks. These can be removed, but it'll be tricky. Knowing where you're going also saves time and money, as you can focus just on what you need.

For example, my latest build (which I haven't posted here yet) was to make a 'On30 SW9'. With this clear goal, I was able to take a HO model of an SW9, identify what I needed to do to make it an On30 model (new cab & running board) and figure out the steps needed from there.

Having the right tools for the job is important, as well. It's important to keep your hobby knives sharp, as a dull blade will wander and not cut properly. Also, keep a first-aid kit nearby (don't ask 🙂).

Using the right glue for your materials is important as well. PVA/wood glue is good for wood, cardboard and paper. It also dries clear, so I usually use it to stick window glazing in place. Plastic weld cement works on plastic only. Cyanoacrylate adhesive, or CA, is good for sticking anything to anything (including fingers). However, it'll turn clear parts cloudy, hence why I use PVA for those instead. (It also makes them easier to replace if they get cracked or marked.)

It's worth buying some copper craft wire, also known as 'beading wire'. I've made dozens of handrails, grab irons and other bits from it over the years. It's easily found on sites like eBay, and I keep a few different thicknesses of it in stock.

If you're using DCC, make sure to leave space for the electronics - decoder, speaker and keepalive module (if applicable). Also consider if you're going to put lights in the model and where they're going to go.

Finally, this sort of thing takes practice. I've got a 'graveyard' of failed projects, but each of these still taught me something.

[bvlcorr]

Hi, I found your post about designing and 3d printing some saddle tanks for the Bachman 2-4-4-2 on MR forum from September 2017. Was glad to find your blog and that it was still active. Did you ever post the 3d files of your design anywhere for download or sale? I was also interested in the backwoods kits but never ordered one when I had the chance.

I had them for sale on Shapeways, but they've gone bankrupt. I'm currently looking for another 3D printing service.

[bvlcorr]

October Update

It's been a few months since I last posted. Most of what I've done on the layout (besides running it), has been improvements to existing parts of the layout. I've rewired the sensors for my Arduino-driven turntable so they're more reliable, and managed to fix up some other bugs with it.

This staging area at the end of my layout was originally just meant to represent an interchange with a standard-gauge line. As you can see from the photos above, I'd already started working on it. I forgot to take a proper 'before' photo.

The siding that curves off to the right of the photo was built as a locomotive parking track, but wasn't really used. It didn't really feel right to park one of my engines off-stage. So I added scenery to this section.

Here's what it looks like now. It's a designated diesel parking area. I was also able to fit a short section of standard-gauge track at the back, and I've got some O scale boxcars that'll sit on it once it's weathered. I've been wanting to get this standard gauge track on for ages. In fact, the bumper at the end of that track is my first O scale scratchbuilt structure.

With this completed, the layout scenery finally felt finished. As such, I've now started adding details to the layout. I've accumulated a large amount of detail castings over the years, a few at a time, for just this moment. People, animals, barrels, that sort of thing. I'm planning to add details to the whole layout, but I started with this extension, and some of the locomotives:

Now, having the diesel parked at the diesel facility left one of the turntable tracks empty.

Back when I got into On30, I purchased two Bachmann Climax locomotives. However, I could never get them to run properly. The motor speed would drop off after half throttle, and they would constantly lose power.

So I took them apart, to see if I could fix them. It turned out that one of the windings in one of the motors was shorting, and so I fixed that up. Testing revealed that both motors were working fine on DC voltage after this. As such, I upgraded them both to modern decoders, a Tsunami 2, with a KA-4 keepalive module in them. This fixed up the power loss problem.

I also made a few small modifications & repairs. I'd given them some additional details, back when I'd first purchased them. This time around, I gave no. 1 a Banta Modelworks closed cab. The other major change was repairing the front and rear pilots, as the plastic struts holding them had broken. These were replaced with metal castings. I made the pilot boards from coffee sticks, trimmed to length and painted black.

With that, I put them into service on my layout. These are some of my favourite-looking models, and it's good to have them running again.

For now, I'm mostly going to be focusing on adding details to the layout, to bring it to life.

[ceevee5]

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Finally got the turntable finished, so I can run trains again.

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Some photos from today's running.

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The weather is cooling down here in Australia, so I can get back into the garage and run trains again. Here are some photos from yesterday's session.

[bvlcorr]

What di you use for ballast?

Woodland Scenics ballast, but I have a couple of different 'blends'. One for the 'valley' (i.e. Camp A) and one for the 'mountain' (i.e. the rest of the layout). It's their grey, brown and dark brown ballast of different sizes mixed together in different proportions.

[bvlcorr]

I'm working on a project to write a book on DCC Arduino programming. I came across your work on the subject and I've read Parts 1 and 2. I wonder if you have Part 3. I can't seem to find it.

If part 3 is the code, then I never got around to doing that. It's been modified significantly since then. The base station now runs an automated dispatch system, essentially acting as the 'dispatcher' so that I can focus on running trains. It also communicates with the automated turntable, to indicate which locomotive has been selected.

[bvlcorr]

My latest build, a small tank car.  It’s built on the chassis from the tender of the No. 9′s donor logo.

[bvlcorr]

It’s been a while since my last update, so here are two more locos I’ve built in the meantime.  This is no. 12 of 11 engines I planned to have (heh), an 0-4-0 tank engine built on my Bachmann porter.  I never really liked the look of the porter, but it runs well.  So I rebuilt it into something more to my liking.  It’s got a TSU-1000 decoder and a keepalive, which helps with the limited pickup.

This is the latest addition, to replace 2-8-0 no. 9.  Again, I wasn’t too happy with how that model looked.  Owing to the length of the turntable, I’d had to make it rather short.  As such, it always looked ‘off’ to me.  This 2-8-2T was built on an IHC 2-8-2 chassis with styrene, PVC pipe and spares I had on hand.

[bvlcorr]

Just completed this build. Used the chassis from an outside-frame Forney and scratchbuilt the rest.

[bvlcorr]

An update on what I’ve got done on the layout, over the last 6 months.

[bvlcorr]

Minor update on locomotive no. 7.  I was looking at it, and realised that it wasn't in the same livery as my other locos.  Where they have a 'graphite' coloured smokebox and white lining, it had a black smokebox and no lining.

So I gave it a quick repaint, and it now looks like part of the BVLC 'family'.