Mickoo's American Modelling Empire

[Overseer]

Don't be sorry at all - it has provided much merriment here and another one of those ludicrous meritless threats that I should add to my memoirs.

It is be better to be blocked. The domain seems to be registered to Deesse Exchange, an “investment company” located in Reykjavik with a massive trail of phishing scams and malware linked to them. Not sure what their angle is on this one though.

 

[Pencarrow]

My sincere apologies but I have had to edit your post to remove the link and state explicitly that they are not stl files nor must they be 3D printed.

In all the years of looking after this forum this has generated one of the most ridiculous and hilarious "take down" notices I have ever received. So a short story.

I'm not welded to my email client so I only check it a couple of times a day. This evening when going through my emails I spotted a couple that didn't appear to be spam but a request "to remove false info" from the forum, and it was related to this post.

So at 13:50 today I got the following email from sohocg.net

This was closely followed with another one 30 minutes later at 14:23 stating

Followed up less than an hour later at 15:17 trying to escalate it with


So I have edited your post to remove the link and state explicitly that they are not stl files and they don't supply models for 3D printing.

As the link is publicly viewable on the internet I see no legitimate nor legal reason that can be enforced to remove the link from the forum after all as this google link shows it is easily found : sohocg portacabin

So all highly amusing - initially I had some sympathy with them as they seem to have had some problem in the past with people copying digital models as their notice on the website indicates.

View attachment 157501​

So I toned down my response to something I considered non-confrontational


I was going to highlight some of the more amusing stipulations in the terms and conditions but I have found that he has blocked my home IP address from accessing his website (403 Forbidden). Yes I know I could use mobile data or vpn to get to the page but I really can't be bothered. So please whatever you do please do not use google to find the link and whatever you do - DO NOT click on the End User License Agreement as I fear that I will be visited by a SWAT team in the middle of the night.

To cap it all this is the response I had to my email - not condescending in the slightest and removed any remaining vestiges of sympathy I may have had. What a way to run a business!


So to remove any scintilla of doubt you MUST NOT 3D print these files which are NOT STL files and despite publicly advertised at £18 are most definitely NOT for sale to us. I hope that is clear.

Good grief, sounds like a real fun place to work. Really disappointed, will have to find something else to spend my £18 on now...

 

[Jordan]

"Hi Toy Train people!! Choo choo!!"

Well, that's us told, then, isn't it?

 

[Heather Kay]

"Hi Toy Train people!! Choo choo!!"

Well, that's us told, then, isn't it?

Well, no, not really. You see, they are sad people who don’t actually have any interests or hobbies outside not selling 3D files to anyone. We are much better than that. We have active interests in all sorts of things. I take their jibe as a badge of honour.

 

[Eastsidepilot]

Why not print it off, then send it back to them complaining that it's a complete waste of money with a P.S, choo,choo.

 

[Jordan]

Why not print it off, then send it back to them complaining that it's a complete waste of money with a P.S, choo,choo.

A new Rule for WT - from now on we have to sign off our posts with "choo choo".

Choo choo!!!

 

[Eastsidepilot]

A new Rule for WT - from now on we have to sign off our posts with "choo choo".

Choo choo!!!

I'd prefer this.....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJxREYbGyDM

 

[mickoo]

Good progress on the new workshop.

Day 2 and a water tight structure was realized ahead of the approaching foul weather over the next few days. Luckily there was some spare OSB left over to batten across the window openings to help keep the rain out.

 

[Jordan]

Why am I reminded of a 20ft ISO box?? you just can't get away from them, can you mate??

 

[Ressaldar]

Why am I reminded of a 20ft ISO box?? you just can't get away from them, can you mate??

You beat me to it Jordan! a quick Hiab off of the back of a lorry in the road behind, but then again, it might have been tempting for a 'tea leaf' to do a quick pick-up.

regards

Mike

 

[King Crab]

Rain stopped play yesterday, well it didn't start so today they cracked on and got thus far.

View attachment 157494

View attachment 157495

Monday should see the remaining walls and roof clad then it'll sit waiting for the windows and door on hopefully the 5th Mar before the battens, cladding and insulation can be fitted, finally the internal covering and floor will top it out.

It's a bit higher than I wished but still within regulations......just.

Hi
Please accept my humble apologies if you have this covered already,
but what I can't see on the photo is any holding down bolts or straps.
Wind uplift effects on these small structures means that they need to be fixed down pretty decently.
But then the problem is if (for example) you put an expanding bolt down through the middle of the timber floorplate it is likely to spall the concrete off at the edge. Best is to fix some holding down straps or angles on the inside face of the plate, so you can get a decent fixing into the floor slab which is then a good distance back from the edge of the slab.
OK back to the main story,

Peter

 

[mickoo]

The lower rails are secured to the concrete base, which is more than my original shed was and that never moved in ten years, agreed it was smaller but it was significantly lighter. The location is sheltered on three sides, specifically (importantly) by the house from the South West where the highest winds tend to come from. It's also bleedin heavy already, over 1000Kg by rough calculations and there's still several hundred+ Kg of internal walls and roof to go in let alone the external cladding.

The concrete pad is 2" steel mesh reinforced and set 2" below the surface so I'm confident it's not going to go anywhere, nor the concrete post fence I had recently put in, one of only four local gardens that didn't loose panels in the recent storms.

There's still time to add further fixing angles in side as the floor hasn't been fitted yet, a discussion I'll have when they're next on site

 

[Lancastrian]

I'd just like to state that I have in no way, shape or form downloaded any 3D files from SOHOCG when working as a freelance lighting technician/programmer. Now, back to Micks shed........

Ian

 

[mickoo]

No update on the shed, other than, apart from the floor, it's all insulated and the roof internal sheeting is in. Hopefully tomorrow the door and windows go in to make it secure, all being well they may get the floor down. Next week will be busy with preliminary conduit and lights going in and if they get the walls skinned then sockets, heater and benches.

In other news, the Kettering show was good in as much as I picked up some more bits for the future railroad project in aforementioned building; I'm still in two minds over a steam depot based theme or modern urban switching theme with maybe a hint of a small diesel servicing area akin to MRL's Missoula MT set up.

Anyway, first up were some very bright BN high cubes, it was the colour that caught my eye nearly half way across the hall and they didn't stay on the B&B much longer. Both are 2R and according to the MTH blurb are Gunderson 50' high cubes, the reality isn't that simple, they're actually Greenbriers single plug door 50' high cubes.....yes there are differences but I suspect that anorak wearing club has only one member

There primary intended use was paper rolls or products (finished high grade Plywood for example) needing protection from the weather (hence the plug doors). Some were used in the auto industry for shipping parts, usually heavy engine parts; they've also been used for white goods traffic.



They will just about fit an early 70's theme which might limit earlier engines like the GP9's. SP have something similar but those are Gunderson's and it'd take a bit of scratch building and modifying to suit. A repaint is also not out of the books just yet but finding data panel decals and safety notices is a bit of a chore.

Having grabbed these two I spotted a plain white box with a company name I'd never seen but recognised the crucial three FMC letters, turns out to be a very nicely detailed FMC 50' double door boxcar, result No trucks mind and it'll take some research to match the car to a railroad and period but all in all a nice bargain.





A little research today finds these were a limited short run of kits by Bill Yansey (an accomplished US modeller) and no longer available, shame as I'd like some more to be honest.

The final score was a Weaver GP38-2, an older style of model with plastic handrails and moulded grab irons. It'll not stay as Union Pacific as i wan to add a larger tank and chassis cills to hide a bit more of the low level drive shafts, the cab will go to be replaced with a 3D or etch print, still not sure which is the best long term option of those two mediums. The nose will also go and certainly be replaced with a 3D printed one.



As already mentioned many times, the rear fan and radiator (Phase 1a) set up does limit you to only a handful of prototypes, however, BN did have a batch of ten that match the model as it stands. Painted in cascade green they'd match the box cars, but moving forward you can also have pumpkin Heritage I or even later Swoosh liveries. If Phase 1a is retained then the grills would need changing for free standing ones at a minimum.

The final items was a tip off from a friend, a plain paper covered book on the guild B&B which turned out to be nothing less than a mint condition PFE bible/tome by Robert Church (no dust cover though). Fans of SP will know Mr Church is acknowledged as one of the leading fonts on SP stock and operations, his books are concise and sought after. Basically it covers all the PFE stock, depots and operations for UP and SP railroads.

 

[Brian T]

The Modern Era O scale cars will/are avalible through 'Twin Star cars' Twin Star Cars
They are also producing some nice up grade details too in O scale.

Brian.

 

[Big Train James]

....but I suspect that anorak wearing club has only one member

Ahem.......

MTH 50' plate F cars, Greenbrier is the same as Gunderson, or more accurately they bought the railcar operations from FMC, which had previously bought Gunderson. When Greenbrier took over, they went back to the Gunderson name. Then eventually, can't remember when exactly but maybe mid to late 2000's, they switched back to Greenbrier.

Anyhoo, these cars are early versions, so either from the original Gunderson days, or FMC days, or very early Greenbrier days. The giveaways are the beveled horizontal end ribs, and the end vertical side posts. Also, the side "ladders" were actually just grabs, spanning from post to post. At some point by the mid to late 90's I think, the design went to square profile end ribs, and no end post on the car side. Without the end post, side grabs were changed to ladders with stiles, as were already used for the end ladders. There are probably some underframe differences as well, namely a paired center sill versus a single center sill on later cars. But those details aren't as easy to see from our normal perspectives.

I did some digging around. The MTH car numbers aren't accurate for this order of cars. Actually most of the MTH Gunderson cars are foobies, but that's part of staying in business in O scale. Plus their primary market is 3-railers, and 3-railers often prefer the "that's neat looking" anorak to the "that's cool because it's accurate" anorak. Anyway, the 376*** series may still be Gunderson built cars, as they have some common Gunderson details, but they do not have the wide third side post. Pictures are scarce, but I did find this one on RRpicturearchives.net.

What doesn't make sense, is that BN did roster Gunderson cars that match the MTH model, but they are/were in a different number range, so different paint would make them accurate. Three hundred cars were built in late 1994, numbers 287000-287299. There are several pictures of this series on the RRpicturearchives.net site. Also on Railcarphotos.com, but normally the larger photos require a login to view there. The build date means the cars were built after Greenbrier had purchased the railcar business from FMC, but before they renamed the division to Greenbrier. Alas, they won't quite be prototypical for the early 70's .

As noted by Brian T., the Modern Era O Scale line got picked up by Ross Dando, who started Twin Star. Ross contributes a column (Backshop Solutions) to the O Scale Resource magazine on a semi-regular basis, and he mentioned the Modern Era kits in the January/February 2022 issue.
The gist is that he is getting the kits ready for reintroduction in the new year. Click the link to read the whole story.

You could contact Ross via the OSR website, or via Facebook if that's your poison. I'm sure he could provide prototype information on the cars, as Bill Yancey had it when the kits were his. Bill also had decals available for the cars, and those may have gotten passed to Ross as well. Alternatively, there appears to be a series on "IPD" boxcars (I can never remember what IPD stands for ), which are a huge group of 50'-6" inside length Plate B cars that include your new kit, in the 1999-2002 Rail Model Journal magazine. Back issues are supposed to be available at Trainlife.com, but the links are currently failing to load. The last obvious option is to have me talk to Ross on your behalf, at the upcoming Chicago show. I would be very surprised if he wasn't in attendance.

Lots of opportunities for improvement with the Weaver "gp38-2". But at a minimum, and because it's a bit late, I'll only suggest that you revise the cab sub-base if you're doing the cab and nose. The cab and sub-base are both actually gp38 based rather than dash-2 versions. Agree that the radiators need work no matter which phase or road you end up with. I can elaborate further, later, if you are interested.

 

[Jordan]

I have a few of those MTH HiCubes, I've cobbled them together with Atlas trucks so they have rotating bearing caps.
My anorak tends to be the "it's close enough if it's neat looking and 2-rail" version.

 

[mickoo]

The Modern Era O scale cars will/are avalible through 'Twin Star cars' Twin Star Cars
They are also producing some nice up grade details too in O scale.

Brian.

Much appreciated, had a quick look last night and will follow up today

 

[mickoo]

I have a few of those MTH HiCubes, I've cobbled them together with Atlas trucks so they have rotating bearing caps.
My anorak tends to be the "it's close enough if it's neat looking and 2-rail" version.

These are MTH and also have rotating bearing caps, not sure how good the trucks are detail wise compared to Atlas, I haven't got into that nitty gritty just yet. The MTH look quite crude on a first pass and the wheels even though they're 2R could do with being a little finer for my tastes, not necessarily to P48 levels though, or maybe to P48 scale but OW5 gauge.

 

[mickoo]

Ahem.......

And then there were two

To be fair, I'm sure we've been here before with the FBOX, RBOX, TBOX (I've no idea what I've actually got any more, I'll know when I get to lay it all out in the new workshop in a few weeks) I posted up.

Regarding the BN numbers, according to 'Freight Cars Illustrated' Vol 5 Greenbrier boxcars....I'd love to get my hands on these books now, sadly I put it off way back and now their not available. You can get teaser pages for on line reading for some volumes (yumpu.com) but I did manage to get all the preview pdf's for the original source years ago.



The numbers should for a Greenbrier build. I wasn't aware of the mergers and name changes so that adds more background information

I've no idea when these cars were built, only that what scant info I could find suggested they appeared in the early 70's. Nor am I sure whether the cars listed above have the 3rd wide post that matches the models.

I wasn't aware of RailcarPhotos.com - Home another rabbit hole to explore

I had a quick look at the TSC facebook page, it does look like he is gearing up for upcoming shows and there was mention of decal packs, that seems to be the biggest stumbling block right now, data panels and notices for these cars if you choose to repaint them, Microscale and CircusCity do some but a sheet with just generic data panels would be a help, I'm still digging mind, not helped by the ball, squirrel, stick, cat canine mentality I'm currently working through, aka, which do I chase first.

I'll have a dig around to see if I can find those RMJ magazines, sounds like they might be useful, I've seen sites in the past list them and other magazine runs as pdf's but never got around to reading or downloading, not sure if they're hosting them legally or not but they do seem to be available for free here and there occasionally.

GP38-2 I did check the sub base and oddly what's on the model matches the SP road engines, does than make the SP engines at odds with the rest of the fleet. SP had two batches, one (151 - 170) acquired from Helm leasing and ex CSX, ex L&N and were Phase 1a engines, they have the rad mesh type set up and wide spaced fans and arrived late in SP time line with speed lettering. They also feature the standard (as standard as it can ever be) cab front, nose and light packages.

The second batch bought new from EMD (4800 - 4844) are Phase 2c with waffle rad intakes and close set fans, L shaped windscreens (originally) and notched nose for the Gyralight.

Both batches have battery boxes and sub base doors that on first glance, match the model.

One highly probable candidate is 4809 or 4817, fitted with icicle breakers, rotary wipers, centre screen mesh and snow covers over the engine intakes. By that stage both had lost the L shaped screen, but rather than the generic EMD engineers screen set up, SP just took the L shaped glass out and welded a new dividing post in for the new glazing.

I've not checked the EMD parts catalogue yet, so I'm not sure if the replacement engineer screens were a stock size and they just hacked out the base sheet metal work to make them fit, or used a shorter replacement screen by (I think) 2-3".

For y'all non SP fans, standard EMD engineer screens sit slightly higher than the centre screens, see red line below.



In addition the two centre screens are the same size (green dots) I think in some phases the engineers screen and front door screen may also be the same size for a common glazing policy but I'd need to check.

On SP units with L shaped screens the revised engineers screen top was set lower so that the red line is flat across the front, in addition the post between that screen and the centre (green lines) is much narrower, thus on ex L shaped screen SP engines the front screens are not equal and the glazing is a different size.

I think these wider glazing units came from an option EMD offered called a landscape screen, where by the RH centre screen was wider, but not the full SP L shaped package.