I think there were tanks and a small engine on the "ascent stage" of the lunar lander which blasted them off the moon... it didn't need to be very powerful with so much less gravity to overcome.
Also, in big model railroading news... I got some eyedroppers! Time for ballasting and all kinds of one-drop-at-a-time gluing and painting. Dlurp. Dlurp. Dlurp.
Somehow today's model train shunting puzzle pics got out of order, but basically it was moving two tank cars through a space only big enough for one. It worked, as shunting does.
Japanese Z scale model train car usability: there are short cars like Tora 45000 or Wamu 70000 nice for fitting places. Huge container cars and passenger cars are at the other end of the spectrum, often longer than locomotives but surprisingly nimble. Tanker cars fit right in between.
Every new type of rolling stock turns into a favorite, but the Taki-1000's are a joy to operate as long as the speed is reasonable. Nice size between long passenger and con-cars and short freight cars. The RR may need to appoint an imaginary safety officer... who's putting together these consists?
Well it finally happened. I used to think RS15 "low noses" were too low but now I don't. www.american-rails.com/rsd15.html
I probably picked the wrong locomotive to demonstrate the usefulness of a classic double-ended siding in model train layouts.
Model trains means modelling everything. This poor water feature is being re-done yet again. Hopefully third time's a charm!
Starting on the weathering of the mountain/tunnel/waterfall feature. Dry brushing means dry, so you don't lose all that work on the base coat and have to start over. So far so good I think. A tiny bit of green under where the water will flow but now 10 shades of different browns and grays.
Is it even possible to bend model railroad track vertically or what do you do there? I know from experience the trains don't like it much if the track isn't even, so this will make for an awkward station across the river if it has a 15° angle. I want to keep the imaginary passengers happy and safe.
My favorites are still the classic ones especially with stripes on the front, but there was this custom New Haven build which reminds you of a "Bronco Sport" or other vehicle where they made a smaller version with a similar design to the original. This looks like an "F7 Sport" to me.
Changing the commuter line over to using left-over bedded track may require a little mountain pruning, but it sure makes it easier compared to flex-track.🤔
A benefit of model railroading is learning to appreciate what's working already rather than obsess about what's still left to be done. There are a dozen things in this pic left to do, but the oval and siding are working fine.
That came out better than I expected but what comes next to make it more believable? It could be these river rocks, styrene or wood sticks to make a trestle around it, both? Maybe the real question is will the commuter trains be able to climb up there, or will it be 3 locomotives pushing one car?😅
Tonight's (easy) model railroad shunting puzzle is simple: use the EF66 to pick up the two passenger cars and run service around the main oval. The only tricky part is you can only get one car through at a time.
So this road is being repurposed into a stream. It's a rocky stream, but what colors would it be? The white rocks for the railbed need to be painted, but I think for the creek bed smaller, more tan colored and rounded would be the way to go.
Look I made an accidental optical illusion with the cut rock lining up with the temporary aluminum block, like there was another picture inset there.
A proper siding to swap ends. Never run not-long-hood-forward again. It's a shunting function you'd sorely miss. That flyover is officially the last track laid (temp) since I simplified it. Finally! Note how the two-level station will have a stop above it's other stop, at either end of the line.😁
To be fair to the other imaginary owner-shippers on the BRK line, we had to try delivering to the convenience store with the cargo container unit. Everyone agreed the wagon will be easier, and it's only until the through-the-roof system is installed.
Stargate for sale. Current bid is $33K but don't forget there's a 25% auction fee on top of the winning bid. #scifi entertainment.ha.com/itm/movie-tv...
I think the lore has made it official, that the convenience store is at the end of the test track. Lot of jokes could be made about bushes needed trimming but keeping it sfw.
That one locomotive always parked in back of the 7-11. The trees are about halfway there, the ground's halfway there, the convenience store's halfway there, but the rolling stock and track haven't begun to be weathered.
Sometimes they get away from you. I wasn't expecting that whole section to work. The track has since been straightend out and after a lot of back and forth and new joiners, this should is all evenly joined now.
The screws were in, which is good because they're not easy to do, but trying to take out a straight section and insert turnouts and a siding worked some of the joiners too far to one side. Replacing one of the re-used oval turns with a less re-used one and a few new joiners & it seems to work now.
I was able to get it apart and back together again with new joiners. It really, really sucked because every time I got one section back together it'd pull another loose. For me it's never the wiring, it's the track joining. Looks like I have power halfway through at least! Need to put support under.
Now that's a proper knob! Oh, right, it's Z scale so it's not nearly as big as it looks. Imagine if this was G scale! #modelTrains
Model railroading decisions... putting a turnout on the back siding means I can't put a power feeding straight section in, the "easy button" here. Now, the microscopic screws should be in the two turnouts at the end, which means there should be power to the siding, but right now there's not.
18) DIN rail/organize wiring 19) Do lighting 20) Do sound 21) Turnout selector 22) Weather rolling stock
7) Paint and foliage mountain 8) Waterfall 9) Finish top of water channel 10) Finish cliffs 11) Decide on turnouts (which need servos/solenoids) 12) Make trees 13) Building pads for yard 14) Yard buildings 15) Finish seawall 16) Paint pickup, other vehicles 17) Base (ends and finish wood)