Bring your magnifying glass...

Look at that! Over 1300 hits on this little blog about little trains. Some people must be interested in this little project. So if you live in Minnesota and want to take a look at these little things come to the Granite City Train Show in Saint Cloud, MN . Bring your magnifying glass and take a look. See you there.

Now I'd better start on a display for the show...

Good News!

I am happy to report that the SD has been located!

It was found stuck to the underneath of one of my pairs of Hemostats on my modelling table. The model is so thin that the hemostat appeared to lie flat on the table, not looking like there was anything underneath them.

Another lesson learned. Even if it looks like there is nothing there. Check.

Oh Cr@p!

I just knew this would happen. I've lost the SD38...

Somewhere in my model railway room is a piece of white styrene about 25mm long x 3mm wide by about 4mm high. That's pretty easy to misplace. But ironically I haven't misplaced the even smaller boxcar models...

Perhaps thats a sign that I should build something smaller... Like a switcher perhaps.

Not to worry though I will build another SD38. It will be better than the first one.

The proof is in the seeing

Here we are then. Proof positive that 1:1,000 scale scratchbuilt model railroads are a viable proposition. The locomotive, mounted on a IDL Nano trains platform, cut to fit, does work. The loco has a bit of a "tankslapper" (yawing motion) on the back straight. I think because the magnets aren't aligned properly. But other than that this is a phenomenally promising test run. If I can do this then you can.

I hope you are as knocked out by this as I am.

p.s. after I posted this I removed and re-aligned the magnet platforms and the "tankslapper" was improved. Not cured, but much improved

An SD38

Here it is the first scratchbuilt 1:1,000 scale locomotive from the Nano workshops.

An EMD SD38.

"But wait a minute" I hear you say. "You said it was going to be an SD70, or a SD60 or something.Now I'm confused"

I don't blame you. It was to be an SD 70 or 60 or somesuch. But as I progressed and studied the drawings and realised the models at 1:1,000 scale. I came to see that an SD60 or 70 was just looking the same. I needed something a bit more distinctive. So I came across some drawings of an SD38. Granted at this scale this could be anything from an SD 38 to a 40. But its shape has more... More character. Construction wise its just a selection of styrene strips cut to size and glued together. There's still a bit of filing to do in the roof fans to level them off. But once again, you're seeing this several times actual size. So in reality it doesn't look so bad. Take a look and let me know if it will pass muster as an SD38.

The next task will be to mount these to some of the magnet platforms and see if the train runs.

A boxcar

Here we are then everyone. You will remember how I wrote before I went on holiday about the ease of constructing a boxcar. Well its time for some photographic proof...

Its about 14mm long 3mm wide and 4mm high and is meant to represent an excess height boxcar. Of course you won't know its an excess height car unless you see it against a regular height car...

Still these are very easy to make, the toughest part being the filing out of the grooves of some embossed styrene to make the distinctive ends.

It looks a bit crude but its the first car I made and you're looking at it several times actual size.

But wait there's more to come.

This little world we model

My wife and I have just returned from three days in Yosemite national park. Truly one of the most awe inspiring places in the world (see picture below).

"All very well and good." I hear you say. "But what about some more Nano model railroading? Thats what I read this blog for. If I want holiday reports I'll watch the Travel Channel".

Not so fast.

Let's just look at this picture. Left of centre in the picture is the massive Granite monolith known as "El Capitan".

"El Cap" is over 3,000 feet tall. Which in 1:1,000 scale is over three feet tall. That's hip height on me. So, even in tiny, tiny modelling scales like 1:1,000 things that you model can still be big. Obviously El Capitan is an extreme. But I thought it would be refreshing to think in terms of larger features rather than concentrating on diesel locomotives that are under an inch long for once. Never been to Yosemite? Then think of your average supermarket or DIY superstore, large structures that would produce a 1:1,000 scale model of a reasonable size. (I tend to call models of this sort of structure a "slice of bread" model for reasons that would become obvious should you attempt such a model even in T scale)

Also, another holiday feature not entirely unrelated to model railroading was the flight, and no, I'm not talking about modelling an airport even though there are aircraft available in 1:1,000 scale. But as the aircraft was coming into land I was looking at the landscape trying to judge at what height everything below appeared 1:1,000 scale. You can learn a lot just looking. Taking in the differing textures of the ground below you. One thing I noticed is that scrubland can look a lot like Woodland Scenics ground foam.

So anyway, I'm back, refreshed and ready to have a go at some more Nano Model Railroading.

Got a rival

I was digging around in the internet the other day looking for anything that could possibly be useful for this nano model railroading experiment and I came across this product. TY scale. 1:900 scale.
Ha! A paltry 1:900. That makes me feel really superior working in 1:1,000.
In all seriousness though. Having been working at this 1:1,000 for a couple of weeks now I have the greatest admiration for this chap who has been producing an entire range of sets in all kinds of wierd and wonderful sites for 10 years (I don't feel all that superior). Inside books and glasses cases for example. Even a miners lamp. I wonder if he'd give me any helpful hints and tips.
His trains run on a different system to the Nano trains. These trains are attached to a belt that moves instead of being on a track.
That's where I feel the nano train system is superior. Even in this tiny scale there is still the feeling of actually putting trains on a track. Which I think is an essential part of the model railroading experience. The hyper-miniature trainset models of David K Smith fall into another category altogether where this essential can't possibly apply.
However, what these tiny models do show is that:
1. A very attractive model can be realised even in these tiny scales.
2. I'm not the only one who can't photograph these tiny things close up...