MTR Song by Steve James, RTHK Radio 3 presenter

If you play train simulation games, Microsoft’s User Research Group is currently recruiting participants for upcoming playtesting.

DMV or the Dual Mode Vehicle, capable of carrying 25 people is being developed in Japan by Toyota and Hino Motors.

DMV have four rubber tires for road use and four steel wheels for the rails. It drives just like a bus on the road, and a hydraulic system raises the tires and lowers the steel wheels in as little as 15 seconds. This can be used in under-utilized lines instead of scrapping the rail service.

You can view more pictures and a video clip at the Wired Blog.

Horns Inc. has good recordings of diesel air horns, collected from various Yahoo railroad air horn groups. The site's owner Ed Kaspriske, has been fitting trucks with air horns. This will be a sure way of clearing traffic!

Here's a sample of a Leslie S3K in active service, CSX:

Aerosoft had created a Berlin subway addon for Microsoft Train Simulator. They recently announced that they are working on a stand-alone Subway Simulator. Their first route, scheduled for release in the third quarter is the New-Jersey-New York route.

Though subways are not my interest, i am amazed at the quality of the screenshots. They are using the latest graphics techniques like shader and parallax modelling.

Definitely got to keep an eye on this.

I bought the Making Realistic Deciduous Trees video clip from Joe Fugate of the Siskiyou Line. This clip is around 85MB and runs for 8 minutes. He talks in detail about creating trees and shows us the products that he used. The method he used was elaborate but i am sure the trees will last for a long time.

Vidcap from the DVD clip

He also showed us a technique to spraypaint the tops of the trees to simulate sunlight. It was like a "ah ha!" moment for me.

If you are not interested in getting the whole DVD, do give these downloadable content a try. The videos are well lit and steady. He explains his methods very clearly. These video clips come in three formats, iPod ($1.99), DVD ($2.49) and HD Video ($2.99). I own two of his video clips and have not been disappointed. I do plan do get a few more on scenery making.

Related: My previous post on downloadable videos.

Sorin Oprisan has made a lot of railway related icons that he created for the Traffic Screen saver.

A Sample:

The categories vary from Steam ,Diesels to Coaches, Freight and even street traffic. Various classes of Locos and rolling stock are from US, Britain, Europe and even Australia. He has used Paint Shop Pro to create these images and i am amazed at the level of details including shadow effects in them. The site is sometimes very slow so please be patient.

The company house is now completed.

Well almost! I wanted to put gutters and downspouts and i did find them at Internet Trains but their shipping costs is $7.99. So, i will have to wait till i find more products to buy.

Here are some of the final pictures:

Carl Arendt from Micro Small Layouts wonders what kind of a model railroad would a famous painter have? Here are some for your friday entertainment.

Fujitsu in collaboration with video game developer Ongakukan has developed the world's first train simulation system using high-definition video.

Conventional simulators for train operators so far have relied on computer-generated graphics. But through its technical collaboration with Ongakukan, Fujitsu was able to develop variable-speed playback technology for high-definition video shot on actual train lines.

Fujitsu is considering making this simulator available not only to railway operators but also to train and transport museums, amusement and children's facilities. You can buy one commercially for just $29,000.

Evan Designs posted a comment to my previous post about an update coming in the next few days to the ModelBuilder software.

Finally we will have a triangle and other shapes built into a new palette.There will also be a gambrel roof slope and some more shapes. This will give us a lot of flexibility in designing. Check their site or come back here when i post the new features.

Assembling windows is the most time-consuming task in any scratch building project. And this is when i was using commercial windows! But i finally finished all the windows and glued the walls together.

I also had to glue and hold the walls at right angles till it set. For the next project i should get a Right-angle clamp from Micro-Mark.

The edges of where the walls meet were covered by a strip of card and then painted brown.

I used Grey Roof tile sheet from ScaleScenes for the roof. I cut the strips and then staggered them from the bottom up, overlapping the newer one slightly as i went up.

A light brown roof tile strip was placed on the roof ridge and a rectangle cut was made for the chimney.

I used tissue paper to make the curtains. For some windows, i just put a rectangular strip to depict a roller blind. For other windows, i twisted the strip to represent a tie-back curtain.

I then glued it against the back of the windows. Looks messy but sort of represents a curtain.

The company house is finally standing but still more details need to be added. Eaves, chimney, front porch and steps need to be done.

Two things i learnt while doing these steps. Keep your hands clean. After handling white glue with bare hands, i accidentally left smudges on the walls. And the second step is, don't try to rush it. You will get glue, paint and make embarrassing cuts in the obvious spots. Take a break and come back to it later.

This is actually an animation created by rvg1hwnd but i wish someday, railsim could reach this standard. Enjoy!

Yesterday, i talked about bypassing the restrictions of the ModelBuilder application in creating the slopes for the roofs by putting markers and then drawing a line after you print it. This method was somewhat tedious. After thinking about it, i came up with another better way.

DOWNLOAD: angle-left.gif and angle-right.gif

This method uses a rectangle gif file in which one diagonal part is transparent. As shown, the yellow is transparent.

You will import these and "subtract" the parts you dont want to see.

Lets create a new wall in model builder. We will have to create a block for the sloping roof portion. It just helps in height calculations. As shown below, the roof apex height will be 6' and the mid-point should be 13/2 = 6.5

Now, we will import the angle-left image and set the top and left to be the same as the roof block. Its height will be 6' and the width will be 6.5'

Similarly, import the angle-right image and set the top, height and width parameters. The left would be 10' + width of angle-left = 16.5'

What do you know! Our slope is completed. This is way easy than yesterdays method. Now for the bad part :-(
When you print it out the subtracted parts still show.

Now, you know why i put a black diagonal line separating the yellow transparent and the white halves. It will show no matter what and you can use that as a guide for cutting.

Hope you like this method. It just a little trigonometry and a simple subtraction...

As promised in my last post, i want to share some tips and workarounds using the Modelbuilder software.

1. Always, change the Top and Left parameters.

Make it some nice whole number so that you can quickly calculate the positions of the various objects that you will place on your drawing relative to this.

2. Window Placeholders
MB has many in-built windows that you can place on your walls. It looks great but in the final assembly, it might come up looking flat.

I prefer using commercial windows by Tichy, Grandt or Rusty Stumps. To help me create a opening, i import a small white jpeg in the drawing and resize it to the actual window opening. The white block will help you when you cutout the opening.

Download: WHITE.JPG

3. MB allows you to import a line drawing in WMF format. This helps you in cutting out the drawing precisely.

However, i haven't yet found free CAD software that can export to WMF. Some do but when you bring it in MB, the scale somehow is way off. MB doesn't let you create lines or slopes yet and so you cannot do something like this:

So for the sloping parts of the drawing, i came up with markers/placeholders that will help you to cut it. I use a sideways marker and a top marker to mark the points. Import the side-marker.gif file. Resize the height of the imported picture to the lowest that you can go. I use feet units so made it 0.1. Width can be whatever is easy to see. I used 5. Then place it at the two sides. Use the Arrange..Align Selected from the menu to flush all three object with their tops. It should now look like this:

Download: SIDE-MARKER.GIF

Now lets do the sloping part of the wall. The width of the wall is 20'. So, create another block of width 10' and the height of 5' or whatever is the height of your apex. Now, import the top marker and align it flush with its edge.

Download: TOP-MARKER.GIF

Right click the block you just added and create a duplicate. Put that on the other side.

Now you have your three points. After you print it on your cardstock, you can draw a line connecting the markers and cut it out along the line (blue)

Hope, these tips and workarounds help you out. As i keep saying, i love MB because i don't have to convert the measurements. I just plug in the actual dimensions, bring in the textures, maybe import images of posters/signs and i am done.

My Rusty Stump windows were waiting for some project so i decided to do the Ojibway Mining company house. It has a lot of windows and also an addition to the house. Would be interesting plan to do. The plan called for smaller window size but the Rusty Stump windows were 3x6 so had to modify the plan a bit to use them.

I used the measurements to come up with a mock up of the structure. This helps me get an idea of the structure size and also will help me assemble the walls in the correct order.

Mock-up

I tried to dimension the plan directly on the card stock using HO ruler and a protractor but the lines came out crooked. So launched Model Builder by Evan design and plugged in the measurements. I like model builder as you just need to plug in real measurements and no conversion is required. More about this in a later post.

Wall 1 in Model Builder

The materials included in Model Builder did not have a cream colored siding so i used a grey one as a temporary measure. I was also not using the Model Builder windows so i imported a white rectangle, re-sized to 3x6 to give me a place holder for cutting holes for window.

I printed the sides and glued (Elmer's/white glue) them to the card stock. I then cut out the pieces and the rectangles for the windows.

Printed and windows cut

I had bought a cream clapboard from ScaleScenes. They sell you PDFs of the various materials so you can print it many times. I love this feature and for your next card project give them a try.

I glued these on top of my sides and re-cut the windows again. I know, this is an extra step and i should have tried to figure out the siding editor in model builder. Maybe for the next project.

Cream Clapboard put in

Rusty Stumps windows are really great. They are laser cut and have an adhesive backing. It also comes with a clear acetate for window glazing.
I used a brown acrlyic to paint the windows/doors. The window parts were cut using a craft knife. I assembled one window at a time. I will have to purchase more windows as i will be 4 windows short.

Windows put in

I had a tough time cutting a perfect 3x6 hole in cardstock. After the windows were placed i noticed some gaps showing through between the
window frame and the wall.

Gaps showing

To fix this, i painted the gaps from the back.

Painted the back to cover the gaps

I have more windows and a door to do. I will update my progress after they are done and the four walls are glued together. I also want to put rain gutters and downpipes but haven't found a commercial product or everyday item to use for them. If you know of any do let me know.

An old 1991 clip...

There are many books on model railroading and creating scenery but none are good as watching someone do it. This is where Model Railroading videos can help. Just like reading a cookbook is great but watching it on food network is much better. But i have a problem. Pricing!

I understand that these DVD don't sell like the Hollywood ones so most are priced $25 and greater. I have an issue trying to convince myself to spend that much. Some of you might not agree but disposable income is hard to come by these days.

I recently came across Model-trains-video (via ModelRailCast) who are using the iTunes model. They do sell DVD's for $25 and greater but what i liked about them is the downloadable video content. They are offering three formats, iPod ($1.99), DVD ($2.49) and HD Video ($2.99). They also have a short preview of the formats and you can then decide which appeals to you.

The iPod version is ok but will be choppy if you view it on your PC. Just as a preference, DVD or HD version will be clearer when viewing full screen on your PC.

Vidcap from the DVD clip

I purchased the DVD format of the Track ballasting and weathering clip. After you pay with Paypal, you almost instantly get an email with the downloadable link to the Zip file. This clip is about 64 Mb and runs for 6 mins. The step are explained very clearly. He shows how to ballast and weather the rails/ties. In all, i liked it and learned from it. The price is good and you can buy only those clips where you need a little help.

I wish that other publishers could use this retail model.