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Orionvp17
Fireman
   
Premium Member
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Posted - 02/02/2018 : 5:58:10 PM
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quote: Originally posted by jbvb
Thanks, Rob, Frank, Dave, Pete. I got Civil in September 2015, using (among other things) a curved diamond built the "separate bits of rail" way.
And I ripped out my "Separate bits of rail" diamond in favor of one cut into the curved rail. I like this way better....
Pete in Michigan
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Country: USA
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jbvb
Fireman
   
Premium Member

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Posted - 02/02/2018 : 6:13:30 PM
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Pete, this may reflect a philosophical difference between us: My West Lynn diamond could be prettier, but it works, so replacing it is way down the priority list; Behind finishing Riverworks (track and structures), structures and backdrop for the Bexley Depot area, Newburyport ditto, etc. etc. There are probably a dozen or two things about the Eastern Route I could have done better, but unless something keeps the trains from running (or will be excruciatingly difficult to do after something else is built), it's less important than finishing the layout as a whole.
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Michael Hohn
Fireman
   

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Posted - 02/02/2018 : 6:34:31 PM
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James and Pete,
Interesting conversation. In my journey towards MMR I started but never completed Civil. Although I built turnouts and crossovers I tripped up on the crossing.
Mike
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_______________________________________________________________________________________________ Nobody living can ever stop me, as I go walking that freedom highway -- Woody Guthrie |
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Orionvp17
Fireman
   
Premium Member
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Posted - 02/02/2018 : 6:55:42 PM
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James,
You hit the nail on the head: My first go at the diamond was a "separate bits of rail" attempt. It didn't work well at all, and certainly not well enough to satisfy me, let alone earn any Merit Award. So out it came and a new one went in. The new one served me well until that section of the layout came down in a Major Reinvention of the Railroad several years ago.
As an Illinois Central-modeler friend of mine says, "IC no Gulf between us."
Mike, I'll highly recommend James' cut-and-paste method here. It works, does the job nicely and looks good in the bargain. Go git 'em!
Pete in Michigan
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Country: USA
| Posts: 6275 |
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jbvb
Fireman
   
Premium Member

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Posted - 02/04/2018 : 10:38:01 AM
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I'm pausing to contemplate the nature of this diamond. In my youth, there were many light-duty bolted-rail diamonds in industrial areas. This one, in Ossipee NH, is the only one I know of that has survived abandonment, redevelopment and rail-trail scrapping:

Heavily traveled diamonds required a lot of maintenance and were upgraded with heavy rail, cast frogs etc. as fast as the owner could afford to. But a century old relic like this, that might have seen 20 moves in its busiest day, remains in place 45 years after its feed mill received its last car.

My model diamond is a sharper angle. But I'd like to reproduce the look of the separate guardrails at the acute ends, so I made some parts last night and am considering how it looks. This isn't the most functional position for the separate guards, but the open space looks plausible. Looks vs. function....
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Michael Hohn
Fireman
   

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Posted - 02/04/2018 : 10:51:19 AM
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Looks very real to me.
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_______________________________________________________________________________________________ Nobody living can ever stop me, as I go walking that freedom highway -- Woody Guthrie |
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ed k
Fireman
   
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Posted - 02/04/2018 : 11:50:37 AM
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James, Beautiful picture and workmanship. ed
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Country: USA
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Frank Palmer
Fireman
   

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Posted - 02/04/2018 : 3:17:49 PM
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I was wondering why you didn't run the guard rails all the way instead of having 2 pieces?

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Country: USA
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jbvb
Fireman
   
Premium Member

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Posted - 02/04/2018 : 5:10:37 PM
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Thanks, Michael and Ed. Frank, pretty much any diamond in use today would have guard rails as you drew. But the prototype I show didn't; look at the right end of the rotting birch log. Problem is, it's probably about a 10 degree frog angle and my model is more like 20 degrees. I can build it either way, but it needs to work and not look silly.
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Orionvp17
Fireman
   
Premium Member
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Posted - 02/05/2018 : 8:16:53 PM
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James,
Rule One applies....
Yours look good, completely "proto" or not, and you Do have photos....
Pete in Michigan
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Country: USA
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jbvb
Fireman
   
Premium Member

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Posted - 02/11/2018 : 6:05:31 PM
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While I was thinking about the Swift spur's diamond, I worked on structures. Then a relatively warm day (for Feb. on the NH seacoast) came along. It was clearly time to airbrush (which needs an open window in my attic):

I had been working on the Newburyport Section House that I started at a Hub Division clinic last year. I installed the roof permanently, then some interior framing and the rafter tails. Then it was ready for a couple of colors. It complements the rest of this scene nicely, but my phone camera was more flattering - lens closer to the ground and it overexposed the sky so much I didn't need to edit out the backdrop-ceiling joint.

Then I finished up the diamond. The way it worked for me, Tim Warris' method is rather fraught with opportunities for serious mistakes. Of course, rotary tools with cutting disks are not milling machines, and I could have been more thorough about holding everything in place while I soldered. It looks like it will operate OK, but I'm not sure if I'll build the last three diamonds this way - depends on whether I can find a non combustible work surface I can drive pins or nails into.
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Orionvp17
Fireman
   
Premium Member
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Posted - 02/11/2018 : 6:36:55 PM
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Nice work all around!
Pete in Michigan
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Country: USA
| Posts: 6275 |
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Michael Hohn
Fireman
   

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Posted - 02/11/2018 : 6:50:47 PM
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James,
I agree with Pete. Fine piece of trackwork.
Mike
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_______________________________________________________________________________________________ Nobody living can ever stop me, as I go walking that freedom highway -- Woody Guthrie |
Edited by - Michael Hohn on 02/11/2018 6:52:56 PM |
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Country: USA
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robchant
Fireman
   
Premium Member

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Posted - 02/11/2018 : 7:20:06 PM
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Hi James,
The crossing looks great, and so does the section house and the flowing track work in the photo above it. Every time I see hand laid track I want to give it a try.
Take care, Rob.
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Country: Canada
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MarkF
Engineer
    
Premium Member

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Posted - 02/11/2018 : 11:19:44 PM
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That is some impressive looking trackwork James! Well done! And for what it's worth, I agree with Pete. Do it the way YOU want to and besides, if anyone questions it, you DO have photos!
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Country: USA
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