Viaduct patterns and molds for 1:32 garden railroad.

**machiningfool** · Apr 25, 2016, 12:26 PM

I have a picture of the modified medical lift that I will use to move the 190 lb. viaduct sections. Bob.

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**Paul Jones** · Apr 27, 2016, 10:12 AM

Bob,

The pattern looks very authentic for the scale. I am sure your final product from the molds will be just as authentic looking.

Thanks for the progress report.

Paul

**machiningfool** · Apr 27, 2016, 10:46 AM

Thanks Paul for your interest. I am finding that the last stages of the logistics to get this heavy thing into place was challenging. I have figured it out though, and when I finalize the scheme, I will post pictures. Bob.

**machiningfool** · May 1, 2016, 09:57 AM

Well, I went to my first brass gauge one auction and won this J&M observation car, and what an experience. I was so nervous that I outbid myself., and that is a true story. The auctioneer laughed and said that's ok and didn't hold against me. Then I went to pay for it and looked in my jacket, where I put it because it had so much cash, it wouldn't fit into my jeans pocket, and it wasn't there. I immediately thought that someone had lifted it from my jacket, it scared me and the lady that was taking the payment. Then I checked my pants, and there it was. Wow, what a scare. I am glad that I went, because I met some of the top brass buyers in the world and they took me under there wing and gave me some pointers and I listened. Because of that, I won the observation car. I will use it on my railroad and also use it for dimensions for making more cars, better than a drawing. The auction was amazing, I was surprised at the low prices of the Samhongsa gauge one locos. I still didn't have enough money for one of those, but maybe next time. Bob.

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**machiningfool** · May 3, 2016, 02:19 PM

I guess that I lied. Here is the final stage of the mold. I thought that I would add some steel rebar for the transporting of the mold since I will be moving it before the full cure, so here is what it looks like. I have molded a space at each end for the rebar to protrude, so that when they are joined, they will be rigidly attached together with small pieces of rebar and concrete. Bob.

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**Paul Jones** · May 6, 2016, 01:33 PM

Bob,

You won a very nice brass observation car in 1:32 scale. Looks like it was kept safely on a shelf and not run through the garden. One of these days you will have to publish the "clones" you can make from this example.

The molds are progressing. Looking forward to seeing the pouring operation and mold release.

Thank you for the photos.

Paul

**machiningfool** · May 6, 2016, 03:41 PM

Hi Paul, you know me well and as I am writing, I have the brass Federal Hall completely apart and am making a mold for the sides. Boy, if some of the collecters that I met at the auction saw the car now, they would shoot me. I would have had to take it apart anyway because the windows, installed with double back tape came apart and had to be repaired anyway. Some of the installation techniques that were use to make this car were not the best. These techniques were alright for the first few years, but not after 20. It is challenging because it is brass and very thin, so I am having to design the mold to incorporate some thickness for the loss of strength compared to the metal sides. I am not a rivet counter, but I will try to reproduce the model to represent the prototype, keeping in mind that I don't want to spend the rest of my life designing the mold. As soon as I finish the one side of the car mold, I will post some pictures. I use the kiss principle, so one side of the car is different from the other side. One of the sides can be reversed to make both sides of a center car and one of the sides can only be used for the open ended obs. car, so I will only have to make two side molds to make both an observation car and also make more center cars. Then of course there are many more molds to make, including the roof, under carriage parts, trucks etc. I bought an MTH J3 Hudson to pull these cars and I am sure the train will look good. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten the viaducts, because I am taking this time to build the molds for the heavyweights because I don't have enough money to continue the viaducts at this time. Bob.

**McDesign** · Aug 22, 2019, 06:44 AM

That's really freakin' gorgeous!

**machiningfool** · Aug 22, 2019, 07:46 AM

Thank you very much, and here is what the layout looks like today, took me 2 1/2 years. I am selling my molds on Ebay.I also posted a new video under homemade, not machines, of a 1:32 locomotive. Bob.