On 1 Feb 2023, at 14:21, Richard Remiarz <rremiarz@...> wrote:



I finished GN 66247 this morning, another scratch built 52’ flat car.  These welded cars were built in 1945 and had deep fishbelly center sills and shallow sides.  I appreciate the welded design, minimizing the number of rivets I had to add. 

 

The last month has been very busy, building these five cars.  The NMRA AP program forced me to move beyond my comfort zone and learn some new skills.  I felt very comfortable building resin kits, kit bashing, and detailing plastic kits.  I had never scratch built rolling stock before.  I am pleasantly surprised at how the cars turned out.  In each case the second car came out better than the first because of things I learned in the process of building the first car.  I am also much more comfortable with using my laser cutter as a result of these cars (and the grain elevator I scratch built at the end of last year.  It is definitely a tool I will use much more in the future.  I would have never thought of using a laser cutter to cut the lever for a handbrake in the past, yet I was able to but a handle with walls only a scale inch in width.

 

Sincerely,

Rich Remiarz

Vadnais Heights, MN

 

Sent from Mail for Windows

 

Attachments:

• GN 66247-1.jpg
• GN 66247-2.jpg

I finished GN 66247 this morning, another scratch built 52’ flat car.  These welded cars were built in 1945 and had deep fishbelly center sills and shallow sides.  I appreciate the welded design, minimizing the number of rivets I had to add. 

 

The last month has been very busy, building these five cars.  The NMRA AP program forced me to move beyond my comfort zone and learn some new skills.  I felt very comfortable building resin kits, kit bashing, and detailing plastic kits.  I had never scratch built rolling stock before.  I am pleasantly surprised at how the cars turned out.  In each case the second car came out better than the first because of things I learned in the process of building the first car.  I am also much more comfortable with using my laser cutter as a result of these cars (and the grain elevator I scratch built at the end of last year.  It is definitely a tool I will use much more in the future.  I would have never thought of using a laser cutter to cut the lever for a handbrake in the past, yet I was able to but a handle with walls only a scale inch in width.

 

Sincerely,

Rich Remiarz

Attachments:

• GN 66247-1.jpg
• GN 66247-2.jpg

I finished GN 66247 this morning, another scratch built 52’ flat car.  These welded cars were built in 1945 and had deep fishbelly center sills and shallow sides.  I appreciate the welded design, minimizing the number of rivets I had to add. 

 

The last month has been very busy, building these five cars.  The NMRA AP program forced me to move beyond my comfort zone and learn some new skills.  I felt very comfortable building resin kits, kit bashing, and detailing plastic kits.  I had never scratch built rolling stock before.  I am pleasantly surprised at how the cars turned out.  In each case the second car came out better than the first because of things I learned in the process of building the first car.  I am also much more comfortable with using my laser cutter as a result of these cars (and the grain elevator I scratch built at the end of last year.  It is definitely a tool I will use much more in the future.  I would have never thought of using a laser cutter to cut the lever for a handbrake in the past, yet I was able to but a handle with walls only a scale inch in width.

 

Sincerely,

Rich Remiarz

 

Attachments:

·        GN 66247-1.jpg

·        GN 66247-2.jpg

 

--
Tim O'Connor
Sterling, Massachusetts

I finished GN 66247 this morning, another scratch built 52’ flat car.  These welded cars were built in 1945 and had deep fishbelly center sills and shallow sides.  I appreciate the welded design, minimizing the number of rivets I had to add. 

 

The last month has been very busy, building these five cars.  The NMRA AP program forced me to move beyond my comfort zone and learn some new skills.  I felt very comfortable building resin kits, kit bashing, and detailing plastic kits.  I had never scratch built rolling stock before.  I am pleasantly surprised at how the cars turned out.  In each case the second car came out better than the first because of things I learned in the process of building the first car.  I am also much more comfortable with using my laser cutter as a result of these cars (and the grain elevator I scratch built at the end of last year.  It is definitely a tool I will use much more in the future.  I would have never thought of using a laser cutter to cut the lever for a handbrake in the past, yet I was able to but a handle with walls only a scale inch in width.

 

Sincerely,

Rich Remiarz

 

Attachments:

·         GN 66247-1.jpg

·         GN 66247-2.jpg

 

--
Tim O'Connor
Sterling, Massachusetts

Tim,

 

I bought my laser cutter on-line from Orion Motor Tech.  It is a 50 W laser with a 16” x 20” cutting bed.  It is one of the blue and white units you see sold on-line.  It has a Ruida controller.   I was looking at the smaller laser cutters offered through MicroMark or on TV (Glowforge).  Jeff Aley responded to one of my emails requesting comments on various laser cutters.  He told me about the larger and more powerful laser cutters that are available on-line for a lot less money than many of the smaller ones.

 

The only real issues were getting it into the house, down the basement stairs, and down the aisle to be near the exhaust duct.  It came on a pallet via semi in the winter.  Fortunately the truck driver helped get it through the snow and up the driveway.  I had to make some of the shelving under the layout a little narrower to get the laser cutter down the aisle.  It fits at the end of an aisle under the layout next to my paint spray booth.

 

Rich Remiarz

 

 

Attachments:

• 7CA48594D8F242F5A8F7A88B0B0A476B.png

_._,_._,_

I only see this one. https://orionmotortech.com/products/60w-co2-laser-engraver-cutter-usb-6r57-us?_pos=1&_psq=laser&_ss=e&_v=1.0

Tim,

I bought my laser cutter on-line from Orion Motor Tech.  It is a 50 W laser with a 16” x 20” cutting bed.  It is one of the blue and white units you see sold on-line.  It has a Ruida controller.   I was looking at the smaller laser cutters offered through MicroMark or on TV (Glowforge).  Jeff Aley responded to one of my emails requesting comments on various laser cutters.  He told me about the larger and more powerful laser cutters that are available on-line for a lot less money than many of the smaller ones.

The only real issues were getting it into the house, down the basement stairs, and down the aisle to be near the exhaust duct.  It came on a pallet via semi in the winter.  Fortunately the truck driver helped get it through the snow and up the driveway.  I had to make some of the shelving under the layout a little narrower to get the laser cutter down the aisle.  It fits at the end of an aisle under the layout next to my paint spray booth.

Rich Remiarz

Sent from Mail for Windows

I finished GN 66247 this morning, another scratch built 52’ flat car.  These welded cars were built in 1945 and had deep fishbelly center sills and shallow sides.  I appreciate the welded design, minimizing the number of rivets I had to add. 

 

The last month has been very busy, building these five cars.  The NMRA AP program forced me to move beyond my comfort zone and learn some new skills.  I felt very comfortable building resin kits, kit bashing, and detailing plastic kits.  I had never scratch built rolling stock before.  I am pleasantly surprised at how the cars turned out.  In each case the second car came out better than the first because of things I learned in the process of building the first car.  I am also much more comfortable with using my laser cutter as a result of these cars (and the grain elevator I scratch built at the end of last year.  It is definitely a tool I will use much more in the future.  I would have never thought of using a laser cutter to cut the lever for a handbrake in the past, yet I was able to but a handle with walls only a scale inch in width.

 

Sincerely,

Rich Remiarz

 

Attachments:

·        GN 66247-1.jpg

·        GN 66247-2.jpg

 

--
Tim O'Connor
Sterling, Massachusetts

Rich yet more excellent work another beautiful model.