01-20-2009, 12:07 AM
Thank you Kevin, Josh, Herc Driver and Lynn for taking some of your valuable time to reply and for the kind criticism.
A loading ramp looked to me like the perfect 1st scratchbuilding project.
It is relatively easy to build, paint and weather. And a loading ramp is a versatile "industry" on a micro switching layout.
The initial project was to cut and glue individual wood planks but I realised that in N scale it was not worth the trouble.
To Kevin: Right now, I'm scratchbuilding malt silos using cardboard tubes coated with some spackling compound.
It is about 75% completed, tonight I started building the conveyor structure located at the top.
To Herc Driver: I intended to reinforce the support poles with some diagonal bracing between adjacent poles. I realised that it would complicated the project.
After talking with my brother in law ( he is a mechanical engineer ) we concluded that if the poles are deep enough in the ground there is no need for bracing.
So the way it is, my loading ramp is still mechanically plausible.
Jacques
A loading ramp looked to me like the perfect 1st scratchbuilding project.
It is relatively easy to build, paint and weather. And a loading ramp is a versatile "industry" on a micro switching layout.
The initial project was to cut and glue individual wood planks but I realised that in N scale it was not worth the trouble.
To Kevin: Right now, I'm scratchbuilding malt silos using cardboard tubes coated with some spackling compound.
It is about 75% completed, tonight I started building the conveyor structure located at the top.
To Herc Driver: I intended to reinforce the support poles with some diagonal bracing between adjacent poles. I realised that it would complicated the project.
After talking with my brother in law ( he is a mechanical engineer ) we concluded that if the poles are deep enough in the ground there is no need for bracing.
So the way it is, my loading ramp is still mechanically plausible.
Jacques