2024 October News Update

How Is It October 2024 Already?!

It's been a crazy 5 months since the last update.  I know I told some of y'all out there that we'd be getting these new lumber loads going in Spring of 2024.  I should know better than to say stuff like that.  My hand injury took WAY longer to get resolved that it should have.  I finally had the surgery and now healed up well.  So it's back to work and working on getting caught up with the planned projects.

New OMM 3006 Split Lumber Loads are coming!

So it's been very busy the last two months.  I'm expecting to have some new products for the SPH&TS 2024 Convention at Sparks, Nevada.  Here's a quick peek at what's on the arrival chalk-board.

New "Split" Lumber Loads

This new OwlMtModels #3006 Lumber Load kit will be exploring a new option, a "Variety Pack" which will have three different lengths of lumber.  The usual format of building units

New OMM 3020 "Split" Lumber Load shot.

These new kits are proving to be tricky to write our usual comprehensive instructions, given all the versions that can be create.  The new new tooling, which has 9 pieces in three styles: 25ft, 20ft, and 18ft. 

Here's a closer look at half of the stake-version of the load with figure-8 steel straps tying the stakes together.

In addition to the classic options of flipped panels, etc, there are now options to "split" the units down the center with stakes, or do you want to keep the two halves together and not model split loads.  The modeled boards are about 2.5" x 6", which is smaller than our previous offering size.  This creates a busier look to the ends of the loads.

Dialing back the clock, the 1950s version of the Split Lumber Load, with stakes and steel cross-bands

This is rather a "classic" lumber load look with a layer of "long" units that are filling about 1/2 the length of the car, which means that they are about 25ft long.  Then mixed 18ft and 20ft panels over the trucks, creating open space in the middle of the car.  The units could also be assembled onto the car with the upper units gathered towards the middle of the car.

Modern Steel Banding?

I've covered in several articles how to use black Chartpak 1/64" Matte vinyl tape as the high-tension steel banding that was developed during WWII and became common on lumber loads during the 1950s, and eventually replacing the use of stakes and iron wire support for the loads.

A more asymmetric loading of split units with modern steel-banding replacing all stakes, and using linear wooden "rails" nailed to the deck to keep the loads on the top of the car.

The use of "modern" steel banding and "split" unit configurations allows modeling of the fork-lift loaded pre-banded units onto the cars.  This allows options to get really wild un-balanced loadings on the car.  The car above is only 7/8s of our planned smaller kit, which has allowed some of the units to be as high as 48".  

Kit Mixing

Two sets of new Split Lumber Loads, built up and steel banded for use on post-1960 "modern" cars.

Use of multiple kits can create even more interesting options with more of certain length units, and then swap the extra material to the second car's load.  The two kits worth of parts above have been built-up into 27" units, and 32" units.  The 27" units seem to be the thinner units used in more modern bulkhead flats and center-beam cars.

At the SPHTS Convention, I'll be meeting up with some friends and we'll play with arranging these pre-built units on the more modern cars that I don't have in our OwlMtModels reference library collection.  We'll probably come up with a larger kit for the 60+ Ft long Bulkhead and Centerbeam cars, with instructions for those cars.

Conversion Ends for Accurail Boxcars

New 3d printed conversion ends for Accurail 40ft Single Sheath boxcars to bring them closer to SP B-50-series cars.

I had the early prototypes of this project printed at least a year ago.  The revisions that were needed were done, and the first few pre-production prints are here.

Multiple versions are in the works at OwlMtModels:

* OMM 4072 B-50-8/10/11 wood ends (with option for either plain end or lumber-door end.)  -CAD for this version is completed, but not pre-produced as of 2024-10-13

* OMM 4073 B-50-13/14 rebuilt steel Dreadnought Ends, vertical staff hand brake. (Almost all B-50-14s and many B-50-13s fitted during the 1930s.

* OMM 4074 B-50-13 As-built wood ends (with option for either plain end or lumber-door end.)

* OMM 4075 B-50-13/14 rebuilt steel Dreadnought Ends, with lower platform for power-brake refit. -CAD for this version not completed yet, as of 2024-10-13

So I'll have a couple sets of 4073 and 4074 available at the SP Convention in Sparks, Nevada, and then we'll be putting them into production to fill reservations, and get extra to sell on the website "soon".

4074 - Original Wooden Ends for B-50-13/14

SP B-50-13 with original wood ends, with B-End vertical staff handbrake details.

The B-end has some wild details printed into it.  Between the under-cut ladder styles and the retaining pipe printed in place as well.  Grab iron holes are marked for wire ones to be installed, but they will have to be drilled out, as the resin tends to fill them in.

SP B-50-13 original wooden A-end with lumber door.

Most of the wooden ended cars had lumber ends in them on both the SP and T&NO it seems.  I have drawn both the Lumber Door version and the Plain end with no door.

4073 - Dreadnought Steel Ends for B-50-13/14 with Rebuilt Ends

Pacific Electric B-50-13 with rebuilt Dreadnought Steel ends, which has the vertical staff handbrake.

The Dreadnought Steel ends with vertical hand brake.  I'm planning to do the lowered brake platform for the refitted power-assisted hand brake.

I've not yet seen a photo of how the Dreadnought ends would have had the lumber doors in them.  They certainly could have had one, but I don't want to commit to building the CAD model to print until I see one.

I've covered a but more about this conversion and what's involved on my personal NightOwlModeler blog, here: OwlMtModels Mini-Kit Conversions for Accurail 40ft Boxcars ... I'll get more information on that post as the parts become available for sale.

"Common Standard" 2-8-0 Conversion... Yet?

Oh, and a quick word on the Common Standard 2-8-0 Conversions.  I need to make a couple changes to the tooling plan.  I wasn't up to dealing with it 2-3 months ago, and the need to get the new lumber loads tooled overtook my schedule.  Hopefully I'll be back to that project soon.

In Closing

An SP F-70-10 with the "modern" version of the "Split" Lumber Load.

I need to get this post wrapped up and get back to work on the "Split" Lumber Load instructions!

Jason Hill

OwlMtModels

OwlMtModels reserves the right to refuse service at our discretion.

2024 May News Update - 4012 Investment Parts for Casting

This is a short update of what's been going on.  The sample invests are over at the foundry, I've not heard back if they came out yet, but I hope to hear about that soon.  I will edit this post as soon as I get word.

A week or so ago, I received a set of the invest parts to proof, so I'm attaching a couple photos of them here so ya'll can see it's not "vapor-ware"!  I know the detail in these photos isn't very good, It's hard to see, as no shadows really cast on this translucent material but the details are there.

Assembled 4012 Crosshead invest parts ready to cast.

There is bolt detail on the exterior side of the crosshead, but you just can't see it in these photos.

Assembled 4012 Yoke Half - Right invest ready to cast.

Some supporting materials are still on this set of invests, which will be removed from the final castings.

4012 Main Rod - Right ready to cast

The main rods are hard to photograph in this material as well because it doesn't cast shadows well.  This is about as well as I could get to show the I-beam shape of the rod.

When I get the test castings back, I'll be able to upload some better photos.

Jason Hill
OwlMtModels

2024 April News Update

Hello everyone,

Sorry to have not been able to do much so far this year.  The medical injury to my hand from October got bad enough that I had to seek specialized help for it.  I'm currently 5 weeks through a 6 week process dealing with an injection to try to help it heal and orders to not do anything to reinjure it more during this 6 week period to help get the injury to heal properly.  Next week I'll see the specialist and see what he says.  I've had enough side effects of the medication, including massive loss of energy.  I'm really not looking forward to a repeat 6 weeks injection process.  Hopefully, he'll say that I can start strengthening it and maybe Occupational Therapy to get back to normal work.

Basically, it means that I've not been able to physically work on any model building, 3d design, or anything since October 2023.  I know how much everyone wants to see OwlMtModels come out with more models, so hopefully I'll be back at it soon!

So on with the Project Updates!

3D Printed Projects

Right as my hand was getting really bad, I was very close to finishing up the Owenyo SPNG "Ski-Ramp" trestle for loading the narrow gauge equipment onto the standard gauge flatcars. 

A painted and finished "Ski-Ramp" or Owenyo Transfer Ramp (OTR) dry-fit on layout in 

I still need to work out the SKU numbers for this and make a couple of final CAD changes to the drawings.  Estimated MSRP will be ~$35.  It should fit Code 40 or 55 rails (not supplied). 

Here's a photo showing the little button magnets installed in the 3d printed parts.

I will be including the little button magnets to help align and connect the supporting cap blocks and bent.  This will allow the ramp to be adjusted vertically and set the grade, then build up the scenery around the support parts.  Yet still remove the deck and rails, if desired.  On my Owenyo modules, this ramp will be going above the surrounding module and if I transport the modules to a show or something, I want to be able to remove the structures from the layout easily.

The other Owenyo structures, SP/SPMW Boxcar conversion kits, etc requiring CAD work since October have been on hold pending my hand injury healing up so I can work effectively on the computer again.  I'm looking forward to getting back to work on all of these projects soon.

2-8-0 Conversion Project

Yes, this is the most up-to-date test model, I want to get the new test castings for the valvegear and rods on it soon!

2024-04-14: Latest update from the molding shop is that they're recutting the mold for the 4012 invest parts as of early April, and hoping to have invests to the foundry to make test casts around the middle of the month.  I hope that these will turn out so we can go into production, and then start making 3d printed cylinders and fill all the back-ordered reservations from the last 6 years!  As I've said before, this project shouldn't have taken this long, but we're still working on it when possible.

I expect to edit in another sub-update here as soon as I know how the test castings came out.

Decal Artwork

The decal artist I work with has been busy on other projects, but we still have a couple in the pipeline.

Among the new decals we're hoping to release should be a set for SP Sugar Beet Routing Cards for several plants and at least two eras.  These will be based on surviving samples from the 1970s and older photos from the late 1940s suggesting the size and shape of the ones in use at that time.

Hopefully in another month or so I can announce some of the other sets of decals we have in the works as well.

I think that covers it for the Mid-April 2024 Update.  Please remember to subscribe to this news blog page, so you'll get the messages when new information comes out.
Jason Hill
OwlMtModels

2024 January - New Year Progress

It's been a busy final quarter of 2023 and we're already into the New Year of 2024, wow - where does the time go?  We want to thank our customers for being so supportive of us during the last year and really coming out during the last three months to the conventions and supporting our new products.  We'll start this OwlMtModels Update as a continuation of the announcement from November of '23, with an update about the Owenyo Structures.

Owenyo Structure News

The research for the structures at Owenyo has been progressing.  I'm hoping to get a more complete Bulk Conveyor Loader (OBCL) and Water Pump House (OWPH) drawings together soon so we can get quotes and pre-production test prints made.  Some minor delays on details for the Water Tank (OWTank) have pushed it back, but I think some recent research finds should allow that and the Owenyo Oil Pump House (OOPH) and tanks to move forward too.

In the mean time, I've sent the proof drawings for the Owenyo Transfer Track Ramp or OTTR over to the 3d printer as a proof of concept or test for all the trestle related projects.  Can we make them?  Will they be good enough?

Newly drafted Owenyo Transfer Track Ramp used to load Narrow Gauge equipment onto Standard Gauge flatcars.

One of the smaller structures at Owenyo, but still very much a signature cornerstone of the railroad facilities to support the SP Narrow Gauge operations was this little ramp for loading the narrow gauge steam engines onto the standard gauge flatcars for their annual trips to visit the Bakersfield shops for heavy servicing and regular repairs.

Owenyo SG-NG ramp - Rich McCutchan  - owensvalleyhistory - slim rails63_sml

The ramp is drawn to go down into the sub-grade and after reviewing the photos of the prototype, I'll be modifying my module to fit the changes to the ground profile.

First Test Pre-production

Early test print, several minor changes to come before we get to 'production' level quality.

The new year continues the Owenyo Structure's project with our first prototype 3d print for the Owenyo Transfer Track Ramp (or abbreviated OTTR).  Note that this print still needs some minor cleanup on the bottom of the main beams, and the bents aren't in final position at this point.  Two of the support beams are doubled up at the left end of the trestle to make it more level for this photo. 

Revised version 2024-01-10

1/16" magnets installed in bents and caps.

I want to be able to remove this ramp deck section from the demo layout when it needs to be moved or the modules worked on.

South-west corner of the ramp with Code 40 rails and wooden retaining boards installed.

This model needs two wooden 2x10 strips cut 9ft lock to be installed on the dirt side of the Bent 2, at the south end of the 'ski-ramp'.  I pre-stained them and also pre-painted the 3d printed Bent 2 part.  The Code 40 rail sections are glued in place with thick ACC cement. 

South-east corner of the ramp with rail and wooden strips for retaining boards installed.

About 1/8" of rail extend on the abutment end, which will be fitted with half-rail joiners.  The transferring southern end extends about 1/4" past the last tie, which matches the prototype photos, allowing it to span to the deck of the flatcars.

The ramp is dry fitted on the layout, which has a 1/4" depression for SG track.

Prototypically installed ramp would be partly buried in the ground at the left end and the Standard Gauge track in the pit to the right accounting for the high bent at the right end.

Here a F-70-10 flatcar spotted against the ramp to check the relationship.

The whole OTR will need to be sunk into the layout surface another 1/8" or so, including dropping the SG pit another 1/8" as well, maintaining the spacing height of the top of the OTR and SG track.

Owenyo Transfer Trestle (OTT)

3/4 view of the new 3d test prints of the southern end of the OTT, only the basic structure was test printed.

Probably the biggest single project I've ever worked on is the huge transfer trestle and ramp.  But it's also going to be one of the most challenging in multiple ways.  Since I publicly revealed that I was working on the CAD design for it in November of 2023, I've put out some basic quotes for the big Transfer 'Dumping' Trestle and put some requests for quotes for some of the parts. Sadly some adjustments to the plans I was hoping for in November's update are going to be changed due to availability and current cost of materials/productions. Some of the R&D of the main trestle parts will have to be delayed for a couple of months for a new printer to arrive.

In the mean time, I printed out a full HO-scale side elevation drawing and showed it to a couple friends, everyone was shocking to see the size of it! Those early renderings that I posted in November didn't last a week before I went through a complete redesign to make the CAD model more accurate.

Several more weeks of working through photo references and detailing the drawings came to a nearly ready pre-production CAD model, but then over Christmas to New Years weekend and some peer-review with a couple of trusted friends (thanks guys!) found several issues that all would resolve towards the same solution, I was convinced that the best thing for the project would be to do another heavy redesign of the CAD model to make some further corrections.

Honestly, these changes and 'delays' are a blessing in disguise.  It's better to make the changes now while I'm only 'inconveniencing electrons,' than to wait and find it out on the pre-production models after $100s spent in development.

The rough conclusion from the quotes is that the HO models are going to MSRP for at least $600+ for the full set and S-scale versions are MSRP of at least $900-1000+, but will also require the new 3d printer's larger printing bed to be produced.  The brass handrail material is basically unavailable, which I didn't know in November.  During the quoting process, even to have brass hand rail stanchions for the full HO model will add at least $300+ to the MSRP price, which I think will push the model well outside the economical range of most of you wanting to reserve one.  So I'm re-evaluating much of the project's scope.

A higher angle view of the test printed sections, with one slope-sheet section. Note middle bent isn't detail painted yet in this shot.

Personally, I'm realizing that a major chunk of my layout's total cost to build will be tied up in this one structure, even with only 80% of the dumping section and minimal approach ramp section actually modeled.  I won't hold anything again of our reservation holders for backing out due to the pricing point that we're looking at.

I'm open for email correspondence from those of you who already have expressed interest in the reservations if this is still something that you're committed to having produced.

Next Injection Molding Project

With the delays in the Owenyo Transfer Trestle (OTT), we're switching to working on our next lumber load tooling, so keep an eye on our upcoming announcements here for that.  Hopefully it will be as popular as the 3002 and 3003 kits from October 2023 were!

Decals

The new decals for 2024 are coming along, and I hope to be making some announcements about them in the next update.

OwlMtModels' new #1220 Routing & Grading Cards decal sheet.

Some price changes have been made to account for pricing changes in the manufacturing, etc.  Thanks to everyone that has really bit into the OMM 1220 Routing Card Decals.  We're having to put in another re-order for the 3rd time in four months due to their popularity!

Also, we're rearranging the artwork for the 1224 and 1225 SPMW decal sets to produce solid sheets of them, which will be more efficient and able to better match the orders we're receiving.

Thanks everyone for ordering these decal sets and making them one of the highlights of our product line in the 4th quarter of 2023!  

OMM 1221 Owl Mountain Lumber Company decal sheet.

Also a small shameless plugging reminder that we'll be including a free set of the OMM 1221 decal sheets in every order of $100+ of the 3000-series Lumber Load kits.  We hope you enjoy them and find good use for them on your lumber loads or even other places around the layout, such as on your local lumber yard and mill or lumber shipping company who's loading the cars with lumber!

2-8-0 Conversion Project

Lastly, I should give everyone that is patiently holding reservations for the 2-8-0 Valve Gear (4012) sets an update.  We're waiting for the remastering of the investment parts, hopefully January or February will see the new proof parts being cast and start into production.. I know we've already said that this time last year...  (wow how time flies when things keep breaking!)... but hopefully this time we'll be able to get them made, and get the project re-railed.  Thanks to everyone who is still supporting us pushing against the wall to get this project moving forward again.

Edit 2024-04-14: Latest update from the molding shop is that they're recutting the mold for the 4012 invest parts as of early April, and hoping to have invests to the foundry to make test casts around the middle of the month.  I hope that these will turn out so we can go into production, and then start making 3d printed cylinders and fill all the back-ordered reservations from the last 6 years!  As I've said before, this project shouldn't have taken this long, but we're still working on it when possible.

Happy New Year!

Minor photoshopped picture from January 2018 LMRC 'Winter on Tehachapi' TT/TO session.

Here's to a Happy New Year of Modeling to all of our friends and customer's who make OwlMtModels possible through your continued support of our products.

Jason Hill &

the OwlMtModels Family