Signature line?

I don't know why, but my signature line did not show up in the post. I do not see a function on the WYSiWYG to add the signature line either. I had thought is was an automatic addition. What am I missing?

Eric

Eric Hansmann

El Paso, TX

http://designbuildop.hansmanns.org/

Hmm

And the signature line shows up in the response to the post. 

Interesting. I know I'm missing something somewhere here.

Eric

Truck modification

I found the description of modifying the truck sideframes especially interesting.  I would not have thought of that.  Thanls for sharing!

Truck mods

Ken,

I just followed the Yarmouth kit directions to modify the trucks. I cannot stress highly enough to secure the truck sideframes to a solid platform before cutting with the motor tool. Do not hold these in your hand and cut either. I used a large enough piece of 1x8 to line up all four sideframes and pin them to the board using one inch brads before making the cuts.

Another aspect of the truck modification is to remove material from the top of the bolster with a mill or laminate file. The material needs to be mostly removed for the car to sit at the correct height. My car sits a tad high and I need to hit this area again.

Eric

More Cool Cars

Nice work as always, Eric.  

As for the signature thing, they don't show up in the original post in a thread.  At least mine never has, nor have I seen a tool to add it.

sig line

Sure there is; it's called cut and paste   

(you just need somewhere to cut it from...)

No Way

Cut 'n' paste on the signature just seems so uncouth.

Plus it is hard on monitors

I find cutting to be very damaging to the monitor and the subsequent paste operation is messy. I end up with paste all over my hands and it doesn't hold the little cut screen pieces in place very well.  

nice work Eric

your first picture shows the beauty of working with resin cars.....as long as their master was up to it....lol

Eric

I for one can recommend your blog and the series of, Bloggetts? for lack of a better term, for dealing with building the kits. After reading them I feel much more confident in beginning construction. I have since purchased 11 kits from F&C and have to say the kits are beautiful. I will be making a trip to the store for some CA and accelerator before beginning construction and will begin posting a kit build thread on here, as someone expressed interest in it.

I think the process of building these kits will become addicting as they look like they will result in outstanding models with lots of detail and because of their metal details quite possibly be reasonably durable. Thanks for pointing out your build sections and how to find them on your blog. It's almost like sitting down and building them together, with out the long drive.

By the way what kind of pudding are you talking about, when you take these pudding breaks?

Encourage the build

Hey Rob!

Thanks for your comments here and on the blog. One hobby component I've enjoyed for many years is the sharing of ideas with other modelers. I know I am a better modeler today because of the shared tips and techniques I've garnered from others over the years. Their encouragement to keep moving forward has been another element that has elevated my hobby enjoyment.

Years ago I thought there should be some way to offer a way to share ideas and encourage others to build. About that time I started discovering various model railroad blogs that were focused on personal hobby efforts. MRH also started up about a year beforehand and regular posts here were also an option. I ended up starting my blog after a move to Ohio in 2009 as I knew I would be starting a new project. Last year I realized it was time to start building some of my accumulated resin freight car kits to use on the layout that was taking shape. The build summaries on the blog started out as email updates to a small circle of other pre-Depression Era model railroaders. After sending several of those emails, I realized I could format the details for the blog with additional photos.

Lots of the build information I post is pretty basic. Let's face it. Many kits really are not that difficult. Sure there are a bunch of parts, but if you take the time to identify what is in the kit and the various steps to build the kit, most of these are basic.

• Sand flash and sometimes remove it with a sharp knife
• Determine proper attachment points
• Apply adhesive to those points and secure the parts squarely
• Add styrene strips in some areas to fill gaps
• Drill holes for wire parts
• Possibly bend wire to fit, then install
• Determine the details to install based upon a prototype photo or two
• Install the specific details Install trucks and couplers 

If this seems overly simplified to many readers, it really is not. All of these steps are parts of any resin freight car kit that I have built. If a modeler has built a Red Caboose or Intermountain plastic kit, most any resin freight car kit is not a difficult next step. I post the resin kit builds to encourage people to build the kits in their stash. The more you build, the easier the builds become. Each experience pushes your skill set and confidence. Plus you end up with some very cool freight cars that are not typical of many of the plastic models.

And the pudding breaks are often vanilla or butterscotch pudding cups, or sometimes a small yogurt. It's amazing how much time can slip by when you are working on a complex brake system install. Taking a pudding break can clear your mind for the next step.

Eric

Signature line bug

This version of our website has a known bug that it doesn't add the signature line to the original post, only to subsequent comment posts.

Turns out, really good practice is to put just a sentence or two introducing the thread as the first post, and then get into the real meat by adding a first comment post - which will then have your signature.

Putting too much meat in the top-of-thread post creates this huge post people then have to scroll through on pages 2 and beyond and it can get annoying. Learning to keep the thread opening post very lean is a trick that the more savvy MRHer's have learned, and the lack of a signature actually ends up helping you keep that top-of-thread post lean, so it's not that big of a deal - once you know the trick!

Signatures

Thanks for the update, Joe. I do try to keep the initial post details to a minimum along with one image. This does seem to encourage readers to check out the additional posts and such. 

Eric

Thanks for the tips Joe, as

Thanks for the tips Joe, as always they are appreciated.

Motivation

I just finished my new work bench, looks like I'm going to have to dig out my Funaro kits and get started! Thanks for the advice/checklist!

Timely...

I have a few resin cars to build.  So this is timely.  I also liked the TMTV spots on building resin cars...