Indianapolis Traction Terminal, work in progress

Indianapolis Traction Terminal

I took advantage of the last heat and the nice light of fall to take the Traction Terminal to the outdoors for a photo sesssion. Gretchen, the plastic cow, is looking to it from the background. The Terminal looks good. Let's go on and add doors and windows. And tracks also, of course.

Traction Terminal Waiting Room

Traction Terminal, the pillar on the West

Indianapolis Traction Terminal

First test print of the Yakima Valley Combine #100

Yakima Valley Combine #100 test mount

Some weeks ago I recieved the first test print of the Yakima Valley  Niles Combine #100. This unique short Interurban car was developed using parts of other Niles cars. The car arrived in Yakima on July 1910 and was first painted in yellow and cream. Up from 1916, the car was painted in a dark green, probably Pullman green.

For the moment, the car is coated with a dark brown primer, looking like chocolate.

The car was running on Standard C50 trucks with 34" wheels and 6'6" wheelbase. For the model, I choose two NWSL Stanton drives No 39274-4.

The frame has an interior plate with seating. The characteristic bell is part of the kit. Pilots and truss rods are a part of the frame, which is printed in Shapeway's solid White Strong & Flexible plastic. The carbody is made of Fine Ultra Detail FUD.

Historic view of #100 in its early yellow paint

All parts together

Traction Modeling and Social Media Fatigue

Here on the blog it became very quiet in recent months, I will say the last year. There are so many internet platforms now to share quickly impressions and pictures of your work, like the excellent Traction Model Railroading group on Facebook, or the Indianapolis Traction Terminal Group.

The nearly daily participation to this groups made me forget my own blog. There is no harm in it, if there wasn't the loss of depth and continuity.

I learn much participating to the Facebook groups, but they have two big failings:

1/ they are closed groups. This maintains a civilised and spam-free environment, but casual visitors will no more passing by.

2/ The Facebook group is living only for the moment, there is no real memory, older posts disappear quickly and are hard to find later.

This groups are a sympathic café for traction enthousiasts, you need to come in frequently, but they are not a base to study and build seriously traction models with your own hands.

Slowly, a certain Social Media fatigue is growing. Things worsened recently for me, as I am working now full time for Social Media News Wires. It may sound great to spend the whole labor day on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, but in the end it's work, and I can say you it's really hard work.

This said, I will now go back to the roots. I'll always stay on the Facebook Groups, because it's a nice café, perhaps just one publication less per week. In return, I will try to write a weekly story on my old fashioned blog, with photos, drawings, and a bit more text.