hillflyer

I decided to make this an accurate scale model rather than a version that operates. The two would have many stand out differences.

I did some detail to my burnt tunnel. I wish I knew a long time ago I had it in me to do this.

I like how my coaster train turned out. The two passenger-per-car trains are Prior and Church designed and are identical to what used to run on the Giant Dippers. The Cyclone Racer and Rye Dragon also ran trains like these but those where Four-passenger-per-cars. I will make two more of these, one red and the other blue. Which ever turns out best I will keep on display outside of the model while the other two become part of the decaying site. The seats looked so comfortable, I had to sit in one myself! Armageddon I can't wait until landscaping et al is done so I can take more photos like this. The cars will pivot on a bendable wire. Note to self: use thinner wire. It appears the ride was shut down to a mysterious fire in the start tunnel. One of many little "history give aways" that will be found throughout. The history of this ride is based on the old Belmont Park Earthquake (Also a Fred Church design) when it was shut down, and there was a fire in two of its tunnels. Construction status as of 12/13/15. How I wrapped the side bars.

Pictorial update. No big whoop. Extended the garage an extra 5 feet per the photo Polished up the final hump into the brake run. Even some of the windows of the garage will be broken. Maybe I'll place a wayward baseball nearby somewhere.

May I suggest turning the Starbucks into a McDonalds since you kind of have that classic "M" over the building. Plus, I boycott starbucks in favor of more Organic mom and pop shops. But your facade improvements are cool!

For those of you who may have missed my 39 seconds of national fame, here is a clip. Copy and paste link. Also here are a few photos of the brake run into the station. The old one i made didn't work out so I decided to make a new frame, bit I can reuse the track, brakes and garage walls. The sooner I get up to page 45, I'm going to post some really cool photo of the trains!! The old garage and brake run assembly is in the fore ground next to the new frame that will replace it. The new brake run/garage frame in between the station. At the same time, I am semi-linking the valley of the first drop so I get a really smooth curve radius. The black line shows where the model will be separated for transport.

Isn't it though? Each one is always a learning process for the next one and this is the first one! Any ideas what you think you might like to try next? I imagine you will probably take a break or work on something new? Did you find that taking close up detail photos for others to see forced your hand at being really attentive to detail? I know that's true for me.

Hope you all get to check it out! I hope I don't make a poor showing! Watch clips! http://www.trutv.com/shows/super-into/videos/diablo-cody-is-super-into-roller-coasters.html http://www.trutv.com/shows/super-into/videos/the-fourth-dimension-coaster.html#hpt=vs_un

I am so happy that I see work like this coming from young folk, and GREAT work too. If you're doing work of this quality now, wait and see how good you'll be many years from now. This will get a lot of attention!

Construction begins on the tunnel that starts up the lift hill.

Excellent! Is this your first attempt at making a train? If it is, enjoy the creative process of making them instead of using a 3d printer. This looks very good!

What a great start on your trains! I can't wait to see how they come out!

What fun. I feel like I have a new toy. My train is coming out pretty nice I think. I still need to add the shin guards, side grab bars and the pilot piece. I have also started attaching the hump into the final brake run. Added seat backs. Like when Dick Van Dyke rolled a restored Chitty Chitty Bang Bang out of the garage. I'm really wanting to take more pictures like this. And this. I should not be posting photos like this until I'm done with the project, but. You know how it is. When I started this whole endeavor, even I didn't know it was going to get this serious. Working on the leap up into the final brake run.

So... What was I working on this week. Since the beginning I was wondering how I was going to make the cars. I tried something out about a year ago but it didn't work out. A few days ago i started rolling around and the next thing I know, in just a few hours i was able to come up with this Started with using a 2x8 for the running board. The little bundle of stocks are spacers for keeping t he cars all the same size Spacers in place. The real bobs cars running boards are 4 feet apart, end to end. Although I can't wait, the cars will be individualized once the whole train is done. Using my scale drawing of the cars for size accuracy. Brought together some 2x12 to use for the chassis. That sounds thick, but I need them to be strong. Here, I've made a score where I'm going to be folding them into shape. Folding a chair to fit in its little compartment. Not only did the Bob cars have upstop plates, they also had downstops too. In case a car became uncoupled, the "wings" kept the front of the chassis from dropping between the rails. Here is where I started to feel the uncontrollable urge to really get miniscule. Even making the sockets? Even the flange that holds the axles. I had not planned to do it, but I swear I just found myself drilling little holes for the axle, to be installed once I figure out what to use for wheels. I still need to add the seats and the upside. So far this is coming out better than I thought, I hope I can keep it up The underside Going down a hill... Weeeeeee! Stay tuned!

Thanks still got quite a lot of work to do but I'm finally seeing the end. A pool table sized RCT model sounds like a good project would have to be done on a grid and have puke on the paths Il leave it to someone else to do because this model is taken me a year+ and its only 55cm x 100cm. Are you going to be building a train for your airplane model to have abandoned in the station or something? I'm in 2 minds about building one for mine to place on the track somewhere. I started building the trains today, and already I have 10 identical chassis almost all built!

This is AMAZING! It's like you're building a park in a RCT game but you're MAKING the pieces. Love the fencing, the station, S&S tower... Making models of RCT structures and then building it on a board as large as a pool table? I wonder if anyone would take that on.

Here is another example of cutting through where there model is going to be divided. This was the garage and brake run section. The upper part will get attached to the station house section. The part that has been removed... ...has become part of the first drop section. L to R, where the train meets the final brake run, the train shed, the hump that beings riders racing towards the fan turn. Watch for the upcoming rag, and my article about the Save the coaster committee.

Pouring all time time into this monster. I've added anti rollbacks up the lift hill, started the upper wall towards y the back of the station, and now I'm getting ready to expand the crossover hump.

I rode one at the Long Beach Pike once, I think there were two side by side there as well. Scared the beegeezus out of me. The weightlessness as one swings over the top is frightening.

Two things coming up that I'm excited about! Very shortly, the ACE publication Rollercoaster! magazine will have the Giant Dipper on the front cover along with the 27 page long story that goes with it. Tim Baldwin asked me to do a cover story about what happened during the 5000 days the coaster was SBNO. I based it on much of what you can read here. It started as 33 typed pages, I struggled to whittle it down to 19 typed pages before turning it in. There are lots of never seen before photos I hope you enjoy. Second, watch for a show called "Super Into" on TRUTV later this month or early next. It will be an episode about coasters and pieces of my model and me will be in it. Find the "models, games, and other randomness" to "The Airplane coaster..." to see pictures of the shoot. PPPP

Once I get the subtrack built, the rest is a breeze. And I love it because it's the simplest task with the biggest results. Over the weekend I was able to track most the valley down the first drop. I'm also taking this opportunity to take some photos that I might not be able to later. I put examples of the types of photos I want to get...to go back in time and see what exactly the Airplane would look like if it were left abandoned. Still no word on when the model will be on that TV show will be on, but here's a link. http://www.trutv.com/shows/super-into/index.html This will be a hard shot to get after the roof is put on so I'm taking pictures like this now. Extending the subtrack down the first drop. Adding on the ties. I would go on to clip the ends to even them out. The next layer of track over the ties. The next layer would be 2 layers of 2x2's either 6 or 8 sticks wide. I use one layer of 4x4's, has the same result. This is another kind of ghostly shot that I like. The catwalk has been added too, but you can't really see it here. I was thinking in an earlier post, that the first drop was raised shortly after the ride opened in 1928 as evidence by the heightening of the handrail (yellow old, red newer) I debated back and forth to stick with the original first drop or not. Since most of the photos show this configuration, I decided to go with the latter. I couldn't fit the camera in to get exactly the right angle but I'd say this is a close match. Some glamour shots.

Hi Brad, What materials did you use for the lawn, dirt, and fencing? I also like that cobble-stone looking ground cover. They all make your project look all the more authentic. (Check out the Airplane progress...!)

I remember when GCI commented that they would not make MF's for coasters they did not build. I am ever hopeful the San Diego Giant Dipper gets these trains.

You are right about the colors. For some reason, I couldn't wait to start painting and started before buying the right colors. I thought I could make it work by suggesting it had been recently painted, but I'm rethinking that idea. Looks like I am going to paint over it. The railings around the station I will straighten out last. The fitting of the roof over top the station was not to my satisfaction so I'm approaching it differently. I'll have to built it in stages on the station itself. Again, trying to get ahead of myself. Taking the roof apart and putting up a truss for the ceiling joists.

Happy 420th post! There is not a lot left to do on the station house except put on the roof. My goal was to make the station look derelict but stable. On my last post I mention a sketch that shows a power distribution board I copied the sketch down to scale and place a clear sheet of plastic on top. I followed on various sizes of plastic blocks. The plastic sheet is removed. I've added to this since. Painted the backboard. Screen test. Various sundries, such as a power cord, a hose, a step ladder, discarded boxes, a push broom, and paint cans Boxes and other scatterings added. N