hillflyer

Finishing up the happy hump. These are the last views before I start test fitting the top of the lift hill. Iam really looking forward to that.

General plans for the Airplane Station house. There are more but I picked these three.

DAMMIT!! Sometimes I don't know what's wrong with my head, perhaps I should ease up on the weed. Last night I found out that the profile of my Happy Hump is WRONG and I have to lower the peak (shown where is should be in red) by FIVE feet! Fortunately it's just a matter of lowering the ledgers. The track will still hold its shape going a little lower so its no big issue but DAMN! Stupid mistakes.

What a weekend. Aside from misplacing my cell phone, it was a productive couple days. I spent my spare time bouncing back and forth between the bottleneck section and the second spiral bridge. The bridge linking happy hill and the last horseshoe curve has been repaired. Replaced is more like it, completely new. The dead end in the foreground leads to the bridge mentioned above. This primarily is supposed to show the construction of Happy Hump ttaking riders to the internal fan curve under the bottlneck Topping happy hump and headed towards the internal fan curve. Directly above this dip would be the peak of the lift hill. Another shot of the replaced bridge Looking at the drop off happy hump. You can't get this angle normally as the lift hill would be in the way.

Hooray, so glad the project is till progressing! Never give up!

More work installing the exit structure and track from the internal fan curve inside the bottleneck curve. Blending the bottom sub track was a BITCH, so I worked on it from the top down. That was different, I'll try not to do it again. Also, the bridge over the second spiral was looking very ill and I decided to replace it. Testing the tie spacing between the two merging sections. Typically the ties are spaced 3'-0" o.c. I was off one foot on the merge. All layers of track are completed. Note the tweezers holding the splice in place. This will connect the exit from the internal fan curve towards the "Bridge" that I am replacing. Track painted. As of now, I'm installing the catwalks. The bridge (upper part) in its unsatisfactory state. This is one of the hazards of making the model in transportable sections, they can get a little banged up, especially ends that are left hanging. Bridge is out. Replacement to be installed soon!

All of you probably know I've been building Rye Playland's extinct coaster the Airplane in sections. However, none of the divisions in the 10 sections will be the same as when the piece as a whole is divided in to three. In other words, when the whole thing is one solid piece I would THEN divide the coaster up into three parts. But it would be much easier to make those cut-aways now. They are easier to do now than later, plus it will make connecting all those other sections together much easier. Here is the part where the train leaves the internal fan curve. Such precision...lol This is the first surgical separation of where the main base will split. Note the laminates that compose the track bed. I made my first run of footers. The short pieces that look like ties will be turned into one long solid footing for each bent. Another unusual trait of the Airplane as most coasters had one footer for every single post, like at Belmont. Same description as above, just the other side that better shows the track interweaving I'll need to do. The internal fan-curve exit being threaded into place.

Here are a couple of before and after photos of the rebuild of a portion of the bottleneck turn of the Airplane coaster after Hurricane Dennis plowed through it last December. Re-assembling this section was like when they rebuild the top of Colossus after the fire. Photos of the rebuilding process are on the previous page. Before After Before After

Give you an idea the size of the model, it will be near the same size as my "Full" sized bed. What I've done is draw to scale, each of the three corners. Then I positioned them where they are supposed to be in relation to each other. All the straight parts in-between (that are built) need to be filled in. The red line is (basically) where I'm going to divide up the model in to three sections, the purple is the (basic) boarder of the finished base.

Last December a good chunk of the bottleneck curve was blown out when my (now) ex was trying to open some Venetian blinds when the assembly came crashing down on to it. The damage is SO inconsistent with how he said it happened, but whatever, no apology or any sign of remorse, that said it all. We're finished with that now. So this weekend, I finally took a really good look at the damage and what it will take to fix. First, I carefully removed all the broken and misplaced bents, most of which I thought I could reuse. Then I placed 4x12" horizontal stringers to help hold up the replaced bents. When I was close to done, I hated the way it was looking, with bents pieced back together with crooked splices...BLECHH. So I decided to make brand-new bents for some of those that were in worse shape than I first thought. More photos on THAT process coming soon. Last December a good chunk of the bottleneck curve was blown out when my (now) ex was trying to open some Venetian blinds when the assembly came crashing down on to it. The damage is SO inconsistent with how he said it happened, but whatever, no apology or any sign of remorse. So this weekend, I finally took a really good look at the damage and what it will take to fix. First, I carefully removed all the broken and misplaced bents, most of which I thought I could reuse. Damaged bents are removed and set aside for inspection. I placed 4x12" horizontal stringers to help hold up the replaced bents. hen I was close to done, I hated the way it was looking, with bents pieced back together with crooked splices...BLECHH.

Thanks, but it wasn't that hard because what happened on 2/14 I've predicted in my head many many times, and friends also told me it was going to end the way it did (A rage bad enough for him to be carried out of the house by Police) So I was prepared, but the hard part is, is he has the reasoning and emotional maturity of an 8 year old you see screaming in a toy store when he doesn't' get what he wants. He would not, would not leave my house and having to sit through two months of living with him after giving his 60-notice, I couldn't bare it. I think I saved his life, actually, with the careless attention to his health, that should say it all. He is type one diabetic but he still ate cereal, ice cream, ding dongs before bed time. Several times I had to literally save his life by giving him sugar when his level fell below critical. Plus, he's a double amputee (legs) as a result of his neglect. He has absolutely no redeeming qualities and never had anything to contribute to our society, except maybe keeping the tobacco and coffee companies in business.

During times if I'm in a waiting room or on a lunch/dinner break I sketch out ideas, mostly diagrams of how I'm going to build something. Here is my first draft of some landscaping ideas I have for the finished model. Plus I'm building what I call the Beginning of the home run, as the train exits its final lap around the turnaround. And Dennis, the model's antagonist, is in jail and I have a 5-year restraining order and a 3-year protective order on him so ... he won't be coming near this model again. Here is my first draft of some landscaping ideas I have for the finished model. The beginning of the final run home. It's a small piece, not most the posts are cut away and there is curving track right underneath. What it will look like attached, after it is all trimmed and straightened and pretty.

Several projects on the burner at the moment. I like that because I have a choice of things to work on what I feel like working on at the moment. I can decide to put on some catwalk, or make some track, do some painting or detail work. Followers might remember that on Pg 24, I talked about how I had to go back and replace the lateral 2 x 4 'x's on the inside of the bottleneck to 4 x 8s wedged in between the uprights. Well, I have to do the same thing to the inside of the 1st spiral. For easier access, I tipped the spiral on its side....a view of a coaster you don't see every day. And example of what I'm doing. Note on the left, the errant 2 x 4s glued to the outside, on the right, the corrected 4 x 8's. Feeding catwalk up through the bottom of the structure on the 2nd spiral. Beats having to get there from above.

Major development: Some of you who follow this thread will remember I was involved in a domestically abusive, sometimes violent relationship. On 9/15/13 his actions caused me to fracture my wrist and I had to have surgery. That left me with a scar down my wrist that looks like I tried to commit suicide. In December, his carelessness caused significant damage to the bottleneck portion of my Airplane coaster. Frustrated that I was broke and I could not buy him cigarettes this past Valentine Day, took to my refrigerator and started throwing jars, bottles, tubs - one jar of sauerkraut landed on the model but it did no damage miraculously enough. The he choked me and tripped me again so I re-injured the same wrist. He was the total antagonist of this model project. I was never totally free to work on it without having to put up with his childish need for constant attention. There is, A LOT of angst, anger, and depression that was used in the making of this model. Now he is gone, I had him arrested and he's currently incarcerated and I have a restraining order. I hope he is put in to a group home for the mentally ill because that's where I said he belongs. Note the jar in the center - this must have bounced off the blinds and landed straight dowm. The real Airplane 10 sections waiting to be fused are temporarily in place for comparison.

A photo of another well-done model of The Airplane. I think it is 1/8 scale A photo of another well-done model of The Airplane. I think it is 1/8 scale.

This was a model I built of the Belmont Park Giant Dipper - it was used for display during my Save the Coaster days. This was a model I built of the Belmont Park Giant Dipper - it was used for display during my Save the Coaster days.

The cross over update. Before permanently fusing large sections together, I thought it wise to detail my cross over/pass under beam arrangement while it was still easily accessible. By studying the overhead plan and carefully garnering clues off of photos, these cross over beams and supports should replicate the real coaster. Heading north-east - exiting the flat runway and heading up over Happy Hill crosses over the track that exits the 2nd spiral and heads towards the mid-course brake. The East - to- West short run I call Happy Hump as it crosses over the lower north-east heading Runway The Happy Hump also crosses over the first drop POV of heading through the runway under Happy Hump and lift hill.

Photo 1: Starting to extend the track out from what I call the "2nd Spiral Wrap-around" Photo 2: Preparing to link together the track exiting the spiral and entering the hill up to the mid-course brakes. Photo 3: First time I've added catwalk before I stack the tracks. Seems straight forward. Starting to extend the track out from what I call the "2nd Spiral Wrap-around" Preparing to link together the track exiting the spiral and entering the hill up to the mid-course brakes. The two structures are not joined yet. First time I've added catwalk before I stack the tracks. Seems straight forward. ~ha~

I was just going to say we hadn't heard from you in a while and how things where going. Don't give up, if not now, then soon an idea will come to you. I know it's frustrating working with incompatible materials.

Lots of progress since just the last post as I've accomplished near impossible feats. First photo is a new angle of the Airplane Coaster never seen so clear. I've taken the liberty of outlining the trackage if you want to connect the dots! The Airplane was truly a wood craftsman coaster, fantastic and disorienting. I've started making bents for the final leg of the journey. The conjoining of pieces is starting to happen. Here I connected the flattish area off the internal fan curve I call "the runway" up to another section I call "Fun Dip" I'm test fitting the multi- layered cross overs to make sure everything lines up. Attentive followers will remember that I stack my track layer by layer over the mold (ledgers/headers) and it will hold its curved shape. So once I had the track already molded inside an almost impossible area to get at, It was also almost impossible to paint and I can't paint the track before its layered so... I knew this was going to be an issue so I already had an idea one how to make it easy to paint. I didn't think I would actually do this or if it would work, but I uncoiled the spiraled track out of the structure. This will save me IMMENSE time and it will be a better paint job as well. First photo is a new angle of the Airplane Coaster never seen so clear. I've taken the liberty of outlining the trackage if you want to connect the dots! The Airplane was truly a wood craftsman coaster, fantastic and disorienting. I've started making bents for the final leg of the journey. The conjoining of pieces is starting to happen. Here I connected the flattish area off the internal fan curve I call "the runway" up to another section I call "Fun Dip" I'm test fitting the multi- layered cross overs to make sure everything lines up. Note the runway leading to fun dip is subtracked now. BEWARE the track snake! This will save me IMMENSE time and it will be a better paint job as well. I knew this was going to be an issue so I already had an idea one how to make it easy to paint. I didn't think I would actually do this or if it would work, but I uncoiled or "dialed" the spiraled track out of the structure. This will save me IMMENSE time and it will be a better paint job as well.

Wow. it's getting to that point where I'm thinking about the base for this model. The initial base will be 2 layers of 1/8 thick foam-core board, cut in three pieces. I'll do some landscaping under and inside where the coaster will be. Once the basic large sections of the coaster are merged together (off the base) it will be divided up again, this time in three main sections, each one having its own base. Landscape complete. Together, I hope to get a model display table to serve as the one-piece solid base. The acrylic cover I'm afraid to inquire about prices...

This piece is about making the subtrack for three sections that are shaded green in the diagram below. Of course, one of the parts is curved. A challenge that I had a few options to meet is installing the track in a really hard to get area, there at the bottom of the spiral. I tried one idea that worked great, and I'm sure it saved me several days of sub-track weaving. The second area is the stretch I earlier referred to as "the runway" and the hill leading up to the mid-course brakes. Details in the captions below. The green areas are what is being discussed. Using the same measurements to calculate the circumference and the banking, I made a jig to build the subtrack outside of the structure. This tunnel represents a small part of the area I needed to get inside to build the track. Due to overall structural stability, exposing this part by removing pieces was not an option. This jig I made to mark 2.5 foot marks for staggering the sub-track saves me a ton of time as well! Marked and ready to stagger! And it worked. I was able to install and stagger the subtrack quite easily. I wish I had thought of this idea before. Now to make one more and then I'll install into the turn. Both rails installed. Adding track ties later. NO this is NOT a Flashback Friday photo of a party at Stevie Nicks' house lol. It's subtrack for the straight areas! Laying out and marking materials I'll need to make the track ties and 3rd track layer assembly. There will be four runs 60' done in this one template. Ties are spaced 3' apart. Next adding the 3rd layer of track. Completed straight track grid. There are four runs of track - each 14" (60' scale). I score and break each one off. The pre-fab track grid up against the two sections they'll be placed on. I laid the staggered subtrack on the structure and tied it down to hold the curve. Then I put the most recent assembly of ties and layer # 3 on top of that. And that brings me to where I am today. After an initial paint job, I will add more layers of track on.

Updates: I finished doing the main layers of track all the way down the spiral. I have to add some more minor strips such as what looks like the under-grip parts on the inside of the rails. I also started the area I call "The Runway" because there is about a 30-foot stretch of track that is flat and ground-level as you leave the interior fan curve. The Runway This was a rare opportunity. The white plastic piece is the ledger laying on top of a photo of the one it will actually be representing! This is a photo of the real "Runway" part of the Airplane, taken as the coaster was being dismantled in 1957.

Wow, that's just like...wow. put this outside and slow the motion a little bit and I'd swear it WAS real.

Clamping on the top player of the track bed. Then I'll add more skinnier strips on the sides for detail, then I'll paint. Should look great, I can't wait.