If you read the last Mile Post, you'll know I've come to a point in my modeling where I have to make "adjustments" in my expectations. One of the ways I've been dealing with this is to declare a freeze. Rather than continue to let the process snowball out of control, I decided to stick to the current arrray of projects, "finished" and unfinished.The finished category covers all the models currently in general release, like the Baldwin Babyfaces. Not all the Babyface models are in general release. One group in particular falls into the unfinished category, the Baldwin DR-12-8-3000 "centipedes". These models still have little tweaks to be performed before I declare them "general". Currently I'm reviewing some changes that I'd like to see on the "what if" version of BLW 6000. This model is supposed to represent the units had they been delivered to the customer, in this case Union Pacific. While this model is now available in the download section, it was previously only available upon request. It needed a lot of final work and was not even worthy of a BETA classification.
Don Collins has been working with me on making the thing workable, but a
major issue at present seems to be a corrupt TSM file. All I've managed to
make it do is crash MSTS. While I haven't solved that issue yet, I have been
making physical changes I have wanted to incorporate since I finished the
DR-4-1500 A units. I have also taken a try at revising the nose again,
trying to capture that "Kewpy Doll" look these Baldwin units a re known for.
While I feel I got pretty close on the DR-4-1500 and cousins, the Centipedes
just did not look as good.
You can see what I'm aiming for in the view to the right. This a front on shot of the cab of Baldwin demonstrator 6000 from the cover of the Kalmbach book "Diesels from Eddystone".
The MSTS version of the same locomotive, in UP colors, is shown in the views below. I have tried to approximate the same angle as the Kalmbach view. On the left is the original Centipede model. On the right is the revised version. I used the Kalmbach illustration as a backdrop to make the changes on the right. During the comparison of these views I realized that the original model was actually closer than I originally thought. The only change really necessary is a slight tweak to the headlight as seen on the revised version. Part of the problem in duplicating the rather distinctive look of these units stems from something discussed here before. The angle of all these views is not directly front on. Rather than 90 degree "front on" views, these shots are all at a slight angle.
Since the axis of the camera lens points closer to thecenter of the words "Union Pacific" it distorts what we are seeing. In a real 90 degree view the center of the headlight would be closer to the camera axis, resulting in a view similar to the one below. In this view the original model is on the right. You may notice that the roof line is much higher on the original, even though the Kalmbach view shows it quite lower. In reality the roof is as high as it appears on the model. The Kalmbach illustration, as well as the two other views shown above are foreshortened causing the perception that the roof line is lower.
That’s about all for now…Thanks for listening.