Well, now that it’s been exactly a year since an update, what’s new? haha

Now that life has given little more time than the rest of last year, I’ve been slowly picking at the Viewliner model. The latest change has been the motor chassis. While it is the same one, this is a non-DCC version, ordered directly from Bachmann parts so there’s less crud I have to take off and throw away. And it’s a bit cheaper. While I do lose the function of DCC in the future, it does simplify wiring within the loco and removes the bulky circuit board that has messed with the proportions of the locomotive body size. 

With the absence of the circuit board I can drop the body lower and “un-squish” it vertically which had to be done with the previous iteration. The body shell can also drop back to it's intended height, which use to be higher with the circuit board clearance. 

Car articulation has been a tricky one, especially at a small scale with tight curves. Slowly getting things worked out with the diaphragms between them. Like the prototype, the diaphragms are rigid and mounted to the front of each car and protrude into a cavity in the first car. Since I will have tighter curves than the prototype, there will be some gapping issues which I will accept since the scale is tiny. One challenging aspect of this also is the fact that the diaphragm for the first car juts into the back of the locomotive. Unfortunately for the model version, the motor block goes right to the back of the body shell, which will need to be adjusted. The proportions may change to accommodate the clearance of the first car into the locomotive. 

The layout itself has been in the planning phases since the beginning of the locomotive modeling. I've done close to 30 versions of different orientations and sizes, as well as different features. This is an [b]"inspired"[/b] Viewliner layout, which has the best elements, but not totally accurate to the real thing. Just aiming for a neat little loop of track to run the trains on that has the same feel of 50's Tomorrowland (and I guess Fantasyland too!). 

There was a criteria I had to follow for designing the layout; learning from the hassle of trying to wrestle my Nature's Wonderland model every time I moved it, the Viewliner model has to be extremely light and compact. My hatchback can nicely accommodate material 3' X 5' so that would be nice size should I want to take it on the go with me. I have to make sure all curves are not tighter than 7.5" radius. The controls will be discreet and compact, also unlike my Nature's Wonderland model.  For design elements to be featured on model, I wanted ones that stood out to me the most--some very obscure and specific-- including but not limited to:

-- Both stations with awnings and platforms full length to accommodate the trains
-- Room for Tomorrowland lake on both sides of the Tomorrowland trestle. 
-- Barren Tomorrowland hills with hints of Autopia track. 
-- "Parallel moment" when both tracks run close to each other, and perhaps the a section of the Santa Fe & Disneyland Railroad! 
--  Portions of the Motorboat Cruise

Haven't landed on a version yet as there is still lots of fussing with the curves, spacing and a number of other features, but this one is a close contender:

To wrap up, here's a new render of the body shell.