Westlake Publishing Forums

Quote from: Bill Gill on March 22, 2026, 06:13:10 AMA good friend has been asking ChatGPT how to do/find/create all kinds of things. He's emailed me a number of things it found for him to send me about model railroad stuff. The most recent was a long article about the Underground Railroad before the Civil War. It didn't mention what scale it was.

In a more philosophical vein:

Inaccurate output is not uncommon and ChatGPT has a prominent disclaimer. However I think such examples miss the point (other than the comedic). These things are tools.  Used properly and with care they can produce great results.  Like any tool, when used poorly, inappropriately or without skill, the results are rubbish. They are also developing fast, so expecting consistently high performance is unrealistic.

With the figures, the first thing I did was some research and testing to find out if AI could do the job, and which was most appropriate for me.  I then developed (and continue to refine) a workflow that works and that incorporates AI in the process. Finally I'm not expecting miracles. I use my knowledge and wants to drive the process and use the AI for the bits that I either cannot do, or that AI does better and faster. Most importantly, I assess the results and choose to accept them, refine them, improve my process or junk them.

Forums like this typically demonstrate one's best work. For some reason, when it comes to AI the opposite often applies. Granted it can be pretty funny, and I've had the odd 3 legged figure and bizarre clothing arrangement.

Chuck and Stuart illustrated that good results are possible. The existence of bad results does not alter that conclusion.

A good friend has been asking ChatGPT how to do/find/create all kinds of things. He's emailed me a number of things it found for him to send me about model railroad stuff. The most recent was a long article about the Underground Railroad before the Civil War. It didn't mention what scale it was.

Thats my problem -never read the words just look at the pictures Just like my weekly comic mag
Barney

Nice job. That frame has a lot of little parts and must have taken some time. -- Russ

Another progress report.

Here we have the frame partially assembled and the trans/diff mounted in place with the shift linkage installed (the brass rod in the center of the frame). Also some of the brake linkage is installed along the outside of the frame members (brass rods). The spring hanger shackle bolts are HO scale track nails cut to length, seem to work pretty well.



Another view of the same boring thing. I know the shift linkage rod looks like it is on a angle, that's because it is, I don't know why it was done that way.

The wheels are from the 1:24 kit, I found the tires, that look like pneumatic tires in the model airplane section of the LHS . This combination brought them within 1 inch of scale so I thought that was close enough.

Just as an aside the early Mack's came with solid hard rubber tires, but all the pictures and references I could find indicate that these were changed out to air filled pneumatic tires at the earliest possible time. Since my 1926 Mack is being modeled in a 1939 time slot I took the liberty of doing it that way.



Just a little detail shot of the rear end area, believe me it took a while to build those springs.


More later, thanks for taking a look.
Rick

None of the images I posted is supposed to be impressive. I posted them to show what different AIs are likely to create, including their laughable errors. Lawrence's post is the key to working with AI and should be in boldface type. It is the first thing to know before fooling around with what's currently available. -- Russ

Number 4 image 3778 the Depot with the guy standing Looks very nice to me excellent
But Chucks and Stuarts look well just outstanding
But really I should not be making comments on a subject I know nothing about what so ever !!
I can only say what looks good to me and my  first impressions.
Barney

The last one looks like a home-made Christmas card !
Barney

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Quote from: finescalerr on March 21, 2026, 12:40:42 PMStuart and Chuck seem to have achieved more accurate and less fanciful results with ChatGPT

The various AIs tend to have specific strengths and one of ChatGPT's is images. However, it's worth noting that the image generator is distinct from the core. Think of it as the core subcontracting the image generation. You can ask for edits and you'll get them, but other elements can drift as well. Frustrating, but one approach that can work is to ask the core how it would achieve the result you want. It will help you work around the limitations of the image generator.

Sometimes instead of asking for an image or edit it is better to ask 'how would I get the image?'  The core then helps you guide the image generator - to various degrees of success..

This morning Ed sent this photo. He says, "I told Gemini to use Thomas Kincade style lighting on all windows and lights.  On its own, Gemini added his style to the whole image."

Nice image, though.

Stuart and Chuck seem to have achieved more accurate and less fanciful results with ChatGPT. Maybe, for now, it should be our first choice.

Russ