Weekend Update 9/27/26

[nkalanaga]

I have finally "finished" building Sumner's Wagner Log Stacker, using parts printed by John (Administrator).  Our plant has had a lot of overtime this summer, and modeling time has been limited.

The printer parts were very nice, and fit perfectly.  No problems there at all.

I'm not satisfied with the bent-wire hydraulics, but that's not the parts fault.  I'm still trying to decide how to make better looking parts, and hopefully get them to move.  But that's definitely a future project, as I suspect it will require time - and probably soldering.





I did get the grapple cylinder to work, with wire and insulation, and will keep it.  The same techniques didn't work well with the longer cylinders, as the insulation was too flexible.

Final painting and lettering will have to wait for the hydraulic replacement.

If you want one of these loaders, they're certainly worth printing, or finding someone to print them for you.

Thank you, Sumner and John.

[PiperguyUMD]

Long time no post! My summer ended up being much busier than I intended, and that ment that I only tinkered with a few project here and there. Unfortunately this ment that I dropped things where they were when I left for my tour with Eurobrass. Now that I’m home though, I’m completely overwhelmed by the pile on my desk. I’ve finally decided that I just need to START and that once I do, the log jam will clear itself.



The easiest place to start was on my Brush Tunnel T-Trak module. Since this only needed scenery and not buildings, I was be able to get a few quick wins, especially since I had a pretty good stockpile of trees. Specifics in that layout thread



The next thing, and the reason I really want to get things moving again, is my trio of WM H9 2-8-0s. If I can figure out a few road blocks, it will be a sprint to the finish on these. I wasn’t quite happy with how the tender shells were sitting on the frame. The first attempt ended up about 12” too tall. Which I thought I would compromise on, until I started test fitting the boiler. This cause all kinds of clearance problems that I couldn’t ignore. When lowering the internal contents of the tender proved fruitless, I had to find some way to revise the inside of the shell to gain the necessary clearance.



After weeks of variations, I was able to lower the overall height by about 9”.



Two small problems left to solve: Slightly longer tender drawbar, and backup light. The drawbar should be very straight forward. I believe I can 3d print a slightly longer version of the factory drawbar. for the backup light, I think I will be able to remove the SMLED on the factory decoder, and solder in a 2 pin micro connector that connects to the LED in the light on the tender deck. Both seem simple in my mind but we all know how that can go. Wish me luck, momentum is building!

[packers#1]

Very nice work here everyone! I didn’t spend much time this weekend on trains, between watching football and NASCAR, cleaning some stuff in the house, and going to the gym it was pretty busy. My modeling season is really the summer but I’m hoping to start squeezing in more time in the evenings before bed, maybe 15-30 minutes as part of winding down.

To whit: I got the ladder built on the elevator and started toying with the back tree wall, and very quickly realized the spur needed to move a bit to get enough clearance for a row of trees. I tackled that tonight, cut some more ties to move the elevator a bit, and found that it actually makes the transload yard better too. So I mocked up the rear with some armatures that need flock, the building, and the elevator. I weathered the elevator with a pin wash this week and installed the ladder; I need a touch of rust on that by the rings and a bit of a wash, but we’ll see how carried away I get as I like how the yellow pops. The plant itself will get streaking on the roof and a lot of dust and red powder on the walls.  However I’m super pumped to see how things looking already. I just gotta repay some blue on part of the backdrop.


I also went ahead and put down a layer of AK Interactives dirt and Scenic Express Leaf Litter to form the floor of the woods. Up next is painting the track, adding leaves to the trees, building up the front of the woods with some vines/bushes/small trees, and going from there.

[Sumner]

DCC-EX 8 District (A-H) Control Panel ....

Track outputs on a DCC-EX command station can be powered off with your phone or other throttle or by turning the command station off. I wanted a physical way to turn any of my track outputs in addition to those options. I have an 8 track output command station and came up with the following on/off boxes with an indicator light on each along with a letter representing which output that it is. DCC-EX uses letters instead of number to label the outputs, A-H in my case.

If you need more info that what is in the images please ask.



The individual control box was designed so that you could put two screws through holes in the base and screw them into the wood rub-rail that goes around the layout (see last images below).





...... 1206 SMD resistors for the LED's soldered on in a minute or less with hot air soldering station.

 

0402 red LEDs were dropped into the holes on the intermediate top and glued in place with CA.

A hole was drilled in the fascia behind each box for the three sets of wires. The track voltage went to the bus used for track in 8 different districts.

 

Red indicator LEDs are lit when the track output is on.

 

The eight track outputs from the DCC-EX command station go to one of the 8 boxes (A-H) and then on to 8 different districts on the layout.

More info and images on Railwire ( HERE ) .

Sumner

[C855B]

DCC-EX 8 District (A-H) Control Panel ....

I like this. Planning something similar for yard districts where the power only needs to be on when somebody's working the yard. And engine terminals.

One question... if your switch module placement is as you show, all lined-up like that, why not have interlocking tabs? Or was that a test setup for taking the picture?

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I've been ruining an RDC.

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Fun fact: that second picture is taken on a crossover that essentially exists JUST for the service that car will be in: getting trains from the mainline into the station track in downtown York. The only things that will need that are Amtrak trains. A whole set of crossovers just for two trains a day... no wonder the PC went bankrupt!

[Sumner]

I like this. Planning something similar for yard districts where the power only needs to be on when somebody's working the yard. And engine terminals.

One question... if your switch module placement is as you show, all lined-up like that, why not have interlocking tabs? Or was that a test setup for taking the picture?

Thanks for the input.  If I designed it 4 times they probably would all end up different.  Since the top slides into the bottom this worked as I could drill a hole in the fascia for the wiring.  Mount the bottom to the rub-rail with 2 screws then slide the top on (all pre-wired) and put the bottom front screw in to secure all of the top to the bottom.  Then move to the next one and repeat.

Could of made it as one long one like....



..... some of my other smaller control panels also.  Just mainly like to keep trying something different so it doesn't become too boring making the same thing over and over again.

Sumner

[Lemosteam]

Little late to the party but, well, this:

[Maletrain]

That looks really good.

Any chance you would be interested in doing a B&O car?  The B&O C-15 single-door express car looks very similar, but shorter with only one door.  It also has some rather unique trucks, though.

[Sokramiketes]

Work continues on the N scale Milwaukee Road Everett Street Station.  The left half of the main building is done except for completing the window glazing.  I am waiting for my order at the LHS to finish that step.



End view showing the part of the building that Walthers left off of its HO kit.



Finally, a view with the clock tower propped in place but not glued.



So far I have painted 119 molded in windows.  The right half is next with 102 more.

Nice paint job!  Is this the 3D one offered on eBay?

[Roger Holmes]

Yes, that's the one.  I looked at it for two years before I finally bought it.  It's a good thing I did because the seller recently doubled the price.  Not sure why since he's only sold three of the N scale version, including mine, in the last two years.