Weekend Update - 2/14/2010

[John]

It's valentines day .. so make sure you come out of the train room long enough to pay attention to the sweetheart .. so that you can go back into the train room later on

For me, I spent the last week, between shoveling 40+ inches of snow, working on some little mechanical gremlins, and adding some Loconet components .. mainly UP3/5s and cleaning up the layout wiring ..

I also built a linkage to drive two turnouts in a crossover using one Tortoise machine ..

In RMC Feb 2010  

64 A Tortoise switch machine for crossovers by Trevor Lloyd-Lee
Here is how you can set up a switch machine to move the points at
each end of the crossover.

http://carstensbookstore.com/february20102.html

This linkage is very similar to a rube golberg contraption I had previously built .. but the one in the magazine article is a bit more elegant, and adds some additional stability my previous versions didn't





I use 2 sizes of brass tube .. the larger size is used as a sleeve for the smaller size and is glued to the wood block .. the inner tube has the fulcrum arm soldered to it ..

There is an L shaped bell crank, which is attached to the tortoise using the screw supplied with the machine .. make sure its not too tight .. you want it to be able to swivel ..

The connection from the tortoise is brass wire .. which is soldered to the bell crank, and fits into holes on the fulcrum arm .. pretty simple really ..

[fcnrwy]

I was able to make some time yesterday, to finish a pair of commissioned units.

Poogy Lines  GEVOs #20 & #21.











Jerry G.

[coosvalley]

Hello everyone...Happy V-day.....

fcnrwy:   Those are some nice lookin GEVOs....

Here is a B&M NW-2 that I recently painted . For a  long time I thought all of the B&M NW-2s had full length handrails, or recieved them when repainted into the blue scheme shown here. However, I've found some pics that show at least #s 1202, 1204, 1206 all still had the original handrails when repainted into the blue scheme.

And then, after avoiding this project because of the handrail thing, once it was nearly done, I read on a forum that the handrails from a  LL GP-20 work nicely for switchers.  Maybe next time.... :

[up1950s]

After posting these shots I noticed that the end sill fillers were missing on 7 of the 12 , they have now been added and will be painted once the glue dries


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[seusscaboose]

love the brick and window detail!

[wm3798]

Week 11 million with no camera >

But progress to report nonetheless...  I've got four Lifelike Switchers I'm installing decoders and rear lighting in, I'm working assembly line style. Still getting angry and getting ready to fling the little &#*@! against the wall.  Should have them done today, either that or I'll be carted off to the funny farm.

Also built my own Rube Goldberg crank shaft to run a crossover on the removable "window bridge" east of the new Elkins yard.  I used a simple design using a bamboo skewer as the main shaft, and a couple of bent up paper clips.  Works like a champ so far, Rube would be proud...

Also started cutting out the donuts for the small helix that will carry the Thomas Sub from the lofty heights of Elkins (50") down to the main section of the layout (about 44").  It will be a simple three turn affair, but tightly squeezed into a minimum 11.25" radius.  Since it will tuck up under the sloped ceiling of the attic, the bottom turn is 32" long, the middle is 28" and the top 24".  Once that's built, I can tie Elkins into the main layout as the branch line terminus I originally envisioned.

Next up will be doing the wiring on Elkins and environs.  I have to cut some openings on the underside of the hollow core door, something I should have thought of sooner...

Lee

[Puddington]

I organzied the shop and ran trains... and weathered a few odds and sods....

The local shunt RS unit had a little friend today......









The twice weekly BN interchange was powered a wee bit differently this week....





These are a pair of brass units I weathered and detialed... no headlight yet - added that, but want to add real ones.. eventually. Like a lot of brass, they look better than they run....sigh.

... and we have some "Martywaukee Road" ribsides a run too.................. ;D

[DKS]

Not much noteworthy modeling done this week (mostly just planted trees), but I have accomplished a fair bit of research on the Pine Creek Railroad, and made two big-time scores. First, I bought a book, Shortlines and Industrial Railroads of New Jersey by Benjamin L. Bernhart, that had images of Pine Creek's first three locos. Also secured permission to reproduce them. Worthwhile book, by the way. (Thurlow C. Haunton, Jr. was not the greatest photographer by any means, but he got around and captured a lot of great stuff.)
 


History of No. 1: http://pinecreekrailroad.net/number_1.htm
 


History of No. 3: http://pinecreekrailroad.net/number_3.htm
 


History of No. 9: http://pinecreekrailroad.net/number_9.htm

Even better, I was contacted out of the blue by one of the original Pine Creek volunteers. He was good friends with the founders, got certified as an engineer, and ran Pine Creek locos on and off through 2002; he's since retired to Tennessee. I'll be doing a phone interview with him next week--he'll be filling in some major holes and correcting a lot of misinformation about Pine Creek's early years.

[train1]

I worked on the left side of the shelf layout - but it's back to 'real' work for the next 3 days.

[christoph]

... and we have some "Martywaukee Road" ribsides a run too.................. ;D

These rib sides look like the third model version, short rib with single door, but seem to be different.  How were they built?
I still have some JnJ kits here, it's hard to build them now as the FVM cars are out.

I also like the rust spots on the green box car, did you have a "technique" to do them, or just intuition and talent?  

[conrail98]

I cleared out the basement, moving everything on the layout side to the other side. Hopefully I get to go by the framing wood this week,

Phil

[Wlal13again]

Went to Strasburg and picked up a copy of Penn Central in Color Volume 3..

[train1]

 I'm digesting Tomm Mann's weathering book at this moment ....at work ! ;D

[Puddington]

... and we have some "Martywaukee Road" ribsides a run too.................. ;D

These rib sides look like the third model version, short rib with single door, but seem to be different.  How were they built?
I still have some JnJ kits here, it's hard to build them now as the FVM cars are out.

I also like the rust spots on the green box car, did you have a "technique" to do them, or just intuition and talent?  

The ribsides were built by Marty Coil of martyscustomn a number of years ago so I can't tell you much about them - the ribs are fine brass wire. The BN boxcar was first washed with a green and brown "dirtywash"; the rust spots were lightly "picked" with an Xacto knofe, then rust powders were mixed and brushed on and then wiped off, leaving them in the cuts. The car was thens weathered with green and dirt powders.

[Caleb Austin]

I worked on a tunnel scene this week. Its based off of C&O's Little Rock Tunnel up on Afton mountain in Virginia.









I documented the construction process from the beginning starting here:
http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/showthread.php?t=108638&page=36

Thanks for looking.