Weekend Update - 5/16/2010

[up1950s]

Entertain us please .

[up1950s]

 

 

 

 

 

[TrainCat2]

Hey Richie, That is a big Ideal you have there. Lucy's car is great. My favorite of your trailers to date.

I got two new things built this week
1) My Union Pacific 76ft Tie & Rail Car


2) My 50ft Tankcar Platform for Athearn & Atlas tankers

[BCR 570]

Ths week I began the process of installing nose ditch light housings on my Atlas C-420 - hope to finish this afternoon. 

I also spent some time taking photographs on my friend Mark Dance's layout which depicts the CP Boundary Subdivision in N Scale.  With his permission, here is an image of CP 8604 leading a freight through Coykendahl:




Tim

[sizemore]

It's about time I worked on a project for me given my crazy work schedule lately and other life occurances. So I finally finished the 2nd RDC that I shelfed after burning up two decoders due to shody design. I perfected the assembly and dissasembly of the RDC as well as a cleaner, safer decoder install.



Also cleaned up the workbench in so that I can begin completing Lee's LRV GP-20 sent to BYR shops as well as begin a long term car build project for Suesscaboose.

The S.

[eric220]

I went over to the NMRA website last week and picked up some of the Heritage and Living Legends cars.



I went with three of the ones that I remember reading about and really being impressed with.  First up, the Allegheny Midland



Next, the Virginian and Ohio



And finally, the Canandaigua Southern



Personally, I find the selection of a modern car for the CS  to be a little strange.  Also, it would have been nice if there had been a preview on the online store; I really don't have any use for a modern covered hopper.

[SirTainly]

Godd start there folks, nice photos.

Well apart from doing crazy levels of packing and clearing, I've managed to print out a new set of decals for the Ponderosa Northern hope to have a few more cars done before I ship out in a couple more weeks.

Simon

[delamaize]

well, I reeally wasn't doing much this week, so I got a LOT of modeling in.
First of all, a deal here on the railwire between myself and 2 other guys gave new life to the 2-8-2T. I needed the mech from the 0-8-0, Sizemore needed the tender, and Iain needed the Locomotive shell. so I striped some of the cruddy details, and the bad paint on the cab. I squared the windows up more with a file, made new leading and trailing trucks, and a few other odds and ends.




I also dusted off a really old kitbash gone bad. It started life as a Bachmann 65' Observation, I started to bash it to look like the obs. from "polar express." it was a horrible failure. 4 years later, and a lot more experence, I tore off all the old work down to what was left of the bare car, made a one piece styring car side, extended the roof, and threw a couple of old mis matched passenger trucks under it, and Voila! it is looking not too bad. Far from done, but a big improvement.




Also the trade of tenders was completed, and the 2-8-8-2 I bought is now f()()bied into NP!

How do you reset a bachmann decoder anyways? the speed table got all screwed up on this one!

[SkipGear]

Mike,
 Here is a table of CV's for the Bachmann decoders. They don't have a speed table, just min, accel, decel voltage.

http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/ez_content/1_Amp_Decoder_Instr.pdf

It still doesn't say anything about reset but if I remember, set CV8 to 8. I'm pretty sure you need to do it on the main. Their decoders don't like a low current programing track.

[Packer]

Detailed a U33C:


That was my first time doing grabs, and I think I did a pretty good job with it (and I broke 0 #80 bits). I still have to do some touch up paint and weathering to do. Next time I do one of these units, I'll just get DW hoses, beacons, plows and 18 inch drop grabs instead of the DA kit. I have a good amount of lift rings and wire that will work for the corner nose grabs.

Also did some work on the cars from that mini-show

Just added cushioned coupler pockets to this one. I bought it because I remeber seeing tons of these things growing up in San Antonio.


A-line steps, have yet to added better swinging couplers.

Had to modify a set of A-line steps to match the brakets on the shell. One of BLMAs sets looks like it'd be a better fit if they did theirs in HO.   (I think A-line isn't making anymore either, so it's an open market)

modified a trainset car to have body mounts and athearn trucks. I should probably have more of these and some centerbeams for lumber service.

I almost bought a WM GP9 in the hopes of re-painting it. Turned out to be a phase 1 with DBs, which matches 0 BNs, so I passed it up. I'm thinking I should have boughten it because I could have turned it into a ph2 or used it as parts for another Ph3 w/o DB.

Not train related:

Found a way to install springs without using crowbars or spring compressers. Drill a hole in the control arm and stick a tap in the hot to keep the spring in place while jacking the control arm up. I put shorter control arms on my car (1990 mustang) because with the longer ones (from my old 1997 mustang) the 17x9s stuck out about 1/4." Meaning they every bump or hard turn caused the edge of the fender to hit the tires. Changing control arms was the hard (but cheap as opposed to buying 17x8 cobra wheels for the front with tires) way, having to only pay for a re-alignment.

Mike and Skip, you can program the bachmann (really the low end lenz) decoders on a programming track. You just have to throw at least 1K worth of resistors across the rails of the programming track. (I use 2 540s)

[delamaize]

Mike,
 Here is a table of CV's for the Bachmann decoders. They don't have a speed table, just min, accel, decel voltage.

http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/ez_content/1_Amp_Decoder_Instr.pdf

It still doesn't say anything about reset but if I remember, set CV8 to 8. I'm pretty sure you need to do it on the main. Their decoders don't like a low current programing track.

I'll give it a shot, right now it jumps from 0 to about 1/3 throttle, I know their has gotta be a better setting that that.

[Puddington]

That Kettle Valley-esque lash up lead by the CLC-FM unit is making me openly weep.......real me love a proto-lash......awesome Tim !

[BCR 570]

That Kettle Valley-esque lash up lead by the CLC-FM unit is making me openly weep.......real me love a proto-lash......awesome Tim !

Thought you would like, but your comment should read "awesome Mark!" - I just took the photograph.  The lashups used on this subdivision at that time were quite varied and interesting, and it seems that most of the required locomotives are available in N Scale.


Tim

[Dave V]

Did some weathering this weekend.

RDG RBLa before:



Added ACI, COTS, and wheel inspection dot.  Faded/airbrushed.  Lettering partially removed.



Bluford Shops before/after:





Also, a RDG coil car:



A PRR survivor, following the Color Guide (added ACI):



ESM CR G26:



And a re-do of an old MTL PC gon.  I stripped the acrylic wash weathering and re-attacked with an airbrush:



Quick grab of Enola:

[brokemoto]

I finished the structures for the livery stable.  In the foreground is the RS Laser Kits Paul's Repair Shop which is the smithy and shoeing shop.  The other structure, the stable,  is a junk building that suffered at the hands of the Glue Fiend.  GF picked it up at a show for next to nothing a while back.  I never did  really like that IMEX barn, and I stumbled across the Glue Fiend attacked stable.  I sanded it down, got it apart and cleaned it up.  I then painted and reassembled it to make it look like a beat up livery stable that sorely needs a paint job and shoring up.

The RSLK structure is a good kit.  Special Mention goes to the shake shingle roofing material.  I like the Republic Locomotive Works shake shinge roofing material well enough, but I really like the RSLK material.   The Blair Line General Store has the RLW shake shingle material.  I used Crayola (@) colored pencils and a regular #2 pencil to give it the color and weathering (the RLW shingles come in white).  The RSLK comes in a light brown.  The weathering is a mixture of Floquil dust paint and good ol' India Ink and alcohol.