Weekend Update 2/13/11

[up1950s]

This calculator may help.

Good to have , thanks .

[up1950s]

And this little building from Wild West Models in the corner:

Thanks Chris
The wood grain and weathering on this is amazing .

[Packer]

Late night addition. Nothing like Richie's incredible repurpose of the Bachmann 4-6-0. I still love the tender on that one. Something about that loco just says class, like a top hat and tails with that high coal bunker and stack.

I have shown this before but it is finally done. Earlier this week I worked out the regearing and got it running nicely on DC. I wasted most of today installing a Digitrax SDN144 in it today. I like the sound because I created my own sound file for it but I hate the lack of sync between the drivers and the sound. When they get that figured out, this will be a great decoder, until then, its just a smaller, less expensive alternative to a Tsunami or LocSound.

Skipgear, how good is the volume level on that SDN144? I've heard the digitrax sound decoders were real quiet.

[mcjaco]

Skipgear, how good is the volume level on that SDN144? I've heard the digitrax sound decoders were real quiet.

Isn't that the way they should be?  I mean you don't hear prime movers twenty miles away. 

[SkipGear]

Skipgear, how good is the volume level on that SDN144? I've heard the digitrax sound decoders were real quiet.

I'm happy with the sound level. I have most of the sounds turned down about 25%. Most of the issue with sound levels is based on the default sound files they have loaded in the decoder. They are recorded too low. I EQ'd and the boosted the sounds a bit when I made the sound file for this one. It even has a Pennsy banchee whistle. If I can only get the the thing to keep the chuff rate when using BEMF, this would be my default sound decoder. The programability blows everything else away, it just needs some basic hardware changes from Digitrax to make it almost perfect.

[Dave Schneider]

Thanks to Sebastian and David for the roof layout suggestions. I found the error in my layout and I once again have firm command of 10th grade trig. 

Best wishes, Dave

[Hyperion]

Isn't that the way they should be?  I mean you don't hear prime movers twenty miles away. 

The problem with the Digitrax one I've got now (8-bit POS), that was, in my opinion, the worst purchase I've ever made in the hobby, was that while you couldn't hear the sound you could hear the whiny electric motor.  And that totally kills it.  It's not like I want to hear it across the room, but I do want to hear it a few feet away without it sound like tinny garbage at best.

[dwyaneward]

Dwayne,

Are you using some sort of shelf bracket cleats to attach the wood framing to the wall? Or using actual shelf brackets attached to framing? I didn't know such a thing existed, if it does.

As already mention a L-girder screw tothe top of the double slot bracket

[dwyaneward]

If you look at the lower right of the picture, you'll see his shelf bracket there and what looks like an L-girder on top of it. Pretty nice setup. How I used my shelf brackets and standards, I screwed a piece of 2x2 on top of the bracket and used that to support the front bracing.

Dwayne, it looks real nice, keep us posted on progress,

Phil

Phil,

You can see more on my blog  http://kdrail.blogspot.com/

[mcjaco]

Project Castle Topper is nearing completion.  The build is done.  Now it's off to the paint shop.



Thank goodness too.  I want to get back to trains!

[chuck geiger]

Scenery test area: DFF only problem with paint, then sand - Is the
adhering of the foliage and vegetation. Unless you do a drop of
glue then plant each one individually. This area is paint - dirt -
vegetation - wetting agent - glue/H2O - dry - sand

[cv_acr]

spent the weekend watching Battlestar Galactica Season 1  ;D

Great show. I've got the whole series on DVD. Season 1 had a great ending to the finale.

Last couple weeks I've been watching through Chuck and Doctor Who in the evenings.