Weekend Update 5/15/11

[up1950s]

I am still screwing around with metallic rotationally adjustable male and female wedge thingys . What have you been doing ?

[Dave Schneider]

I finished up this little scale house. All the parts except for the smokestack were fabricated using the Silhouette cutter. The boards are scribed and the windows are vinyl sticker over clear styrene with the area for the window panes cut out. I installed a scale mechanism and removable roof for lighting it in the future. The prototype was located at North Milwaukee at the start of the Milwaukee Road Beer Line.





Best wishes, Dave

[BCR 570]

I have completed my first two #7 Code 40 turnouts for the layout:




These will be installed at Tremblay on the upper deck.  Here are two photographs of the west switch sitting in place on the recently laid roadbed:






Here is the east switch sitting in place on the roadbed:




Next up will be building another two for Sundance siding on the lower level.


Tim

[Ntrainz1]

Flat car with new wood deck and 905 couplers.


Bob.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Conrail Days at the RR Museum of PA (tomorrow too). I got to see a pair of great presentations and was inside the cab of an E44 for the first time ever. I didn't know they were setup with dual control stands. Pretty nifty.

[Puddington]

Hey; I found my bench.....it was right where I left it...





Built this GN hack from an Atlas undec with the normal extras..............

Nice to find the bench again..........

[nscalesteve]

finished these two...

[chuck geiger]

Starting to lay ground scenery in El Centro. All desert terrain.
Will come back with light, pale vegetation, sparse and some
Cottonwood trees and Palm trees. Structures will come last.
I always put structures in and then did scenery around. We
all know the egg came first.

[wazzou]

Looking good Chuck.

[cv_acr]

Did a little bit of work on my switching layout here and there.

Took a drive down to my club this afternoon for a work session. Started laying some new spline through an in-progress section of the layout. Also helped even out a section of [eventually to be] hidden track that had a pretty inconsistent grade. Eyeballing it just doesn't cut it.



Model railroaders can never have too many clamps:

[Sokramiketes]

Here is the east switch sitting in place on the roadbed:




Next up will be building another two for Sundance siding on the lower level.


Tim

Tim-

Is the squishy foam roadbed adequate for handlaid Code 40?  That seems like a time where the harder cork might give better support. 

[davefoxx]

Like Tim Horton (BCR 570), I also installed my first hand-built code 40 turnout this weekend.  I finally got around to ordering a jeweler's saw from MBK to cut the rail gaps around the frog.  The saw worked great and cut the tiniest gaps.

The first train was run this morning, and then my six year-old step-son, Tyler, wanted to play.  He had a blast running #400 for at least five minutes or more, despite there only being about four feet of track installed, requiring frequent reverse movements.  I may be able to assimilate him yet, as well as our unborn child due in December.    With apologies for the cell phone pictures, here's an update:





Here's how the rail joint between the code 55 (SBD main) and the code 40 (A&R) track turned out.  Not bad; I used the ol' crimped rail joiner method.  The rails are flush and gauge appears to be fine, and preliminary testing of the frog shows smooth operation there.  I'll need to extend the rails to really be able to test the operation of the points, but so far, so good.



I've actually glued the turnout down since these pictures were taken.  The next task is to begin handlaying track on the A&R, as all of the code 55 SBD mainline is installed.  I'm planning on using Pliobond to secure the rails to the ties, but I'm awaiting the delivery of an order from Fast Tracks that includes applicator tips.  Of course, I ran out of wood ties after the order was placed with Fast Tracks.     Anybody got a spare or leftover pack of Mt. Albert N scale ties they're willing to part with?  I probably only need a few hundred.

Who's next?
Dave Foxx

[wm3798]

So, Dave... You're back to the Door Sized A&R?  Riding the baby bubble to some successful real estate negotiations? ;D

I'm undertaking some more wiring projects this weekend, with the hopes of paving the way to more aggressive yard construction.  Of course, all of this will take place amid actual yard work involving hedge trimmers and weed whackers...

News and photos as they happen.  (Remember, my weekend just started!)
Lee

[davefoxx]

So, Dave... You're back to the Door Sized A&R?  Riding the baby bubble to some successful real estate negotiations? ;D

HAHA!  Actually, no, this is the A&R 2.0.  That is, it's the 24" x 54" version.  Like delamaize's planned Kitchen Table & Northern layout, this one resides on the kitchen table when I work on it.     I've got a great and understanding wife, who has been such one year today!

Unfortunately, the door-sized A&R is going to have to be stored and likely dismantled.  I already stole code 55 track off of it for the A&R 2.0, so I may just tear it down.  I'm not happy with the legs (the wood was terrible and cracked, despite pre-drilling).  Also, everyone was right; I should have used 2" foam rather than 1" for the subroadbed.  This mistake was really hammered home after you gave me the trestle from the late Chaffee Branch.  You live, you learn.  The door itself (and extensions, i.e., parallelodoor) will easily be salvaged, and I'll be able to stow it easier with the legs removed anyway, especially since I won't have to worry about damaging the track in storage.

DFF

[chuck geiger]

Looks grand Foxey