Weekend Update 2/8/15

[up1950s]

[jereising]

A wind turbine blade train passes a ranch at Bealville on The Oakville Sub...

There are three other videos of this train on my YouTube channel.

[C855B]

Did and doing much more model-related stuff this week than usual. Updated TCS FEF decoder installed and tested. Installed decoder in an Arnold U25C. Successfully planted a micro-super-tiny LED into a Showcase Minatures signal head. Installed a MTL 903 (Z) coupler on a Centralia Car Shops caboose only to discover vertical alignment is all wrong, and is going to take some carving. Looks great, though.

This weekend's project is a GTE show with the club's N-Trak layout. Test run with FEF confirms its general persnikityness about uneven track near curves. Looks like there may be as many as five FEFs on the layout at any given time, so we're still negotiating who gets to use "844". 

[Santa Fe Guy]

While not exactly the weekend took this shot yesterday arvo of one of my friends FEF heading my Santa Fe directors special on My SFRSD. Boy did he have to work hard to get clearance to run on these tracks LOL.
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I must admit it looks good and runs even better.
Rod.

[chessie system fan]

My early GP40-2 master is slowly taking shape.  Just needs new fans now and it will be finished.

[nkalanaga]

Richie:  I say the Bruck in 2011 when we were in Whitefish.  Unfortunately it was almost dark, so I didn't bother to take a picture, but we did see the Empire Builder and a spectacular thunderstorm, with lightning strikes close enough to see which buildings were hit.

[ryan_wilkerson]

This looks interesting Aaron. What did you start with and what changes are you making?

My early GP40-2 master is slowly taking shape.  Just needs new fans now and it will be finished.

[Chris333]

Trouble in smallville 

This is the tiny layout I copied from DKS. It has been in the basement since built and just 2 months ago I was running trains on it, but tonight I was pushing cars around and noticed they were derailing at this turnout:

The rail to the right popped out of place big time, blowing 2 or 3 solder joints. That curve is 7" radius and I pre-bent all the rail before soldering so no rail was forced into place. Why didn't this happen before paint and scenery    Grrrrrrrr

[mmagliaro]

Chris,
That is a BEAUTIFULLY made turnout, nonetheless.   I wish you luck repairing it.

The last time I posted an "update" to my friend below (SP&S #700), I had fixed the herald and lettering to
be the proper white.  But Jason properly slapped me around for having completely wrong domes on this engine
all along.  So herewith, I have fixed them up.   Thanks, Jason
(I mean that sincerely... the fact that you, or anyone, takes enough time and effort to bother looking and suggest
corrections means a great deal to me.  Not kidding around!)

I also fixed the cab windows.

Before/after (top/bottom), and then a closer shot.  (And yes, that's Neolube on that thar smokebox)

[Rich_S]

Trouble in smallville 

This is the tiny layout I copied from DKS. It has been in the basement since built and just 2 months ago I was running trains on it, but tonight I was pushing cars around and noticed they were derailing at this turnout:

The rail to the right popped out of place big time, blowing 2 or 3 solder joints. That curve is 7" radius and I pre-bent all the rail before soldering so no rail was forced into place. Why didn't this happen before paint and scenery    Grrrrrrrr

Chris, Very nice hand laid turnout. Looks like a case of rail expansion, you might want to add a small gap to relieve some of the pressure before trying to re-solder.

 

[Dave V]

Chris, Very nice hand laid turnout. Looks like a case of rail expansion, you might want to add a small gap to relieve some of the pressure before trying to re-solder.

 

I don't think it's the rail expanding.  Nickel silver doesn't expand noticeably over the normal range of temperatures experienced by an indoor layout.  Benchwork contraction due to low humidity is the much more likely culprit.

The remedy is the same, though.  Rail gap.

[skytop35]

Did this last week

[Power Stroke]

I finally added the rest of my white picket fence, a shed, some pines, and birch trees to finish the major details of this house.
The shed came from an modler on ebay, is cast resin, and finished, very nice at 4.00. The trees are Scenic Express, and have made the rest of my
trees look horrible. Any ideas on how to freshen up older foliage? Everything looks kind of dusty and dull.
I also added birches on the lower section.

[davefoxx]

I like those tie plates that you modeled in this picture, but why only in this small stretch?   

DFF

[RWCJr]

Have started an overhead pipe rack following this photo: