Weekend Update 12/20/15

[Hamaker]

Not only the trees and vegetation......the weathering on the bridge pilings !!  Wow is right.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I'm still at the "paint it black and maybe no one will notice" stage.

Dude, that's actually a key part of it. If something looks weird, or out of place, I hit it with black paint. Problem solved.

[Santa Fe Guy]

Dude, that's actually a key part of it. If something looks weird, or out of place, I hit it with black paint. Problem solved.

That's the main reason my whole RR room is black. The ceiling (with no lights) the valance, fascia and all below the layout is flat black even the carpet tiles are a darkish grey so the eye looks only at the scene. Took the idea from museum diorama.
Chuck that scene looks awesome well done.
Rod.

[M.C. Fujiwara]

Dude, that's actually a key part of it. If something looks weird, or out of place, I hit it with black paint. Problem solved.

Worked for the Rolling Stones 

Scene coming together great, Chuck!

[svedblen]

Yeah. Wow. That scene looks terrific.

Seriously, the colors, the textures, the lighting. Just wow.

You've nailed it man.

Chiming in. Looks great!

[basementcalling]

Chuck, +1, at least.

Nothing here this weekend, unless you count  drilling one hole for my first ever micro switch for a turnout. Cant find .0** brass wire anywhere..032 music wire is too stiff. 1/16 inch dia. brass wire is too fat. And my spool of what I thought was 20 gauge stranded wire, was actually 18 gage solid. Too stiff for good feeders. So no turnout throws were were connected. 

Also melted a couple conveyer supports when the cell charger fell off the shelf over the work table and spilled 1/2  the bottle of Bondene. Smell drove me from the work room for the rest of the afternoon Sunday, so I had to watch football.

[chuck geiger]

Boys appreciate it. Back at it today.

[M.C. Fujiwara]

Cant find .0** brass wire anywhere..032 music wire is too stiff. 1/16 inch dia. brass wire is too fat.

I use the Details Associates 0.022" brass wire, and that seems to be out/on order at all the shops I looked at, like Caboose: https://www.caboosehobbies.com/catalog/index_home.php?manufacturers_id=260

Most places have 0.019" which might be stiff enough, given the short distance.
As long as the wire is straight, once it's connected to the slide switch & the throwbar it's not going anywhere.

If you're using Atlas turnouts then what are you soldering?
You can just bend music wire through the toggle & then straight down through the throwbar hole: either the one provided or drill a matching 0.022" for a snug fit.
(You probably want to excavate a little under to allow the wire to extend below a bit)
Drop of CA to keep it from popping up & yr good to go.

I'll swing by my LHS today to see if they have any brass wire in stock.
If there is, I promise not to price gouge too much 

[C855B]

Thoughts about using phosphor bronze? My biggest concern with brass wire at this small size is it will eventually deform, especially versus piano wire. Appears to be plenty of stock of .020 PB wire around. Deformation is obviously not an issue if it's a straight link, but if you're, say, doing the under-table mount thing, you're dependent on the spring action.

I noticed in searching, say, for jewelry wire in 0.022" (~#23 AWG) is this size and the closest "normal" size, #22, is hard to find anywhere. It makes me wonder if the main supplier for #22 wire wore out an old drawing die and there's insufficient demand to spend on a retool.

[basementcalling]

I use the Details Associates 0.022" brass wire, and that seems to be out/on order at all the shops I looked at, like Caboose: https://www.caboosehobbies.com/catalog/index_home.php?manufacturers_id=260

Most places have 0.019" which might be stiff enough, given the short distance.
As long as the wire is straight, once it's connected to the slide switch & the throwbar it's not going anywhere.

If you're using Atlas turnouts then what are you soldering?
You can just bend music wire through the toggle & then straight down through the throwbar hole: either the one provided or drill a matching 0.022" for a snug fit.
(You probably want to excavate a little under to allow the wire to extend below a bit)
Drop of CA to keep it from popping up & yr good to go.

I'll swing by my LHS today to see if they have any brass wire in stock.
If there is, I promise not to price gouge too much 

M. C., my challenge is some of the turnouts are on the main, which rests on HO cork for elevation. Slide switches would need to be beside the throw bar, not directly in line with it, creating complicated 3d bends to get to the right height. I don't think a hole in the HO cork if I put it under the slide switch would be stiff enough to hold it securely in place.

My local Hobby Town USA only had music wire or brass rod. I do have 3/64 dia brass rod, but that is too large for the Atlas throw bar.

[M.C. Fujiwara]

Slide switches would need to be beside the throw bar, not directly in line with it, creating complicated 3d bends to get to the right height.

Howabout Mr. Foxx's Fixx?
https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=25551.msg296847#msg296847

[jmlaboda - RIP]

I use the Details Associates 0.022" brass wire, and that seems to be out/on order at all the shops I looked at...

Clover House offers a wide variety of wire, with many thicknesses being offered...
http://cloverhouse.com/Store/index.php?cPath=38&osCsid=1qma3st93tdi306pds2afvvos1

[davefoxx]

Howabout Mr. Foxx's Fixx?
https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=25551.msg296847#msg296847

Thanks, for the props, @M.C. Fujiwara!  By the way, if you look close at that picture, you will notice the detents that hold that switch in each position.  I like the "locking" action holding the points against the stock rail.  I know that you said that was an issue on the Radio Shack switches you experimented with.  We must have used different switches.

DFF

[M.C. Fujiwara]

Thanks, for the props, @M.C. Fujiwara!  By the way, if you look close at that picture, you will notice the detents that hold that switch in each position.  I like the "locking" action holding the points against the stock rail.  I know that you said that was an issue on the Radio Shack switches you experimented with.  We must have used different switches.

DFF

Yes, I was talking about the smaller ones (similar size to the SparkFun).
Yours are larger (and have a handy flange on the ends for mounting)--I used that same one but covered it with an outhouse 

[davefoxx]

Yes, I was talking about the smaller ones (similar size to the SparkFun).
Yours are larger (and have a handy flange on the ends for mounting)--I used that same one but covered it with an outhouse 

Yes, those flanges are handy.  Before ballasting, I place a drop of CA in each hole to glue the slide switch to the cork roadbed, which makes for a solid installation.

DFF