Weekend Update 3/27/16

[rochsub]

A couple of updates on the UPRR Geneva Sub featuring installation of signals and a bit of scenery.

/>

[bnsfdash8]

Not modeling wise from me, other than 3D modeling. I've been working on a NP SD45 cab and a NS C40-8.5W cab.

[hegstad1]

I'll Have to consider the Shapeways trucks.  The durability is a concern.  Here is another Q waycar to exit the paint shop.  It still needs some light weathering.

[mu26aeh]

This might interest you @Blazeman

20160327_152232 by Adam Henry, on Flickr

Got two Lifelike SW9/1200 DCC'd with TCS M1 decoders.  I milled out area where DC light board fits in so decoder would sit down in same location.  I removed LED and resistor from that board and wired them to the white and blue wires.  Had fewer problems doing these then the "drop in" decoder from last week. Go figure 

[robert3985]

Bob, how sturdy are those FUD trucks? I have had some real issues with vehicles and other parts being very brittle. I imagine these caboose trucks need kid gloves.

I've broken the brake hangar and one brake shoe from my ham-handed, sausage-finger handling when I got my first batch a few years ago while removing the wax with a soft toothbrush.  Nowadays, I just let 'em soak for a few hours in Bestine, swishing them around periodically until they get totally non-translucent.

Ya have to flex the frames a bit (a LITTLE bit) to get the wheelset's axle points in...and this is not a difficult thing to do...and I haven't broken anything off doing this several times on my first frame experimenting around with it.

As far as everyday handling is concerned, the fragile bits are the brake hangars on the ends, so when the trucks are mounted, only the sturdy sides are readily accessible, and I haven't broken any details off the sides.

However, I have a tendency to handle my cars with my fingers as little as possible, BUT, I do pack everything up two or three times a year to go to shows, particularly my superdetailed stuff...and I haven't had any breakage doing that either.

All in all, breakage has not been a problem at all with these trucks.  I use Kadee "Grease 'Em" graphite lube on the axle points and haven't had any failures from wear either.

So, my verdict is "No Problemo" as far as handling breakage or wear is concerned with these truck frames, especially after they're de-waxed, painted and installed.

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

[The Beer Baron]

Gonna put submerged and semi submerged stuff in before the pour ? Bike , fishes , rotten row boat , stones , box .

You forgot shopping carts..

[sirenwerks]

You forgot shopping carts..

An Ohio river in the 50s?  Forget the trash, figure out a way to light it on fire.

[bman]

An Ohio river in the 50s?  Forget the trash, figure out a way to light it on fire.

That was in 1969.  We Ohioians hadn't dumped enough pollution into our rivers yet to enable them to catch fire in the 50's.

[randgust]

"I believe there's mirror material available that doesn't look thick like a bathroom mirror."

That's a "First Surface" or "Front Surface" mirror, usually used in optical systems where one can't have "ghost" reflections from the front of the glass interfering with the main reflection. 

These guys are great.   You can custom-order the measurements you want, and you can even get them in acrylic.   Getting one that could be drilled and cut with a hacksaw solved my lifetime problem of putting a signal bridge just over a hole in the mirror for a 'naked' exit.
http://firstsurfacemirror.com/

The mirror here is about 12x18.  There's a hole on the inside of the signal bridge for the track to exit.  Half of the signal bridge is mounted around the hole edge.   I just redid this entire mirror area with a first-surface a few months back.   It's really hard to see the line, I upgraded the signal bridge to tricolor LED displays, and it's a precise fit now to the mirror hole.

[BobRunty]

I'll Have to consider the Shapeways trucks.  The durability is a concern.  Here is another Q waycar to exit the paint shop.  It still needs some light weathering.

Beautiful NE10 there, Andrew. Outstanding work.

Bob

[coosvalley]

Here are some photos of the CB&Q 5' wood beam trucks Charlie is referring to from Eric Cox (Panamint) at Shapeways.  I've used them on all my UP CA's and CA-1 kitbashes, along with several CA-3 and CA-4 superdetailing projects, and they are EXCELLENT!  UP called them "Q" trucks and used them on all of their mainline cabooses until the outside swing-hangar truck was introduced on the CA-5 in 1953.  Some of these wooden beam trucks persisted until the 80's and were well-known for their superior ride quality.

I used Bachmann Old-Timer trucks for years, but I was never happy with their lack of brake shoes & hangars and their "tippy-toe" look.  The Eric Cox trucks have all the details and are exactly what I hoped for for many years...



These trucks have relegated my modified (with brake hangars) Bachmann Old-Timer trucks to the circular file and are available with MT Pin mounting holes, screw holes and offset holes for mounting on IMR CA-3/4 cabooses.  The detailing is incredible, but be careful when you get these as some details are so small and fragile, it's easy to break it off.  After they're painted, the detailing becomes much stronger.

I'm using narrow Feather River Lo-Pro metal wheelsets, and they roll very freely with these truck models, which are vastly superior to ANY truck model I've seen in either brass or injection molded plastic.

I think replacing the Old-Timer trucks with the Panamint trucks would noticeably improve Andrew's nice CB&Q caboose and additionally be easy to do. 

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

Im glad you like these, since I just ordered some about a week ago!

[chuck geiger]

Reading WEEKEND UPDATES minds: Got a Walther's Soo Line 53' Bulkhead Flat
at an antique mall in Cashmere, WA. It will be hauling two new John Deere tractors
when complete, which I saw on the BNSF local road switch last week. Need to
apply the turn plastic into wood technique and need tie down examples? The
tractors are almost N scale, they are key chains that John Deere sells here.

[Philip H]

Reading WEEKEND UPDATES minds: Got a Walther's Soo Line 53' Bulkhead Flat
at an antique mall in Cashmere, WA. It will be hauling two new John Deere tractors
when complete, which I saw on the BNSF local road switch last week. Need to
apply the turn plastic into wood technique and need tie down examples? The
tractors are almost N scale, they are key chains that John Deere sells here.

Tie downs could just be bits of thread CA'd to the tractor And the deck. You will
Also need wood blocking.

[Dave V]

Made a push this weekend on tracklaying and wiring on the Colorado Midland.  I also installed some of the turnout SPDTs.  Along the way I realized I had to move the incline outward.  Unfortunately when I built the trestle with the girder section, the ME bridge flex didn't hold on to the 10" radius curve and it threw everything off.  But, everything now seems to work and the coaches do in fact negotiate the 10" radius curve (and a spot that I think might be even a hair tighter than that just between the trestles on the branch).

[SkipGear]

More structures for the corner module. A plastistruct water tower and spout kit that turned out to be a bag of parts to start me on the way to make my own version. So far, added standing seams to the tank and currently devising a proper way to assemble the legs.