Weekend Update 9/16/18

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Working on a TON of projects now that I am back to work on overnights.

FGE 5145/5237:
The first DOZEN cars are painted and decaled. Couplers are 1019 under-slug with extra long 00-90 screws holding the under frame to the body. I'm slowly working though weathering. These cars are total rust buckets and I'm trying several new weathering techniques.

MDC tanks:
Anyone remember this? https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=21226.msg200354#msg200354
They sat in my "to do" box for 8 years! I started working on them again and have the first 3 painted and decaled.

And I finally took the plunge and bought a Lokprogrammer and a decoder. I am currently converting one of my B23-7s to sound. I am just doing very minor modifications to the frame. The Sobertron 8x12mm speaker is almost a drop in fit to the factory light shield in the cab. I plan on boxing this off and running a micro LED to the front-top. I may need to trim the light pipe a bit but it should work. Small holes will be drilled into the walkway, hidden by the cab to provide an escape route for the sound. I haven't done this type of mini soldering before, so we'll see how it goes.

[craigolio1]

Another batch of freight cars has left the paint shop and now awaits decaling:




Also added 12 RTR freight cars to the equipment fleet - mostly foreign road cars, of which four are seen here:




Thanks to Jeff Briggs for the painting and weathering.


Tim

Tim is it my screen or are those cars painted black?

Craig

[davefoxx]

In true railroading fashion typical of the 1980s in the southeastern U.S. , I tore out some track!  Seriously, I started a project to downgrade a portion of double-track mainline on my layout to single-track:



More on the Seaboard Central 3.0 thread in the Layout Engineering Forum.

DFF

[tehachapifan]

Great modeling this week!

....I am currently converting one of my B23-7s to sound...Small holes will be drilled into the walkway, hidden by the cab to provide an escape route for the sound....

Daniel, while it seems counterintuitive, I along with a few others here have found that it is not always necessary to drill holes, etc., in shells or other loco components to let the sound out. Actually, an intact shell, especially with a narrow-hood shell IMHO, can even create a deeper, more robust sound....presumably because an intact shell will allow the sound to resonate more by acting as a secondary baffle/enclosure(?). I've also done LokSound installs in a B23-7 and B30-7 with a 9X16 speaker and custom enclosure where the light shield goes and the sound is incredible without holes drilled or additional openings made in the shell. I even run these with the sound turned down quite a bit.

All this said, I have found that wider shell units, like cowl units, might sometimes benefit from some type of additional opening. I did a Kato F40PH install where the sound seemed a little bit muffled by comparison, so I opened up the dynamic brake fan detail and installed a BLMA etched fan and grill. I think this did allow the higher tones like the bell seem a little cleaner in this particular install, but this seems to be an exception more than a rule. Another reason I may add an opening of some type is to help with keeping things a little cooler...I did the dynamic brake opening thing on a different loco with a different brand sound decoder for this reason....but I haven't noticed a heat problem with any of my LokSound installs.

[BCR 570]

Tim is it my screen or are those cars painted black?

Craig

Your monitor is fine; they are indeed painted black.

Tim

[chuck geiger]

[chuck geiger]

[SAH]

The engine house is simply amazing Mark.  Well done!

I enjoyed the Mainline Hobbies / NMRA layout tours yesterday.  Today I put my die cutter through the first production job.  One of the Greensboro NC modelers is modeling the Easton, PA track level platform and canopy.  Creating the canopy supports had him stumped.  I looked at the photos and thought "die cutter".  Here are the parts.  The rest is up to him.

[mark dance]

thx for the kind words gents - they are much appreciated - but there is a waaaayyyyyyyys to go yet...

md

[mark dance]

The engine house is simply amazing Mark.  Well done!

I enjoyed the Mainline Hobbies / NMRA layout tours yesterday.  Today I put my die cutter through the first production job.  One of the Greensboro NC modelers is modeling the Easton, PA track level platform and canopy.  Creating the canopy supports had him stumped.  I looked at the photos and thought "die cutter".  Here are the parts.  The rest is up to him.

A die cutter?  Cool.  How did you make the die?

md

[SAH]

Die cutter is probably not the correct name technically.  More like stencil cutter.  I'm using the Zing Orbit.  The hobby level machines are used by crafters and scrap bookers.  I have a lot to learn but can see lots of potential for this tool. 

[GhengisKong]

The engine house is simply amazing Mark.  Well done!

I enjoyed the Mainline Hobbies / NMRA layout tours yesterday.  Today I put my die cutter through the first production job.  One of the Greensboro NC modelers is modeling the Easton, PA track level platform and canopy.  Creating the canopy supports had him stumped.  I looked at the photos and thought "die cutter".  Here are the parts.  The rest is up to him.

Wood or styrene?

[mu26aeh]

Another layout tour is in the books.  53 visitors over 2 days came to check out my layout.    O scale layout 1 mile from me had 105 this year  Attendance down almost by half over last year for me( had 68 sign the book on Saturday alone last year ). Nice to finally put some faces/people to screen names for the first time, and revisit with old friends.  Thanks to all that came out.

Layout ran great most of weekend, until some electrical gremlins showed up at a couple of turnouts.  I deserve it though, electrofrogs with no juicers on them. 

[craigolio1]

Your monitor is fine; they are indeed painted black.

Tim

Ok don’t leave me hanging then Tim!  I’m used to seeing things in BCR green so what do you have there? Canadian Pacific spine car?

Craig

[BCR 570]

Ok don’t leave me hanging then Tim!  I’m used to seeing things in BCR green so what do you have there? Canadian Pacific spine car?

Craig

Oops sorry I thought you would know.  These are all future PGE cars:
- log stake car PGE 10255 (second series was delivered in black)
- open hoppers PGE 2503 & 2513 (also delivered in black)
- tank car PGE 1903 (painted black at time of rebuild)


Tim