N Scale Hi Rail - Retro Hollow Core Door Layout

[wm3798]

Upper yard run around is installed.


Next up the three tail tracks followed by wiring.
Lee

[wm3798]

Well, this has lain dormant long enough.
It's cooling down outside and work is slowing down, so my attention is gradually turning back to doing something with the layout.  I've done a little fine tuning to improve the mainline track after installing the double crossover... now "most" of my steam can traverse the lower double track in both directions.
With reliability improving, even gradually, I can get back to properly wiring the upper and lower wyes so I can achieve the goal of moving trains on and off the layout with the use of the 0-5-0.
I also successfully thinned the herd considerably at N Scale Weekend, and my move toward a greater steam era presence is gaining momentum.  While I had to redirect most of my sales proceeds to dumb stuff like propane and house payments, I didn't abstain completely...  I added a very nice running 1st generation Spectrum 2-8-0 and yet another Rivarossi Pacific, custom painted Western Maryland...  perhaps the seeds of another K2 conversion, at least in the "close enough is good enough" ethos.



This must be one of the last releases.  It has an excellent high torque low friction motor that appears to be a factory install.  I'm wondering if it isn't from a ConCor set, as it also appears to be factory painted.

I also acquired a few more ConCor/Rowa passenger cars to round out my 20th Century Limited.






Which makes the old Hudson very happy!



Lee

[OldEastRR]

Nice to see news on this layout again.

[wm3798]

So I was running the layout last night, and there continues to be "troubles" behind the skyboard.

Thoughts of scrapping and starting anew are clouding my view.  I suspect much of the problem is the unfinished state of the basement, with dust etc. falling from the open floor trusses above, but I'm also getting the kind of consistent switch pickin' and truck throwin' that belies problems with the trackwork.

As my buildout of the house continues, sooner or later I'm going to have to move everything around regardless, plus longer term plans for where and how I'll be living make future layout plans look more and more modular.

The good news is the upper WM loop still runs pretty smoothly.  Trains will likely be running again tonight... well, at least one will...

Lee

[dem34]

So I was running the layout last night, and there continues to be "troubles" behind the skyboard.

Thoughts of scrapping and starting anew are clouding my view.  I suspect much of the problem is the unfinished state of the basement, with dust etc. falling from the open floor trusses above, but I'm also getting the kind of consistent switch pickin' and truck throwin' that belies problems with the trackwork.

As my buildout of the house continues, sooner or later I'm going to have to move everything around regardless, plus longer term plans for where and how I'll be living make future layout plans look more and more modular.

The good news is the upper WM loop still runs pretty smoothly.  Trains will likely be running again tonight... well, at least one will...

Lee

If you have turnouts that are just there for the looks, would you like me to send a couple dummy turnouts your way, they just need a code 80 rail and a shot of paint.

[wm3798]

Thanks to @randgust for a little fine tuning, and the Big I-1 is back on the active roster.


Also got her kid sister out the keep her company.


Looks like it's Pennsy night once again!

Lee

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I'm a big believer in "if it ain't sparking joy, tear it down".

The building is the fun part.

[Point353]

I'm a big believer in "if it ain't sparking joy, tear it down".

The building is the fun part.

IMO, building a layout is just the means to the end, which is running trains.
If ennui ever sets in, then the solution is to acquire more trains.
Or, in my case, search through the accumulation to find those items that haven't been run in a long time.

[wm3798]

Project night!
I have one of those old resin Pennsy Baggage cars I picked up on the cheap at N Scale weekend a few years ago, along with a sister RPO, which now resides with the Hickory Creek fleet of @randgust . 
I had lent him the baggage car to run on the TTrak rig, but it turned out to be problematic.
It turned out the old resin cast floor had warped badly, affecting coupler height, truck alignment, and overall ability to serve its useful purpose.

This week I endeavoured to correct the problem.


Naturally, my first stop was to the junk box.  Not in the train room, mind you, but the plumbing supplies.
I found a bracket on an old shower faucet we discarded, and as a fairly heavy gaug perforated steel bracked, was perfect for the task at hand.

I drilled a couple of holes in the floor, rummaged around for a couple of suitable screws, and thus was able to draw the ends of the frame into near level alignment.



After robbing some MicrTrains trucks from another car, it is now gliding along flawlessly behind my Atlantic, which as I recall, was purchased at the same show.



Lee

[davefoxx]

Nice to see you get that baggage car on the rails and back in service.  I love B60b’s!



Kudzos!
DFF

[Dave V]

Nice to see you get that baggage car on the rails and back in service.  I love B60b’s!



Kudzos!
DFF

Another one of those items I wish Walthers also did in N!

[Point353]

Another one of those items I wish Walthers also did in N!

Another possibility might be White Rose Hobbies, which acquired Bethlehem Car Works.
Bethlehem Car Works had made an HO scale B60.
Perhaps White Rose Hobbies would consider producing it in N scale.

https://www.whiterosehobbies.com/blogs/news/white-rose-hobbies-acquires-bethlehem-car-works
https://www.walthers.com/b60b-baggage-car-assembled-bethlehem-car-works-model-w-trucks-couplers-pennsylvania-railroad

[wm3798]

I picked this baby up at N scale Weekend earlier this fall, a late run Rivarossi imprted by ConCor.


I dolled it up a little with some graphite paint on the smoke box and firebox flanks.  The later runs had improved metal frames and quiter drive trains.  Pretty sure this was custom painted, but it looks good enough to be factory.
I'm working on assembling a typical short WM train for it to pull.
Lee

[PiperguyUMD]

The good news is the upper WM loop still runs pretty smoothly.  Trains will likely be running again tonight... well, at least one will...

As it should be! Looks like that legendary WM maintenance pays off 😏

[wm3798]

Be vewwy vewwy quiet!



I'm hunting Gwemwins!

E. Fudd