Let's see your Corona projects

[VonRyan]

I built this little Japanese critter today. Still need to add couplers.
I probably could have added DCC if I used a T-gauge decoder, but I opted to just leave it as DC. I didn’t even bother adding lights. Surprisingly, it’s pretty much code-40 friendly.

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[u18b]

First of five Green Bay and Western FA1's is pretty much done (I may still paint the handrails yellow...we'll see how steady my hands are tomorrow).  Getting that curve correct on the nose was a major pain.  Thanks to Charlie Vlk for designing the decals and Matthew Welke for printing them.  I still need to add a decoder, but it runs very nicely on straight DC.  Only 4 more to go.....

So Nate...

If you model GB&W.... do you have any of their famous one bay hoppers?
I love these things.

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=912570

[djconway]

So I'm trying to cleanup a few outstanding projects / repairs.
First on the list is to trouble shoot a decoder install that has stopped responding.
Open up the loco - trace the wires - found it a broken connection to the motor.
Fire up the soldering iron - disassemble the loco  - pull the brushes off the motor -
RING RING answer the cell phone (with soldering iron in hand)

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Kill the left arrow key!

[peteski]

Kill the left arrow key!

Oh boy!  Hey, on a positive note, it wasn't your hand!   
You should be able to make a repair using some judicial use of a hobby knife with a fresh blade.  It won't be cosmetically perfect, but functional.  Unless the  melted part goes deeper than the photo seems to indicate.

[djconway]

Unless the  melted part goes deeper than the photo seems to indicate.

It may have gotten into the circuit board, now pressing the left arrow brings the courser all the way to the left and the right arrow does nothing. Dooh.

Fortunately many years working the on the computer help desk and many with PC's in the house a replacement keyboard was soon in hand, now I just have to remember why this KBD was in the scrap box.

[nkalanaga]

U18B:  Was that GBW car for iron ore?  An 89-ton capacity "70-ton" car doesn't look too useful for anything else.

My project, actually years in the planning, is a new bulkhead flatcar.  There's a long story behind this one.

Back in the very early days of N scale, about 1970, I wanted a good lumber car, since they were very common in the Northwest.  With almost no data, and limited materials, being a broke teenager, I built a model from balsa and cardstock, based on a Quality Craft HO/O scale model, from pictures in magazines.  Ugly, but it ran, and didn't look much worse than most of the early commercial stuff.

In the late 70s, with better finances and some experience, I rebuilt it in basswood and cardstock, which looked a lot better.  The only problem was that, when we moved to Kentucky, it warped.  Too humid...

So, I rebuilt it in styrene.  After a few years, that one warped, which couldn't have been from the humidity.  Since most of my plastic flatcars warped, it must be the nature of styrene.

Finally, I got smart, and built one with a brass frame, center sill, weights where the brake gear should go, (sub)side sills, and bolsters.  That was overlaid with styrene side sills, deck, bulkheads, etc.  It didn't warp, and is nice and heavy.  That was 1996, and was still based on the QC ads.

This car is the fifth version, and the first with real prototype data, using online photos.  It also uses an Intermountain flatcar, rather than scratchbuilding one.  The deck isn't quite right, as the prototype boards came all the way out to the edge, while IM's car has them stopping at the side sill, with a trough between the stake pockets.  But overall it looks better than what I could build, and is guaranteed to run right. 

The bulkheads are styrene, with Gold Medal Models ladders and most grabs, and a few wire grabs where they had to be longer.  Ever try to dill a hole in a 0.03 inch wide piece of styrene, glued to the edge of another 0.01 inch piece, and glue a wire into it, without damaging the 0.01 inch piece, or having the wire stick out the back?  Interesting, to say the least, although real modelers do it all the time.  Max Magliaro could probably do it with his eyes closed. 

The bulkhead facing is Paper Creek Models "unpainted wood flooring", two pieces, with cardstock between them, to get the right thickness.  Real wood on my last car never looked quite right, as the grain was too coarse, and painting styrene also just doesn't look right to me, although it looks fine for the deck.  Bulkheads don't get the wear that the floor does, and the boards stay neater.  The edges had to be colored, so I used artist's pencils, which had an odd result.  In person, it doesn't show, but outside, in a photo, the ends of some of the boards look like they were painted the body color.  Oh well.


I took four pictures, and none would focus quite right.  I suspect that I couldn't hold quite still enough, with a moderate breeze blowing.

Edited:  Here's a clearer picture, from another angle:

[pjm20]

With all the down time from now going to work twice a week, I finally got this project done:



Materials were about $8 and it took only a few hours to make.

[Lenny53]

Forget Corona!

Forget Bacardi [ Guests cannot view attachments ]

[Rossford Yard]

Went in to maybe lay down some scenery, ended up checking the DCC address and clearing old consist numbers for a number of locomotives.  It was nice to see them run again, and get them off the shelf.

[C855B]

My corona project, when not working on the layout:



Horn is not my pro instrument (tuba and oboe are), but my wife likes it a lot. My horn "chops" were more than a little rusty, so I thought I would use the forced time off from performance commitments to refresh skills on not-my-usual. Next on the list is clarinet, something I was never all that polished on, but one of my directors asked for help to backup that section when the schedule resumes.

[Philip H]

@ C855B - we now expect to be serenaded at the next virtual beer call.

Speaking of which while on said call I wrangled out the metal wheel sets and installed about 6 car's worth between sips.

[chicken45]

And I'm a few days late for this one, but I made an N Scale Saint Patrick and his little Leprechaun sidekick! 


https://i.imgur.com/CzD9XA4.jpg

THIS IS THE WAY.

[chicken45]

My corona project, when not working on the layout:



Horn is not my pro instrument (tuba and oboe are), but my wife likes it a lot. My horn "chops" were more than a little rusty, so I thought I would use the forced time off from performance commitments to refresh skills on not-my-usual. Next on the list is clarinet, something I was never all that polished on, but one of my directors asked for help to backup that section when the schedule resumes.

Tuba and oboe...interesting combination. I can't imagine how you double reeds do it. Don't many pros eventually start making their own reeds?

[C855B]

Tuba and oboe...interesting combination. I can't imagine how you double reeds do it. Don't many pros eventually start making their own reeds?

It's not just those, but they're the two instruments I sometimes get paid to play. Oh, and bassoon, too, forgetting about my new woodwind quintet, whose first paying gig was cancelled due to the pandemic.

Since I double on so many other instruments I gave up carving reeds years ago; it just takes entirely too much time. Since I don't have to make a living at it and therefore have other resources to draw on, I'll gladly pay experienced, specialized reed makers for reeds to my specs. Besides, to really do a quality job on oboe reeds requires specialized tools. When I got back into serious double reeds 20 years ago I did the calculations and realized I could pay someone else for reeds for less money than I would ever recover from buying the tools... for the remainder of my life!    Take a look at this page of reed gougers to get an idea of the investment involved.

[delamaize]

Well, oNe Trak Modules have roadbeds and track now.
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A few observations about Micro Engineering Code 55....

First, Working with the flex track is difficult, but extremely satisfying once you get it to the place where you are happy with it. I am going to take the advice of several of you guys from the Video chat the other day, and get some sweep sticks. Overall. I'm happy with what I have so far.

On to the turnouts. I'm not impressed. Right out of the box, the overcenter spring was not placed correctly, and it was glued into the strait through position. the points were uneven, and, once I freed it up, The points were not shaped well, and didn't line up well when thrown. I had to do a ton of filing, and a ton of reshaping, to get it to work. The "hinge" Jointers were totally in the wrong position, and were too loose to keep everything aligned.
In the end, I had to do a ton of filing to both the running rail, and the moving rails. I also had to build a new switch rod out of PC board, because the original one broke in the process of disassembling. Overall, I'm not real happy with the turnout overall, Now after all my work, it's smooth, and I'm using it. But in the future, I'm going to get permission from the oNe Trak board of my club to use Atlas Code 55 turnouts from here on out.
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Overall, so far, I am happy with how the trackwork, and suck is going. I need to start working scenery out. I have some ideas, I just need to play with it.

Edit: Anyone have any insight in what slide switch to use for turnout control? Thats the route I'm going with this time. and I have no idea if I should get DPDT, or SPST, or throw Length.