Weekend Update 9/20/20

[davefoxx]

I did some maintenance work this weekend by building a track cleaning car with a piece of Masonite pad and two brads.  I used Pliobond to glue the nail heads to the pad.  Unfortunately, the metal weight ran the length of the car, so I had to use a power drill to make the holes through the floor.  Nothing ground-breaking here, except that I added a piece of scrap cork roadbed to keep the pad from falling out when the car is lifted from the rails.



Once the shell is back on, the pad is not that visible, due to my choice of a cheap, low-riding box car . . .



and it works, judging by the streaks left by dragging the car through the straight and curved sections of track on my roundy-round.



DFF

[davefoxx]

Oh, and that cleaning car is really working.  So, today JFRTM equals JFCTM (just freakin’ cleaning track, man).   

DFF

[nickelplate759]

Finally got to work on power for the Golden State - SP 6000 E7A-B-B.
Rather than buy the ready-made BLI units I am doing up a set of old PCM units - mostly because I already have them.  I thought it would just be a simple paint job, but nope!

I started a build thread here:  https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=50531.0

[dem34]

And one Sinclair antenna and some light weathering later I'm calling it done... For now




Big thanks to ed for the decals and Lemosteam for the Horn design.

[davefoxx]

Take my eyes off of the trestle for just five minutes, while I was focusing on track cleaning this afternoon, and . . . damn kudzu.



DFF

[wm3798]

@davefoxx I recommend you put a weight on top of that piece of cork to apply a bit of pressure to the pad.  It'll be more effect that way.  Either that or put a pen spring between the cork pad and the roof of the car.  Just a little something to give some down force to the pad.

Maybe in HO you've got enough mass there to drag around, but the extra weight makes my N scale cleaner car work a whole lot better.
Lee

[davefoxx]

@wm3798,

I considered some weight, but I haven’t scrounged around in my tool box yet for the stick-on kind.  I must say the pen spring is a fascinating idea.  I’ll have to make sure the holes in the floor are not too big, though.  In the meantime, the pad did a pretty good job today without any additional force.  Most importantly, no derailments!

DFF

[mu26aeh]

Took a break from the insanity of daily life and attended an ops session last night.  First time out for LTEX 1414 and 1452.  As the regular who takes the classification yard was absent, I jumped at the opportunity to see how they ran.  1452 has a LokSound V5 decoder with a Decoder Buddy with 12 light functions available, so I have front and rear headlights and ditchlights.  I was able to get the sound file installed but have yet to jump into the functions/mapping portion until I get a little more explanation how the pads on the DB equate to the functions etc.  1414 just has a Digitrax sound bug in it for now.  Testing in my basement it was plenty loud, but amongst people walking/talking, trains running, you can't hear anything from it, but the LS provided more than enough volume for the pair.  Seen here pulling a cut up the classification lead and later taking a break before more trains arrived in the A/D yard.  Good time was had by all.  Can't wait to get the full potential out of this decoder setup and then repeat it in 1414.

[Mike Madonna]

Union Station Products makes the correct sides.  I think I can get another Des Plaines kit and use it as a core kit for the Union Station Products sides.

https://unionstationproducts.com/-7452-sp-ps-fluted-side-3-car-articulated-lounge-kitchen-dorm-diner.html

Gentleman,
Roberto Martari (M&R Sides) also made these as well....

[Joetrain59]

Haasmarc, Hay Bros. make N cab signal boxes, in a variety of colors too.
 Joe D

[dnhouston]

@dnhouston - nice pipes. As I have some similar piping in my future would you mind sharing your shopping list.

@Philip H - Here's the shopping list:
the pipes are evergreen 0.030" rod https://evergreenscalemodels.com/collections/14-polystyrene-rod

The pipefittings came from Rusty Stumps https://www.rustystumps.com/pipefittings.php
90 Degrees - part # p41 - for 1/32" rod
T's - part # p42 - for 1/32" rod
Globe Valves - part # p47 - for 1/32" rod

(or if you want to go a little bigger, get the 0.040 rod and the pipefittings for 3/64")
 
The centrifugal pumps came from Shapeways (style #2 size #1) https://www.shapeways.com/product/XLFPCTSWF/centrifugal-pump-2-size-1-6pc?productConfiguration=55920498&etId=195738045&utm_source=automated-contact&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=order-shipped&utm_content=2

[SP-Wolf]

Gentleman,
Roberto Martari (M&R Sides) also made these as well....

Yes, he sure did.
Hopefully, he starts up again.

Here is my work in progress. Since this photo, it is now painted.



Thanks,
Wolf

[haasmarc]

Haasmarc, Hay Bros. make N cab signal boxes, in a variety of colors too.
 Joe D

Thanks Joe, I didn't know they made signal boxes.

@dem34 and Ed - are your signal boxes from Hay Bros?

[dem34]

Thanks Joe, I didn't know they made signal boxes.

@dem34 and Ed - are your signal boxes from Hay Bros?

Mine are from Wutter Vehicles on Shapeways.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Thanks Joe, I didn't know they made signal boxes.

@dem34 and Ed - are your signal boxes from Hay Bros?

Yep. I think the ones you see here are Hay Bros. I'm very happy with them.

I also still have a stash of Sunrise ones and a bunch that @Lemosteam did and that came with my SD40-2 kits.

They're all good options.

I think there's another option out there too: JNJ maybe?