Weekend Update 2/26/23

[peteski]

The best part... the pervious photos were a print from this morning. After a few tweaks I now have all the gearing figured out and even figured out how to do the pick-ups. All this was about 5 prints throughout the day to get it just right. This is the latest print from tonight.

Yeah, that is pretty darn awesome Chris.  You scare me - I would expect this type of electric pickup design from Kato engineers (and this is a highest level compliment).  Simplicity of the design, along with functionality.  The only thing I could think to slightly improve it would be to have some sort of springy contact with the axle, so the electrical  contact is kept even if the wheel is not solidly against the metal rod (as when a 4-wheel vehicle traveling on slightly uneven track where the axle might not always be right up touchign the wire).  But I don't see any easy way to do this. Maybe adding a tiny spring between the wire and axle?

How did you do  the gearing? Used an axle tube with integral gear from some N scale truck with small diameter wheels (like the RDC maybe)?

BTW, did you turn down the flanges on those Kato spoked wheels?  They look nice and low.

[nkalanaga]

For a spring contact, maybe phosphor-bronze wire, and drop the wire down a little below the top of the slot?  That way the weight of the car would keep the axle against the top of the slot, and the wire, most of the time, and the wire could follow the axle down through dips.

[Chris333]

Well I did copy Kato. Those wheels are from a Kato C12 2-6-2T. On the Kato model all 10 wheels pick up power. The pilot and trailing trucks snap into the frame just like a Mikado tender drawbar snaps into the loco frame with PB contacts imbedded. On the latest drawing (not printed yet) I give the recess over the axle a slight angle so it can spring up, but as it is drawn there is only like 0.0025" of the contact hanging down into the axle hole. And the axles snap into place. I dunno if it even works yet.

In the rear I replaced the axle muff with a geared muff from a Kato 11-105 chassis. Also used the worm from Kato. Then a 41 tooth 0.2 mod spur, a 22 tooth spur (to space the motor far enough away from the worm), and a 11 tooth pinion on a 7x17ish coreless motor. The gearing is just about the same as I did here:
 

[MK]

Beautiful work Chris!

While not modeling related, my girlfriend gave me something I think is extremely cool. She had this large blanket made from a photo I took of my SW1 models on a module outdoors.

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Here’s the original photo:

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Who says you can't sleep with your trains?   

[peteski]

Well I did copy Kato. Those wheels are from a Kato C12 2-6-2T. On the Kato model all 10 wheels pick up power. The pilot and trailing trucks snap into the frame just like a Mikado tender drawbar snaps into the loco frame with PB contacts imbedded. On the latest drawing (not printed yet) I give the recess over the axle a slight angle so it can spring up, but as it is drawn there is only like 0.0025" of the contact hanging down into the axle hole. And the axles snap into place. I dunno if it even works yet.

In the rear I replaced the axle muff with a geared muff from a Kato 11-105 chassis. Also used the worm from Kato. Then a 41 tooth 0.2 mod spur, a 22 tooth spur (to space the motor far enough away from the worm), and a 11 tooth pinion on a 7x17ish coreless motor.

Fun stuff Chris!  Your scratchbuilding efforts using CAD are amazing!
I do remember those wheels, as I discussed them with you. Since they are all metal (sans the muff), they are prefect for picking up power (as Kato intended).

[SAH]

Who says you can't sleep with your trains?   

Not merely a blanket.  It is a work of art. Tapestry might de a better description.   
The base photo is pretty darn good too to Jim.

Steve Holzheimer

[Jim Starbuck]

Not merely a blanket.  It is a work of art. Tapestry might de a better description.   
The base photo is pretty darn good too to Jim.

Steve Holzheimer

Thank you Steve!

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Beautiful work Chris!

While not modeling related, my girlfriend gave me something I think is extremely cool. She had this large blanket made from a photo I took of my SW1 models on a module outdoors.

(Attachment Link)

Here’s the original photo:

(Attachment Link)

That's awesome, I love it!

[Ed Kapuscinski]

The best part... the pervious photos were a print from this morning. After a few tweaks I now have all the gearing figured out and even figured out how to do the pick-ups. All this was about 5 prints throughout the day to get it just right. This is the latest print from tonight.

Fun fact about the M-3 that you might want to replicate: it only has ONE reverse gear. So we made great time heading out, but it was sloooow going coming back.

Apparently there was a trailer that went with it that had a turntable that they'd use to turn it around. It apparently still exists (sans turntable though). That might be a fun trailer to add if you need more power pickup.

Speaking of going in reverse with it.

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[Chris333]

I've seen railcars with a central jack that would come down in the center to touch the rails and lift the wheels. Then they would just spin the car around the other way.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I've had a few irons in the fire. The first is a major project, and big pain in the a$$ (as I'm climbing up the learning curve): installing the next revision of the backdrop.

It's worth it though. At least I keep telling myself that....



More details: https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=51537.msg764000#msg764000

I also have been making progress on another project. Allen's passing and the recent press coverage has made me want some more V&O equipment. I cruised around Timonium looking for a good candidate a few weeks ago and found the perfect thing: an old MTL CLC  bulkhead. Add some K4 decals and... voila!



But if ONLY it were that easy. Those MTL cars are high riders, so you're seeing $20 worth of upgrades on a $10 car, lol. BLMA trucks, new body mounted couplers, an MTL printed deck, and then some work to lower the frame even more. These MTL decks are cool but are really only a good starting point: you've gotta do some work to blend them in well if you want the best results. It's been a fun project so far though! Now to find the V&O industry list so I can figure out if it should be carrying lumber, wallboard, plate steel, or something else.

[altohorn25]

I pulled my "modern" 1970's Milwaukee Road equipment out of their storage boxes this morning to get them tuned up for a show at the end of March.

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[TrainCat2]

Motle's New Sewing Machine has arrived.

Rabbi, is there a blessing for a 3D Printer ??

[Dayliner]

Craig---those Malahat pictures really take me back.  I loved hiking up to Niagara on a Sunday afternoon and waiting for the Dayliner to come down from Courtenay.  Here's a picture I took on one of those afternoons.


Tim--good progress at Sundance!

Altohorn--love the Milwaukee Road power.  If I wasn't modeling the CPR, I probably would have gone with the Milwaukee.  It was my "hometown" US road, with a line into Port Angeles WA, just across the water from Victoria.

On my own layout, I made good progress this week towards completing the wiring for Lake Cowichan.  I have extended both the track and auxiliary bus from the wiring board under east Lake Cowichan, connecting the last feeder wire to the track bus.  Here the new connections are in place, running from the junction box through new holes drilled to allow passage to the area under Lake Cowichan proper.


This is how it terminates on the other side.  Once the Lake Cowichan wiring is complete, all I have to do is install the track board  and made the bus connections here.  The hole on the left is the former passage hole for the track bus.


Then I ran the auxiliary bus back to the power supply which is mounted under the layout with the track power supply and command station.  The buses are now completely independent of each other and everything is working well.


The next step is assembly and installation of the switch machines, and then the project is complete operationally (but not aesthetically).

[Scottl]

That Malahat picture is fantastic @Dayliner

This week I finished my wiring and turnout controls and advanced my base scenery.