Weekend Update 8/20/23

[dougnelson]

Progress on Palmer Union Station.  This is the east wall.  It is complete except for the windows layer on the inside.

[brokemoto]

The one pictured above is a MT car.

That one is an MT.  It actually still had its box.  Sadly, someone had opened the box so the factory air had escaped.  I am guessing that @nkalanaga was directing his remark more at my remark that I did have another TA&G box car but could not remember the brand.  I suspect that he was confirming my suspicion that it was a C-C.


Posted by: nkalanaga
« on: Yesterday at 04:51:07 PM »

   


The TAG boxcar is ConCor, from many years ago.

If you want your own G&D boxcar, K4 Decals has a set for them.  The N scale version will do several cars, if you want more than one.



Thank you for the update.  I had read about those decals but never did buy any.  That box car that I found was staring me in the face.  I did not have one, so I bought it.  I had suspected that my other TA&G car  was a C-C car but could not be sure.  Thank you for confirming my suspicions.

[Lemosteam]

The pickups and axles fit well. The bolster hole is a little loose. My post is slightly smaller than the Bachmann one and your trucks are slightly looser than theirs, I should be able to address that. But this is an older tender than what you designed the trucks against. You made them for the stand alone tenders and I haven’t check them on those. I have a couple and I’ll investigate how it is.

Let me know if you would like to recommended different diameter.  This was based om previous Bachmann swap truck designs.

[peteski]

Progress on Palmer Union Station.  This is the east wall.  It is complete except for the windows layer on the inside.

That is wick'd cool!  Those doors and hinges are the cat's meow!

[djconway]

Can't wait to see progress on the Palmer Station.  A friend (now passes) made the station in O scale it is impressive.  N scale should also have the mass necessary for a large structure.

Good luck on the ptoject.

[garethashenden]

Let me know if you would like to recommended different diameter.  This was based om previous Bachmann swap truck designs.

You're trucks are spot on for the tenders that Bachmann sold separately. I don't think any changes are needed.

[garethashenden]

Work on the tender continues. I shoehorned a Loksound Micro in there. A Nano would have been better, but this is what I had. It fit fine, but then I decided to add a Run-N-Smooth and things got tight. I will be wiring both front and rear lights, so I put a tiny piece of pcb on the tender body to connect three lengths of blue wire. One of the blue wires is actually purple, but I know that so its ok. The electronics will eventually be sealed in the tender and hardwired to the locomotive, maybe not the best idea, but I think I know what I'm doing.

[u18b]

We got a shop tour and WM #6 is finally completed, paperwork has been approved, and may be available for the fall foliage runs!

This is really exciting news for me.

[nkalanaga]

Wazzou and Brokemoto:  You're both right!

I'm breaking in a new computer and browser, and the pictures don't always show well.  I assumed that the one in the picture was the one of unknown origin.  A closer look makes it clear that it's a MT PS-1!

I have the old CC version, with new trucks, and it doesn't look bad.

[garethashenden]

One more update on the tender. I found a couple of pictures that showed the front of the tender, so I have made some changes. I've also wired in a rear light. This is on its one circuit board, something a friend of mine makes. I could have done this with just a prewired led and kept the resistor in the body of the tender, but I didn't think of that until right now. Should be easy enough to hide it under some coal anyway. Looking at the back of the tender the wheels are looking quite a bit like steam roller wheels, so I may need to replace them in the same manner as the pony truck.

[peteski]

Looking at the back of the tender the wheels are looking quite a bit like steam roller wheels, so I may need to replace them in the same manner as the pony truck.

Yes, Bachmann wheelsets are rather wide, and the tubular "muff" is also not very appealing.

But if you want to retain the electrical pickup using low-friction pointy axle ends, you have to keep some sort  of  axle muff.  You can't use the same method as you used on the pony truck.  The half-axles have to be electrically connected to their corresponding wheel, while being insulated from the opposite wheel.

Kato passenger  truck wheels are much netter looking (narrower tread, low flanges, and nicer wheel profile, but the muff is needed. They also scale to only around 34 inches.  But don't use the set of 4 passenger wheelsets wheels Kato sells separately.  Those I believe are the wheels Kato uses in their Japanese models. They are thicker and have deeper flanges than the wheels they use in Amercan cars..  If you buy complete passenger trucks from more recent sets (like 20th Century Ltd. or Olympian Hiawatha) those trucks have much nicer wheels. They'll cost a bit more, but you only need 4 wheelsets (2 trucks).

As I see it, the muffs can be replaced. I would take the wheelsets apart, then take a strip of typing paper and wrap couple of turns around each half axle to create an insulator. Then take a length (slightly shorted  than the original plastic muff) of thin-wall brass tubing which would fit snugly over the paper insulator. Once the wheelset gauge is adjusted, I would apply some thin CA to the ends of the tube, let it wick into the paper. Once hardened, the CA will keep the wheelset together.  This will make the axle thinner than the original muff.  Before assembling it all together make sure to adjust the overall axle length to match the original Bachmann wheelsets (I think they have different lengths).  That way they will roll smoothly in John's truck sideframes.

[nickelplate759]

Actually, I'd recommend using Kato's wheelsets for the Mikado tender, MHC2 car, and caboose:
 https://store.katousa.com/product/33in-wheelset-for-models-with-pickup-ability-n-scale/

[garethashenden]

I have more of the NWSL wheels, axle steel, and muffs. It will be fairly trivial to turn a cone on the end of the axle. No need to overcomplicate it. It will be very much like the pony truck, aside from the axle being pointy instead of flush. If I’m feeling ambitious there are ways to make the axle isolated without a big muff, but that would only be needed on the rearmost axle. We shall see. But I’m not going to be able to get to it for a couple of weeks.

[chuck geiger]

Who else hates this? Reminds me of Mr. Gilbert's 8th grade Electronics class at Hale Jr. High in San Diego in 1969.

[Cajonpassfan]

I do. My preferred method. Virtually invisible after balasting.
Otto K.