Weekend Update 12/8/24

[craigolio1]

I’ve been working on a 3D printed Jordan spreader and it will have a lot of lighting. A four head light array on the roof, spot lights on the handrails, spot lights on the back of the cab roof, and walkway lighting under the canopy.

This week I built a constant lighting circuit, the canopy, canopy lighting, roof and handrail spot lights.

Here are the handrail spots. The handrail carries + and the - wire is concealed.












Craig.

[Pizzaparty]

40' Thrall well car version 5.  Three out of four prints the walkways are flawless but I will have to print the ladders and brake wheel separately.

This makes me want to get a 3d printer even more and learn more 3d modeling.

How well do these track? I assume you need to get some decent weight in a container

[robert3985]

Posting this here rather than layout build thread for a wider audience:

I'm finalizing as much as I can of my East Wayne yard. Not sure if I should use Atlas #5 or #7 turnouts for the yard ladder (already decided not to hand-lay turnouts).

In general, I tend towards the largest frog I can manage, but in this case I loose a fair amount of yard tracks - pretty much 6"-to-9" on each track.
Here's a comparison in SCARM (#7 on the left, #5 on the right) - thoughts appreciated.

(Attachment Link)

@nickelplate759 - Although the #5's give you more yard capacity, be warned that Atlas55 "#5" turnouts are incorrectly proportioned and are actually about a #4.3 turnout.  They are also notorious for derailing cars and engines either because of their much tighter diverging track radius (opposed to a true #5) or because of other problems. 

From looking at your SCARM plan, it appears to me that your yard ladder on the upper portion could use some optimizing to make for longer yard tracks, particularly on the lead-in trackage in that area.  To optimize a more conventional yard ladder in that area, you'll need about 28" of straight track for five yard tracks...that would be with true #6 turnouts...available from Micro Engineering or Peco55...which are proportioned correctly.

For both ends of the yard, and if you're staying away from the POS Atlas55 "#5" turnouts (which you should), and you really want smooth functioning true #5 turnouts to really optimize your yard capacity, I'd find an experienced person who hand-lays N-scale PCB turnouts with an excellent reputation, to make your yard ladders for you. It will be worth the effort and expense, because the last thing you want, especially in a functioning yard, are unreliable turnouts.  I would specify that they have PCB headblocks with an extra tie on either side of the two long headblock ties to reinforce the stock rails at the throwbar, and to use 96/4 Tin/Silver, Silver-bearing solder in construction...not cored electronics solder.

I think that with some time spent on SCARM and rearranging your yard lead-ins, and maybe curving your yard trackage, you can get a high enough volume yard by using #6's instead of Atlas #5's with their known badness.  ME Code55 #6's are not so easy to find nowadays, and are demanding a premium price...so maybe Peco55 Unifrog #6's would fit the bill, although you could use ME's with no fiddly adapting that the Peco turnouts will require.

I would also highly recommend going with ME Code55 flex rather than Atlas55 too.  I've had problems with the loose, floppy rail in Atlas55 in the past on customer's layouts and modules, as well as the known problem of flange clearance Atlas55 track has.  ME flex is stiffer and has much smaller spikehead details that actually look like spikeheads rather than the big blobs that Atlas55 has, and comes in 36" sticks rather than 30" sticks for fewer joints.

Anyway, have fun!

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

[peteski]

I’ve been working on a 3D printed Jordan spreader and it will have a lot of lighting. A four head light array on the roof, spot lights on the handrails, spot lights on the back of the cab roof, and walkway lighting under the canopy.

This week I built a constant lighting circuit, the canopy, canopy lighting, roof and handrail spot lights.

Very nice Craig! You even have a home-brewed PC board, Neat. But I wonder why you keep using those barrel resistors with leads? If you used some SMD resistors instead, you could make the circuit even more compact.

[crrcoal]

That's sick!

(Attachment Link)

[Scottl]

This makes me want to get a 3d printer even more and learn more 3d modeling.

How well do these track? I assume you need to get some decent weight in a container

I have not gotten to that stage yet, but I hope they will run smoothly.  The lower container will need added weight for sure as these weigh almost nothing.

[Mark5]

This makes me want to get a 3d printer even more and learn more 3d modeling.

I am considering the 3d print thing, but want to fully assess the chemical exposure aspect.

Even if if I don't do the printing myself, I will likely get into the 3d design aspect at some point.

[chuck geiger]

These decals were sent to me from John who got them from TivoPrince. Finally, HATS are repped.

[trainforfun]

These decals were sent to me from John who got them from TivoPrince. Finally, HATS are repped.

RIP my friend TiVo

[John]

These decals were sent to me from John who got them from TivoPrince. Finally, HATS are repped.

Thanks for posting this -- a fitting memory of Tivo

[SAH]

Not sure if I should use Atlas #5 or #7 turnouts for the yard ladder (already decided not to hand-lay turnouts).

Don't shy away from the Atlas #5s.  The turnouts in the ladder shown below are all #5s.  Purchased used no less.  The ladder works flawlessly.  Same era car length as yours.  Good operation has more to do with car weight, coupler type and mounts, truck and wheel sets than #5 vs. #7.  Just my two cents, based on actual operating experience mind you.

[SAH]

Wanting a break from the General Tire build, I did a box car blitz of several languishing box car projects.  All are factory decorated.  Cars I felt reasonably confident I could color match got Plano roof running boards with extra detail.  The rest got thinned factory running boards.  All were lowered.  Nice to finish these off, many having laid around for a decade or more.  I'll weather them in batches as the mode strikes.  I now likely have enough 40 footers to service Goodyear Tire.

[bnsfdash8]

The weather was kind of crappy earlier in the week, cold, snowy, and windy, so I got a decent amount done while staying warm inside.

NS 2725 got DCC, reassembled, and final touches of weathering done. It's not perfect by any means but I think it reflects the prototypes who cares how it looks, it runs.







I also got the itch to fire up Inventor to get started on something I've been wanting to for while, NS' AC44C6Ms (rebuilt Dash 9s). I have a small stash of Kato C44-9W mechs that were supposed to be future NS builds but Scale Trains made that unnecessary with their models. I'm sure Scale Trains will announce the AC44C6M shortly. 




The plan is to use CSX AC44CW walkways from Kato, to get the correct wide handrails, with my printed hood and cab.

[jpwisc]

I’ve been working on a 3D printed Jordan spreader and it will have a lot of lighting. A four head light array on the roof, spot lights on the handrails, spot lights on the back of the cab roof, and walkway lighting under the canopy.

This week I built a constant lighting circuit, the canopy, canopy lighting, roof and handrail spot lights.

Here are the handrail spots. The handrail carries + and the - wire is concealed.


Craig.

Craig,

I am loving this! Would you mind drawing up a wiring diagram so I can try to replicate this?

[nkalanaga]

SAH:  Nice looking set of boxcars!

But, no MILW horizontal-ribbed car?  Those things were everywhere in the 40s and 50s, and common in the 60s and into the 70s.  It's good to see an SP&S car, but the MILW were much more numerous.