Weekend Update 2/9/25

[altohorn25]

When I run these, I usually mix and match E units and F units since that's what the Milwaukee did most of the time.

Here's two photos of the six units ready for service.  This is after I weathered the spark arrestors a bit.  Since I took these photos, I installed a single spark arrestor on the trailing FP7.

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[Scottl]

@craigolio1 fantastic to see trains running at your place!  Looks like a great layout with some nice bridge scenes.  I especially like the cut in the wall for track to expand .

This week I printed out and finished to varying stages all three models of intermodal well cars that I had on my list.  I have commercial etches of the walkways and railings for these models.  From left are:  two 5-unit 40' Thrall sets, a 3-unit Trinity 53' set (with brass insert stabilizers), and 5 of 6 Thrall 40' stand alone cars.  I've mixed up a new batch of TTX yellow paint and will hit the paint shop this weekend.  My printed trucks are made out of ABS-like resin and work very well.  The only thing missing are metal wheel sets that are waiting to pick up from my mailbox in Montana.

Also in the picture are the weighted containers that will get these cars up to NMRA spec.  There is just no other practical way to bring the weight up short of going to some kind of cut metal floor.  But the cars seem to track well with the containers so I'm hoping this is going to work.

The 5-unit Thrall cars took less than 2 hours of design work, using components from the stand alone cars and the articulation components from the Trinity cars. 



I'm thinking my next project is going to be a Thrall 53' articulated set or some of the NSC 53' rebuilds.  Both designs will force me to move to printed walkways and railings, but I think they will look better than the etches.  I've had some success with the printed railings using the tougher ABS resin.

[Maletrain]

Sounds like a good idea but the operational range of rpms of those tiny motors are rather high requiring a multi-stage gear reduction, or the model would go into hyperspace! Ludicrous speed!
I suspect you were joking Steve. 

Yes, I was sort of joking.  And I probably should not have said "directly on the axels", because even the prototypes had gearing there.  But, even with gearing, I would wonder if T-scale motors could pull n scale trains without burning up.  Even the prototypes had to be careful how much current they would allow to their traction motors.

[dem34]

Worked on a small 3D printed micro diorama to brush up on scenery stuff before working on the layout again.

[nkalanaga]

Maletrain:  One T-scale motor might not pull an N scale train, but four or six probably would. 

I wouldn't try modeling a MILW Bi-Polar electric though, as it didn't have gears.  Those little motors probably would put it into orbit.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I had a huge triumph this week. On Friday I ran a train. Why is this such a big deal? I’ve been building N scale trains for 25 years and have never had an operational railroad in my house. On Friday that changed as I ran the first train around my train room. Still loads of work to do but this is a momentous occasion.

Here’s a video of a loop around the room.

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Craig.

Hell yeah buddy! Congrats!!

[Jesse6669]

This week I continued with more test prints of a Z Conrail N20, more tweaking.. Hopefully a "final" version with improved underbody details and slightly adjusted proportions is on the printer.  I had one printing last night, but due to some gunk/detrius in the resin the print failed...  I cleaned/filtered the resin.  I picked up an nFEP to replace the current standard FEP as well.   

I worked on some additional decals for the 52' gondolas.  Since I'm now in former SP territory and there's a group of Z scalers out here I had to do an SP version, plus a couple of Conrail patch jobs/one offs. 

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There's been some discussion recently about the Nn3 Showcase Miniatures powered truck.  I picked one up and was contemplating what I can do with it in Z scale.  It just so happens that it has the correct axle spacing for a B&O C-16.  Checking the dimensions of the prototype against the unit, it will fit, so I have started drawing up the model to see if I can pull off a 3D printed Little Joe in Z.  The rods and valve gear will be a treat--probably have to use etched or gear cannibalized from another model. 




 

[ednadolski]

This week I printed out and finished to varying stages all three models of intermodal well cars that I had on my list.  I

Impressive!  Did you develop your own CAD files for these?

Ed

[NtheBasement]

I had a huge triumph this week. On Friday I ran a train. Why is this such a big deal? I’ve been building N scale trains for 25 years and have never had an operational railroad in my house. On Friday that changed as I ran the first train around my train room. Still loads of work to do but this is a momentous occasion.

Congrats!  First go-around is a real "golden spike" moment.  Write the event and the date somewhere on your benchwork; it won't seem like a strange thing to do in 10 years.

[brokemoto]

I am trying to add a variety of trains to my schedule.  One is a scrap train.  I was going through my boxes of flat and gondola loads when I found several of the thing on the left.



Crushed junk cars do not look like that, so I had to paint the loads then add dirt and rust, as on the right.

You are not going to haul crushed junk cars in gondolas in perfect shape with shiny paint jobs.  i decided that my first two would look really trashy.  Most of the subsequent gondolas will be less trashy.  I am still trying to get the hang of putting dents into the steel gondolas using a soldering iron on very low power.  The dents on the Rio Grande gondola do not show up well in the photographs taken with a telephone.  I did slip once on the black one and went through the side.  A little putty, paint and a letter covered up that.  in fact, the letter was from and old set and semi-discombobulated, which was ideal.

[Scottl]

Impressive!  Did you develop your own CAD files for these?

Ed

Yes, all originals on Tinkercad.

[packers#1]

I spent this week and weekend getting all the feeders wired and track put down for my revamped plan. I still need to connect the bus fully and run some ops sessions, but I think overall this plan is going to stay as is (there will eventually be another shelf with a couple industries and then a modular interchange yard as space in this room becomes available to me). I also installed Scale Sound Systems speakers in my Atlas GP40-2W and B23-7, along with a KA2 in the B23-7 as well (I had already put one in the GP40-2W).

First here’s the right end of the layout. The next shelf will eventually go off the right end of the track; currently I’ve got enough room for a locomotive to switch tracks. The cars in the background are on what is currently the box plant spur. Eventually that will become a lumberyard and the box plant will be on the next shelf, along with either a concrete plant or fertilizer dealer. I’ll be putting a piece of foam at the corner there to add a bit of real estate in front of that track and smooth the flow of the benchwork out.



Next is the middle to the left. The boxcar is off-spot, while the two plastics hoppers are in the transload. The local is coming back from interchange, which you can see the short staging track behind it. Eventually that will just be a switching lead when the next shelf gets put in. This is based off my hometown of Aiken, which has a similar junction set-up; I’ve just swapped the transload track and the main to interchange track here. Overall should be fun to operate.



And a close up here on the transload and interchange lead. I’ll be coming up with some sort of solution for how close that track wound up to the edge, likely some sort of scenery extension of the benchwork in front of it.

[SP-Wolf]

Making slow and steady progress on my EMD Model 40 project (N Scale)




Thanks,
Wolf

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I'm one for three of not blowing up decoders this week.

Luckily it's the one that is out of warranty.

[wm3798]

Started reworking the yard area.  The upper yard had been attached to the lower yard, which is set up as a TTRAK modular design.


I've separated them, and will hang the upper yard on some shelf brackets so I can pull out the TTRAK yard for those occasions when it needs to be portable.

Lee