Weekend Update 2/23/25

[Roger Holmes]

It's hard to see but I did use diamond tread styrene on the bridge deck.  I tried an India ink wash but it was uneven so I re-sprayed it.  It is cool to look through the grate to the water below.  The day I took the photos I was taking one from the sidewalk to show the gap between the  bridge spans.  I had one foot on each side when a large truck went over and had to grab the hand rail because the bridge bounced up and down so much. 

Interesting fact: the bridges open so that sailboats can pass. On very hot days the leaves expand when open and sometimes won't close because of thier increased length.  Chicago FD  is called to  shoot water on the leaves to shrink them back to size.

[C855B]

GP30s in Afton Canyon

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Yes, if you look closely you'll see the fuel tank on the lead unit is slightly askew. I've been playing with tungsten and lead in the GP30 tanks where the speaker in sound-equipped versions would go, and the lead slab is a few thousandths too thick. I'll put it back on the bench tomorrow to tweak. The combination adds 0.35 ounces, which really helps. The train behind the trio is about 40 cars of mixed heritage, and the trio of ScaleTrains 30s walked up a 2% grade with no strain.

Also solved the coupler problem mentioned in the product thread - a 3D-printed coupler box. I essentially duplicated the box half of the stock coupler, but the guts are for MTL True Scale Couplers. Works great.

[SD452XR]

What size of lead sheet would you recommend for this? I want to add some weight to mine as well.

GP30s in Afton Canyon

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Yes, if you look closely you'll see the fuel tank on the lead unit is slightly askew. I've been playing with tungsten and lead in the GP30 tanks where the speaker in sound-equipped versions would go, and the lead slab is a few thousandths too thick. I'll put it back on the bench tomorrow to tweak. The combination adds 0.35 ounces, which really helps. The train behind the trio is about 40 cars of mixed heritage, and the trio of ScaleTrains 30s walked up a 2% grade with no strain.

Also solved the coupler problem mentioned in the product thread - a 3D-printed coupler box. I essentially duplicated the box half of the stock coupler, but the guts are for MTL True Scale Couplers. Works great.

[C855B]

What size of lead sheet would you recommend for this? I want to add some weight to mine as well.

I used 1/16" and 1/32" to fill the space. The online vendor I used (https://www.rotometals.com) carries a 3/32" sheet, but that would have required sawing. (Lead sawdust? Nope. Nope nope nope.) 1/16" was about the limit of the light shears I was using.

The solution I homed into was tungsten cubes recommended by @sizemore (https://www.ebay.com/str/txchemisttungsten?_trksid=p4429486.m3561.l170197) topped by a nominal 1/16" thick slab of lead. It's too precise of a fit - if you don't flatten the lead perfectly it sits slightly proud in the space. Fixing it is today's task.

[peteski]

I used 1/16" and 1/32" to fill the space. The online vendor I used (https://www.rotometals.com) carries a 3/32" sheet, but that would have required sawing. (Lead sawdust? Nope. Nope nope nope.) 1/16" was about the limit of the light shears I was using.

Sawdust? Lead is such a soft metal that sawing or filing it results not in dust but in rather large size shavings which are easy to clean up. Even if there were some small particles generated, they would be so dense that they would drop right down to your workbench. If you're really worried, you could wear gloves and a mask. Like we did at the beginning of the COVID pandemic.

To me the fears of lead seem way exaggerated.  For goodness sake, I played with unpainted lead solders as a kid (and likely put them in my mouth) and handled lots of locomotive weights and frames back when it was used for those purposes.   I'm still ok  (hmm, or maybe I'm not?)  I have this uncontrollable twitch and urge to chew on lead foil. 

[C855B]

Sawdust? Lead is such a soft metal that sawing or filing it results not in dust but in rather large size shavings which are easy to clean up. ...

Beg to differ. Wearing gloves, I did file a little on the lead for final shaping and leveling, and was surprised by the pile of lead dust it left on the bench. It may well be malleable, etc., but it still results in a powder when you saw or abrade. Like everybody else, my bench is a mess, and there's a non-zero probability of a snack being set down on the surface mindlessly.

No, lead is not quick-acting, but it is nonetheless a cumulative poison. The first 1/4 of my career was supervising hot-metal typesetting operations, and waddayaknow, our primary working medium was lead. I know firsthand that them Linotype operators be crazy. 

[garethashenden]

You can also cut lead sheet with a utility knife.

[altohorn25]

I took one of the old Atlas torpedo tube GP9's and mounted it on one of the new sound equipped mechanisms.

While I was doing it, I replaced the herald on the side of the cab with a micro scale decals.  The factor herald had a strange tilt to it and the lettering didn't look right.  Problem solved.

I also added a 3D printed winterization hatch on the roof (thanks to my buddy Jim).

Weathered it and it's ready for service.  I'm really impressed with the sounds on this unit.

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[timwatson]

I've always wanted a version of the Franklin and South Manchester's - Watsons Salvage building.
Well I made a 3d version of it.


FSM Watsons Salvage


My 3d version

[altohorn25]

I also continued my work on the sleepers for my Milwaukee Road Pioneer Limited.

Two 16-4 duplex sleepers and an 8-6-4 duplex sleeper.

Union Station Products sides on a combination of Union Station and American Limited core kits.

American Limited trucks with Kato wheelsets.

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[peteski]

Beg to differ. Wearing gloves, I did file a little on the lead for final shaping and leveling, and was surprised by the pile of lead dust it left on the bench. It may well be malleable, etc., but it still results in a powder when you saw or abrade. Like everybody else, my bench is a mess, and there's a non-zero probability of a snack being set down on the surface mindlessly.

No, lead is not quick-acting, but it is nonetheless a cumulative poison. The first 1/4 of my career was supervising hot-metal typesetting operations, and waddayaknow, our primary working medium was lead. I know firsthand that them Linotype operators be crazy. 

If the filings are small, even if they were as fine as talcum powder (which they do not appear to be, their mass will likely prevent them from remaining airborne. And as I mentioned, if you're worried, you could wear a mask.

[jpwisc]

The first building in the Pueblo Union station complex is done. Now to get it installed on the layout! There are lights in each of the loading docks that will get wired in on the layout too
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[chessie system fan]

Finished!

[Sokramiketes]

Tired of your fragile supertrees breaking? Not fond of the unnatural branch angles?  Wish your trees followed Davinci’s proportions of trunk thickness to branch volume?

The future is here.

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Think of how great winter modeling just got too.

[davefoxx]

Finished up the construction portion of the wood chip loader by scratchbuilding some pulleys, stringing the cable, and hanging the hood that guides the blown chips into the hoppers.  I think this is ready for paint, but I need to decide on a color.  I’m considering silver, which would show some rust effects with the weathering.



More on The Carolina Sandhills Lines thread in the Layout Engineering forum.

DFF