Weekend Update 1/25/26

[up1950s]

https://www.limitlesswalls.com/collections/murals/vehicles-trains?p=2

https://www.limitlesswalls.com/products/boxcars-railroad-ca-629181-wall-mural

https://in.pinterest.com/pin/1020135753104916773/

https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/14-oldest-southern-railway-passenger-car-gets-a-new-home-new-feet/

https://www.virginia.org/listing/interstate-101-car/4077/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/alcomike/48322665122

https://www.facebook.com/jacksontownship.historicalpreservation/posts/the-worlds-largest-lye-vat-was-located-at-the-twelfth-street-ejecting-shops-of-t/1280020187485418/

[packers#1]

My wife has a new job that she has to get up much earlier than me for, but I’ve been wanting to start my days earlier anyways. Case in point, I was able to get this Grover Park Hardware painted and assembled this week. I’ve got a few more things I’d like to do, specifically some paint touch-ups, probably add an awning to the front instead of the provided sign, and a little weathering and other details (I have a gas meter, definitely going to add a dumpster and some stuff in the entry. But overall this is probably the best job I’ve done yet building a structure, although I learned some points for the future. The biggest thing that let me down was the Walthers molding of the front window assemblies, one of the wing walls for the entry doors was super warped so I’ve broken it on purpose to try to piece it together. Definitely would give it a shot replacing some of those pieces with styrene bits next time. I also took some sandpaper and clouded up the rear windows to make them look dusty/frosted.



And then finally had evil bay line up to get my hands on an Intermountain U18B; this will eventually become one of the Pickens Railway U18’s, I’m just not sure which one. I bought an ESU 21 pin decoder and a decoder buddy and man did that make installation a breeze compared to the usual ESU boards I’ve used in the past. I didn’t yet hook up the ditch light LEDs since that will be part of the conversion to a Pickens U-boat but it’s going to be much easier than in the past; I also had plenty of room for a TCS KA-4 keep alive.

[Jim Starbuck]

I added passengers to the Mack railbus and took a short video.

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Another project in the works is this 45 ton two axle Whitcomb. A friend in the UK found the file on Thingyverse, another friend in Minnesota printed it and I’m finishing the model in Iowa. What a great hobby!
The print is on a Narrow Garage 12mm axle space turnback drive. I replaced the stock motor with a 6x15mm coreless and wheels were replaced with ESM 33”. The stock mech has an intermediate gear which the designer had running on an undersized machine screw for the axle which was sloppy and excessively noisy. I drilled out the threaded hole and pressed in a 1mm stainless shaft. It runs much better now.
I milled the printed coupler pads down lowering the sideframe so now the flanges of the mech are flush with the top of the coupler opening. I installed N-Possibles and the coupler screw doubles holding the chassis to the printed sideframe.
Next up is to install the  Lokpilot decoder and TCS keepalive

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[u18b]

Working on a CSX DASH-9.



I received one of the new Atlas CW40-8s this week.
 and started modifying.

I scratched off the numbers and added new numbers.
I also installed a MUCH larger exhaust stack.

I plan to post soon about how I did this.

[brokemoto]

A short time past, there was this vendor who was selling non-working B-mann Plymouth switchers for five dollars apiece.  I bought some.  As all axles are live, I considered it an ideal chassis for a dummy B unit that would be live.  This would improve the electricla contact.  The powered locomotive is one of the last made in Honk Kong.  It has only two axles live, so it would benefit from some contact help.  I did swap out the factory white geared axles for the black geared axles from the Chinese version.  It is a markéd improvement in runnability.  It just needed some electrical help.  Initially, I had it hardwired to a four wheel Kato JNR brakemans's van that I altered slightly to make it look like a North American industrial hack.

I chopped down the chassis, to accommodate the shell.  It has better pulling power when the powered unit pushes the dummy.  The pulling power is severely compromised.  It pulls far less than it did during initial tests.  It is good for three freight cars and a B-mann four wheel caboose on a 2,2% grade, alhtough it will slip then regain traction.  The powered unit would benefit from a traction tire as one axle is not live so there would be no compromise to existing electrical contact.  Sadly, I have neither the tools nor the skill to add one or to swap two tired wheels onto the axle.

The factory paint jon on the powered unit does not hold up well to handling, as most of the safety stripes are gone.

I learned the hard way that not all of the shells are the same.  i went ahead with it, anyhow.  The exhaust stack is a sprue that has been cut down and sanded.  The air tanks came from another bash that shattered in my hand because I used brake fluid to strip the shells.  The bell came from some guy on FeePay who sells details.  I did not put a horn on it as it would run indepeendently only in a yard under hostler controls, thus a bell would be sufficient.  Hardwiring inolved only screwing wires into the scres on the frame halves.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Even ScaleTrains engines need work... It's time to get my fleet of ST SD40-2s onto the layout. They needed a little work before deployment and this weekend I finally psyched myself up to do it.

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The first thing I had to do was add an antenna that was missing on one of them. Sadly ST didn't have any parts for me, but @sschaer 's etched beauties fit right in. While painting it I also hit the other ones with blue because, for some reason, ST thought they should be silver. They shouldn't be.

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Next up I used my favorite black Tamiya panel liner to darken the grills. It was nice that they did this already but I wanted them darker to match the rest of my fleet.

Then, before playing in the Dullcote rain I used some Tamiya flat black to paint the exposed brass pickups in the trucks. These are a thing you only really see if viewing the models at eye level, but my layout just so happens to be at eye level, so they had to get done.

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These are still, by far, the nicest N scale models I've ever held in my hands though.

[nickelplate759]

Not modelling - but got my spray booth working in the new layout room / shop.

Problem was the outside vent - the blower couldn't overcome the pressure from the door flaps.

So - I added a booster blower:


and jury-rigged a fixture (cardboard) to hold the door flaps open.


I've also been converting cars to body-mount Micro-Trains couplers, but that's not terribly photogenic.

[Scottl]

Finally moved into decalling mode with my printed well cars.  The first out in the wild are the Trinity 53' 3-unit, with N scale kits etched walkways, MT couplers, printed trucks and FVM wheels.  Decals from a few Microscale sets, Dave's Art graffiti and a few minor DYI.

[PiperguyUMD]

Working from home this weekend. It’ll be interesting to see what happens here in Upstate SC. It’s ok though, I have plenty of projects, a big stash of parts, and plenty of bourbon! Bring it on!

I chased the electrical gremlins in the Russian Decapod this morning before but the assembly, reassembly, test cycle destroyed the 4 pin connector. I don’t have another on hand, so this one will have to sit for a bit. Really frustrating this close to the finish line. I did make a few discoveries on other fronts, and that’s exciting!

I’ve been planning a few WM H9 2-8-0s for a while. I did one of these right at the beginning of the Shapeways era, but it hasn’t aged well and I want to see what I can do now that my skills have improved. Several sales ago I picked up 3 Hudson tender frames from Bachmann. They were expensive, even on sale, but - Commonwealth tender trucks with pickup, electronics, speaker, draw bars - lots of parts I need for the project. Once I got them in hand, I realized that the truck spacing was +/- 12” of my prototype. Awesome! I can use them as is, I just need to adapt my tender shell to fit.

Second, I picked up a used Econami equipped 2-8-0 and was very happy to find that the 6 pin connector on the connie is the same as on the Hudson tender frame AND the decoder from the 2-8-0 drops directly into the Hudson tender! This project is still very much in its infancy, but the running chassis is making laps complete with sound and lights! My most successful decoder install ever! Now I just need to stay focused and finish the Decapod... and Potomac!

[nickelplate759]

Well, I knocked off four more body-mount conversions since I posted earlier, so here's a photo:



These are all 30+ year-old MicroTrains cars - they say Kadee in the frames. The Rutland car is older (had the old ribbed-back wheels).  I converted them to body mount couplers and ESMC wheels.  Otherwise these are just as they came from Oregon.


Edit..

Also did two Precision Masters plug door ice reefers.

[Iain]

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Ready to do a test print of my N Baldwin A1A truck

[jpwisc]

Made some progress on my second snow dozer. This one is ready for weathering
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[PiperguyUMD]

(Attachment Link)

Ready to do a test print of my N Baldwin A1A truck

Oh this looks cool!! Original NS 6 axle baldwins in the red paint scheme 🔥

[arx nakanishi]

Let me share with you another cut from my N-scale Cisco, Utah diorama: dusk and night at Ethel's Cafe.
The Cafe had a short counter on the left and a pool table on the right.















Videos with trains are shown below.

Thanks for watching!

Hiroshi Nakanishi / Boxcar Red Collection
https://riogrande.blog.jp/

[chessie system fan]

I just got home from a road trip.  While passing through Waycross, GA, today, I couldn't resist taking detailed photos of this beauty.