Tehachapi, BC

[jagged ben]

I think the horizontal fascia looks great as is.

[GaryHinshaw]

When Ed agreed to come for the session, I begged him tp bring some of his detailed & weathered equipment along for show & tell, and he did! 

Here are a few roster shots without comment.  The photography and setting (mine) are mediocre, but the models (his) are stellar!











(The HS boxcar in the last shot is by @tom mann, but it is a worthy companion to Ed's work.)  After these shots were in the can, we ran 4710 around the layout with these cars in tow.  I hope Ed can come back when some of these scenes are more finished! 

Exiting Tunnel 15:



Starting to descend the Loop:



And traversing the crossing of Tehachapi Creek just below the Loop:



Thanks again to Ed for making the trip and bringing a sample of his wares. 

[peteski]

Here are a few roster shots without comment.  The photography and setting (mine) are mediocre, but the models (his) are stellar!



(The HS boxcar in the last shot is by @tom mann, but it is a worthy companion to Ed's work.)  After these shots were in the can, we ran 4710 around the layout with these cars in tow.  I hope Ed can come back when some of these scenes are more finished! 

I think your photos are quite nice. They look very realistic, and look like they were taken on an overcast day.  And I still find your ballasting stellar!

[peteski]

Gary,
Seeing this photo reminded me of another thing I was going to mention:  Tim's DCC article in the latest N-Scale magazine was about DCC bus and attaching track feeders.  He had photos showing examples of feeders soldered to the bus wire.  One photo showed a good solder joint where the solder wetted the wire properly.



Then, later in that article, when he was showing examples of longer feeder wires, he used a photo of your layout.  But if you look closely, these look like very poor solder joints.



Looks like the solder was barely smeared over the wire.   Not something I would expect seeing under your layout.      When I saw that tunnel #15 photo here, I recognized those feeder wires. 

[ednadolski]

Many thanks to @GaryHinshaw for a great ops session on a tremendous layout!   Here's an additional pair of quick & cheesy cellphone videos  (taken when I didn't have a throttle in my hands )

Ed

[GaryHinshaw]

Thanks for posting @ednadolski - not a slinky moment to be found anywhere .  Like I said above, I hope you'll come back when the scenes are more worthy.

@peteski,  you're correct, some of those joints look poor (12 ga wire makes for a substantial heat sink), but they are in fact quite reliable.  And much better than the 100 or more joints on the lower deck that still need to be soldered!

[ednadolski]

not a slinky moment to be found anywhere

Yes, those cars are all LEZ equipped.   BTW, @GaryHinshaw what is the longest all-LEZ train that you've run to date?

Ed

[MK]

What's LEZ equipped?  This spring on the axle to ******** the slinky effect?

[peteski]

@peteski,  you're correct, some of those joints look poor (12 ga wire makes for a substantial heat sink), but they are in fact quite reliable.  And much better than the 100 or more joints on the lower deck that still need to be soldered!

I would have found a higher wattage solderer iron with larger thermal capacity and a large tip (and used ample amount of soldering flux), but if you find those solder joints reliable, then that is all that counts.

[Jbub]

What's LEZ equipped?  This spring on the axle to ******** the slinky effect?

Lee English 'Z' coupler.

[ednadolski]

I would have found a higher wattage solderer iron with larger thermal capacity and a large tip ...

[peteski]

Perfect! 

[GaryHinshaw]

LOL Ed.  @peteski, I have a Weller gun for these joints (100W & 140W, IIRC), but I probably need to replace the tip before I start on the lower deck joints.  I'm not at all worried about the upper deck joints though.  They've been trouble free for a few years now.  And if they do start to fail, I'll fix them. 

Yes, those cars are all LEZ equipped.   BTW, @GaryHinshaw what is the longest all-LEZ train that you've run to date?

I think the longest all-LEZ train I've run is ~25 cars, with no trouble whatsoever.  I have also run ~45 car trains with several LEZ-equipped cars at the head end, also with no trouble.  I really love these couplers and pockets!   (@MK, here is some more info about them.)

[peteski]

LOL Ed.  @peteski, I have a Weller gun for these joints (100W & 140W, IIRC), but I probably need to replace the tip before I start on the lower deck joints.  I'm not at all worried about the upper deck joints though.  They've been trouble free for a few years now.  And if they do start to fail, I'll fix them. 

If you mean one of those old-fashion soldering guns, in my experience those (even though they have high power rating) do not have thermal capacity to quickly heat up heavy copper wire. The hot tip on those is rather on the small side.



A pencil-type iron (like Ed mentioned, but not quite as large) is much better for soldering heavy gauge wire. And using flux is also very helpful.  Personally I would rather do it right the first time (when all the wiring is still exposed and easily accessible), but this is not my layout. YOu have your reasons and I was just ramming a "helpful hint" down your throat (as I usually do).  Carry on! 

[GaryHinshaw]

@peteski, please feel free to recommend a specific pencil-type model that would be suitable for 12 ga.