Killashandra - Irish Nn3

[Chris333]

This is a 2-6-0 with larger drivers than the 0-6-0, but you can see how the contact strip hangs over the top of the front and rear driver.

And I'm sure you know how the upper most part of the contact is V shaped and fits through the V slots in the clear plastic piece.


What are the locomotive plans for the Powermax?

I was just running mine around and went to order the new wheels for one unit. I thought the wheels were $30 a set, nope. $30 for one axle. So $60 for the wheels of a $89 power unit. At that price I'd be better off buying a whole new unit for only $29 more.

Plus I don't understand some of the V2 specs. It says 6 volt motor so you don't need the diodes, but look at the electronics page and they say the old V1 motor is 6 volts. But it says you only need diodes for V1 and not V2. Not that it matters as I run them around 1.5V. It's just I would like to know what all has changed. That last little bit was just a rant! 


EDIT: according to this you have pick-ups on the center driver as well:

[VonRyan]

What are the locomotive plans for the Powermax?

I was just running mine around and went to order the new wheels for one unit. I thought the wheels were $30 a set, nope. $30 for one axle. So $60 for the wheels of a $89 power unit. At that price I'd be better off buying a whole new unit for only $29 more.

Plus I don't understand some of the V2 specs. It says 6 volt motor so you don't need the diodes, but look at the electronics page and they say the old V1 motor is 6 volts. But it says you only need diodes for V1 and not V2. Not that it matters as I run them around 1.5V. It's just I would like to know what all has changed. That last little bit was just a rant! 


EDIT: according to this you have pick-ups on the center driver as well:

I haven't put much thought into what I am going to put on the PowerMax yet.
Probably just a slab of lead to give it some weight.


And for some reason, my 5-pole 0-6-0 old had a contact for the middle wheel on only one side. No clue what that was. The person that owned it before me had bought it brand new, and never had taken it apart, so it is a bit baffling to me.

[VonRyan]

I decided to install a direction toggle on the bottom of the throttle. Now I can run trains in the other direction if I so desire.

[johnb]

I decided to install a direction toggle on the bottom of the throttle. Now I can run trains in the other direction if I so desire.

Surprised that you didn't do that in the first. The layout looks great

[VonRyan]

Surprised that you didn't do that in the first. The layout looks great

Since I primarily run counterclockwise, there wasn't a real need to. I just decided to do it since I finally had a toggle-switch small enough to comfortable my do so, and because after filming the close-up shots for the video I determined that if I do any more shots like that, it would be nice if I could run trains in the opposite direction so that I have the look of traffic traveling in both directions.

[VonRyan]

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Here's a picture of the install.
I was going to put the toggle switch up top next to the throttle knob, but since the throttle knob is in the center, it would have made things a little too crowded.
Plus, since I won't be using the direction toggle all that often, it made sense to just put it on the bottom. The only other think I might think about doing is de-soldering the pilot light from the circuit board and installing a nice panel-mount style LED on the bottom, that way I can easily tell if the throttle is getting power and such.

The only other planned electrical work for the layout is to disconnect the throttle cable from the layout and put a 4-pin plug socket in the facia of the layout. That way for the sake of portability it will be easier to pack up the layout into it's box.

[VonRyan]

I used a pair of Swiss #2 tweezers to remove a few cat hairs from the layout, and I installed a hook in the front of my Märklin 0-6-0. Tomorrow I'm installing one in the back, and putting coupling hooks and chain on my two open wagons.
This is in preparation for the layout's second public display on Saturday.

[peteski]

I used a pair of Swiss #2 tweezers to remove a few cat hairs from the layout

Smooth or serrated tips? 

[VonRyan]

Smooth or serrated tips? 

Smooth. All my good Swiss watchmaker's tweezers are technically smooth tipped.

[ChristianJDavis1]

I used a pair of Swiss #2 tweezers to remove a few cat hairs from the layout, and I installed a hook in the front of my Märklin 0-6-0. Tomorrow I'm installing one in the back, and putting coupling hooks and chain on my two open wagons.
This is in preparation for the layout's second public display on Saturday.

Is your cat not orange? You might want to leave them and tell people they are tall weeds (assuming they stay vertical). Otherwise, they are felled twigs...

[chicken45]

Where'd you get your tweezers, Cody?

[VonRyan]

Where'd you get your tweezers, Cody?

I got them in a box of watchmaker's tools and watch parts at a yard sale about 6 years ago.
The 6 pairs of quality Swiss-made tweezers and the set of 5 Swiss-made watchmaker's screwdrivers were well worth the $20 I paid for the whole box. Especially since a few months ago I sold a bunch of mainsprings on eBay for $17.

I should also note that I have seen some of the same manufacturer of tweezers in some job-lots of watchmaker's stuff on eBay.
For $20-$30 you can usually get some good tweezers, fine files, and some pretty good small screwdrivers. And whatever you don't want (random watch parts and such) you can turn around and sell on as "steampunk" parts.

[VonRyan]

A surprise appeared in my mailbox yesterday, and after a quick bath I rattle-canned some Tamiya black on it.

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[Chris333]

Cool. If those tanks are hollow you can add tungsten cubes. What prototype is it?

[VonRyan]

Cool. If those tanks are hollow you can add tungsten cubes. What prototype is it?

The tanks are quite hollow. Where's the best place to get some good tungsten?

The model is based off of Tralee & Dingle Railway #5 but changed a bit to better suit the Märklin mechanism, and also to be more of a 'generic' Irish narrow-gauge locomotive.