Weekend Update 11/2/2014

[up1950s]

[garethashenden]

I've fixed the trucks on my E7.
Before:

After:

[peteski]

I've fixed the trucks on my E7.

Looks good. But didn't some B&M E7s have silver trucks too?

[davefoxx]

Looks good. But didn't some B&M E7s have silver trucks too?

That's okay.  The fireman's side is black, but clearly, the engineer's side is still silver. 

[garethashenden]

Looks good. But didn't some B&M E7s have silver trucks too?

They were delivered black and painted silver around 1953. I'm modelling c.1949, so they need to be black.

[chicken45]

That's okay.  The fireman's side is black, but clearly, the engineer's side is still silver. 

Even though I had a hardy laugh at this, you reminded me of an article I saw somewhere where a B60b baggage car was painted in two different schemes. One side was a late scheme, the other side, an earlier one.
You can't see both sides unless you use a mirror.

[nscalemike]

I actually have some modeling for a change!



Scratchbuilt this small bridge for my recently restarted IC/CN Champaign Branch layout.  See the layout engineering report for more pictures!

Mike

[Mark W]

More fun with microcontrollers.  This time, the Arduino Uno, micro LED's and a program that randomly flickers one of the lights.

High Quality HTML5:
http://www.gfycat.com/WetInsignificantAmericanblackvulture

[spookshow]

More fun with microcontrollers.  This time, the Arduino Uno, micro LED's and a program that randomly flickers one of the lights.

High Quality HTML5:
http://www.gfycat.com/WetInsignificantAmericanblackvulture

Very nice! If I built something like that my wife would say "it looks great, except you need to fix that one light" 

Cheers,
-Mark

[Kentuckian]

Mark W, love the flickering lights!  We will see a tutorial soon?  I read the thread in the DCC and electronics section, but I am not microcomputer savvy.  I mean like a hold your hand tutorial?

[jereising]

I've completed the first try at adding LEDs to one of my GP60s:





I guess this is a good weekend to post because the ditch lights now look like pumpkins glowing from the inside.  I think it's better than the factory's method, but I need to kill that glow.  I have tried more paint on the lamp housing, and I've cut the brightness considerably.

And the installation wasn't all that easy, but once you've made the mistakes...wasn't helped at all by the Digitrax sheet's showing the wrong wire color for F1.  Elsewhere on the sheet it gave the correct designation but of course I was looking at the diagram.

I will do more experimentation...

[Mark W]

..but I need to kill that glow.  I have tried more paint on the lamp housing, and I've cut the brightness considerably.

I will do more experimentation...

The only method I know that works is to first paint with silver metal enamel.  This paint has super fine grain metal bits which masks light bleed.  You'll never mask the glow with straight pigment, you'll need so many layers that by the end the ditch lights will look like pumpkins on the outside too.   

[Scottl]

Jim, those units look great and the ditchlights turned out very nicely.

[eja]

...wasn't helped at all by the Digitrax sheet's showing the wrong wire color for F1.  Elsewhere on the sheet it gave the correct designation but of course I was looking at the diagram.

 

Speaking of ditchlights and DIgitax ... I was looking at their instructions regarding controllable ditch lights on a Kato P42 which includes the instructions to cut and polish the the light tube in several places.

Anyone know how to polish the light tube ??  I don't (yet).

[craigolio1]

I've completed the first try at adding LEDs to one of my GP60s:





I guess this is a good weekend to post because the ditch lights now look like pumpkins glowing from the inside.  I think it's better than the factory's method, but I need to kill that glow.  I have tried more paint on the lamp housing, and I've cut the brightness considerably.

And the installation wasn't all that easy, but once you've made the mistakes...wasn't helped at all by the Digitrax sheet's showing the wrong wire color for F1.  Elsewhere on the sheet it gave the correct designation but of course I was looking at the diagram.

I will do more experimentation...

For the last few years I've been casting my own ditch lights using clear epoxy with LEDs inside. I had the same problem. Sliver worked, and so did black but no other colour I tried blocked the light. The way I make sure I get just the right amount of paint is to turn the light on and then paint it with a fine brush. Acrylics dry fast enough in light coats that you can reapply every few minutes.

Nice job. They look awesome!

Craig