Weekend Update 11/16/14

[jprince46]

Installed new LED street lights this week.  They are a little bright, so the plan is to get an adjustable Power Supply - then adjust to the correct brightness.

[VonRyan]

I spent today running a 1956 PRR local freight at a local train show. A shout-out to the gentleman who recognized me from here.

My brass Baldwin DS-4-4-10 is performing quite well. I'll be running it tomorrow as one of my power choices at my friend Konrad's open house as part of the November open house tours going on.


On another front, as of today, the good graces have been bestowed upon me in that I am now the "Owner/Operator" of Camden & Amboy Models. There is a good chance that I may be able to secure any of the remaining masters from the old C&A products. I know that there is a want among SPFs for more of the PRR long-distance tenders.
I don't plan on dwelling too much on old products, as I intend to pursue introducing new products of all kinds with an eye towards PRR prototypes, but I'm open to suggestions, and commission projects will be a possibility.

I foresee that the new casting workshop of Camden & Amboy Models will be set up in a reasonable capacity by 2015 with the first product(s) being introduced by sometime in February.

[chuck geiger]

Like a kid on Christmas morning, headed over to Home Depot to get wood and foam. It's a banner day.
After a two year hiatus, back to modeling. BNSF Front Range Sub will become a reality. Getting 2x4
foundation board, foam panels and Masonite scenic divider. Gonna be weird, I have nothing else. Hoping
this will cause me less distractions. Focused LDE modeling and purchasing only what I need for the layout.

Going right here:

[Mark W]

I've been building a grade crossing controller from scratch using an Arduino.  After wasting a week trying to get the program working, I realized I made a single dumb syntax error.  Changed one character and everything works!

[peteski]

I've been building a grade crossing controller from scratch using an Arduino.  After wasting a week trying to get the program working, I realized I made a single dumb syntax error.  Changed one character and everything works!

That is called debugging. 

[nkalanaga]

First law of cyberentomology:  There is always one more bug.

Programming can be very frustrating, and the typos are the hardest to find.  One knows what it is supposed to be, and like any proofreading of ones own writing, one SEES what was intended.  I've done it...  Fun, but frequently frustrating.

[BCR 570]

Hopefully Tim will post a photo of the standing-room-only crowd filling the Tehachapi, BC garage. 

Sorry Gary - cannot sign into Photobucket so my picture posting days are over for a while.  I will send it to you and you can post.

Tim

[Mark W]

Lights flash, bell sounds, and now gates animate!  Just gotta put it all together.

[mmagliaro]

PaulP:   BEAUTIFUL ballast machine model!   

So... I shamelessly stole Ron Bearden's idea of using foam padded wooden boxes, and I put the
W-5 into one.  I make no claim that this box is as nice as Ron's, but it does the job.
That... and I decided it was time to stop storing these engines that I have worked so hard on
in cobbled together cardboard and plastic boxes with piece of randomly collected foam stuffed in around them.

I found these on eBay, about $10 a piece (not all THAT cheap, but bearable).  I just searched for
wooden craft box and pored through the listings.     I sanded it up and applied
a few coats of urethane, with finer and finer sanding between coats.  It came out nice, like
a smooth finished piece of furniture.  I hunted up some different thicknesses and hardnesses of gray
foam on line (foambymail.com), ordered a few feet of each, and cut out the insert.   I was able to just lay the engine on it
and cut with a straight edge and Xacto knife, because the foam I used was fairly firm and hard.  I used the spongier
stuff for a plain sheet in the bottom that the engine lies on, and the ones above it.  The plastic sheet is just
a piece of a ziplock bag cut out with a straight edge and Xacto.   Oh... and I found a custom nameplate place (plaquemaker.com)
online that lets you just upload a JPG and they did a nice job on the label plate, I think.

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Lowe's trip: bought myself a table saw, handheld router and 20 gallon, 155 PSI air compressor. With the air compressor, I also got a garage line kit, high pressure valves and moisture trap. The air lines will be wall mounted using standard electrical boxes with a knife valve and quick connect plug. This will give it a really nice built-in appearance.

I have also saved about $4000 for layout equipment, benchwork and DCC systems. I plan to hit the ground running as soon as the basement is ready. Priority will be getting stuff out of the damp storage area and getting a proper workbench set up. Next will be lighting and valence and finally benchwork for the layout.

Will need help with wiring and track plans soon!

[nscalemike]

Another update this week . . . . and it has color other than blue or pink!



Yes, a photo backdrop and the first layer of some green scenery!  Another first in a long time.

Thanks for looking,
Mike

[mmagliaro]

Wow.... the backdrop and shrubbery look great!

Another update this week . . . . and it has color other than blue or pink!



Yes, a photo backdrop and the first layer of some green scenery!  Another first in a long time.

Thanks for looking,
Mike

[tom mann]

@nscalemike nice blending of the backdrop!

[aikorob]

standard in steps from Soviet times--for prams, buggies and wheeled bags

[PaulP]

Gary
 The wheels on the ballast regulator are MT.
I just sanded off the points and weathered them.
They do actually roll and it is nice they don't short the track.

Paul