Best Of Polar Express build

[peteski]

John, seriously, only U.S. uses knuckles (well some Japanese Kato models too) - rest of the world still uses Rapidos. To this day! All my European prototype models are Rapido-equipped and there are no problems. Like I said - successfully used in N scale since the 60s. 

I figured that since this is a fixed (and fantasy) consist (and you are on a deadline), Rapidos would work just fine.  Call me silly. 

The pivoting action on the MT heavyweight couplers is totally unintended. Think about it - if the coupler box rotates then the automatic coupling/uncoupling no longer works. The couplers will just be floppy and won't line up in the car's center line.

I think that I saw bunch of Red Caboose couplers in stock at M B Klein recently.

[craigolio1]

I really like that you're building this train. Very cool. Are you planning to portray the hobo anywhere?

Craig

[Lemosteam]

Peteski, I was only kidding you on the Rapidos, but I have a wad of 1015 to build and I'm going to use them.  I don't want truck mounted couplers either because the ppower pickups that I have made already have the coupler pockets removed.

Craig, I am seriously considering doing the hobo with a flicker circuit but it may not be ready for Christmas. I have a hobo figure, that I will likely add, just not sure about the fire.  I will need to engineer it.

[craigolio1]

That would be a very cool feature.

[nkalanaga]

Bob:  I used a lot of those T-shank Unimates on my F units, both MiniTrix and Kato.  I wouldn't even try to body mount one.  Their body mounted Unimate is probably even harder to find than the T-shanks, because anyone using one would likely prefer to go to the trouble of mounting a working coupler.  I used exactly ONE, on the rear of a Life-Like F unit modified to hold a battery and flasher circuit, and then only because I changed the trucks and had to body mount the coupler.  It mated with a MiniTrix B unit that had Unimates.

[davefoxx]

John, the Red Caboose dummies are T-shank, so they're a drop in replacement for Rapido truck mounts.  Don't know how you'd body mount these.  I bought them to get a closer coupling on my sharks.  I'll have a look at them to see if that's possible.

Not all Unimates are T-shanked.  Check these out: http://www.modeltrainstuff.com/Red-Caboose-N-51060-Knuckle-Coupler-HOn3-N-body-mo-p/red-51060.htm.  Granted, MBK is out of stock, but you can probably find them elsewhere online.  I used these as body-mounted couplers on my IM F-units to close the gap between the locomotives:



Hope this helps,
DFF

[nkalanaga]

Those are the body-mounted ones I was thinking of.  Looks like they are useful for something after all. 

[victor miranda]

peteski,
Does your lighting use one of the LED current control ICs?

For what I've been trying, I've been doing resistor and back to back diodes, for simplicity... 
mostly I've been hunting a good pick-up system.

a snail's pace to be sure...

victor

[peteski]

peteski,
Does your lighting use one of the LED current control ICs?

For what I've been trying, I've been doing resistor and back to back diodes, for simplicity... 
mostly I've been hunting a good pick-up system.

a snail's pace to be sure...

victor

Nope - simple rectifier, large cap and current limiting resistors.  Old-school. It is mainly for DCC (since the full voltage is always present. But white LEDs have such a wide usable operating range (they emit good mount of light needed for interior illumination from less than 1mA up) that this circuit shoudl give satisfactry result running on DC.  The only problem is the voltage needed at the rail is close to 4V for the LED to even turn on.  The LED needs close to 3V and about 1V is wasted across the rectifier.

The new Kato car lighting system uses a constant current diode (along with a bridge rectifier) to control the LED current. Sort of like what Ebit (on the A-board) used to install in his models.

[Lemosteam]

DFF, yes those are the ones I cannot find, anywhere.  It's ok though. I can just not put the trip pins in my 1015's.

Peteski, yes I can confirm those voltage outputs to the LED's, as I'm sure you calculated them to be.

[Lemosteam]

Installment nine... Fire on the roof?

I have been toying with a way to add the hobo and his fire to the roof of the sleeper/coach using Peteski's circuit, with a flicker LED installed on the back of the PCI board:

 

With a multi strand fiber optic "fire" on top of the installed flicker LED:



I will drill a hole through the roof for the fiber optic fire and I already have the hobo figure....

I will likely make the diameter of the fire smaller, above is for concept only, what do you think?

Next, decals and dull coat complete!

[superturbine]

Sweet, that looks really nice!!

[peteski]

That is a very creative 3D representation of a fire - well done John!

[Lemosteam]

Thanks you guys!

[Lemosteam]

Installment ten... A smaller 3D fire?

I took some 8-10 individual fiber optic strands and used 3/32 shrink tubing to squeeze them into a smaller batch. I also added some tamiya x27 clear red around the base of the fire, to add some color variation, and to act as a glue to wick down between the strand. Each end has a bevel that I snipped off at an angle to make more light at the tips of each strand. Was actually fairly easy to make!

 

Looks cool on video:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-1_ZMlXunpxM/VKhZ61Qq21I/AAAAAAAAA_o/W-sH1TpCYJo/s640/2015__1_3_6_4.mov