Weekend Update 5/10/15

[dick green]

worked all weekend so not much time but I made a tree.


A neighbor tore out a pine tree and these are the roots. I could probably fill it out and shape it some more but its my first one

Dick

[jmlaboda]

Wow!!!  That tree is beautiful!!!   Roots do sometimes provide for some interesting shapes that loan themselves to making scale trees... just finding a source for such is not quite so easy but Scenic Express does have a great variety in their offerings and they loan themselves to doing some great ones as well.  Yours is truly a beauty!!!

[Mike C]

Just some Tough Stuff spray cleaner, dishwashing detergent, cold water, 2" paintbrush, rag and elbow grease.  I wash the engine bay every spring.  I like the almost-new look while my car is getting older every year. 

I use OxyClean in the spray bottle . Spray it on drive to the car wash and blast it off , works great !

[Chris333]

I used orange and purple de-greaser mixed:


Mine is a 2004 (actually Nov. 2003) 11 years old.

[peteski]

I used orange and purple de-greaser mixed:

Mine is a 2004 (actually Nov. 2003) 11 years old.

Looks good Chris!  Keep that battery charged!    How many miles on the odometer?

[Angus Shops]

Yes, that's some beautiful tree! As an arborist,

I would describe the tree as a veteran, with moderate dieback, poor live crown ratio, and in need of corrective pruning. I don't get a sense of the scale of the tree but, if we assume it's not too large, it could be an old apple tree, or, if it's a larger tree, some sort of elderly Oak. Or, in terms modellers might be more familar with, well weathered.

Geoff

[Chris333]

Looks good Chris!  Keep that battery charged!    How many miles on the odometer?

84700

[peteski]

Yes, that's some beautiful tree! As an arborist,

Funny how a root turned upside-down becomes a tree. 

[ChristianJDavis1]

I used orange and purple de-greaser mixed:


Mine is a 2004 (actually Nov. 2003) 11 years old.

Seeing all these clean engine compartments makes me want to start cleaning the 61-ish years of crud that currently reside in my car's engine bay. I would assume the same methods you guys used would work, but it may require me climbing into the engine compartments again (like I did for the tuneup).

[sirenwerks]

Seeing all these clean engine compartments makes me want to start cleaning the 61-ish years of crud that currently reside in my car's engine bay. I would assume the same methods you guys used would work, but it may require me climbing into the engine compartments again (like I did for the tuneup).

Cars from that era had bigger engine compartments, which are easier to get a brush into and your arms.

[VonRyan]

Then I started working on Key Imports (Samhongsa) N scale PRR H-10 loco. I was asked to repair it, reinstall DCC decoder, and I'll give it a tuneup.  Let the fun begin!



. . . now where did I put that coupler box screw . . .

You're saying all those parts came out of that one engine?
That's a whole lot of parts...

And I didn't know that the smokebox front was removeable.

[SAH]

Great work! Who made those stanchions!?  They look like just the ticket to finish one of my RS-3 projects!

Detail Associates flat bar stock.  0.01" x 0.018" I think.  It appears the prototype use channel.  Close enough for me.

[ChristianJDavis1]

Cars from that era had bigger engine compartments, which are easier to get a brush into and your arms.

Yeah. It is just so large that my only options for gettingn anywhere near the rear of the compartment is either at rattling boards set over the car, or laying on the engine itself (which does not feel good at all).

You're saying all those parts came out of that one engine?
That's a whole lot of parts...

And I didn't know that the smokebox front was removeable.

It seems that most brass steam engines work that way (probably for ease of assembly, and for some of us, disassembly). I have N and HO steam engines that do that, and it really helps during disassembly that they come off.

[peteski]

You're saying all those parts came out of that one engine?
That's a whole lot of parts...

More parts - more fun!  Hehehehe!  Like a 1500 piece jigsaw puzzle is more fun than a 500 piece one. 

Yup, they all came from the H-10.  If I took the running gear apart, there would be couple dozen more parts. But there was no need for that.

And I didn't know that the smokebox front was removeable.

It wasn't, but it came off rather easily.  Looks like it was glued on (instead of being soldered).

[eja]

I used orange and purple de-greaser mixed:


Mine is a 2004 (actually Nov. 2003) 11 years old.

Where, exactly, is that part of an automobile located?  How do you access it?


Curious N scale modelers and others like me might be interested.   Na.... that is what mechanics are for.  Spend $$, use the time on the RR!