Weekend Update 12/18/16

[up1950s]

[C855B]

I've seen similar rigs used for setting out and picking up ties.

[mandealco]

Hi
Just to show I have something other than Alcos' I added an MbE water tank to my Intermountain FP-9A.  CP Rails F-units were amoung the first North American locomotives I saw, thanks to Silver Streak.  Always been a favourite.  Tremblant Park just behind the 1411, was our home for 4 days on the Canadian 4 years ago.  Great fun.

Back to the Alcos: A completed CNW C-628, plus another old friend from Green Bay GBW 321, which was scrapped on the LA&L a year or so ago.  Just realised, C&NW used Packers colours!!!  Go Green Bay.


Cheers
Steve
NZ

[nkalanaga]

Mike: That would be my first guess as well, and the length is to eliminate the need for bridge rails or plates between cars. 

I've seen end loaders with guide plates to keep the tires on the gons, but they always looked a little "iffy" to me.

[jmlaboda]

Nice ALCO!!!

[jmlaboda]

That would be my first guess as well, and the length is to eliminate the need for bridge rails or plates between cars.

Other equipment designed to work the top of gondolas use the same sort of means without a lot of the length... the arm is used to scoot the equipment across gaps without needing to have rails.

[unittrain]

Glued down ballast last week, went back to July of 1968 and caught an early PC train in the lead a newly painted U25C in PC paint followed by a Pennsy C630 and a Pennsy C425. Finishing up track laying in other areas hope to have trains running within a month or so. The Arnold U25Cs look really good, haven't powered it up yet.

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/772/31551657152_340443b70f_k.jpg

[wm3798]

Preparations for the McGrattan special have rendered many benefits...


A new retaining wall now supports Boston Street...


Sidewalks are being installed along the main thoroughfares,


Cobblestones have been installed to allow traffic to move across town.

https://www.facebook.com/lee.weldon.12/videos/10211572168485620/
And trains are running!

Lee

[jereising]

As promised - a view of the back of the DQ.  This was shot through a front plated mirror.  No layout visitor will ever be able to see this, but I thought it needed to be modeled - for myself if nothing else!

[bman]

Glued down ballast last week, went back to July of 1968 and caught an early PC train in the lead a newly painted U25C in PC paint followed by a Pennsy C630 and a Pennsy C425. Finishing up track laying in other areas hope to have trains running within a month or so. The Arnold U25Cs look really good, haven't powered it up yet.

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/772/31551657152_340443b70f_k.jpg

Looks like Brady Lake to me. 

[unittrain]

Looks like Brady Lake to me.

Bradylake it is my favorite train watching spot just wished the bridge was still there. Stay tuned I have more modules selecting different areas around Kent in the works. I'm starting two more Bradylake scenes to add to the bridge module one will have working Pennsy signals.

[C855B]

It's been a major MRR week for me, and a minor milestone, I guess. In spite of all my bluster about being "retired" for three years, work of some sort seems to follow me around anyway. So this is the first whole week, ever, where if I've left the house, it's to go to the layout building and work on train stuff. This week's accomplishments are, in no particular order:

• Repowered a Con-Cor U50 chassis (converted to go under a C855B) with a more current Kato motor. Bye bye, coffee grinder! (Thanks, James!)
• Three more locomotives received new Kato wheelsets. No more chatter on Code 40!
• Discovered and proved that ultra-cheap Arduino hobby parts solve certain layout wiring challenges.
• More track down on the layout. Not a lot, but it was in areas that required a bit of precision fitting that I couldn't just slap down.
• Was encouraged (by some of you guys) to re-try a foam cutting solution that didn't work for me before. Results were astounding, which...
• ...cleared the mental block on a layout area that was impeding progress. More here.
• Attached switch machines (servos) and linkages to 7 more turnouts.
• Found excellent, detailed plans online for the prototype tower at a key junction represented on the layout. Already started the Silhouette drafting.
• Big clean-up of the layout and layout room, neatly filing supplies in clear shoe boxes, labels and all. The construction detritus on the layout was out-of-hand. Still have more to go, however.

Looking forward to more of the same next week.

[nkalanaga]

Jerry:  I once saw a video of an end loader using its arm the way you describe, not only to move between cars, but to climb onto them in the first place.  It worked, but still looked a little precarious.  For a small operation, or a one-time job, that would be a lot cheaper, and easier, than a machine like this one.

[Dave V]

Used some of my surgery recovery time to flesh out structures for Aspen on my Colorado Midland layout.

Up first is the Last Chance Saloon and the urgent call of nature:



Then there's the "general store"...



And lastly, every mining town needs a "Palace Hotel"...

[SSW7771]

Not much train time lately, but I did break out my new GP60 and test run it on the coffee table with my son and staged a few photos on the layout.