Weekend Update 3/19/17

[up1950s]

A project I have been working on since Christmas or so is a freelanced Snowblower . I has a scratch built Allison J33 centrifugal flow Jet that was the first jet motor commercially sold in the USA and used on the P80/T33 and some others including early cruse missiles . When in the Navy at NAS Barbers Point in the mid 60's we had 3 T33's for pilots to get there kicks in . So I wanted to make a Snow Blower with a J33 . The odd thing is GE was pumping out an axial flow J35 at about the same time , and even the NYC early Jet Snow Blower used the J35 which is a thinner , more stove pipe design .
I have loads more work to do . It is powered . Things are loose in this set of shots .

[narrowminded]

Nice.

[bbeegle]

That's cool!

[chessie system fan]

I'm guessing a Kato critter chassis?

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Does it work?

[arbomambo]

After a very successful show last weekend, I had a chance to do a little track maintenance on my T-Trak modules for SWARMTrak; even Kato Unitrack has a few little joins that are slightly 'kinky'. I used a diamond block pad (sold as a knife sharpener) to grind these areas perfectly smooth...VERY pleased with the result after polishing the rail. every joint is silky smooth and even the most finicky of locos and rolling stock negotiate flawlessly. We pride ourselves on our setups at shows...We set up and run trains that pretty much run themselves...needing absolutely no attention; leaving us free to interact with spectators.
To test the smoothed rail, I set up a few modules in the garage and put together an SFRD reefer block (just acquired about 96 of these IM SFRD cars...I missed out when they were originally run)

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Thanks for looking,
~Bruce

[wazzou]

@up1950s  Richie - that is really, really cool. 
It's good to see you post some modeling again.  I've really enjoyed your Steam kitbashes over the years.
John will appreciate too.   

[randgust]

I've seen them sitting in Buffalo, but here's a video:

[SSW7771]

@up1950s that's a nice snow blower!

[peteski]

Yeah, nice job Richie!  That must have been many hours of enjoyable (and maybe sometimes frustrating) modeling. 

[up1950s]

Wow , thanks guys you are making me blush . Yes Ed it does work , thanks to Kato and their chassis . Pete the thing was and is frustrating mainly because I wanted lights and disassembly . This disassembles into Roof , Carbody , Chassis , Hydraulic Cylinders and Hoses , Jet Engine , Engine Cradle . There probably will be another sub assemble called Engine Accessories and Lines which all is un built and un designed . One of the biggest problems was the lighting and interconnecting between sub assemblies . That big jet fuel tank is covering a full bridge rect and resister for the for the yellow blinker on the roof  . Another full bridge rect for the single rear and duel forward non directional headlights ( both were on doing the too and fro dance of frogs ) .Those ckts and wiring totally fill that big a$$ tank cavity . I sealed all that stuff in Krazy Glue due to wire breakage while building this . The directional red LEDs on the cab front and rear just needed a resistor and is not part of the fuel tank lump O wires . Also the jet motor can pan and tilt .You nailed it Wazzou , was not for what John said this would not have been photographed on my also new measured 20" flush rail photo stick . Thanks again for the over kind comments .

[peteski]

Wow , thanks guys you are making me blush . Yes Ed it does work , thanks to Kato and their chassis . Pete the thing was and is frustrating mainly because I wanted lights and disassembly . This disassembles into Roof , Carbody , Chassis , Hydraulic Cylinders and Hoses , Jet Engine , Engine Cradle . There probably will be another sub assemble called Engine Accessories and Lines which all is un built and un designed . One of the biggest problems was the lighting and interconnecting between sub assemblies . That big jet fuel tank is covering a full bridge rect and resister for the for the yellow blinker on the roof  . Another full bridge rect for the single rear and duel forward non directional headlights ( both were on doing the too and fro dance of frogs ) .Those ckts and wiring totally fill that big a$$ tank cavity . I sealed all that stuff in Krazy Glue due to wire breakage while building this . The directional red LEDs on the cab front and rear just needed a resistor and is not part of the fuel tank lump O wires . Also the jet motor can pan and tilt .You nailed it Wazzou , was not for what John said this would not have been photographed on my also new measured 20" flush rail photo stick . Thanks again for the over kind comments .

You more than deserve the praises.   
What size bridge rectifiers did you use? I bought some really tiny ones from Digikey.  With those (and SMD resistors) there should been more than enough of room inside that tank.  Also, why are 2 needed?  Couldn't you power it all from a single rectifier?

[up1950s]

You more than deserve the praises.   
What size bridge rectifiers did you use? I bought some really tiny ones from Digikey.  With those (and SMD resistors) there should been more than enough of room inside that tank.  Also, why are 2 needed?  Couldn't you power it all from a single rectifier?

SMD bridges , and maybe from Digikey which I use so it could be . 1/8watt resistors . I tried putting the blinker and the headlights on a single rect ckt and they didn't play together nicely , it made the headlights flicker , so off to solitary confinement they both went .

[nkalanaga]

OK, what is that thing in the opening picture?  A battery powered loco?  Some kind of slug without its power unit?  An electric for very low wires, with the pantograph missing?

[garethashenden]

OK, what is that thing in the opening picture?  A battery powered loco?  Some kind of slug without its power unit?  An electric for very low wires, with the pantograph missing?

Track geometry checker. There's a more complete answer here, about halfway down the page. http://trn.trains.com/railroads/ask-trains/2009/05/ask-trains-from-may-2009