Weekend Update 8/27/17

[up1950s]

[eja]

What did the fish say when it bumped into a wall?

"Damn!"



... sorry, I couldn't help myself......

[garethashenden]

I've started a new layout. It's designed to meet the requirements of the 2mm Association's Diamond Jubilee Challenge; 60cm x 9.42in and with at leas one turnout. So just under 2' long but with fiddleyards at both ends. Definitely more of a working diorama than a full layout, but better than nothing. In the picture the front is to the right, so one long siding near the front and two short ones at the back. Going to be a generic small town in southern New Hampshire on one of the B&M's many branchlines. A fuel (oil and coal) dealer plus either two smallish factories or one factory and a team track. Possible future expansion towards the camera could include a station, but that's a ways off. Micro Engineering code 40 with handlaid turnouts. Waiting on wooden ties from Fast Tracks and procrastinating over my dislike of making point blades...

[peteski]

I've started a new layout. It's designed to meet the requirements of the 2mm Association's Diamond Jubilee Challenge; 60cm x 9.42in and with at leas one turnout. So just under 2' long but with fiddleyards at both ends. Definitely more of a working diorama than a full layout, but better than nothing. In the picture the front is to the right, so one long siding near the front and two short ones at the back. Going to be a generic small town in southern New Hampshire on one of the B&M's many branchlines. A fuel (oil and coal) dealer plus either two smallish factories or one factory and a team track. Possible future expansion towards the camera could include a station, but that's a ways off. Micro Engineering code 40 with handlaid turnouts. Waiting on wooden ties from Fast Tracks and procrastinating over my dislike of making point blades...

Looks good!  Is it going to be build in1:160 scale?

[chuck geiger]

Hello from Juneau. Boss pics from trip. CN through BC and CP coming and a ton of White River  and Yukon. On BNSF Columbia River Sub page. Link below.

[garethashenden]

Looks good!  Is it going to be build in1:160 scale?

Yup! 1:160, 9mm gauge, but with finer flangeways.

[Cajonpassfan]

Making some progress on the First Street Yard. The first two tracks are the mains along the L.A. "River" , and  they'll be prominent. The ten track yard beyond  I'd like to bury in ballast and dirt so that just the rails are showing... All turnouts are now Tortoised, and macroed, still have some dead frogs that need to be wired. Don't much like laying on my back with hot solder dripping on my chest..
Otto K.

[Chris333]

Only thing dumber than buying one money pit car?

Buying two 

[nkalanaga]

"Yup! 1:160, 9mm gauge, but with finer flangeways."

Are you going all the way to Proto:160? 

[BCR 570]

This past week began with arrival of my Budd RDC shells from Shapeways.  Unlike the BC Rail rebuilt cars shown by Doug last week, these are the original PGE/early BCR versions with original engineer's window, no cut-outs for ditch lights, and fluting both ends.  I am waiting on a shipment of heptane to remove the wax residue, and can then evaluate them for print quality:




I also continued to work on my new MoW car.  The first portion of the week was spent preparing etched detail parts, drilling holes for them, and test fitting the parts.  Whenever possible I like to do this when the component parts are still flat on the workbench.  Here is the floor/sill assembly with Gold Medal Model grab irons and sill steps ready to install:




I finished filing out the house windows and installed the safety mesh.  These are the component parts for the house assembly with etched grab irons and Intermountain brake components and ladders ready for installation:




The deck/sill assembly was fitted with Micro-Trains couplers, Intermountain underframe and brake components, and scratch-built centre sill reinforcement:




This image shows the ramp housings and treadplate added to the 'A' end of the deck, and the styrene parts for the house assembled:




Tim

[3DTrains]

Super nice, Tim. I look forward to your thoughts on how the RDCs turned out.

Cheers!
Marc - Riverside

[garethashenden]

"Yup! 1:160, 9mm gauge, but with finer flangeways."

Are you going all the way to Proto:160?

No, I'm going the FS160 route. The way that works is you take all the 2mmFS standards and subtract 0.42mm from anything gauge related. So the track gauge is 9.0mm, the back to back is 8.1, etc. There's a full list of specs here:http://www.fs160.eu/fiNeweb/standards/HANDB.php

I've found that I can make a small adjustment to FVM narrow wheels and they work well through a couple of test turnouts I've build. Because of this they have become the only wheels I'll use. Diesels are also easy to adjust, just pull the wheels outwards slightly. I tried to do the same with the tender wheels on a Bachmann 2-8-0, but they're so fat that by the time they were gauged correctly there was a lot of pressure on the pickup cups and the wheels wouldn't spin freely. I should be able to turn down the flanges in my lathe and get it to work that way.

[peteski]

I tried to do the same with the tender wheels on a Bachmann 2-8-0, but they're so fat that by the time they were gauged correctly there was a lot of pressure on the pickup cups and the wheels wouldn't spin freely. I should be able to turn down the flanges in my lathe and get it to work that way.

If you have the means to do it (I have small arbor press) you take the wheelsets apart and push the half-axles in slightly to reduce the overall axle width.  I have been doing to many wheelsets I have re-gauged (when I widen the gauge). For example I do that when I retrofit new Kato wheelsets into Atlas locos.

[davefoxx]

Only thing dumber than buying one money pit car?

Buying two 

@Chris333,

Is that second car a donor car for parts, or are you building twins?

DFF

[Chris333]

@Chris333,

Is that second car a donor car for parts, or are you building twins?

DFF

The second car is in much better shape so it will probably be "the car". It is a 68' from Cali, one in the air is a 70'. The 68' has swing axles so I may put the 70' IRS chassis under it. The 68' came with 3 pick-up beds and one beetle full of brand new parts and was less $$$ than the 70'... Funny how much is different between the 2 years.


In the end I need to do something with both cars, need to sell one to make some $$$ back. 4 weeks ago I had no beetles and money in the bank.