Keystone Customs ATSF #29 Dynamometer car is now available

[Cajonpassfan]

Very cool John, nice work!
What kind of "wrong" thinner did you use?
The lights are a nice touch
Otto

[Lemosteam]

Very cool John, nice work!
What kind of "wrong" thinner did you use?
The lights are a nice touch
Otto

I could not get the paint to spray well from my airbrush, lots of spattering, so I thought it needed thinning.

I thought this was a water based product and use a Vallejo thinner, anyway as I was mixing the paint, the product basically congealed and turned into a pile of goop inside the bottle. Probably lots of info here that I foolishly did not read...

[Lemosteam]

So here is a little battery holder/switch apparatus I developed initially for lighting my Polar Express cars. Needless to say I did not use it so it ends up here. Note the two 0.015" dia phosphor bronze wires with folded ends, these are the male positive and negative connectors.

The battery is a replacement for an automotive pencil flex light.



Next, I added 1.5mm od brass tubes soldered to the LED magnet wires after crimping them on the tinned wire. These are the female connectors that will slide over the PB male connectors. The folded wire is springy so they kind of bite inside the tubing.



Here the connectors are assembled, and the lever switch is in the off position.



This is the on position. Success!



Next, I used a nylon 00-90 screw to attach the switch assembly to the brass weight that snaps into the floor printing.



Testing the assembly again one more time.



Here the floor is installed (still waiting on a new floor print to paint...) and the lights are switched on through one of the window sashes. Almost done!

[peteski]

Oh come on John - track-power the lights in this baby! 

Yes, I know the trucks aren't (yet) designed for power pickup.   

[Lemosteam]

Oh come on John - track-power the lights in this baby! 

Yes, I know the trucks aren't (yet) designed for power pickup.   

Not gonna do it!

I'll leave that up to the ingenuity of others. Even if you used track power you would need to be able to turn it off. I suspect the lights were used in temporary situations.  Not sipper they were actual headlights as they seem to be mor like a spotlight that could be manipulated inside the cupola.

[Cajonpassfan]

Yea, I too wondered about the use of these lights. As interesting and sexy as they are, they were a product of the steam era...would they have been used at night to observe exhaust relative to performance? It's not a track inspection car, so it would have been placed behind the loco, so what would it be lighting up if not the loco?
Fun stuff, looks like you're having fun with this one John 
Otto

[thomasjmdavis]

Might the lights be to illuminate mile markers?  Would the crew need to keep time/distance records manually in the days before it would have all been automated? (I grant that I have only limited knowledge of how a dynamometer car works)

[Lemosteam]

Well, it's finally finished, broke the floor twice with my oaf hands, but a new print of the floor fixed that.

[peteski]

So, would this model be considered as being scratch built when working towards the NMRA Master Model Railroader achievement certification?  You did create this model from scratch (on your computer).

[Dirk Jan Blikkendaal]

Nice work and beautiful model!

[Lemosteam]

So, would this model be considered as being scratch built when working towards the NMRA Master Model Railroader achievement certification?  You did create this model from scratch (on your computer).

Thanks,

And I was worried about the board spacing with you...

I seriously doubt it.  Even though I did do the design, I don't think it would count.  Maybe they should have a separate category now that designs can be printed.

[Lemosteam]

Nice work and beautiful model!

Thank you Dirk, I can't wait to see your pictures!

[Cajonpassfan]

Thanks,

And I was worried about the board spacing with you...
...

Lol, it looks really good John! Thank you for doing all that work for us, very much appreciated!
Regards, Otto

[peteski]

Thanks,

And I was worried about the board spacing with you...

Well . . . since you mentioned it . . . no, the board spacing and depth of the gaps is fine.    Now if only Rapido would do the same . . .   
If anything, I see slight artifacts of 3-D printing on the roof and sides, but it is not objectionable.