Weekend Update 9/29/19

[up1950s]

https://steamengineresource.weebly.com/operational-locomotives.html

[johnb]

[C855B]

...why no 3985? ...

That turns out to be an interesting question. It is no longer mentioned on the UP steam front page, but its page is still live if you go there with a direct link, with no mention of current status. Last I was aware it was "to be overhauled" after the 4014 tender completed restoration; as many know 4014 is running with 3985's tender and a few other "borrowed" parts. It was a couple of years ago when I last saw it in the rightmost bay of the NP roundhouse, and directly asked the question about status and plans. Hopefully somebody here is closer to the Heritage operations and has more recent information.

[Curtis Kyger]

Concerning this weeks WEEKEND UPDATE photo:  the weathering on the sand tower pole is fantastic and begs to be modeled.

[wazzou]

I have serious doubts that 3985 will run again, in the next decade or two anyway.

[jpf94]

Completed the second batch of rebar cars.  Shown here on free mo module for photography before heading to the club for running next weekend.   N Scale Kits cars, Shapeways load prints, custom decals from Circus City for the project.   

[up1950s]

I have serious doubts that 3985 will run again, in the next decade or two anyway.

That sucks , so much for the UP/Alco trifecta . However the trade off to having 4014 is like having a successful artificially inseminated birth of a baby boy named Big . Gotta be thankful and lucky that came to fruition .

[dem34]

I guess its unfortunate. But it makes sense. One of the big factors for Dieselfication was how maintenance intensive steam locomotives were. Takes a very dedicated crew to keep these things in even a bare bones running condition.

[C855B]

My modeling week has been mostly consumed making progress on a 3D-printed searchlight signal head compatible with the Showcase Miniature kits. Their cast white-metal head took a fair amount of work to use with 3-color LEDs, so on @GaryHinshaw 's suggestion I designed a new head with better detail than possible with the cast-metal version. This initial work is of a US&S H-5 style with long visor, modeled after Santa Fe's use on signal bridges:



The three-LED chip is pre-wired available from http://www.rr-cirkits.com . Next on the to-do list is the very common US&S H-2 style, also with long visors as used by a number of roads.

[davefoxx]

I made good progress on constructing the three-track staging yard with a sector plate on my layout this week:



More on the Seaboard Central 3.0 thread in the Layout Engineering Forum.

DFF

[arbomambo]

My modeling week has been mostly consumed making progress on a 3D-printed searchlight signal head compatible with the Showcase Miniature kits. Their cast white-metal head took a fair amount of work to use with 3-color LEDs, so on @GaryHinshaw 's suggestion I designed a new head with better detail than possible with the cast-metal version. This initial work is of a US&S H-5 style with long visor, modeled after Santa Fe's use on signal bridges:



The three-LED chip is pre-wired available from http://www.rr-cirkits.com . Next on the to-do list is the very common US&S H-2 style, also with long visors as used by a number of roads.

are these the original Showcase Miniatures signal heads?
Their new design (2 years old) is specifically designed for tri-color LEDs and features and open back signal head, that is covered with a photo-etched plate. It has excellent cast detail.
~Bruce

[arbomambo]

I'm finally getting a chance to continue working on the first ATSF Freight F7 LABC engine #217; bringing the LAB motors up to the detail level of the C motor previously detailed.
I took a moment, after affixing the Plano PE stainless grills to the booster units, to photograph a passenger/Freight meet on the "Two Guns" T-TRAK module.

[C855B]

are these the original Showcase Miniatures signal heads?
Their new design (2 years old) is specifically designed for tri-color LEDs and features and open back signal head, that is covered with a photo-etched plate. It has excellent cast detail.

No, these are 3D printed on a Photon, and are a model of a different prototype (US&S H-5) than the Showcase (US&S H-2). From what you are saying I'm evidently not familiar with their newest revision. The most recent I have from them was a new casting with more room versus the initial fiber-optic version, but it didn't accommodate their LED board other than using the board as the back. That, and Gary's difficulties getting the smaller RR-cirkits board to fit without a lot of carving what he had on hand, was the driving force behind this effort.

OTOH, if you were following our chatter in my layout thread, having 1:1 examples in-hand led to the discovery that the Showcase heads are roughly 20% oversize. I enlarged my design to fit their etching sets, but in their absence I would have done the whole enchilada and it would have been at scale, as the RR-cirkits LED fits the scale version in 3D resin.

@GaryHinshaw , how old are those Showcase heads you have? Bruce thinks we might be barking up this tree unnecessarily.

[C855B]

Talk about timing, an e-mail from Showcase Miniatures appeared in my in-box seconds ago with the oh-by-the-way in the narrative:

  "... We are working on adding more signals to our lineup. ..."

I think I may just pause what I have been working on and hold for what Debbie and Walter have up their sleeves. I bugged 'em about three-color verticals a few years ago and maybe, just maybe...

[GaryHinshaw]

Completed the second batch of rebar cars.  Shown here on free mo module for photography before heading to the club for running next weekend.   N Scale Kits cars, Shapeways load prints, custom decals from Circus City for the project.

Very nice!  Could you post a link to the Shapeways rebar load?

@GaryHinshaw , how old are those Showcase heads you have? Bruce thinks we might be barking up this tree unnecessarily.

I ordered and received my signals within the past year, so I'm 99% sure that these are the redesigned heads intended for the LEDs.  Mind you, I do have a working instance of the stock signal kit, so it can be made to work.  But since the RR-CirKits LED is a tight fit in the stock head, and since Mike was already pursuing his signal plans, I insinuated myself into the process and suggested that a slightly redesigned Showcase-compatible head would allow a drop-in-place LED installation, which would simplify the kit build quite a bit.

BTW, I regard this development as an excellent example of the power of the Internet for good.  A new technology comes along, users here on TRW adopt it, and others here (me... ) benefit.  It's a wonderful thing.