Weekend Update 8/21/22

[TiogaTracks]

Great stuff as always, guys!  And here all I did was wire a 9V battery to a modded Aristocraft motor block and screw it all to a toy trolley…

…but I love the results anyway!

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I have put literal, full-scale miles on this motorized plastic toy Neighborhood Trolley this week.  My rush to build track means my wiring is lagging behind and nowhere near ready, especially since I need 2 reverse loop controllers.  So I’m enjoying my work via batteries.

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The key to this was putting the smaller Aristo wheels (from their “centercab” model) on the standard-size motor block used on Eggliners, U25bs, RS-3s, etc.  I cut plastic wheels and a gear-driven music box off the bottom and made brackets to screw on the motor.  I do plan to add a non-sound DCC decoder, an N-scale motor, and that music box.  So a cute version of “It’s a Beautiful Day in this Neighborhood” will play from a function button.  The toggle switch will select between 9V and DCC power, but for now it’s just the on-off switch.

-Steven

[C855B]

Great stuff as always, guys!  And here all I did was wire a 9V battery to a modded Aristocraft motor block and screw it all to a toy trolley…
...

Is depicting the trolley running into a switch thrown against it your version of a pic of a derailed model you just completed?   

[TiogaTracks]

Spring switches actually work great in G-scale.  My entire reverse loop track plan relies on springing 2 switches per lap.  Having spent a lot of time at trolley museums, spring switches seem common to me, but I guess they’re not so much on mainlines!

-Steven

[Sumner]

Should finish the upper and lower track surface approaches for the track elevator today/tomorrow...



Hopefully also document in the next couple days.  The build pages are ( HERE ).

Sumner

[DKS]

And here all I did was wire a 9V battery to a modded Aristocraft motor block and screw it all to a toy trolley%u2026

How long does it run on a 9V battery?

Oh, and thanks to everyone for all the kudos for my silly sign. I honestly did not expect it to be such a hit.

[dem34]

Decided to do a practice block for a future project, first time trying do Catenary in the same style as Cygnus485 on YT
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[Jesse6669]

As always DKS's mind-blowing modeling sets the standard.  I can't even imaging tackling that fiber optic forest.  But as always, it's inspiring--actually DKS experiments were the reason I started in T-scale back a few years.

This week I moved the WP&Y module a bit closer to track laying, I finished up some hydrocal rock work and gave it basic coloring.  I'll be going back and adding accents and highlights/washes eventually.  The next step is installing Bridge 7B over that chasm in the middle, but it needs paint first.

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I took a little break from the M-scale DL535E prototyping to work on refreshing the coupler system using a more flexible/tougher resin (TGM-7) and doing some minor tweaking to the old v3 design coupler.  Behold the CCE MkIV coupler in all it's grandeur!  It's much more rugged than the original FUD material (which is incredibly brittle), and it's more flexible than the 8K Phrozen resin I've been using.  The coupler does snap-fit, and can be un-coupled with a pin or other pointy object.  It also looks a lot better than the stock T-gauge and even better in 1:300 scale.  There are several versions ie in draft gear only, long shank, as an insert for the stock pocket, etc.  This one clearly is a talgo style on roller bearing trucks.

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I also got about refreshing an old T-scale shell, the FP7/9.  In addition to updating the detail--I even added some rivets--I'm making sure it seats well on the stock (almost) 35.5mm chassis as this might end up an RTR loco at some point.  As with most of my designs, the basic skeleton of the loco can be tweaked with different detail schemes.  So far I have a CN FP9, and a C&O (later B&O) FP7.   Contemplating an L&N, SP.. maybe even PRR with train phone??  We'll see.
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[Bendtracker1]

Allen...:  That Ouachita River doesn't look too different from some I've seen in the West during the summer.  With current long-term drought, there are probably more of them.  Give the white foam a coat of brownish paint, to match the rest, and it wouldn't look bad as-is.

Here's what I'm shooting for.
I'm thinking I may make a slight sandbar on the left end of the bridge?
I just need to finish painting the backdrop first.

https://www.google.com/maps/@33.3454189,-92.5321548,3a,50.1y,126.51h,82.18t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sP4abUZDsMGsdBiQIFHPkfQ!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3DP4abUZDsMGsdBiQIFHPkfQ%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D292.2422%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192?hl=en&authuser=0

[Bendtracker1]

The engines are impressive, the bridge and it’s piers - really like the way they resembled worn concrete!

Nicely done

-Terry

Thanks Terry.
Here a link to my blog post where I made them:

Bridge Piers and Abutments: https://thelittlerockline.blogspot.com/2017/01/bridge-piers-and-abutments.html

[mu26aeh]

Went to a train auction today a few miles down the road.  A few items I was interested in for myself, but also went looking for items to flip.  Well, that was few and far between as there was a few train show people there doing the same thing.  I'll tell ya what, I don't know what they think people are paying for items but damn, they must be happy only making a dollar or 2 on selling a freight car.  I did get a box lot first thing, and after I got home, I realized it was a huge win with just 2 items in the bottom of the box.

[learmoia]

You'd be astounded what used cars are selling for these days..

It'd NUTS!!

~Ian

[SAH]

For the past quarter century I've been hankering to make this particular little model. So you can say it's been on my "modeling bucket list" for quite a while, and now it is finally done. Nothing spectacular, just fun.

"Nothing spectacular" he says.  Nothing short of incredible I say.  And yes, fun too.

We ran the last of three operating sessions on the AC&Y Spur 4 project today.  The railroad ran well and we had a good time.  Here's the East end and West end switchers working together to put the next Spur 4 job together.  A few more photos in the L.E. thread.

[R L Smith]

For the first time in awhile I have something to post about my layout, and Dave V and DKS start us off with great stuff.  AFI stuff, actually.  But I'm going to post anyway...

The Southern Tier Lines version 2.0 recently went to STL version 2.1. I spent the last couple of months removing the staging helix and re-doing the staging area.

The STL layout is a double track continuous run representing the Erie Lackawanna and its predecessors, timetable west of Corning NY. The modeled portion starts at Painted Post NY and ends at Wayland NY; staging represents Binghamton to the east and Buffalo to the west. Version 1.0 existed in a townhome; the slightly larger Version 2.0 was started 5 years ago after a career change and move to a new home.

When I designed and built the staging yard, I used a 1 and ¾ turn oval, four tracks wide. Each main had a passing siding long enough for three 22-car trains (about right for 2 F’s or 2 GP’s plus a caboose) while keeping the main clear, and crossovers allowed trains to enter and exit staging in any order.  The top-most ½ turn spread to six tracks wide; the two additional tracks served as fiddle tracks to stage a local freight in each direction.  The grade was a steady 1.5% throughout. A remarkable piece of layout design, at least IMHO.   

But over time, two problems showed up. First, the furthest-in tracks on the lower turn were nearly inaccessible. I used Kato Unitrack because it is nearly bullet-proof, but even so I had the rare derailment. Making things right again often involved a judicious application of salad tongs, and a generous application of colorful language.

But derailments were rare enough that I could live with it. What I couldn’t live with, was the nearly 4” climb in elevation through the helix had to be matched on the visible mainline.  And the area I model is typically river-level running, (The DL&W through Bath up to Wayland was 0.82%.) I had an un-prototypical 1.5% grade running past the Painted Post depot, and a 1.5% grade in the scene that will someday represent the Canisteo river along the former Erie main.  So I had to do something different.

STL 2.1 eliminates the staging helix and replaces it with stub-end staging, but uses the same base-level benchwork. I now have only two tracks above any others, making access significantly easier. The change enabled me to make the trackage through Painted Post perfectly flat, and reduced the grade along the Canisteo to under .25%. I still have the grades through Bath and Wayland, but the new staging allows me to store two 30+ car trains in each direction, and I still have the two fiddle tracks for locals.  So there are still compromises, but that is part of the art of model railroading...

Version 2.0:



Top deck and all Kato track removed:



New configuration, re-using the Kato track:


All new staging in and re-wired - trains are running again!


Painted Post - 0% grade now:


Ron

[TiogaTracks]

Nice work, Ron!  I appreciate the thorough breakdown of the old track plan’s flaws and how you fixed them.  I’ve been working on similar staging design dilemmas lately.

Also, it’s great to hear from someone else modeling the same region!  Can’t wait to see some nice Twin Tiers riverside scenery.  If we made a map of all the prototypes modeled here on TRW, I wonder how many of us are close enough (or nearly close enough) to interchange cars.  Railwire Multi-Scale Multiverse, anyone? 

-Steven

[R L Smith]

Steven, I actually considered modeling Addison and the WAG interchange yard.  But the DL&W through Bath won out - mostly because I know a lot more about the Bath & Hammondsport than I do the WAG.  (Not to mention, the three-railroads-in-one-scene that Bath offers.)

Are you a member of the ELRHS?  The Diamond had a recent article about the WAG with some great photos.

Ron