Weekend Update 11/28/10

[eric220]

Although Altoona is still packed away, pending completion of its permanent home, I did get some acquiring done this week.

In 1994, the Pennsylvania Railroad and AMTRAK inaugurated what was supposed to be the first high speed rail service in the US.  Dubbed ACELA, the new service quickly ran into trouble.  Much of the route was unable to accommodate the planned speeds due to the proximity of slower trains on the line, and the total travel time from Washington to New York was virtually unchanged from the schedules established by the Congressional and Senator over 50 years before.  The trainsets encountered problems with the traction and tilting systems, leading to a media relations nightmare.

With the disappointment that was ACELA, the PRR began making changes to the implementation of its next planned high-speed market, California.  Long sections of new track were laid through the central valley, grade-separated from the old lines.  Also, the ACELA trainsets were dropped from consideration in the new market, and a search began for a new high speed train.  Focus soon fell on a Siemens-led consortium that was preparing to deliver a new generation of ICE high speed trains to Deutsche Bundesbahn.  In 2000, the PRR arranged to borrow an ICE 3 from DB and bring it to California for testing on a completed section of the high speed line.  Few photographs were taken, but she was captured during testing in the early morning fog.



The PRR was impressed with the trainset's performance.  In 2004, high speed service was opened in California with trainsets derived from the ICE 3 design.

Aparently, Arnold decided to model these trains by molding the car bodies out of the smoked plastic used for the windows.  White paint was then applied on top of it to cover the non-window portions.  The rest of the lettering, striping, and details (like the door outlines) were added with decals.  Repainting this beast is going to be a little more complicated than I had planned...


The next acquisition came by way of a find by the Motive Power Department at the San Jose Great Train Expo.  This poor lost B6 was found at one of the dealers, for some reason wearing AT&SF paint.



She was quickly rounded up and returned to home rails, where she was touched up, and is currently being broken in.  As strange as she looks lettered for AT&SF, she doesn't look half as bad as her sister, who was lettered in a red, Jupiter-inspired UP scheme, sunflower stack and all.

I'm debating whether or not I want to try fix the B6 up myself.  I need to grind down the pizza-cutter drivers, strip the lettering, repaint and reletter, and install a decoder.  I also have a K4 that needs much of the same treatment.  If anyone has experience and would be willing to help me, please shoot me a PM.

[up1950s]

The hardest challenges of bashing a Model Power USRA 4-6-2 and a Bachmann C&O Vandy into UP 2899 have now been conquered , the rest is details .
 

 

[Chris333]

Is that a big stack or are you just happy to see me?

You are cranking out the steamers Richie, maybe I can farm out some work.


About the only trains item to report is that I've been sealing my new basement and painting the walls...

[BCR 570]

For me, this week saw continued progress on permanent installation of the DCC system.  The Ramp Meter was inserted into its opening in the fascia, covered with a lamicoid panel, and secured to the fascia with #4-40 x 1/2" machine screws, washers and nuts:




The DCC track bus wires were then routed from the Lenz command station over to the Ramp Meter in the fascia, and from the Ramp Meter down to the circuit breaker panel, where they are divided into the eight power districts:




The 14 AWG bus wires are labelled with a Rhino label maker and secured with 1/8" nylon cable clamps and #8 x 1/2" wood screws.

A small power bar was screwed to the underside of the benchwork just behind the curtains, with a lamicoid label locating the ON/OFF switch.  This power bar provides surge protection for the DCC power supply, but it also now enables me to turn on the system from the front of the layout instead of crawling underneath the helix and reaching up onto the shelf with my hand.




There is still some tidyong of cables to be done.  The cable from the power supply to the command station is far too long and is hanging down from the shelf.  I will shorten it to eliminate the extra unwanted cable.  The throttle cable hanging down from the command station will be replaced with a 4-conductor cable out to the first LA152 XpressNet terminal.

Next up is installation of the power mangement indicator panel and routing of the LED and SPST leads over to the circuit breaker panel, which will likely take a few weeks.


Tim

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Not so much for me this week. I got a bit of finish work done on the SW1500. The hood handrails were installed today and I have located a set of flexcoil sideframes. I want to try a full DCC package on this engine, possibly on the front of the frame as there is a little room there.

I took a look at my Atlas C40-8Ws and noticed the cab end of the engine sits a bit higher than the rear. I finally figured out it was due to the light block cradle inside the cab didn't have grooves for the ditch light wires. I fixed the problem by trimming the top of the light block. Man this engine is a hot mess inside.

I still can not fathem why no model manufacturer has used flexible PC board wires and sub mini pluggs. The photo etched flatewire is used in cell phones, laptops, pretty much any electronics these days and would make docoders modular, lights easilly detachable from the DCC board and mountable on the shell. Why are we always two decades behind the curve?

On an unrelated note, I got a Visa gift card and tried using it at modeltrainstuff.com. MB Klein declined the card because there was no name and adress to match. Well this sucks. I had a nice order lined up and I have to wait 8 days for Klein to refund the money to the car account so I can try again.

Just give cash or store gift certificates to the people you love.... or Uggs. My wife loves those Uggs.

[up1950s]

Is that a big stack or are you just happy to see me?

You are cranking out the steamers Richie, maybe I can farm out some work.


About the only trains item to report is that I've been sealing my new basement and painting the walls...

The UP used Sweeney Stacks of various sizes and types , I think that's where they got the design for the hash pipe .


Thanks for the generous and kind farm out thought , but I would sully your stellar reputation , and it would not be fun to put all the effort in if it wasn't mine in the end .

So you're already in your new home , that was quick ? You going to make a model of it , I did mine in HO years ago .

[Chris333]

I think I will make a model of it someday. Has a little bit of "curb appeal":

[DKS]

About the only trains item to report is that I've been sealing my new basement and painting the walls...

Congrats on the new digs!



We need pics of the new RR space.

My accomplishment this week has been installing all of the electronics for the city. It's a lot to cram in a tiny space, which must remain removable: drivers for 18 EL panels, 12 streetlights, five animated signs, between three and six animation devices (the decision-making isn't wrapped on this yet), plus an unknown number of LEDs (18 so far, with a possibility of up to a dozen more). Embarrassed to show it, considering what Tim does with wiring...

[James Costello]

Started working on some Espee rust buckets.... the Red Caboose racks are still a work in progress:





Inspiration:
http://www.railcarphotos.com/PhotoDetails.php?PhotoID=45479
http://www.krunk.org/~joeshaw/pics/sp/sp516306.jpg

Gotta make these dirty so the "clean" ones look clean... SP speed rack on TTX flat - a scheme RC has not yet done but I'll take plenty if they did.

[Philip H]

The East Baton Rouge Parish Department of Public Works (Mount Rainier Division) acquired several new pieces of equipment this week, thanks to a government/military surplus auction:



These are Maruka Construction vehicles that I got from Fleabay for a whopping $15 (plus about that much shipping from Hong Kong).  Since no one else bid on the auction, I can only assume the color is what made them so cheap. They are 1:150 Japanese N scale, which doesn't become apparent until you put them next to something 1:160:



Since EBRPDPW vehicles are yellow-orange, I may have to repaint them.  There is a small Philip's (!) head screw in the bottom of each - I may try taking apart the rubber tire roller to see if I can get just a shell for dipping and painting.

[up1950s]

Nice clean house Chris , looks like it was kept up very well on the outside . 

[Dave V]

The N scale PRR/CR Juniata Division arrived at its new home in sunny Navarre, FL this weekend after 1400 miles of driving.  The layout is in fine shape with no apparent damage beyond a few loose clumps of foliage. 

[mark dance]

Lots of train stuff but not any modelling.  All the shots below are by Tim Horton (BCR 570) who spent hours shooting pictures on the C&W.  These are test shots for an article we are preparing for submission.  Very nice job Tim!

I received two more H Liners from the amazingly talented hands of Jeff Briggs of Victoria.  Eastbound Pushers helping a Phoenix ore drag, destined for the Cominco smelter at Trail, up the brutal grade to Farron.



A shot of the Double Mushroom design.  To explain what you are seeing, the operator is switching the mill and barge at Slocan City on the lower deck.  Nakusp is on the upper deck above their head.  The climb to Farron is on the outside of the mushroom on the middle deck.  The South Slocan swing gate to get trains into the mushroom is at right in the closed position while the middle level lift gate to help get people into the mushroom is in the open position in the middle of the photo.



And two Helicon shots: the first at Pup creek and the second the Westbound climb above the Lower Arrow Lake.






I was also briefly in Edmonton Alberta Friday and got a chance to operate on the Edmonton Model Railway club's fantastic mushroom layout, the Monashee Pacific.  Wonderful people, wonderful layout and a good time had by all.  thx for the hospitality guys!

Finally, Chuck Geiger showed me how to embed a Youtube video so I am trying this here for the first time.  thx again Chuck

Have a great week everyone.

md

[wm3798]

Started working on a company house duplex last night... might have some pictures later.  In the meantime, we'll feature a couple of decoder installs that have been done for awhile, I just now got around to photographing them...


MDC Mogul...  This is a cool little engine.  I just wish the headlight wasn't blue...


Walther's 0-8-0.  Easy peasy plug and play.  Very smooth runner.


and last but not least, an old Rivarossi heavy Pacific.  Replaced the old bub with a directional thermonuclear LED.  I was excited to get this one to work on.  When I was a kid, I pined for this engine as it was displayed in the case at Lloyd's Hobby Shop in Towson.  I still have a little work to do on this one...  I think I glued the gears together by accident!

Lee

PS:  Did I mention how glad I am to have a proper camera again?

[DKS]

MDC Mogul...  This is a cool little engine.  I just wish the headlight wasn't blue...

Easy fix: Tamiya transparent orange paint.