Weekend Update 1/18/15

[Jeff AKA St0rm]

Well not much done this week because I was in a curling tournament most of the week, but we lost today so we are out. So that means an afternoon of TV and layout work. Started to do a little fascia work.



Jeff

[bbussey]

How did you make it?

Scratchbuilt.

[mu26aeh]

No modelling yet for me this weekend, but tonight I did get to operate on a fantastic HO scale modern UP layout, running a local to switch an industrial park and a coal mine transfer run.  Great way to get in the mood to work on my Hanover Sub layout on Sunday.

[nkalanaga]

I rode one of the Great Dome Lounges across eastern Montana in 1973, although I had no idea then, or now, which one.  The train was late into Havre, and then we were delayed while the AC was fixed in the ex-Santa Fe coach we were in, still in its ATSF lettering.  The BN people, mostly ex-GN, still believed in running good trains, and the crew must have been told to get to Minot on time, because we were pushing the speed limit east of Havre.  I'm not prone to motion sickness, and as a teenager was even less so, but I got seasick.  The ham and cheese sandwich for lunch, apparently made from some kind of plastic, didn't help.  It chewed fine, but tasted "chemical", although the rest of our group also ate them, and had no ill effects/  Finally ended up in the full dome, up in the dome, and rode fine there for several hours.  They really did ride great.

[VonRyan]

My DF4 and my two Soviet coaches got a few hours of run-time. They'll probably get a few more today.

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-Cody F.

[mecgp7]

Scratchbuilt.

Earlier I posted "Very nice", now I'll upgrade it to freakin' awesome! True example of a master is when the finished product doesn't show just how difficult is was to make. Outstanding work.

[randgust]

Finished up my converted Flexivan spine car to an ATSF Ft65 container flat yesterday.

These were Mark IV cars that were converted to conventional container service in 1972, with the removal of the turntables and a constructed rack systems for 20' and 40' containers.   N Scale Kits is a Mark II car, so this is a foobie for sure, but the rather distinct appearance of these cars in a 1970's Super C train transcends those details.   All the racks and braces are soldered brass.



Loaded, the skeleton flat nature is the very distinctive appearance:


Here's a couple of them in the Super C, about 10 cars back, but still you can spot them in a photo: 
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=244715&nseq=62

[Cajonpassfan]

Earlier I posted "Very nice", now I'll upgrade it to freakin' awesome! True example of a master is when the finished product doesn't show just how difficult is was to make. Outstanding work.

No kidding, +1
Otto

[delamaize]

Australian? 

(you know, because, upside down? lol Sorry man, couldn't resist.)

Work weekend for me, so not really anything train related. Earlier in the week I sorted out and improved the pickup on a little Fleischmann 0-6-0 switcher I have (7124). that was a BITCH. One of these tender drives, pushing a free wheeling locomotive. once you got the pickup to have enough tension to have good connection, it was too much friction for the wheels to free spin. Friction ok for wheels to spin? not enough tension for pickup. Add to it, the pickups only touch the top of the flanges, and no tender pickup, the result on DCC was a poor running little locomotive. I modified the pickups on the locomotive, where the rear most driver, picks up from the inside of the wheels now, the center axle does not have pickups, and the front takes from the tread. I also moved the rear most traction tire to the middle of the tender, and added a pickup to the rear of the tender. Overall it runs 100% better now, Although, when cold, it still "bulldozes" the drivers.

Also, I tore down, cleaned and oiled, and ran my handful of z scale locomotives.

[jagged ben]

These were Mark IV cars that were converted to conventional container service in 1972, with the removal of the turntables and a constructed rack systems for 20' and 40' containers.   N Scale Kits is a Mark II car, so this is a foobie for sure, but the rather distinct appearance of these cars in a 1970's Super C train transcends those details.  ...

Good enough for me.     I am curious though, if the car should have different trucks in the 1970s.

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=3310389
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=3378810

[randgust]

More than likely, yes, but if anybody has ever made Rockwell High-Speed trucks in N, I sure can't find them.   At some point they went to conventional roller-bearing trucks on the prototype, but likely after '72.
http://www.railcarphotos.com/PhotoDetails.php?PhotoID=47612
I'll likely change them out if they are ever produced, and if they actually work, simply because they are different just like the entire car was.     Because of the long bolster distance =  high truck twist, this car has a wide radius with body mounts and was a total failure until I went back to truck mounts - couldn't do 15" radius.    First couple of tests on the frame resulted in proving, once again, that pewter will distort if impacted to a concrete floor from 52" in the air.

UP had them on some cabooses, too.   But there appear to be incredibly rare, just never caught on.

I hadn't seen that one shot you posted of 291001, which is as late as I've seen one with Rockwells on it, and it's also interesting because the 'frames' are all bent-up.

[LIRR]

[flight2000]

Ton of stuff on my bench, but I did manage to finish this GP35. 



Cheers,
Brian

[Lemosteam]

Polar Express (part of it anyway) visits the Lavis Junction RR!

Man this layout needs a scenic beackdrop

[chicken45]

Well, I had quite the weekend!
Got a visit from @tom mann on Saturday. He weathered a gon right in front of me and proved one, he is real, and two, he does not use magic or trickery in his weathering. He gave me hope that I could do what he does in time and experience.
We later laid down the groove in some jazz trombone duets between sips of espresso.