Weekend Update 6/11/17

[mu26aeh]

I got a heads up CSX was running an extra over the Hanover Subdivision on Sunday, so I went out to the nearest crossing and caught it eastbound with grain loads for Ag Com and cars on the end for interchange with YorkRail at Smiths Siding

After I got home, I finished up some decal work on an HO RS3 I'm working on for a friends layout.  It is ex Long Island, now Gety #1559 for the Gettysburg Railroad.  I drilled out the headlights and replaced them with Cal scales dual pyle housing to get correct orientation. 

2017-06-11_15.03.32[1] by Adam Henry, on Flickr

2017-06-11_15.02.49[1] by Adam Henry, on Flickr

2017-06-11_15.02.34[1] by Adam Henry, on Flickr

[cbroughton67]

I finally finished body-mounting Z-scale couplers to 26 Athearn CSX coal porters over the weekend. I weathered them up, installed FVM metal wheels in the cars that weren't factory-equpped with metal wheels, and took them for a test drive. It was a good excuse to stretch the legs on my sound-equipped SD40-3's, too!

Video:https://youtu.be/3gtbMzPwrF4


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[SSW7771]

I actually got sometime this weekend to work on the layout  I got 1 of 2 wharehouses substantially complete. Still needs details, roll up doors, and weathering.

[btrain]

I did a bunch this week, but took a pic of another structure. This is all styrene, even the pilings.

Very nice! Did you use a use jig for the board and batten siding?

[Chris333]

It is just Evergreen styrene sheet scratched up with 40 grit sand paper.

[Santa Fe Guy]

Nice work as usual everyone.
Rod.

[coosvalley]

Great stuff so far this weekend. This week I got my layout wired up, and backdrop and fascia installed...More in the Layout Engineering Thread...Have a great week!

[bman]

Finally got around to actually do some train related modeling this weekend.  Installed decoders in WE GP40's 105 and 300. 
Got 3 of these together.  Still need to attach the bells on the high short hood.  Future WE GP35's 108 and 110.  The 3rd will be an N&W GP35 for a friend.


I did see a lot of trains this weekend.  On Saturday you can almost smell that new hopper smell...I've never seen these before.  Heading north on the CSX ex-C&O.


and got a tip that ex-RBBX 41307 was heading south on CSX as well Saturday evening.
 

But what I couldn't get a photo or video of was NS 5333(ex CR/PC 8161) with approx 70 cars heading north working hard up the grade out of downtown Columbus over on the ex-N&W all by itself.  Our view was obscured by a train heading south.  Talk about bad timing.  Usually we are happy when we get 2 trains at once on the NS side.  Didn't catch the train symbol no one had a scanner.

[davefoxx]

I'm experimenting with Sergent Engineering couplers in HO:



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

DFF

[narrowminded]

Worked on my miniature chassis.  There's over 1,000 hours on the one in the video and all running good so I went to work on my original concept for the primary drive.  I wasn't able to develop it over the last couple of years due to limited machine access and when the machines were available I had other development priorities... like gears and wheels.  Well, now with my own machines one room away R&D is so completely doable.  Making very good progress at last.  But good grief, the volume of details.

What is now running on test in that chassis from the video is a new primary drive that is slightly more compact, affords another 27:1 gear reduction which puts the max reduction at 152:1 instead of 125:1, and it'll be the one item that was going to have to be  subbed out, now totally in house... if it tests out.  I'm pretty confident it will and that means no more custom belts with all of the cost, aggravation, and risk that went with it.  The belts  worked really well and if this new method causes any problems that's always a great running backup but...   I can now make any size I need and with in house tooling.... if it tests OK.   The third tweek hit the mark and it has the first five hours run time on it.  There will be the inevitable refinements for simplicity, tooling, and details as always but, so far so good!  

And now I can proceed with the configuration that should be suitable for some small switchers and such, even Z scale.   Might work for a sweet running HO Speeder, too.  This is the stuff that gets me all verklempt.

[VonRyan]

Spent my weekend 99% indoors to avoid the sun and the heat.

I used the time to research such things as "Mucilage" and "Paste", as well as "Manifold" typewriter paper, and the difference between "Gem" and "Ideal" paper clips. All that with the intent of gathering all the supplies that were specified by the US Army in March of 1944 for stocking field desks at the Regiment and Company levels.

From eBay I bought a WWII correct stapler and a correct 3-hole punch.
I also bought myself an EE-8-B.

[John]

I finally finished body-mounting Z-scale couplers to 26 Athearn CSX coal porters over the weekend. I weathered them up, installed FVM metal wheels in the cars that weren't factory-equpped with metal wheels, and took them for a test drive. It was a good excuse to stretch the legs on my sound-equipped SD40-3's, too!

Video:https://youtu.be/3gtbMzPwrF4

very nice work .

[Santa Fe Guy]

Wow see the window treatment with the aluminum window frame, rivets and details on the HO caboose of Dave's.
Those couplers look very cool.
Sure looks nice.
Rod.

[arbomambo]

SWARMTrak participated in the Southeast Region NMRA Train Show, in Birmingham, AL, this past weekend... This was the first time we invited other T-TRAK clubs to set up with us and it was a lot of fun! Participating with us was the Conecuh Valley T-Trak group from Troy, AL, and the Central Kentucky T-TRAK club from Louisville, KT...the layout was our largest to date: 35'x 28' , with the layout forming the shape of two capital 'E's, back-to-back. One of the highlights of this show was meeting all of the team from ScaleTrains. They participated in the show with a very nice booth, displaying all of their products, including the two new carbon black cars in N scale. (very nice but decidedly out of my era). They graciously lent us a production sample of the beautiful Gas Turbine, to run as long as we pleased, on the T-TRAK setup. The unit performed flawlessly, and if you're a fan on N scale onboard sound, sounded like a 'tinny' version of the real thing. I was most incredulous to see how well it negotiated the ridiculously tight radii curves of the standard T-TRAK corners! Kudos to their design and a hearty 'Thanks' for their generosity!
~Bruce

[narrowminded]

Worked on my miniature chassis....   

The third tweek hit the mark and it has the first five hours run time on it.  There will be the inevitable refinements for simplicity, tooling, and details as always but, so far so good!   ....

Over 52 hours now and running good.  This bodes well for the concept and I will definitely continue testing and tweeking in this direction.  Mechanical devices tend to be that way.  Something truly faulty will show evidence of that very early in testing.  If it makes the first twenty-four hours with little to no evidence of difficulty it's probably good for the long haul or at least headed in the right direction.  This shows no difficulty in performance or wear so far.  Very thrilled.