Weekend Update 12/15/19

[up1950s]

Okay, glad I wasn't losing it.   

I went through what I have on the computer and I found several of 412 in the yellow/green but none of 413.  I do have one of 413 in the red/white in the late 60's (black numbers on white number boards).

Jason

Are you going to add a train anti suicide plexi lip or half berm to that front edge . Looks like an accident waiting ........

[trainforfun]

Beautifull , the crossing at Rochelle is beautifull with the bulding on each side , plus there is always maintenance crew and pickups there !!!

[John]

Thanks for the suggestions, much appreciated. FYI, what I started out with was autumn corn, which I then sprayed green. This gave me (very) slight variations in overall coloring along with light tan "sort of" tassels on top (where the tops of the plants slice off of the sprues). And yes, I did finish things off with a coating of flat finish. However, given that there are something like 1200 plants in that field (1 of 5 such fields on my layout), that was pretty much the extent of my ambitions 

Also, you're right, depending on where and when you look at it, corn plants can look a little shiny. Vis -



-Mark

There are a lot of variations --- but i think whats missing is the color of the stalks .. its a golden something ..  not sure how you would fix that without it being a total PITA

[wm3798]

Added substantially to the Retro fleet this week.  First, a couple of more Trix F7s arrived from the @DKS collection, which have been hastily patched into Laurel Valley markings to get them into service while the boys in the paint shop order the necessary supplies.


Next, I wanted to add a Rapido FA-2 to the roster, having enjoyed reading this thread a few months ago:  https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=45378.0

I remember seeing the carcass of one at my old club in Delmar,  Impressed with its simplicity and heft (a solid cast metal shell/frame) I figured it was worth a gamble.  I'd been following a couple on eBay when one popped up as "running but needs work" for under $20 with free shipping, so I jumped at it.  Unfortunately, the seller switched my order with another, so what I got was yet another Trix F7.  Happily, the seller refunded the purchase price, and put me in touch with the other purchaser, who had gotten my FA.  In the meantime, another Rapido FA came available at a discount, so, armed with the proceeds of my refund, I fired away again.  Last Friday, both units arrived at the same time, and suddenly I had a fleet.



The one that got swapped arrived soaked with oil, and reeking of an overheated motor.  I suspect the guy who had gotten tried to get it going, and  in the process made a mess of it.  I took it apart, soaked the PC board in soapy water (oil had soaked into it) and after awhile, I was able to put it back together and get it underway.  So, now I have two for the price of one, and while noisy, they are fun to run... for a while.  The motors do get rather warm, but with that all metal shell, it has a pretty effective heat sink.

Finally, I tinkered with changing the tender on one of my Trix 0-6-0, using the high box tender from a defunct Atlas/Rivarossi 0-8-0.



The drawbar is a little long, but it has the one-side tender pick up, and the post under the engine cab is part of the metal engine frame, so for now it stays.  I had to flip the axles to get the pick up from the left hand rail to match the Trix drive's polarity, and the extra pick up helps it glide through the long Peco turnouts I have on the lower main lines... as long as the frog is on the left    Given the simplicity of my operation scheme, that's fine with me.

Lee

[hegstad1]

There are a lot of variations --- but i think whats missing is the color of the stalks .. its a golden something ..  not sure how you would fix that without it being a total PITA

I love it Mark.  It's totally good.  I will add to the discussion by saying, it wouldn't be too hard to grab the airbrush and shoot a little yellow/gold at the base of the outside row of corn to give it that little bit of variation... And corn is glossy.

[tehachapifan]

I would be inclined to try shooting a dull finish coat. While it may be somewhat glossy (well, probably more of a satin) in real life, it looks a little too much like shiny plastic to me. Or, maybe only do some  to break up the rather exact patterns. Don't get me wrong, it looks like a great product!

[w neal]

No modeling, but a fun weekend selling my wares in upper NY state.





A smaller show, but people were buying.






A little Lehigh Valley railroad archaeology...








A beef on weck at Joey's was a nice treat on the way home...

[spookshow]

Russ, as I posted previously, I did use dull coat.

I don't know if y'all have ever worked with this product, but the individual plants are simplistic and basically flat -



They work great as macro scenery, but I don't think they'll ever look totally realistic when viewed as individual plants. Or at least they won't on my layout. I'm already 10+ years into this thing and I really don't want to spend the rest of my ever dwindling days obsessing over corn 

-Mark

[Maletrain]

There are a lot of variations --- but i think whats missing is the color of the stalks .. its a golden something ..  not sure how you would fix that without it being a total PITA

That picture sure looks like it was taken with a polarizing filter to suppress reflections of the blue sky on the leaves.  That makes for great color saturation in a photo, but not what you see with your eyes, unless you are wearing polarizing sun glasses.

[Cajonpassfan]

They work great as macro scenery, but I don't think they'll ever look totally realistic when viewed as individual plants. Or at least they won't on my layout. I'm already 10+ years into this thing and I really don't want to spend the rest of my ever dwindling days obsessing over corn 

-Mark

+1
I think it looks just great... on to the next (great) thing😎
Otto

[diezmon]

still catching up on LL SW decoder installs.   

I can't stress enough how much I hate this power strip design.  Every shell removal destroys them a little more.   sheesh. 

[ Guests cannot view attachments ]

[Jim Starbuck]

still catching up on LL SW decoder installs.   

I can't stress enough how much I hate this power strip design.  Every shell removal destroys them a little more.   sheesh. 

You seem to keep doing the same thing and expect different results. No need to stress.
I’ve had dozens of these engines apart and only ever dislodged one pickup strip.
I’d be glad to share my technique.
These little engines get a bad reputation because people try to take them apart incorrectly.

Jim

[diezmon]

You seem to keep doing the same thing and expect different results. No need to stress.
I’ve had dozens of these engines apart and only ever dislodged one pickup strip.
I’d be glad to share my technique.
These little engines get a bad reputation because people try to take them apart incorrectly.

Jim

ha, yes, do tell! I've tried all kind of things, but those strips always catch, and pull off

[wm3798]

I used to use a length of phosphor bronze wire along the inside of the sill to connect the two pickups.  Solder the factory wipers to the wire, CA the wire to the shell. Solder the decoder wires to the wire bridge and leave the wipers alone.  Much more reliable contact, and more secure.

Lee

[Jim Starbuck]

I was going to do a LifeLike tune up article for NSR but never finished it so I’ll post some of it here.

 Step 1: (optional but makes things easier) Remove the couplers by prying the E clip from either side. This gives a little more room for the truck to pivot as you will see later. It depends on what type of coupler you have too and how far back the coupler box protrudes. I use 905 Zs and the box is pretty long.

Step 2: Remove the fuel tank. Simple grasp the sides and wiggle it up and off.

Step 3: With the fuel tank off now carefully twist the trucks 90 degrees and they will lift out of the frame. Watch so the tabs on the trucks don’t snag the tabs on the sill. They shouldn’t but slow and careful here. You may have to wiggle the truck sideframe past the gusset on the sill.

Step 4: Now you can get to the shell and chassis and start to gently pry the rear of the chassis up and out with a small screwdriver. Another technique that works well to start the chassis out of the shell is to take a 3-4 inch pice of decoder wire and holding both ends with your thumb and forefinger make a basket (u shaped) and reach in and slip it under the motor shaft and gently tug to start the frame up past the dimples in the shell.
Work on the rear as that’s where the hang up is. The front will come off easily. Make sure to bring the front and rear out of the shell evenly and not get one end farther ahead than the other.

Step 5: Here’s the most important part. When you get the frame out about 3/16” or it feels like it’s catching STOP! This is where the pickup tab catches the top of the screw hole in the chassis.

[ Guests cannot view attachments ]

Slip the tip of a your hobby knife between the chassis and the pickup tab and work the tip of the tab past the catch spot. You may have to work a bit on each side but it will clear and the chassis will lift out from here.

Step 6: Once the chassis is out, I file the slot slightly to clean up the rough surface and file a bit at the top of the screw hole so the tab slips past next time. I also file a bit off the bumps on the chassis as this helps things not be quite so tight.

When you reassemble, leave the trucks off and slip the chassis down into the shell until there is about 3/16 still sticking out. Twisting the trucks back in with the chassis not fully seated keeps the tabs on the trucks from snagging the tabs on the sill. When the trucks are square just push the chassis the rest of the way in and replace the fuel tank and couplers.

Hope this saves you some grief.

Jim