Weekend Update 10/27/19

[Cajonpassfan]

Would removing the traction tires altogether and replacing them with Frog Snot be an alternative solution to the problem?

Yes, I thought about it, but find the Snot concept a bit inelegant and downright tacky. Never tried it...does it dry green?
Maybe I need to rethink my attitude given the options here. Perhaps I’ll let someone else try it first?
Otto

[dem34]

It dries a semi transparent green. You don't really see it if the drivers are shaded over. The locomotive in my profile pic has it applied to the rear drivers.

[peteski]

Yes, I thought about it, but find the Snot concept a bit inelegant and downright tacky. Never tried it...does it dry green?
Maybe I need to rethink my attitude given the options here. Perhaps I’ll let someone else try it first?
Otto

This should really be a separate thread (who, in a year or two  is going to find the traction tire troubleshooting in a weekend update?).

I have a Challenger, but I don't run it much (it mostly sits packed away in its box).I looked at my Challenger and observed somethgin I think is important:

One traction tire (on the rear engine) is oily. Probably because of the excessive lubrication model receive at the factory, the oil oozes down onto the driver treads and then onto the traction tire. That traction tire is very stretchy and (because of the oil) it easily slips on the driver.  I also suspect that prolonged contact with oil softens the rubber material.

Another traction tire (on the front engine) is bone dry. No oil or any lubricant is present on that driver's tread.  That tire seems much firmer and it does not slip on the driver at all.

So, I wonder if you could take care of the slippage simply by taking some simple steps? Take the TTs off, soak them in Naphta (or Ronsonol lighter fluid) for few minutes to degrease them, then also use Naphtha to thoroughly degrease the TT driver's tread and the TT groove.  Then reinstall the clean TT into a clean and dry groove in the driver.

Of course if you keep your track oiled (like some modelers do), then that cleaning will not work for a long time.

Another thing I would suggest is to try using Kato Mikado traction tires.  I know that Mikado drivers are smaller, but I'm thinking that the stretched Mikado TT will get narrow enough to fit in the Challenger's narrow groove, plus being stretched more will result in tighter contact with the driver.  Plus those TTs are cheap and plentiful.  If degreasing doesn't work, it is worth a try.

[Cajonpassfan]

Pete makes a very good point about another thread, as well as some interesting observations about the “slipping TT” problem. I will resurrect the old “New run of Athearn Challengers, Surprise” thread in “Product Discussion” where there was considerable conversation on the topic of Athearn Challenger TT’s slippage and poor pulling power.
(Hope this is okay with the mods).
Otto K.

[peteski]

Pete makes a very good point about another thread, as well as some interesting observations about the “slipping TT” problem. I will resurrect the old “New run of Athearn Challengers, Surprise” thread in “Product Discussion” where there was considerable conversation on the topic of Athearn Challenger TT’s slippage and poor pulling power.
(Hope this is okay with the mods).
Otto K.

I don't think they will mind. Now to get them to move some of the pertinent threads from this thread to your thread.

[wm3798]

Define "black grit".  You mean grout?  Or just plain dirt?

It's my magical blend of Ed's black grout, black craft sand, and some ground coal I have laying around.  I use it for the cinder bed along the right of way too... or will eventually!

Wet craft acrylic "grabs" it and holds it to the balsa wood, then once it's set, I hit the whole thing with matte finish.  I only use shiny coal in my Reading cars... if you get my drift...

Lee

[garethashenden]

This should really be a separate thread (who, in a year or two  is going to find the traction tire troubleshooting in a weekend update?).

This is an issue with the Weekend Update threads in general. I really like them and its great that they get people to post, but they're not searchable easily and projects that get documented over months worth of weekend updates can be hard to find if they're not also in their own thread. But if everyone posted twice things would get cluttered quickly.

[ncbqguy]

Weekend Updates is just a hyper example of the problem the poster or moderators inherently having to decide where a post belongs.   
Good comments and information may be buried within a totally unrelated topic heading.   
Thinking about the dilemma it is probably a good idea when the comments triggered start to suggest solutions that might be generally useful a new thread should be started.   The current traction tire discussion is a good example.   
On the other hand, somebody posting a picture of a new 3D part should stay in Weekend Update.  Any technical discussion or detailed questions should move to 3D for further treatment.
Weekend Update is and should be a “this is the neat stuff I’ve been up to lately” and should cover all topics the poster wants to report.  Questions that solicit solutions properly should be a separate thread.

[C855B]

To me, it sounds like we want to herd cats. Good luck with that.

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Weekend Updates are just like any other thread here - tons of information where the discussion can branch into self-contained sidebars or other asides having equal value to the original topic. It is my belief that the core problem is... speaking honestly... the forum search feature is brain-dead. I've verified this multiple times searching for something posted where I recall specific words or phrases, yet there are no results, I have to find the post or thread by brute force, which then confirms the search should have been successful.

[DKS]

To me, it sounds like we want to herd cats. Good luck with that...

Weekend Updates are just like any other thread here - tons of information where the discussion can branch into self-contained sidebars or other asides having equal value to the original topic. It is my belief that the core problem is... speaking honestly... the forum search feature is brain-dead. I've verified this multiple times searching for something posted where I recall specific words or phrases, yet there are no results, I have to find the post or thread by brute force, which then confirms the search should have been successful.

Our search engine might not be the greatest, but 1) it's what we've got, and 2) it's not totally useless, as you suggest. I just did a search for traction tire and got plenty of results, including this very thread on the second page. Plus, there were dozens of other Weekend Update threads with posts that have not been rolled into any other more relevant threads, plus dozens more posts buried in totally unrelated threads.

So, this begs the question, how exactly would you propose to solve this problem? Merging threads, IMO, is not the answer. A somewhat improved search engine might help (for instance, being able to sort by date might be good), but I believe the better solution is perhaps a FAQ on how to use what we've got more effectively, because I do not believe there are any other practical solutions within our grasp, aside from tearing the entire board apart and reassembling it (akin, I dare say, to rebuilding the Great Wall of China).

FWIW, YMMV, IMHO, etc...

[johnb]

Frank says "Happy Halloween". My 5 year old put him on the layout last week.

 

[C855B]

... how exactly would you propose to solve this problem? Merging threads, IMO, is not the answer. ...

My solution? External search engines. "site:therailwire.net" seems to work when the built-in search doesn't.

Merging threads, etc. ... no. That's the "herding cats" issue. It'll create a boatload of work for somebody or several somebodies, at grave risk of being scratched or bitten. 

[peteski]

To me, it sounds like we want to herd cats. Good luck with that.

Weekend Updates are just like any other thread here - tons of information where the discussion can branch into self-contained sidebars or other asides having equal value to the original topic. It is my belief that the core problem is... speaking honestly... the forum search feature is brain-dead. I've verified this multiple times searching for something posted where I recall specific words or phrases, yet there are no results, I have to find the post or thread by brute force, which then confirms the search should have been successful.

Well, in this specific example of trying to organize some useful OT info poster in this WU thread I  asked the moderators (post in the Admin section) to move/copy the pertinent posts from here to the appropriate thread. No traction so far, but I know those guys have lives to live.

As for trying to organize all the useful info living in off-topic diversion in various threads we have discussed that in the Crew Lounge few months (or is it years?) ago.  But I feel it would be really to much work for someone to sift through all the threads, fish out the gold nuggets and compile them into some easily searchable document.

I'm also with DKS on this: the forum search works quite well.  I use it exclusively when looking for things here. I use the advanced search on the main forum page.  I then try to narrow the search by only selecting the section where I would expect to find that info. That eliminates lots of chaff. That is why I'm such a nagger for placing posts in the proper sections.  It makes searching easier.  But some people just don't get it or care. 

[C855B]

We'll have to agree to disagree, then. The in-forum search, for me, frequently does not find posts I know are there, and it's very frustrating. Doubling the frustration is - please correct me - no 'AND' function. If my search is of two words where I need both to appear in the post but not as a quotationed phrase, what I get is all posts containing either word. Makes it impossible to filter.

Maybe I don't understand the search tool. Seriously... is there an 'AND' and I haven't found it? Is it an '&', and 'OR' is '|'? (That pairing sure takes me back.) I've written my share of search algorithms, some crude and some maybe a bit more elegant, but nonetheless this one just flummoxes me.

[peteski]

We'll have to agree to disagree, then. The in-forum search, for me, frequently does not find posts I know are there, and it's very frustrating. Doubling the frustration is - please correct me - no 'AND' function. If my search is of two words where I need both to appear in the post but not as a quotationed phrase, what I get is all posts containing either word. Makes it impossible to filter.

Maybe I don't understand the search tool. Seriously... is there an 'AND' and I haven't found it? Is it an '&', and 'OR' is '|'? (That pairing sure takes me back.) I've written my share of search algorithms, some crude and some maybe a bit more elegant, but nonetheless this one just flummoxes me.

I use https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?action=search;advanced;search= and select "match all words". To me that is like AND funtion.  I never really looked whether it also match the individual words or not.