Weekend Update 12/22/19

[rodsup9000]

Rod, impressive AND nice!
What program are you using?

  Thanks, Mike.

I used Sketchup Pro 2017

[jagged ben]

N scale searchlight signal action:

Not a valid vimeo URL
This is the signal from several weeks ago, here: https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=48289.msg639722#msg639722. It took a lot of messing around with endless Photon print runs to make an acceptable base that would solve this "worst case" (12 tiny wires) mount. There were multiple objectives here, foremost being easy installation and easy maintenance. Those goals were met, but getting there... wowee.

The bits that made it work:

Very very nice.  (I'm sure it's just the photography that's making the red look dimmer and similar to the yellow.)

What signal drivers are you using? You're getting a very good fade on the flashing aspects.

[tehachapifan]

Yeah, those signals.....I gotta sit down!

[C855B]

Thanks, guys! 

Very very nice.  (I'm sure it's just the photography that's making the red look dimmer and similar to the yellow.)

What signal drivers are you using? You're getting a very good fade on the flashing aspects.

The red is slightly dimmer in real life, and the greens nearly light the room. Brightness levels are at defaults, so a few minutes adjusting the CVs should even things out. The LEDs are RR Cir-Kits.

Drivers are the Team Digital SHD2. Pretty decent deal when I bought them a couple of years ago ($11 or so from Tony's, each one controls two heads), but, sadly, I just discovered they are discontinued. I will have to drop them a line and ask "WTF?" since my wiring designs assumed availability. I can certainly understand they were a PITA to support (no programmer feedback), but why punish those of us who like the product and know how to use it, huh? 

[railnerd]

Robert, can you substitute the NCE LightIt decoder in lieu of the TeamDigital decoder?

-Dave

[C855B]

It appears so. Once I found the online manual last night, it appears the Light It functions similarly, albeit with a higher configuration load. The SHD2 is admittedly arcane to program, but there's very little to configure. Plus, aside from the "blind" programming with no ACK and no read-back, I couldn't get Decoder Pro to work, so I had to go old-school with a DT402 and shove CVs at it.

But I'm OK with that; in fact, I much prefer programming track config over NCE's Ops Mode requirement because of the dangers of pushing CVs (and addresses!) on a live RR. With the Light It I'll need to setup an off-layout programming station, for sure. Anyway, hoping beyond hope I've already dropped a line to Team Digital inquiring about the possibility of resurrecting their tooling for a bulk purchase.

EDIT: I just loaded Decoder Pro and brought-up the Light It config panel. What a cluster! All sorts of footnotes that it won't work with many (unspecified) control stations through JMRI including a couple of their own, no read-back, and it won't ACK under most programming configurations. I sure as heck hope the TD folks come through.

EDIT*2: Heard back from Team Digital. They said RR-CirKits now sells the SHD2. I see it nowhere on Dick's site, so I'll drop him a line.

[SP-Wolf]

So, I managed to complete another F3 set. (This is the last of the F3's) Next -- F7's

Here is my DF-2 class F3

In the beginning:


Ready for details:

 
Ready for decals:


Just about done:


Gettin to work:


Thanks,
Wolf

[Lucas in Alaska]

Is this Freemo?

I asked and was told it wasn’t. 


All, Sorry for the sideways photos. They got rotated when I uploaded them.

[MichaelWinicki]

That may well be but congrats anyway.  Unfortunately I don't have a copy.  Did you supply all the material or did the magazine send someone?

Great question!

As soon as the commitment was made to do this, I came to the conclusion that I needed to make their (the magazine folks) job as easy as possible in order to get out the best story I could on my layout.

The fact is even if they spend all day with you taking pictures and asking questions, they're still only going to get some of the information they need to create a great article.

So before we met, I provided the following information:

1. The "story" of how the layout worked, in other words a description of layout's operations such as towns, industries and the different trains that work the pike.
2. A map of the area the layout represents.
3. The "stats" of the layout–such as the size of the room, number of turnouts, blah, blah, blah.

The day of photo-shoot came and it consisted of two parts: picture taking and asking me questions that related to the who, how and why of the layout... "How did you get into this hobby?", "Why the Penn Central?", "What were you trying to achieve?"

By providing all the information that I had upfront there were no questions for me from the day Sandy Smith left to the day the magazine went to print. 

The result was a 10 page spread with 27 images.

I couldn't be more pleased with the results.

[Cajonpassfan]

Nice job as usual, @SP-Wolf, love the black widows!
See you at Joel’s after the new year I hope! Too bad you can’t run an “SP Detour” on the O&W...😁
Merry Christmas,
Otto

[SP-Wolf]

Nice job as usual, @SP-Wolf, love the black widows!
See you at Joel’s after the new year I hope! Too bad you can’t run an “SP Detour” on the O&W...😁
Merry Christmas,
Otto

Hey Otto,

Thank you!!

I will be there. Looking forward to seeing you (And, the rest of the guys)

Perhaps, I'll bring a set -- Hahaha

Merry Christmas to you and your family
Wolf

[ksmiley]

We were discussing scenery/earth/land forms that went above and below the roadbed over the weekend. I also realized I had a module project that did both in the space of 308mm/1 x Single. So here is the open frame made of 2x1's and 3x1's. It also has and extra 2" on the front for a building key to the scene.

[diezmon]

A little free time between shopping and wrapping.  I was able to get more handrails on.

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[John]

Wow .. nice work all ..

I've been slooooooowly working on the DODX train .. this week I'm painting and putting decals on the containers in the 1st flat set ..






A couple of things I'm not a fan of -- these containers are resin castings -- some of the ones I received have flaws in the tops -- they are little concave -- and a couple the ribs didn't mold .. 

the half height containers aren't the proper model for the tarps ..  http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=3120628
http://www.seabox.com/products/detail/SB6130-20ft-half-high-open-top-with-soft-lid
http://www.seabox.com/products/detail/SB6131-20ft-half-high-open-top
http://www.seabox.com/products/detail/SB6135-20ft-half-high-open


I would replace both of these with 3d printed versions, or injection molded ..

The other item I didn't get right is the mounting brackets .. they are slightly difficult to remove from the base they are molded onto .. I need to take some more time and use a different saw on the next batch ..

The decals are superb .. any flaws you see are my fault ..

overall, MT did an ok job with this load set .. the decals certainly being the best part ..  the containers are adequate, but could be replaced with better versions ..

[wm3798]

Getting the layout into a magazine was never a goal...

I had two goals when I started the project in April of 2008 and those were: Get it to the point where it could be considered "finished" but more importantly create something that reminded me of what railroading was like in my youth (in this case August of 1970).

And in the last print edition of the magazine!  I'll have to get out and find that one.  I've always enjoyed your layout, @MichaelWinicki
Le