I made the time today to add this siding that will serve some oil wells and a drilling outfit warehouse/headquarters. I have a few ME55 #6 switches to use up and thought I would try them in here.
The section crew received some switch machines this week which management hopes will spark up some motivation to get them installed! Much better choice than the previous attempt, which is pictured alongside, way too big! Then the chief mechanic found a great deal on a barely used older branchline locomotive and ended up on a buying spree... coming home with a couple of boxcars and a flat car as well as some tools. Hopefully we will get some section work accomplished and see a few switch machines get functional!!
OK, am going to be lazy here and post a link to my thread over on another forum...had fun the other night driving trains around and creating a minor jam. Yes, the dispatcher got into trouble with the chief operations officer and the trainmaster! It was quite the three way yelling match! Had to use two mirrors to keep ourselves in order! Anyway, ended up doing a "see-saw" move, as seen here..... http://www.nscale.net/forums/showth...n-Pacific-and-Black-Hills&p=485745#post485745
Won an auction and recieved some gondolas from a used railcar dealer. Here's a short video of them being drug towards the shops for inspection, repairs and reworks as needed!
The photos are in reverse order, but I did get 5 of the switches in. The section gang was a bit obstinate about starting, but... a little coersion of $$ helped motivate them! Also got the wood ties weathered jup some and even tried these out. This will work fine and go quicker as I do a few more. The mass production method of doing them up, three was my limit tho. The weathered up ties. darker greasier color in the points area. And the very first one. I used .010 pb wire for these. I may up grade to .015. The vertical post will get a switch target soldered to it later...
Made time this morning to work on a couple of flat cars. Finished putting trucks, couplers and handbrakes on two by Fine N-Scale, couplers on the new Civil War flat and then painted and weathered the decks of those three and one by Red Caboose. Aaaah! A sense of some accomplishment!
So while TB was down, I got the freight car bug and bridge bug.... A MT civil war era boxcar has become a NPBH MOW car. Added 905 couplers, grab irons up the sides, a potable water tank on the roof and the MOW paint scheme. Now for lettering . . . And a Kato bridge got the Unitrak removed in prep for ME55 bridge track, a walkway added down one side and a firebarrell platform. It has recieved a coat of flat black paint already. Pics later. And ran trains around and around to keep the track clean!
And the freight car bug is still chewing. Been cutting the coupler boxes off trucks and body mounting them. Also, doing a little weathering and paint, etc. Metal wheels on some as well. And this one got some a coat of boxcar red in prep to become a CNW unit. Lowered trucks on this sure seem to make it ride more realistically, to me anyhow.
And proof that the aqua car is now brown, as well as a quick video clip of some freshly weathered rolling stock.
Last night got tense and exciting, so I ran some trains while waiting. Three at once, going the same direction on this Loooooonnng mainline. I figure it to be about 115 linear feet long!
With the Holiday and work didn't have much train time. Did run trains, and inventory locomotives and cars somewhat. While running trains I had two adventures, the first of which was my K4s loosing a main pin screw. Easily ficed as the screw did not disappear! Both screws are now loctited in place and she runs good still. So I played with her speed cv's and was able to improve slow speed start and lower the top speed. While working onthe K4s, my Hiawatha just stopped. Huh? Tried the 'touch-n-go' restart, and got nothing. Looked a bit closer and here sits the front end of the main rod in the ties! Aargh. So, now I am waiting on a response from FVM, the teeny rivet that hels it in place is really, really lost.
I had a LOT of hours running that Hiawatha, so it's no big deal and an easy fix. The Pennsy was so easy, well....here's a video or two! Of course, then I had to put it in a siding while some priority freight blew by! And those two steamers have even more trouble free hours! No dismal diseasels here!
Hmmmmmm....I looked at a larger picture of the Hiawatha. Its that rod end....is it just a pin missing or is the end of the rod actually broke off. Just wondering.
There is nothing wrong with running diesels...... From a longtime steam buff. Staying cool and having fun with it...... Shades
Badlandnp (Alan?), I believe this is the first time I've seen your work, impressive. I especially like the fine detailing you did with the flats. Thanks for sharing.
mtntrnman - It is just missing the rivet. Easy fix when I get one. Redriver - dismals are ok, if you are modeling a more modern era than the 20's! I had the fun of being a loco electrician for a lot of years, and it was fun! Dismals are just a big electricians toy! Oh, there is a diesel back there, but it's only there to make electricity. Hank - Thanks! I just plug away.....
