SP in 1953, Daylight & Overnight

Onizukachan Nov 18, 2018

  1. MK

    MK TrainBoard Member

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    It's always The Wife! :D :D :D
     
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  2. JMaurer1

    JMaurer1 TrainBoard Member

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    Just look at how many shoes she has and she only has two feet to wear them...
     
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  3. mtntrainman

    mtntrainman TrainBoard Supporter

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    OHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhhh the wife. Now that's a different story all together. Been there done that. Good luck !!! o_O:LOL::LOL::LOL::whistle:
     
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  4. JMaurer1

    JMaurer1 TrainBoard Member

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    Yah, I had one of those. She said that I needed to choose between her and the trains.

    I did. :LOL::ROFLMAO::LOL::ROFLMAO::LOL::ROFLMAO:(y)
     
  5. DCESharkman

    DCESharkman TrainBoard Member

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    From what I remember, It was an easy choice for you Jeff!
     
  6. Point353

    Point353 TrainBoard Member

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    To which you ought to have replied "But not half as glad as I am to have such a beautiful and understanding wife."
     
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  7. Onizukachan

    Onizukachan TrainBoard Supporter

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    I am working on Daylight’s still, but squeezed in some time on my MT steel side caboose as well.
    Worst looking thing I have ever seen. A real turd. Was the same plastic and color as the flatcar in the right of the picture.
    These brown plastic couplers and trucks and bottomsand details and everything are a real real pain in the butt. I really do not like whatever engineered plastic this is compared to the ease of painting and weathering black plastic... because you have to paint it black anyway!

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    I am overall pleased now. Would still like to have metal wheels and pickups so I can run a decoder and markers in it though. Am seriously tempted to buy a Kato caboose just to steal the trucks off it for this thing, but the only thing stopping me is that I just haven’t found any kerosene marker lanterns in Nscale.
    Would probably need to be something in translucent plastic so you could simply paint the exterior with your green and red lens paint, and dry brush color on the frame of it, then leave the led inside the caboose lighting it via the mounting stand like you would fiber optics.
    If anyone has any leads, I’d be very grateful.
     
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  8. Point353

    Point353 TrainBoard Member

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  9. Onizukachan

    Onizukachan TrainBoard Supporter

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    Thank you, appreciate the effort!
    Richmond hasn’t joined the 21st century in terms of online ordering, pricing, or pictures, so I’ve crossed them off my list, permanently. For what he wanted for a mars light and reverse light (that only worked on dc!) for my GS4, I did a dual decoder conversion to DCC with discrete LEDs and had money left over. $65 plus 9% sales tax plus shipping is highway robbery for caboose lighting.


    SBS would also be my first choice, but hasn’t had the caboose kits in several months, but if he ever does after the move I’ll be first in line for 2 of them! I’ve got both a wood side caboose (for a planned PFE ) and a steel side ( for the coast merchandise /Overnight) now.

    Even if all it is is the lantern bodies, I can piece the rest together myself, or rob trucks from kato cabooses...
     
    Last edited: Mar 14, 2019
  10. Mike Madonna

    Mike Madonna TrainBoard Member

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    You may want to consider using a WOT 60' Coach as a "caboose" on the CM (Overnight). SP used these since they had steel wheels and could handle the "passenger car" speeds.
     
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  11. Onizukachan

    Onizukachan TrainBoard Supporter

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    Great suggestion! If I couldn’t have found a proper steel side caboose, I would have. Using a coach was the exception/backup if they didn’t have a steel side caboose available. Wood side (like my c-30-1) had iron wheels, and steel side had steel and so CME/CMW would normally have a steel side caboose.
     
  12. JMaurer1

    JMaurer1 TrainBoard Member

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    Yes, other than brass or brass kits there are no good SP steel cupula cabooses available (C-40-1 or C-40-3)...but you could also use a bay window. The C-30-4, -5, -6 were all built prior to the 50's and SP 1342 (C-30-6) at least, received 'Trailer-Flatcar Service' lettering and used in overnight service although still in mineral red and Daylight orange.

    [​IMG]
     
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  13. Onizukachan

    Onizukachan TrainBoard Supporter

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    Thanks Jeff. I saw one similar on eBay, but getting rid of the Daylight orange paint is nigh impossible without stripping the entire shell on bay windows.
    I was only partially successful in removing it on the cupola caboose , and wound up painting the caboose ends dirty brown and hiding it with weathering. Not a perfect solution, but I sure tried!
    If they ever come out with one that is correct for 53, it’d be fun to have. Or if I find one that someone painted over the Daylight with mineral red already... really wanted a bay, but all I kept finding was c50s. If I’m gong to have a foobie caboose, I figured at least it should look traditional to me.


    I just ordered two sets of kato caboose trucks, MT caboose windows for both types of caboose, a decoder wire harness (cheaper than buying 8 colors of wire) and I have a dozen NCE light-its that need something to do.
    All I need are clear lantern housings... if anyone has any leads.
    I’ve only seen a picture or two, but they are mounted port forward and starboard aft, correct?

    My wife said last night she thinks I might need a 3D printer to make parts and houses and such. I’m going to assume that means my Week of Lent is over...
     
  14. Onizukachan

    Onizukachan TrainBoard Supporter

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    Still painting... I have 8 hours till time to leave for the Open house... some are not going to be painted I think...

    But here’s the ‘41 version of the observation car, as best I could!

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    Here’s the color photo I used for inspiration.


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  15. Onizukachan

    Onizukachan TrainBoard Supporter

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    Got a few more done, really need to sleep but also really want to finish the triple, still have one section left to do on it.

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    Triple in progress... I think the kitchen is coming out well, if anyone peeks in the window anyway.

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    Maybe there will be a video of the AC12 pulling a load of overnights tomorrow, yes not prototypical, but my F3s don’t have decoders, diaphragms, short couplers, or lighting done yet.
    And I’ll run the Daylight in full hopefully, even though some won’t have the interior paint done yet.
     
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  16. Onizukachan

    Onizukachan TrainBoard Supporter

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    My wife, Daughter Leena, and I had the pleasure of meeting Carl Sowell, Mike Fifer, Richard and Richard, and Don at the Southern New Mexico N Scalers Open House earlier today. As well as a young man Levi who was running an Amtrak, and his father.
    I can not express in words how warm and welcoming everyone was, and what a fine group of gentlemen they are.
    It was my wife’s first time running a train, and the maiden voyages for most of my current fleet. It was also our first time using a Digitrax throttle and Mike was very patient in explaining how they worked to each of us.
    I’m still not sure if my two year old enjoyed the trains, the people, or the stairs more!

    my wife really enjoyed running the AC12, with the Overnight box cars behind it, on their layout! but my lord does it need bullfrog snot! It was spinning the drivers at 36 scale mph and could only get moving with 18 cars or less, so that is something to correct for next time. Boy was it pretty to spectate though, and as I mentioned my wife really had fun running it. Found every clearance issue quickly! Mike was kind enough to run the track cleaning car and clean the main line so the audio wouldn’t drop out.
    Here is a quick video of hers running.



    I also got to run the GS4... with most of the consist.

    I’m super pleased with it, i put up 14 of the 18 cars and it will still do a scale 90mph... very prototypical...

    Was a very wonderful day, then I came home and took a LONG nap!
     
  17. Carl Sowell

    Carl Sowell TrainBoard Supporter

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    Richard,

    Thanks for the very nice comments about our small group. It was our distinct pleasure to have you and the family come up and "play trains". I should say "operate our railroad". What you saw is who we are, the same laid-back, fun loving, non formal club of men and women who just have a love for model railroading and companionship. What you saw represents 8 years, each of us putting a lot of time, $$, and effort into getting to where we are today and not complete by any means. Do we have issues, for sure, any layout of this magnitude will have occasional problems, either electrical or track or something. It seems those gremlins do crop up. Fortunately not often. We could sure use an electronic guru and I could stand some SP backing. BTW, thank you for the 54.

    As always, have fun,
    Carl
     
  18. Onizukachan

    Onizukachan TrainBoard Supporter

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    Thank you Carl. I’m very glad to be of any help I can to the group.
    And if you need any help getting your Sunset working, I’ve a bit of experience now.

    Know you had a few questions yesterday about the consist and GS4, so I figured I’d answer here for others who may have the same questions. Both are first run, the one with the better drivers and bearing blocks in the GS4, and correct post 48 Big lettering for consist and tender.
    I defeated the first run shorting issue by modifying the frame with a dremel and sanding drum. I made the wheel wells taller, wider and deeper, then I insulated them for extra protection with two heavy coats of clear coat and a layer of Kapton tape. This was not at all hard, so I don’t think anyone should be afraid of the first run at all. Luckily, people are, and they are cheaper as a result second hand! And mine has a steel pin holding the front coupler because it was not packed with the original spacer when I bought it and sheared the plastic one off in transit to me. So no fear on doubleheading it now!

    The GS4 currently has the Kato em13 and uses only tender pickup for motor control... with lots of momentum added in. Takes about 8-10 real feet to stop from max speed which is a scale 90mph pulling the near full consist. I don’t get people who say the kato is over fast, it is right in spec. Really they could do 99+... I am still using the drawbar to deliver motor power. It’s a very nice engineering solution, so I kept it.

    I currently use the fl4s 4 outputs for cab light, number boards & headlight, mars light, and reverse light. It is using the driver pickups and is mounted to the original light board frame after cutting out most of the original light board, and reusing the original pickup part... this lets me program them individually by parking either half on the derailer leaving only the other one on the programming track or main.

    I am using the kato light kits, but the Japanese version 11-214 (6 pack). This one has a warmer led, which can be used without the filter. This was important to me, as I am canopy glueing the diffusers to the body stands and the lightboard to ensure correct alignment. If aligned, they work very very well. If not, that’s when you get people complaining about cars being brighter on one end. I also borrowed partially from Mike Fifer’s video, in bending the metal legs of the light board slightly outward to ensure a better connection to the pickups, I say partially because I didn’t solder them.
    Reference here:



    For “weathering” (detail accenting) I am using tamiya panel line accent in grey, followed by brown, and then black to tone it down on the trucks, and either grey or black for door shut lines as I think appropriate.



    For interiors, I initially tried acrylics, but they didn’t flow nor stick well, so I reverted to my model car days and used Testors, with about 10-20 drops of testors thinner added. No issues then.

    Just a few more to do, and I will be ready for next time, Hopefully I’ll have gotten some sleep beforehand this next time. And I need some more people!
     
    Last edited: Mar 18, 2019
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  19. Onizukachan

    Onizukachan TrainBoard Supporter

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    If anyone has suggestions on a good flesh color, preferably an enamel so it won’t react with the many colors of Testors Flat enamel I have already, please let me know. I need to paint a hundred or so people.
     
    Last edited: Mar 18, 2019
  20. BarstowRick

    BarstowRick TrainBoard Supporter

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    And there it is all nicely wrapped up in a nut shell.

    I do look down at George but that has more to do with how tall I am and how long my nose is. :(o_O :);)

    I have shallow pockets and they are trying to support a credit debt. For health reasons not trains.:censored::eek::mad::rolleyes:
     
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