N scale "What's on your workbench?"

Mark Watson Oct 28, 2009

  1. TrinityJay

    TrinityJay TrainBoard Member

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    Indeed it is! I got into Arduino round about christmas time with a view to heavily incorporate it into a WIP layout. I've already got a working system for points management via servos & relays, and have just moved into detection & signalling. I considered Hall effect sensors as well but IR is working better than expected and is cheaper, plus no need to buy heaps of magnets. The task now is to get all the various types of car shapes and colors to detect reliably.
     
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  2. John Moore

    John Moore TrainBoard Supporter

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    Working with Junk 4-4-0 I got off of EBay. Converting it to a non powered 4-4-0T that will be powered by a cheater car with an 8 wheel Bandai mechanism. Started with removing the metal worm shaft and then cleaning up behind Bachmann's poor quality work. Then on to the track were the cheater mechanism powered it at a good clip around the track. Now fitting part of the tender to the back for the fuel bunk. Next up will be side tanks and a new pilot.

    I am taking a page out of Katos book where the little 0-4-0T runs with a cheater car for power with the pocket line sets
     
  3. Carl Sowell

    Carl Sowell TrainBoard Supporter

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    Here are 2 images of completed "workbench" projects.................................

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Thanks for looking, Stay well and as usual always have fun,

    Carl
     
  4. Massey

    Massey TrainBoard Member

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    Ok I keep threatening you guys with pics of my tram operation so here ya go. The tram is working ok, still working out some bugs in the software but it’s just about golden. The staining process of the base is also slow and tedious but that’s more due to the cool weather not assisting with the stain dry times. I’m at the urethane clear stage now. And here is one of the buildings for the layout, a nice Walthers Modern Shopping center aka strip mall.

    659135FA-3B5E-4BE7-AB1E-2D40A98F5A46.jpeg 3A56E816-5B70-44A4-8025-5B39BE753322.jpeg AC39F134-F195-4EEB-AB2D-8C002352BD71.jpeg 074F93F3-9395-4EDF-A028-9D383040EEED.jpeg 5B832D52-1262-4D29-B70F-F11F391E6DEC.jpeg
     
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  5. TrinityJay

    TrinityJay TrainBoard Member

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    Interesting setup in the first two pics there, the daisy-chained board with the Mean Well (?) PSU. I see at least one IR sensor on a board with a bunch of trim pots, no wires going to the track though. Custom detection build? :)

    EDIT: Just noticed the Arduino tab open on your PC :D
     
  6. Massey

    Massey TrainBoard Member

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    So this is a Small tram diorama I’m building to put on my desk at work. It will make 2 stops as it goes around the triangle shaped track The tram is going to be automated, making stops, waiting a few seconds then going on. So you are seeing my Arduino setup. There is an IR sensor shield that can run 4 sensors but I’m only using 2, then there is the H-bridge motor controller which connects to the track (white and blue Kato wires) and then there is the Arduino Nano which is the brain of the whole thing. It will be put on a board then installed in a box, add a power supply (solver box with holes) and there will be a plug installed in the back with a master power switch.
     
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  7. Joe Lovett

    Joe Lovett TrainBoard Member

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    Just finished the ice house loading platform.

    Joe

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  8. PapaG

    PapaG TrainBoard Member

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    Hello all,
    I'm new to model railroading and to the boards here, and happy to share what's been on my bench for a little while.

    This is my first attempt at modeling scenery... I'm not sure I should have started with trying to model a water feature, becuase this little scene was rife with problems. But I'm smarter today than I was yesterday, and I guess that has some value to it!

    Not sure I'd use Woodland Scenics Realistic Water again as the product does shrink a bit, but overall I'm happy that my first attempt turned out as nice as it did. It still needs some work to address some bubbles that developed along an edge, but once that's disguised and the rest of the area is landscaped, it should look pretty good.

    I've decided to name features on the layout after my grandkids, thus the name of the file.
     

    Attached Files:

  9. Massey

    Massey TrainBoard Member

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    Awesome ice loading platform.
     
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  10. Massey

    Massey TrainBoard Member

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    Looks like you got the right idea. Looks good.
     
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  11. TrinityJay

    TrinityJay TrainBoard Member

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    Sounds like a good stress reliever after dealing with a difficult customer/vendor/colleague ;) Where I live some smart cookie made a phone app that's a soundboard for the various beloved dings of our local trams. Perhaps something similar but relevant to your diorama exists, would certainly serve to heighten enjoyment levels :D
     
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  12. ns737

    ns737 TrainBoard Supporter

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    here's my heavy wrecker for my truck stop Ntrak module. got the dual stacks, need to put them on plus the horns and mirrors. need to do a little clean up on the wrecker body then paint. this is made up from a trainworx T800 and a shapeways wrecker. the frame is the utility plus 1 tandem and single suspension. hope to get it done by this week end. GEDC0275.JPG GEDC0273.JPG GEDC0273.JPG
     
  13. bremner

    bremner Staff Member

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    Looking good 6 pack
     
  14. John Moore

    John Moore TrainBoard Supporter

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    I received by dome castings from Shapeways that are going to be used to upgrade my express train as soon of the extra cars arrive from Japan. Covid 19 is playing havoc with everything. So I will have Bandai full dome cars.

    The attempt to convert a non running Bmann 4-4-0 into a free wheeling 4-4-0T was a completed success. It is powered by a cheater mechanism in the scratch built box car designed to fit a Banadai 8 wheel drive mechanism.

    The inspiration for this build was the little Kato pocket line 0-4-0T powered by a cheater mechanism under the passenger car.
     
  15. ns737

    ns737 TrainBoard Supporter

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    looks great John and now it runs better then before.
     
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  16. ns737

    ns737 TrainBoard Supporter

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    thanks Bremner. the engine that came with the kit is silver but I think I am going to paint it cat yellow. I am thinking I mite drop the tow arm down so I can have it towing a broke down tractor.
     
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  17. John Moore

    John Moore TrainBoard Supporter

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    Pretty much all of them suffer from swelling cheap metal on the tender wheels mounting and locking them up solid. I got this one cheap with no motor in the tender no driveshaft. Spent some time cleaning up the engine wheels axle mounts and polishing then it went on the track pushed by the cheater mechanism and ran perfectly. The very back part of the tender became the oil bunk. The side tanks are from Bandai engine weights that Bandai supplies with their power chassis. New stack and a air pump from my parts box and it was done. Just have to mount a head light back on the oil bunk.
     
  18. nscalestation

    nscalestation TrainBoard Supporter

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    Wow looks like lots of great little projects going on. Running 2 trains by myself I have had a couple of cornfield meets in the helix that is between the staging yards and the main part of the layout. I run them slow so no damage. So I have decided to add some signals to show occupancy.

    This will be in the yard at the entrance to the helix. It is made of brass and is about O scale in size. Measures about 15 feet tall in O scale and the target is about 1 ft. The LED is 3mm bi-color. Scale in the staging yard won't be important and it gives me the chance to gain some experience with signaling before I put together a more close to N scale version for the other end of the helix.
    Signal1.jpg
     
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  19. Massey

    Massey TrainBoard Member

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    Bout 50 trees... well they are not on my workbench any more, they are on the layout!

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  20. John Moore

    John Moore TrainBoard Supporter

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    Well it is with sad news that I announce to recent conversion of a junk Bmann 4-4-0 to a 4-4-0T by removing the drive shaft and polishing the axle slots in the mechanism has failed. It ran fine for awhile with its cheater car providing power then started binding and no amount of effort would remedy the issue. Thus the model was torn down salvaging all usable parts and consigned to circular file 13. Fortunately this was received at a very low price as something to do while being locked down due to the danged Covid panic. I will try again but not with a 4-4-0 because they are junk anyway you look at them.
     

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