In the summer of 1971, I had a job at the junior college where I attended working in the electronics technology lab inventorying and organizing. Some company donated an old computer to the college for a tax right off I am sure. It was ancient. Massive 19inch racks with motherboards into which smaller PC boards plugged into. Big honking power supplies and lot of fans. All vacuum tubes. The college did not even offer courses in vacuum tubes any more. I doubt if we could have got the dinosaur working again. The chairman of the department tasked me and a few other students to salvage what might be useful and haul the rest to an outfit that recycled the rest. I wish I would have kept a few things. "Now this 6X6inch PC board with a bunch of tubes and other components must be a NAND gate?"
Over the last several days I have been working on a diorama that is about 12 by 12 inches with two tracks and a couple of hills behind the tracks. It will also have a small stream and waterfall. Today I have been painting the landscape and rock castings, will start installing ground foam later. Joe
On the workbench/ kitchen table this week, I’m DE- weathering some SP Overnight boxcars I bought already weathered, and weathering the ones I bought new, so they will not be either too new, nor too weathered to run together... one of these below was shiny new in box 30 minutes before this picture. Also Weathering and mucking about with an MT caboose... it was brown plastic on brown plastic, on brown plastic, with some brown plastic thrown in for accents. Did I mention the brown plastic? It was even fuglier than the flat car on the right, which is made from the same plastic. and as you can see in these pictures I’m painting the interiors on the Daylights... STILL! So tiring. Would be less time and tiring if I could paint them all at once, but I don’t want to mix up the shells. And I would! So one at a time, get floors painted, then seats, then white protectors, white out the undetailed bathrooms to give the illusion of frosted glass, install lights, test, adjust, reinstall shell, panel line accent to doors, add dab of white grey color to create the exterior lights, dry, do the next one.
Finally got my land office shingled. Excellent model from Wild West Models. - potato Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Certain vacuum tube types are still used today by audiophiles and guitar players in their amps and can be quite valuable. If that old computer had those types then they could have been worth some monnnayyyy! I'm measuring out the frame on one of my Life-Like Erie-Builts for a ESU DCC install. I don't see any evidence than anyone has done a DCC+sound install on these before, but there are resources on adding a decoder to the similar LL C-Liner. https://n-scale-dcc.blogspot.com/2012/01/tcs-z2-in-life-like-c-liner.html http://tcsdcc.com/installation/n-scale/life-c-liner/m1 https://kootenaymodelrailway.wordpr...cc-sound-installation-in-a-life-like-c-liner/ I have an A-B-A set of the Erie-Builts. My plan is to install a LokSound v4.0 Micro into one A-unit, then program it with two F-M prime movers like a EMD E-unit. That way I can either dummy out or add a LokPilot decoder to the B-unit and the v4-equipped A-unit will simulate the A-B set. The other A-unit will get a LokSound Select Micro. I don't plan on running the B-unit without its A-unit, so this setup will save me some money.
Working on a CB&Q side door waycar, just finished another NP 24' caboose. Starting to decal a SP&S woodchip boxcar. Also begun a WP wood bay window caboose.
Pulling all of my Zimo and ESU decodered locomotives to see if they need a firmware update. Finally got my Zimo programmer so I can get all the decoder firmware up to date.
My latest project: Rock Island BL-2 With a few modifications: Started with: Where shes' at - at the moment: (I have a few more things to do, prior to painting) Thanks, Wolf
Nice work Wolf! I’m working on a DCC caboose conversion today, just have some minor fitment issues to address.
Fortuitous accident: part 1&2. Part 1: My daughter ordered this on eBay when I left my iPad unattended and unlocked. Decided to rip the MTL trucks off the model power Overnight box car and use them here instead. Part 2: I shot the matte clear before the panel line accent was totally dry, so it crazed and turned whitish. Instead of freaking, I let it dry and buffed it. Gives it a weathered and sun faded look IMO.
I have one of those. Not my best running engine but it does okay. Factory Rock Island paint but I did change the couplers. That has to count for something.
Great paint scheme!! (This is what I'M going for) Is yours one the plastic frame jobs-? Mine is the newer split frames with body mounted couplers. Runs very well. Wolf
Giving new life to the Bachmann old timers as U.S.M.R.R. passenger coaches. Ran into a snag with the decal colors but either way it'll be nice to not have "Union Pacific" rolling around my Civil War layout anymore.
The old plastic frame model with MT pilot conversions to body mount the couplers. I also have a MoPac and a Boston & Maine version.
It’s nothing that I model but the design is one of my favorites and been looking for one, even just for display tbh. Looking great! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Couple of pics of the workbench tonight. Not finished, but all that is left is soldering. Don’t want to clutter, there are more pics and discussion in my build thread. I am inordinately proud of the scratchbuilt lamp. It’s my first self made accessory!
