MODELING It's Monday, May 2nd, 2022: Weekend Modeling Accomplishments

r_i_straw May 2, 2022

  1. r_i_straw

    r_i_straw Mostly N Scale Staff Member

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    I hope everyone had a fine weekend and was able to get some modeling in as well as all the other thing you had planned.

    I was able to modify the floor on a Microtrains observation car to accept Kato PRR heavyweight trucks so that I could get electrical pickup.
    As the trucks have a center pivot, I had to make a new bolster hole and special screws to mount them. Added slots for the side frame contact pins to poke through. The center wheelsets are temporarily removed from the trucks to get at the mounting screws.
    IMG_4180.JPG
    I cut slots on the inside floor for phosphor/bronze wiper strips to make contact with the truck pins. Because the strips are sandwiched between the shell and the metal weight I covered them with Kapton insulating tape. I temporarily hung an LED and resistor on the feed wires and assembled the car for a test run on my hollow core door loop. Worked great.
    IMG_4181.JPG
    I will add marker lights similar to these mounted on another car to the sides of the platform end of the observation car.
    IMG_4179.JPG
     
  2. SP-Wolf

    SP-Wolf TrainBoard Supporter

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    Good morning to Y'all,

    My weekend went as planned - for once.

    Got two colors on my friends NYO&W F3 - 2 more to go.

    Making progress on my SP H12-44 project

    Ready for paint

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    Hope Y'all had a great weekend,
    Wolf
     
  3. Kitbash

    Kitbash TrainBoard Supporter

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    Good morning all. While I got some things done this weekend, it was sort of frustrating.

    Saturday: Worked on the bridge system to "North Albemarle" and got the plate girder section built. That went really well. I got out the Central Valley bridge I built months ago and the girders on the floor system don't really line up with the box bridge section correctly. I checked the alignment and "square" and box bridge section is dead-on. The floor system seems whacky on a few spots. So I trashed it and ordered another kit to get the floor section rebuilt. Fortunately, I found one on-line for a song. I'll use the new floor section when it gets here and save the new box bridge girders and bridge trim for parts on other projects. So I spent the rest of the afternoon putting in "puff ball" trees that were made last weekend.

    Sunday: Cleaned up a little in the train room, ran some trains (always great therapy) and found I have an issue with one my Digitrax DT400's. The DT400R I have was controlling an Atlas S4 with a TCS AS6 mobile decoder. It would sit on the track with the throttle at "0" and then "ghosts" would set the throttle to "11" and the engine would roll along. I'd put it back to 0 and 30 seconds or so, the engine would start rolling along at 11 again. What the heck? I also have a DT402Duplex Radio and a couple of UT Throttles. They control the same engine just fine, no issues. So I put a "ticket" into Digitrax to rattle their cage and see what they think. I spent the rest of the afternoon putting grabs on a C&O lightweight baggage car I've had sitting in the box for a while (Walthers unit).

    One of those weekends. Have a great week all. Some good photo's above. Good stuff.
     
  4. dti406

    dti406 TrainBoard Member

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    Friday, finished up building a plug door PS1 boxcar from an old E&C kit, which I modified with better looking detail parts for the grabs and ladders.

    Saturday, went to the Club and got things ready for the Division 4 Layout Tour on Sunday, in the evening I made an effort to cleanup the workbench, also changed out the McJunky plastic couplers on my Athearn Wabash F7's for real Kadee Couplers, also changed out the couplers I changed out already on the Bowser RS-3's to the long shank Kadee #146's as the steps were hitting on curves and were derailing the locomotives.

    Sunday,went to the club and entertained the visiting Division 4 members on the layout tour. In the evening I started decaling a CB&Q covered hopper and started building an Athearn NACC Ribbed side RBL Boxcar kit.

    Got a call from the heart surgeons office on Sunday afternoon to call today and set up an appointment to see the heart surgeon.

    Rick Jesionowski
     
  5. Moose2013

    Moose2013 TrainBoard Member

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    Friday - Saturday: Applied custom decals and flat clear coat to six beer reefers. Yeah!
    :)

    Sunday: Started building two small scratch-built sheds for the brewery. Passed out from the liquid cement fumes...
    :sick:

    Monday: Planning to stampede the local weather humans for forecasting weather nice enough to cement and paint outdoors ... It hasn't been dry and warm enough long enough to do either, and it's holding up progress on the layout, dag'nub'it!
    :mad:
     
  6. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Well, my weekend did not go as planned. I did get started with track on the first of my new T-Trak modules. But work intervened. The boss was short handed for my shift, and asked me to come in... Without thinking, I said OK. Argh. Oh well. I hope to make a little progress as the week moves past, and then *next* weekend... There is a slight 'up' side to having worked extra. I am going to set that money aside, as a high quality HOn30 manufacturer has announced 0-4-4T Forney locos for later this coming summer. I will be getting at least one! Yes!
     
  7. gmorider

    gmorider TrainBoard Member

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    Happy May Day (belated) everyone. Fine looking projects. Very impressive. (y) Others sound mighty good. I am plodding along. :oops: Just now prepped brake wheels. Then their platforms. Then stirrup steps. And then...! :eek: Have a great week. :D
     
  8. mrhedley

    mrhedley TrainBoard Member

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    Got nothing done this weekend. I spent the weekend in quarantine after catching Covid during traveling early last week. The illness was brief, it started with fever and chills, then progressed no different than a common cold with congestion and a cough. The big difference though was when I coughed, it felt like someone hit me in the chest with a baseball bat. A hard cough and I was practically doubled over. Even though I felt mostly functional, I stayed confined in the bedroom, masked, with the door closed to keep it away from Lori. Probably won't get much done this coming weekend, so there is not much time left to get anything significant done on the layout with summer approaching, except for the occassional rainy day.
     
  9. nscalestation

    nscalestation TrainBoard Supporter

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    Worked on ballasting the tracks on the 8ft long Carlin section that I am building as an expansion of my layout. Getting to a point where I can start to work on some more scenery in various places. mrhedley, take care of yourself and wishing you speedy and full recovery.

    TBWMA02May22.jpg
     
  10. mrhedley

    mrhedley TrainBoard Member

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    Thanks Brad,
    Ron
     
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  11. Tompm

    Tompm TrainBoard Supporter

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    We had a busy weekend outside. I had to put a new canopy on the gazebo in the backyard. There was a problem with the top piece they sent with the canopy, it was too small. All the numbers on the box and bag were correct and the main canopy fit. After looking at the gazebo carefully we realized this may be the last year for the frame. It is at least 9 years old and been out in the elements the entire time. I tried contacting the company but their phone kept disconnecting every time I asked for the parts department. We looked at new gazebos. I decided to go for broke and shortened the vent frame. I am proud to say the shortening worked and the canopy is completely installed. We brought out the furniture for the gazebo and for the front patio. I planted some plants around the fishpond. My back is telling me today I may have overdone it.

    With all the outside work I got no modeling done.
     
  12. Kevin Anderson

    Kevin Anderson TrainBoard Member

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    Sorry nothing done this weekend. I hope to build a couple kits later today.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  13. Shortround

    Shortround TrainBoard Member

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    mrhedley, hoping you get well soon and have no carry on symptoms. I had it two years ago an then again in the following November after being in isolation for two weeks.
    Nothing done directly, just some planning and dreaming. And watching what others are up to.
     
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  14. Grey One

    Grey One TrainBoard Supporter

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    Get something done? On the trains? What does that mean?
    It was beautiful weather so i spent at least 6 hours of my 'not so free time' hiking / walking.
     
  15. pomperaugrr

    pomperaugrr TrainBoard Member

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    I did not have any modeling time on Saturday or Sunday, but I spent about 3 hours doing some foreground scenery along the fascia, in the Canaan, CT portion of my N scale Housatonic RR layout last evening.

    Canaan North.jpg Canaan South.jpg Canaan Drain.jpg Canaan 2.jpg
     
  16. mrhedley

    mrhedley TrainBoard Member

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    Some really fine modeling work. How did you get the various textures to blend so well? I can't seem to get clump foilage to adhere to the base layer of ground cover.
     
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  17. pomperaugrr

    pomperaugrr TrainBoard Member

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    Thank you. Once the base layers of static grass are set and dried, I will place the clump foliage where I want it and use a small squeeze bottle to soak the clump foliage with diluted matte medium, water and isopropyl alcohol. This adheres it, yet leaves it a little bit pliable, in case you brush against it later.
     
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  18. mrhedley

    mrhedley TrainBoard Member

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    Thanks. I've been using diluted white glue, or Woodland Scenics scenery cement. I guess I need to flood the area more with alcohol first. I'll try pinning the clumps to the base while the mixture dries, maybe that will help. I love your work. That is a very impressive scene.

    Ron
     
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  19. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    I don't quite 'flood" an area, but have used this same technique for many years. It works very nicely.
     
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