Just wondering if it is like mine. At the moment my rip track consist of : Several cars needing wheel / truck replacement which I might need advice on. Locomotives that run sluggishly and need to be opened, cleaned and oiled. Rapido Couplers that need to be changed out. Edit, (after reading the responses): This thread was inspired by but not meant to compete with: "What's On Your Workbench" N scale - TrainBoard.com I am guessing we all have a laundry list of locos, cars, and structures that need attention of some sort.
Right now my RIP track has: 6 Life-Like SW's that need decoder's installed and contact upgrades done; 5 of them need paint and decals. 2 GP10's that need to be completed, painted, decaled, and have decoders installed. 1 SSW1500, (sorta)SW1500, that needs to be painted and decaled. 3 70-tonners & 1 95-tonner that need to be built, painted and decaled and decoders installed. 1 44-tonner that needs paint and decals. 1 NW2 that needs paint and decals. 1 GP18 and 1 GP35 that need decoders installed. 2 CF7's that need to be built, painted, painted, decaled and decoders installed. (Once Randy gets finished with them) Several box cars, 6 hoppers, 6 flat cars and 4 Difco dump cars that need paint and/or decals; Some need trucks and couplers. 2 passenger cars that need paint, decals, and trucks/couplers. 9 pulpwood cars and 9 log cars that need paint, decals and truck/coupler upgrades. 3 cabooses, 2 of them kitbashes, that need to be painted and decaled. Whoa, I shouldn't have typed this list out Then I still have a lot of work to do on the layout. Shoot, I don't know if I will ever get done with all of this.
Haha! I thought you meant what sort of things did you have modeling a RIP track in the yard on your layout! Well, I'll contribute. Right now, my RIP track is empty, but I've got a Lehigh Valley reefer slated for truck replacement (upgrade to MT couplers) on its next scheduled maintenance, and I've got an ATSF covered hopper that the inspectors aren't too happy with. Seems it doesn't want to couple nicely with the other cars. In all fairness, it is a 65' car on 9.75" (N-scale) curves. The reefer will be a Car Shop job, rather than RIP, since some body work is required to do the conversion.
A tombstone! 2 Kato F7A's w/Rapidos and undecorated shells that need Black Widow paint 2 Kato F7B's w/Rapidos and undecorated shells that need Black Widow paint 2 Atlas RSD-5's that need decals 6 undecorated box cars a bunch of McHenry couplers that need to be exchanged 1 Bachmann Spectrum F7B that will be converted into a snow plow 1 Spectrum 4-8-2 that need to have a skyline casing put on (need to work up the nerve to operate on this patient) 1 Atlas SD-9 that needs MT couples A whole bunch of decoders to install!!!!
RIP track; A flat car that I picked up from a Convention last year that will be kitbashed into a MOW Caboose; An inspection car that needs the end of the car redone; and two structures that are memorials to one friend and a Family Member that I never want forgotten. I have several locos that still need decoders to be installed but I keep them in my storage box under my layout. Hummm...maybe that why their still waiting the decoder installs:tb-biggrin:
Mainly cars that need coupler or truck changeouts from Rapidos and a few of those crummy running cars. I do have a set of the glow-in-the-dark Radiation hopper cars just for interest.
Too many projects! Cars needing body mounts. Engines needing a few detail parts and painting..... Boxcab E50
BN U36B that just doesn't run smoothly.. about 5 cars that either need new wheel sets or new couplers.
Multiple locomotives that need decoders or tweaking: KATO (non DCC freindly) F7A-B and need finished NP freight paint. KATO (2 DCC Freindly, 1 Non) F3 ABA. LL SW9 Atlas/Kato RS3, needs a shell too (Ya got one? PM me) Atherns F59. (Sounder, dosn't fit my era, sue me.) Scratchbuild Class C climax (decoder, and genral tweaking) scratchbuilt 2-8-2T (decoder, pickup fixed, tweaking) (EDIT: Forgot one) KATO (first run) 2-8-2 (consittering getting the GHQ NP conversion on this one) Not really anything rolling stock wise. I am planning on starting a scratchbuild of the "Skookum" (Baldwin 2-4-4-2) sometime in the (hopefully Near) future. European stuff, not "on the RIP track," but need some attention) Fleischman ICE-1 (decoder) Minitrix V90 switcher (decoder) Fleischman racck and pinion locomotive (decoder) Fleischman SNCF electric locomotive (Decoder) Arnold E-63 (decoder, tweaking pickups, tweaking new motor install) from the "B&B" Department (bridges and Buildings) I am planning a Ntrak Module of Tenino, Wa. Station Circa 1945.
Too much so Espreeman:tb-biggrin: that's why they haven't been done I already have the decoders just out of sight and mind:tb-biggrin:
Unfortunately, my beautiful Kato GS-4 is the main inhabitant of my RIP track. It runs fine with the boiler shell off, but put the shell back on and it shorts. I have not been able to track this down on my own. The shell is all plastic, isn't it? I don't understand how it could be causing a short.
Steam Donkey - I'm sure you have discussed this with others but a couple of ideas come to mind. Premise: Putting the shell on squeezes / pushes something out of place Possible causes: Something is interrupting the flow / breaking the connection. Something is squeezing the motor housing and affecting a connection. Something is crossing the wires creating the short.
Several 3-bay hoppers needing truck/wheelset work, a LL GP38-2 that suffered shell damage and being rebuilt, several decoder installs (mostly drop in), an erratic running decoder equipped Atlas GP38-2 for troubleshooting, three Mark4Design bodies to be matched with the donor locos, a Wall-E grapple needing a new pivot pin...
I am thinking it may be squeezing. When I gently press together the two frame halves at the rear of the boiler (it's when the shell goes over this last bit that I have the problem) I get a short. It seems to be shorting on the motor or flywheel. I didn't have this problem before. I can't very well shave down the flywheel. I do have Kapton tape, so I can try lining that area of the frame with some to see if that will work. I may contact Kato, because I only ever had this problem after I sent the loco to them to have the drawbar repaired (they didn't have replacement parts available at that time). The loco seems to be missing a part at the rear of the frame. If I recall correctly (the loco is not in front of me right now) there is a hole at the rear end of the upper part of the frame that looks like it could have held a spacer, a screw, and a nut, but there's nothing there. I don't have two GS-4s, so I can't compare. Adam
Engines: C30-7A -Kato- Conrail: almost compete F7 -Intermountain- Alaska RR: paint shop F10 -Intermountain- Cape Cod RR: kitbashing F40PH -Kato- MBTA: not started yet F40PH-2C -Atlas/Life-Like- MBTA: almost complete GP9R -Atlas- New Hampshire Northcoast: almost complete GP9R -Atlas- New Hampshire Northcoast old scheme: paint shop S3 -Key- Unditermined: needs new gears SD45-2 -Intermountain- Conrail: renumber SW1500 -Kato/Atlas- Conrail: kitbashing SW1500 -Riv/Atlas- Conrail: [unpowered static model] kitbashing These are partial or active kitbashes. I have a few unpainted engines without any plans (a few RS11s, many undec shells etc). I also have about 10 different caboose projects all incomplete.
2- GP15's to be programmed for a friend 1- SD24 that has something broken in the trucks for same said friend. 2' x 6' module for my layout. Not much else right now...
Got some decoders to do, all drop ins: Atlas GP30 2 x Intermountain F7A Intermountain F7 Intermountain FTA & FTB 2 x Kato F3A Kato F3B Atlas GP7 with a TCS CN-GP - not ready to dig into that yet Convert Atlas EV caboose to MTL couplers Build an Intermountain 40 foot Reefer kit Probably some other stuff in the box as well. Not go to this because I been working on my little layout. Todd
Just get yourself a good hot soldering iron, some Kapton tape (not required, I use it where the motor brushes are near the frame half for insurance) and go for it! it is a fairly simple install really. just make sure to leave yourself a little extra wire! make it easier to disassemble to clean and oil later! I have dropped them in 4 locos now, 2 Atlas GP7/GP9, an old Atlas/kato RS1 and an Kato SD40. I love them huge step for N scale decodering!
