We are back from another weekend. Was it productive? I had a great time at my favorite train show this past weekend in Western Massachusetts at the Amherst Society Big Train Show, which is now considered the largest train show in America. I wish I knew how many miles I walked this weekend. Saturday I spent the whole day in just the two buildings admiring the Free-Mo layout as well as many other fine layouts. There was a good representation of switching layouts too. I certainly got inspired and picked up a brand new Athearn B&M GP38-2 for a good deal and a few N scale odds and ends (it’s hard to leave N scale). The other find of the show was a neat portable work bench which I hope will allow me to get some modeling done after snowmobiling season. I also finally committed to something I’ve always considered. After almost 30 years of model railroading, I finally signed up for the NMRA. So now I’m a member of the Seacoast Division which apparently is heavy in operations, woo hoo! I also had an opportunity to talk to some show coordinators regarding setting up my Galesburg City Job at their shows, so it looks like I’ll be hitting the road again. It was a fun weekend and it went fast! So how about you? What did you accomplish? Let us know. We’ll assemble again on Friday the first day of February to start the process all over again. Until then, have a great week, stay safe and as always... High Greens!
Well -- Saturday: Started off by modifying blades for my edger -- darn hole was to small. Not any more. Thanks, to a step drill bit. Then I edged the front yard -- After which, I replaced the broken grille on the Wife's car. Not so bad -- but, damn!! I had to remove the bumper cover, to get it done. Sunday: Got another panel just about done - with the turnout indicator project. I have to replace one of the DPDT switches -- bummer. Hope Y'all had a great weekend, Wolf
I am now ready to build fence, for the last of the painting finished Friday. Sunday I slept most of The day but I was able to get two rock castings done and the two stools I bought for the train room built. Now I will have a little comfort. Next on the list is more rocks and start painting backdrop. If all Goes well I will be painting rocks and mountain this time next week.
I'd say it was quite.. inventive this weekend. I've discovered that the contents of an expended Brita water filter cartridge make a pretty decent coal load, in addition to helping me properly and easily weight an open hopper. Take 1 Brita cartridge, remove contents (dark and light granules) and spread out on a metal tray that fits in a toaster oven. Place tray in a toaster oven set to ~250 to 300 degrees F and let sit until dried. It could take a few hours. Put dried granules in a container and let age for a month or two. Add desired amount of granules to a hopper, and soak with Scenic Cement or similar. Let dry overnight. I had figured on possibly tinting the load with some black paint or ink, but on waking this morning, before leaving for work, that the result was more than satisfactory. It dried hard and only a little bit of "coal" was still loose. And the lighter granules had darkened some more. It looks even better than coal loads one can buy ready made - much more detail. You never know when you get a weird, out-of-the-box idea, that it could turn out this good!
And now my backdrop is completely finished. Not bad I say so myself. Here is the finished look and what I used as a template.
Got more done than I thought, although I didn’t bother w/ the plaster work I mentioned Friday. Finished setting up and programming the last 4 of 16 routes in my fiddle/staging yard ladder. Broke out the CMx tank car cleaning thing I got myself for Christmas. Ran it around both mainlines. Does a pretty good job. The instructions recommend laquer thinner or acetone. I was a little squimish about using laquer thinner on the layout, so I did bite my lip and use acetone. The instructions mention to go to a less caustic cleaning agent once the track has been thoroughly cleaned. I will say it did a great job, but one still has to behind it and hit the real bad spots w/ some elbow grease and Masonite. Mainline is pretty dang clean now. Also started laying down cork road-bed on the coal branch riser. I have to get that track down and wired/tested before putting cardboard landscaping strips to enclose it as a tunnel. Running the CMx cleaner... Starting up the coal branch...
Likewise got more done than I thought when I couldn’t get track locally. I finished the cork roadbed on the central loop. I put jumper wires on terminal blocks for track power and wires it into the panel connector for the DCC. Once the track gets in I should be able to start laying it down and maybe even run a train or two to test. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
I got a little done this weekend, not on the MRR so much, but did get a couple DRGW TM's a bit further along. I got them used, and not in very good shape, one the 5366, was missing its cab, no big deal, as I had a Cannon & Co cab so far so good. One had some handrails broken but I got a couple sets from Athearn so in good shape there. But what drove me crazy about these new handrails, was when I installed the new long hood handrails they were 1/8" too short I mean the stantions were leaning from both ends, so bad that I ended up cutting the handrails every couple stantions and used canopy glue to fill in the gaps, turned out OK but that really drives me nuts to buy new stuff that doesn't fit. I also took the rear trucks apart turned the metal inside frame around, so it actually runs backwards, this takes the gear tower mostly out of the tunnel radiator intakes, this also off-sets the #5 axle to the point you need to trim some of the plastic away so that axle will operate as intended, Details West traction motor castings were used on the inboard sides of the trucks. I have done this before on Athearn BB locos and it really was not a big deal. What a project it is on these newer RTR locos with their cast on weights. Lets say I would not have been able to do it without some time in the mill and lathe. Other details added included DW snow plows, DW horns, DA eye bolts, and a bunch of DW speed recorder castings for the well speed recorders and some newer castings I used for the PTC axle generators, added little boxes under the sill for these cables to go into, the PTC cables are the plastic insulation for the wires of grain of sand bulbs, that way the trucks will pivot freely, when I get some weathering on them it will stand out better. Now before I get chastised for the lazy numbers on the 5366, look at the last image posted of the D&RGW 5366 I shot in Grand Junction circa 1996. I have lost the images of the project of turning these truck metal side frames around, I have another couple TM's to do this on so I will get more images of that. Now some dull coat and some weathering Thanks for looking. The 5366 in GJ circa 1996
After much searching, I finally found the flooring I had painted, for an HOn30 gondola kit. My ex had stuffed it into another kit, unrelated. But at least this one she for some reason did not throw away.
