N scale "What's on your workbench?"

Mark Watson Oct 28, 2009

  1. Onizukachan

    Onizukachan TrainBoard Supporter

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    Thank you as I found this very educational. I only have 2. But hope to get a b unit for my diesel at some point.
     
  2. tphmike

    tphmike TrainBoard Member

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    Here's what's on my bench. scratchbuilding the Mizpah Mine and surface workings, Tonopah, Nevada around 1910. Most of the buildings are long gone, so Sanborn Fire Insurance maps have come in handy. The existing buildings are part of the Tonopah Historic Mining Park The Sanborn Maps are in the Library of Congress Digital Collections. First is the hoist house. Used several photos, including this one from the 1930s in the background. The second one is from 1905. The third one is also from 1905. I have all of the basic structures built except the grizzley (ore bin) and the gallows frame. Have to add the corrugated siding, stacks etc... all will be painted red. The gallows frame will be painted black. The last photo is the Tonopah Historic Mining Park as it looks today.
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited: Jan 13, 2019
  3. Calzephyr

    Calzephyr TrainBoard Supporter

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    Very interesting stuff. Thanks for sharing!!

    Sent from my SM-J737T using Tapatalk
     
  4. John Moore

    John Moore TrainBoard Supporter

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    Sanborn Maps are extremely useful tools often showing buildings not in photos and especially for their dimensions that are shown and sometimes notes that are written on them.
     
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  5. tphmike

    tphmike TrainBoard Member

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    Here's a few more photos. The blacksmith shop. The insurance map didn't have the kiln, however, I knew that the kiln was added in 1919. This photo only shows a portion of the kiln, so I used my imagination and added it. Next is the changing house, black paint is overspay from spraying the interior and last is the upper storage building.
     

    Attached Files:

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  6. tphmike

    tphmike TrainBoard Member

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    Thanks Joe. I found the house that I grew up in. The title was destroyed in a fire in the 1920s and on a 1912 version the house was there, but in the 1909 it wasn't, so we figured about 1910. These maps are quite a resource.
     
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  7. chandlerusm

    chandlerusm TrainBoard Member

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    Thanks for that info. I have been looking for info on buildings long since knocked down. I'll take a look.

    On my workbench right now I'm planning to convert my non-MT rolling stock to micro trains trucks and couplers. I just put together their coupler assembly tool, and have a ten pack of trucks/couplers on order. Once that is done I may try some of the magnetic decouplers. I used them a lot in HO but it will be new for me in N.
     
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  8. Sharky_McSharknose

    Sharky_McSharknose TrainBoard Member

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    Thanks for this website. I used it and the linked video to help me speed match a pair of locos I just installed decoders into (Arnold U25C with ESU LokPilot and Atlas C630 with TCS AMD4) that I plan to consist. The VMax and VMid are spot-on. I need to edit the momentum curve on the C630 a bit more. It accelerates faster at low speeds then slower at high speeds compared to the U-boat, but at least it's not doing jackrabbit starts anymore.
     
  9. Inkaneer

    Inkaneer TrainBoard Member

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    I am in a period of changing over from Class 1 roads (PRR and N&W) to a small short line road (Montour). The Montour was less than 50 miles long and serviced primarily coal mines. It was started by a coal company to move coal from their mines to a prep plant. Lacking scales to weigh cars, the Montour was paid by the carload which prompted the railroad to ban any hoppers other than 2 bay, 50-55 ton cars. Later it was sold to the PRR and P&LE as joint owners. Under the new owners the Montour dieselized with about a dozen SW9's as their sole motive power. The PRR divested itself of its interest in the Montour in the late '60's and the P&LE became sole owner. In 1970 several ex UP cabooses were purchased by the P&LE with most going to the Montour. These were repainted in the P&LE shops in the green P&LE color and lettered for the Montour (MTR). In 1975 the last of the 2 bay hoppers were scrapped and in the early 1980's the line was abandoned as the mines were played out. Most of the right of way is now part of a walking/biking 'rails to trails' effort. The period between 1970 and 1975 is the period on which I am concentrating. The SW9's, 2 bay hoppers and the UP cabooses have been manufactured in N scale. I am in the process of having decals made for the engines, cabooses and rolling stock. Atlas has made some offset side hoppers lettered for the Montour as has Bluford Shops.
     
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  10. jhn_plsn

    jhn_plsn TrainBoard Supporter

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    My freemoN modules are acting as my model RR workbench and they are full of Fastracks turnouts that need fine tuning. My biggest goof on the turnouts is the small guardrails are mounted to close to the stock rails causing cars and locos to be lifted up. Easy fix but there are 20 mounted turnouts to modify. I have adjusted a few in the yard and things run much better now. By the way it was not every car, but you know there is always that small group of cars or locos that highlight any irregularities. So ya, checking wheel gage too.
     
  11. DCESharkman

    DCESharkman TrainBoard Member

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    Worked on speed matching about 100 locomotives over the weekend, getting ready to do more this coming weekend.
     
  12. jpwisc

    jpwisc TrainBoard Member

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    I’m finishing up my second side boom. I should be resetting derailments before the end of the weekend.
    B1061895-1E43-4972-8956-E03FC951F9B3.jpeg
     
  13. DCESharkman

    DCESharkman TrainBoard Member

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    Very cool!
     
  14. John Moore

    John Moore TrainBoard Supporter

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    I received today my order from Japan. Some Greenmax fishing boats and some Greenmax motor boats. Two Bandai kits that each contain a steeple cab and a passenger cab car and a new Bandai type three 8 wheel drive mechanism.
     
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  15. John Moore

    John Moore TrainBoard Supporter

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  16. BNSF FAN

    BNSF FAN TrainBoard Supporter

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    How about just having a place to use for a work bench after 8 months of it all being packed up. Still have a lot of organizing and unpacking to do but it's a start.
    20190310_091846.jpg
     
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  17. Hardcoaler

    Hardcoaler TrainBoard Member

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    I like your 3M computer tape reel clock too! A neat old tech artifact. (y)
     
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  18. BNSF FAN

    BNSF FAN TrainBoard Supporter

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    Thanks! Memories from when I worked in TV back when I was in college. Made several of these back then for my friends that worked there with me. I kept this one and a Sony one as well. It was 1 inch video tape on those reals and that reel only held an hour of video.
     
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  19. MK

    MK TrainBoard Member

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    That is waaay too neat! Go and dirty it up! :D
     
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  20. Hardcoaler

    Hardcoaler TrainBoard Member

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    I worked two summers in the mid-70s as a college kid for Sperry Univac in Chicago, helping to consolidate several area distribution centers into one. I wish I'd have kept a few pieces of the aged computer hardware we threw away.
     
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