Fresh off the workbench (and too fresh, needs weathering!), a patched 50' boxcar for my freelance. My railroad uses a keystone logo in reference to running mainly on ex-Pennsy rails, so I kept the keystone and removed the PRR lettering. I think it looks pretty neat!
Well my in house workbench has turnout building supplies and tools spread out on it. The garage workbench has this laptop, blood pressure machine, to do hit lists, and paper for doodling. I count the layout as a workbench and it has many projects spread out on it including; track laying supplies, scenery material, benchwork building supplies, backdrop items, lower level lighting supplies, and... I am sure I am not the only one. Model Railroading will be fun when the layout is no longer counted as a workbench.
Was working on an actual RGS style station to go with the galloping goose. I found one of the Rico station that someone had rebuilt so it's slightly bigger, and has a bigger standalone freight house. It was painted nicely enough to not just look like Plasticville. I still wanted to get rid of the hideous tower, though, but luckily I found a junker of the kit station at the show in Monroe, so I could replace the roof section. The station will just have an extra chimney, now: From further out, you can barely see the joint in the roof:
Have to give credit to whoever put it together originally. It definitely looks way better than the basic Plasticville version of the kit. The guy knew how to cover up the plastic look with a good paint job.
I never thought of it that way, but you're right. I have scenery materials piled up and it's been that way for months. I'll go through things this week and put away the stuff not related to puffball tree production.
40 decoders to install in the DCC friendly locomotives. Programming will be pretty quick, On new locomotives, like a Kato SD40-2 I find an existing SD40-2 locomotive and write all the CV settings to it except the road number. That is taken care of by JMRI for me when it detects the new decoder on the programming track. That way the only adjustment would be the trim CV's to lock in the top speed in forward or reverse. This way all of the locomotives are matched and can run together is consists with no pushing or pulling. It goes pretty fast that way.
So I have been through 2 Bachmann Thomas’s (#3 is still going strong) and I have had to repair one of my Kato throttles 2x and it needs another repair after the last show. So I decided to make some changes to the way I run my kiddie layout. First off, removed the reverser lever from the throttles, but parents and older kids have still been able to throw the trains into reverse. No more… and I also want to be able to let kids run more than just Thomas and Percy. Using the Kato throttle and say my Micro Trains X-mas set will be a deadly combination for the little robots, it simply lets the locomotives move way too fast. Full speed Thomas or Percy isn’t an issue. So I built a new throttle…er… 2, I built 2 new custom throttles just for the kiddie layout. When powered with 9v the Micro Trains FT still moves at a good clip, but not dangerously so. The knob is easy to turn even though it’s small and there is no reverser at all for someone to mess with. I have the outputs reversed so one train goes left, the other right. Here’s the front with the throttle knob. It even has an off detent. And the rear, with the power in jack and the Variable DC out. And for those of you who are curious here are the guts. Other changes, I am going to make a dedicated layout that is about the same size as the current T-Trak setup. This is for simplicity and ease of setup at shows. There have been some “complications” with the current setup. It will be lightweight and easy to transport, and best of all durable. I’m not going to get stupid with the details as it’s for kids to play with. Stay tuned for that, coming soon. I have 3 small layouts planned, and will start building them here soon.
I have lost 2 Thomas locomotives to the kids flipping from forward to reverse while they were still powered full throttle. Didn’t think much of the first Thomas as he was a bit beaten up when I got him, and only cost me $10. The second one was brand new and he lasted 2 years. The parents on the other hand have caused me to have to repair a Kato throttle now 3x. The first time was because a mom was teaching her kid how to use the throttle and spun the throttle lever around like it was some kind of meat grinder. When I got on her about it, she said she thought it worked like the pedal crank trains her kid just got off of riding. Her kid on the other hand was running the other train properly and without issue. I fixed the potentiometer but the next issue came when a parent was trying to “fix” a short by holding down the breaker in order to get the derailed train to move… woo woo… that tanked the transistor so I then had no throttle to wide open with about an 1/8th of a turn. And after this last show, again a parent was trying to make Percy go faster by forcing the dial past the stop, and now when you do go to full throttle the train will either stop or the breaker will pop… I’m done! Still want kids to be able to play, but not with $60 throttles… this little throttle I made cost me a grand total of $5 per and if I need to replace the mech they are 6 for $11.
No power? No problem! Here is the little throttle circuit card I have powering a Micro Trains Line Robot Christmas train being powered by a single 9v battery. This battery will last about 3 hours with the train at a medium speed. Rechargable 9v battery and in the background the train can be seen running… notice the headlight is on?
Another day, another beat-up old reefer. This time a Kato/Con-Cor ice reefer. At this point it's time to accept I'm just running a PFE rehab center
Working on a scratch build of a Microwave relay tower. The tower came from an old Miniatronics yard light tower that had bulbs burned out and lamp shades missing. Feels good to be using it for something after over 20 years. Still a bit of painting to do on this but it's coming along. This will be installed next to the SP operations office in Carlin on my layout.
It will be the station of the four chimneys I'm going to have to make up a station on the Rio Grande Southern and call it Four Chimneys.
SP&S project for myself, Secret Squirrel Project McGinnis Scheme PA and Pennsy Brunswick Green E-8/9’s for a friend EveryWhereWest Models
That's really nice work. Doing color separations like you've done is certainly a challenge, especially when there's no decorative stripe between the colors as in this D&H RS-3 I painted many years ago. The yellow stripe nicely covered imperfections between the blue and gray colors. Sorry about the lousy photo.
Thank You All... I work very hard on getting my tape lines down straight and true, and very crisp and sharp paint lines. The NH unit has been my Kriptonite though, It has intimidated me since I took on the project. I didn't think my skill level was (there) yet. But now was the time to try it and I think I pulled it off. This is for a friend so i hope he likes it. It is drying right now. So I hope to give it to him in a few days. But to take my paint work to next level, I think I am going to invest a paint dry box. They are about 300 bucks for a small one. It will allow me to get paint work done quicker by cutting my drying time. But I may have to add that into the cost of my paint work.
