3RS Legacy B6

Nice.

I'll be watching this closely as a lot of steamers will need to be lowered.

Thanks!

- Mario

Glad to see another project post, Norm.

The new B6 is a great little engine and will look even better getting the Norm 3RS treatment.

Got the Kadee figured out for the engine pilot. Need to hit the Staufer's books to see how to mount the brake hose.

I was thinking about redoing the pilot footboard a but I don't know if it's going to bug me enough.

Thank you for sharing this, it is good reference material. 

Looks just like a prototype!

great job!

Norm Charbonneau posted:

Nice job...

What about a PSC part?

Thanks,

Mario.

Thx Mario. I'm not sure I want to turn this into a longer project. It has too many 'diecastisms' to chase around. I think it will look good enough for what it is (and who it's for).

I finished the pilot two nights ago and will probably weather the engine and tender sometime soon. I yanked the LEDs out of the markers and I can turn the tender ones off with Legacy. Working on the engine pilot was pretty cool, the whole thing comes off the engine with a couple screws.

Beautiful, Norm!

Very nice.

Ron H

Looks great! I have a Seashore B6 on the way can't wait to get it!

Thanks for posting this Lionel model B6 Customization for three rail scale looks. Excellent ideas, excellently performed, should be a fun to run steam switcher....Wow! If possible, do a short video for our review. You are a great ambassador of our hobby. Happy Railroading.

Thx again! I was going to weather it last night but spent some time cleaning my airbrush instead while listening to Skyking EAMs. 

Here's an underside photo of the tender truck setup with the hollow pivots. I moved the power connections to the bottom. I got the tender as low as possible with the factory trucks. Any lower and I'd probably start scraping the flanges. 

OK. Scrape the flanges. Or replace the wheelsets...

Sorry Rex, but that's a bad idea. Don't want to watch this thing flop all over my switches. 

Here are a couple of weathering test shots under my layout lighting:

Norm,

Beautiful job of weathering!

I had 2 questions though. Regarding the brass tubing under your tender where the wires exit, would it help to coat the edge of the tubing with a little liquid rubber to prevent cutting the insulation at some point? Also, you mentioned you disconnected the LED marker lights, why did you do that? 

Tom 

Thx Tom. I burnished the edges of the the brass tube a bit with some steel wool. I'm not that worried about it. I pulled the front marker LEDs because they don't look good to me. I'm not sure what color markers switchers would have used for most of their activity anyway. I'd imagine if they were lit most of the time it would have been for added visibility when moving around yards, etc. I'm more curious about the brake hose arrangements. I've seen quite a few photos of the larger hose shown in your photo above on the left side of the tender coupler. I'm thinking it was a steam line for keeping passenger coaches warm in cold weather. Maybe someone can explain. 

Norm,

If this helps...from 1956 Book of Rules, Effective October 28, 1956:

Yard Engines will not display markers except when passing block station, thereby clearing the block.

So, it seems that while operating within the yard, marker lights would not be needed.

Tom 

Norm Charbonneau posted:

Thx Tom. I burnished the edges of the the brass tube a bit with some steel wool. I'm not that worried about it. I pulled the front marker LEDs because they don't look good to me. I'm not sure what color markers switchers would have used for most of their activity anyway. I'd imagine if they were lit most of the time it would have been for added visibility when moving around yards, etc. I'm more curious about the brake hose arrangements. I've seen quite a few photos of the larger hose shown in your photo above on the left side of the tender coupler. I'm thinking it was a steam line for keeping passenger coaches warm in cold weather.

Yes Norm, that is exactly what that is, i.e. steam train-line for express and/or passenger equipment. Some switchers even had the full complete Barco steam conduits, instead of the fully flexible steel-beaded hoses. You might want to add that steam train-line on the front also.

Maybe someone can explain. 

 VERY nice job on the little PRR yard switcher.

You really do know how to make a 3-rail railroad look realistic.  From above, that B6 looks real.  If you park it next to a Williams, what does it look like?

I actually saved a copy of your "J" from a post years ago - I may someday have to have a "J".

Thanks for the info and the compliments. I made a video for it, kinda boring I'm sorry:

https://youtu.be/XJ7tEjUSFGk

Norm, 

   Not boring at all. It looks and sounds great. Thanks for posting it.

Tom 

Norm,

The video of the B6 is anything but boring. Top notch HD to see you layout in such detail is an absolute treat !! Loved it !!

Well, it does move a bit slow, but the scenery is the best I have seen, and the locomotive looks real.

Ha... I slept through it... 6 times!  

Nice job on the switcher Norm.

Norm,

    Great video, I have the same engine. I think it is one of the best switchers ever made in 3 rail. Great slow speed operation, great sounds and great smoker too.

    Thanks for posting.

JohnB

Norm Charbonneau posted:

Thx again! I was going to weather it last night but spent some time cleaning my airbrush instead while listening to Skyking EAMs. 

 

I have to ask, why are you listening to Skyking?  Trying to break the code?

Thanks you guys, glad you liked the vid. I was playing with a new iPad.

Wake, I just want to know when to bring the tomato plants in.

Thx man, I did not know that!

Any of you that belong to the Pennsylvania Railroad Technical & Historical Society, I have an article that should be coming out in one of the upcoming editions of The Keystone specifically on #5244. If you are not a member and love the Pennsy, consider joining. It is well worth it...The Keystone comes out quarterly and by itself is worth the price of membership, in my opinion. 

Here is a shot of 5244 crossing Evergreen Road in New Egypt, NJ in its final years. 

Tom 

Norm Charbonneau posted:

Wake, I just want to know when to bring the tomato plants in.

Good idea Tom! I just joined. 

Norm

Nice video, I find that switching on my layout is lots more fun that loop running. I run both DCS and Legacy and recently picked up the MTH B6, great little engine.

Question - I notice your engine did not smoke. Do you keep the smoke off  all the time or just for this video

Steve

Yes,  very nice video which led to watching 5 or 6 more!   Your layout is really well done Norm. That bell on the B6 is exceptionally clear in your clip.  I imagine it sounds even better in person!  

Thanks for a most enjoyable 30+ minutes just now...

Steve, I hardly run smoke since it can trash my weathering. The smoke fluid tends to creep everywhere and seep out of any opening it can find. Cleaning it up can require some touchup of the weathering but even then I'll still have to chase spots here and there.

Norm, 

  Would using a room fan at all help to minimize what the smoke does to your weathering? 

  Tom 

MNCW posted:

Norm, 

  Would using a room fan at all help to minimize what the smoke does to your weathering? 

  Tom 

Room fans do NOT help against smoke fluid, as it just spreads the "smoke", which is real oil vapor everyplace else. Thus, we NEVER use "smoke" in any of our models, nor on our layout!

The smoke vapor isn't that much of an issue. It is the unvaporized and/or partially heated fluid that tends to creep everywhere. Not sure why guys can't understand the fact that a person wouldn't want to dump oil all over his paint job. Even worse is when you miss the smoke hole and put a few drops directly onto your paint. 

Now creeping oil on running gear doesn't bother me too much in the case of normal lubrication. 

Example: