Great Northern railway

Milwaukee F-7 4-6-4 decoder install (cont).

Marker LED's installed.

Normally, I have to drill holes in the boiler for the running board lights but, with skirting, only needed to glue them under the running boards.

No back head but cab is enclosed so still installed a cab light.

Tender frame holes drilled for speaker. 

Eight wire connector from engine to tender and speaker connected.  Wires to boiler frame LED's not connected.  The previous owner changed the open frame motor to a can motor.  The motor was only taped to the frame so I used some GE silicon caulk to secure it.

Decoderpro days all's good.

However, nada on the mainline.  No sound or motor movement.  I know it's got 'juice' since the boiler  fire box LED is on.

Connected another tender and all's good so it's either a defective new decoder or my wires are incorrect even though decoderpro says they are OK.  Getting late, will sleep on it. 

Looks great!

Thanks, Mark.  I try.

=========

Milwaukee F-7 4-6-4 Hiawatha decoder install (cont);

Decoder not working:

A voltmeter was used to test the wires from the decoder to my 8 pin connector and all was good so it's gotta' be the decoder.

The coal pile needed some new coal: old stuff was wearing off.

Routed all the LED wires and put heat shrink tubing over them to protect them (they were not 'heat shrinked').

Four pin connector made.

The top of the boiler has a stream line casing so there is a gap inside the boiler so I added some lead weight in that area.  The original lead weight was, also, reattached to the boiler.

Some extra room in the boiler so a sheet of lead was rounded over and placed inside the boiler.  The friction up front will hold the lead around the original weight plus some tape in the back is good enough and makes it removable for servicing the LED wires (should the 'time come').

Since the new decoder isn't working, I used another tender and no juice: found out that the driver's wheel's insulated side is on the wrong side so I had to reverse them.  

All assembled with a temporary tender.  The person who did this paint job did incredible work.   I'm guessing he must of used decals as I could never get that crisp of a line on the entire engine, especially as complicated as this paint job is.  That paint on the cow catcher is superb. 

The black and maroon lines are perfect. 

The running board lights are hidden with the skirting.  Nice clean paint lines. 

Nice uniform points on the maroon paint.

Window painting is not easy.

Fins look great.

Gotta' be a decal!

Great work, also, on the tender.

That is a beautiful locomotive.

Thanks, Radcam.    

=========

GNRW ops session.

This was part ops and part fixing things.  Joe brought some engines that weren't running.  We only got one to run.  John brought some passenger cars that needed better rolling characteristics: still working on those.  With running trains, fixing things, eating and discussing world problems, we closed down around 12:30 AM.  

Every engineer picked articulated's.  

C&O H-8 2-6-6-6 at the water hole.

N&W A 2-6-6-4.

N&W A.

Picture of Steve taking pictures!

Pizza time.

UP 2-tone challenger 4-6-6-4.

Dave at the upper loop staging track with C&O H-8 and vintage freight cars. 

N&W A taking on water.

UP big boy at Glacier's water stop.

Dave's C&O H-8 entering Seattle's freight yard.

N&W A at Tye's water tower.  Mandatory that all steam stop at the functioning water towers!

John's N&W A at Tye.

...while UP big boy exiting basin tunnel.

N&W A entering cascade tunnel.  Only 1.5 scale miles compared to the full size 8 mile tunnel. 

Food time and discussions. 

Sam, Your operating sessions look like so much fun!!!! 

Mark, if nothing else, they went home with a full stomach!

=============

For you N scale guys on trucks.

Learned a few things about N scale trucks.

A modeler brought his brass passenger cars to see if we can make them roll better.

First, we set up an incline to take accurate measurements for comparison of changes made to the trucks. 

One thing I learned is don't put oil on the axles as it slows them down.  Dry graphite is good. 

Any slight slop in the side frame mounting holes exasperates problems: skewed wheels and too tight against wheel axles.

Also, these brass sides can be bent: either too far in or out (as lower right side frame in picture) and bind the axles.

Also, the support between the side frames can be bowed up or down causing excess friction on the axles. Also, check for any wheel rubbing against trucks or dirt on treads.

Initially, tried to use the new plastic wheel sets in the original brass truck frames but was unsuccessful in achieving consistent, positive results. Also, made sure no burrs in side frame axle holes to interfere with existing axles or new plastic axles. 

Used these all plastic trucks to replace the brass trucks. 

Didn't want to alter the original passenger frame and the new plastic truck pins were not compatible with the frame so cut off part of the truck pin (skinny part in picture) and drilled/tapped the remain piece to accept the original truck screw. There was, already, a small hole in the truck pin so easy to extend the hole through the entire pin.

Some pliers with teeth on the end were necessary to hold the small, slippery truck pin while drilling and tapping.

The original screw could, then, be used to secure the truck to the frame.   The original trucks, frame and screw are unaltered so can be put back to original state, if so desired in the future. 

Post test.  

White piece of paper at bottom of picture shows where original trucks on car stopped.  The car now rolls off the end of the track and, probably, would have gone another foot. 

GNRW doing it's part during these trying times to deliver critical goods to customers.

Videos:

Departing Seattle: I enjoy the wheel noise after the engine noise fades.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9jcCHxhe-8

Hillyard area:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sdTiR5AkwM

GN R-2 2-8-8-2 leaving engine service area.

Skykomish.

Whitefish.

Glacier

Basin tunnel exit.

Wilmar.

St. Paul.

Milwaukee F-7 4-6-4 Hiawatha decoder install (cont):

This install had a multitude of problems, most of them created by me!

Videos:

Tye:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNeiTreZr00

Hillyard:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zDzTi9LwQc

Cut a hole in the bottom frame instead of the front of the tender....

as there was no tender deck plate to hide the hole.  Also, in this case, the wires would not interfere with the front truck.  Also, the hole was easy to cut since it was at the end of the frame plate so only 3 sides needed cutting. 

A piece of tubing to hold the draw bar onto the tender pin.

Wires without the decoder installed.  No tender lights on this model.

Here's where the first problem started and took 3 decoders and about 4 hours to resolve.

After using decoderpro to check out the wiring, I inputted the engine number 100 into the 4 byte address and nothing would work over on the mainline.  I figured the decoder was defective so tried another decoder.  Checked with the original address of 03 and worked OK.  Back to decoderpro and input address 100 with same results.  Noticed that I didn't heat shrink the ground wire and it may have shorted against the speaker.  Third decoder and same results.  Then it occurred to me that the address is binary and 100 is only 2 bytes (short address, ie: 01100100).  I didn't know a short address will not take on a long address selection.  

After getting the engine assembled, the air hose on the observation car was bent down and touching the rails.  Had to close off every other passenger seat to keep them 6' from each other!

Plus the tender coupler was touching the rails on turnouts.  The tender treads, also, had some kind of clear coating on them and needed cleaning. 

One of the passenger cars derailed at a turnout. 

The wheel was bumping over the frog so I cleaned it out with the NMRA track gauge and there was a lot of crud in the frog. 

Basin tunnel exit.

West of Waverly.

West of St. Paul.

St. Paul.

Passenger car derailed a second time. While removing a truck, the bolster screw has a nut on the inside so it fell in the car resulting in disassembly.  Found that the truck was slightly racked so, slightly, bent it (brass construction).

Thought 3 screws along the center sill would allow removal of bottom frame but the frame screws were, actually, under the coupler pocket: fortunately, I didn't try to force the frame off the car!

Departing St. Paul.

Wilmar water tower.

Whitefish.

Chumstick canyon trestle.

Marias pass.

Tye.

Skykomish.

That is a beautiful train.

Gene Anstine

Thanks Gene.  The previous owner did a real nice job of painting it.

==================

Intermittent lost of power fixed.

Several times the new decoder install on the Milwaukee F-7 Hiawatha train would lose power.
The 'keep alive' would keep the engine moving until power was regained.
Found the tender to be the culprit.
Usually the axles on brass engine have blunt ends whereas this model has pointed ends.
I'm guessing that is the main cause as all other parts were cleaned.
Drilled/tapped the tender truck for a screw and attached some wire from the screw to the axles cured it.

With the BLI UP 2-tone gray 4-6-6-4 sent to BLI for a new decoder the UP 4-12-2 (Key) was assigned to the passenger train.  Had to see if it could handle the tonnage. 

Videos:

Seattle:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EZLKwdSZy0

Havre:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyuwc5Al7i4

Skykomish.

Hillyard.  The 4-12-2 just made it up the 'hill' with the 17 passenger cars!

Smoke box needed some cinders removed.

GN R-2 2-8-8-2 freight drag.

Havre.

Tye.

Amazing the color variation of these last two pictures that were taken seconds of each other!

UP 4-12-2 bald face (KEY) passenger train.

Tumwater Canyon trestle.

Havre

Chumwater canyon trestle.

Havre.

Hillyard.

Marias pass.

Passing Seattle's freight yard.

Entering passenger yard.

Ore drags:  

videos:

============

I uploaded 3 videos and youtube sent me this statement on one of them:

I think they made a mistake.
Youtube removed a video of my HO train.
Their statement:
As you may know, our Community Guidelines describe which content we allow – and don’t allow – on YouTube. Your video Great Northern Railway: GN N 3 2 8 8 0 ore drag from Havre to Whitefish was flagged to us for review. Upon review, we’ve determined that it violates our guidelines and we’ve removed it from YouTube.

Didn't know trains were so violent or disturbing to people !!!!!!

========

 The engineer and fireman are staying 6' from each other!

GN N-3 2-8-8-0 ore drag at Skykomish:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yp7tNxzwZwI

GN M-2 2-6-8-0 ore drag at Skykomish:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOrfy8JzKl8

GNRW ore dock.  String of ore cars being pulled out.

GN C-1 0-8-0 switchers were, usually, used to shuffle ore cars. 

GN N-3 2-8-8-0 :

Waverly.

St. Paul.

Chumstick canyon trestle.

Glacier.

The train stopped at one spot.  Overnight one of the jumper wires broke between two pieces of rail.

GN M-2 2-6-8-0.  An unusual wheel arrangement.  These engines were rebuilt into Mikes. 

New decoder installed in this engine.

Seattle.

Update on Youtube deleting one of my videos:

Was changing the title name and went to youtube to load the new name but youtube allowed the old video to be viewed.
That was quick of them to change it: they must of watched it and saw the 'error of their ways'!

GN N-3 2-8-8-0 ore train.  GNRW used N-3's to hall ore to the docks.  They were  the 2nd largest ore hauling railroad behind DM&IR.  Hill bought the property where the ore was and then gave it to the GNRW.  Ore drags were very slow: about 15 MPH.  This train ran about that speed and it must of taken an hour to traverse the mainline (East bound only).   

Caution: watching steam engines may be disturbing to some !

Possibly, youtube thought the engineer and fireman were not 6' from each other!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PY07G_XlguY

Not THAT is a unit train. Great video and an absolutely wonderful layout.

More please, Sir!

Thanks, John,

See my youtube link for over 300 videos including my RC airplanes:

https://www.youtube.com/user/s...p;view_as=subscriber

=========

Train running:

Videos:  I rarely run trains this fast.

SF 2-10-4 vintage freight drags:

Whitefish:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zhw8rq9_zoE

Skykomish:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3ogdSFUq-c

SF 2-10-4 at Wilmar.

GN N-3 2-8-8-0 ore drag.

Whitefish.

Chumstick canyon trestle.

Marias pass.

Tye.

GN C-1 0-8-0 pulling ore cars out of incoming track to the drill track.

Bike ride along the Little Miami river which I believe PRR acquired.

Parking area along the bike path.  We did about 15 miles. 

On the other side of the bike path is the exact spot where I got this signal back in the early 80's.

It was on the original signal tower, which was very rusty. A monkey wrench was used to remove the bolt/s and I dropped it on the heavy end.  No restoration done: exactly as I found it save adding colored glass.

Large munitions plant that built 'bullets' for WW I and  II.

North end view.

Guessing this separate building was for explosive powder, kept separate until needed at the main plant. 

They are renovating the building.  Saw no signs on what it is to be.  New windows installed.

new metal studs.

Old coal dock supports. 

Looked like 'waves' of flowers.

Just the concrete foundation left along the mainline. 

Watering time.  Hard work sitting in that carriage!

A few poles left after 70-100 years.

The south view of the building.  Lots of worker's vehicles (mostly trucks). 

Tower and smoke stack looks to be in excellent shape after all those years.

A couple of my railroad friends informed me about the munitions plant:

Proper bathroom decorum:

Just finished installing new bath fixtures so some decorations were added

video:

Trains and Planes: my two major hobbies.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UtIbLiBAaw

Samparfitt, Amazing layout, amazing pictures, and amazing Comic of Peanuts Observation Of Life as we see it today...... I just hope you and your great train friends are staying safe, staying healthy, enjoying your time with the trains. Thanks for all the great pictures. Happy Railroading.  

Thanks, Larry.

=====

Bike trip with daughter.

Even on a bike trip, got some 'railroading in'.

2.  An old caboose in Morrow.

3.  Railroad bridge still there after 100 years, or so.

4.  Can't tell by picture but that tree trunk is about 5' in diameter.

5.  Need stilts when building along the river.

6.  Telegraph poles still up after 100 years.

Found these while looking through my youtube uploads:

Two guys, which I think was from Indiana, used to take their steam engine to different tourist's railroads and operate it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?...aoE&pbjreload=10

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCccUw7sJo8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXbl-m6Xek4

Nice N&W video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0wmvZTyFYs

Control of turnouts remotely via the dispatcher's panel (PC's FLAT SCREEN).

Presently:  The turnouts can only be thrown via the original control panel. The dispatcher's panel only indicates which way the turnouts on the mainline are thrown.

Future: With the new LCC (Layout Command Control) Tower CB (circuit board) and logic, turnouts can be thrown via the dispatcher's panel or the original control panel. 

My friend Joe came over and we set up controlling the turnouts via the dispatcher's panel using LCC.

A new LCC tower circuit board was needed (temporarily hanging in the picture).  

Presently, we plugged a test LED circuit board into the LCC tower to test the turnout logic. 

The new LCC tower's address is 2A (as seen in the picture).

Logic created for each turnout.  We completed and tested the logic for 4 turnouts on the mainline.

We can, now, just click on the turnout image on the dispatcher's panel and it sends power to that particular turnout's switch machine. 

Next job: I need to replace the LED test CB with an SCSD-8 (8 output solenoid driver) CB and connect input power to it and output to each of 4 turnout switch machines.   

After these 4 are done and tested, more logic and turnouts will be completed.  Picture has the wiring schematic needed for each switch machine (this was part of the initial test phase). 

Yellow and gray wires: 15-18 volt input.

Black: common to switch machine.

Red/white: to each side of coil.

Also, can be set up for tortoise. 

Wig Wag signal restoration:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxPOfw3w-Fk

New delivery.

SP AC-1 2-8-8-2 cab forward.

I was able to obtain this engine on ebay from the seller in Germany.  Normally, the price on these was higher than I wanted to pay but I was able to obtain this engine at a reasonable price.   I paid for it on March 14 and with the pandemic in New York, port of entry for this engine, it took awhile to arrive.  Almost 2 months.  Long time to wait.

Westside product made in 1980. Craftsman series #9.  I have to agree on the 'Craftsman series' as this engine is super detailed.   I don't think this engine was run much, maybe a test run, as very clean drivers, wheels and no coupler added, plus the weights were never added. 

Very nicely detailed.  

Left side.

Love those huge steam pipes along the roof of the boiler.

Well detailed cab interior.

Right side.  Both the engine and tender have steam  lines going to each other so I could add some flexible tubing between the two for steam hoses.

Can motor just about standard by 1980.

My other cab forwards have easily removable cab roofs to see the interior.  This one has 2 screws securing the entire cab so will be easy to paint.

Has equalized drivers, ie, vertical movement of one driver affects the movement of the other drivers.  Very clean.

Lots of detail, also, on the tender.  Wanted an AC-1,2,3 series because of the whale back tender.

Comes with a tender booster truck; cool.  Bag of spare parts.  Weight never added, also, indicates it wasn't run much.

That finishes what I wanted in my SP collection: 

AC-4/6/7/12.

Gotta' have a GS-4!

AC-9.  Only 'conventional' engine in the AC series.

AC-5.  Only the AC-1 left to paint.  

About the only engine left on my 'bucket' list is the C&O M-1 steam turbine. 

STUNNING ACQUISITION!

Excellent!!

Thanks 'much' Art and Mark.

===============

Control of turnouts remotely via the dispatcher's panel (PC's FLAT SCREEN) using LCC.

Phase I summary of previous work:

Presently:  The turnouts can only be thrown via the original control panel. The dispatcher's panel only indicates which way the turnouts on the mainline are thrown.

Future: With the new LCC (Layout Command Control) Tower CB (circuit board) and logic, turnouts can be thrown via the dispatcher's panel or the original control panel. 

Phase II: Running wires from the SCSD-8 CB's to each turnout.

I need to replace the LED test CB with an SCSD-8 (8 output solenoid driver) CB and connect input power to it and output to each of 4 turnout switch machines per board.  I need to connect 12 switch machines so three SCSD-8 CB's are need.

  This the schematic for the SCSD-8 CB.  The input voltage (-V, +V) is the '2-input' connector.  The long '10 pin' output connector is for 4 twin coil solenoids plus two common outputs (9, 10).

Input is 25 volts with a capacitor discharge CB to the SCSD-8.  

To insure no power loss, 14 gauge wire was run from the capacitor discharge CB to a terminal strip close to the SCSD-8 CB's.

14 gauge wire was then routed to each SCSD-8 input CB.  We were getting shorts when connecting the common (9,10) to the twin coil machines.  Joe and I found out the output commons (9,10) are positive and, also, not needed for my set up via the original momentary SPDT toggles.  Normally common is ground and that is how I have my entire layout setup.  On the SCSD-8 CB's common is hot thus I had to reverse input wires going to the original momentary SPDT toggles. Plus no wire is needed to 9,10 as we figure the CB does it internally. 

The original momentary SPDT toggles on the main control panel.  The new yellow and red wires goes to the SCSD-8 CB so the turnouts can be thrown either by the main control panel or the new dispatcher's flat screen display.  16 gauge wire was used to insure no 'juice' is lost.  The gray wires on the right interface with LCC to 'throw' the toggles on the dispatcher's flat screen display. 

Thus far, 4 turnouts have been connected so that the dispatcher's screen can now throw the turnouts without having to get up to throw them on the original control panel.  Using the mouse to click at the base of any turnout will throw it in the opposite direction.  Nice when things start working correctly     

This should complete the entire signalling system and dispatcher's panel that was started about a year ago last Fall.

Functions:

1)  Scale signalling system indicating occupancy for the next 4 blocks. The signals on the dispatcher's panel will change to the appropriate color as the train passes or the dispatcher can click on the signal to change it's color. 

2) Trains show up in red on the dispatcher's panel indicating their location.

3)  An 'EAST' or 'WEST' sign will show up above each block indicating which direction the train is proceeding.

4) Control of all turnouts either via the dispatcher's panel or the original control panel. 

GNRW operating session.

First ops session since the state of Ohio 'opened up' after the pandemic.  Wasn't expecting a lot of railroaders but, as I always  say, I only need one other to have fun, with a total of 4 railroaders showing up.  The basement has large areas and isles to keep our 6' distance.  After pizza, we did some 'ops'.

Videos:

N&W Class A 2-6-6-4 at Hillyard:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9QnwWCkDoM

N&W Class A and SF 2-10-4 meet at St. Paul:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_57STKWa5uU

Class A and 2-10-4 pacing each other:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVtK5evt0Zg

Class A on turntable at Seattle:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKEpIyP_mcw

 My 'ops' is a little different: the engineer picks what engine he wants to run.  

John picked up his N&W Class A 2-6-6-4 and backing the engine to pick up his freight train.

Steve's the engineer on the SF 2-10-4 at Hillyard.

N&W Class A at Tye.

N&W A taking on water at Hillyard.  Four of the water towers have functional spouts with sound. 

All cabeese and observation cars have marker lights or internal lighting so the LCC signalling system can detect, via current draw, when a train has left a block.

Joe doing dispatcher's duties.

Steve's SF 2-10-4 just west of St. Paul.

N&W A and SF 2-10-4 pacing each other.

Both have the vintage metal Athearn/Varney and wood Silver Streak/Ambroid freight cars.  

Class A at Wilmar and the 2-10-4 at Marias pass.

2-10-4 taking on water at Tye.

Class A at Wilmar. Yep. the engineer pulled forward to, also, fill up the auxiliary tender. 

Class A taking water at Wilmar.

Dispatcher's board shows location of all trains, their signals and turnout position.

Steve's SF 2-10-4 on one of the incoming tracks at Seattle's freight yard. 

Class A taking water at Tye. 

SF 2-10-4 dropped off cars and leaving via the escape tracks.

2-10-4 heading for the roundhouse.

The new 'norm'.

GN C-1 0-8-0 attaching to incoming freight cars on the opposite end of the train.

SF 2-10-4 ready for minor servicing at the roundhouse. 

GN C-1 sorting cars in the freight yard. 

N&W Class A entering incoming track at Seattle.

Ditto for the Class A: cars dropped off and heading for the roundhouse. 

Walthers makes a great turntable. 

One of Steve's vintage Mantua 4-6-2 pacific.  He just installed a decoder.  Very quiet and has added detail.

Water hole.

NP A-5 4-8-4 gray boiler northern.   Painting is the easy part: masking off all those black parts is the hard part!

NP A-5 at Marias pass.

Whoa: didn't realize it's quarter to 4 AM: not many railroaders but had a great time and the last one left around 1:30 AM.  

Probably sleep in this morning and not get up until 8 AM!

Sam, I’m glad to see you fellows got together again for an operating session!  Great photographs!!!

Thanks, Mark.

=======================

History of where the GN 2-6-8-0 engine operated:

full page:

picture comments:

full page:

picture comments:

Nice videos of the SF passenger trains in the 50's: (part 1,2,3)

I like the 'wig wags'.

Enjoy seeing all the old vehicles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTslXXsktJI

Has some steam engines and PA's versus the usual F3's (?)

Looks like a few NYC cars are included.

Looks like one young fellow has a nice Schwinn Roadmaster bike.

Looks like one boy is picking up a penny he put on the track.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUNnyuVkQu8

View from cab.

Lucky people: their yard backs up to the mainline!

Looks like some Milwaukee and NYC cars.

A full dome car.

5 F units.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyRFJZe66I4&t=8s

Mission tower video;

All kinds of cool motive power: SP, SF, UP.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJKQIRAqNS8

SP Daylight steam in the 40's/ 50's:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jfrRwhJNHs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tK6q8JkQ_6Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6qidndiTQs&t=5s

Trains in Southern CA in the 50's:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzDy9qTNAcQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFWSeKEi3Vc

Northern and cab forward double header.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XflRMy6tGTw

Train in middle of the road.

Something not often seen, today.

Coming back from flying my RC airplanes at the club field, we stopped at a 'ma and pa' ice cream stand and, by chance, an engine was delivering a car to a local plant.  I ran over and was standing in the middle of the road to get the pictures so was a little concerned about traffic and resulted in a 'shaky' picture. Cars were starting to come at me so I had to stop the camera.  This is in Franklin, Ohio.  The track radius, if you shrunk it down to HO, looks like 18"!  Interesting that the engine is a class 1 (if that term is used anymore) railroad as I thought it wasn't worth their time and money to deliver such small quantities and small short lines would do that kind of work where a few people wear 'multiple hats'.

Video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjU4LakbMJU

Got my UP 2-tone gray challenger 4-6-6-4 back from BLI.

Way back in March, the engine went to high speed and stayed there.  When I sent the engine to them in March,  they said, due to the pandemic, it would take 10-12 weeks for repairs.  Last week I emailed them to see if they were 'on schedule'.  They said repairs have been extended 13-15 weeks but they would check on mine.  Just arrived via Fedex.  Like my grade school teacher use to say: the squeaky wheel gets the oil!

They had to replace the motor and decoder: all under warranty.  Haven't tested it yet but will go back on the front of the UP yellow passenger train. Got an ops session the following Saturday so I'll be working on the railroad, next week.

This summer, all my RC plane meets have been cancelled so, besides going to the local fields to fly, been building a new F4U corsair (93").