Click on the MS Word icon below to download the how to article re converting to LED lighting. The sketch below shows the general arrangements of LEDs I use in passenger cars.
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Lets keep this great post going. Share your how-to-do-it ideas and projects! Post them here.
Originally Posted by Bobby Ogage:
Lets keep this great post going. Share your how-to-do-it ideas and projects! Post them here.
Bobby,
I agree. Thanks for the tips on LED lighting! I will certainly use them! Though I was trained in electronics back in the mid '70s, it is just a job to me, and I like to leave it at work. Therefore, I don't experiment with simple electronics to enhance my enjoyment of the hobby.
I have something of value for O Gauge from my HO and N days that I need to write up and post. I'll try to get that going sometime soon.
Thanks!!
Originally Posted by Bobby Ogage:
Quizshow904,
It is STAR wiring because it does not use any wire feeds that are common to more than one block. That is to say that every block has its own pair of (-) and (+) feed power feed wires. This style of wiring is advantageous for the DCS operating system because it minimizes digital signal distortion to Proto Sound locomotives.
Quizshow904,
To add to Bobby Ogage's correct comment; The star is common in electronics, and is the now preferred method for Ethernet wiring at businesses etc. I like to think of the star as looking like an asterisk * sometimes called a star. The central point where the wires tie together is the center of the asterisk, the middle of the star. The far end of each wire is the point of the star/asterisk. I hope this analogy helps.
That conversion to LED's will save a lot of wattage (and heat) being drained from the power source.
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Post 32 (cont)
Back plate for closed cab.
Used a couple shoulder screws and some springs to support the curve, enclosed part to the tender.
Holes in the tender for those rod supports had to be enlarged to allow lateral movement when the back plate rotates against the back of the cab.
Some thin plastic sheeting CA'ed to the back plate to insulate the tender from the engine.
Back plate plastic sheeting needs a little sanding and then, it just needs some painting, now!
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People Figures
I use 1/75 size people in the domes only. Everywhere else I use 1/50 people. You will need standing and sitting figures. It will also be necessary to chop down the legs of standing people a bit so you can see their heads when looking through the car windows. Be sure to put people walking in the aisles, and some standing people chatting with seated people. Like a guy trying to pickup a gal.
I use hot glue to secure the figures.
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Gene,
The duster is a cool idea. When are you coming down here?
Originally Posted by samparfitt:
Bigboy4014:
the engine is a Moki 250. Has 5 radial cylinders and is a 4 stroke. The prop is a 32", 3-blade, adjustable prop.
Yes, this is a Carf airplane. The only one that is not built from a kit but still required a lot of hours to finish.
I'm mostly WW II prop but I have two jets: F9F with a jetcat P70 turbine and an F-86 that still needs an engine.
Like trains, these can get expensive.
All mine are in the 8-10 foot wingspan and, except for the WW I nieuport, all have retractable landing gear. Most have full cockpit detail, functional canopies, functional cowl flaps, navigation and landing lights.
I have a simple philosophy on spending:
If I bought a 40K car, nobody blinks an eye about that.
If I bought 40K worth of trains or planes, non hobbiest thinks that's crazy.
But, after 10 years, do I still have that vehicle and, if I do, what's it worth?
Yet, many years later, I still am enjoying my hobbies, and, they probably won't be worth what I paid for them, they are still worth more than that vehicle plus I can enjoy them for the rest of my life. Besides, I worked 38 years (plus 3 years serving my country) and I deserve them 
With the house and vehicle paid, my expenses are food, utility bills and house taxes: might as well use that 'old mortgage money' to buy something that I want!
Good for you man! you have your priories straight.
LOL...I was selling Jetcats turbines about 10 years ago, still have dealer's jacket
sorry, I thought the F4U had a 4 balded prop, 3 blades just as nice, sounds great, I knew it was a radial from the sound of it..
I agree, model trains can get you some money back if you sell them in the future where as many others things and hobbies will not...
Thank you for serving our country.
The mother of my son is in a US air force base in Germany and when I visit I see many families without their dads and my heart goes out to all the service men and women...
How to Build An Inexpensive Crane
The crane is built from Lionel parts found under tables at swap meets.
- Collect 2 Lionel track piers from a 110 or 111 trestle set;
- Collect a Lionel Bucyrus crane car, i.e. a 2460, 6460, 6560, etc.
- Remove the trucks from the crane car and toss them into your junk box or scrap yard.
- Paint and or weather the crane car.
- Paint and weather the trestle piers.
- Space the piers a distance apart so that the center of each pier will align with the truck mounting holes in the crane car.
- Drill one hole in each pier to accept a drywall screw.
- Mount the crane car on the piers and you are done.
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We modelers are a creative lot!
I always like 'cost effective' projects.
Road trip:
My local Division 7 (Cincinnati, Ohio) of NMRA has a one day bus tour of local (within 150 miles, or so) railroad interests.
This year we saw two On3 layouts, a club (50'X150') and a very cool full size 'age of steam' roundhouse.
The 'age of steam' is not open to the public but they allowed the NMRA a tour. A fully functional roundhouse with pit, about a dozen steam engines, about 20 diesels and all kinds of cars. One person owns it and has a working crew doing repairs, etc.
The roundhouse is the only one built in the last 60 years. With such tremendous weight, I beams had to be driven down to bed rock (60') to support the turntable and wooden beams to support the roundhouse.
Very cool.
Some very nice scenery on the On3 layouts.
The large club layout has an actual interlocking tower 'armstrong' controls that move the turnouts on the one section of the layout.
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Originally Posted by Bobby Ogage:
Thanks for sharing all the interesting ideas.
Bill
Taping the door shut in your box cars and stuffing them with cotton foam dulls the loud noises it has.
POST # 33.
Painting engines.
My 3rd rail NP Z-5 2-8-8-4 came black and I want it to have a grey boiler.
Normally, I disassemble the entire engine to paint them but this one is already painted and it also has all the electronics in it: so best to paint the boiler without any dis- assembly.
First I used some slightly soapy water and a toothbrush to remove any dust and oil and then blew off the water via an air hose.
Next the boiler is masked off.
Initially, 1/16"-3/32" wide masking tape is used to outline the domes, thin widths needed to navigate the compound curves without kinking the tape.
Some larger widths of tape is then used to build up the around the domes.
Masking tape, a straight edge to cut the tape, a piece of glass for cutting the tape on the surface, tweezers and scissors and a toothpick to apply the tape without fear of scratching the existing painted surface.
After all non-painting surfaces are covered, she is ready for painting. Masking paper is from home depot (paint section) as all parts not to be painted needs to be thoroughly covered as spray paint has a nasty habit of finding the smallest hole.
Like all painting, painting is the easy part, the prep takes all the time. It took me about 2 hours to mask off the boiler.
The paint is applied, vertically from back to front and then front to back at about a 45 degree angle, each way to get into all corners. Then the paint was applied horizontally, left to right, right to left for the final coats.
After cleaning up the air brush, the masking tape needs to be removed before the paint thoroughly dries. The paint can often be ripped off surfaces when the tape is left on until the paint is thoroughly dried (especially if you're 'heavy handed' and put on a thick coat of paint). Care has to be taken not to touch the newly painted surface but much better than leaving tape on the model until the paint dries. The pipes, etc still have to be touched up by hand and brush after the grey dries.
I've used a binks for the past 40 (or so) years but I went to harbor freight and picked up an inexpensive airbrush and it works great for painting engines.
Water filters is best used as close to the paint gun as possible.
You don't need a 60 gallon air compressor but a small one with an air tank is nice (an air tank keeps the motor from running constantly).
I'm partial to scalecoat (enamel base) paints. A well ventilated area is needed (same with all spray painting). I normally bake the painted parts at 200 degrees for 2 hours. This allows quick masking and painting other colors on the same day. An accurate thermometer should be used to insure the temperature is 200 degrees as those toaster/oven dials are not always very accurate (don't want to be melting solder joints and making your model into a kit!).
The Z-5, being not disassembled, will have to air dry for 1-2 days or until the odor is no longer noticeable.
Two days later:
I used a 50/50 solution of high gloss and flat gloss of scalecoat paint to get a match to the factories paint finish.
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Post # 34:
Purchased 1/16" thick lead sheeting to weight my engines. Comes in 1' widths and I got 4': should be enough to last a lifetime (at least mine!).
Use a utility knife or tine snips. Best not to use power tools that creates dust and wash hands when done and keep from kids.
Got it from rotometals which, strangely, is located in California (where everything is banned...except raising taxes!).
http://www.rotometals.com/prod...T45cgCFQutaQodX8kNFA
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I'm installing working marker lights in my HO engines. If it can be done in HO, it's can definitely be done in O scale!
See below OGR thread for the 'how to':
https://ogrforum.com/t...38#67314622742879238
sam
Wow, what a great thread full of useful information. How is it that there haven't been any new tips for over 2 and half years?
Just wondering,
Steve
samparfitt posted:POST # 33.
Painting engines.
My 3rd rail NP Z-5 2-8-8-4 came black and I want it to have a grey boiler.
Normally, I disassemble the entire engine to paint them but this one is already painted and it also has all the electronics in it: so best to paint the boiler without any dis- assembly.
First I used some slightly soapy water and a toothbrush to remove any dust and oil and then blew off the water via an air hose.
Next the boiler is masked off.
Initially, 1/16"-3/32" wide masking tape is used to outline the domes, thin widths needed to navigate the compound curves without kinking the tape.
Some larger widths of tape is then used to build up the around the domes.
Masking tape, a straight edge to cut the tape, a piece of glass for cutting the tape on the surface, tweezers and scissors and a toothpick to apply the tape without fear of scratching the existing painted surface.
After all non-painting surfaces are covered, she is ready for painting. Masking paper is from home depot (paint section) as all parts not to be painted needs to be thoroughly covered as spray paint has a nasty habit of finding the smallest hole.
Like all painting, painting is the easy part, the prep takes all the time. It took me about 2 hours to mask off the boiler.
The paint is applied, vertically from back to front and then front to back at about a 45 degree angle, each way to get into all corners. Then the paint was applied horizontally, left to right, right to left for the final coats.
After cleaning up the air brush, the masking tape needs to be removed before the paint thoroughly dries. The paint can often be ripped off surfaces when the tape is left on until the paint is thoroughly dried (especially if you're 'heavy handed' and put on a thick coat of paint). Care has to be taken not to touch the newly painted surface but much better than leaving tape on the model until the paint dries. The pipes, etc still have to be touched up by hand and brush after the grey dries.
I've used a binks for the past 40 (or so) years but I went to harbor freight and picked up an inexpensive airbrush and it works great for painting engines.
Water filters is best used as close to the paint gun as possible.
You don't need a 60 gallon air compressor but a small one with an air tank is nice (an air tank keeps the motor from running constantly).
I'm partial to scalecoat (enamel base) paints. A well ventilated area is needed (same with all spray painting). I normally bake the painted parts at 200 degrees for 2 hours. This allows quick masking and painting other colors on the same day. An accurate thermometer should be used to insure the temperature is 200 degrees as those toaster/oven dials are not always very accurate (don't want to be melting solder joints and making your model into a kit!).
The Z-5, being not disassembled, will have to air dry for 1-2 days or until the odor is no longer noticeable.
Two days later:
I used a 50/50 solution of high gloss and flat gloss of scalecoat paint to get a match to the factories paint finish.
I have been a Scalecoat user since the 70s. I was a BN nut back then and used Scalecoat because the Floquil BN green color was off. Still use it.
Dick
Rescued Trains posted:Wow, what a great thread full of useful information. How is it that there haven't been any new tips for over 2 and half years?
Just wondering,
Steve
I forgot about this thread. I put a lot of my "how to's" on my GN thread; ie, tree making, installing miller signs, painting engines, etc. The railroad is HO but a lot of stuff can be applied to any scale. There's posts about other stuff, as well, so you'll have to page through it to find things. The page listed below has the miller signs install and tree making. Recently, the thread has installation of new scenery and about 450 additional trees installed.
