Photos N&W J/More slide fence/Train Season

Nice touch. Very nice. 

That scene is just amazing!!!    The fence is a great detail, but all of it just works perfectly.  Great stuff.

I'm looking forward to train season too! That scene seems to come alive and look more realistic with the detail you've added since you first posted pics. How's the area with the bridge looking these days?

Travis

Doesn't that run from January 1st through December 31st? Like your J.....is it an Overland? What do you use for switching?

Simon

Very nice Chris.  You are aware that slide fences work with diesels too.

Hard to tell it is a model. Hillside could be real.

Scenery and slide fence looks great, but you need to set the eccentric cranks on that J.  It wouldn't run with them set the way they are . . .

EdKing

Thanks guys.

Simon, I have an 0-8-0 or I can switch with some of the articulateds.

John, Maybe if I wait long enough someone will just give me a diesel.

Ed, I have to look more closely at that. With the siderods at their lowest point should the eccentric crank be up and forward 15 degrees? Thanks.

Forward.

Christopher,

That "J" looks better than REAL.

Chris you are a craftsman, that looks beautiful and of course the J is awsome

Thanks, Alex

Wow.  Saya it all!

Larry

With the rods at their lowest point, the eccentric crankpin should be forward, and it should be on a straight line between the center of the main driver axle and the bottom of the gear connecting rod (the front end connection of the eccentric rod).  In other words, draw yourself an imaginary line between the center of the axle and the front connection point of the eccentric rod and put the eccentric crankpin on that line.  You seem to have it leaning backward . . .

Oh, and open that cab window, will ya?  Them guys can't see ahead . . .

EdKing - a big J fan (over a period of years I was in the cab of every one of them - all 14.  Plus the J cab that Roanoke Shop made for use in an O-scale display railroad near Portsmouth.)  So out of 14 engines, I was in 15 cabs . . .

Except the rods are not at there lowest point in the 2nd photo....still needs another 1/8 of a revolution or so going forward, plus look at the cross heads location.  If you put the rods at there lowest point it appears the eccentric will be at the correct orientation. 

Here is a nice photo...

 http://www.flickr.com/photos/78469770@N00/121770887/

Christopher, nice shots.

Chris wow what photo is surreal.  The wheels look massive next to that guy.  An it looks model train toyish

Oh yeah Chris wow! Stunning! Your layout I'm thinking is possibly one of the best in the world. 

I can only comment that the only things that show in that photo that WEREN'T designed and manufactured in Roanoke were the roller bearings.  The wheels?  Cast in Roanoke's Foundry and machined in its Machine Shop.  The rods?  Forged in Roanoke's Blacksmith Shop out of special steel billets furnished by Timken (its "High Dynamic" steel) and then machined in its Machine Shop.  The counterbalancing was designed by Roanoke's Mechanical Engineers, and was good enough that the engine could operate at 520 driving wheel RPM without undue vibration.

The Baker Valve Gear (which doesn't really show here) was an exception.  It was furnished by the Pilliod Company to Roanoke's specs, and had needle roller bearings furnished by McGill. 

This is a superb photo illustrating some of that homemade stuff those hickabillies down in the hills came up with.  Talk about workmanship . . .

EdKing

Thanks much for the comments guys.

Regarding the eccentric crank, Chris is correct that the rods are not at the lowest point in my photos and the crank does move around when the rods are down. However, with the rods fully down the crank still needs to move a little bit more forward. Thanks guys for all of the input.

Ed,

Nobody is looking out of the windows since I haven't put an engineer and fireman in the cab to operate the train yet. I have to add these things to the list of "to do's". Sliding the windows should be easy enough, anyway. Thanks again.

The union will hear about this!

Simon

Here is a photo of the engineers side, not directly from the side but good enough to get a good view.