Absolutely nothing.
today I ran some trains Y6B Mallet pulling a ten car beer train, a B&O Hudson pulling a passenger train, and a B&O SW 8 pulling a couple well flat cars on the Mountain Division.
Got my inline fuses installed last night so I can now run my MTH and Lionel TMCC locos without having to worry of power spikes.
Screwed down some more track. Just having fun!
Looks like a great addition!
Originally Posted by ChessieMD:
Track on the switching layout has been painted. Contining to test engine performance on the track. Very close to spiking and ballasting. Finally, took possession of a beautifully weathered Hopper from a forumite.
Took a Road Trip to My LHS. On the way back I stopped at White Castle, across the street from the LHS. Also stopped at my local Apple Store, to see what is new. See artwork below…….
Click artwork to enlarge.
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I didn't do anything on the layout, but I did something for the layout. I saved it from catastrophe.
A 9" ice-jam had built up right where that little tower intersects with that sloped roof, and as the temperatures got a little "warmer" (relative,) water started dripping into the house at a pretty good clip, right through the powder-room inside that stone wall, and directly down into the basement, dripping pretty quickly in a steady stream approx. 4' feet from the layout (and getting closer all the while!!!!!) We (that's a dear friend and neighbor, Paul, on the ladder in these shots) spent just about the whole day chipping away at the thick ice ridge that had accumulated from the gutter right up the sloped roof, up quite a ways, along with a capping of snow. It is cleared down to the shingles, now, but it is still snowing!
And I am dead-tired.
FrankM
Friends really do matter, don't they. We just can't do it all alone, can we. They have been my most precious treasures my whole life, which is something I've always recognized. Everything else we can buy. But not good friends.
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So true, Moonson. I hope your friend's help has solved your problem.
Originally Posted by trumptrain:
today I ran some trains Y6B Mallet pulling a ten car beer train, a B&O Hudson pulling a passenger train, and a B&O SW 8 pulling a couple well flat cars on the Mountain Division.
Got my inline fuses installed last night so I can now run my MTH and Lionel TMCC locos without having to worry of power spikes.
Screwed down some more track. Just having fun!
The hobby is all about having fun. It sounds like you are making great progress on the layout, Pat.
I looked into the lack of light in a MPC passenger car and found a melted area were the roller is held in by the contact spring. I don't really know how, but a slight contact bend, for more pressure, and its holding, and swinging fine! Two new bulbs, and "nobody is sleeping" anymore.
Mitch,(or somebody) I may have asked, but I've lost lots of files recently too. Could someone give me a height from the base-up, for the cantilevered arm that holds the Lionel tell-tale strips. Ive got a dowel and drill waiting.
Originally Posted by Adriatic:
I looked into the lack of light in a MPC passenger car and found a melted area were the roller is held in by the contact spring. I don't really know how, but a slight contact bend, for more pressure, and its holding, and swinging fine! Two new bulbs, and "nobody is sleeping" anymore.
Mitch,(or somebody) I may have asked, but I've lost lots of files recently too. Could someone give me a height from the base-up, for the cantilevered arm that holds the Lionel tell-tale strips. Ive got a dowel and drill waiting.
Will give you a measurement when I get home. Incidentally, Jeff Kane (Train Tender) does offer replacement MPC pickups at reasonable prices...
Mitch
3 photos of the engineering of that is not enough!
What a tease!
More, please!
Its like James Bond's secret layout. A "Bat-Cave" for Bruce Wayne's better trains.
Mitch,
Saw where you are looking for a Lionel GG1 chassis for sale; can't help with a Lionel one, but have new KLine GG1 (not merely the chassis) that i'll let go for $100 plus shipping.
jackson
Not feeling 100% heck not even feeling 50% so I had my wife light my kero stove in my railroad room when she went to work waited about an hour for the room to warm up, (it is insulated and does quite well) i fixed a big (BIG) cup of old fashioned right out of the can Campbells chicken noodle soup, put hooded sweatshirt on and wrapped up in a old Army blanket (USA) all wool and went out, put my new engine on and just sat there wrapped up in blanket and ran the engine with half dozen cars, switched switches, rang the bell, tooted the horn and just sat there watched it run and drank soup (I LIKE THAT NEW ENGINE THE LIONEL 0-8-0 STEAM LOCOMOTIVE BURLINGTON ROUTE) Too bad i do not have the curves to run that big sob lionel has love to see it run and watch the steam; but another lifetime maybe someone has a video of it with all the steam escaping
this kinda cheered me up some, after an hour went in house, threw a log on fire and fell asleep on the sofa
After exchanging multiple emails, arranged to have templates made for the striping on the noses of the LIONEL PW F3's in Great Northern Empire Builder livery. The Champ decals I have were purchased in the long, "going out of business" phase at Champ, so they lacked all striping. It would have been extremely difficult for me to free hand the masking for those stripes.
Also ordered some resistors and diodes per gunrunnerjohn to light a Tomar Industries drumhead on my GM&O "Abraham Lincoln" repaint train. Previously, the TI supplied wiring included four diodes and a ballast bulb. The new wiring will eliminate that and should work well with the LED lighting recently installed.
Also jumped on the bandwagon and bought a set of the Crest rollers; and, thanks to stan2004 bought 50 22uh chokes for $.99. I need only about 15-20 so the rest will be stocking stuffers.
Originally Posted by M. Mitchell Marmel:
Originally Posted by Adriatic:
Mitch,(or somebody) I may have asked, but I've lost lots of files recently too. Could someone give me a height from the base-up, for the cantilevered arm that holds the Lionel tell-tale strips. Ive got a dowel and drill waiting.
Will give you a measurement when I get home. Incidentally, Jeff Kane (Train Tender) does offer replacement MPC pickups at reasonable prices...
OK, speaking as the Official Gi-raffe Expert (tm), the measurement is exactly 5.55 inches from the bottom of the base to the centerline of the tell-tale arm. Have fun!
Originally Posted by modeltrainsparts:
Mitch,
Saw where you are looking for a Lionel GG1 chassis for sale; can't help with a Lionel one, but have new KLine GG1 (not merely the chassis) that i'll let go for $100 plus shipping.
H'm! What vintage is it? What kind of motors? Are you sure it'll fit a Lionel shell? I've tried with an RMT chassis (which is based on K-Line) with no success...
Thanks!
Mitch
Mitch,
GG1 is probably early 2000's vintage. All Kline GG1's were can motored. Don't believe Lionel shell will fit without modifications. Sorry i can't be of more help.
jackson
Originally Posted by modeltrainsparts:
Mitch,
GG1 is probably early 2000's vintage. All Kline GG1's were can motored. Don't believe Lionel shell will fit without modifications. Sorry i can't be of more help.
Well, I appreciate the effort!
I'm in the process of cleaning the whistle contacts on a couple of Lionel RW transformers. Norma Bates Kitteh fondly thinks she's helping...
Mitch
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Pelago, ya do what ya have to do and sounds like you did it. I hope you are feeling better by now!
Originally Posted by TrainsRMe:
Pelago, ya do what ya have to do and sounds like you did it. I hope you are feeling better by now!
actually took a good two hour nap and woke up feeling better, was in the mood to start working on my sherman tank project, but pushed it back and went to bed slept more, would still be in bed were it not for Moxey and Murphy my two yellow labs they had things they needed to do in back yard
5.5" Thank you Mitch.
I think I might have one of those "square pop-in roller frames"
I liked my K-line semi-GG-1 so much, I sold the MPC single pulmors I had.
Prettier, smother, slower, and faster, tracked better, pulled more.
It about killed me to admit it was better than some PW GGs.
Oh but they screwed it all up by not putting a $75 horn in it....no horn! I should throw it away
...except my MPCs were "silent" too.
Talk it over with Norma Bates Kitteh, tell her I love mine.
I got out some Lionel pre-war steamers, a 258, 261 and a 262, and after cleaning an a light lube job, ran them on my layout. Very cool. The 262 runs the best so add two neat passenger cars and it will stay on the layout for awhile. Plan to pick up two repair jobs today-a standard gauge Ives and an O gauge Marx. Still have a big Lionel Standard gauge that needs major work.
Originally Posted by Adriatic:
5.5" Thank you Mitch.
I think I might have one of those "square pop-in roller frames"
I liked my K-line semi-GG-1 so much, I sold the MPC single pulmors I had.
Prettier, smother, slower, and faster, tracked better, pulled more.
It about killed me to admit it was better than some PW GGs. Oh but they screwed it all up by not putting a $75 horn in it....no horn! I should throw it away...except my MPCs were "silent" too.
Talk it over with Norma Bates Kitteh, tell her I love mine.
Horn/bell board: $35.
Speaker: $4.
Cheerfully noisy GG-1: Priceless. ;-)
EDIT: If you want to stay authentic and/or are on a budget, Lionel offers the 691HMDK075 (DIESEL HORN PCB/ K-LINE) for a mere 12 smackers.
Mitch
I'm working on my International Rescue launch car...the blast plate was cut from an old MPC tender. ;-)
Mitch
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And here's Thunderbirds 1 and 3 on a former 3650 searchlight car which had fallen on hard times before I rescued it:
Mitch
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Finally had a day to begin laying track. Got quite a bit of the outer mainline done, and actually got to test run a few trains today.
I got a new old marx 10005 this week. it had a clockwork engine. today i swapped with an electric engine i had, greased it all up and got it on the track. i now have 3 m10005's in all colors. took a video too!
Big day on the RR!! Brought home 4 engines/motors from the shop. A nice Marx motor, the motor from my 1935 Lionel Zephyr(runs like a top), an Ives standard gauge which also runs great, plus a 2055 shell in which I put my running chassis in it. Also a good runner. Decided to gt some clunkers working instead of additional engines. Still have a Lionel standard 380 in need of parts and a General plus several Pre-wars.
Well not what I would like to post but today I will be spending my time looking for a short that developed in two of my mainlines. So glad I have four mainlines or else I would not be able to run any trains at all till the short is found............Paul
Cleaned up train wreck when coupler in front of the B Unit in the A-B-A 2243 set disassembled and the ensuing derailment took out 3 buildings, a few vehicles and some pedestrians.
Took photos of a NP North Coast Limited coach I did years ago, and collected dimensional information of the lettering/herald using a digital caliper for the guy who's making decals for me to add 2 or 3 more cars to the consist; I used Champ decals but they are long gone, and Microscale is out of stock.
Disassembled the 1995 TCA convention car which is a 15" version of the Milwaukee Road's Hiawatha's skytop lounge observation car. I also selected the LIONEL 15" aluminum coach that I'll use to cut for a standard LIONEL dome. Both cars will present a very difficult, for me, painting challenge since both have numerous windows that must be masked. And cutting the roof of the coach to accept LIONEL's dome will be a first for me.
Also, dug out some track in anticipation of the arrival of the Crest rollers and fabbing a test track similar to JohnS' example. Thank you, JohnS.
My case of Gargraves showed up on Friday as planned, and Saturday morning I was back in business.
Track laying at Hiawatha is done!!! Now I just need to wire it.
I still have 9 ground throws to install.
But here's where the real sense of accomplishment comes in. The only track left to lay on the main level is from the green circle...
around the front of the helix...
to the small green circle. A total of about 20 feet.
I'd like to get the missing link in this month, but some backdrop needs to be installed first. After that, the only track left will be on the upper level, and there isn't much of that left either. The only question is, will I need even more track.
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Originally Posted by Diok S:
Cleaned up train wreck when coupler in front of the B Unit in the A-B-A 2243 set disassembled and the ensuing derailment took out 3 buildings, a few vehicles and some pedestrians.
Nothing like a prototypical train wreck I had a few myself this past week too.
Had the kids next door over to see the progress on the layout this past Friday evening.... and to run trains. They helped me temporarily install the lake ( Lake Christopher ) so I can get an idea of what the lake will look like when permanently installed. Lake Christopher actually is removable and when removed allows me access to the middle of the layout.
I went to MB Kliens ( model railroadstuff.com ) yesterday to purchase some N gauge roadbed so that I can upgrade the look of the ballast on the lower mainlines. The Mountain Division looks great with the Whitison Ballast I got from Harrison Trains and Scenes!
The march of progress continues!
Originally Posted by Bryan in Ohio:
Working on an under the city red light district. Found images online then using photo shop was able to design a city block. Put them onto cardstock and spray adhesive them to some wood. Made sidewalks for the front to the buildings.
I like it! Every city needs one of these districts. I have one on my layout ... on the other side of the tracks 
Originally Posted by paul 2:
A couple of pics of what I finished yesterday. I cut down the base of the Korber switch tower and it set in-between the track and hill to the grade up nicely. I guess today I'll start near the top of the grade and work my way down laying down ground foam and planting trees...........................Paul
Your track work looks fabulous!!!!
Originally Posted by Ericlinda:
Hi Diok S,
I have done this with my layout to create five electrical blocks, one of which is my mainline. This allows everything to be shut off for whatever reason.
My layout is an 027 conventional. I created three sidings and an inside loop. The loop being like your siding. I use SPDT switches- basically an off on switch. You will need a plastic pin in the centre rail of the track piece that joins the switch out to the siding from the mainline at both ends of the siding. You will also need the same arrangement for both ends of the mainline between the other arm of those switches. So basically what you are creating now are three electrical segments in your layout. The mainline which is on all of the time and two segments dependent on a switch being thrown to give them power. Then you run a power feed to each of the newly created segments with an off on switch inline of each feed. You may need one or more track power lines to the new siding depending on its length. I cross-connect all of my track-feeds, SPDT-switches, Transformer Power feed to one wiring panel where I easily cross-connect as necessary. I use my other sidings to create 1.a station siding which has a BUDD and Passenger express arrangement, 2. a third smaller D9 diesel with a hopper car. and still a third for future engine use. This arrangement allows me to have three engines on a conventional layout with one transformer. I have attached a couple of PICs to help you understand what I am talking about.
Hopefully this will help you at least get started. Please email me back if you have any questions.
Originally Posted by Diok S:
Tried to figure out how to wire a passing siding off the unused half of my MRC dual. Layout is 100% conventional. I want to be able to move one train onto it, park it, and run another train around it, and then be able to park the second train on the main line, and pull the other one out of the siding. I did this as a kid, 50+ years ago. Trying to remember how I did it. I used knife switches. I still have two of them.
Really great tunnel!!!! Are those real stones/rocks?
Did some more ballast work this weekend. The other project I am working on is a place for all my boxed rolling stock lol. Started making some shelves. I have the first ones up and have to put track on the other yet but looking really nice. I have a NS obsession if you can't tell (lots more in boxes yet lol). The NS coal porters need a bigger shelf. All 6 won't fit on one haha.
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Got a lot done tonight.
I yanked out the two busted turnouts after wrestling with the solder iron.
replaced the turnouts, instaled the final blue point and checked everything with sone freight cars. They seemed to like the turnouts.
going to test run a loco over them just to be sure before soldering the rails back together again.
once that's done, my layout will FINALLY be ready for operation.
I yanked out the two busted turnouts after wrestling with the solder iron.
replaced the turnouts, instaled the final blue point and checked everything with sone freight cars. They seemed to like the turnouts.
going to test run a loco over them just to be sure before soldering the rails back together again.
once that's done, my layout will FINALLY be ready for operation.
Yesterday, I completed my Ameritowne #442 Acme Machine building. Then, I began another Ameritowne kit-a #443 Homestead Furniture kit. Looking to have this kit completed by the end of the week.
I also converted a K-line by Lionel police station kit into an auto parts store.
No pictures to post yet, suffice it to say, "I've been working' on the railroad". Bob S.
Today I have to get to UPS to send off Matt's K-Line 21" C&NW passenger cars. Then start another panel on my bridge project so I can finish that soon. I also want to test fit my new buildings in my towns of Spencer and Ruthven.
Art
