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I tested my new to me Premier J 611.  MTH says it will run on O54. I can't get mine to.  The front drivers ride up the rail as soon as it goes into the turn, then it pulls the pilot wheels off the track.. I then tried to get it to sit on the rails of the O54, but could not get the front and rear drivers to settle down where they belong.  I then put a curve of Ross O64 on the floor and it was much happier.  I will have to increase the minimum curve on the tracks I plan to run it on when planning my new layout.  In an 11 x 11 room, it is doable but will be interesting.

After months of little or no activity, I actually made it into the layout room for a few minutes nearly every day this week. Today I took 90 minutes and finally brought my Sunoco refinery online. I used a battery-powered soldering iron from Hakko to make quick work of the wiring - those things work surprisingly well.

My refinery / well site consists of several modern Lionel pieces and one MTH piece that I have slowly collected over the last several years. I have a set of 3 Sunoco cars from MTH's recent Railking release that should arrive next week and will take up their position on a siding that serves the refinery. Now if I can just sell enough refined product to my neighborhood to help offset the capital outlay to build my little refinery...  

SunocoEvening

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  • SunocoEvening

Mark, bigger curves are nicer and takes the problems out of derailments.  You stated MTH said it should run on 0-54. I know there have been discussions on radiuses before. So what is the manufacturer of the track you are using. Maybe it runs on MTH track. Larger curves use real state. Were you able to try running it on someone else's layout with 0-54 curves. Also are both lead and trailing trucks unrestricted with no binding on the curves......Paul 

I thin he runs FT.

You might want to look to see if it's wheels are over gauge Mark.

That and and guide slots needing some filing has helped me cheat the limits on a few items.

I sanded wheels till shiny and added a few more ounces of fishing lead to my Marx E7. The tarnish Marx wheels seem to develope so quickly has very poor traction. This engine varies from six cars no issues, to slipping with only 3 in about a month. I'm thinking about carving a slot for a traction tires now, as the motors strength doesn't seem to be any concern at all.

 

 

John Rowlen posted:

I finished detailing two more Lionel Chesapeake and Ohio 21" passenger cars with Preiser Figures. I am working to finish my passenger cars so I can use the Acrylic paints while they are still good.   I am going to have to find another hobby shop for paints. My west side Cleveland shop just announced they are going out of business.  Finding supplies to finish my layout is getting more difficult.

Nicely done on the interior. Are you talking about Parma Hobby that's closing or is closed?

jim pastorius posted:

Mark-I would seriously consider 072 for your engine. I put it on my 11x11 layout OK.

paul 2 posted:

Mark, bigger curves are nicer and takes the problems out of derailments.  You stated MTH said it should run on 0-54. I know there have been discussions on radiuses before. So what is the manufacturer of the track you are using. Maybe it runs on MTH track. Larger curves use real state. Were you able to try running it on someone else's layout with 0-54 curves. Also are both lead and trailing trucks unrestricted with no binding on the curves......Paul 

Adriatic posted:

I thin he runs FT.

You might want to look to see if it's wheels are over gauge Mark.

That and and guide slots needing some filing has helped me cheat the limits on a few items.

I sanded wheels till shiny and added a few more ounces of fishing lead to my Marx E7. The tarnish Marx wheels seem to develope so quickly has very poor traction. This engine varies from six cars no issues, to slipping with only 3 in about a month. I'm thinking about carving a slot for a traction tires now, as the motors strength doesn't seem to be any concern at all.

 

 

Gentlemen,

Thank you very much for your valued replies!

Jim, Yes I have seen before folks advising to use 072 on a layout if you can fit it in your space, and it will fit in 11 x 11.  In fact after I had commented on another topic I would be planning a layout with at least one loop wide enough for this locomotive in May, Matt Jackson (AGHRMatt) emailed me a couple quick and dirty twice around plans in that space at 088 and 096.  Thank you for the offer on trying it on yours.  I'll let you know,

Paul, Now that I think of it, MTH cites 052 for minimum curve not 054.  Yes, you are right that they can say that about their track system, but that doesn't necessarily mean it will work out on another manufacturer's track.  Now that you mention it, I do recall seeing folks comment about that before.  Why don't I remember things??  Thanks for the comment on the leading and trailing trucks.  Yes, I did look them over, and they don't seem to be binding.  I can slide them back and forth.  That is a very good point to look at closer.

Adriatic, Yes I have FastTrack on the temporary 4 x 8 table top.  I have an 048 loop and an 036 loop there.  I realized I wouldn't be able to run the J 611 on that layout, I only set it on the straight away, powered it up, and ran it back and forth on the straight to see that things were working as soon as I received it.  I don't do so well on the floor anymore.  My bad knee pops and my bad ankle gives me grief on the Carpet Central, so I only put the trains there as a last resort. 

I used Ross 054 and 064 for my tests yesterday.  I have one loop of GarGraves and one loop of tubular on the Ceiling Central RR.  I plan on using GarGraves and Ross on the permanent 11 x 11 layout, with some tubular in a switching yard with operating accessories.  Of course I would be running the J in that area, so I can use any old tubular I have in my track box.  You do have a good point that it is possible the wheels could be out of gauge.  I bought this locomotive from a young fellow I know on a FaceBook group, who put it up for sale after realizing this was more engine than he had room to run.  It doesn't have much time on it, so it could be out of gauge.  I will check into that. 

Thank you again for all the responses.  I don't know when I will bet back to this.  Yesterday was rainy I took advantage to do these tests.  Besides outdoor work, be have a wedding coming up soon.  I will keep you posted when I do get back to it.

  I opened  my screaming yellow baby Madison's for some bulb changes and hot glued the roof cardboard light blocking inserts up so it doesn't look like every car has its shades drawn. Then I pulled them behind the tmcc Kanawha jr till things started smoking in a bad place; That's odd, I havent got steam chest smoke. The motor stalled but it didn't stop trying! Headlight dim.  ????

  I flipped the smoke switch to off and it worked again. I repeated it a few times in disgust and reached for a rag and a screwdriver. Uncapping the innards I found the cloth wire insulation push out of the hole in the smoke chamber's top and the wire was shorted. I simply worked it back in place, spun the 3 body screws, gave it power and chuffed off.

   The excess smoke was from the smoke fluid wicking into the cloth insulation of the postwar element I gave it when the resistor burned out. When the heat of the shorted wire inside it hit the fluid in the insulation,, it smoked like mad. Nothing was close  to crispy and now the heat is in the pot again. I think the saturation helped it get blown out of the hole over time. I'll have to run it dry (OK on post war tablet type) , clean it and try a dot of super glue.

Last edited by Adriatic

I've been going over my layout, at the spots where the ballast has exposed the cork roadbed underneath. Those spots are getting one of the following:

  • More ballast
  • Grass/weeds
  • Cinders

I never ballasted the areas around the turnout points, so they do look a little odd as I haven't found a way to get ballast in there without gumming up the overly-fragile Micro Engineering turnouts I have. I do badly wish, looking backing, that I'd painted all that cork a grey color before laying track...

I'm also now making some bushes for various places. Static grass is coming soon, then trees.

Last edited by p51

I just realized that 2 years ago today, this was the scene on my back deck, where I set up my bench work so I could be sure I could walk around inside it before I installed it into the room a weekend later...

Don't worry, there won't be too many more of these "two years ago today" posts...

water tower on photobucket *browse it in reverse last photo is the link.

I finished a tower for the fudgcicle stick and icing cup water tank. Im not sure if I can, or how to, attach anything from an Android so I linked to the fist of about 6 photos of it on my mini Christmas layout. Hopefully you can browse.

I found a fat square dowel and ripped the length with a hack saw. When I glued it, I tried to leave the rough cut from the hacksaw, exposed to view. The pipe is a dowel painted gold/brass, and the pump box is an old crate built from scratch before I was born. Those two pieces aren't glued yet and are crooked in the photos. I might go to a smaller pipe too. The tank is offset to allow for a catwalk along one side. The spout frame and a ladder are next.

Last edited by Adriatic

One of the few things Bachmann did on my ten-wheelers I didn't like is the crummy builder's plates. They made them opposite, with the background in bronze and the letters in black.

So, I printed several sets of these onto white decal paper, along with scale photos of the actual front number plates, though when they print out they're not as clear as they appear below. But still, they're much better than the ones that came with them. The numbers below them are for what road # they go with on my modeled ET&WNC. Yes, they're the correct serial numbers and dates for those specific locomotives.

I intend on adding them to my ten-wheelers this weekend:

I put these two figures on the layout last night. The guy with the shovel is sort of in a moving pose, but he could be resting on that shovel, so it's good enough for a static pose for me. The female standing next to the door, I found at a comic book store under gaming supplies. She's actually too small for O scale, but can easily pass for a teenager or an older kid, who you would easily find working in East Tennessee during the war, at least I see it that way.

Last edited by p51

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