WHAT’S ON THE WORKBENCH AT THE MOMENT

Continuing with some customization of my MTH 3R 19th century cars. Just adding some details to their standard boxcars, like tack boards, brake wheels and turnbuckles on the truss rods.

I also add some strip styrene to alter the look of the car slightly, to eliminate the cookie cutter appearance. A few grab irons and some poling pockets (brass and styrene) round out the enhancements.

The LS&MS car reflects some of the improvements in a finished state. This car is also riding on a pair of Wiseman archbar trucks assembled with MTH 3R wheel sets and Weaver couplers. I am still working on refining the coupler set up as the stock Weaver coupler shanks are just a bit too long.

Tom

@Krieglok posted:

Continuing with some customization of my MTH 3R 19th century cars...

DANG! those look great!

ALSO on the workbench - Pullmor motor tune-ups. I am in the midst of bringing dozens of postwar engines back to life. I wish I had taken some before pics of this one, but some of the armatures were in a really lousy way - filthy, rusty, dust/dry greasy resin/goo packed. I don't know how they operated all they did was grunt for me until I rebuilt them.

A little mineral spirit bath, some compressed air to blow out the gunky schmutz and expedite the evaporation of the mineral spirits, several seconds with a brass brush in the dremel tool and then polish the commutator plate with a fiberglass pencil has them looking like, well... not new, but pretty darn good. And with a fresh pair of brushes they purr as smooth as a pullmor can purr

Brass Wire Brush Wheel

Fiberglass Cleaning Brush Pencil

EDIT: also used the fiberglass pencil  on the e-units. MUCH easier than a e-unit rebuild (as long as the contact fingers are still good)

A few years ago I purchased a K-line caboose 611-1751 NYC with the intent of repainting for the home RR.  After the repaint, the caboose sat until actual trains could be run. This caboose is lighted with a single pickup roller and works as well as can be expected in regard to lighting and not derailing. However there was a annoying tendency for the pickup roller to short circuit when passing over the 3424 track clips for the automated brakeman car. The short was sufficient to halt the locomotives. The problem with the original caboose roller is that it's a very small diameter and just long enough to simultaneously contact the center rail and the track clip (which is grounded). Chamfering the roller was not an option since the roller support bracket ends would still contact the track clip.

I was able to remedy this situation by changing out the original roller for one with a larger diameter but chamfered ends. That way the ends of the roller and the support bracket ends avoid contact with the track clip and no short circuits occur.  The original roller pin was reinstalled. 

@Victor Bertolina posted:

The K-Line MP-15 really runs fast and a slower speed would seem better however this one did not have the "serial/parallel switch....

I have a K-Line MP-15 with the series/parallel switch, and in parallel it still wont run as slow as my postwar F-3 or 2065 loco. I wish there was a way to slow it down a little more. It pulls almost as much as the magnetraction F-3, it just wants to race

I became the proud owner of a dead mouse last week.

New flatcar load. Needs tie-downs.

Should I paint and weather?

D500, Yes I think you need tie downs.  I would leave it the color it is as if it just came from the factory.  😆

@Victor Bertolina posted:

A few years ago I purchased a K-line caboose 611-1751 NYC with the intent of repainting for the home RR.  After the repaint, the caboose sat until actual trains could be run. This caboose is lighted with a single pickup roller and works as well as can be expected in regard to lighting and not derailing. However there was a annoying tendency for the pickup roller to short circuit when passing over the 3424 track clips for the automated brakeman car. The short was sufficient to halt the locomotives. The problem with the original caboose roller is that it's a very small diameter and just long enough to simultaneously contact the center rail and the track clip (which is grounded). Chamfering the roller was not an option since the roller support bracket ends would still contact the track clip.

I was able to remedy this situation by changing out the original roller for one with a larger diameter but chamfered ends. That way the ends of the roller and the support bracket ends avoid contact with the track clip and no short circuits occur.  The original roller pin was reinstalled. 

@Victor Bertolina.....

Really nice job . Did you have the replacement roller on hand or did you purchase it from some where?

Hi https://ogrforum.com/member/junior

I had the roller. I had purchased a box of trucks and parts on ebay. The pickup roller was on a part in the box. It looked like the correct size and turned out to work well.

@woodsyT posted:

I have a K-Line MP-15 with the series/parallel switch, and in parallel it still wont run as slow as my postwar F-3 or 2065 loco. I wish there was a way to slow it down a little more. It pulls almost as much as the magnetraction F-3, it just wants to race

It will run slower in series. Parallel sends full voltage to both motors. Series sends it through one motor and then the second.

All of my K-lines are series wired and they are more manageable. Certainly not Legacy worthy.....

Bob

I have a bunch of old Chooch decals that I bought as a lot several years ago. I found a small set of B&O letters that fit the doors of my '48 Ford.

It's ready for the layout now!

Had this Ives 1125 for a decade. Ordered a repro pilot years ago and immediately lost it. Found it today looking for  something else. Time to get it done.

@Steve "Papa" Eastman posted:

Had this Ives 1125 for a decade. Ordered a repro pilot years ago and immediately lost it. Found it today looking for  something else. Time to get it done.

But did you find what you were originally looking for?

@Steve "Papa" Eastman posted:

Had this Ives 1125 for a decade. Ordered a repro pilot years ago and immediately lost it. Found it today looking for  something else. Time to get it done.

Steve,

I'll bet that you found it in the last place that you looked.

@Victor Bertolina posted:

Hi https://ogrforum.com/member/junior

I had the roller. I had purchased a box of trucks and parts on ebay. The pickup roller was on a part in the box. It looked like the correct size and turned out to work well.

Just proves the old adage...."One man's trash is another man's treasure"!

@Lionelski posted:

Steve,

I'll bet that you found it in the last place that you looked.

Isn't that where we find everything!?

@RSJB18 posted:

But did you find what you were originally looking for?

Yes

Lionchief Hudson smoke unit sounds like a meat grinder and is not producing smoke. Going to do the ol' smoke unit replacement job once the part comes in. Just bought a Hakko so I'm not mad I get to test it out

@D500 posted:

I became the proud owner of a dead mouse last week.

New flatcar load. Needs tie-downs.

Should I paint and weather?

Maybe a couple bullet hole decals wouldbe good.

@RSJB18 posted:

It will run slower in series. ...

Yes, yes. 👍 I meant to say series, it's worse in parallel. 

I shouldn't post when I'm 🥱sleepy 😉

@woodsyT posted:

Yes, yes. 👍 I meant to say series, it's worse in parallel.

I shouldn't post when I'm 🥱sleepy 😉

Lol.🤣🤣