@coach joe posted:Workbench updates. I showed this photo of a K-Line gondola with the accessory high ends and floor after I painted them and added them.
Well upon closer inspection with the floor installed the high ends rode a little higher than they should have.
The underside of the floor shows why. These little "feet" had to go.
A few quick strokes with a razor saw and we have a better fit.
The foam cradle had to be altered
Coach, ….I need that gondola in my life!……beautiful work coach!
Pat
@coach joe- nice work on both projects. I had thought of you the other day. I was digging through my tool chest and ran across an old paint marker. Glad it worked out. The stripes look good.
Not sure how to address the couplers except to put a small rubber band around them.
Bob
Making closed coupler door pilots for my Lionel E7s. 3rd Rail item used as a master.
Pete
Pat, thanks a lot. The gondola story goes like this, years ago I bought the K-Line accessory high ends and floor thinking it would have to fit one of the many gondolas from different manufacturers that I had. This past winter while trying to get organized enough that I could fit some sort of layout in the allotted spare bedroom I finally broke the pieces out of the blister pack and low and behold not a single gondola would fit. Into the for sale box the pieces went. Keeping an eye out for a correct K-Line gondola, with out load, coil covers, high sides wasn't very successful until finally I found this one on Trainz.com. I didn't really need another piece of rolling stock but the model was right, the road was right and ost importantly the price was right.
Bob I remember an old post that mentioned rubber bands to prevent uncoupling but I'm not sure how to install them.
Norton, looks like you're making dentures.
Not quite finished with trim on locomotive, but I couldn’t wait to see how she looks. Wabash GP9 custom painted to NATTY BOH
Nice job JIm.
@coach joe posted:Workbench updates. I showed this photo of a K-Line gondola with the accessory high ends and floor after I painted them and added them.
Good looking job on this car Joe 
.........and the color of the wood floor is perfect.
@Jim M Sr posted:Not quite finished with trim on locomotive, but I couldn’t wait to see how she looks. Wabash GP9 custom painted to NATTY BOH
Oh Yah Jim . This is one darn fine fantastic fun beer train sir. Nice finish. 
Please note that the above FW&D Silver heavyweight Diner is owned &!has been modified by @Rob Leese.
Rob has been doing many wonderful modifications of various passenger cars for his Texas Zephyr
CB&Q Bill
Just finished cleaning and rewiring yet another prewar 253 electric loco. While I was at it, I threw in a new set of motor brushes, and cleaned the commutator ring. Of the four 253s I own, this one was definitely in the best shape when it arrived - Body (including roof overhangs) and frame are both perfectly straight, couplers intact, paint on the frame is near perfect, and the only parts that were missing were the headlight housings. The paint was a bit dirty, and the brass tarnished, but both conditions were easily fixed. Only one of the disk wheel flanges is slightly damaged, but I'm going to replace all four with a spoked set (ordered from Hennings Trains). Some would be upset by that, but I just think they look better. All in all, I think she was well worth the $45 I paid for her on ebay! I had thought about doing a complete restoration, as I had on my other three, but I think I might leave her as is. All she needs is a couple light bulbs, and she's ready for service!
You guys posting pics of beer, all while I'm here in my office (working on a prewar 253 electric). As a QC inspector for a regional airline, no beer for me until tomorrow night, when I'm NOT at work! The FAA has a real bug up their butt about us drinking at work! LOL! Have a good weekend everybody!
@Norton what are you using for the mold and what material are you using for the part. I have thought about adding "doors" to mine. I am not a big fan of the coupler sticking out so far.
Seems like the prototypes used them on certain engines and then stopped. I was surprised to read the couplers could be rotated out of the way to close the doors. That sounds like an engineering and maintenance nightmare.
@ScoutingDad posted:@Norton what are you using for the mold and what material are you using for the part. I have thought about adding "doors" to mine. I am not a big fan of the coupler sticking out so far.
Seems like the prototypes used them on certain engines and then stopped. I was surprised to read the couplers could be rotated out of the way to close the doors. That sounds like an engineering and maintenance nightmare.
For the mold material I am using Smooth On Mold Star 15 Slow. It has a much better shelf life that the Ooo Moo 30 I started using. For the casting I an using Alumilite “Amazing Casting Resin” (Their name). Its a Urethane resin versus a epoxy resin. I have used Smooth On Smooth Cast 300 but that is starting to turn. Both would work here.
If you get into casting its best to have a number of projects lined up as most products have a shelf life and some less than a year.
Still working out the bugs. I am finding the Alumilight cures a bit too fast (10 minutes) and some of the air bubbles are getting trapped. Stay tuned.
I have tried adding doors to the existing pilots but the compound curve makes it difficult to machine. Also I have found E6 pilots with closed doors (Lionel) and E8 pilots (P&D) but E7s seem to have a different curve and the other two wouldn’t fit. Lucky 3Rd Rail included them with their E7s.
Pete
Maybe this has been posted or it should be in another thread, but I want to build or get a better workbench for my trains. Can some of you guys show pictures of what your bench looks like and what are some of the key items you have on your workbench?
Thanks in advance
@roll_the_dice posted:Maybe this has been posted or it should be in another thread, but I want to build or get a better workbench for my trains. Can some of you guys show pictures of what your bench looks like and what are some of the key items you have on your workbench?
Thanks in advance
No harm in asking.
Thanks Dallas, several different colors of acrylic and some planks were layered with more than one. The acrylic covered the plastic well without filling in the wood grain. I like the way it turned out.
I picked up a Premier Southern Pacific Alco PA with no electronics but with both motors intact. Cosmetically mint and just needs a PS3 kit. I wanted another powered A to go with my PS3 version for an ABBA set.
Oddly enough, even those 13 years separate them, the red and orange paint on the PS3 version (6006) and the PS2 version (6008) dead nuts match.
Hi Rob:
Sorry to learn that this car did not meet expectations.
Who was the original manufacturer ?
What specific alterations are beyond fixing ?
CB&Q Bill
Actually, these were on the workbench last week. I finally painted the truck side frames on the SD40-2s and U25Bs gray. Also did the U25B tanks.
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