Ricky looks like you are busy 
here's mine not as clustered but threw in layout picture also. I would say that it is qualifying as deadrail 
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Back in Dec I posted about a pw 682 shell I received w/several parts.
Yesterday I had enough parts and decided to correctly put it back together.
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Salvaged an ATX Power Supply from an old Computer Tower that the rest of it went to an town Electronics Recycling Event. In process of cutting and crimp solderless caps onto unneeded wiring. Plan to mount it under my layout and run wiring to separate terminal strips for 3.3, 5, and 12 Volt DC Power for LED lighting and accessories on my layout. Link below with instructions in case any of you are interested for doing this for your layout or workbench.
Did a little more detailing and lettering on my mow car. Might consider painting the window trim.
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@Trussman posted:Did a little more detailing and lettering on my mow car. Might consider painting the window trim.
Trussman, looking forward to the finished product. That is a very unique project which I’m sure many of us will attempt to replicate. However, you have set the bar rather high. Excellent job and thank you for sharing.
Jay
@Tranquil Hollow RR posted:Trussman, looking forward to the finished product. That is a very unique project which I’m sure many of us will attempt to replicate. However, you have set the bar rather high. Excellent job and thank you for sharing.
Jay
Thanks Tranquil Hollow RR,
I posted these pix how I did the kit bashing a while back.
Made a jig using styrofoam and straight pins to make the railing.
Where the bolts would be in the boards, I poked the boards with a small awl, which after stained w/dark walnut stain and wiped off, the stain will stay in the dimples areas to give the effect of bolts.
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Very nice work, Trussman! Great concept for a work car!
@Gary P posted:Salvaged an ATX Power Supply from an old Computer Tower that the rest of it went to an town Electronics Recycling Event. In process of cutting and crimp solderless caps onto unneeded wiring. Plan to mount it under my layout and run wiring to separate terminal strips for 3.3, 5, and 12 Volt DC Power for LED lighting and accessories on my layout. Link below with instructions in case any of you are interested for doing this for your layout or workbench.
An easier approach is to buy one of these things. They use the 22 or 24 pin connector on the power supply's wiring harness.
https://www.amazon.com/Benchto...dapter/dp/B07KNV2JTJ
There are lots of different versions for sale on Amazon, eBay, and other sites. I've used them and they are really easy-peasy.
Decided to beat my MTH 2500HP Transfer Engine into submission. Ever since I laid my track for the current layout, I haven't been able to run this engine. It ran fine on Fastrack, but no go on Gargraves/Ross track.
Turned out that the problem was somewhat obvious when I got to looking at it closely. The six wheel trucks only have four wheels powered, then there's a pair of "idler" wheels that ride in a slotted hole in the truck to allow vertical travel. However, in a break with the norm for this kind of design, they're flanged wheels, most of the time then this is done, they're blind flangeless wheels!
The problem arises when you go around any curve, the slot allows the wheels to ride up enough for them to hop outside the rail! With a flangeless wheel, this isn't a problem, when you straighten out, the wheel just moves back over the rail and is centered again. However, with a flange on the wheel, the wheel can't just slide back in, so it hangs out there and promptly derails the truck!
Since I have a number of Lionel diesels with six wheel trucks that have the same wheel spacing without this goofy floppy wheel design that run flawlessly, I can't imagine what MTH was trying to accomplish with this kludge.
Here you can see the travel, the flange is actually able to simply swivel out of the rail when it's at the top of it's travel with the remaining wheels in contact with the rail.
Turns out the fix was to pull a wheel and add a couple layers of brass tubing around the axle so that the wheels couldn't move as far upward. I actually used three pieces of brass tubing inside each other, that's what it took to get the spacing right. Now the locomotive cruises around the layout without any problems. I oiled things well to minimize the friction against the truck bottom, and the axle actually spins inside the brass tubing. I wish all fixes in life were this easy! 
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@gunrunnerjohn posted:Decided to beat my MTH 2500HP Transfer Engine into submission. Ever since I laid my track for the current layout, I haven't been able to run this engine. It ran fine on Fastrack, but no go on Gargraves/Ross track.
Nice work John. That's too nice an engine to be a shelf queen.
@RSJB18 posted:Nice work John. That's too nice an engine to be a shelf queen.
Yep, it's a cool and somewhat unique piece, that's why I wanted to get it back on the rails. 
@Bob posted:An easier approach is to buy one of these things. They use the 22 or 24 pin connector on the power supply's wiring harness.
https://www.amazon.com/Benchto...dapter/dp/B07KNV2JTJ
There are lots of different versions for sale on Amazon, eBay, and other sites. I've used them and they are really easy-peasy.
Yes it would be easier to just buy one but since the power supply was still good, and the rest of the dead computer was going to the free town electronics recycling event, I figured it would give me something different to try doing and see if I can make it work. I'm just waiting on the 10 Watt 10 ohm power resistor to be delivered, then I can test it out to see if it works and maybe learn something along the way about it.
@gunrunnerjohn posted:It ran fine on Fastrack, but no go on Gargraves/Ross track.
Nice save John. 
Why was the Cargraves / Ross track a problem when the Fastrack worked OK ?
@Dallas Joseph posted:Nice save John.
Why was the Cargraves / Ross track a problem when the Fastrack worked OK ?
I honestly can't say, but I'm guessing the round top of Fastrack, I don't what else it could be. I know it cruised around my Fastrack in the old house without a problem, and that was on carpet! When I put it on better track in a laser-leveled layout, it derailed on almost every curve! BTW, the curves are O72 and larger as well.
@gunrunnerjohn posted:I honestly can't say, but I'm guessing the round top of Fastrack, I don't what else it could be. I know it cruised around my Fastrack in the old house without a problem, and that was on carpet! When I put it on better track in a laser-leveled layout, it derailed on almost every curve! BTW, the curves are O72 and larger as well.
Seems like a lot of mysteries associated with this hobby John.
If the Cargraves /Ross tracks are flat maybe you are right . The Fastrack being round top might allow a little more tolerance in wheel movement from side to side and being round it could let the flanged wheels slip down inside the rail easier . 
Whatever the case , your solution for your new track was really pretty nice..........one of these days I'm going to have to get a small wheel puller.
Thanks for sharing.
@gunrunnerjohn posted:Decided to beat my MTH 2500HP Transfer Engine into submission. Ever since I laid my track for the current layout, I haven't been able to run this engine. It ran fine on Fastrack, but no go on Gargraves/Ross track.
Turned out that the problem was somewhat obvious when I got to looking at it closely. The six wheel trucks only have four wheels powered, then there's a pair of "idler" wheels that ride in a slotted hole in the truck to allow vertical travel. However, in a break with the norm for this kind of design, they're flanged wheels, most of the time then this is done, they're blind flangeless wheels!
John, Norm Charbonneau solved this same problem using a shim on the truck frame instead of building up the idler axel. His video is quite helpful:
@Dallas Joseph posted:Seems like a lot of mysteries associated with this hobby John.
If the Cargraves /Ross tracks are flat maybe you are right . The Fastrack being round top might allow a little more tolerance in wheel movement from side to side and being round it could let the flanged wheels slip down inside the rail easier .
Whatever the case , your solution for your new track was really pretty nice..........one of these days I'm going to have to get a small wheel puller.
Thanks for sharing.
You have to be careful pulling wheels. A small disaster happened pulling the wheel, I cracked one. I knew I had a bunch of scrap trucks with the same wheel, so it was only a minor issue. Someone had been there before me (this was a well used engine when I bought it). They had, for some unknown reason, hammered on the axle ends of the truck idler wheels, perhaps in an attempt to repair the very issue I was having. The result was they were peened over enough that it was impossible to remove the wheel, hence the broken flange. AAMOF, I never did get that wheel off the axle, but to avoid damaging the truck with more extreme measures, I just cut the axle in two and removed the whole affair. I then grabbed another wheelset that hadn't been mutilated and continued on.
Pat (Harmonyards) suggested some machining to put in a brass bearing, that would have been the Cadillac solution, but I was impatient and decided to try my fix.
@Rapid Transit Holmes posted:John, Norm Charbonneau solved this same problem using a shim on the truck frame instead of building up the idler axel. His video is quite helpful:
Same idea, it just seemed easier to me to slip a couple small pieces of brass tubing over the axle and be done with it. However, Norm's solution probably didn't need to remove the wheels, so that was a plus. The real reason was, I thought of the brass tubing first and it worked out. 
Very nice job Trussman. I've seen MOW cars like this before here on the Forum. I really like how you handled the bolts.
Where the bolts would be in the boards, I poked the boards with a small awl, which after stained w/dark walnut stain and wiped off, the stain will stay in the dimples areas to give the effect of bolts.
