A bit of a rainy 4th yesterday in the northeast. I was able to grab some time at the workbench in the afternoon. I got the stacker board installed and started sorting out the wiring. I need to extend some of the wires but everything went in OK.
Bob
Looks like you are moving right along, Bob!
@Mark Boyce posted:Looks like you are moving right along, Bob!
Thanks Mark. I received my last parts order from MTH today so nothing but making the time to stop me now.
Bob
@RSJB18 posted:Thanks Mark. I received my last parts order from MTH today so nothing but making the time to stop me now.
Bob
What else could be more important, Bob?? 🤔🫡🤷♂️
@RSJB18 posted:A bit of a rainy 4th yesterday in the northeast. I was able to grab some time at the workbench in the afternoon. I got the stacker board installed and started sorting out the wiring. I need to extend some of the wires but everything went in OK.
Bob
That looks very daunting Bob. I would be putting it back in the box and setting it aside.
Jay
@Tranquil Hollow RR posted:That looks very daunting Bob. I would be putting it back in the box and setting it aside.
Jay
I might still.....🤣🤣
Hopefully all goes well and the thing lights up and moves when I apply power....🤪🤪🤪
@Mark Boyce posted:What else could be more important, Bob?? 🤔🫡🤷♂️
I don't know Mark....want to ask my wife????
🤯🤯🤯🤯
On the bench is the start of a Sawdust burner for my Lionel 464 Sawmill. Sawmills in the 30s and 40s burned the waste sawdust and lumber in cone shaped burners.
Charlie
@Choo Choo Charlie posted:On the bench is the start of a Sawdust burner for my Lionel 464 Sawmill. Sawmills in the 30s and 40s burned the waste sawdust and lumber in cone shaped burners.
Charlie
More on this, please Sir!
John
It has been about a two week project so far and more work to do. I will post a few more updates as progress is made. It is a no money cost project and all materials are some where around the shop and garage. The time put in is another matter, some just looking for stuff.
Charlie
On the Workbench went to Off the Workbench for the Sawdust Burner that receives sawdust from a Lionel 464 Saw Mill. "Off the Bench" is the name of a local ESPN radio station sports show staring Hester and TeeBob, ex LSU football stars.
Complete details on how the Sawdust Burner was made are below
https://ogrforum.com/...2#176694689110970672
Charlie
The rebuild of an MTH UP #80 Coal Turbine. It was sold as having a PS/3 upgrade, but what it had was a nightmare tangle of wire, electrical tape, and hacked off wiring with no insulation! In addition, the two smoke units were totally missing, apparently the person converting it didn't think smoke was part of the conversion! 
Basically, the conversion consisted of sound and motor drive. The only light was the headlight, missing are the MARS light, the number boards, the markers, and the cab light! Also, the couplers didn't work.
I've replaced the smoke units, fabricated a smoke funnel for the missing one in the lead unit, and gotten the second unit all running. The second unit ran backwards, the coupler and backup light to the tender didn't work, and of course that missing smoke unit. It also had all the bare wires just hacked off the PS/3 connector, a generous supply of electrical tape, and a few bare wires as well. I was actually able to rescue the existing wire harness by removing all the clipped wires and adding a bunch of missing ones and cleaning up all the electrical tape. Notable feature is that the middle unit has no lighting.
There was no rescuing the wiring harness of the lead unit, so I took the lead unit and striped every wire, mounted the smoke unit, and started on the wiring again. I'm using the wiring from the F3 unit I converted to Legacy as a base, it's got most of the wires I need, I'll add the missing ones.
That's some project John! Right up your alley. I'm sure we'll be seeing a video of it running laps around your layout before long.
@coach joe posted:That's some project John! Right up your alley. I'm sure we'll be seeing a video of it running laps around your layout before long.
Well, I'm sorting out the new wiring harness now, I'll add the wires for the missing functions, then I can stick it in and see if it all works. 
John, I agree with Joe, that will be a nice engine when done. I have plenty of confidence in you to get everything working well!
Well, it's a wrap! Here's the coal turbine in full flight! BOY, is it a noisy set, and it's only at half-volume! That has to be one of the ugliest upgrade jobs I've tripped over, but that's all behind me now.
@gunrunnerjohn posted:Well, it's a wrap! Here's the coal turbine in full flight! BOY, is it a noisy set, and it's only at half-volume! That has to be one of the ugliest upgrade jobs I've tripped over, but that's all behind me now.
WOW!
Somehow the train gods knew to send this one to you! 
Nice work John.
Bob
@RSJB18 posted:A bit of a rainy 4th yesterday in the northeast. I was able to grab some time at the workbench in the afternoon. I got the stacker board installed and started sorting out the wiring. I need to extend some of the wires but everything went in OK.
Bob
I picked up an assortment of 22 ga wire yesterday. Hopefully I can get this engine running soon.
Bob
@RSJB18 posted:WOW!
Somehow the train gods knew to send this one to you!
Nice work John.
Bob
Well, given the price that I got it at, I guess I can't complain. After all, the PS/3 boards were there and all functional, so that's $300+ that I didn't have to spend. I was going to buy the PS/1 model and upgrade it anyway, and the PS/1 models were going for what I paid or hundreds more! I also wouldn't have gotten the two PS/3 boards, so all in all, it was still a good deal. Obviously, it would have been an even better deal if the PS/3 upgrade was done properly and they didn't take the smoke unit parts out! I have a drawer full of smoke units, so I just popped those suckers right back in!
The good side was the set was perfect cosmetically, which is really the key element for me, I can fix the insides. 
It runs great, John!!
@Mark Boyce posted:It runs great, John!!
I think with both units having audio, it's the loudest engine I have, the turbine sounds are insane! I turned it way down so I could hear myself think!
Access to this requires an OGR Forum Supporting Membership
