WHAT’S ON THE WORKBENCH AT THE MOMENT

@pault posted:

Just picked up this 1952 Lionel 2032 Erie set with custom painted 2400 passenger cars. They have not been ran in years so I have to replace the battery, clean, lube and see if she goes around the track.

Always been a fan of the Erie (2032) paint scheme, and the fantasy pass cars are just awesome looking!   Or did Erie actually have those cars?

George

@GeoPeg posted:

Always been a fan of the Erie (2032) paint scheme, and the fantasy pass cars are just awesome looking!   Or did Erie actually have those cars?

George

To be honest I don't know. I cannot find them anywhere if Lionel made them. I also cannot find them as named cars even with a different line or color scheme. I got them from a friend of a family whose husband was a huge train collector and recently passed and I now have them to remind me of him and my own father was born in 1952 (same year the Erie engines were made) and also a collector still so it wraps both "train" men in my life together on my layout.

I loved the color scheme too which is the other reason I selected the set. It'll look really sharp next to my other sets like my blue comet, southern crescent, and Texas special.

Took the D battery compartment panel off this morning on the engine and there was no battery inside so thankfully no corrosion. Huge win.

What's off the workbench......

Been fiddling with a PS2 (5V) RS3 that stopped running. Bought the engine used from Trainz and it must have an address programmed in, and since I only have a RC (no TIU), I can't reset it so I only run it conventional. For some strange reason, it decided to stop moving and wouldn't stay awake when power was cycled. I checked the BCR, etc to no avail. So I decided to reassemble it and put it on the shelf to be dealt with another day. But before it earned the title of "Hershelfish Queenus", I gave it one more try on the layout. When I powered it up, bupkas....then I noticed that my RC was on so obviously the watchdog did what it's supposed to do. Tried again with the RC off, and low and behold, she's not quite ready for the shelf! Don't ask me to eshplain Lucy.....cause I don't know. (and adult beverages were consumed to celebrate the momentous occasion.....)

For medicinal purposes only of course......

Bob

Happy to know that you are taking your medication. Good boy, now go play with your trains.

@Tranquil Hollow RR posted:

Happy to know that you are taking your medication. Good boy, now go play with your trains.

Yes sir! Right away sir! Thank you sir! 🤣🤣

Or was it that adult beverages caused the supposed issues in the first place?  🤷‍♂️ 🙄

Im glad it is running, Bob!  👍🏻🚂

I've been dicking around with this CPR dome car. I lengthened it and fashioned the 'proper' looking truck frames to replace the Lionel issue generic ones. I was able to make the visible bearings rotate.

@Mark Boyce posted:

Or was it that adult beverages caused the supposed issues in the first place?  🤷‍♂️ 🙄

Im glad it is running, Bob!  👍🏻🚂

Can't say for sure Mark......I will deny any relation between the two.......

@midnightwrecking posted:

I've been dicking around with this CPR dome car. I lengthened it and fashioned the 'proper' looking truck frames to replace the Lionel issue generic ones. I was able to make the visible bearings rotate.

Nice work. I like the open journals!

Bob

Thanks Bob.

@pault posted:

To be honest I don't know. I cannot find them anywhere if Lionel made them. I also cannot find them as named cars even with a different line or color scheme. I got them from a friend of a family whose husband was a huge train collector and recently passed and I now have them to remind me of him and my own father was born in 1952 (same year the Erie engines were made) and also a collector still so it wraps both "train" men in my life together on my layout.

I loved the color scheme too which is the other reason I selected the set. It'll look really sharp next to my other sets like my blue comet, southern crescent, and Texas special.

Took the D battery compartment panel off this morning on the engine and there was no battery inside so thankfully no corrosion. Huge win.

Does OFF the bench count here too?

This beautiful set is up and running and she's purring like a 71 year old cougar poolside.

Got this Williams Hudson 5205 brand new still sealed from Trainz. A bit of a challenge this ones been. 😂.

Took the loco all apart and red n tacky all the dried factory gearing.

Added 6amp {8} diodes to tame the race horse speeds.

Added an MTH ps1 smoke unit as the suethe was a joke.

Changed the screw on the front truck of the tender to keep it from wibble wobbling.

Now awaiting Evans design leds for the passenger cars!

Assembled the MTH S2 that I've been working on and gave it a test run. Overall all went well, trying to stuff 10 pounds of bologna under a 5 pound shell was a challenge, and I didn't even put a smoke unit in it.
As a refresher.... this engine was purchased from a MTH/ Cabin Fever auction, that started life as a SOO. I bought the L&NE shell since the red dot in the logo worked with the red deck. I used a PS-3/2 stacker board.

I have to open it up again to replace the electro- couplers, not sure why they aren't working.......but the rear has a short and the front doesn't work, the board fires them and the sounds play.

Also have a broken handrail on the other side to deal with.

Bob

Cool project Bob. Hope you get the coupler issue sorted.

Bob, it runs great!!  Are you sure you really want to open it up again?  The 20 pounds of bologna may pop out and you can’t get it back in!  😮 😄  Oh it’s a switcher.  I guess you do want operating couplers!  

Thats what started to happen when I opened the Bl2 to try to compare what I did then to the F3 last week.  I quickly pushed some bologna back in and tightened it down!  😆

@Mark Boyce posted:

Bob, it runs great!!  Are you sure you really want to open it up again?  The 20 pounds of bologna may pop out and you can’t get it back in!  😮 😄  Oh it’s a switcher.  I guess you do want operating couplers!  

Thats what started to happen when I opened the Bl2 to try to compare what I did then to the F3 last week.  I quickly pushed some bologna back in and tightened it down!  😆

Mark- I'm going to have no choice to get the couplers working. Maybe I'll be able to clean up the wiring a little better too.

@Tuscan Jim- Thanks. Been a long time in the works. Nice to see it finally together.

Bob

@RSJB18 posted:

Mark- I'm going to have no choice to get the couplers working. Maybe I'll be able to clean up the wiring a little better too.

@Tuscan Jim- Thanks. Been a long time in the works. Nice to see it finally together.

Bob

Bob, I know what you mean needing the couplers.  👍🏻  I was just going to look at how I did the BL2, but it has the same problem as the F3, so why bother. 😄

I am just finishing the conversation of a William scale PC GG-1, this one is near to my heart as I ran the bigger version.

@ThatGuy posted:

I am just finishing the conversation of a William scale PC GG-1, this one is near to my heart as I ran the bigger version.

Awesome! What did you add to it?

@pault posted:

Awesome! What did you add to it?

Full command/sound/led head lights and marker lights that reverse with train direction.

Bob she runs and sounds great.  I'm sure you'll get the couplers figured out.

@coach joe posted:

Bob she runs and sounds great.  I'm sure you'll get the couplers figured out.

I sure hope so Joe.

Thanks

@ThatGuy posted:

I am just finishing the conversation of a William scale PC GG-1, this one is near to my heart as I ran the bigger version.

Wow, I used to see those black PC GG1s at 30th St., Zoo, and even hauling freight on the Trenton Cutoff when I was a kid.  I would love to hear some stories, but those belong in the Real Trains forum and not on the Workbench thread.  Great job on the upgrade!!

@Ted S posted:

Wow, I used to see those black PC GG1s at 30th St., Zoo, and even hauling freight on the Trenton Cutoff when I was a kid.  I would love to hear some stories, but those belong in the Real Trains forum and not on the Workbench thread.  Great job on the upgrade!!

Thank you and I will post a few stories with pictures.

OGTrains at it again! This time converting a RMT Bang S4 switcher into a Whitcomb 65 ton road switcher.

Stripped the bang down to bare frame and repainted:

Next painted the shell I got from @Trainguy Ken, after my last Whitcomb build Ken let me check out the prototype for the new production model using his new resin printer and I gave him some feedback, so now this production shell is a total winner!

Re-installed the trucks and weight, drilled new mounting holes for the crew:

Made some handrails for the sides and painted them all black:

Added a bell:

Still to do: install LED lighting and the Blunami 4408, this one I think is turning out better. The new production shell is very smooth and fits great, and the fact that the bang has to me very acceptable fixed pilots makes one good looking loco!

Here is my attempt to convert an MTH undercoated "production sample" diesel loco I recently won in a Cabin Fever Auction.

It had geared drive trucks, with the pick-up rollers, protocouplers at each end, the engineer figure, all of the cabin glass, and the horn (all in a little plastic bag ready for assembling), but no motors or circuit boards.

From the many MTH RailKing spare parts I have amassed since the closure of MTH, through the Cabin Fever clearance auctions, I installed two motors, a PS1 circuit board, and a new speaker. I didn't add lights at this stage as I am still trying to figure out where you take the lighting power from on the PS1 board, that will allow the headlights to be directional.

I got it up and running with all sounds and functions (except for the headlights), and then went about painting the shell in Norfolk Southern black. I found the loco was infact an ALCO C628, and was released as a "dummy" in the Delaware Hudson livery. Oh well....I already had the Norfolk Southern decals, and I do like that railroad!!!

I think it come up pretty good, and from a "boy from the bush" down-under in Australia. In my search for something not remotely associated with this loco, I found an original RailKing box and styrene clam-shell for this exact model. I think I got it in an earlier Cabin Fever Auction with something completely different in it.

I added notes to remind me to use the Z1000 controller and not my Z4000 (don't ask me why the Z4000 won't run it.....it's one of the mysteries of life!!!) and that I have replaced the battery with a BCR. I even got clever and printed out a new label for the end of the carton, stating it is a "Norfolk Southern", and was no longer a NON- POWERED unit.

Things are great in the "Sunshine State"- Queensland, Australia.

Peter.....Buco Australia

Darrell, the Whitcom looks great!!

Buco, The C628 looks great!

Thanks Mark.....that means a lot to me.

Peter.....Buco Australia

@Buco posted:

Here is my attempt to convert an MTH undercoated "production sample" diesel loco I recently won in a Cabin Fever Auction.

I added notes to remind me to use the Z1000 controller and not my Z4000 (don't ask me why the Z4000 won't run it.....it's one of the mysteries of life!!!) and that I have replaced the battery with a BCR. I even got clever and printed out a new label for the end of the carton, stating it is a "Norfolk Southern", and was no longer a NON- POWERED unit.

Things are great in the "Sunshine State"- Queensland, Australia.

Peter.....Buco Australia

Quite a remarkable transition from the production sample ,  Buco.   Nice.

Not sure about the Z4000 not being able to run the C628.       Maybe getting in touch with Gunrunner John might help solve that issue.     

I don't have a Z4000 but I thought it would not be a problem if one of the other Z transformers (  Z500 , Z750 or Z1000  )  did work.

Good idea using a BCR.    I've used them a long time with excellent results.

@Buco posted:

From the many MTH RailKing spare parts I have amassed since the closure of MTH, through the Cabin Fever clearance auctions, I installed two motors, a PS1 circuit board, and a new speaker. I didn't add lights at this stage as I am still trying to figure out where you take the lighting power from on the PS1 board, that will allow the headlights to be directional.

Peter, the directional lighting from the PS/1 board comes from the blue (front) and green (rear) molex connectors on the DCRU board near the relays and large diodes.  They're only 1.5V as they just stick a couple of diodes in to generate the voltage for small grain of wheat 1.5V bulbs.

Many of the diesels had a lighting control board that took the 1.5V output from the DCRU and switched a 6VDC output for better lighting.

It's possible to use these outputs for higher voltages, but it involves using an opto-coupler and a power source.  I did a little kludge board to be able to generate a MARS light from the LED outputs from a Legacy board using opto-couplers and buffers for sufficient output power.

<--- click on graphic to expand --->

About two weeks ago I finished the Pizzaland kit from Blair Line LLC.  It was my first craftsman kit, so I took my time with preparing the pieces, painting them, assembling and so forth.  (The kit was also a Christmas gift from my wife, so you know I couldn't screw it up, no matter what!)  Dale Rush, the owner of Blair Line, provided me some great advice by email beyond the great kit instructions and the helpful hints paper on his website.

I detailed the back room by adding a close-to-a-pizza oven from Etsy's Shop Mini Decor and More shop.  Some plain old "rattle can" Rustoleum flat silver and black spray paint worked great to create that "well used" pizza oven look.  The "chef" is the "soda jerk" figure sold by Model Tech Studios.  If you look in the front door or window at just the right angle, you can see the chef and pizza oven through the open doorway to the back room.

In the front room, I improvised a bar and three stools from the same Etsy vendor to create a counter with a stool and two stools in the front window.  The counterman is a "Wally figure" from one of the RMT train cars I purchased years ago.  The two young girls on the window stools and the woman standing at the counter are Woodland Scenics products I purchased from Pat's Trains in Wheeling WV.  The gooseneck lamps in both the front and back rooms were purchased from Model Tech Studios.  I positioned the counterman so when you look through the front door he blocks almost all of the wiring running down the wall from view.  The pizza and sandwich printouts along were the chef holding the pizza were some things I found in my miscellaneous scenery supplies; I have no idea who made them.

The finished building has that "noo-jurzee-gritty" look of many small pizza parlors I was in during my New Jersey childhood.  The two girls with their cell phones in the front window have an uncanny resemblance to two of my grand-nieces or two of my granddaughters--take your pick!

I think the model came out well.

Lesson Learned:  If someone builds a Pizzaland of their own, I'd suggest they add a second interior lamp to the front section to light it up a bit more.

Thanks Mark,  spent 3 days on that one!

Great job Buco!

Here's the completion of the Whitcomb build.

Blunami 4408 installed:

Making and installing the lighting wiring:

Hooking it all up:

Lettered, setup, and testing:

Using the new style shell and the RMT frame over the K Line S2 frame I think makes for a better looking model of this locomotive that has never been done before in O gauge. If you are looking for something different, I highly recommend this kit.

Looks great Darrell!  Are you able to take a video of it running.

Put together the Premier Southern Pacific Alco PA I've had for a bit. It's a PS1 chassis, PS2 shell, and a PS3 diesel kit. Made a custom sound file to announce The City of San Francisco as well.

Darrell, I'm not familiar with Blunami at all and I don't recognize a motor in your pictures.  What drives the Whitcomb?

@Mark Boyce posted:

Looks great Darrell!  Are you able to take a video of it running.

Will work on it,  just started my 8 day hitch of 12 hour shifts. Might take me a few days to find the time.

@coach joe posted:

Darrell, I'm not familiar with Blunami at all and I don't recognize a motor in your pictures.  What drives the Whitcomb?

Blunami is a new Bluetooth DCC decoders from soundtraxx,  no DCC system needed,  just a cell phone.

The motors are in the trucks,  just like a k line s2 or mp 15.

@Lou1985 posted:

Put together the Premier Southern Pacific Alco PA I've had for a bit. It's a PS1 chassis, PS2 shell, and a PS3 diesel kit. Made a custom sound file to announce The City of San Francisco as well.

Looks great Lou. Question- I noticed the lights flash when you powered up the engine. I'm wrapping up a PS3/2 stacker install on a Alco S2 and have seen the same condition with the lighting. Any idea why they do this?
The electrician in me has my OCD meter pinned......

Bob

Thanks Darrell,  I haven't open any of my K-Line switchers in some time and forgot the motors were in the trucks.

I would wire the two motors in series to slow the switcher down.

Hey Dallas: Thanks for the kind words.

When it comes to early PS1 boards, they are very finnicky, and will only respond to certain transformers. I already have a long post on the forum about this specific subject. As I've said many times before......it's one of the many mysteries of life!!!

Gunrunner John: Thanks for the info on the headlight power points on the PS! boards. Still not 100% sure on what is what, and is the power AC or DC at these plug points???

I have included a couple of photos of one of the PS1 boards you recently sent me (got them yesterday). Can you tell me which plugs activate the forward headligh,t and which one activates the reverse light??

There is also a Yellow plug sandwiched between the two boards....what is its purpose???

Finally, there is a second set of prongs on the top board (similar to the speaker prongs) overhanging the micro processer.....what is their purpose???

John, thank you once again for all of your help in the past.....I really appreciate it.

Peter....Buco Australia

@RSJB18 posted:

Looks great Lou. Question- I noticed the lights flash when you powered up the engine. I'm wrapping up a PS3/2 stacker install on a Alco S2 and have seen the same condition with the lighting. Any idea why they do this?
The electrician in me has my OCD meter pinned......

Bob

The flash you saw on the SP PA was the MARS light kicking on. It has a PS3 diesel board with LEDs.

The flash you're seeing with the PS32 board is fairly normal. I've noticed they all do that when they haven't been powred in a bit or are powered conventionally. It's some quick in the programming, but doesn't hurt anything.

I picked up a Legacy SW-1200 from a forum member recently. Gave it a quick service and lube, it's a new (2022) engine so I figured it was good to go. Put it on the track, programmed, and off it went. After a few minutes, it stopped and the cab light started flashing.....not a good sign. A quick check of the manual yielded an answer. The blinking cab indicates a motor over-current issue. Since this is a shaft-drive diesel, I figured it was a lack of lubrication in the trucks.

Never took one of these apart before so after removing the shell for no apparent reason, I figured out how to drop the trucks to access the worm gear. Bingo! Not a hint of grease to be found. Added grease to the worm and drive gears, also added a drop of oil to the universal joints. All went well, putting the shaft back into the universal joint to reset the truck on the frame is a lot of fun. But so is root canal......

If any of the experts can offer any hints on something I missed, please share.

Bob

Bob, please explain to your wife that the reason you make additional purchases isn’t because you want to. The real reason is for her benefit so that you can stave off dementia by enhancing your problem solving and critical thinking skills. Doctors should write prescriptions for us. Well done on resolving the situation. You deserve a fine malt beverage.

Jay

@Tranquil Hollow RR posted:

Bob, please explain to your wife that the reason you make additional purchases isn’t because you want to. The real reason is for her benefit so that you can stave off dementia by enhancing your problem solving and critical thinking skills. Doctors should write prescriptions for us. Well done on resolving the situation. You deserve a fine malt beverage.

Jay

Hmmmm.....Good idea Jay.

I believe @Mark V. Spadaro was an ER doc. Any chance he still has prescription pads??????

Bob

Bob, I would have thought it would have grease new, bit you aren’t the first to mention this oversight.

Jay, that’s a great idea!  😄

@Mark Boyce posted:

Bob, I would have thought it would have grease new, bit you aren’t the first to mention this oversight.

Jay, that’s a great idea!  😄

Yea- grease was my first thought after Pat @harmonyards had been looking at the lubrication issues with a new steam engine recently.

Thanks

Peter’s retired too. I think they could have a specialized on line practice. There is an urgent need for this new found specialty.

@Tranquil Hollow RR posted:

Peter’s retired too. I think they could have a specialized on line practice. There is an urgent need for this new found specialty.

Brings new meaning to Train Doctor. 🤣🤣

So true, the expertise offered by members is a primary reason why I enjoy this forum so much, and a Single Malt works for me too.  Thanks Bob and Jay, good work and a great idea.

Ogaugecologist, report to the train room, STAT!🚂

@Buco posted:

Gunrunner John: Thanks for the info on the headlight power points on the PS! boards. Still not 100% sure on what is what, and is the power AC or DC at these plug points???

I have included a couple of photos of one of the PS1 boards you recently sent me (got them yesterday). Can you tell me which plugs activate the forward headligh,t and which one activates the reverse light??

There is also a Yellow plug sandwiched between the two boards....what is its purpose???

Peter, the yellow plug is a beacon LED that blinks.  The blue connector is the front headlight and the green one is the rear headlight.  They are 1.5VDC and typically drive GOW incandescent bulbs, the voltage is too low for LED's.  You can, with a little work, use a darlington opto-coupler and drive LED's from the 1.5V lighting output.

@Tranquil Hollow RR posted:

Bob, please explain to your wife that the reason you make additional purchases isn’t because you want to. The real reason is for her benefit so that you can stave off dementia by enhancing your problem solving and critical thinking skills. Doctors should write prescriptions for us. Well done on resolving the situation. You deserve a fine malt beverage.

Jay

That's actually what I've told my wife in the past. Honey, this hobby keeps and will keep my mind sharp for years.Then her reaction and reply of  A roll of the eyes, and a "Stop making excuses , and just enjoy life and buy it already."

But yeah, it amazes me how some stuff leaves the factory with a lack of grease or oil. I've never bought a brand new current engine, but if I did I'm still taking it apart. For what these things cost I'm not taking the chance. Even if it's under warranty I assume it's gotta be a hassle with all the shipping and waiting.

Thank you john......grain of wheat (GOW) light globes are now about to be fitted to my "production sample" project, to finish it off!!!

I "won" a full MTH parts/maintenance kit in a past Cabin Fever Auction, and guess what is in it????......lots of these GOW globes!!!!

Also....can you please tell me what the second set of "prongs" on the PS1 top board are for, as shown in my third (last) photo???

Thank you again.......Peter (Buco Australia)

Building 8 feet of curved trestle.  Lots of detail work and custom jigs, not to mention a bunch of clamps.  Can’t have too many clamps.

I took a short change of models. I am about 1/4th through a 1/35th model of a German Tiger 1 tank. Can't wait toi finish so I can get back to a bunch os Walther's Milw passenger cars.

Dick

@jstraw124 posted:

Building 8 feet of curved trestle.  Lots of detail work and custom jigs, not to mention a bunch of clamps.  Can’t have too many clamps.

Every time I think I have enough clamps, I have to go out and buy more.
Nice work on the trestle.

Nice shop too.

Bob

Yep, when building the platform, a lot of clamps were used!

One end of the deck...

Let's not forget the other end...

Then the second layer of the fascia went on, and I had to buy more spring clamps, the 90 I had weren't enough!  The fascia still went on in stages, not enough clamps to do it all at once.

What's off the workbench- project being called substantially complete!

I finished the rebuild of the first of 2 MTH S2's purchased as projects from Cabin Fever. The LNE engine was upgraded with stacker 3/2 boards. I had a problem with the electro-couplers that turned out to be a simple fix. The rear coupler was shorting against the frame, so I cut a piece of shrink wrap to isolate the terminals. Don't know why I didn't see it before, but now I have 3 sets of new EC's for future projects.
I'm still deciding what to do about the broken handrail on the right side.

I'm out of black shrink, so white will have to do for now.

And I added a LNE 2-bay hopper to the fleet.

Bob

Everything here seems to be o gauge so I'll add a little standard gauge.

Lionel #8 to go with the passenger car in my previous post

@RSJB18 posted:

What's off the workbench- project being called substantially complete!

I finished the rebuild of the first of 2 MTH S2's purchased as projects from Cabin Fever. The LNE engine was upgraded with stacker 3/2 boards. I had a problem with the electro-couplers that turned out to be a simple fix. The rear coupler was shorting against the frame, so I cut a piece of shrink wrap to isolate the terminals. Don't know why I didn't see it before, but now I have 3 sets of new EC's for future projects.
I'm still deciding what to do about the broken handrail on the right side.

I'm out of black shrink, so white will have to do for now.

And I added a LNE 2-bay hopper to the fleet.

Bob

Nice looking engine and nice fix for the electro-coupler.  You will find a use for the extra couplers, I'm sure.

@Pete in Kansas posted:

Lionel #8 to go with the passenger car in my previous post

That is very cool. 👍

Pete

@Pete in Kansas posted:

Lionel #8 to go with the passenger car in my previous post

Love them BOTH, Pete!

Great job

@RSJB18 posted:

What's off the workbench- project being called substantially complete!

I finished the rebuild of the first of 2 MTH S2's purchased as projects from Cabin Fever. The LNE engine was upgraded with stacker 3/2 boards. I had a problem with the electro-couplers that turned out to be a simple fix. The rear coupler was shorting against the frame, so I cut a piece of shrink wrap to isolate the terminals. Don't know why I didn't see it before, but now I have 3 sets of new EC's for future projects.
I'm still deciding what to do about the broken handrail on the right side.

I'm out of black shrink, so white will have to do for now.

And I added a LNE 2-bay hopper to the fleet.

Bob

I’m telling you Bob, your neuronal networks are expanding. Excellent job!

Jay

Ok @Mark Boyce, you ask and you will receive! To finish the latest Whitcomb build it's off the workbench and on the layout!

Darrell, it looks great, sounds great, runs great!  Thank you.  I see there is a short article about Blunami in the latest OGR magazine but I haven’t read it yet.  I’ve read some of the posts about Blumami, but don’t have a handle on it yet.

@Darrell posted:

Ok @Mark Boyce, you ask and you will receive! To finish the latest Whitcomb build it's off the workbench and on the layout!

Very very nice Darrell.  Congrats.

John

Blunami is a game changer for sure. It is a Soundtrax Tsunami2 DCC decoder that uses blutooth as it's interface to the operator, no command station needed! Of course it will still work with a DCC command station and works great with the computer program JMRI for set up and control. You can now operate your trains with the Blunami app on your phones and tablets, with a hardware remote with a DCC command station of your choice, or with the JMRI software on your computer ( must have DCC station to interface with ). We can now experience what all the other scales have without buying a new system! The best part is you can upgrade all your conventional DC can motored loco's to command control with out waiting for kits or new command systems that only work for one manufacture's loco's and still be able to run them all on the same layout!

Thank you Darrell for the concise description.

@Darrell...

Boy....I just wish Blunami was available a few years earlier. IMHO, MTH may have seen the writing on the wall for DCS when they started implementing DCC into their engines (or maybe just going after the DCC "evangelists".....or both).

Just my 2 cents.....

Well, MTH started PS3 with their HO/S gauge lines so DCC was a must. I'm happy they included it when they brought it over to O gauge.

Changed up a MTH Flatcar. What bugged me most about the car was ride height of the deck when adding Kadee’s and the oversize brake staff and stirrups. 2 out of the three are taken care of for now. In order to lower the car. I used the sideframes from a Lionscale truck. I made a new center section out of aluminum. There isn’t much going on around the truck area so you can get the car to a prototypical height. I used a piece cut off an Atlas coupler. It has 2 threaded bosses. 2mm and 3mm. A bonded rubber washer was used on the inside and the piece comes up through the bottom and is mounted with a 3mm screw. This leaves a threaded boss to accept a 2mm screw on the underside.

A new center section was made for the Lionel truck. The mounting hole was drilled to slip over the threaded boss and the sideframes holes were drilled and tapped for 2.5 mm screws. I finished the ends of the mount off on a disc sander to insure a tight fit to the sideframes so everything remains square. You could add 2 more screws. But I don’t feel they are needed if you can end up with a tight fit.

The truck mounts with a 2mm screw. I ended up cutting the head off a longer screw after it was in place with Loctite. I then secured the truck with a nylon lock nut which allowed for a fine adjustment that will stay put. Rather than needing to find the perfect length screw or relying on locktite to keep the adjustment.

I used a brake wheel from Precision Scale and used some Phosphor bronze rod for the shaft. The stirrups are for another day. I have some nice ones I was saving for another project. You can see the difference in ride height over a stock model. The loads were made up to fit over the stock mounting pins on the MTH deck.

The car sits like it should now. I ordered a few pairs of the Lionscale trucks at the 1/2 price sale. Don’t know yet if I have any coming. They are no longer in stock. But any of the newer style Lionel truck that everyone hates should work seeing you are ditching the mounting portion and just need the sideframes. I realize this post is not for everyone. As most don’t run Kadee’s. I see a lot of all military load consists with these cars. Converting them wouldn’t involve your entire fleet seeing most times they run as a unit consist. If the height bugs you there are ways to fix them. If I knew how to 3D print I’m sure a better mount could be fabricated.

@Dave_C posted:

Changed up a MTH Flatcar. What bugged me most about the car was ride height of the deck when adding Kadee’s and the oversize brake staff and stirrups. 2 out of the three are taken care of for now. In order to lower the car. I used the sideframes from a Lionscale truck. I made a new center section out of aluminum. There isn’t much going on around the truck area so you can get the car to a prototypical height. I used a piece cut off an Atlas coupler. It has 2 threaded bosses. 2mm and 3mm. A bonded rubber washer was used on the inside and the piece comes up through the bottom and is mounted with a 3mm screw. This leaves a threaded boss to accept a 2mm screw on the underside.

A new center section was made for the Lionel truck. The mounting hole was drilled to slip over the threaded boss and the sideframes holes were drilled and tapped for 3mm screws. I finished the ends of the mount off on a disc sander to insure a tight fit to the sideframes so everything remains square. You could add 2 more screws. But I don’t feel they are needed if you can end up with a tight fit.

The truck mounts with a 2mm screw. I ended up cutting the head off a longer screw after it was in place with Loctite. I then secured the truck with a nylon lock nut which allowed for a fine adjustment that will stay put. Rather than needing to find the perfect length screw or relying on locktite to keep the adjustment.

I used a brake wheel from Precision Scale and used some Phosphor bronze rod for the shaft. The stirrups are for another day. I have some nice ones I was saving for another project. You can see the difference in ride height over a stock model. The loads were made up to fit over the stock mounting pins on the MTH deck.

The car sits like it should now. I ordered a few pairs of the Lionscale trucks at the 1/2 price sale. Don’t know yet if I have any coming. They are no longer in stock. But any of the newer style Lionel truck that everyone hates should work seeing you are ditching the mounting portion and just need the sideframes. I realize this post is not for everyone. As most don’t run Kadee’s. I see a lot of all military load consists with these cars. Converting them wouldn’t involve your entire fleet seeing most times they run as a unit consist. If the height bugs you there are ways to fix them. If I knew how to 3D print I’m sure a better mount could be fabricated.

Clearly you don’t need a 3D printer!….this is clean work here!……I’m a huge fan of nylon lock nuts for this type of work!…..infinite adjustability, hair bit of wobble?, set it & forget it!…..I keep Jam nuts in every flavor available,……😉

Pat

@Dave_C posted:

Changed up a MTH Flatcar. What bugged me most about the car was ride height of the deck when adding Kadee’s and the oversize brake staff and stirrups. 2 out of the three are taken care of for now. In order to lower the car. I used the sideframes from a Lionscale truck. I made a new center section out of aluminum. There isn’t much going on around the truck area so you can get the car to a prototypical height. I used a piece cut off an Atlas coupler. It has 2 threaded bosses. 2mm and 3mm. A bonded rubber washer was used on the inside and the piece comes up through the bottom and is mounted with a 3mm screw. This leaves a threaded boss to accept a 2mm screw on the underside.

A new center section was made for the Lionel truck. The mounting hole was drilled to slip over the threaded boss and the sideframes holes were drilled and tapped for 3mm screws. I finished the ends of the mount off on a disc sander to insure a tight fit to the sideframes so everything remains square. You could add 2 more screws. But I don’t feel they are needed if you can end up with a tight fit.

The truck mounts with a 2mm screw. I ended up cutting the head off a longer screw after it was in place with Loctite. I then secured the truck with a nylon lock nut which allowed for a fine adjustment that will stay put. Rather than needing to find the perfect length screw or relying on locktite to keep the adjustment.

I used a brake wheel from Precision Scale and used some Phosphor bronze rod for the shaft. The stirrups are for another day. I have some nice ones I was saving for another project. You can see the difference in ride height over a stock model. The loads were made up to fit over the stock mounting pins on the MTH deck.

The car sits like it should now. I ordered a few pairs of the Lionscale trucks at the 1/2 price sale. Don’t know yet if I have any coming. They are no longer in stock. But any of the newer style Lionel truck that everyone hates should work seeing you are ditching the mounting portion and just need the sideframes. I realize this post is not for everyone. As most don’t run Kadee’s. I see a lot of all military load consists with these cars. Converting them wouldn’t involve your entire fleet seeing most times they run as a unit consist. If the height bugs you there are ways to fix them. If I knew how to 3D print I’m sure a better mount could be fabricated.

Wow @Dave_C.....

Really nice and concise work!

@Dave_C posted:

The car sits like it should now.

Nice Dave.

Kadees or regular it looks like the flat car couplers look like they match up with the OEM height of the regular couplers which would allow time to do other  cars and still be able to run trains in the meantime.

I unboxed a locomotive that I bought several years ago from Trainz last night. It's a MTH Premier Penn Central RS-27 with the early QSI/ PS1 sounds. Issued in 1997 Vol 2 catalog.
It's a great looking engine. Looks like it was never taken out of the box.

First step was replacing the white battery of death with a GRJ super cap. The screws for removing the body are buried under the trucks on this. It took some juggling but I was able to get the screws out and the shell off finally. I put the engine on the tracks to test before doing the lubrication and it fired right up. I gave it some time to charge the boards and cycled the power to get it moving.
The sounds ramped up and it seems like it wants to move, but won't. I'm guessing hardened grease. So it's back on the bench until I can take it apart again.

Bob

Bob, it’s been a long time since I ran a PS 1 engine. I remember them not responding to my Al Trol throttle that was linked to my ZW. They would just sit there and not move out of neutral.  The workaround for me was to get it moving using the handle of the ZW then quickly flip a toggle and then you could run it using the Al Trol throttle.
The not moving could be transformer related. I think they were designed to run with postwar transformers.But it’s also a good idea to check out the grease.

@Dave_C posted:

Bob, it’s been a long time since I ran a PS 1 engine. I remember them not responding to my Al Trol throttle that was linked to my ZW. They would just sit there and not move out of neutral.  The workaround for me was to get it moving using the handle of the ZW then quickly flip a toggle and then you could run it using the Al Trol throttle.
The not moving could be transformer related. I think they were designed to run with postwar transformers.But it’s also a good idea to check out the grease.

I have a bunch of PS-1's and they work fine with my KW. I'm sure its mechanical. The wheels don't even move when I try and rock them. I found a video on Youtube of a guy reviewing the same engine. He found a loose motor mount in his so it could be the problem too.

Thanks

I had acquired a Lionel #38 operating water tower a while back in an auction lot, which was cosmetically near perfect and the spout lowered upon activation, but the pumping action (which simulates offloading water) was MIA. Today I got around to troubleshooting, after I managed to open the piece up. Here's pics of the piece, and the process of troubleshooting:

[Sorry for the poor pic above, but the white motor and pump are at least visible in the middle, with one hose removed.]

After I got the pump housing open, a few power cycles freed up the assembly, and it has run reliably after reassembly ever since:

Even with many times the recommended 7-10 drops of official dye, the color is still faint, much less visible than shown on the box photo! Ah, well, at least it works now!

Custom paint for a Menards F unit.

Steve

@Steve "Papa" Eastman posted:

Custom paint for a Menards F unit.

Steve

Nice work!  Did you acquire another F Unit or are you done double heading Warbonnets?

@coach joe posted:

Nice work!  Did you acquire another F Unit or are you done double heading Warbonnets?

This was an extra. I actually would like another to double head them.

Steve

Just dropped a truck on the RS-27. The wheels barely turn. It looks like the wheels are pressed on too tight. Couldn't fit my wheel puller on so I gave the shaft on one side of the wheel a couple taps and freed it slightly. Not enough to run yet. I may order a pair of new trucks and put these on the scrap pile.

To be continued......

I may be the only person crazy enough to do this, and I wonder if many 2-Rail people follow this thread…if they do they need to sit down.  I found an exquisite Pecos River Brass RPO for not a lot money.  They historically cost a fortune, and they’re worth it.  

I Hi-railed it.

“you did WHAT !!??”

Rob,  You do such a fantastic job on your cars!  When are you gonna go 3RS?  The equipment deserves Kadees, not The Claw!

@Rapid Transit Holmes posted:

Rob,  You do such a fantastic job on your cars!  When are you gonna go 3RS?  The equipment deserves Kadees, not The Claw!

Thank you for the compliment.  My roster is up to 133 freight cars, 47 passenger cars, and 29 locomotives.  That is too many to convert back to Kadees.  If I could start over, I would have done 3RS because I understand how the Kadees work better for switching.

So, convert one dedicated transet at a time.  You don't have to do 'em all in one blitz.  Truly, your work deserves it.

Time to pull out the old workmate and do some creative clamping to make some long curved girder bridges.  Gluing on and setting consistent spacing for the estimated 200 ribs was monotonous.  Next step is to try salt weathering on them.  I like the look on Eric Siegel’s layout.

I have some encouraging news on the RS27 trucks. I've been working on the rear one and have freed up the wheels. I've been "adjusting" the shafts with my favorite 20 oz persuader and a center punch. Not exactly precision machining but seems to be working ( Don't tell Pat @harmonyards). The wheels turn freely now.

Wish I could get my Timko wheel puller on them but it won't fit behind the flanges.

I'll clean out the old grease and refresh with new, and see how it turns. The other truck will be next.

The bench looks like a diesel graveyard at the moment but it's not as bad as it looks. The S2 is getting ERR boards as soon as the RS27 is out of the shop. And the F3's hiding under the towels need some fine tuning since I did the ERR upgrade on them.

Bob

Another productive day Bob. Those persuaders are very handy.

Jay

I've fixed a many of things with different sized persuaders. Glad that's coming along for you Bob. Can't wait to see her running.

@RSJB18 posted:

I have some encouraging news on the RS27 trucks. I've been working on the rear one and have freed up the wheels. I've been "adjusting" the shafts with my favorite 20 oz persuader and a center punch. Not exactly precision machining but seems to be working ( Don't tell Pat @harmonyards). The wheels turn freely now.

Wish I could get my Timko wheel puller on them but it won't fit behind the flanges.

I'll clean out the old grease and refresh with new, and see how it turns. The other truck will be next.

The bench looks like a diesel graveyard at the moment but it's not as bad as it looks. The S2 is getting ERR boards as soon as the RS27 is out of the shop. And the F3's hiding under the towels need some fine tuning since I did the ERR upgrade on them.

Bob

Too late Bob, I see all,….good news though, one of my tool drawers in the railroad shop is full of LFH’s …..one of them is my grandad’s from the Central,….

as an aside, if you keep doing enough of this work, get a wheel puller set from PE Design, …send me the jaws, and I’ll further machine them to grip tight gapped wheels, …but, I’ve even had to do what you’ve done in a pinch to make a gap, …..let a stick of old brass be your friend for this, ….no marring of the wheel or axle end….

Pat

@harmonyards posted:

Too late Bob, I see all,….good news though, one of my tool drawers in the railroad shop is full of LFH’s …..one of them is my grandad’s from the Central,….

as an aside, if you keep doing enough of this work, get a wheel puller set from PE Design, …send me the jaws, and I’ll further machine them to grip tight gapped wheels, …but, I’ve even had to do what you’ve done in a pinch to make a gap, …..let a stick of old brass be your friend for this, ….no marring of the wheel or axle end….

Pat

Good idea Pat. I'll see what I have around for the other truck. My wheel pulling has been confined to motor and fan and pulleys, fan blades, etc., in the HVAC industry over the years. The pullers and gaps are much bigger........

Sorry but LFH??? (least favorite hammer???)

Bob

@jstraw124 posted:

Time to pull out the old workmate and do some creative clamping to make some long curved girder bridges.  Gluing on and setting consistent spacing for the estimated 200 ribs was monotonous.  Next step is to try salt weathering on them.  I like the look on Eric Siegel’s layout.

Ahhhh the black and decker work mate, one of the finest no one knows about tools ever made. Saved my butt many times when another set of hands was needed. Great job!

@ThatGuy posted:

Ahhhh the black and decker work mate, one of the finest no one knows about tools ever made. Saved my butt many times when another set of hands was needed. Great job!

Never bought one but always cursed myself when I needed one........

RSJB: If petrified grease is the issue, try soaking the truck in paint thinner. That’s my go-to solvent, it does no harm.

@Rapid Transit Holmes posted:

RSJB: If petrified grease is the issue, try soaking the truck in paint thinner. That’s my go-to solvent, it does no harm.

It's definitely a wheel gauge issue. The grease is old but not petrified.

Bob, I'm with ^^Holmes.  I'm not a huge fan of WD-40 around trains, but it's a penetrant.  Before I would take a hammer to anything, I would spray some WD in there, and let it sit.  I also don't remember an epidemic of MTH diesels being under-gauged, so if the wheels were pressed on too tight, you were lucky enough to draw a lemon!

Atlas plug door boxcars being redone into General American Refrigerated lease cars.  Atlas made these in HO scale, but not for us O gaugers. K4 makes the decals but only for QA&P, so far.  

With a set of black lettered SL-SF decals I can make a couple of Frisco cars, too.  It takes about one full hour to do the cutout and application for one side of these cars.

@Ted S posted:

Bob, I'm with ^^Holmes.  I'm not a huge fan of WD-40 around trains, but it's a penetrant.  Before I would take a hammer to anything, I would spray some WD in there, and let it sit.  I also don't remember an epidemic of MTH diesels being under-gauged, so if the wheels were pressed on too tight, you were lucky enough to draw a lemon!

Then I'm makin' the lemonade........

As I mentioned, I bought this from Trainz in 2019 (a 1997 issue) and I don't think it was ever out of the box until now, so the trucks have had a long time to get comfy and not move. I did use WD-40 on the first one before going further. Helped a little but the added info of under gauged trucks makes sense as to why I'm having issues.

Thanks

@Rob Leese posted:

I may be the only person crazy enough to do this, and I wonder if many 2-Rail people follow this thread…if they do they need to sit down.  I found an exquisite Pecos River Brass RPO for not a lot money.  They historically cost a fortune, and they’re worth it.  

I Hi-railed it.

“you did WHAT !!??”

Rob,

Don't think you are the only crazy person to try this. I have a Pecos River passenger car that I'm trying to 3 rail so far unsuccessfully. Looks like you used Atlas trucks. How did you mount them? Could you post a picture of the underside?

Ken

@kanawha posted:

Rob,

Don't think you are the only crazy person to try this. I have a Pecos River passenger car that I'm trying to 3 rail so far unsuccessfully. Looks like you used Atlas trucks. How did you mount them? Could you post a picture of the underside?

Ken

The trucks are the original PRB.  The couplers are medium length Atlas, and are mounted on a center sill where the Kadees used to be.  I only had to drill one small hole at each end to mount the coupler assemblies. I may have to change the trucks some day but they are independent of the couplers.

@Rob Leese posted:

The trucks are the original PRB.  The couplers are medium length Atlas, and are mounted on a center sill where the Kadees used to be.  I only had to drill one small hole at each end to mount the coupler assemblies. I may have to change the trucks some day but they are independent of the couplers.

Thanks Rob. I had not thought of mounting the couplers like that. I'll have to see if it will work on my car.

Ken

One QA&P done and weathered. One Frisco in-progress.  These plug door boxcars are not exactly like the GARX cars, but they are as close as you are going to get without scratchbuilding.

A while back, I was able to pick up an MTH operating McDonalds at a fair price, used but in pretty good shape except for the lack of a vehicle. I remedied that with a 1:43 scale Mini Cooper, which, being a bit oversized, had about the right aspect to replace the missing OEM Ford Explorer. I also 3D printed and installed a set of benches and scratch-built tables, and added a cardstock-printed floor and counter to enhance the original blank and stark white interior. I was pleased with the result, but one thing kept nagging at me: the vehicle was moved through the drive-through stations by a flat plastic bar, which ran in an open slot running down the middle of the drive-through, part of the light gray base:

To make a long story a bit shorter, I spent a *lot* of time trying to come up with something to cover that very un-prototypical slot. Most were abject failures, but finally I tried a piece of black poster board trimmed to fit the drive-through lane, over a smaller ring of more rigid plastic, which covers the slot and rotates around the circle with the vehicle. I also cut holes for the plastic bar driver and for each wheel, so the wheels still contact the base and turn.

Here's a video I shot just before masking the base and painting the roadway flat black, to better match the slot cover and emulate asphalt:

After the base dries, I'll re-mask the piece and lightly dab all the "brick" areas with red oxide paint on a sponge brush, hoping to leave the original gray between the 'bricks' as mortar, and on the curbs as 'concrete'. Wish me luck!

Rob, the cars are looking great!

Steve, the McDonald’s is looking great!  The roadway is much more realistic.  One thing you didn’t mention is that the employee’s voice doesn’t sound right.  The customer’s and Junior’s voices sound great.  The employee’s voice needs to sound garbled so the customer can’t understand what’s being said.  😉  😄

@Mark Boyce posted:

Steve, the McDonald’s is looking great!  The roadway is much more realistic.  One thing you didn’t mention is that the employee’s voice doesn’t sound right.  The customer’s and Junior’s voices sound great.  The employee’s voice needs to sound garbled so the customer can’t understand what’s being said.  😉  😄

Hey, I run three-rail toy trains -- a certain degree of unreality is to be expected!

@Steve Tyler posted:

Hey, I run three-rail toy trains -- a certain degree of unreality is to be expected!

Valid point!! 

I would paint the poster board either In military colors German WWII  Panzer Gray or a mixture of Panzer Gray and flat black

Steve very nice alteration!  It would have been nice to see the underlying plastic ring.  Good luck with the painting, please post your final results.

@Steve Tyler posted:

To make a long story a bit shorter, I spent a *lot* of time trying to come up with something to cover that very un-prototypical slot. Most were abject failures, but finally I tried a piece of black poster board trimmed to fit the drive-through lane, over a smaller ring of more rigid plastic, which covers the slot and rotates around the circle with the vehicle. I also cut holes for the plastic bar driver and for each wheel, so the wheels still contact the base and turn.

Here's a video I shot just before masking the base and painting the roadway flat black, to better match the slot cover and emulate asphalt:

After the base dries, I'll re-mask the piece and lightly dab all the "brick" areas with red oxide paint on a sponge brush, hoping to leave the original gray between the 'bricks' as mortar, and on the curbs as 'concrete'. Wish me luck!

Great creativity Steve. The added detail of the wheels turning is cool too.

They must have hired a retired NYC Transit motorman to do the announcements.......

@coach joe posted:

Steve very nice alteration!  It would have been nice to see the underlying plastic ring.  Good luck with the painting, please post your final results.

Thanks! The plastic ring was one of my first efforts, consisting of three curved sections cut out of a stiff plastic document cover, trimmed to fit together, with aluminum tabs glued underneath to ride in the slot. The problem was that the sections of the ring never quite fit properly, and the ring tended to deform and lift up when it rotated, even with the tabs. Eventually I scrapped it in favor of a one-piece posterboard ring with no tabs, which operated better but also tended to deform and lift up under power.

The solution turned out to be to salvage the plastic ring, using sections attached under the posterboard ring with double-sided tape to keep it straight. I still have some more fitting to do after I finish the painting, but for now I'm satisfied with the progress, and will post more pics later.

@RSJB18 posted:

Great creativity Steve. The added detail of the wheels turning is cool too.

They must have hired a retired NYC Transit motorman to do the announcements.......

Thanks! I can't claim the wheels turning as my innovation -- the original piece does that, too -- but I *was* able to strategically cut holes in the posterboard slot cover to retain the original action and avoid freezing the wheels in place.

As to the voices, yeah, one of my on-going regrets is that I've found no way so far to change the audio files. That single 'radio' song is driving me nuts, and as others have pointed out, the prices on the orders are definitely period pieces! Plus, I'd love to do an audio script and use family members (many of whom are lifetime McD junkies!) to do the ordering and/or fry slinging roles!

Anyone have any info on the possibility of changing the audio files, or is it all hard-wired?

@Steve Tyler  Steve there are all kinds of sound modules available to do this kind of thing.  Imports MP3 files and plays back sequentially or on button press or light sensor. They start at $10.   Sometimes called a Programmable Sound Chip for Greeting Card includes speaker board etc.  I have been thinking about doing this to add sounds to a hotel and for a freight yard.  I bought a preprogrammed module a few years ago with birds and crickets - neat little unit.

@ScoutingDad posted:

@Steve Tyler  Steve there are all kinds of sound modules available to do this kind of thing.  Imports MP3 files and plays back sequentially or on button press or light sensor. They start at $10.   Sometimes called a Programmable Sound Chip for Greeting Card includes speaker board etc.  I have been thinking about doing this to add sounds to a hotel and for a freight yard.  I bought a preprogrammed module a few years ago with birds and crickets - neat little unit.

Oh, I'm well aware of such systems -- I used one recently to add sound effects to the camping/wilderness area on my layout:

The problem in this instance is finding a way to coordinate the sound with the animation, and have it all initiated by a single button push. I suppose I could just disable the internal sound system, edit and time sound files(s) to match the animation, and load them into a sound module which would be powered through the same push-button activation as the animation. Hmmm . . .

Well, I finished the painting for now (masking and adding a red oxide dry brushing to the outer sections of brick paving) and shot a short video to show what I've attempted as improvements to the OEM piece, including the upgraded interior, the external painting, the cover for the slot in the road, and a few personalizing touches (that's my mother in the poster on the signpost, posed in front of her favorite McDs!). I still have a bit of tweaking to do (for instance to get the slot cover to lay down a bit flatter), but for now I'm satisfied with the result. What do you think?

It works and looks great Steve!

Steve, I'm with Mark.  Nice job and to think all of this came about because it was missing the van.

@Steve Tyler posted:

Well, I finished the painting for now (masking and adding a red oxide dry brushing to the outer sections of brick paving) and shot a short video to show what I've attempted as improvements to the OEM piece, including the upgraded interior, the external painting, the cover for the slot in the road, and a few personalizing touches (that's my mother in the poster on the signpost, posed in front of her favorite McDs!). I still have a bit of tweaking to do (for instance to get the slot cover to lay down a bit flatter), but for now I'm satisfied with the result. What do you think?

Very cool

@Steve Tyler posted:

Well, I finished the painting for now (masking and adding a red oxide dry brushing to the outer sections of brick paving) and shot a short video to show what I've attempted as improvements to the OEM piece, including the upgraded interior, the external painting, the cover for the slot in the road, and a few personalizing touches (that's my mother in the poster on the signpost, posed in front of her favorite McDs!). I still have a bit of tweaking to do (for instance to get the slot cover to lay down a bit flatter), but for now I'm satisfied with the result. What do you think?

Looks great!  Now, if you can only get the car to drive away and a different one to come through the drive-in, that would be really something.

What's on the workbench?  As layout construction progressed, my on the layout top workbench got smaller and smaller.  I finally mentioned to my wife that a workbench in the family room where our daughter's piano had been removed a couple months ago would be nice.  She agreed.  I was contemplating what to use for a workbench when she suggested her dad's old desk.  It is already beat from his use.  Today we moved it into place.  Here it is under the Ceiling Central Railroad and painting my aunt painted in 1960 that hung in my parents' living room until we had to sell the house in 2019.  The entrance to the train room is right at the right edge of this photograph, so it is a handy location.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

Looks great!  Now, if you can only get the car to drive away and a different one to come through the drive-in, that would be really something.

Maybe I can figure a way to let the E-Z Streets or Faller traffic stop by for a Big Mac while circling . . . 🤪

@ThatGuy posted:

Very cool

Tx!

@Steve Tyler posted:

Maybe I can figure a way to let the E-Z Streets or Faller traffic stop by for a Big Mac while circling . . . 🤪

There you go, a Sunday project that will last all month!

@Mark Boyce posted:

What's on the workbench? 

So . . . your workbench is what's on the workbench? I'm so confused . . . 😵‍💫

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

There you go, a Sunday project that will last all month!

Hmm, let's see . . . if I build a stationary ramp over the drive-thru just before the end, and tilt the piece just right, I can get the current vehicle to roll off an exit, Then, I can use a crane car to lift a new car off the car carrier and onto the drive-thru track! Yeah, that's the ticket! 😜

On second thought, I think I'll just stick to the sound files for now! 🙄

A little red n tacky in the gear box.

@Steve Tyler posted:

So . . . your workbench is what's on the workbench? I'm so confused . . . 😵‍💫

I have never had a dedicated modeling workbench in all my 50+ years modeling.  In my excitement, I just posted the workbench before putting anything on it.  You gotta start somewhere!  😆

Here we go Steve.  I laid out the girders for when I revamp my lower girder bridge once all the outdoor leaf remodel is done.

@Mark Boyce posted:

What's on the workbench?  As layout construction progressed, my on the layout top workbench got smaller and smaller.  I finally mentioned to my wife that a workbench in the family room where our daughter's piano had been removed a couple months ago would be nice.  She agreed.  I was contemplating what to use for a workbench when she suggested her dad's old desk.  It is already beat from his use.  Today we moved it into place.  Here it is under the Ceiling Central Railroad and painting my aunt painted in 1960 that hung in my parents' living room until we had to sell the house in 2019.  The entrance to the train room is right at the right edge of this photograph, so it is a handy location.

Congratulations Mark and enjoy the moment. It probably won’t look that neat, and uncluttered, ever again.

Jay

@Tranquil Hollow RR posted:

Congratulations Mark and enjoy the moment. It probably won’t look that neat, and uncluttered, ever again.

Jay

Thank you, Jay!!  😄😄

@Mark Boyce posted:

I have never had a dedicated modeling workbench in all my 50+ years modeling.  In my excitement, I just posted the workbench before putting anything on it.  You gotta start somewhere!  😆

@Mark Boyce posted:

Here we go Steve.  I laid out the girders for when I revamp my lower girder bridge once all the outdoor leaf remodel is done.

Well, *that's* better! I didn't want to say anything about your slacking off, Mark, but . . .

I posted about a switcher with no apparent way to remove some linkage to change a traction tire.

@Steve Tyler posted:

Well, *that's* better! I didn't want to say anything about your slacking off, Mark, but . . .

Yes, it first appeared I was slacking!  😄  Maybe I still am.  Time will tell how much stuff ends up there to support various projects.  😆

I've hit the dreaded zinc pest wall with the RS27 I've been working on. I reassembled the rear truck and put it back on the frame, and took the front one off yesterday. Things looked bleak from the beginning. The top of the truck had the telltale signs of zinc pest (cracks in the casting).  Well, I didn't get too far before one of the side frame mounts broke and then a piece broke off on the under carriage. So now I'm shopping for a new pair of trucks.

SIGH.........

Bob

@Steve Tyler- seeing the car leave would be over the top. I think you're right....stick with the sound file for now.

@Mark Boyce- The bench-desk looks great! Won't ever look like that again I'm sure.....
I like the old NuTone intercom on the wall. I actually installed a few of those systems in my early contracting days. They were the predecessor to smart speakers. Nutone made a base unit with a AM/FM receiver and cassette deck that would play throughout the house.

Bob

Picked up a AHM/Rivarossi U-4A 0-8-0 I guess from the 60s/70s the past owner made changes to 3 rail and added a pw Lionel e-unit along with a berk motor, will give her a good degreasing and service the motor, will add a light and re glue some parts that were in a bag, anyone have any history on this o scale loco? Thanks

@RSJB18 posted:

@Steve Tyler- seeing the car leave would be over the top. I think you're right....stick with the sound file for now.

@Mark Boyce- The bench-desk looks great! Won't ever look like that again I'm sure.....
I like the old NuTone intercom on the wall. I actually installed a few of those systems in my early contracting days. They were the predecessor to smart speakers. Nutone made a base unit with a AM/FM receiver and cassette deck that would play throughout the house.

Bob

Thank you, Bob!  You are right, it already has some stuff on it!  😄  Yes, Kim’s grandpa had the Nu-tone installed when the house was built in ‘68.  She said they played with it some.   None of it worked when we moved in 12 years ago.  The piano covered this one until recently.  I still have to figure out something to cover the holes when we move, whenever that will be.  😄

@Mark Boyce posted:i

Yes, it first appeared I was slacking!  😄  Maybe I still am.  Time will tell how much stuff ends up there to support various projects.  😆

Oh, I'm sure you'll find plenty to do . . . or rather, the layout will find something *for* you! 

@RSJB18 posted:

@Steve Tyler- seeing the car leave would be over the top. I think you're right....stick with the sound file for now.

[Moping mode on] Oh, all right . . .

Seriously, though, that's kinda how I roll (see what I did there? ) -- outrageous ideas float up and grab my attention, reluctantly get tabled for the moment, then sometimes come roaring back later as the opportunity (and developing skill set!) permits! For instance, I've always been intrigued by the various auto and truck animation systems, but my limited real estate (only 8X8) has kept me from jumping in. I even looked seriously at a 3D printed alternative before restoring the potential project to the mental shelf.

However, if I converted the McDonalds peg-driven system to a magnet-driven system like Magnorail (likely all that'd be needed is to just trim the peg down and attach a magnet), and arranged for the car track to end at the McD entrance, it might be possible to have a car roll off the Magnorail track, be 'caught' by the magnet on the McD track, and be drawn around the drive-thru (maybe even initiated by a photocell). Still have to work out how to decouple the vehicle from the McD's track and get it back on the Magnorail loop, but . . .

I guess the workbench is on the work bench?  Cleared out all the old bins and boxes of train stuff. Removed old shelving. Repainting closet and installing a foldable table for train related work.  Got the wall brackets up today and set the soon to be tabletop in place and figuring out what size I’m going to cut it down to.