Hello everyone, and welcome to a new weekend!
This week my share is my new multimeter that I purchased for use with my model railroading.
There was a thread a couple of weeks ago that asked about what kind of multimeter would be a good choice for model railroading. I have always used my rock solid and reliable Fluke model 73 for everything, but that meter is about $200.00, and I figured there should be a less expensive good option out there.
My searching brought me to the Fluke model 101. I ordered one from Amazon for less than $50.00, not too bad.
This meter has some features I really like. It is auto-ranging, which makes it easy to read, and cuts down on the number of dial positions. There are only 7 positions on the dial, and they are all clearly marked.
This meter is small. It fits very comfortably in the palm of my hand, and I can flip the dial around with my thumb for easy one handed operation.
It is significantly smaller than my old reliable Fluke model 73.
I wanted a set of alligator clip leads. I found a set with small clips on Amazon for about $10.00 and bought them to test.
The leads test out at full continuity on the meter. Nice.
The clips themselves are very small, but have nicely formed teeth and a good strong spring. Durability seems OK at first uses. They do not have a cheap feel to them.
I tried the clips out on a couple of sections of Kato HO scale Unitrack and tested continuity through one of the connectors. The meter reads less than one ohm, and that is good enough for me.
I wiggled the track around a bit, and the meter never detected an intermittent connection at the rail joiner. The alligator clips stayed on the track perfectly. This is all very good.
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Thanks for setting up another fine WPF, Kevin [Y]
I like your new Fluke. Some of my favorite test leads are the little grabber-type like the ones I show here:
SD_9-decoder-4 by Edmund, on Flickr
I have others that are much smaller than those shown. Sometimes the alligator clips are “too coarse” for model electronics.
Sometimes I need to grip a piece of 36 ga. wire and the little hook will grab that small wire securely. It is nice to be able to swap out different test clips. A friend gave me a pair of tiny needlepoint ones, too. They’re good for checking points on a PC board or will access the back side of many tiny sockets, too.
Regards, Ed
I’ve been meaning to post this for a couple of weeks, but I finished off those On30 boxcars I was scratchbuilding:
Thanks for opening up the WPF Kevin. Nice meter, something to look into.
I like the little hook clips too, Ed.
Danny, Good looking boxcars and scenery. Hey, I live in Oregon, the area you so nicely model. [tup]
My picks for this week. Oldie moldies from my early days in the hobby, when I’d build anything that struck my fancy. Lettering never was my forte![:$]
Logging caboose, scratchbuilt early 80s, based on a picture of a contest winner in RMC mag in the late '70s I think. The smokestack got busted in a layout mishap. I’ll fix it…
This string of old time wood hoppers dates to about that time too. Based on an article and drawings in MR.
I have 8 more of these ready to assemble to make a string of 12. They don’t fit my era, but are only off by about 90 years. They’d look good behind those Pocher 4-4-0s, I recon.
A derrick car built on a TMI flat car in the mid 80s. Based on a project from a publication, I think it’s called 35 projects for model railroaders.
Boom car. Also on a TMI flat, this was built I believe in the late 90s or early 2000s. It goes with a TMI crane, the pic was really blurry on that. The tool car has a Bachmann 44 tonner drive hidden in the box end. Drives like one too, a
Editing out another double post.[:(]
I purchased a resin printer, and when it works… here’s the results:
Good morning from mostly sunny and warm Northeast Ohio!
Kevin, thanks for starting us out, nice meter, one of my club members bought one that is verbal because when he is trying to look at the meter while holding the leads in hard to get to spots the leads move and he doesn’t get a good reading while the verbal one lets him know the reading while holding the leads in position.
Ed, good find on those leads but sometimes the clips don’t always get where you need to be, see above.
TB Danny, nice to see the finished product, I remember the in progress shots a while back.
Dan, nice looking models, I remember that contest winner, that was the period of time when the only way you could win at the NMRA National Covention was to build an On3 model.
Jimmy, you are really getting into the different printing mediums.
This weeks completed work!
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Second Eastern Car Works N&W H2a Coal Hopper kit, added the air lines for the brake system then painted with Scalecoat II Black paint and lettered with Greg Komar’s decals. This time I used the decals for the 1951-1963 time period.
_IMG_1391.jpg?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds)
McKean Models Evans Boxcar kit, replaced the plastic grabs with metal grabs, added a Moloco End of Car Cushioning Coupler Pocket, replaced the poorly done end ladders with some left over from PS1 boxcar kits, added some left over walkover platforms from duplicates in other kits and finally a wire grab over the platform. Car was painted with Scalecoat II B&M Blue and Silver paints and then lettered with Herald King Decals and the Evans Products logo from a Microscale set. The Green Bay and Western received a couple of hundred of these cars some were painted yellow and the others blue, the blue cars were assig
Kevin and Ed … Thanks for discussions about meters .
TB Danny … Your scratch built On30 boxcars are excellent ! [tup]
Dan … Your logging caboose is really nice. I like the wood hoppers, derrick car, and boom car very much too.
Rick … I just learned from you the DT&I had TOFC trailers. Both of your trailers look great. Same for the N&W hopper and GB&W boxcar. The NYC RS32’s look very nice.
…
Yesterday was J J Hill’s birthday. He lived from 1838 to 1916, and was called “The Empire Builder”. He essentially built the Great Northern Railway. He put together “The Hill Lines” which comprised GN, NP, and CB&Q.
Great Northern’s best known passenger train, the Empire Builder, was named after him. Amtrak has continued to use that name for its train from Chicago to Seattle.
Here are pictures of my Empire Builder. The real train was hauled with Burlington E-Units from Chicago to the Twin Cities, and GN F-units from the Twin Seaties to Seattle. I use both types of locomotives on my layout.
Hello all, I’ve been getting a lot of work done on my club module, which you can read about here:
I will have a video and better photos when it is “done”, or when the train show happens a week from today, whichever is sooner. Enjoy the weekend.
Hi there. Great picks so far! I’m still doing scenery work at home, so no shots from the layout this week. My steamers got to “stretch their legs” at the club: a Northern and a Mountain got recruited to move some heavy loads around. It’s always a joy to run steam - especially when there a no hiccups!
Simon
20210907_205117 on Flickr
Thanks Ed, it seems to be a really good little meter.
A few years ago, there was a thread about how to test a model motor. I posted what I thought was a good response.
The late great Randy Rinker sent me a private message about my post. He suggested that when someone asks that kind of simple question, it is probably not helpful to say “I use a $400.00 fluke meter, an industrial power supply, and $300.00 worth of specialized test leads.”
Of course, he was 100% correct, so I have avoided most meter discussions. My answer for “What is the best meter for…?” could always be “The $400.00 Fluke Model 87 is the best.” This is true, but it is not a helpful answer.
Now with my new Fluke model 101 and the less expensive alligator leads, I think I will finally have a more appropriate answer to share.
[:D]
I miss Randy.
-Kevin
Evening all. Kevin, thanks for starting us out this week.
Ed and Kevin, got to get me some if the test leads that you are showing. Looks like they would come in handy for all sorts of things.
Danny, love the boxcars. They look like they have been on the rails for decades.
Dan, Nice models. Like the MOW train.
Jimmy, how long did it take to print the figure?
Great models as usual Rick.
Garry, Always love it when you show the Empire Builder.
Nice progress Harrison.
Simon. Like the look of the 2 big steamers on the ore train.
This weeks contribution. A wreck in Plymouth prompted the wreck train to head east out of FonduLac.
Took me about 2-3hrs to print 16 of them. I had several fail, but that was due to the build plate being incorrect
Kevin, Thanks for sparking-off the WPF.
Thanks to all the contributors and viewers. Have a good weekend and Happy Batman Day. Regards, Peter
Well there is the first of three in street turnouts. Built this one today. Not completely finished but that was due to two soldering irons eing warn out. The stock rails went on nice, but the other rails just over taxed them. The torch had to be used. These type of turnout are called tongue and nape. pushing a truck through finds it works perfectly. no guide rails ment the frog derailed all the time.
SHane
Garry, the DT&I ened up with 310 trailers leased from four different vendors in 4 number series, you will be seeing the rest of them in the future. They also acquired 235 piggyback flats from previous owners and you will be seeing them in the future also.
Also, I love your pictures of the Empire Builder, I would like to have a set but I have to draw the line with my PRR, NYC, NH and Wabash trains.
Simon, really like your double headed steam with the ore train.
Lakeshore Sub & Velo - Nice looking layout pictures.
Rick Jesionowski
Amazing work, Shane especially working with worn out soldering irons. (That’s the one tool you don’t want to be if owned by me!!!) I make my own turnouts too, challenging and rewarding.
I assume those are for trolley or traction? And what scale are they?
Cool picture, Peter! Dan
Danny: Your scratchbuilt narrow gauge freight cars are all excellent!
Dan: I am a huge fan of that derrick car you built. I saved the picture to my idea file for later food for thought. Great work.
Jimmy: Your 3D printing is looking good. May I ask why you decided to print figures? There are literally hundreds of unpainted figures readily available for low prices. My interest in 3D printing would be freight loads or small industrial items.
Rick: You DT&I trailer this week looks especially good. Everything else is impressive as well.
Garry: The Empire Builder looks great. I am not a fan of orange being used in signage or paint schemes (I know, I work at Home Depot now), but Great Northern sure made it look great.
Harrison: Thank you for the update.
Simon: Your two big steamers look great hauling the heavy tonnage on the club layout.
Bear: Thanks for the laugh. I look forward to the toons each week.
Lakeshore Sub: Needing to dispatch a wreck train cannot be good. I hope the damage is not too bad.
Peter: Love the Bat-Signal! The Dynamic Duo must be on their way. Has anyone made a Bat-Mobile in HO scale? It would need to be the George Barris Lincoln Futura TV series version. It is the “real” Bat-Mobile to me. I’ll bet all that red pinstriping would be a pain in HO scale.
Shane: I never heard of a Toungue And Nape turnout. It looks like you did a fine job on the assembly. I don’t think I will ever build any turnouts.
My order arrived yesterday from Model Train Stuff. My wife loves the Ninja-Cats!
-Kevin