I gave myself a waiver on starting the week right and going to the gym, hearing my railroad beckoning. I finally attacked a few maintenance issues.
My BLI mountain had a droopy pilot that got worse and occasionally caught a guard rail, etc. The LHS guy had addressed this by rather severly bending up the coupler (which initially caught) pin, but then the pilot edge started to occasionally hit something (riding atop the rail). I found the pilot slides in and out of place fairly easlly, attached by prongs that slide and clip in. Shimming was not feasible, but some heat from a hair dryer while pushing mildly on the prongs seems to have slightly bent the plastic pilot framework upward sufficiently.
Then, addressed two issues with my BLI mikado. The front coupler was jammed open, and I was glad to find that (after removing it) with some force it moved to the normal position without breaking. Then, I glued on a part that had broken free (it’s two little prongs broke off in the boiler) with shipping (it’s part #2, but there’s no listing, just a picture). Looks like a pump or blower. I hope it stays in place with superglue but no support prongs.
Then, addressed a couple of track issues. I got a derailment at a curved turnout that has never been an issue. It seems one of the points had become bent inward a bit, ensuring a flange would catch it. I’ll bet someone (who, me?) dropped something on it. It just took a bit of careful bending back to correct shape. And one of my locos was shorting at my newly installed 3-way turnout. I put some nail polish on the very short rail that someone in a recent rhread pointed out can be an easily rubbed shorting point (on the straight through direction) and that coating stopped the problem. I’ll have to decide whether to unpower (cut the jumper) for tha
What am I doing today??? Cleaning my kitchen, washing floors, laundry all the while waiting for some rock castings to dry before I can attach them to the scenery. A man’s work is never done - [(-D]
I’m at work. Not everyone has the day off. On the other hand, they took a bunch of our Monday holidays and gave us the week after Christmas instead. That’s better than a day when it’s too crowded to go skiing and too cold for much of anything else, I guess.
The other day I removed the ‘mountain’, seen here in the bottom of the photo, so that I can begin work on the last section of my railroad. This mountain normally sits on the section of benchwork in the background that has the fascia removed.
but right now I’m searching for where ever I put my supply of scale lumber because I need to build a couple of grade crossings. I know I have some I just don’t know where I put it the last time I used it, you know… that place we put stuff so that we can ALWAYS find it. [:S]
Install a TCS decoder in a new CN HO Walters GP9M. One of my my NYC F7 flew off the track so I will use the decoder on that till I fix it if possible but salvage the decoder.[:)]
…and continue building my kit building for my N Scenic Ridge.
Yesterday, I installed a MRC sound decoder in the newest addition to the BRVRR locomotive fleet, a Proto2000 Pennsylvania E8. Today I installed a simple non-sound decoder in the chassis for the Pennsy B-unit that will go with it. There will be pictures and a description of the refinishing process on my website within a few days.
I’m in the process of applying the decals to the B-unit.
And I took a few pictures of the layout for posterity.
I am ‘Retired’. I went down to the club with my friend and we ‘hot wired’ the points/stock rails on turnouts. This has been an on-going ‘project’ over the past several weeks. All of the main line/yard/industry spurs are now wired. We started on the two 11 track staging yards(double ended) this morning.
When I got home, I air brushed an Accurail USRA box car that I have added a New England Rail Products door conversion kit to make it into a ‘Door & Half’ box car. Now on to do kitchen clean up and house work(I am single).
Remember that part about having lots of time when you are ‘retired’? at 3:15 I am meeting an old friend for coffee, and at 4:30 I meet another friend for coffee - I am going to be ‘coffee’ logged! At least the Pollyscale should be dry and I can air brush the ‘gloss’ on for decaling on Tuesday! The ‘Door & Half’ project sort of got out of control:
Remove all of the old cast on grabs/stirrup steps - Replace with A-Line/Tichy metal parts
Do not use the ‘fish belly’ under frame - I fabricated a new channel center sill using Evergreen styrene.
Completely ‘plumb’ the underside with new piping, and use an Accurail brake rigging kit to finish off the under frame of the car.
Replace the Andrews trucks with Bettendorf trucks, and drill/tap the coupler and trucks for 2-56 screws.
Ream out the trucks with my ‘Truck Tuner’ /insert I-M 33" wheel sets, and mount Kadee #148 ‘Whisker’ couplers.
Two weeks later I am at the point I can ‘paint’ the car. It will be a Milwaukee Road car when finished. Well, I have to get cleaned up and go to coffee…
It’s maintenance day! Cleaned and lubed three locomotives, lubed and programmed a Bowser PCC, began assembly of two building. More to come after going out for a few miles’ run.
Did a little computer work this morning, just got back from the preview for the Presidents Day Railroad auction at one of the local auction houses…Lotsa cool stuff,going back for the auction at 5:30
Almost finished my Downtown Deco El Rio Theatre that will be a bowling alley. Signs, window glass, roof top ac’s and fire escape. This kit is from their initial offering of styrene kits. I also have the Auto Parts Store. I wish they would make more of those…
I have some kits sitting around calling my name so I got them out and started working on them.
Walthers 89’ SP channel side kit flat car - painted the weight brown to match the car, glued it in. Then I noticed hey, I have to drill holes through the bottom for the hitches! Pryed the weight out, cleaned off the silocone glue and drilled the holes, then reglued it and then set to trimming all the parts off the sprues and since they were molded in orange, I touched up where they were cut and orange shows through.
Walthers 50’ SP kit gondola (which btw SP is the only correct prototype which the red box kit matches), painted the weight brown and glued it in, cut the parts from the spues and glued everything in place. Installed KD#5 couplers and Proto 2000 33" wheels.
Also painted weights brown for a brown TTX Accurail 89’ flat car and a 50 GSC Northern Pacific flat car.
Got up early, did final touch up painting and lettering for a new engine, feed the dog, and started to rework the lift bridge on the layout … …then the wife got up, and I spent the rest of my holiday chauffeuring her around from shop to shop. Oy veh!
I worked today…stopped at the local joke of a hobby shop in Strasburg…came home and did a few things on the comp.
After shower and dinner I did some work on parts for my SD40-2 and 3 SD45`s.
Still waiting for Details West part # 330…sander brackets …then once they are on the trucks of the SD45`s and the SD40-2 …I can then get ready to paint.
Men’s breakfast, exercised the pool cue for a while, took a nap, went to church to help on remodeling on the inside. Still thinking on how I’m going to rebuild a center rail pickup on a fellow church members grandson’s Lionel locomotive. Strange looking setup. Still a little painting to do on the shell of it. It’s my surprise for him. Surprised myself how good it’s turning out, hope he will like it.
Been under the weather today so I called in sick at work. [sigh] That’s pretty bad since I really do enjoy my job.
Felt a little better this evening so I went to the basement and tinkered with a couple of cars from the RIP track. They are ready to earn their keep once again.
Now I’m back in the recliner listening to the sleet fall on the deck and getting sleepy.
Today i took 2 clear suction cups ( the kind used to hang window decorations) painted them white glued two round glass bead thanks to my sister in law and supended then from the ceiling of the diesel shed I am building to make "light fixtures
LION is going up to the train room now. Him will do some cleaning, but will be taking some photos with my still camera. I want to see if I can get some greater depths of field. I’ll be making multiple exposures and merge them with Helcion Software.
Well, I don’t know about today specifically, but for the entire month, it’s been working on the layout as we build our city scene, and get ready to install a new four track level mainline, plus working on my Railroad paintings. First the layout:
This is only a basic arrangement, but not the final scene. The trains will enter and depart under the city here, with the main entrance to the station to be above the tracks. Here are two of my newest paintings, East Salamanca NY station on the B&O in 1938, and NYC 3005 with engineer and trainman talking:
Anyway, it’s been a very busy month for me. Still lots to do though!
I have been there and done that too! I was trying to climb aboard our boat after pushing it off of a beach. When the tendon snapped I felt like someone had clobbered me in the back of the ankle with a baseball bat! Really strange feeling looking at the back of my ankle and seeing a huge hollow where the tendon would normally keep the skin taut. Strangely, there was no pain.
That was in 2003 and I still have trouble with the skin where they operated. Hope you have better luck!
To answer the OP’s question, I am still fighting with the lighting in a Mack truck. I am attempting to illuminate all of the lights and I keep messing up. Two steps forward and one (or more) steps back. I just replaced one of the headlight LEDs for the fourth time.[|(][D)][(-D].
