HO Scale - What's On Your Workbench?

RDGbuff56 Nov 17, 2009

  1. GP30

    GP30 TrainBoard Member

    3,527
    2,337
    81
    I finally cleaned up my work bench and started building a #8 turnout. I will need at least three of these for the throat of the classification yard. I want to have these ready to go for when track work progresses that far later this fall.[​IMG]


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
    fordy744, dalebaker and BNSF FAN like this.
  2. JimmyZ

    JimmyZ TrainBoard Member

    184
    187
    18
    I mainly model N Scale since I no longer have an HO scale layout. However, I still enjoy building the Bowser, Roundhouse/MDC, and whatever else is out there in kit form. I've been searching for an Arbour Models 2-6-6-6 Allegheny for a while and one popped up on the auction site a few months ago. I put in an offer and it was accepted. The train was partially built. Mostly the boiler and cab. I heard the horror stories of this kit and was prepared for the struggles. Unfortunately, the struggles were all too real. Upon receipt, two of the cross-rods were broken. I tried to repair them but finally gave up. The cross rods for the Bowser K11 are very close in size and center-center diameter of the Allegheny drivers and are still available for purchase. With some fitting and fine tuning, the mechanism runs super smooth but the original motor was just too loud. I'm waiting on a NWSL motor. In the interim, I'm using a generic can motor with flywheel and it runs very smooth and quiet but doesn't have the torque I expect from the NWLS motor. Anyway, she's finally ready for primer and paint. There are a few details missing in these pics but will be added after paint.
     

    Attached Files:

  3. Mr. Trainiac

    Mr. Trainiac TrainBoard Member

    1,540
    2,131
    46
    That's a nice looking model. I don't know much about Arbour or what happened to them. I knew they had a 2-8-4 berkshire (C&O?) kit, but I haven't seen many other models by them. I'd like to try my hand at building a model like this; the diecast medium isn't very popular anymore, but they seem so expensive on eBay. Either they are super expensive NOS, or a poorly-built completed without a box.
     
  4. JimmyZ

    JimmyZ TrainBoard Member

    184
    187
    18
    Thanks! The Bowser models are really nice when you add some detail but like you said they tend to go for a pretty high price. I've picked up a few that were a mess but luckily almost all parts are still available. I did pay a pretty penny for this kit but it's been my "white whale". It's made with a very soft metal alloy and causes a lot of little pieces to be very fragile and Arbour Models went out of business years ago, so no spares re available. It required a bit of scratch building to get everything working well. Hopefully, it'll be completed within the week.
     
    Bobby pitts likes this.
  5. Mr. Trainiac

    Mr. Trainiac TrainBoard Member

    1,540
    2,131
    46
    I can understand paying up for this one. I think the Allegheny wheel arrangement is pretty interesting, and I think the rarity of an Arbour makes it more of a collector's item than a Bowser. I think taking the time to repair and upgrade missing components was the right thing to do. I'd rather see it run than keep everything original or have it end up as another unfinished project in a box.

    Do you have the tender for it? I think the Allegheny tender is pretty wild too, I have seen photos where the lead truck is 3-axle, but the trailing truck under the 'water' portion of the tender is 4-axle.
     
    Bobby pitts likes this.
  6. JimmyZ

    JimmyZ TrainBoard Member

    184
    187
    18
    Yep. I have the tender as well. I'll post some pics once Ii get it all back together after paint.
     
    Bobby pitts likes this.
  7. GP30

    GP30 TrainBoard Member

    3,527
    2,337
    81
    Finally got to try my new soldering station this morning. Boy, what a difference the right tool for the job makes! Back to building turnouts!

    [​IMG]


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  8. Bobby pitts

    Bobby pitts March 30, 2022 In Memoriam

    80
    172
    5
    Two tank cars going through serious upgrades, one plastic, one brass! I'm doing something I usually don't do, a little here and a little there! I also, for the first time I'm using custom decals on one!

    Regards, Bobby
     
    GP30 likes this.
  9. KCSSteve

    KCSSteve New Member

    2
    2
    1
    I recently came into possession of 6 boxes of the Nickel Plate Products Dispatchers Special California Zephyr Cars and three brass products from Oriental Limited. Not sure if I'm going to put them on my collectors shelf or use them in trade/sale for more purchases of things I'd actually use...

    Also getting ready to dive into my first wooden kit on my own, a QCM 1978 Prestige PRR Covered Hopper. My grandfather (RIP) and Mother have always helped me in the past with them. I'm really wanting to get into weathering and detailing which were their forte's but Mom is 1800 miles away now so gotta put my big boy boots on now lol.
     
    Shortround and Bobby pitts like this.
  10. KCSSteve

    KCSSteve New Member

    2
    2
    1
    Where did you get that turnout jig? I really like that!
     
  11. GP30

    GP30 TrainBoard Member

    3,527
    2,337
    81
    Fast Tracks


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
    KCSSteve likes this.
  12. JimmyZ

    JimmyZ TrainBoard Member

    184
    187
    18
    She's almost there! I need to paint and install the windows and add some more minor details. Additionally, i'm not happy with the tender pick-up, so I'm going to add some brass wipers to help it out.
     

    Attached Files:

  13. RGW1

    RGW1 TrainBoard Member

    484
    370
    20
    Made a Dummy 0-8-0 to pull doubleheaded ( only run DC at this time) or to sit in the yard or sidings or maybe in the scrap yard.
     

    Attached Files:

    Moose2013, fordy744, gmorider and 2 others like this.
  14. RGW1

    RGW1 TrainBoard Member

    484
    370
    20
    had to grind down the flanges to run on code 83
     
  15. rch

    rch TrainBoard Member

    349
    825
    32
    What was your process to reduce the flange size? I have a bunch of Rivarossi locomotives with the giant flanges.
     
  16. RGW1

    RGW1 TrainBoard Member

    484
    370
    20
    power the locos with test leads and hold a rotary tool with a sanding disk against the flanges. Some times I will hold a small file on the wheels to get the correct angle. On the trucks ( only metal wheels ,plastic melt/distort ) put it at a slight angle and the wheels will spin, however only for short intervals so as not the melt bearing or truck side frames from friction.
     
    rch likes this.
  17. Mr. Trainiac

    Mr. Trainiac TrainBoard Member

    1,540
    2,131
    46
    Here’s what I have been working on this week: 658BB75B-8675-4D7A-A250-31F54FB6F75B.jpeg 569BB5CA-786B-4D14-83B8-BB997A606C48.jpeg 45AD1916-5D44-40B9-A96A-1B24BA755109.jpeg

    My main additions were the Details West 296 SD75 detail kit, the AU300 SD75 auxiliary detail kit, and Cannon etched steps. I also used a lot of generic diesel parts like MU hoses and sunshades. I swapped the air filter too, since it looks like the unit I’m modeling has a new filter that doesn’t match the one in the Details West kit. I’m still waiting on a mail delivery for MU jumper cables, and I still need to install coupler cut levers, but for the most part it’s basically done.

    This was my first super detailed model that I kept in factory paint. The hardest part was protecting the existing paint when I had to remove certain cast-on details, and trying to match new paint to the existing colors Athearn used. The silver looks a little off in certain direct lighting, but the benefit is that everything is in shadow under the walkways anyways.

    This has been Phase 2 of my three part project. Phase 1 was lighting and DCC, and Phase 3 will be a BNSF decal patch-out. BNSF patched these into the 8200 series in 1998 or 99, so I need to convert mine from the ATSF 3 digit number. I’ll probably get to that over the holiday break around Christmas.
     
    fordy744, dalebaker, gmorider and 3 others like this.
  18. Pastor John

    Pastor John TrainBoard Member

    888
    4,509
    42
    I bought this Bachmann GP7(GP9?) on FB Marketplace and it arrived today. This evening I took it downstairs to my test track. I didn't know the DCC loco number, so I set up the program track and... nada.

    My throttle insisted that there was a short and I began to worry that I'd been ripped off. I looked for loose connections, then started looking for loose wires in the loco. Still nothing.

    But, after some googling, I discovered that this generation of Bachmann decoders we're sometimes difficult to read with Digitrax throttles. That thread suggested adding a 1k ohm resistor across the tracks while programming.

    That fixed it.

    Once I had the loco CV it ran fine. The only odd thing is that activating the headlight switches both front and rear lights simultaneously.

    Oh, and one coupler will need to be replaced. Otherwise, it's ready to go.[​IMG]

    Sent from my SM-A716U using Tapatalk
     
  19. gjslsffan

    gjslsffan Staff Member

    2,626
    5,747
    69
    GP 38-2 is what it looks to me.
     
    dalebaker and Pastor John like this.
  20. Mr. Trainiac

    Mr. Trainiac TrainBoard Member

    1,540
    2,131
    46
    To go along with the Buckeye truck in the 3D printing forum, I started another project to scratch build the DODX flatcar they go under. These deck plates were cut on a Cricut cutting machine, I’m just going back and punching out the container shoe pockets that didn’t cut all the way through.

    The Cricut has been a breakthrough for making components like this, I’ve used it in the past to make passenger car sides, but it was a lifesaver on all of the slots around the container pedestal cover plates. I couldn’t imagine doing all of those tiny holes by hand. On the digital file, they are 2.5 scale inches wide, which is getting to be on the lower end of the machine’s ability, but they still turned out pretty well. Any smaller than that, and the blade probably couldn’t make the radius at the end.

    [​IMG]
     

Share This Page