N scale "What's on your workbench?"

Mark Watson Oct 28, 2009

  1. Hardcoaler

    Hardcoaler TrainBoard Member

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    Wow, that is all super neat stuff there. I've seen this sort of thing in use, but nothing that rivals the workmanship and utility of what I see here. Great work @Massey ! (y)
     
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  2. MK

    MK TrainBoard Member

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    @Massey nice work there! Just curious, no need for vents?
     
  3. Massey

    Massey TrainBoard Member

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    I don’t know yet honestly. I am basing this off the temps that the old unit got to during a show and it was in a smaller box, with a computer and screen as well and it was just fine even with the lid closed. If all else fails there is enough room for a PC fan in the lid and more than enough amperage left in the power supply to make it work.
     
    Last edited: Mar 20, 2023
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  4. MK

    MK TrainBoard Member

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    Thanks Massey as I'm contemplating a similar overhaul of my club's DCC box.
     
  5. BigJake

    BigJake TrainBoard Member

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    Tesla's release was a live-recorded, 1990 remake, some 19 years after Five Man Electrical Band released it in 1971.

    Interesting name, 'Tesla', for a band eschewing electric guitars for acoustic ones.
     
  6. Massey

    Massey TrainBoard Member

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    I had discovered the original a short time after Tesla’s release of the song. In the song they say “That’s an old song, signs signs, we didn’t write that one, but I wish we did!” So that got me searching for the original. I like both versions. And yes “Tesla” going acoustic is interesting to say the least. They actually sound good both ways.
     
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  7. Massey

    Massey TrainBoard Member

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    Today’s workbench activities involved my Woodland Scenics layout. I added 2 new drops for power in the smaller loop. All my trains would hesitate and jitter in this area no matter how clean the tracks were. I noticed this area was the farthest away from power so it may need more. Whoever built this only made 3 drops total. Well now it has 5 and trains are running much smoother.
     
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  8. John Moore

    John Moore TrainBoard Supporter

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    Well the pursuit of even smaller motive power continues. This time I have ordered and received a Bmann Plymouth switcher shell for a measly $12 and I already had a TomyTec TM-TR02 mechanism. My attempt here is to create a small switcher Based off of a small 20 ton Plymouth. The TR02 fits under the Bmann shell with a minimum of sanding and hopefully when finished I will have a nice little 25 foot long loco that will be better than the two TGW locos I worked on. As you can see I have already chopped some off the over sized loco.


    And what I am loosely basing it off off.

     
  9. John Moore

    John Moore TrainBoard Supporter

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    Well the new switcher has had lead weight added to the shell and test ran on the layout pulling five 40 ft. hoppers with ease. The mechanism has MTs installed and I am getting ready to install the very neat side frames. Test fitting a sand dome on the hood. Need to install a exhaust stack and bell and a headlight on the cab rear. I left the headlight on the long hood front, and also install a set of airhorns or maybe a single chime horn. But before all that another coat of paint and a sealer after it dries and have to glaze the windows.


    And a picture of an unaltered one so you can see what I have chopped off.

     
  10. platypus

    platypus TrainBoard Member

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    Always enjoy seeing your small loco creations @John Moore . I have A TR04 that I have to figure out how to mount under a Bachmann trolley at some point
     
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  11. Sumner

    Sumner TrainBoard Member

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    Nice work. I have at least one of the Plymouth switchers that has axle problems. I got it cheap and was going to put it on a siding somewhere or maybe in a field abandon but then you came up with this. I think I'll order a TM-TR02 mechanism. So what are you using for the side frames? Are they a frame option that comes with the TR02?

    Sumner

    P.S. Well maybe not. I bought some items from Plaza a couple years back and don't remember the shipping being as high as what I'm seeing now.
     
    Last edited: Mar 21, 2023
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  12. John Moore

    John Moore TrainBoard Supporter

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    Covid has boosted everything up. Yes the TM-TR02 does come with a brill type sideframe. Looking at the early Plymouth photos I can get away with using it. To get the mechanism to fit good I used a rotary sander to take a bit of material out of the shell top. And then I also rounded off the top of the mechanism a bit and everything snugged right down. I had to take the slightest bit of the inside sides of the shell also but just a hair. In the photo you can see where I rounded the top of the mechanism a bit and since I painted the sideframes they really show on the power chassis.

     
    Last edited: Mar 22, 2023
  13. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Shipping from anywhere is highly inflated now. USPS has raised their rates numerous times in the past year and a half, with more planned. I just recently ordered from Plaza. I used their least expensive rate and it still came here to the States quite swiftly.
     
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  14. Sumner

    Sumner TrainBoard Member

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    The lowest I found was $25 for a $45 total. I did find another place on the bay for $33 total. I guess I'll pass for now as I have no shortage of projects that I'm working on right now but will keep the info from here for future reference.

    Sumner
     
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  15. John Moore

    John Moore TrainBoard Supporter

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    You can order the entire set of drive wheels from Bmann and fix your Plymouth or you can order a single gear axle for about $3. The entire set only cost $12.

    Well the conversion is done except for dull coating and window glazing, With the surgery on the shell I have it at 23 feet in length. I may take the TomTec weights and drill them out to insert some heavier tungsten putty in them to increase the tractive effort even further. I like this little creation much better than the TGW locos. So much so that I just ordered two more TR02 mechanisms and to more Plymouth shells. And on the plus side not using the Bmann mechanism means I don't have to listen to a threshing machine running around the layout. The TomyTec has a low volume pleasing hum when it runs that can be barely heard.


     
  16. John Moore

    John Moore TrainBoard Supporter

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    Well finished the Bachmann Plymouth rebuild and had it on the track pulling 8 cars. That is twice what the TGWs will pull even with extra weights.



    I like it so much that I have two more shells on order plus two more TR02 mechanisms. I will use the experience with this one to design a few different changes on the next two.

    Shown with the TGW disaster of a loco it replaces.


    But there still may be some life left in the TGW. To the left is a TGW M of W vehicle with a 4.5 volt motor and studies are underway to engineer a M of W out of the failed unit.

     
  17. freddy_fo

    freddy_fo TrainBoard Member

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    I just installed MU hoses and plow on this SD40-2W. Atlas did an excellent job on this loco but no plow. Used a trainworx plow from my inventory and some PE hoses left over from a pilot dress up kit. Right now just building up the black paint on the hoses so they appear more realistic.

    20230324_095121.jpg

    20230324_095201.jpg
     
  18. Sumner

    Sumner TrainBoard Member

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    Got the servo switch boxes made and installed over the last couple days for the turnouts going into the hidden staging and hidden coal mine complex tracks.

    [​IMG]
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    Might make a short video on building the switch boxes and the servo controls and then back to laying cork, track and building more turnouts.

    Sumner
     
  19. jhn_plsn

    jhn_plsn TrainBoard Supporter

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    Turnout building material litters my workbench. This was a mistake. I should have set up inside so if I chose to work on benchwork I would have had a work space. I guess I am locked in now.
     
  20. Massey

    Massey TrainBoard Member

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    Tonight was a busy night for me. I got decoders and lights installed in my 3 Kato Chargers. I don’t have any way to program them at the moment, but once I finish my command station box I will get to it. 301, 302, and 304 are all done. I also added lighting to 7 of my Superliners. That is more tricky to get right than it seems. If the light board hits the diffuser it will end up being super bright on one end and barely any light on the other, but if you can get them to line up right there is still a brighter end, but it’s less so and the rest of the car is well lit. That took a but of trial and error, but I got them all good. I also worked on a Micro Trains SW1500 for a friend, I was planning on hardwiring a decoder to the wheels, but if I had have done that the wires would have restricted the movement of the front truck too much. There wasn’t enough room for the wires to go up in the front, so they would have had to go to the rear, but there wouldn’t have been enough room for the slack to allow the movement. I’m not a fan of the tabs, but it seems the best way with that frame design. I cleaned up all contacts, reshaped the tabs to contact the trucks and frame better and reassembled.
     
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