I've started working on some tractor trailer units for companies that we see locally here in the northwest. My first is the Franz bakery. The trailer is Classic Metal Works and the tractor is Con-Cor which I repainted in yellow. I'm waiting on some blue striping decals for the cab. I plan to do Oak Harbor Freight Lines and a Darigold tanker as well.
Ugh! I get the motivation to pull a loco out of it's box and run it and wind up having to work on it. This is a bachmann DCC S4 I got new on sale a year or so back. Out of the box it ran real jerky and thought I cleaned it up pretty good programming CVs. I can't remember exactly but I must have gave up on perfection because running it again today it told me I didn't get it sorted. I have an ESU lokpilot needing a loco so went ahead and installed it. With some motor programming I got it cleaned up real nice but... the decoder is the type with a next 18 plug and is 1mm too thick with the connector for the shell to fit on like it should. The plug/adapter board basically doubles the thickness of a normal lokpilot micro. I could get the space I need with some frame milling or cut the plastic shroud around the motor. The latter doesn't appeal to me because I'd like some separation heat-wise between the motor can and decoder. Don't want to hack away at the frame either as I'd have to mount the decoder right on the truck drives to get the room. I've ordered a lokpilot micro decoder I know will work so now just get the original LED's off the factory board then wire with inline resistors to get ready for the new decoder. Think I'll also do some minor detail work on the shell to get the engine looking a little more crisp while waiting.
Today I have a little repair job on the bench. Many years ago a friend of mine built a model of Rock Island #750 and asked me to add a working head light. This I did using the technology available at the time, a grain of wheat bulb. The bulb finally burned out so this loco is getting a new bright white LED light. Seems to work good so far.
Another project that has been setting on my workbench for a few months with pieces parts marinating in denatured alcohol to get them cleaned and ready for paint. This is the showcase miniatures GMC wrecker. Helluva lotta parts lol. Should turn out to be a really nice model if I do it right.
Nice. Showcase Miniatures is a great company run by fine folks. Look forward to seeing the finished truck.
So my workbench finally has trains on it. The boat sails nice, the motorcycle will get attention when it’s not so bloody hot out, and I’m not in a hurry on that one as bike selling season is over. I have till next spring to get it ready. So off to work on trains. I finally got decoders in my 3 newest engines, and I’m doing some work on the 3D printer for an up coming module. Anyone have a guess as to what this is going to be? My Maersk SD40-2 on the program track And the 3 locos that, like The Scarecrow, got new brains. I also got a bit of work on a single module, but the paint is still drying so no pics… it’s still outside.
No one tried guessing what I was printing? Well the print took 41 hours 34 minutes. And here is what I ended up with. It’s not yet complete, I have a couple more pieces that need to be finished, then I need to paint it. But surely now you can tell what it is!
No more than when you first asked. It is some place from a fantasies tale. Maybe a book or cartoon movie.
Cemetery scene is right, but what movie? Yes it’s from a movie. I have a few pieces still left to print and install. The colors are simply because my white filament would not stick to the platter, so I used my multi colored filament instead. I have an order of black filament coming today, and I will be printing it again in black. Which ever one looks best after painting is the one going on my module.
