First, a quick video of the derailed cars, And a quick pic of the re-gapped tie bar, a little embarassing.
A couple quicky videos of my resurrected favorites. The #4 needed upgrading to Spectrum tender trucks and frame. The slopeback tender frame fit nicely under the shell. The #11 needed a remotor after all the abuse I handed her pulling TOO many cars up my old 5.3% grade!
And still just having fun running trains! But there are a couple of active projects going today . . .
After a grueling couple of weeks, with several family stresses and trying to keep up with work, I made time to both operate trains AND make a few videos! The trackwork is getting de-bugged fairly well now and it is much more saisfying to set the switches and just watch a train casually arrive, flowing through them as it should. The 501 mallet has just finished dropping some empty tanks and picked up some boxcars, aired up it's new train and is waiting for the 2511 to arrive and clear the main so they can get their highball. 2511 has cleared, highball is given and away we go! The 4 is caught bringing some work flats she retrieved fro the new extension at the end of the vid.
A switch engine is needed at the yard, so thgis lucky gal is getting straight DCC and iwill lose it's pilot truck as well. Here we go. The Spectrum slope tender frame fits nicely under the stock MP shell, with very little modification. The new drawbar screw hole and the new wire pass through on the spectrum frame. These are the only changes to the frame, except for a new coupler. The shell needs redrilled to accept the wiring, And it fits nicely, So it's time to soldr in the NCE decoder. After the soldering, it tested on the programming track and ran, so on to the lighting. Here you can see how the drawbar fit, a smidgen closer than the original fit, and the wires passing through. More to come!
After the mornings work, it got too hot to work outside, so that was a good excuse to solder the rest ot the wires up for the front headlight. And they bothe work! On to the pilot, being a switcher, it needed shortened. I took off about an 1/8th". Then some brass was added for weight and stiffness. Coupler height was adjusted, bending up the end of the middle bit of brass. And here she is assembled and ready for breaking in and programming. And of course there is a short video!
Thanks! Been plugging away at the details today. Got an engineer painted up, some other touch up painting and other little things.
Back of the headlight looks way better now. And that green glow from the BFS is gone! Now the stack needs a bit of fill.... Used some neolube on the wheel flanges and valve gear, and did some black touch up on wires and other bits under the walkway. Holes are now in the cab roof for them necessary vent hatches. Got to let that excess syeam heat out in the spring summer and fall!
Thanks! Am still working on some finishing details and getting the running programmed nicely. These loco's do run nicely!
And a quick video of the 5 doing some switching. More details to add, but thought to just get some more break-in time before the final detailing.
Haven't done much more than run trains for the last month, but here's an interesting video of a SLOW crawl! Them Model Power steamers are sure getting good. Then, just for fun pictures, And my just couldn't pass them up acquisitions from Jim's Junction.
Have been asked by a few for a recent overview of the layout. It is a 10 x 25 ft area in a U shape with a line doing a climb around the room to get to the level of stage 2, when I decide to build that area. Without further ado, here's a video, trains haven't turned a wheel for a couple of weeks, been too busy. So I did get one moving for the video.
Nope, haven't dropped off the end of the world, or fallen into the Yellowstone! Been a hectic couple of months of, life. I have been able to run a few trains, and here's an interesting night video. I put the camera on a tripod for it, and then played!
I did find time to put together another 4-6-0, Bman with an Econami-100 in it. First to go was the pilot. The old Bman is in front and the new Rivarossi with Nn3 coupler is in back. Got to have a firebox flicker. And a light in the doghouse. Numbered it last night, but still more to do.
Under some gentle coercion from a close freind, picked up some too modern passenger cars. I DO really like these paint schemes, and it's a toss up which I like better. The C-C are nice, but the Centralia are just insanely nice! You will notice that the train is awaiting power. . . . Which is lieing in it's box where I left it after getting it to this condition. What does it need? Better pickups. The loco is old school set up with half pickup on either half. Some insulation, PB wire and JB weld and we will see.