Sept. workbench

I haven't touched a thing since June.  Going downstairs and straighten some things up this afternoon and see where I left off.  I know it shouldn't be hard to find something that I can do.

Bob Bochenek

I constructed main control pannel

First I Installed my switch machines. Then Devised the Touch Control Panel. That was a little "touchy". Now to add the wires. At the moment crossovers were not anticipated by the manufacturer, so I had to splice some wires.

Wiring up the switch machines using the adapters shown in the photo above was easy.

Other than a mess....

Here's the only thing making any real progress on my workbench at the moment:

I just put a coat of paint on it this afternoon.  Not bad for an HO scale 3D printed cab, I think.

It didn't take long...

I found this Red Caboose X-29 B&O  boxcar sitting with the trucks disassembled and painted.  I put it together, gave it a little weathering and placed it on the layout at the Orient Pacific Trading Company dock.

It's nice to start shaking the cobwebs off and get back into doing things in the hobby again!

Bob Bochenek 

Bob, Ken and Rich

Under the workbench

Since I use my benchwork as a workbench at times, does this count?

An in progress action shot of tortoise wiring under the yard.

Andrew

HOn30 Railtruck

Looking at possible designs for an HOn30 railtruck.

Here's some of the possible power units.

Really didn't like any of the above railtrucks. But I think I've found the right combo.

Bernd

C&E depot, 3d printed in HO

Designed and 3d printed this for a clinic next month at the MoPac and Frisco convention in Joplin.  I won't have it done for the National Narrow Gauge Convention next week, but I should have it done for the MoPac convention.  It is the Cassville and Exeter Depot in Cassville, MO.

I will also be covering how I built the Frisco Section house for the Frisco folks,  http://nvrr49.blogspot.com/2014/05/frisco-section-house-3d-printed-in-ho.html
 

Streets and sidewalks on Lunde Street

Still working on sidewalks.  Last coat of drywall mud is dry, ready for sanding and carving.  I used to make my own wood forms for pouring my plaster sidewalks but Trevor Marshall convinced me to make the curbs out styrene.  Both methods have their advantages.  The 1/2" rise in the street is almost undetectable at this point.

There are kits made under four different brand names here, but they're all designed by Bob Lunde.

I won't show the workbench;

I won't show the workbench; it's a MESS.  But, on it is a Roundhouse Boxcab almost ready for a builder's test run.  There's a Bachmann 44 tonner with DCC under the hood there.  Also, 4 roundhouse coaches and a business car are primed and awaiting the shed to cool down enough to run the airbrush...A/C's are wonderful

" it is a Roundhouse Boxcab

" it is a Roundhouse Boxcab almost ready for a builder's test run.  There's a Bachmann 44 tonner with DCC under the hood there. "

   That's an interesting loco. Do you have any more photos or construction notes? ...DaveB

Moved from the workbench

I'm working on my Palmer structure and moved it from the workbench to the layout for a test fit.  The curved styrene channels in the foreground are for the overhead door which will be able to be operated (opened / closed) to add some operational interest.

Boxcab notes

I haven't photographed or documented this build all that much, because everything to be said has been said HERE: http://gearedsteam.blogspot.com/2009_09_26_archive.html

It's built almost exactly per the article there--though I did manage to salvage the cut levers from the boxcab, and might use them.

I have another one that, at some point, I might superdetail more--seperate wire ladders and grabs, etc, but this one is intended to be a good looking, reliable runner on the club layout--which means rugged enough for safe transport.

I also have 2 Roundhouse Climax shells, which also fit nicely, and 5 more 44 tonners to power them.

Too big for the workbench, but next too it.

Our On30 Modular Group has a show one week from today and have been crunching on Reverse Loops.

This one is totally operational and it heads off to the "make it pretty shop tomorrow".

This week

No pictures. Sorry. Changed out switch motors on a crossover down at the club. Previous wiring resulted in too much voltage on the Tortoises, so one machine was grinding its gears.  Microswitch attached to one was not making contact, so the system was shorting when thrown for the X-over.

Set up two new Torti with two microswitches, dropped the old machines, slid the new ones into place, and tested. Took maybe an hour end-to-end.

Haven't worked on anything since Summer started

I haven't worked on anything since Summer began.  I retired from the military 1 Dec, and moved from Texas to NW Florida.  After a Summer of home renovations, I am currently building my workbench.

Has there been a post regarding work bench organization?  I am having a devil of a time searching for it via the google search link at the top of the page.  Any suggestions?

Bear

Getting ready to put down the

Getting ready to put down the roadbed and maybe some track this week. After a 20 year hiatus it feels good to be back in the "saddle" again.  

Workshops

Look at http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/magazine/mrh-2013-02-feb/gr_my-workshop

Jack Burgess, builder of the Yosemite Valley, talks about his model building space.

Workbench Organization

If you are a reader of RMC, the scratch building series in it has had some good ideas over the years. A lot of that series has also been put into book format and with the recent trouble for Carstens you might be able to get it on sale.

Jack

MDC Class A Climaxes

Dear Irish,

Don't consign those Class As to SG duty, 

- follow the instructions in the Battle Mountain 3-in-1 Class A kit,
http://kitbash.ourpage.com/3in1/1510a.pdf
/> (start on Page 5)

- section and narrow the Climax shell,
- shorten to a prototypical 22-25'
- drop on top of a sweet-running and cheap LL N scale SW1200,

and you have a HOn30 Wagontop or T-boiler Class A,
which is very close to proto dimensions in most critical/obvious areas, 
which will run well, haul good, and last for decades...

Happy Modelling,
Aim to Improve,
Prof Klyzlr

​PS with some strategic regauging and minor sideframe tweaking, same mech can be used for HOn3...

PPS with some lateral thinking, and considering the donor shell "backwards", it could even form the basis of a Vertical boiler Class A!

Has there been a post regarding work bench organization?

This thread from last winter started as a tour of various contributors' workshops and expanded into a discussion of 5S shop orginazation and much more.

pqe

Working on the RS-27 fleet

Thomas Gasior

Builds and weathering

I started working on a pair of HO scale resin flat car kits in August and they reached the ready-to-paint stage last week. These are Pennsylvania Railroad F22 class heavy duty flat cars produced by Funaro & Camerlengo. I focus on a late 1926 era so I used Tichy heavy duty arch bar trucks. These were often used in pairs for heavy loads, most commonly to transport naval gun barrels for refinishing. I have other prototype photos of them moving large bridge girders and heavy castings. These would make a good first build for a modeler considering a resin freight car kit. As the side sills are deep, I did not model the brake system. The brake staff and retainer valves remain to be added.

Eric

Weathering

I forgot I noted weathering in the last post title. Here are a few cars that went through the weathering factory the other day. I visited a friend and we weathered seven box cars over a few hours. The Central of Georgia car is an HO scale Atlas 1932 ARA box car while the NKP car is a Branchline Yardmaster 1937 AAR design box car. 

Here are two Accurail single sheathed box cars that will be used on my layout set in late 1926. The lettering post dates my era and the models do not reflect the Erie and Western Maryland prototypes as specifically as I like, but they are good to use to keep the weathering practices sharp and as stand ins for layout operations.

It was fun to visit with my friend and learn a few techniques from each other as these cars (and a few others) were transformed to reflect a few thousand rail miles traveled.

Eric