Time without Trains

Ran the first train since April. Wow, what a long spell. Too much work and not enough play!

 

Deer Creek and Laurel Mixed Heads North

 The "mixed" comes back into Deer Creek after descending from Collins.

Started a box car kit that was recently sent via one of my father's friends. He's no longer in On3, seems like On3 is getting smaller each year. Still my scale and gauge of choice!

Been a long time since I sat at the workbench. Box cars are relatively easy and this one doesn't have truss rods (EB&T steel underframe), which makes it even easier. Really fun to build these up. The trucks even have four springs per side. They are Portland Products, long gone, but EXCELLENT brass castings...

 Some steel plate epoxied in for weight

Nothing holding these together except the springs!!

On30 4-4-0 Nears Completion

This weekend I added some final touches to my modified Bachmann On30 4-4-0. I never liked the original model. Too modern, drivers too small for a 4-4-0, etc. After seeing an article in the On30 Annual, where two folks modified their 4-4-0's similarly, I decided to go for it. That and I could pick up a new one from the Favorite Spot on Ebay for less than $60.00.

Just like the article, I added a Banta Cab, PSC domes, stack, headlight, backup light. I added a new cowcatcher (Mount Blue, I think), raised the tender a bit (still looks low) and a TCS WOW decoder. WOW is right. 1. the engine runs much better, the Bachmann decoder was, well, junk. 2. the sound IS AWESOME. Sorry Soundtraxx, you've got some catching up to do..........



The photo is on Mike's On30 Maine based layout. It was a test run and a chance to check out his new switchlist set up. Till next time............

Back to the SHAY

Worked again on the shay this weekend. I managed to get it running, but rather poorly a while back. So, I took each truck apart, yet again, and un-soldered the truck bolster for each. I had been told to do so while originally assembling the truck by master shay builder "Killer" but over the multiple rebuilding of the trucks, they had ultimately gotten soldered. I also replaced the front trucks bevel gears as they too occationally gave me binding issues. Poorly made castings but no defects visible to the eye, even with magnification. Replaced with new castings, no problem. A pain in the rear to do all this work, yet again, but the shay is now up and running.

I worked a little on adding the sound decoder and some final details. Turns out PSC included four FRONT TRUCK GEAR COVERS! instead of two for the front and two for the back. I will have to order new ones to finish the engine. Still need to add some cab interior details, generator, check value and tubing then figure out lighting. Always more but a great feeling of accomplishment in getting the engine running.

Virginia Beach On30 Meet

Back from a fun weekend in Virginia Beach with a bunch of 0n30 folks. Had a chance to put some faces with names. Tom Sullivan deserves a great big THANK YOU for putting on this wonderful event. Lots of long-time and new narrow gauger's in attendance. (Mark Chase, Bill Davis, Steve Sherrill, Bill Uffelman, and Steve Fisher to name a few). Clinics were given on soldering, paper models, weathering wood, weathering and reality, show and tell, and what's new in dead rail.

Tom had his two-foot based On30 line running for the group. Tom's done a great job getting the layout together. I failed to recognize some of my own handywork displayed. Tom did a great job on the shingled engine house!

We also visited a nice western On30 logging layout by Bryan Brown, a short drive away. Bryan has been building some wonderful Serra West kits and his layout displays them very well.

 

Tom Colasurdo provided some AWESOME smoked pork barbeque that went over very well with the group. Overall it was a wonderful time. Not enough time to see it all, talk to everyone, so we'll have to do it again!

More KIL&T Shay Progress On30

After conversing with my friend and expert brass worker Jeff Kraker, I dove into changing the tender. He suggested that I use brass wire for the tender wrap over. I had fairly good success with using his technique on the first try. One end did get bent a little while I was working with it, which made things more difficult than they needed to be. I cut the old top off using a dremel tool cutting disc, then filed to get a flat surface on all three sides. Not a perfect fit but close enough, especially for the first try. The new brass top was mounted onto the tender shell using AC glue.

Once I got the tender shell back on, I finished the dome sander mechanism and sander pipes. Still need to fix the headlight, do some painting, add the other cab door, do some weathering, then add the cab windows. The project is coming along nicely.

Here's one of their shays: http://www.gearedsteam.com/shay/images/kelley_island_lime_n_transport_co_17-sn793.jpg

Bachmann to Kelley Island Shay - Trying to finish another "Project"

As part of my finish what you started or get rid of it mode.............

The Kelley Island Lime and Transport Co has been an interest of mine since Lee Rainey published some articles in RMC back in the 1985. There are lots of photos and information about the line. Very tempting with the small shays, dump cars, steam shovels, ships, large steel bridges with passing sidings, tipples, etc.

http://www.gearedsteam.com/shay/images/kelley_island_lime_n_transport_co_17-sn793.jpg

While the Bachmann On30 shay is a bit small (13 ton) for the engines used on the KIL&T (lots and lots of 18 ton engines), I have always thought you could get it to look "close". So here is what I have been working on (an off) for a while. I added a small shay sand dome from Wiseman Model Services, a Cab from Banta, etc. Still need to change the tender a bit and add some details.

 I just made and added some gear covers.  An easier project than what I thought it would be. They are mounted with AC glue and two pins each.

Fords are here!

Finished two 1912 Ford Trucks from Wiseman Model Services. These kits have extremely nice detail for a soft metal kit. Very impressive. Only problem with the kits are that the soft metal is SOFT! If you look at a part too long, the force of your eye strain will bend the part. No, really! The first truck was the most difficult as I followed the instructions. Mistake! Definitely do not do the wheels, axles and underbody first. When you hold the model to fit the upper parts, you WILL bend the wheels and axles mercilessly. The second went together much easier since I put all the upper details on first, then the underbody details. The parts fit together very well (unusual in my experience with many soft metal kits). They ACC glued very, very well. The most difficult or most time consuming part is painting. Still working on that.

Great kits, they went together fairly quickly and easily. With as much time on bending stuff back and painting as anything else. I recommend these kits, just don't let anyone pick them (bend, bend) up.

Cheers!

Brian