Workshop Wednesday

Thanks Steve! It sure looks good where you have it. Heck I have enough wheels here to build a few more LOL. I dont want to go into the bidness of building these, but I guess I could build a few. I got an email from Brass Trains today with one undecorated for $350.00. Think I will pass on that one LOL.

 

The past couple of Wednesdays I worked on a special project for local legend, Chuck Hitchcock. He had three N & G Railway Signal Company semaphores that he wanted to operate. My task was to engineer the solution and then install them. Attached are pictures of the engineered solution and installation. They are simply controlled using toggle switches and a Tam Valley Quad Servo Decoder. The five volts that power the servos also drive the LED lamps through 470 ohm resistors. I cut a piece of ash to 1" x 1" square and then 7/8" long (3/4" for thickness of benchwork plus 1/8" for the concrete base) and mounted to the 1/8" x 3" x 3" Masonite base plate, drilled a hole to accommodate the actuator rod and wires for the 0402 SMD LED. Mounted the semaphore using Aleene's Tacky Glue, and then mounted the servo to the base plate. I drilled a 1" diameter hole at the mounting locations and used a sabre saw to make the holes square. Used #8 x 1/2" sheet metal screws to mount the assemblies to the underside of the benchwork.

 

Looking good Bill!

 

Got this replacement car finished today. I changed the color of the transformer on this one a bit. I found some thick sheet lead on a peg board behind a bunch of other stuff. Milled the underside of the well deck (man there is a lot of plastic there) enough to lay the lead in, and place some .005 sheet plastic to cover it up, also was able to mill under the ends above the trucks, not so much plastic there,placed lead where I could there too, got the car heavy enough to run MT, so this car is unloadable. I will get this out on the MRR one of these days and place it in service.



Thanks for stopping by.

 

Contest quality model. I bet that car glides smooth as silk.

 

Thanks William.
To be honest, I was so busy looking at that trestle and scenery, I didn't even notice those flat bottom gons on that stub track. Thanks for showing me.

Thanks Jim.
Yessir, it rolls right along my friend. I see you are selling your Nn3 stuff huh? I agree thats pretty small to work with I bet. I couldnt help but see in the background the Zalma branch. Did you do some more expanding to it?

Thanks fellas for the comments.

 

Thanks Steve,
I made them out of .060X.060 square stock and .010X.080 strap, drilled holes in them and attached with plastic rod. This transformer was modified by the designer after I suggested he modify the lift/hold down lugs, he made them pretty thick. He just had some downward facing hook type things originally, the lift lugs on your transformer are actually lift lugs for HO F units. So your clevises are a bit smaller like .040 square stock.

Thank you too Sherrel,
Don't know if I am getting any better or not. Seems all I know, is the older I get, the better I used to feel. I probably would still be trying to do it, if it hadn't been made possible by a young man in High School and 3D printers.

As always, thanks for the comments.

 

Absolutely phenomenal!