the LGB Forney project

Some time ago, I was asked if I could narrow an LGB Forney from 45mm gauge to 32mm gauge, in order to better represent the 2' gauge appearance of the prototype. I said yes, but the project languished on my workbench for a lot longer than I ever intended. I did manage to locate a suitable, smaller diameter motor and make measurements (and some plans) for the conversion, but never actually got to it for various reasons.

So this weekend everything came together for a start. I've narrowed both wheelsets on the rear truck to the proper gauge, and am proceeding with the manufacturing of a new truck bolster. Removing 13mm width on the trailing truck and power chassis is going to be a chore; but seeing if the loco manages to walk on it's new "high heels" is going to be something else entirely.



Shown here are one each of the modified and stock wheelsets. Note the flange depth on the narrowed set has been reduced to about .072" from .120".



Here is the truck with the new (brass) bolster partially completed. Holes for the sideframe attachment screws and kingpin still need to be drilled at this point.

Fast Tracks

One of the biggest things to hit the hobby in some time is the Fast Tracks turnout fixture. Fast Tracks website Having one of these units allows you to make highly accurate turnouts in one particular scale and gauge (a separate fixture is required for each frog number - i.e. an HO scale, 36" gauge, #5 fixture makes only that size of turnout - but you can make left or right-hand models).

I have finally had the chance to use one of these fixtures to fabricate an S scale, standard gauge, #8 turnout. All of the rails are in-gauge and the test truck rolls very freely through both routes. Super. Will it change the way I build my turnouts? Yes!

They aren't cheap, but if you consider the cost of good quality commercial turnouts a fixture would pay for itself in short order. Even if you don't spring for a fixture, you might want to consider their frog-and-point filing jig to create the proper angles on those particular rail segments. As an added bonus, the website has downloadable, correctly scaled reference drawings for most frog angles in most scales.

Note: This isn't an ad (or even a useful review), and I don't get a kickback from FastTracks for mentioning their product.

Free-Mo (S and On30)

It looks as if we made enough of a favourable impression with our S scale Free-Mo layout that it warranted a mention in the Editor's Notebook section of the June, 2006 issue of Railroad Model Craftsman. I can't express how wonderful it was to see that write-up in print, especially in that magazine.

There was also an inquiry for our Free-MOn30 modular group to exhibit at the 2007 show in Copetown, Ontario. For that to be successful we'll need to make some significant progress on the modules themselves in terms of scenery...
Free-MOn30

The modellers in this region have not previously produced or displayed a Free-Mo style modular layout (except for a hybrid arrangement from the Ottawa area). However, the showings at Copetown (S) and Schomberg (On30), seem to have stirred some local interest in the format itself - if not the scales or gauges modelled. I would not be at all surprised to see more than one HO Free-Mo at an upcoming show.

In looking for Free-Mo standards for S scale, I did come across the following Yahoo group Free-MoS. There aren't many members yet, but at least it's a place to go and discuss the future possibilities.

Narrow Gauge Madness

The show has come & gone. From all reports it should be counted as a success. Not bad for a first effort on the part of the "Narrow Gauge Madness" crew. The website for the event will have pictures of layouts and contest entries fairly soon.


Our fearless leader drawing door prizes about midday. About a dozen of the participants donated books and kits for draw prizes. 


The vendor area seen from the entranceway. The local Lion's Club provided catering services for the day's activites. The smell of barbequing hamburgers, hotdogs and sausages was enticing. 


The vendor area seen from the rear of the 1st floor. Quite a good selection of materials; we had restricted the vendors to bringing only narrow guage or gauge-neutral items (tools, scenic material, books, wood, plastic, metal, kits and RTR equipment). 

GP7

Just finished a decoder installation in an Atlas GP7 (N scale). The decoder recommended was the NCE N12SR. It is, in fact, bigger than I would like. You have to mill away a significant portion of the frame in the short hood area to permit both it and the headlight LED to fit inside the shell. Even so, the LED body had to be ground down for clearance. 1/4W, 1K resistors were installed to limit current on the LEDs.

I would have liked to use the Lenz LE0511W or the new NCE Z14SR instead, along with a pre-milled frame from either Aztec or Southern Digital. Oddly enough, at the price they sell their frames, it's more cost-effective than using my own mill (though not as convenient).

One oddity was the refusal of the F0F/F0R to work as intended. The lamps would always come on opposite to the direction of travel, regardless on the NDOT setting in CV29. The decoder also refused to take a function remap of the WHITE and YELLOW leads using CV33 and CV34. I ended up swapping the WHITE and YELLOW leads at the decoder itself to straighten out the issue.

I will say that the NCE decoder makes for smooth running.

debut

The S scale modules made their first public appearance this weekend at the annual Copetown Train Show. This is a well-attended event that traditionally features items of a scratchbuilt or highly detailed and modified nature.

From what I have been able to ascertain, we made a favourable impression on both the general public and our fellow exhibitors. The seven of us managed to field just over 90 linear feet of standard gauge, Free-Mo style modules for our premier. I'd have to say this effort has taught us a lot, and will help to ensure that the next show is even more successful.





The CNR Mogul locomotives stole the stage, especially #923 with its Tsunami sound module installed.

module madness

One end of the 3-section module currently under construction for
the S Scale Workshop.


The other send of the set. It is a 9'-9" long S curve with minimum 52" radii joined with easements. One #8 turnout will lead to a sugar-beet loading facility. The primary route is through the diverging leg of the turnout.

better late than never

Very, very high workload since the beginning of December. Real life once again pushed aside more interesting pursuits. There's light at the end of the tunnel, but it's still a bit faint. Finally have a moment to update this 'blog.

First priority is continuing work on the S scale module for the upcoming annual Copetown train show. The plan is simply to provide operating trackwork at this point, as pressing matters are limiting the time I can spend on the project.

The module set (9'-9" OAL) is taking up the majority of the living area. Photos to follow as progress warrants...

status

I've expended quite a bit of skull sweat in recent weeks, trying to sort out a few nagging issues and make some concrete plans for the future. The bottom line is that there are only so many hours in the day to pursue your interests; more numerous lines of inquiry means less time is available to spend on each one in turn.

Most of the work I've been involved with this year has centered around someone else's layout or models. This, in itself, is not a bad thing. However, it means that my own modelling progress would be considered glacial at best.

In an effort to make more headway, I've taken the advice of a fellow modeller and put a substantial number of items on the back burner indefinitely. Hopefully this action will permit me to focus more on my two primary areas of enjoyment; transition era S scale standard gauge and steam era On30 - both with modular groups in this region.

In the last week I've managed to clean all of the non-brass DCC installations off my workbench and make some small headway on the CAD work for a set of kit assembly instructions.

With generous help and browbeating, I've also made a great start on a set of module frames for the S scale project. These require some further tweaking and a great deal of terraforming but I'm very pleased with the progress.

In a fit of unexpected energy and determination, I even dug out the shell of a long set-aside diesel and began modifying all of the elements which had been bothering me about its overall appearance. Still more work to do...

vicarious railway

Progress towards any sort of model railway layout of my own is glacial at best. I am fulfilling some of my desires in the hobby by both working on and operating other people's layouts. A few benefits to this approach readily become apparent;

1) I don't have to pay for any of the materials,
2) I get to experiment with many different construction techniques,
3) I don't have to re-stage all of the trains at the end of a session, and
4) the mess is always at someone else's home :-).

There are too many fascinating aspects of the hobby to permit indulging in all of them in one person's lifetime. So far, however, the vicarious path is allowing me (or will shortly allow me) to participate in Maine-inspired 2', Swiss electric, turn-of-the-century branchline, modern unit train, large scale industrial, and several fallen-flag representations in varying degrees of accuracy and complexity.

This region seems to be particularly blessed with modellers of superior skill and widely ranging interests; sort of a railway cornucopia. I don't think I could have deliberately chosen a richer area in which to pursue the hobby.

current projects

A few more DCC installs are in process. A CPR D-10 in brass (PFM), a Spectrum Doodlebug, and a P2K GP38-2. These will keep me busy for the rest of the week at least.

The brass loco will prove to be the most time consuming. Electrical pickup is poor at best. Extra wipers will need to be added where possible, and the motor will have to be isolated from the chassis.

There should be just enough room above the motor to fit the decoder in the cab itself, rather than resorting to a tender installation.

doesn't take long...

...to get behind with progress reports and postings.

There certainly has been a lot of activity over the summer, most of which has had nothing to do with model trains or machining. However, now that autumn is upon me, these activities have picked up significantly.

As a matter of fact, there are now TOO many projects to give appropriate attention to each one. That means some of them will have to get refused, or put on the back burner indefinitely.

outside the enginehouse

Sonjora Branch of the D&RGW.

A small scene in the Rio yard of Dave Burrough's fabulous layout. Car card operations on this pike are enhanced by flawless mechanical operation, a PFM sound system, and hands-free switching thanks to Kadee magnetics throughout.

logging caboose

This was made from styrene following Pete Moffett's plans from the July 1988 NMRA Bulletin. It is an O scale, standard gauge logging caboose with Grandt Line detail parts and piano wire railings. I made this as a present for a friend on the west coast when he donated a quantity of On30 materials that he was no longer using.

operations

This week and next I will be participating in four operating sessions on a variety of local layouts ranging in timeframe from early to late 20th century. Some will be signalled and others will be train order and/or timetable with car cards. All will have multi-person crews for each function (at least engineer + conductor/brakeman).

The lure of operations over simply "running trains" is sometimes difficult to convey. Modelling a feasible (or actual) rail system and it's purposeful movement of goods can present significant challenges unless the layout is designed from the start to support this activity. In the end, I feel it adds measurably to the overall enjoyment of the equipment and layout.

WWI + industrial

I've finally received the two major books on WWI trench railways that I've been trying to locate for some time. "Narrow Gauge to No Man's Land" by Richard Dunn and "La Voie de 60 Militaire de la Guerre de 14-18 en France" by Dr. Christian Cénac. These are terrific reference works that greatly expand upon the contents of "Narrow Gauge at War" volumes 1 and 2 published by Plateways Press. Dr. Cénac's book is nearly 400 pages with many scale drawings (1/35) and illustrations.

Even more drawings and photos of WDLR equipment can be found in recent issues of "Narrow Gauge and Industrial Railway Modelling Review" magazine published in the UK. This magazine is a must-have for critter enthusiasts and those desiring detailed information of industrial operations and equipment.

Mogul + stain pen

The smokebox and stack have (finally) been repainted a graphite colour obtained using a mix of Polly Scale stainless steel and engine black (~80/20 ratio).

The cab received a few thin coats of E/L Maroon, which have given it a dark red cedar tone without totally obscuring the grain. The cab interior remains simply the Floquil rosewood wash. The doors and other parts will need to be matched before they can be installed.

On another note, I found a "Scratch Fix" pen that I picked up at Home Depot a long time ago and had forgotten about. It appears to contain stain in an alcohol base; like a standard marker. The contents are "black-brown" and give stripwood a nice, fresh crosstie colour. I must remember to see if HD still has these in stock, as I recall quite a range of shades were in the display stand.

latest venture

I've just started doing decoder installations for a local hobby shop. As you can imagine, very few people are asking for external assistance to drop in a PnP decoder. This means that the vast majority of work I will get from this source will be the most troublesome types.

For instance, my very first task was to stuff a DZ123 decoder into an N-scale, Kato Heavy Mikado. This has a split frame pickup like many other N-scale products. Luckily there are some basic directions from others who have done this before; however I have come to disagree with some of the steps in their process description - I'll address the deficiencies next time I have to do one of these Mikes.

All that aside, this first unit is back together and tested. I must say I'm fairly impressed with the operation of recent releases of N scale steamers. They certainly aren't like the ones I used to fight with to get running...

MRC sound + Bachmann Mogul (part 2)

MRC decoder #0001627 (~ $90 CAD)

Just finished installing one of these decoders in the Bachmann Mogul. It's a decent sounding unit, which I bought primarily for the chuff; it is less mushy than most that I've heard. It includes a 28mm, 8 Ohm speaker and is apparently capable of driving two speakers of this size.

It has headlight/reverse light, basic motor control (no BackEMF or high frequency PWM) with programmable accel/decel & start voltage, and 12 audio functions.

At the moment, I'm having some difficulty getting the chuff rate set with respect to driver RPM. There is no way to use a sound cam with this decoder.

Volume can be controlled only to the extent of loud, quiet, and off.

The speaker was installed in the tender facing downwards. The decoder was also installed in the tender with all wiring except the yellow reverse light passing forward into the locomotive. A slot was milled in the right side of the chassis casting to route the wires to the motor, pickups and headlight.

The Mogul itself is far from complete, with many more details to be re-applied and new ones created in order to alter its appearance.

inspirations

A recent trip to Kinmount, Ontario offered some interesting sights.

First, the former Craig & Austin sawmill building in Kinmount. At one time there was a slash burner in the middle of the river on a stone foundation. Sadly, this is long gone. The mill itself is a good sized prototype to model.



Second, a small Fordson tractor at the museum in Minden. This museum has several historic buildings which were relocated to the site, including a church, schoolhouse, log home, and bank.