Lately I've been in a kind of a RR'ing funk....But a couple of weeks back, I got off my duff and decided I needed to upgrade some of the electrical work I'd done originally when building the layout. In the rush to get trains running I didn't follow "standard practices" for good electrical performance...Trains were slowing down where they shouldn't (I didn't notice this 'till my brother asked if there was a grade in a certain section where trains were slowing down....)
And I had done a real "butcher" job in bridging the gap where a lift out section is located...So I spent all last weekend banging my head under the layout, dropping leads to the main buss, and finally bridging the gap at the lift out with something a little more "professional".

Here's how I had bridged the gap.....These are some old "Molex" (??) connectors salvaged from my previous layout....


This is the new "me"....


And this is the connector I had used to feed power to the lift-out section...


Now comes the good part....I had often thought that when that lift-out section is scenicked, I wasn't going to be able to reach under the scenery to disconnect that connector....So how to do it....??? I thought & thought, thinking of many possible solutions to "automatically" feed power when the lift-out was put in its place. From "powered" bolt heads, to relay switches, to bayonet plugs....to THIS...!!!!



It dawned on me that the latches that hold the lift-out in place were metal...! And that the connection was good enough to conduct the juice....So I quickly ran to the layout...got my wire cutters and did the old connector in....Wired up the latches...and PERFECT...works like a dream...!!!

Funny how the mind works...It kind'a leads you down a rocky path 'till it says.."Hey dummy...remember this..??"

Kurt --

That is some magical modeling, and yet the photos and text were wonderfully instructive and clear that I was extremely tempted to find some excuse (any excuse) to include a turntable on my layout and try to follow your tutorial.

I don't know if you are a fan of Edmund Blackadder, but that photo tutorial called for a line from "Blackadder goes forth": "permission to cheer boisterously, Sir ?"

Grin,
Stein

I'm not really sure where to post this. Mods, please move this thread if it would be better served in another forum. My local Wal-Mart was having a clearance sale on many of their Martha Stewart scrapbooking products. What does this have to do with model railroading?

A large folding cutting mat w/ ruler grid, rulers, cutting wheels (which are great for styrene), and several other items were more than 50% off. If you're a scratch builder, you can find a use for a lot of the things I saw.

Personally,I picked up a clipboard w/ a ruler edge, which locks the piece to be cut in place. There is a track for a cutting wheel (which I also bought), for that perfectly straight cut...every time. I paid $14 for these items, normally $30. I also got the folding cutting mat for $10, normally $17.

If you don't mind the Martha Stewart logo, or the girly seafoam green color, these are some great scratch building items for CHEAP!

Please tell me how this looks. It is an experiment in creating a partially rusted out panel on a 1/64 car for the junk yard. This is a hot wheels duece roadster, the rear inner fender panel was taken out with a dremel & an aluminum panel put in. The panel is made of a disposable aluminum baking tin, I pierced it in several spots with a needle , then dripped ferric chloride( Archer brand circut board etchant ) on it. The overall body rust was achieved with Floquil rust that had a mix of baking soda & powered brown chalk sprinkled on it while still wet.
I am thinking that this might be useful on some of my junkyard cars----- provided it does look real according to some of you guys-- after all , some of you are the best modelers around.

I had intended to make a partially built hot rod out of this duece roadster-- built in the WORST example of a hot rod ever made -- botched up frame , a completely UNSPRUNG front axle, probably a flathead straight eight motor , really a POS deathtraop, that somebody gave up on halfway done & probably that saved their life . I can't do that because the Hot Wheels duece is WAY smaller than 1/64th & just won't look right in the yard. It is just a bit bigger than HO to tell the truth!! RATS!!!!

   

   

   

As many of you know, my layout is what is commonly referred to as a "proto-lance". That is, I have a prototype that is the basis for my railroad, but my towns and railroad are fictional. This gives me the inspiration to make a believable railroad, without having to spend too much effort on specifics. I chose this route because I felt that I would not be able to model my prototype (the Morenci Southern Railroad) to my satisfaction. My worry was that I would be constantly bugged by details that I didn't get "right". I also chose a timeframe - summer 1919, when the mining business was beginning to slow after WWI, but before the underground copper mines gave way to huge open pits.

While my railroad is fictional, I still read about railroads of the region in order to decide what is "believable". That is the basis for proto-lancing. This research tells me what kind of freight and passenger cars rolled at the time, what types of commodities they carried, and how many trains they ran per day. I have learned that my "prototype" had a plush business car, used reefers on the 18-mile line, and typical train lengths and schedules. But, that is not the only information available...

If I wanted to strictly model a prototype, I could choose a specific month, or a specific day. Having nailed down a specific date, I could look up what the weather was on that day, and perhaps I would learn there was a large storm the day prior washing out a bridge or that the area had been suffering through months of drought and the scenery was brown. Maybe I would learn there was a cold snap, forcing people to get out their jackets and coats for a few days. That information is readily available by researching local newspaper archives or photographs.

Let's not stop there - I could learn perhaps there was a carnival or parade in town that week - something to model with hundreds of LPBs. Or perhaps there was a traveling automobile club through town at that time, or a hotly-contested local election. That information is available. Research on my "prototype" reveals pictures of funeral trains and workers' strikes. There are also pictures of "deportation" trains where hundreds of Mexican decedents were rounded up and transported back to Mexico. These are all bits of information available to those who want to strictly adhere to their prototype.

I chose not to be a prototype modeler for fear of rivet counting myself to insanity and non-productivity. Taking it a step further, we have the ability to "rivet count" our historical culture, our climate, and our history. I plan to incorporate some of the cultural elements into my "proto-lanced" layout as a means of creating a believable southern Arizona mining town. Perhaps I will have a carnival, or the annual Cinco De Mayo celebration. For the prototype modelers, how far can you take it, or how far would you take it?

An addendum to Russ's thread in the New Academy.
Many years ago I read of one club's approach to derailments.
They had a number of slightly sticky markers. When a derailment happened, they put one marker beside the track and another on the end of the car that derailed. A car that accumulated 3 markers at one end was removed from service for investigation. Something similar for track, but I forget what (out of service?) I suppose the markers could be labelled so that a car that derails at the same place could be traced.
When I get repeated derailments, I first turn the offending car around, then the neighbouring car, then adjust position in the train.

Railcop set this to me. Took a while to get it, but I think it is worth sharing.
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Charlie

I realize that I'm waaaay behind the pack, getting started at such a late date, but I will toss my hat into the ring nonetheless. I will be building the Walther's Red Wing Mill in N scale, which will later become part of a GERN facility. Here is an excerpt from my road's website, about the planned GERN Industries Limited - Milling and Refining Division:

Quote:The Akron, Ohio division of GERN Industries, Ltd. is a Flux milling and refining facility. Through their patented and closely-guarded manufacturing process, powdered Flux is triple sifted, double-puffed, soft roasted, and polished. The end result is GERN Flux Pellets, used in a variety of products, including Fluxolium.

Unrefined Flux enters the facility via boxcar or covered hopper and is stored in silos before processing. The finished product leaves the plant in much the same manner, by rail in either bulk form to other GERN locations, or is shipped in boxes directly to the end user.

What do you think is the #1 missing product on the HO market today?

I don't think I'd consider a such and such variation of an SD-45, nor the NKP's H-6e 2-8-2s to fit the bill. On the other hand, the NYC's H-5 mikados were used by a number of roads, and so they could be it.

My entry is a 57" drivered 2-8-0. You may say that there are already several 2-8-0s on the market...and I do agree...but they are oddballs. The Spectrum 2-8-0 has 63" drivers...which were massive for 2-8-0s. Similarly, MDC's has 51" drivers...a bit too small. 51" drivers were primarily used in mountainous regions and by short lines (e.g. Colorado Springs & Cripple Creek, Colorado Midland, Nevada Northern). The vast majority of 2-8-0s were in between...typically 54"-58" drivers. My beloved Nickel Plate had none with 51" drivers and only a handful with 63" drivers, yet it had dozens (or perhaps hundreds since I'd don't have the roster in front of me) of 57" drivered 2-8-0s. Most of the NKP's 0-6-0s and 0-8-0s also had 57" drivers. From studying 2-8-0s from various railroads, I think that most roads were like the NKP in this regard: 56"-57" drivers were the rule...and since 2-8-0s were the most common of all steam locomotives...they are the #1 missing product on the market.

What do you think is missing?