06-03-2012, 08:52 PM
Well, there are some progress and set backs to report.
Another Vertical Express
Unfortuneately, as painfaul as it is to admit, I had held off on putting up the plastic strip, and another locomotive fell, this time my BLI CSX AC6000CW. Fortuneately, It can be repaired. The locomotive still runs, and the body shell, frame, and mechanism are all intact. It merely needs a new walkway part, and Broadway Limited has been helpful. That is the last straw though.
Money is tight right now, but I HAVE to do something about the edges of the layout. Part of the problem is that when I rebuilt the crossovers on my layout, the diverging rail causes derailed equipment to be pushed towards the edge. This has happened a few times, but in most cases the train doesn't keep sliding off the layout like the CSX unit did. Bottom line, the problem (broken locomotive and unguarded edges) will be fixed shortly.
Routine Maitenance
I've also continued reworking and repairing other models. This has consisted of repairing decals, replacing coupler springs, attaching small details that tend to come off over time, etc. In particular, I corrected some flaws with some of my Conrail locomotives while I was at it. Nothing to exciting, though the small things appear to make a difference!
New Arrow III has arrived!!!!!!!
I did just recieve a new Arrow III EMU. I'm very excited about it, its heavy and a good runner. I suspect it could pull a couple of the MU cars all by itself without any need for help of additional powered units. The model even came with a Stemman pantograph, something that has been plaguing me. The design is interesting, and i'm probably going to shamelessly copy some of the construction methods (the creator of the model seemed to encourage this though). I could easily construct these pantographs if i get a hold of a metal photo etching kit. the kit also lacked grab irons and lights, but this is not a huge issue.
The only dissappointing thing is that it appears that they put a Silverliner IV EMU frame underneath. The Silverliner IV and Arrow III VERY similar (both were produced around the same time by GE/AVCO and have identical stylying, though different components). IHP, the maker of the model, produces both of these types. Its not hard to understand how they might have been swapped accidentally, though part of me fears that it was just assumed these frames were the same.
It would not be beyond my modeling skills to fix the diffrences in the frame (infact, I have a compatible spare dummy frame I can power and use if the worst case scenario occurs). However, this was an expensive model that my girlfriend picked up for me. Its an RTR model, I shouldn't have to do any more work on it for the cost.
That said, the model is otherwise satisfying to me. Its fast, and appears to have some power to it. Speed has been a big problem, since most of the drives suitable for MU car use are either under-powered, or do not develop "prototype" speeds (such is the case for the Bachmann Metroliner remotoring projects i was planning on).
Hopefully, there will be a proper frame available to me to swap out for the one I have. If not, i'll have to figure out a way to remove the details without damaging their appearance. Using a razor saw won't work, since it will remove the "upper" layer of details that are visible from the side. My current plan is to use a drill press to carefully drill holes "above" the parts to be removed. This area would be behind the side-walls of the MU shell and would be unnoticeable. once the part is removed, i can sand and fill any rough areas.
High-level station conversion
I've been thinking of converting some of my stations to high-level. While the "corner" station won't work well for this, the other "straight" station can. The main reason for this is that many of my commuter cars have high-level doors on them, and it looks neat to have a high-level platform. The problem is raising the platform up realistically, but that isn't such a tricky issue that i couldn't figure it out one of these nights.
![[Image: P5300725.jpg]](http://i543.photobucket.com/albums/gg445/CAB_IV/Model%20Trains%202012/P5300725.jpg)
Another Vertical Express
Unfortuneately, as painfaul as it is to admit, I had held off on putting up the plastic strip, and another locomotive fell, this time my BLI CSX AC6000CW. Fortuneately, It can be repaired. The locomotive still runs, and the body shell, frame, and mechanism are all intact. It merely needs a new walkway part, and Broadway Limited has been helpful. That is the last straw though.
Money is tight right now, but I HAVE to do something about the edges of the layout. Part of the problem is that when I rebuilt the crossovers on my layout, the diverging rail causes derailed equipment to be pushed towards the edge. This has happened a few times, but in most cases the train doesn't keep sliding off the layout like the CSX unit did. Bottom line, the problem (broken locomotive and unguarded edges) will be fixed shortly.
Routine Maitenance
I've also continued reworking and repairing other models. This has consisted of repairing decals, replacing coupler springs, attaching small details that tend to come off over time, etc. In particular, I corrected some flaws with some of my Conrail locomotives while I was at it. Nothing to exciting, though the small things appear to make a difference!
New Arrow III has arrived!!!!!!!
I did just recieve a new Arrow III EMU. I'm very excited about it, its heavy and a good runner. I suspect it could pull a couple of the MU cars all by itself without any need for help of additional powered units. The model even came with a Stemman pantograph, something that has been plaguing me. The design is interesting, and i'm probably going to shamelessly copy some of the construction methods (the creator of the model seemed to encourage this though). I could easily construct these pantographs if i get a hold of a metal photo etching kit. the kit also lacked grab irons and lights, but this is not a huge issue.
The only dissappointing thing is that it appears that they put a Silverliner IV EMU frame underneath. The Silverliner IV and Arrow III VERY similar (both were produced around the same time by GE/AVCO and have identical stylying, though different components). IHP, the maker of the model, produces both of these types. Its not hard to understand how they might have been swapped accidentally, though part of me fears that it was just assumed these frames were the same.
It would not be beyond my modeling skills to fix the diffrences in the frame (infact, I have a compatible spare dummy frame I can power and use if the worst case scenario occurs). However, this was an expensive model that my girlfriend picked up for me. Its an RTR model, I shouldn't have to do any more work on it for the cost.
That said, the model is otherwise satisfying to me. Its fast, and appears to have some power to it. Speed has been a big problem, since most of the drives suitable for MU car use are either under-powered, or do not develop "prototype" speeds (such is the case for the Bachmann Metroliner remotoring projects i was planning on).
Hopefully, there will be a proper frame available to me to swap out for the one I have. If not, i'll have to figure out a way to remove the details without damaging their appearance. Using a razor saw won't work, since it will remove the "upper" layer of details that are visible from the side. My current plan is to use a drill press to carefully drill holes "above" the parts to be removed. This area would be behind the side-walls of the MU shell and would be unnoticeable. once the part is removed, i can sand and fill any rough areas.
High-level station conversion
I've been thinking of converting some of my stations to high-level. While the "corner" station won't work well for this, the other "straight" station can. The main reason for this is that many of my commuter cars have high-level doors on them, and it looks neat to have a high-level platform. The problem is raising the platform up realistically, but that isn't such a tricky issue that i couldn't figure it out one of these nights.
Modeling New Jersey Under the Wire 1978-1979.
![[Image: logosmall.png]](http://i543.photobucket.com/albums/gg445/CAB_IV/Model%20Trains%202013/logosmall.png)