GEC's Layout Progress

[Green_Elite_Cab]

You can get the tripod at Best By, but be careful, they break easily where the legs meet the body I already have to get a new one. I just need to not bend it so much next time i guess

I will be posting some videos in a few minutes of my trains at my local model railroad club, the Burlington County Model Railroad Club. If you live near philadelphia, its a good idea go come check us out this weekend and next weekend.

We are located in the basement level of the Burlington County Footlighters Playhouse, 900 Pomona Rd, Cinnaminson, NJ 08077, and we are open 12-5PM. Its $3 for an adult to get in, kids under 12 are free.

I'm hoping to have a nearly full Amtrak Silver Crescent/meteor/star in time for the show. I just need to fix some coupler height issues.



I think all i've done today was work on my Electric Multiple Unit Commuter trains.

In other news, i've gotten quite a bit of stuff done. I've experimented with the Alclad Chrome metalizing paint. This is superior to the stuff i was using before because you had to buff it, and even then, you didn't geth the mirror finish. The Alclad is absolutely rediculous though. The chrome is a perfect match for my Metroliners, Amfleets and Arrow III EMUs. I first tested the Alclad chrome on a junked (its more busted up than it appears, but i do a good job fixing it, so you can hardly tell even with the crazy shiny paint) Metroliner shell. I was going to make it into a cab car, but i realized after painting it that there were some major details i needed to fix. Anyways, it is perfect, especially when you compare it to the finish on most other amfleets. I've also used int on my Arrow IIIs, and i think i'll have to get more Alclad for the rest of my fleet. I might even try the stainless steel Alclad on portions where i need a duller stainless steel look than the chrome, but brighter than what i get with testor's stainless steel (you'll see what i mean in the photos).

that silver that most companies use is all wrong!



A prototype picture- my metroliner shell might be dusty, but which of the above finishes do you think best matches the real thing, the standard walthers/bachmann, or Alclad? keep in mind my metroliner is in-doors, so its going to reflect differently. It looks just like that outside (but its to cold to go out there, lol)

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I've also begun using it on my "single" Arrow III EMU. I might need to touch up the old metalizer portions.



compared with before-



I also got my Metroliner EMU train working. That was a pain, and it still is noisy, but it works on DCC and seems like it will pull it's own weight. I bolted in the wires to the parts of the frame where things were connected originally to get the track power, but otherwise it works. There was an issue when i drilled through the frame and used a metal screw (causing a short), but i replaced it with a plastic screw, and it works fine. I had to reshape the motor area with a dremel tool, and used model airplane fuel line to replace the old connectors, which would not fit with the new motor. This set up is pretty loud, but it works when it is properly shimmed and lubricated (speaking of which, this 30 year old model can probably use a good cleaning in it's gears!). Because i hadn't expected to find such a quick and easy solution to making it run, i had left it in storage for a while and i haven't really fine tuned any part of it, only occaisionally pulling it out. If i can make it quieter, i'd like to make it a more common train on my layout.



I had to modify the frame a little



Old motor and parts with the new. note the fuel line. This works pretty well, it doesn't twist up under normal operation (if the locomotive is so bad the wheels stop moving, the fuel line weill twist off, saving the motor. I've seen this happen)



Here you can see the decoder and the drive in detail. The drive here is very loud and unique, so there does not seem to be any way to replace it. I'm trying to figure out how to make it quieter.



I have a 1700 Series baggage car i'm also working on, and i'll post pictures of it soon!