Progress report #2

[ginzokid]

I locked the other thread. There is some good stuff in there that probably has been reposted in other threads. I'll check. In the meantime, here's another place to write. B-)

[ginzokid]

Tore up a short siding and relocated it so that I could make two sidings in the same space. Then I ballasted it today. Tomorrow I have to get under the bench and finish hooking up those Humpyard harp switchstands. I hate having to be on my back, but it must be done. I found that if I use my weight bench with the back tilted up in the first notch that it is easier to work. :-)

[ginzokid]

Spent the whole day on my back. The litle control wires have to be fed up theough the benchwork, roadbed and cork to the turnout, then adjusted and re adjusted to work properly. Wouldn't have been so bad, but I had to constantly get under the benchwork to screw and unscrew the clamps and then get up again to check the operation. Well, it's done now and all six work properly. Phew! Next project is to take the road cow catchers off the Consolidations and replace them with switching foot boards with couplers. As they are from the mfg. they have no front coupler, so I bought two conversion kits. Cut, glue, screw and hope for the best. Have to get some 5 min. epoxy today to accomplish this. Workin' on the railroad.......;-) It's afternoon now and I have one engine converted. Tougher job than I thought. Instructions call for the coupler to be epoxyed into the new foot board, but what if I need to replace a broken coupler? I used rubber cement instead so I can pry it out if need be. I'm waiting for it to dry overnight before I test its pulling power. Number two tomorrow....... :| -- Edited by ginzokid at 03/01/2010 11:33 AM PST

[barrysfp45]

wouldn't it be great if we had someone to lend a hand when building a layout, I know I would be able to get more done in a day if I didn't have to keep climbing under the layout and then back out to try the adjustments, kills the back big time. That's OK, I built my two FP45s a couple years ago and have been trying to figure how to secure the front of the engine without sticking a screw through the body, I was sitting at the work bench on Saturday, fiddling with the new frame for the next FP45 and realised there is a small lock notch just above the rear wheel at the front of the frame, I fiddled with some styrene strip and rested it against the notch and found it slips nicely into the side of the shell, a little CA secures it nicely to the shell and now the frame locks into place but is still easy enough to remove when needed, fiddling is fun some times ]:)

[ginzokid]

Second engine converted and it went faster. Of course. Rubber cement is holding just fine. Having the b'ys over for an ops session today. Starting this group has made me get off my "donkey" and do things. Now I have a second Climax engine coming and I have to hot wire some more roundhouse tracks that right now are just dummies. My work is never done...... Glad to see that someone else is workin' on the railroad too. That makes three of us anyway. ]:)

[ginzokid]

Back to the workbench. I have a Mt. Albert brewery kit that has been half finished for almost a year now. So yesterday I grabbed it and started to work on it again. This time I will finish it! I'm also mentally designing a drop down staging yard for the hidden area under the high line. It needs to drop down so O can get to the high line for scenery work and derailed train retrieval, but that never happens to me! So far I have come up with a frame that will have a skin of celotex on it. It will hinge just like a door and I actually plan on using door hinges for their strength. It will either lock in place with slide bolts or a hinged leg. But this idea is for the future, the near future, but not right now. What are the rest of you doing? B-)

[barrysfp45]

I've been doing some tiling in the workbench area, the carpet was a disaster, I wore holes in it with the wheels on the chair and every time I dropped something small it went to god, now I just need to be a bit more careful, also still fiddling with my fleet of FP45s soon I will have four up and running, I thought about doing one in the blue and yellow bonnet but I really like the Super Fleet scheme so I guess that is the one to use also been fitting the lighting to my El Capitan cars, other than that just running trains. ]:)

[dl85vette]

been finalizing track arrangement for last bit of indust park and been laying cork/track in the park. Need to get back to building up my foam dominoes for Powder River Basin shelf.

[ginzokid]

Took the morning off to do my income tax.....YUCK! Back to the brewery now.....doing taxes will make you drink! ]:)

[ginzokid]

Took a break from the brewery to construct a hidden staging yard for the layout. I had to be creative and put this entire 2'x4' yard on hinges at one side so it could drop down out of the way to let me get at the back side of the high line for scenery and troubleshooting. It drops like a drop-leaf table and is held up when in position by two slide bolts that lock it into place. Now I have an off the layout place to stage some trains and add to the operation capabilities of it. B-)

[ginzokid]

Finished the brewery. YEAH!!!!!!! It does look nice if I say so myself. Maybe I'll do some pics later. Next is Fenster's Farm Fresh warehouse by Bar Mills. Bought some cork today while waiting for my track to arrive from Walthers. Then I'll do the new hidden yard. Stop me! I'm having too much fun! :^O PS: Don't tell Kimmers....... -- Edited by ginzokid at 03/12/2010 11:47 AM PST

[barrysfp45]

Glad to hear your back in the groove. ]:)

[taz-of-boyds]

We won't tell, if you post some pictures sometime! Charles

[ginzokid]

Working on Fenster's Farm Fresh today. Some of the walls are up......I modified, kit bashed and generally changed this from the original kit. That's half the fun! It's different than everyone else's that way. B-)

[g-pa1]

Finally had some time and am assembling a DPM structure. Pretty easy as DPM goes. Not the greatest instructions though. Glad there is a picture. Its the Corner Apothecary. I didn't realize that DPM is a division of Woodland Scenics. Not sure where I'll put it but I'll find a place.

[dl85vette]

I have that kit too Gene. I just have the walls assembled for the purpose of using it as a template on railroad. It is a nice building for its size plus a variety in its styling for store front