This Week on the PVRR

Late last week the SD9 that had been sent in for warranty repairs returned, at no charge. Apparently I had turned in the little card that comes with the loco to register it, so the repair was made and the loco sent back. It took a while but the loco now runs just as well as the other one. I have speed matched them and they run perfectly together.

I am not quite sure if the loco was repaired or replaced, it came back in a different box with the decoder reset to factory specs and all the paperwork included. Either way it runs good and I have a pair of SD9's in Pennsy paint that run together as they should, both with sound. I must say I'm not crazy about the Rule 17 lighting though, but I don't know how to change that.

Today I speed matched the J class locos as well. Both of them top out at around 80 scale MPH, which is a bit slow for them since the prototypes were clocked at 100 plus. I found that they were topping out at speed step 85 (of 126) and then there was no change in actual speed from that point to the upper setting of 126. Changing CV5 got them to top out at speed step 126, CV6 has been set so the mid speed for both is right around 41 at speed step 64 and the step 1 speed is 1mph for 611 and 0.6mph for 601. They will run together when consisted, so I can double head them now. I don't know if the N&W ever did, but I can if I want to.

Unfortunately as I was putting 611 away I saw that one of the side rods had detached from the valve gear. It is supposed to have a plastic circle on the backside of it to keep it on the slide rails. That circle is gone. And, of course, this part is out of stock at Bachmann. I am going to try to put some thin brass on the loco in its place. So far I am 0 for 3 in replacement parts needed for these locos now; I need a new shell for 601 so I can rob the windows out of it, a tender shell for 601 because I cut through it to clear the decoder, and now valve gear for 611.

I refined the programming on the  semi-streamliner Pacific that was in Lackawanna paint that I had redone in Norfolk and Western as well. It now reaches a prototypical top speed and would probably run with the J classes if I chose to do so although the top speed is a bit lower than the J classes. All three of them run reliably now though. I still need to do something with the headlight on that Pacific, as well as the one on the Model Power Pennsy L2 Mikado. I am hesitant to take them apart for headlights though, since they are running now.

And on another note, the B&O Mikado that I had lost a smoke box face for got a new one, I had an old Pacific that I never could get running right and had taken apart for pieces and as luck would have it the smoke box faces are interchangeable between the two. Now all of my Model Power locos are up and running (with the exception of the Pacific that was taken apart for pieces of course).

I have yet to chip the Kato powered GHQ Pennsy L1 Mikado, I think I want to try to put a working headlight in it but I don't yet know how I am going to accomplish that. I'm thinking about SMLEDs with the wires run down to the existing Kato circuit board, I would have to put long leads on it and then try to figure out how to coil them up inside the smoke box but I am thinking that might be the easiest way to do it.

On the narrow gauge front I am the somewhat proud owner of a Marklin 8899 chassis, which is a 4-6-0. I need to get a kit for it, I'm thinking the best one would be the RLW C-16. Fortunately Marshall from RLW has decided that he would stick around as long as the orders were coming in, so I am able to get what I need for now. That doesn't mean I'm going to wait around for long, though. I also have a bunch of Republic Locomotive Works kits for EBT Mikados, boxcars and hoppers that need building as well, so I should be gainfully employed on railroad related materials for the foreseeable future.

And that's about it for now. Happy Rails!