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Saturday, March 9, 2019
More Projects
I have a few things on their way today.
First up is a couple of locomotive kits from Republic for that Marklin ten-wheeler chassis I told you about at the end of my last post. There aren't any ten-wheeler specific kits that I am aware of, so I ordered a C-16 kit that I am hoping to modify to fit and a Mogul kit that I have no idea what I'm going to do with but I liked it so I went ahead and ordered it. I'll have to come up with another chassis for it I guess, but it will be the 8803 series with a tender instead of the 8895 tank loco that the kit calls for. It's the same chassis, just a different bottom plate, so it will work fine.
I also ordered a pair of Southern Digital frames and decoders for one of the Life-Like PA1/PB1 Erie locomotive pairs that I have. When they get here I will use them to convert my slowest pair of locomotives, I have three sets to choose from and if I screw them up I would rather lose the set that doesn't play well with the others. If they work well I will order four more of each and convert the other two sets as well, then they can be speed matched and made to run together. I may actually end up selling one set since I have two with the same numbers, in that case I don't know if I will bother converting them or not.
I am glad to see Southern Digital makes these frames, since Aztec closed up shop they are the only game in town. I knew about Aztec frames but was completely unaware of Southern Digital, so discovering them was a happy occurrence. They also have frames for the Life Like SD7/9 that I have already converted, but I might have to order one just to see what it is all about.
With all of this in addition to the kits I already have and the modules I need to build, along with whatever Mrs Hades wants me to get done I have enough projects to last me until doomsday, I think.
First up is a couple of locomotive kits from Republic for that Marklin ten-wheeler chassis I told you about at the end of my last post. There aren't any ten-wheeler specific kits that I am aware of, so I ordered a C-16 kit that I am hoping to modify to fit and a Mogul kit that I have no idea what I'm going to do with but I liked it so I went ahead and ordered it. I'll have to come up with another chassis for it I guess, but it will be the 8803 series with a tender instead of the 8895 tank loco that the kit calls for. It's the same chassis, just a different bottom plate, so it will work fine.
I also ordered a pair of Southern Digital frames and decoders for one of the Life-Like PA1/PB1 Erie locomotive pairs that I have. When they get here I will use them to convert my slowest pair of locomotives, I have three sets to choose from and if I screw them up I would rather lose the set that doesn't play well with the others. If they work well I will order four more of each and convert the other two sets as well, then they can be speed matched and made to run together. I may actually end up selling one set since I have two with the same numbers, in that case I don't know if I will bother converting them or not.
I am glad to see Southern Digital makes these frames, since Aztec closed up shop they are the only game in town. I knew about Aztec frames but was completely unaware of Southern Digital, so discovering them was a happy occurrence. They also have frames for the Life Like SD7/9 that I have already converted, but I might have to order one just to see what it is all about.
With all of this in addition to the kits I already have and the modules I need to build, along with whatever Mrs Hades wants me to get done I have enough projects to last me until doomsday, I think.
Tuesday, March 5, 2019
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!
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!
Friday, February 1, 2019
Well...Poo.
I attempted to speed match the GP7's today.
Unfortunately it can't be done. The only CV's that can be programmed are 2 (starting speed), 3 (acceleration) and 4 (deceleration). CV's 5 (top speed) and 6 (mid speed) are non-programmable.
I have seen these locomotives modified with sound decoders, so that may be an option. Unfortunately the only decoders that seem to be compatible are out-of-production MRC's, and I'm not a big MRC fan due to the decoder that now resides in my Hudson. I don't know if their new offerings are any different but they are screwy to program and the sounds aren't anything to write home about. I have heard that putting a different speaker on them works wonders so maybe I'll try that.
Anyway, a rather disappointing day, but any day playing with trains is a good one.
Unfortunately it can't be done. The only CV's that can be programmed are 2 (starting speed), 3 (acceleration) and 4 (deceleration). CV's 5 (top speed) and 6 (mid speed) are non-programmable.
I have seen these locomotives modified with sound decoders, so that may be an option. Unfortunately the only decoders that seem to be compatible are out-of-production MRC's, and I'm not a big MRC fan due to the decoder that now resides in my Hudson. I don't know if their new offerings are any different but they are screwy to program and the sounds aren't anything to write home about. I have heard that putting a different speaker on them works wonders so maybe I'll try that.
Anyway, a rather disappointing day, but any day playing with trains is a good one.
Tuesday, January 22, 2019
Speed Matching
I've invested in a speedometer from Accutrack and I used it to do some speed matching.
My DCC equipped Mikados (two Model Power and one Kato) have all been speed matched and will run together flawlessly. When the last Kato, the one with the L1 conversion, gets its chip it, too, will be speed matched.
I also did some diesels. The two Life-Like Burlington SD's have now been matched, as has one of the Bachmann Pennsy SD9's that I got from Micro Mark for Christmas. This is a great locomotive with sound and everything, and I really wish they had Burlington paint schemes like the Life-Likes, but unfortunately they do not (and the LL shells will not fit on the B-mann chassis without modification, so that's out, too). Tragically I found out that the second of the Bachmann SD9's wouldn't run in reverse. I cleaned wheels and checked gauge and the front truck fell right out of the chassis. When I put it back in place I found that the gears wouldn't mesh and the wheels would spin freely.
So back to Bachmann it goes. Of course I don't have the receipt, so I'll end up paying full repair price on a brand new locomotive. That's my life. I'll suck up the cost to get it fixed, though, because I do like it, and I love the sound. The N Scale Encyclopedia didn't think so highly of them, but perhaps since I got a later run I got better locomotives (at least one of them anyway). Time will tell.
I didn't get around to speed matching the J's or the GP7's, so that will have to happen at a later date.
My DCC equipped Mikados (two Model Power and one Kato) have all been speed matched and will run together flawlessly. When the last Kato, the one with the L1 conversion, gets its chip it, too, will be speed matched.
I also did some diesels. The two Life-Like Burlington SD's have now been matched, as has one of the Bachmann Pennsy SD9's that I got from Micro Mark for Christmas. This is a great locomotive with sound and everything, and I really wish they had Burlington paint schemes like the Life-Likes, but unfortunately they do not (and the LL shells will not fit on the B-mann chassis without modification, so that's out, too). Tragically I found out that the second of the Bachmann SD9's wouldn't run in reverse. I cleaned wheels and checked gauge and the front truck fell right out of the chassis. When I put it back in place I found that the gears wouldn't mesh and the wheels would spin freely.
So back to Bachmann it goes. Of course I don't have the receipt, so I'll end up paying full repair price on a brand new locomotive. That's my life. I'll suck up the cost to get it fixed, though, because I do like it, and I love the sound. The N Scale Encyclopedia didn't think so highly of them, but perhaps since I got a later run I got better locomotives (at least one of them anyway). Time will tell.
I didn't get around to speed matching the J's or the GP7's, so that will have to happen at a later date.
Thursday, December 20, 2018
Video Break
I did some more running with the train club last weekend.
I got the two Mikes matched back up and ran them all day, this time they ran beautifully together and got a lot of attention. The PRR didn't ever have any USRA heavy Mikados like the Kato that leads in the video, but they had 38 USRA light Mikados (designated the L2) like the Model Power in the trailing position, and even kept five of them after the USRA relinquished control of the railroads. Look carefully and you will see that the MP light Mike is even painted Brunswick Green.
N&W 611 also did a couple of laps around the layout, but unfortunately 601 was sidelined with the same shorting problems it had experienced before. Parts are on order to repair it once more, it seems like that's all I've done with that loco since I've owned it. That is a real shame, too, because I really like having a J class that is not 611.
I also ran the PRR K4 with a full compliment of passenger cars and the Southern doodlebug made an outing with it's trailer. Fortunately I had no exploding couplers this time, although I did still have a number of 6 wheel passenger trucks that didn't want to keep all of their wheels. I have about a half dozen of them that only carry two of the three axles in one or both trucks. Fortunately they are all the outside axles, the middle ones are the ones that tend to drop out.
Any day you can play trains is a good one.
Sunday, December 2, 2018
Weekend Report
Raleigh has a new train station.
Raleigh's Union Station has been serving passengers since it's grand opening in April 2018 but the retail spaces are not yet complete.With Christmas coming up the station wanted to draw in some crowds, so they asked my model railroad club to set up a layout in the second floor.
Of course we were happy do do so. We take any chance we can to play trains after all. The layout was set up the weekend before Thanksgiving and we have been running it on the weekends since then. This weekend I got a chance to join in the fun.
Saturday started with disaster as I packed up my trains to take to the show. I stacked up some train boxes and picked them up to put them in the wagon and the bottom of the bottom box fell out, and J class 601 hit the floor.
The only apparent damage was where the drawbar attaches to the locomotive, it's on a plastic peg and the peg broke off. I was able to re-attach it to what was left of the stub, so I packed it in its box and away we went. Unfortunately when I put it on the layout I immediately got shorts.
I put it back in the box and ran 611 instead. Sunday morning I took it apart and found one of the power wires had frayed at the solder point, and it was touching one of the other wires. I wrapped it with tape and this took care of the problem. With the short taken care of I ran it around the layout a few times and had problems with the front tender truck derailing.
I found the drawbar, being higher on the loco than it was previously due to it being attached to just the stub of it's previous mounting peg, was lifting the front of the tender up enough to unload the front truck, causing it to derail occasionally. I bent the drawbar until it no longer lifted the tender and then attached a train to it and had it steaming happily around for a couple of hours.
Next I tried to run some Mikados together. I had speed matched a Model Power Mikado with a Kato Mikado on my home layout with my NCE PowerCab, but when I tried to run it on the Digitrax powered club layout they were no longer matched. I was told that the differences between the two systems track voltages will cause this issue. I will have to try matching them up again, I will have to either speed the Kato up or slow the Model Power down.
I then tried running them separately and found that along with it's pickup woes the Kato is also a poor puller, even with the traction tires installed. Loosening the tender truck screws seemed to help the tender wheels maintain contact so the locomotive now runs reliably, even over rough trackwork and plastic frogs, but it wouldn't pull a very long train. The Model Power pulls more, mostly due to its all metal boiler which makes it heavier and therefore gives it more tractive effort. I'll have to see what I can do with the Model Power's headlight since it comes on only when it wants to.
I also have another Kato Mikado that has a GHQ Pennsylvania L1 conversion kit on it. With the white metal boiler it is a real puller, so I'll have to see about getting another kit for the poorly performing one. I have to do something with the drawbar since the tender is a Bachmann not a Kato, it attaches to the rear truck instead of to the frame where it should. I have some 3D printed Kato drawbars that are badly warped, but I may be able to combine one with the Bachmann drawbar and make something that works. It will need a decoder to be able to run with the rest of them.
I also ran the Erie Hudson around Sunday morning with the track cleaning car, but for some reason it was jumping the rails so I didn't put it on the track to run it during the day. The chuff start was also off, no doubt due once more to the difference between the NCE and Digitrax DCC systems, so I'll have to reprogram the start voltage for it. I'm really not extremely happy with the MRC decoder in this locomotive so I'll probably get a SoundTraxx for it like I have in the J class locos.
The Bachmann K4 got quite a bit of track time, first pulling the freight that the Mikados wouldn't pull on Saturday and then pulling a passenger train on Sunday. The three Bachmann GP7's also saw quite a bit of freight duty on Saturday with a long train of boxcars and hoppers.
Outside of some exploding Micro Trains couplers it was a pretty good weekend. I'm going to have to order some more couplers before the next session.
I have to work next weekend, but I'm hoping to get in some train time the weekend after...providing I get the work that She Who Must Be Obeyed dictates done around the house.
Raleigh's Union Station has been serving passengers since it's grand opening in April 2018 but the retail spaces are not yet complete.With Christmas coming up the station wanted to draw in some crowds, so they asked my model railroad club to set up a layout in the second floor.
Of course we were happy do do so. We take any chance we can to play trains after all. The layout was set up the weekend before Thanksgiving and we have been running it on the weekends since then. This weekend I got a chance to join in the fun.
Saturday started with disaster as I packed up my trains to take to the show. I stacked up some train boxes and picked them up to put them in the wagon and the bottom of the bottom box fell out, and J class 601 hit the floor.
The only apparent damage was where the drawbar attaches to the locomotive, it's on a plastic peg and the peg broke off. I was able to re-attach it to what was left of the stub, so I packed it in its box and away we went. Unfortunately when I put it on the layout I immediately got shorts.
I put it back in the box and ran 611 instead. Sunday morning I took it apart and found one of the power wires had frayed at the solder point, and it was touching one of the other wires. I wrapped it with tape and this took care of the problem. With the short taken care of I ran it around the layout a few times and had problems with the front tender truck derailing.
I found the drawbar, being higher on the loco than it was previously due to it being attached to just the stub of it's previous mounting peg, was lifting the front of the tender up enough to unload the front truck, causing it to derail occasionally. I bent the drawbar until it no longer lifted the tender and then attached a train to it and had it steaming happily around for a couple of hours.
Next I tried to run some Mikados together. I had speed matched a Model Power Mikado with a Kato Mikado on my home layout with my NCE PowerCab, but when I tried to run it on the Digitrax powered club layout they were no longer matched. I was told that the differences between the two systems track voltages will cause this issue. I will have to try matching them up again, I will have to either speed the Kato up or slow the Model Power down.
I then tried running them separately and found that along with it's pickup woes the Kato is also a poor puller, even with the traction tires installed. Loosening the tender truck screws seemed to help the tender wheels maintain contact so the locomotive now runs reliably, even over rough trackwork and plastic frogs, but it wouldn't pull a very long train. The Model Power pulls more, mostly due to its all metal boiler which makes it heavier and therefore gives it more tractive effort. I'll have to see what I can do with the Model Power's headlight since it comes on only when it wants to.
I also have another Kato Mikado that has a GHQ Pennsylvania L1 conversion kit on it. With the white metal boiler it is a real puller, so I'll have to see about getting another kit for the poorly performing one. I have to do something with the drawbar since the tender is a Bachmann not a Kato, it attaches to the rear truck instead of to the frame where it should. I have some 3D printed Kato drawbars that are badly warped, but I may be able to combine one with the Bachmann drawbar and make something that works. It will need a decoder to be able to run with the rest of them.
I also ran the Erie Hudson around Sunday morning with the track cleaning car, but for some reason it was jumping the rails so I didn't put it on the track to run it during the day. The chuff start was also off, no doubt due once more to the difference between the NCE and Digitrax DCC systems, so I'll have to reprogram the start voltage for it. I'm really not extremely happy with the MRC decoder in this locomotive so I'll probably get a SoundTraxx for it like I have in the J class locos.
The Bachmann K4 got quite a bit of track time, first pulling the freight that the Mikados wouldn't pull on Saturday and then pulling a passenger train on Sunday. The three Bachmann GP7's also saw quite a bit of freight duty on Saturday with a long train of boxcars and hoppers.
Outside of some exploding Micro Trains couplers it was a pretty good weekend. I'm going to have to order some more couplers before the next session.
I have to work next weekend, but I'm hoping to get in some train time the weekend after...providing I get the work that She Who Must Be Obeyed dictates done around the house.
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