I've spent a few days working on my Hall build without giving an update. So, here it is. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how this is all going to fit together nicely. I've never cut a loco apart like this, so it's going to take some effort to figure out. I ended up deciding that I would build a cardboard model before doing anything. Well, of course the reality is different from the plan. Instead, I am building the mock-up as I do the work. Here's a photo of the mock-up as it exists right now. The cab used to fit nicely in place, but now that I cut the firebox hole, it won't stay without being stuck in place. The Bachmann gearbox I have will be cut up to match the cardboard gearbox in the photo. Luckily, this will not require any rework of the gears or wheels. The firebox in the image needs to be a bit longer. But, this is exactly why I do this. I had cut the piece to be the length required outside the cab, so now I realize that I need to be sure that piece includes what is inside the cab too. Working out design details is much cheaper to adjust and fix in scrap cardboard than it would be in styrene or sheet metal.
One other exciting note: I am thinking that the lamp from the front of the Bachmann loco will become the lamp for my snowplow!
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I added another history page to my website! I took a trip to San Francisco in January and I finally have had a chance to go through the photos and write a page.
First, I took all the small details off the engine, including handrails, the bell, the light, generator, etc. Next I unscrewed every screw I could find. That allowed me to remove running boards, cowcatcher, and eventually the whole shell of the locomotive. One can see how big the circuit board is below.
Hello! I haven't been on this site in a very long time. (Mostly because I don't have a garden or railroad, but also because money is quite tight.) However, with the recent events of the world, I am finding myself with much more free time than I used to. So, I have returned to an idea that I had before: to custom build a Hall class locomotive based from a Bachmann 2-6-0 in 1:32 scale. That scale doesn't match my Forney, but it's okay because they wouldn't run together anyway. So, first thing with this project is to figure out the measurements of the loco and plan the components. So, I found this diagram of a Hall class from greatwestern.org.uk . I then edited the file to scale it down to millimeters. There are numbers I'll have to figure out still. In terms of circuitry, this locomotive will be simpler than others. The engine will run on battery power, R/C control, with sound. That is all. If I can still get them from England, I will continue to use the RC Trains receiver for this engine. It will be #5 on my Tx22.
I may have found a good starting point for this project. Bachmann's 4-6-0 Big Hauler maintains a lot of the basic profile of the hall class engines, but will require the addition of the external firebox, larger wheels, tender, and British-style chimney & steam release. Yesterday I visited two model railroad places of interest in Rhode Island. The first was the Apponaug Color & Hobby Shop. Charlie, the owner of the shop, is a very nice guy. He doesn't have much for large scale, but he is willing to get what I need.
The second was the Providence Northern Model Railroad Club. They are a very nice bunch at the PN and the layout is incredible! It models a fake line running from Providence, RI to Quebec, Canada. It includes cities like Warwick, and some very impressive buildings from these cities. The club let me run whatever stock I wanted for over two hours. Part of the time we (engineers) were following signals, part we were not. It was a great experience and I think I'm going to join the club and see what I can contribute to the goals of the organization. So, I have started looking for HO locomotives that I can convert to R/C control (hmm... I wonder if I'll figure out how to do that...). The club does use live rail, so I don't have to worry about fitting a battery into the loco, but I'll probably wire in the option of have a battery in a trailing car. We shall see what I find. I was thinking about starting an N-scale layout in my apartment when I moved to Rhode Island, but since I have an HO tanker from my youth, this makes more sense. Plus, it means I don't have to have a layout taking up my whole apartment! A note: This does by no way mean my stepping back from Large scale. I'm still going to work on that stock as well. But, they take up much more space in my small apartment. I have been offered a space in a Massachusetts-based club for outdoor railroading, and I may join, but the weather needs to be better so that I can! I finally got my Forney working properly! I've received another package from the UK and have been able to fit a new Rx into my loco. I also ordered a different Tx that can control 12 different locos and has inertia control. I really like this controller and recommend it.
No photos today. I'm still getting used to my new apartment, and don't have much here. But, I'm getting there. Hopefully soon I am going to visit some local layouts. I was finally able to get the coaches' interior lighting finished this past week. I used an old string of micro LEDs with a 3V button-cell battery. I was given these lights from someone else, so I don't have the original packaging, but it seems each LED regulates itself because 4 LEDs is just as bright as the whole string.
Here's a few photos of them.
I also bought one #831 set of couplers. These are large off-set couplers for truck mounting. I put them on my SRRL caboose. You can see that I aquired a few older Kadees from eBay purchases in the below photo. The original owner had painted the couplers to look rusty. They also cut the trip pins. I've done my best to refurbish the internal workings of these units, but not all of them have worked well. I may have to just replace them.
So, it turns out, I really like boxcars. I'm not sure why. But I already have a small fleet of them on my railroad and I'm not totally sure how this happened...
But, in any case, here's another. It's a Bachmann car lettered #556 for Pennsylvania Railroad. It needs some serious cleaning. So, I'm taking it apart and cleaning it with a toothbrush and water. Then the lettering will be removed so I can re-letter it for a railroad in New England. I'm thinking the two Bachmann cars I now have will be for the same railroad/ company. I will also be replacing the Hook & Loop couplers with Kadee knuckles and the plastic wheels with metal. It's snowing today in Massachusetts, so I hurried up and pulled out some stock. Here's a few of the photos I took!
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Hello!My name is John. This is my website dedicated to all things model railroading! I hope you enjoy! Archives
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