Projects

[BaltoOhioRRfan]

someone needs to do a B&O Steam Era caboose again......like athearn on the NE series...

[pdlethbridge]

Or you could try battery backup.

[BestSnowman]

Wow, that is a nice looking caboose! Your lighting projects have given me an idea of my own. Put an LED on as the end of train marker but instead of going straight to the rails for power put a cheap decoder in it so I can turn it on when used or off when parked in a siding.

All I need to do is figure out the eletrics for the flashing and find the time to try it.

[jonathan]

BestSnowman,

Thanks, much. 

Can't help you with DCC.  That's still the dark side to me.  I know there are flasher units available that are small enough to fit in a caboose. 

However, finding the time is a routine I had to work on.  I have two small children, on my second career, a dog, a yard and all the other stuff that goes with living life.  The only work around was to live without a little sleep each day.  I get up at 4:00 am each day, take the dog out, start the coffee, maintenance the baby, etc, and head to the layout for whatever awaits.  I do this every day (well, most days) until I leave for work.  This way I don't interfere with family time, job, housework, etc.
  It works, but I could use more sleep!

Regards,

Jonathan

[Robertj668]

BaltoOhioRRfan
Did you use the a computer Program? If so what one and it not can you give some more details?
Also have you been to the B&O Museum in Baltimore?  It is great.  For the longest time my son and I have bounced back and forth to what RR we will model. Just last week my son noticed that most everything we have is B&O and ATSF.  So now we need to make that work.

Jonathan
Great work on the Caboose!

General question to all.
Can something be DCC controlled but Battery powered?

Robert

[BestSnowman]

There never does seem to be enough time in the day I get up at five every day but I have to be on the road by 5:30 to get to work (70 miles one way).

I imagine one could fashion a flasher out of materials found at radio shack but I just need to find out which ones (I'm a software engineer not an electrical engineer).

Generally speaking there is nothing that defines that DCC be powered through the rails. I believe there are some DCC systems that use batteries and radio frequency. I think they are common on large scale systems.

[jonathan]

BestSnowman,

This is a shot in the dark, but I'm beginning to believe you live or work somewhere near Rochester, MN.  I'm from Spring Valley.  If not, nevermind.  I know I have seen DC flasher units for less than $20.  I'm not an electrical guru either, but I'm discovering 12v-16v DC power is not too complicated to work with.  I know Jim Banner can do the math and give you a parts list for Radio Shack.  I tend to do trial and error until it works, but also listen to the great advice from the wisdom on this forum.

Large Scale does have radio frequency systems.  I know some of the mini camera stuff is adaptable to HO.

Robert, thank you, it's a labor of love.

Regards,

Jonathan

[BestSnowman]

I actually live in St Peter, MN and work in Eagan. Spring Valley isn't that far away really (relatively speaking, I went to a wedding in Brainard so after spending 6 hours round trip in the car 120 miles isn't very far )

The simplicity of DC is nice, some days I wish I was running DC for the simplicity of it.

[BaltoOhioRRfan]

BaltoOhioRRfan
Did you use the a computer Program? If so what one and it not can you give some more details?
Also have you been to the B&O Museum in Baltimore?  It is great.  For the longest time my son and I have bounced back and forth to what RR we will model. Just last week my son noticed that most everything we have is B&O and ATSF.  So now we need to make that work.

Jonathan
Great work on the Caboose!

General question to all.
Can something be DCC controlled but Battery powered?

Robert

Yes I've bene there. I live in the City of Baltimore so I can get there easily. I own 3 HO scale model  Locomotives of the real thing sitting in the musuem, a 4th is the same model just a diffrent road number......i have in my collection that the B&O Musuem have

American Freedom Train #1
Baltimore & Ohio #25 "William Mason"
Baltimore & Annapolis #50
I also have a 2-6-6-6 Allgehney but with a diffrent road number then at the musuem

and the program i use for making decals is Paint Shop Pro 7. takes a lot of work to get the decals sized just right.

heres another thing i made using custom decals. its a truck i race in a game made into a diecast

[Robertj668]

BaltoOhioRRfan
We live in Texas but visit that Museum about 3-4 times a yr. So we bought the family membership!

Here below is my new Project.  never built one so wish me luck.

[BestSnowman]

I recently had a bit of an update on a project, I've been working on an Athearn SDP40 (I've mentioned it on the forums earlier). I finally got the decoder installed and working.

It has fought me every step of the way, and the decoder was no exception. I used a Digitrax DH123AT decoder since it comes with a harness specifically for Athearns. For those that haven't followed my previous posts on this locomotive, it was originally my dad's some 20 years ago in one of his previous attempts to build a layout (he started and was forced to stop several times over the years because things would come up). After working throught some weird behavior we determined it had never been broken so combining that with corrosion and rust from sitting in a box it was in tough shape.

I'm planning on visiting my parents this weekend and I'm going to take it along so my dad can finally run it on a layout. Then I'm going to work on fine tuning the decoder, installing lights, and fixing the couplers (right now I don't have the right couplers so they aren't the correct height.

[jonathan]

BestSnowMan,

Since your Athearn loco is 20 years old, can you describe the motor for me?  I have posted previously that I'm working on several old athearn GPs.  I have completely isolated the motor on a 1960s GP, with an old open frame motor and no flywheels (dark cylindrical magnet with no cover, but plastic end fittings).  It runs much better with an isolated motor, and doesn't heat up as much.  Now I want to finish isolating the others, if it's worth it.   Does yours have flywheels? Are they brass or pot metal?  I believe you posted previously that you replaced the iron wheels.  Guess I'm trying to find out what improvements you deemed necessary. Thanks,

Jonathan

[jonathan]

OK I really went down a rabbit hole with the cabooses for a while.  This is the last one for me.  There's too much other modeling to get to.  I wanted to make one with all-wheel pick up, to eliminate flickering.

Here's what the trucks look like after using up the last of my coupler springs:


Here's what it looks like lit up...  remember I'm a bad photographer:



I've found if you gently rock the springs in and release, with a small flat screwdriver... just a tiny bit, the springs will touch the wheels gently, and not create too much drag.  I also cleaned the inside of the wheels with alcohol, then coated with conductalube, ever so slightly.  This helped, too.

I know, next someone will suggest a battery vice track power.  I dunno, somehow this is more magical to me.

Anyway, I'm getting OCD from all this tiny wiring, so it's back to the scenery, after a couple days away from the layout.

Regards,

Jonathan

[BestSnowman]

BestSnowMan,

Since your Athearn loco is 20 years old, can you describe the motor for me?  I have posted previously that I'm working on several old athearn GPs.  I have completely isolated the motor on a 1960s GP, with an old open frame motor and no flywheels (dark cylindrical magnet with no cover, but plastic end fittings).  It runs much better with an isolated motor, and doesn't heat up as much.  Now I want to finish isolating the others, if it's worth it.   Does yours have flywheels? Are they brass or pot metal?  I believe you posted previously that you replaced the iron wheels.  Guess I'm trying to find out what improvements you deemed necessary. Thanks,

Jonathan

It has flywheels, they look like steel to me. As for the wheels I actually haven't replaced them yet. I ended up getting a wire brush for a dremel and tried polishing the heck out of them. Since then I've had no problems with them yet. I'm not sure how long of a term this solution will be.

I will likely end up replacing the wheels at some point but it works for now.

Thats a nice looking caboose I bent up a kadee spring today on accident, maybe I'll have to apply it to my first lighted caboose.

[jonathan]

Yep, those springs have a million and one uses.  I ordered an extra dozen so I can actually use the couplers that came with the springs!

OK, I think the iron flywheels means your loco is from 1974 to the late eighties possibly.  It still used the same motor from the sixties. Although I can't recall what year they switched to the brass flywheels (1989 maybe?).  In the mid nineties, they switched to a better motor, BUT started using the noisier gear system.  I probably have the dates all wrong, but I haven't found a good historical source yet on HO trains.  hoseeker does help, if you enjoy searching through old catalogs.  These are best guesses so far.  I'm sure someone can correct me.  I have to say, I have one with the iron flywheels, and it is the smoothest and quietest runner of all my old Athearn GPs.  They really got that one right, especially after you hard wire that baby. Hope your SDP40 runs forever for you.

Regards,

Jonathan

PS. Robertj668, please let us know how the laser wood kit is coming.  I want to build one someday, when I get braver, and more patient.

PPS  Yes I have ordered some superdetail parts for my old Athearns, thanks.