What’s on your Workbench?

[LarryK]

Here's yours:

NOT the combo link.

I like it!

[Nortonville Phil]

Phil, I wonder if there is any chance that you could straighten that roof by working the underside of it while it's in place? To be clear, I mean without removing the roof from the rest of the body. The body of course would have to be removed from the chassis.

I will say that pantograph installation is very busy. I would think a trolley pole setup would be cleaner.

Jim

Jim and all,

Thanks for all the helpful tips and hints. It looks like my main problem on posting pictures is that I am using a tablet and smart phone mainly to access this forum. I am posting this from the laptop which does not see much use these days.

The locomotive that I posted is a Baldwin Cass E as near as I can tell. I have been looking in Strapac's Baldwin Interurban Electric Locomotives book for more info. South Shore Line had several of these 80 and 85 ton locomotives. In fact the one that Bob T has with the Lobaugh Inverted equalizer trucks is quite close to one of the units that South Shore Line had. The inverted equalizer trucks were actually a GE truck but South Shore was a fan of them and so had them on at least one of their Baldwin locomotives acording to the book.

I was able to straighten out the roof after removing both trucks. Both are powered. I have another identical loco with no power and I plan to install one of the motorized trucks in that locomotive. That should be plenty of power for the small trains it likely will be powering on the DFW club traction layout.

[J. S. Bach]

...snip... I am puzzled about the vertical handrails at the very end of cab proper, just outboard the windows. ...snip...

Probably a handhold while standing on the truck sideframe when cleaning the cab windows.

[steamaheadstephen59]

Maroon I wouldn't be without my Piercing Saw and a Jewellers Peg there indispensable when making parts of all kinds.

[sarge]

A piercing saw is a must, yes. Not that common a tool here in America for some reason, but a staple in the UK and in 7mm modelling.

[bob turner]

I should google that. Would a piercing saw replace my Dremel cutoff wheels?

[sarge]

Nope.

There are lots of brass kits in 7mm and mostly done with really nice etchings. You cut 'em out and solder them up, and a piercing saw makes very precise cuts in those brass etches, especially inside closed forms like window openings. Picture a tiny coping saw.

They also are first rate for curved cuts. I still use a lot of cutoff wheels, my razor/fret saws, a really nice Swiss-made shear, and my nibblers, but I'll never go without my piercing saw in my arsenal of yellow-smithing tools.

[De Bruin]

The locomotive that I posted is a Baldwin Class E as near as I can tell.... South Shore Line had several of these 80 and 85 ton locomotives. In fact the one that Bob T has with the Lobaugh Inverted equalizer trucks is quite close to one of the units that South Shore Line had. The inverted equalizer trucks were actually a GE truck but South Shore was a fan of them and so had them on at least one of their Baldwin locomotives according to the book.

Nice motor Phil, thanks for posting it and quite a score; I recall seeing these on the South Shore switching in pairs around East Chicago and Hammond in my youth circa '63-4, interestingly I only saw one of the 800's GE "Joes" - once, and those ex-NYC R-2's that replaced these BlW's? - never.
I didn't know they even had them until I saw an article on the CSS&SB in RMC around 1970. The South Shore picked up a pair of these from the IC in the late 20's, I think they were for the short-lived electrification of the Congress St. freight yard.
Below link is from Don Ross's site via Dave's Electric Pages
http://www.newdavesrailpix.com/ic/htm/usr_h_ic_misc_frt_10003_donross_026.htm
so cool....

[bob turner]

I could spend all year on that photo site! Thanks!

[sarge]

Hoppers.

A string of WM cars and one of NYC/PLE 959 pattern cars:

[sarge]

And some Valley twins...

[De Bruin]

Like all of these, do you ever make/use cardboard inserts to structure a simulated coal load?

[sarge]

More often I'll use blue foam, black latex paint, the covered in crushed real coal if the load is fixed.

The plan here is a repeat of what I did in UK 7mm. A piece of hard balsa sheet with a block in the centre that bears on the inside bottom of the car so you can poke one end down and the other end rocks up and out so you can grab it easily. Dress the top with coal and you have an easily removed coal load. On the bottom, put the reporting mark of the car or cars that fit it and a "B" on the brake end so the orientation is consistent.

Once the loaded car is delivered during an ops session, the master of ceremonies can quietly pop them out to make the cars empties for pickup later in the session or during the next session. The now-removed loads are stacked in a holder on the fascia at the yard (conveniently on the opposite side of the aisle) so when the empties return to the yard he can read off the bottom and drop them back in their respective cars as loads again.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

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[sarge]

Here is a way to solve the vexing problem of holding small bits for paint, for we have all held a little piece, shot paint on it, then discovered there is no way to put the dam thing down.

I suspect you can still get alligator clips for clip-leads even though nobody makes anything anymore, preferring to buy shoddy crap pre-made by Chinese children for tuppence (Grin!), but most of us have these floating around the shop.



The ones with the collars are the objects of our affections; just crack out the Plastruct solvent and glue them to squares of plasticard. Hold them in your hand after clamping the piece to be painted, then you can actually put them down without buggering up the paintwork.



Here's an overview of four at work in the paintbooth. Dirt simple and works da nutz!


Carrying that theme along, you can attach them likewise to a piece of Evergreen Styrene tubing and make wands to hold little bits for spraying. These make twirling the piece about for painting easy, though you have to think about where you put it, like across the corner of a box or in the rack that holds your paintbrushes, when you're done spraying.