Weekend Photos - January 2022

[G3750]

Very interesting experiment. What prompted it?

George

The answer is complex but a simple way of putting it is that it is a personality quirk.

A short history... when I was 4 years old, I wondered what was inside my parents wind up alarm clock. When they were both out of the house for a while I took it a part--every piece. I got all the gears back into their frame and the clock back together but was not able to get the main spring back in properly. The clock looked okay but never worked again.

When I got my first train set, I took it apart and put it back together so many times most of the bent metal tabs that held the cars and engine together ended up broken. The train always worked after I put it back together. I learned abut metal fatigue in addition to how everything in the train worked.

This curiosity of how things work led to a career as a Metrology Engineer.
me·trol·o·gy -> the scientific study of measurement.

What prompted the measurements of length, weight and rolling resistance? This is the first KMT car I ever got my hands on. I had to disassemble and measure it.

I was going to take the trucks apart to discover their secrets (like each wheel is independent, i.e., not attached to the axle) in the future but Rufus asked,

Maybe clean the trucks and wheels?

So I did the dry vs. cleaned and oiled experiment right away.

That's fascinating, Wayne! Wonderful answer!

"If you can not measure it, you can not improve it." - Lord Kelvin

George

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Maybe clean the trucks and wheels?

OK, cleaned and oiled the axels, truck journals, wheel and wheel hubs. I wire brushed the wheel treads.

Did that make any change? I've gotten more than one elderly car with trucks with the wheels close to locked up due to debris and goo.

[webenda]

Maybe clean the trucks and wheels?

OK, cleaned and oiled the axels, truck journals, wheel and wheel hubs. I wire brushed the wheel treads.

Did that make any change? I've gotten more than one elderly car with trucks with the wheels close to locked up due to debris and goo.

The last coast was 4.2 inches before cleaning/oiling and 4.0 inches after cleaning and oiling.
Some people might think that it got worse but statistically, there was no change.
Test 2 was like Test 1. In both cases, when I let go at the top of the grade, sometimes it was stuck (0 inches.)
Coasting data (Test 2): 0.0, 4.0, 5.5, 0.2, 4.8, 6.3, 0.0, 5.0, 3.3, 4.0 inches.
Average: 3.3 inches.
Standard Deviation (Sigma): 2.4 inches.
Your results may be different.

[healey36]

Finished cutting out the four sides of the station and embossed each similarly. As an experiment, I took one of the small sides and gave it a coat of paint (rattlecans I had in the shop):



A number of fears proved unfounded, one being that a few coats of gloss enamel would (1) obliterate the embossed texture, and (2) the gloss paint wouldn't dry with a nice sheen to it. The one thing that did happen, primarily due to my impatience in applying a second coat of the light green, was some crazing in the finish. I tried lightly sanding that area to remove the wrinkled-up paint, then repainted it again just to have it happen again. I might have to make a new side, but there is some pinstriping and signage that might sufficiently hide it...not sure.

Went ahead and started painting the other three sides this AM, planning a long curing time between coats. Hopefully this mitigates the crazing issue. Once all of the paint is on, I'll go pack and try to remove any of the fuzzy bits from the edges of the cardboard, primarily in the window and door openings. I have designed and printed a number of windows and doors using MS Paint, which I printed on cardstock. Again, a bit of experimentation, I painted a few of those using some acrylic matte craft paint I stole from the wife's supply. While there was initially some warpage, they seemed to straighten up after the paint/paper dried thoroughly. I'm going to need to give those a coat of clear gloss before I cut them out and cement them in...we'll see how that goes.

I have a couple of interior walls to cut, emboss, and paint; then I can start to assemble the bottom half of this thing.

One question - I want to put some frosted acetate in the windows (I might put interior lights in this thing). Any suggestions where to find some of that, or better, how to frost one side of some clear acetate I have laying around here?

[Rufus T. Firefly]

One question - I want to put some frosted acetate in the windows (I might put interior lights in this thing). Any suggestions where to find some of that, or better, how to frost one side of some clear acetate I have laying around here?

Dullcoating the clear will frost it.

[healey36]

I was wondering if that might work.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

I was wondering if that might work.

Either that or take some 600/400 grit paper to it,

[healey36]

Picked up this Lionel 6014-85 boxcar as an add-on for a 1465 set I'm assembling for a youngster:



Made in 1957 only, this red plastic/heat-stamped Frisco version of the 6014 is pretty low-end (similar to the 1465 set sold in 1952). Figured it would brighten up what is a pretty dreary consist.

[healey36]

Remember snow fence? They used to put this temporary fencing up along highways susceptible to drifting snow back in the day:



A photo from February, 1940, along Rte. 240 in Montgomery County, Maryland, I recall miles of this stuff being put up locally by the State Highway guys back as late as the 1960s, maybe early 1970s. Haven't seen any of it for years. Last time I saw anything remotely similar was along the access road to the airport outside of Denver, and that was a permanent fence maybe 10-12 feet high.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Remember snow fence? They used to put this temporary fencing up along highways susceptible to drifting snow back in the day

Remember it well.........still see some up in the valley along Rt 75.

[healey36]

They used to string quite a bit of it along Maryland Rte. 27 (Ridge Road) north of Mt. Airy and the B&O's mainline. With any significant snow, it still blows over pretty regularly for those twenty miles between there and Westminster, running along the top of Parr's Ridge. I guess the labor and storage cost of erecting and maintaining the drift fencing is too great (along with the steady decline in the amount of snowfall we seem to be getting).

[RBH29]

It's still used to help control sand dune erosion along beaches.

Richard

[healey36]

Finished the lower-level bits for the faux tinplate station project:



I think I'm going to work on the base next. Once that's done, I'll assemble the combined lower-level and base before starting the roof/gables.

[healey36]

As one with way too many irons in the fire, this Ives 3251 is slowly rising to the top of the project pile:



I recently got it running again after it spent many years under the workbench, but now, given its rather battered condition, I'm considering giving the shell a refurb (i.e. a chemical strip, repaint, headlight rewire, and a replacement bell, or possibly a small pantograph). Weirdly, it's missing a cab door (I never realized these were separate bits). Fat chance one can find a replacement door. I'm long past the days of wanting things unscratched/unmarked, but this looks like a good candidate worthy of a refresh.

[HONDO74]

Finished the lower-level bits for the faux tinplate station project:



I think I'm going to work on the base next. Once that's done, I'll assemble the combined lower-level and base before starting the roof/gables.

It really does look like tinplate in the picture. Looking forward to seeing the completed item.