Weekend Photos - February 2024

[webenda]

With Radio Shack gone, what's a good source for the components these days?

Your local electronics supply store, ebay, Amazon, https://www.digikey.com, https://www.mouser.com,
https://temu.com

Temu is interesting. They don't sell individual components but, for example, you get hundreds of resistors for less than the cost of a RadioShack 5 resistor package.
Example: https://www.temu.com/search_result.html ... ethod=user
The only thing about temu is that you often have to wait for the slow boat from China to arrive before the USPS can deliver your order.

I forgot Jameco as a source for electronic parts.
https://www.jameco.com/shop/KeywordSear ... Text=lm317

Many Electronic Parts stores that I have used have closed their doors. Most recently one of my favorites, All Electronics, sent this message to me, "After 56 years supplying surplus and new electronic parts and supplies, we have decided to call it quits."

There must be many more that I either forgot or never heard of.

Oh! Elliot Electronics. When Radio Shack closed I started using Elliott. Their prices on LEDs were higher than Radio Shack's prices but they had surplus parts dirt cheap.
https://www.elliottelectric.com/locatio ... vices.aspx

[healey36]

So what's killing off the independent electronic parts dealers? Chinese direct sales? They don't seem so easy to order from.

[robert.]

So what's killing off the independent electronic parts dealers? Chinese direct sales? They don't seem so easy to order from.

AMAZON! search any electronic part and ad the word amazon.

[webenda]

So what's killing off the independent electronic parts dealers? Chinese direct sales? They don't seem so easy to order from.

AMAZON! search any electronic part and ad the word amazon.

OK, I will!




I did not even add the word Amazon to my search.

[healey36]

I have bought a ton of stuff off of Amazon, but I have to admit, electronic components hasn't been one of them (likely due to my electronic ignorance). It's interesting to note that even this type stuff is available from Bezos.

I'm getting ready to start working on refurbishing the gunmetal version 1664E I bought a few months ago. I have three of the more common black versions (why, I don't know), so I want to figure out which is in the worst cosmetic shape with mechanicals that can be donated to the gunmetal one. I got this one down off the shelf and gave it a few laps around the outer loop; it runs fine, so I'll have to dig out the others:



Of course, anytime you get something out on the pike that hasn't been run for awhile, the railfans show up. This is becoming a bigger problem than it used to be. Up at Heat-Pump Pass, it's not unusual to see as many as a half-dozen, all standing along the right-of-way. These two are standing in the property just along the table edge. If the railroad police show up, they can just jump over the side. We gotta get this under control.

Hope everyone has a great weekend.

[webenda]

...gunmetal version 1664E...

Nice. John Allen used to paint all his locomotives gray. He said that gray showed detail better and it looked more realistic under the usual indoor lighting.

Gunmetal gray, a very deep shade of gray mixed with blue, looks really nice in photographs (to my eyes anyway.)

[webenda]

AC-DC Layout

[healey36]

Looks good...seemingly endless traffic.

[HONDO74]

Wayne, Is this the same layout you had when you lived in Tucson. ?

Looks like you need to extend this one so you can get that other boxcar in there.

[webenda]

Wayne, Is this the same layout you had when you lived in Tucson. ?

No, This was my favorite in Tucson. It is out in orbit right now.

Looks like you need to extend this one so you can get that other boxcar in there.

The new door layout will get a few more pieces of track soon.