Weekend Photos - February 2024

[webenda]

Don't you hate it when a pin gets pushed all the way into tubular rail?

[healey36]

You know, in all of the years I've been messing with this stuff, I don't think I've ever done that. On O-gauge tubular, there's a slight crimp in the rail that's supposed to prevent that; not sure about O-27. It would/will be a pain to dig that out of there.

Pulled the GS-4 Bantam off the storage track and fired that up this week. Having sat unused for 4-5 years, I expected it to be deader-than-a-doornail, but it started right up. I left it to sit for a bit at half-throttle to recharge:



MTH made three "bantams", an N&W J, a Pennsy S-2, and this SP GS-4. Most folks roll their eyes when they see it, but for my tinplate world, it dimensionally fits in. It headed a "Rugged Rails" Daylight set, "Rugged Rails" being a sub-class of the Rail King line. When I bought it, I expected it to come with some variation of RailSounds, or whatever they called it - just smoke and sound. However, it is equipped with PS-2, so it has the other features (none of which do I use). After these many years, it still runs great (even if it looks a bit ghastly).

After a couple laps around the layout, I saw that it was still running itself out of its traction tires. I fitted a couple replacements, adding a thin coat of rubber cement to help hold them in place. The problem seems solved. I gave it a good wipe down with a damp cloth and, for now, I boxed it up and put it away.

[webenda]

On O-gauge tubular, there's a slight crimp in the rail that's supposed to prevent that; not sure about O-27.

O-27 has the crimp.

[healey36]

It looks like you've (or someone) had the track apart once before; maybe the rail is not quite tight enough to keep the pin from pushing past the crimp. A good way to push that out is to use a length of straightened wire from a clothes-hanger...shove it through from the opposite end. I've done this in the past when reconditioning old standard-gauge track, and Sarge reminded me recently that it will work on O/O-27 stuff as well.

Is anyone making O-27 tubular track anymore?

[webenda]

A good way to push that out is to use a length of straightened wire from a clothes-hanger...shove it through from the opposite end.

Thank you for the tip. I was going to split the rail open from the bottom to get it out.

Is anyone making O-27 tubular track anymore?

I don't know. Some dealers still have new old stock for sale. I just bought some straight O-27 for $1.90 each from Trainz.

Menards makes O Gauge tubular track.

[healey36]

Going through boxes under the layout, found this scratch-built model of a switch-tower started by The Old Man (he was a fierce proponent of the start-but-never-finish-a-model technique):



I'm thinking it deserves to be finished. One question, however, begs to be answered - how does the watchman enter. At first I thought that blank panel was a doorway, but that's clearly not the case. More likely a blank where a stove or closet might be positioned inside. So I'm left to thinking the entryway is the square hole in the floor, a hatch of sorts that requires a ladder to reach it. What do you think? He left me a bunch of project books and old mags which I've gone through looking for his inspiration, but found nothing. Perhaps it's just the product of his imagination.

Anyway, it's in the project pile, along with the other hundred things.

[webenda]

So I'm left to thinking the entryway is the square hole in the floor, a hatch of sorts that requires a ladder to reach it. What do you think?

Monon used a ladder to a floor hatch for this tower.

[webenda]

Another ladder and hatch.

[webenda]

Maybe this one. I can't imagine trying to reach a doorknob at the top of a ladder. Must me a floor hatch.

[healey36]

So must be a watch-tower for a grade crossing...very cool. Thanks for that, Wayne. I had just started looking around for photographs when you posted these...pretty much answers the question.

I’ve got some ideas on how to easily make a ladder

[healey36]

With little interest in this year's football championship, we retreated to the basement to run trains:



Here a Limited headed by the Lionel 1688 Torpedo runs south through the 305 bridge before descending into the city and a stop at Pennsylvania Station. These 163X-series coaches are going to have their roofs bead-blasted and repainted (a previous owner gave them a respray with some awful silver paint).

[MartyE]

OK since I logged in and seen this thread I'll post some pictures from my latest YouTube video covering the Century Club 1 engines starting with the 671. I went in on the CC1 club with my former brother in law. I took the Berk and Hudson and he bought the NYC F3s, Turbine, and GG-1. When my sister divorced him I ended up with all of them minus some of the extra paperwork.

[webenda]

OK since I logged in and saw this thread I'll post some pictures from my latest YouTube video covering the Century Club 1 engines starting with the 671.

Cool, MartyE! I enjoyed your photos very much.

[Chris Webster]

I can't imagine trying to reach a doorknob at the top of a ladder.

The DL&W had watch towers with doors at the top of the ladder. Here's an article about the one in Utica, NY with a photo that shows the door:
Do You Know About the ‘Watch Tower’ in Utica?

The ladder has been removed for security reasons as the tower is no longer used to control crossings.

[healey36]

I can't imagine trying to reach a doorknob at the top of a ladder.

The DL&W had watch towers with doors at the top of the ladder. Here's an article about the one in Utica, NY with a photo that shows the door:
Do You Know About the ‘Watch Tower’ in Utica?

The ladder has been removed for security reasons as the tower is no longer used to control crossings.

Thanks for that, Chris. I like the look of that lattice-work in the steel columns. It's nice to see that it's been preserved in some form. My guess is that this is the classic watch-tower for the folks controlling the gates/signals for the grade-crossing, not for any form of switch-control as speculated in the accompanying article.

Appreciate it.