Naples Street - a US Switching Layout in TT

[rodshaw]

"I wish these railfans would keep off the d*mn track!"

[doctor quinn]

Not sure the Morris 1000 is that much of a interloper https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2017/09/empire-strikes-back-anglo-quirkiness-british-invasion-stowe/ (scroll down) 

[rodshaw]

14 hours ago, doctor quinn said:

Not sure the Morris 1000 is that much of a interloper https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2017/09/empire-strikes-back-anglo-quirkiness-british-invasion-stowe/ (scroll down) 

There had to be some somewhere.

Now I'm waiting for someone to post a photo of an old British coach that has been transported to the US and converted into a diner.

[doctor quinn]

I recall reading an extract from a US test drive of the Minor and there’s  a picture of a Morris Oxford at Spadina roundhouse in “Signatures in Steel“. Can’t help with the coach though!

[rodshaw]

Here's a 2-minute video showing a bit more switching action at Naples Street:

https://youtu.be/wUoV41tM4AU

[rodshaw]

Another day and more switching, this time featuring a Southern Pacific GP9.

https://youtu.be/mOfy3EVzBmY

 

[rodshaw]

Onto my third Lionel GP9 conversion, this time with a chassis from German company Lok-n-Roll rather than using wheels and drive train parts from Sebnitz. A bit more expensive but less work.

A rectangle needs cutting out of the plastic loco frame. I'd sawn halfway through the fuel tank in situ, thinking it was part of the frame moulding, before realising that it just pulls away. It still needs cutting up but now it's off I may actually leave it off and make a more realistic one out of balsa.

Then, when test fitting the chassis, I realised I hadn't allowed room for the worm housings at either end so there's a bit more to cut away.
It doesn't leave much plastic!
The chassis is DC as supplied and I'll be fitting a Zimo non-sound decoder. Contrary to DCC convention, the grey and orange wires of the chassis are soldered to the truck pickups and the red and black ones go to the motor. Must remember to solder the grey and orange wires to the black and red ones of the decoder and vice versa!

[rodshaw]

I had to do a bit more work than expected on this GP9 chassis. First I had to take the two chassis halves apart (easily done by undoing two screws with an Allen key) in order to cut the capacitor off from under the motor. Then I had to get the chassis back together (a bit more tricky because the cardans kept falling out and the pickup wires needed seating back in grooves cut into the insides of the chassis halves). Finally I had to file some grooves into the top of the chassis to carry the lighting wires, because the chassis is a very tight fit inside the Lionel body - I also had to file away some of the plastic window and lens edges to get it to fit.

Then to fit the decoder, no real problem here but the chassis wiring is 'wrong way round' for DCC, i.e. black and red where they should be orange and grey and vice versa.

Finally I had to cut/file away some of those lugs on the truck sides in order to get the truck sideframes to fit.

I contemplated making some more realistic-looking fuel tank sides but in the end I just used the original tank cut in two halves.
The loco is non-sound but like my other non-sound locos it can be synchronised with two MRC diesel sounders under the layout.

The couplers are Kadee 705s.
I had a nightmare moment when, everything assembled, I ran it with a few freight cars and it kept bobbling or even stopping over my turnouts. As it happened I'd got a small blob of epoxy stuck to the underside of the truck housing, just enough to raise it up when crossing over a turnout rail. Phew!

Looking at prototype pictures of BM 1723, it looks as if it was repainted in the 1960s or 1970s maybe, to pretty much all blue without the black cab, front and rear. Also, it had those protruding grilles coming out of the roof about halfway down.
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/Locopi ... x?id=59382
(That's not to say I'm going to ruin mine by painting or hacking it).

[rodshaw]

After the long hiatus, three shows for Naples Street this year:

 

Globalrail Didcot - 18 June

Northampton MRC Roade - 13 August

Silverfox Milton Keynes - 20 August

 

After that I may well retire the layout so this year could be the last chance to see an example of what's possible in American TT.

Edited April 13, 2022 by rodshaw

[rodshaw]

Coming up...Naples Street at GlobalRail in Didcot this coming Saturday. There will be a few TT scale layouts there but this will be the only one with a North American theme.

[rodshaw]

Two more shows coming up...this Saturday (13th) at Roade near Northampton, and next Saturday (20th) at the Silver Fox DCC show in Milton Keynes.

Then a third and possibly final show for the layout next February in Biggleswade.

 

[rodshaw]

Naples Street had its last outing in February, at Biggleswade. I've removed a few items I wanted to keep and the layout will shortly be appearing for sale on ebay.

[Pacific231G]

1 hour ago, rodshaw said:

Naples Street had its last outing in February, at Biggleswade. I've removed a few items I wanted to keep and the layout will shortly be appearing for sale on ebay.

Thanks Rod 

I enjoyed seeing it at GlobalRail last year and, ISTR, at a couple of other shows. What's the next project? 

[rodshaw]

20 hours ago, Pacific231G said:

Thanks Rod 

I enjoyed seeing it at GlobalRail last year and, ISTR, at a couple of other shows. What's the next project? 

Something very similar actually, but with lighter baseboards and using the new Peco TT track. See here: https://www.ttnut.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=3743

Edited March 2, 2023 by rodshaw

[Pacific231G]

Having read your posts in TTnut I shall look forwars to seeing the layout. 

[rodshaw]

Hi David,

If you can make it to the Northampton MRC show in Roade on 12 August or Kempston on 30 September you'll be able to see it then.

Plenty time to finish it before then, he says confidently...

Rod