F-UnitMad Posted October 14, 2023 Author Share Posted October 14, 2023 A quick test with Shorty on it's wheels, I think it'll look very nice. The standard Plymouth is 6" long over pilot beams. Northroader Bob is only 1 1/4" shorter, at 4 3/4 inches, as well as having one axle less, but it makes a big difference to the look, I think. 9 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted October 14, 2023 Author Share Posted October 14, 2023 (edited) In other news, today I have swapped the plastic trucks on a Weaver 57ft Reefer for the new Kadee 100t r/b trucks. A very straightforward swap using the smallest of the Kadee-supplied inserts (the one nearest the truck in the first photo) & the Weaver mounting screw. Coupler height hasn't changed. 👍 With black trucks in shadow, the rotating bearing caps are barely visible 🙄🙄🤦♂️ With the flash on they can be seen, and a few airbrush wafts of weathering grime will make them stand out ok. 😉😁 Edit - the Jury is out on the axle thickness. It's thicker than Atlas axles but not really beefy enough to match Intermountain axles or the Mk1 & Mk2 "Axle Thingies" that were 3D printed for me. I think a Mk3 Axle Thingy could be required..... Edited October 14, 2023 by F-UnitMad 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Donw Posted October 14, 2023 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 14, 2023 3 hours ago, Northroader said: I was looking at some early tracklaying just now: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=297524898087001 just wonderful. Don 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAMO Posted October 20, 2023 Share Posted October 20, 2023 Your tiny critter looks good Jordan! And the KD wheels and trucks seems nice and heavy runners Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted October 22, 2023 Author Share Posted October 22, 2023 Today I reassembled the chassis block, motor gears & wheels on the 0-4-0 Plymouth today, along with modified pick-up strip & shortened keeper plate. Gave it a quick test run, 12v DC only to start with, so running on 'foreign' rails on my UK outline layout... It runs very sweetly indeed forwards, & is a bit more 'growly' in reverse, but I've found that with all of them, it must be to do with the gear train design. A Zimo decoder is on back order with Coastal DCC. 9 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted October 31, 2023 Author Share Posted October 31, 2023 Haven't done any modelling in the last few days, but couldn't resist taking this self-indulgent photo of my new 'shortest US Outline train'... 11 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAMO Posted October 31, 2023 Share Posted October 31, 2023 Great Jordan! 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Northroader Posted November 1, 2023 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 1, 2023 (edited) Looking good. You know it makes sense! p.s. here’s some shorties helping to plan the new line. It’s long enough, but it’s too narrow! Edited November 1, 2023 by Northroader 9 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted November 9, 2023 Author Share Posted November 9, 2023 Still plodding along with 'Northroader Bob'.... Tonight the etched chequerplate sheets have been added, and steps glued under the cab doors. The holes in the cab & hood where the exhaust 'triangle' were have been blocked up with plasticard, just need some filler in & smoothed off. It's a small detail, but the frames look more 'balanced', now, with the cab steps in place. Etched plate from these chaps, https://www.lightrailwaystores.co.uk/products/etched-chequer-plate-7mm-scale 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasond Posted November 9, 2023 Share Posted November 9, 2023 But, but, where does the exhaust come out?? What's that? Oh, the parrot says will it get a bell like he's got...? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted November 9, 2023 Author Share Posted November 9, 2023 The exhaust will be a length of pipe, probably bodged with a piece to look like a muffler (English = silencer). I think I have a spare bell somewhere. Also planning a full-on 5-chime set of air horns on the roof, instead of the usual single tone 'blat' horn fitted to my other Plymouths. 🤩 7 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted December 5, 2023 Author Share Posted December 5, 2023 A bit more detailing on my shorty Plymouth - it's now more detailed than any of my others!! Added brass handrails by cab doors and either side of the hood, as I'm not going to use the side handrails. Also a cobbled-up exhaust with a 'spark arrester', similar in style to ones carried by a couple of Progressive Rail's SW1500 switchers. Plus one of the original air intakes, not pushed so far home as before, and a bell 😁 this is actually an HO scale item. I've added a thin bit of brass rod to simulate the operating cord. All ready for primer & paint, if/when the weather warms up a bit!!! 10 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted December 10, 2023 Author Share Posted December 10, 2023 As temperatures today rose to a sub-tropical 10° today, I braved the heat and got out the rattle cans for 'Northroader Bob'. Just the base colours at the moment, but progress all the same. The "get outta my way!" 5-chime airhorn is now in place too. 😁👌 10 1 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Western Star Posted December 11, 2023 Share Posted December 11, 2023 Rather nice model. You are going to have to post a video of the loco running with the multi-tone horn playing Jingke Bells. 1 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Northroader Posted December 11, 2023 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 11, 2023 (edited) Oh,yess,yesss,yesssss!!!! http://locomotivehorns.info/leslie/ns_010915_1.wav (a mile away) Edited December 11, 2023 by Northroader 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted December 11, 2023 Author Share Posted December 11, 2023 (edited) 6 hours ago, Western Star said: Rather nice model. You are going to have to post a video of the loco running with the multi-tone horn playing Jingke Bells. How about this...? Dixie-horn-sound.mp3 🤣🤣🤣 Edited December 11, 2023 by F-UnitMad 1 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Keith Addenbrooke Posted December 11, 2023 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 11, 2023 1 hour ago, F-UnitMad said: How about this...? Dixie-horn-sound.mp3 83.88 kB · 28 downloads 🤣🤣🤣 Er, no. Just no! 😀 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Donw Posted December 11, 2023 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 11, 2023 9 hours ago, Northroader said: Oh,yess,yesss,yesssss!!!! http://locomotivehorns.info/leslie/ns_010915_1.wav (a mile away) Sadly that didnt work for me. Don 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted December 11, 2023 Author Share Posted December 11, 2023 19 minutes ago, Donw said: Sadly that didnt work for me. Don Nor me, actually. 🤔😧 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasond Posted December 12, 2023 Share Posted December 12, 2023 Completely irrelevant, sorry, but in my first Christmas at a computer data centre I was taken down into the basement where an old 7094 computer's tape drives (yes, free standing cabinets) were able to play Carols, etc using their drive speeds. Anyway, West Wilts O Gauge Group's Christmas get together today, so I'm off to get some choccies like Quality Street to go in the gondolas .... Hey Jason, what about the log car?? 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted December 13, 2023 Author Share Posted December 13, 2023 I might be trying to be far too clever for my own good, here, but as everything was apart for painting the body, I've done a modification to the chassis block that I hope may help the shorty switcher's running. I've drilled four holes in the block under the axles, to fit springs under them. There isn't much movement for the axles anyway when everything's together, but I'm hoping this will keep all four wheels on the rails, and improve pick-up reliability for the non-insulated wheels that transfer the elektrickery through the block. Relevant holes highlighted in the first photo, self explanatory in the second!! 4 1 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Keith Addenbrooke Posted December 13, 2023 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 13, 2023 The block weight does look to me to be heavy enough to prevent unwarranted bouncing - but there'll be one way to find out. I await the video with interest... Keith. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Northroader Posted December 13, 2023 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 13, 2023 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBK6n607zDM 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted December 13, 2023 Author Share Posted December 13, 2023 1 hour ago, Northroader said: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBK6n607zDM You guys keep being naughty & I'll blow that air horn again... 🙄😝🤣🤣 Dixie-horn-sound.mp3 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Western Star Posted December 14, 2023 Share Posted December 14, 2023 (edited) 17 hours ago, F-UnitMad said: You guys keep being naughty & I'll blow that air horn again... 🙄😝🤣🤣 Dixie-horn-sound.mp3 83.88 kB · 58 downloads Pardon? going hard of hearing whilst waiting for the joke to appear. Edited December 14, 2023 by Western Star Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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