cooley_boy

Well now there are 5 of these wagons finished and ready to roll even with removable loads. No I know there are a few details that are not fully true to life but all in all these do capture the look of these wagons in my view. No just to finish off the last 10.

Another Aspect of my Operation SD70 project is adding details to the Athearn units I have from the earlier runs which were lack a bit in the detail department particularly around the under frame and the front and rear ends. The first part that I do is to get the detail pack from Details West that are bespoke for the SD70M units with white metal parts for the under frame. This includes the piping for the sanders, bell, brackets for the fuel tank, jack mounting points, release values for the fuel tank, electrical cabling looms, spare knuckle coupler parts, etc. Below are the photos of how these look when all in place. Next is to put on a new plough and adding the air hoses and MU cable. Also adding the new standard Yellow sills to the walkways.

Another Aspect of my Operation SD70 project is adding details to the Athearn units I have from the earlier runs which were lack a bit in the detail department particularly around the under frame and the front and rear ends. The first part that I do is to get the detail pack from Details West that are bespoke for the SD70M units with white metal parts for the under frame. This includes the piping for the sanders, bell, brackets for the fuel tank, jack mounting points, release values for the fuel tank, electrical cabling looms, spare knuckle coupler parts, etc. Below are the photos of how these look when all in place. Next is to put on a new plough and adding the air hoses and MU cable. Also adding the new standard Yellow sills to the walkways.

Operation SD70 is a go!!! I currently have 6 of these iconic US locomotives and with UP owning in the region of 1200 of these locos I could just just keep going but the wallet says other wise. Either way I am now in the process of getting all of these harmonised with the same Tsunami2 sound decoders, LED upgraded lighting with a new Technique and weathered. Currently all of them now have the decoders installed and speakers fitted using a 52 x 16 speaker mounted in the space above the decoder. in the hood. They are now all fitted with the LEDs par one but here are some pictures of the process. I first start by removing the factory fitted bulbs or previous retro fitted LEDs and then slightly widen the holes to 1.5mm using an appropriate 1.5mm drill bit and using a slow speed on my dremel. I do this with care so as not to over drill the holes. I then take my 1.5mm thick Fibre Optic and cut a length of about 15mm or 1/2" and then I bevel one end of the fibre by slowly waving it close to the tip of a hot soldering iron allowing the heat from the iron to soften the end of the fibre. The fibre will naturally form into a lens like curve which will form the detail end of the fibre looking like the lens of the headlight. The next step is to feed the fibre into the hole for the headlight pushing it all the way down so that the bevelled end of the fibre sits in the headlight surround. Sometimes the bevel is a little too wide and will not sit down fully. In this case I just sand down the side of the fibre around the bevel edge by using a fine file and pushing the fibre along it and turning in the reverse direction. Now on the inside of the loco I place a little plastic cement glue where the fibre exits the loco shell to secure them in place. I then cut a length of 2mm heat shrink about 20mm long and slip this onto each of the fibre lengths and leave for the moment. Next I take my LEDs which I get from Evans Designs in the US. I use his because the color grade between all the LEDs is very uniform which is a issue I have had with other LEDs. They also come pre-wired and with resistor wired in. The other handing thing is that the wire that he uses is a single strand wire which is form-able and makes installing them handy. I take the LED and using thin pliers carefully put the LED at a right-angle the the wire and then feed the LED into the heat shrink around the fibre all the way till it is up against the fibre fully. Using the tip of the soldering iron (also holding the LEDs in place with my hand on the feeder wires) shrink the heat shrink down and this locks the LED to the fibre and holds everything in place. When the heat shrink is still warm I just with my finger or the tip of a flat-head screw driver push down on it where the wires leave the heat shrink and this help lock it all in. Here are some shots of the final result. The LEDs are pretty bright here and I turn them down a tad. Next stop is the weathering......

Operation SD70 is a go!!! I currently have 6 of these iconic US locomotives and with UP owning in the region of 1200 of these locos I could just just keep going but the wallet says other wise. Either way I am now in the process of getting all of these harmonised with the same Tsunami2 sound decoders, LED upgraded lighting with a new Technique and weathered. Currently all of them now have the decoders installed and speakers fitted using a 52 x 16 speaker mounted in the space above the decoder. in the hood. They are now all fitted with the LEDs par one but here are some pictures of the process. I first start by removing the factory fitted bulbs or previous retro fitted LEDs and then slightly widen the holes to 1.5mm using an appropriate 1.5mm drill bit and using a slow speed on my dremel. I do this with care so as not to over drill the holes. I then take my 1.5mm thick Fibre Optic and cut a length of about 15mm or 1/2" and then I bevel one end of the fibre by slowly waving it close to the tip of a hot soldering iron allowing the heat from the iron to soften the end of the fibre. The fibre will naturally form into a lens like curve which will form the detail end of the fibre looking like the lens of the headlight. The next step is to feed the fibre into the hole for the headlight pushing it all the way down so that the bevelled end of the fibre sits in the headlight surround. Sometimes the bevel is a little too wide and will not sit down fully. In this case I just sand down the side of the fibre around the bevel edge by using a fine file and pushing the fibre along it and turning in the reverse direction. Now on the inside of the loco I place a little plastic cement glue where the fibre exits the loco shell to secure them in place. I then cut a length of 2mm heat shrink about 20mm long and slip this onto each of the fibre lengths and leave for the moment. Next I take my LEDs which I get from Evans Designs in the US. I use his because the color grade between all the LEDs is very uniform which is a issue I have had with other LEDs. They also come pre-wired and with resistor wired in. The other handing thing is that the wire that he uses is a single strand wire which is form-able and makes installing them handy. I take the LED and using thin pliers carefully put the LED at a right-angle the the wire and then feed the LED into the heat shrink around the fibre all the way till it is up against the fibre fully. Using the tip of the soldering iron (also holding the LEDs in place with my hand on the feeder wires) shrink the heat shrink down and this locks the LED to the fibre and holds everything in place. When the heat shrink is still warm I just with my finger or the tip of a flat-head screw driver push down on it where the wires leave the heat shrink and this help lock it all in. Here are some shots of the final result. The LEDs are pretty bright here and I turn them down a tad. Next stop is the weathering......

Finally had a chance to tackle the last few of these carriages. Getting the decals all on and preparing these for weathering.

Finally had a chance to tackle the last few of these carriages. Getting the decals all on and preparing these for weathering.

Life as usual is busy but I have been able to get some Class 66s weathered.

If it is that that would suck as I just finished my 15 conversions from Heljan units.

With all the KFA wagons now finally weathered it is time to make a start on the Timber loads. Now near where I live there is a tree species of which the bark on it branches, particularly on the outer ends, looks like pine bark. So I went out and found one with some dead branches on it. Collecting the dead branches are far easier and doesn't hurt the tree. I then break off all the parts that I want with twigs ranging from 2mm - 5mm in diameter with straight sections on them to be cut out and recreate logs of 6" to 15" in scale. First step is to cut them to length and then stack them. I will glue them together later and them seal them. I will be looking at staining them slightly just the darken the bark a bit to look more like pine.

With all the KFA wagons now finally weathered it is time to make a start on the Timber loads. Now near where I live there is a tree species of which the bark on it branches, particularly on the outer ends, looks like pine bark. So I went out and found one with some dead branches on it. Collecting the dead branches are far easier and doesn't hurt the tree. I then break off all the parts that I want with twigs ranging from 2mm - 5mm in diameter with straight sections on them to be cut out and recreate logs of 6" to 15" in scale. First step is to cut them to length and then stack them. I will glue them together later and them seal them. I will be looking at staining them slightly just the darken the bark a bit to look more like pine.

Huntley & Palmers Peckett on Ebay at the moment for anyone interested? Not mine though it is in Western Australia!! https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/253414722559?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649 Rand

Sorry I meant APT-E In all these cases though. People will buy them because they are unusual, collectable or just nice to look at. Which, lets be honest, a lot of people will buy for those reasons which is great because those of us that would like these models for our prototypical layouts. The class 68 and 88 would fit into this category. In thinking about it there is also the Stirling Single. In regards to the Class 73/9 we are actually in the same boat. Dapol made the Class 73 and so it would make logical sense for Dapol to make the modified versions. There are more liveries true but that would make it harder as there is a minimum run needed for each variation. With the class 88 there is only the DRS Livery and then just adding different numbers and names. The class 88s will in time no doubt have the same line coverage very soon a they are doing testing with them on non-electrified routes. Just my thoughts.

So I have a client come to me asking for sound and lights to be installed into a Broadway Limited Trackmobile unit. If you have ever seem on of these units or own one you can imagine the challenge. Either way here it is all finished. Here is a post of the video: https://www.facebook...15033893029743/

I agree here. Some of the models coming out at the moment are very much a niche project particularly when you consider where the prototypes actually operated in real life. For example: - Adams Radial which was very limited in is operating area. - APTs which didn't last long (albeit they are a collectors item) - Oxford Rails War Gun just announced - Bachmann Class 350 SWT Unit. Only runs on third rail and and now SWT lost the contract to run there. There are more of course and I may be wrong in some of my assumptions with these unit but in comparison to the Class 88 there will be people buying these locos just because they look pretty cool. There are those of us who model modern image that would love the 88's to add to our fleets in recreating the present. Others will buy that just like to model what they see and others still just for the heck of it. In a run of 5000 they will sell out because no one else has them. As we have seen with the 68's. There is talk of Stadler wanting to sell more into the UK and these units with DRS being a test run / advertising for the other operators. Only time will tell.

Yeah I can understand that. Fingers crossed for sure. I would have though at least in the design stage that there would be some time saved particularly in the cab ends.

I have not seen this anywhere else mentioned So I am starting this thread to encourage the discussion of getting a Class 88 Made. Dapol is the obvious choice for this since they have made the Splendid Class 68 locomotives which share something like 75% (at a guess) of there parts with the class 88. I know I would certainly like 2 of these for use on my running line. What are everyone else's thoughts? Image borrowed from Railpictures.net

Just about finished all the weathering for these KFA units. Here is a updated shot showing the detailing on the sides and Bulkheads. The next job is to now start with the making of the log loads. Just need 75

Just about finished all the weathering for these KFA units. Here is a updated shot showing the detailing on the sides and Bulkheads. The next job is to now start with the making of the log loads. Just need 75

Its been awhile but I have now finally had a chance to start weathering my KFA timber carrying wagons. These are about half way through. There is more detailing in the weathering to do and then next the loads themselves.

Its been awhile but I have now finally had a chance to start weathering my KFA timber carrying wagons. These are about half way through. There is more detailing in the weathering to do and then next the loads themselves.

Its been awhile but I have now finally had a chance to start weathering my KFA timber carrying wagons. These are about half way through. There is more detailing in the weathering to do and then next the loads themselves.

Next thing on the books is to put sound and lights onto my two Patriot 4-6-0 class locomotives. I have Hornby 45528 - R.E.M.E. and 45531 - Sir Frederick Harrison which I will also rename to 45521 - Rhyl and 45532 - Illustrious respectively. First Thing I do whenever I do an install is to completely disassemble the loco and remove all unwanted wiring as I always hardwire the decoders into my locos to ensure a solid connection. This also removes the change of the PCB failing on me and removes joints that could fail down the line. I will generally work on the part where the decoder will not be located first as this part is fairly straight forward to do. In this case the tenders are where the speakers are going to be located and so I removed the weight and cut out a section of the coal bunker to allow for a larger speaker and creates a bit more air space for the sound to reverberate. I will then cut the power wires where they attached the the contacts at the front end of the tender and will drill a hole to allow the wires to be feed through and out the underside of the tender and eventually up and into the locomotive. Having done the modifications I will add Lead stripes around the internal sides of the tender body shell to replace the weight that was removed and will act as sound absorption stopping the body from rattling when the sound is on. This make the sound clearer and boomier. Once done I will place the speaker on the chassis and attach black extension wires to it feeding them out of the hole made earlier and I will also do the same with the pick up wires making sure to note which is right and left. I will also now put a piece of card in the coal bunker and glue in place to fill the hole made to fit the speaker. Later I will paint over this and place a coal load on top making it so no one but I shall know any better. Then I re-assemble the tender and that part is done. One thing to note is that removing the factory weight means I loose my locking point for the rear part of the tender body shell. I cut off the internal clip and when I place the shell back on I place a couple drops of plastic cement and this holds the shell on nicely. Now on to the front part of the locomotive. Here I am placing working loco lamps from DCCconcepts which I have always used and fine them brilliant. Fiddly yes so if you have unsteady hands get someone who does to do this part for you. I first make sure to spray the lamps before installing them. I am using black lamps so I spray them a flat black to color them a bit and prevent any light leakage. I then drill the holes for the lamp wires to go through. I will do this a couple of millimetres from the lamp bracket and them feed the wires through and glue the lamps in place. I also tie the wires off around the buffers to help hold the lamps in position while the glue is drying. Once set I will now run the wires under the locomotive shell and into the boiler where the decoder will be. I do this by cutting channels with a dremmel and engraving bit. I will then use plastic cement and glue the wires down into the channels bit by bit ensuring to keep tension on the wire until it sets. Running the wires this way will make sure that they do not get crimped or in any way damaged when the shell is placed back on to the chassis. also if you braid the wires they are a lot easier to run and it keeps everything neater. After all this we locate the decoder on the place where the 8 pin socket was and remove the lugs. Then place the decoder on a piece of double sided foam mounting strip. Next job now is to run the wires to the motor and connect all the track power wires along with the speaker wires from the tender. The Purple, Yellow and Green wires get isolated and put to one side leaving the Blue and White for the front lights. I put these into one end of a plug along with a 1k resistor on the Blue wire and then attach the wires from the lamps on the other end making sure to match the positive and negative ends correctly. The plug allows me to disconnect the body from the chassis in case I need to get into the locomotive for servicing later on. Last thing is to tidy of the wiring and get the shell back on and test. Next step is the renaming and weathering. But before I weather them I will be adding sound into my newly arrived Duchess!!!

Next thing on the books is to put sound and lights onto my two Patriot 4-6-0 class locomotives. I have Hornby 45528 - R.E.M.E. and 45531 - Sir Frederick Harrison which I will also rename to 45521 - Rhyl and 45532 - Illustrious respectively. First Thing I do whenever I do an install is to completely disassemble the loco and remove all unwanted wiring as I always hardwire the decoders into my locos to ensure a solid connection. This also removes the change of the PCB failing on me and removes joints that could fail down the line. I will generally work on the part where the decoder will not be located first as this part is fairly straight forward to do. In this case the tenders are where the speakers are going to be located and so I removed the weight and cut out a section of the coal bunker to allow for a larger speaker and creates a bit more air space for the sound to reverberate. I will then cut the power wires where they attached the the contacts at the front end of the tender and will drill a hole to allow the wires to be feed through and out the underside of the tender and eventually up and into the locomotive. Having done the modifications I will add Lead stripes around the internal sides of the tender body shell to replace the weight that was removed and will act as sound absorption stopping the body from rattling when the sound is on. This make the sound clearer and boomier. Once done I will place the speaker on the chassis and attach black extension wires to it feeding them out of the hole made earlier and I will also do the same with the pick up wires making sure to note which is right and left. I will also now put a piece of card in the coal bunker and glue in place to fill the hole made to fit the speaker. Later I will paint over this and place a coal load on top making it so no one but I shall know any better. Then I re-assemble the tender and that part is done. One thing to note is that removing the factory weight means I loose my locking point for the rear part of the tender body shell. I cut off the internal clip and when I place the shell back on I place a couple drops of plastic cement and this holds the shell on nicely. Now on to the front part of the locomotive. Here I am placing working loco lamps from DCCconcepts which I have always used and fine them brilliant. Fiddly yes so if you have unsteady hands get someone who does to do this part for you. I first make sure to spray the lamps before installing them. I am using black lamps so I spray them a flat black to color them a bit and prevent any light leakage. I then drill the holes for the lamp wires to go through. I will do this a couple of millimetres from the lamp bracket and them feed the wires through and glue the lamps in place. I also tie the wires off around the buffers to help hold the lamps in position while the glue is drying. Once set I will now run the wires under the locomotive shell and into the boiler where the decoder will be. I do this by cutting channels with a dremmel and engraving bit. I will then use plastic cement and glue the wires down into the channels bit by bit ensuring to keep tension on the wire until it sets. Running the wires this way will make sure that they do not get crimped or in any way damaged when the shell is placed back on to the chassis. also if you braid the wires they are a lot easier to run and it keeps everything neater. After all this we locate the decoder on the place where the 8 pin socket was and remove the lugs. Then place the decoder on a piece of double sided foam mounting strip. Next job now is to run the wires to the motor and connect all the track power wires along with the speaker wires from the tender. The Purple, Yellow and Green wires get isolated and put to one side leaving the Blue and White for the front lights. I put these into one end of a plug along with a 1k resistor on the Blue wire and then attach the wires from the lamps on the other end making sure to match the positive and negative ends correctly. The plug allows me to disconnect the body from the chassis in case I need to get into the locomotive for servicing later on. Last thing is to tidy of the wiring and get the shell back on and test. Next step is the renaming and weathering. But before I weather them I will be adding sound into my newly arrived Duchess!!!

Getting around to some more painting and this time working on the painting of the Hornby Mk1 TSOs. Just getting the roofs painted. And now after the final coat