What is on your workbench?

[Keith Hayes]

October is here, and the leaves are starting to turn in Colorado. I noticed I had a box of Depot Details from Ragg's that I had not completed. It includes this nice baggage wagon.
Ragg's notes it is not an easy model, and it was a pleasant afternoon build.

[Chris Walker]

Brass work for the Mancha Motor Controller I'm building....

[South Park]

  As it is National Drive-Your-Model T Day today (to commemorate
the public introduction of the Model T on 01 October, 1909) I took the
old dog out for a spin to pick up a new door for my house.







Considering that I model in full 12":1' scale, I am unable to order these
from vendors like one can for many of the miniature scales.  Thusly,
when this gem popped up on Craigslist, I was out the door like a shot
to get it.  On the way home, I stopped by my favorite stained glass supplier
to discuss replacement of two broken panes.  Next I will farkle through my
bins of gubbins for matching hardware, and from there, decide where to
install it !

[Lee Gustafson]

"I will farkle thru my bins of gubbins . . . " Translation " I will roll the dice looking thru my bins of goodies . . ." Correct? Very nice door and very nice Model T truck.

Lee Gustafson

[South Park]

  British phrase.  "Farkle" means to paw through ...  Gubbins =
miscellaneous.

  As it came to me 40 years ago, ....  was asked by the very
British father of a friend of mine to use me and and my truck
to go fetch a Vespa scooter he had purchased in a nearby town.
Upon arrival, he tried to get it running.  While doing so, he
came up needing a part or tool and asked me to "go to the truck
and farkle through his box of gubbins for a ..... "

  I stood there, wondering what he had just said, and asked the
same exact question.  Been using that phrase ever since.  

  Thanks on the door and truck.  My "model" house is coming
together nicely, and within the next few years, I will live in a
real life place like most of youseguys model !  All I need is this
to park inside.  

[GilpinTram]

Trains of Texas Iron City Mill in O Scale.  My first plaster kit and I am really enjoying working with the medium.

This will be a very large structure when completed!

Jason

[South Park]

  Another item on the work bench ....

  We get Colorado kind of winters here in Spokane.  Long and
cold, with plenty of snow.  It took a guy visiting from Sweden
to explain that long winters make for excellent opportunity to
get work and large projects done.  I took the cue and built my
shop.  

  Last year the projects included building a rear end, engine, and
transmission for my old truck to enable it to go 40 instead of 15.
This winter I plan to build an aux. transmission that will allow
open road speeds of 50+.  Another is to equip the truck with
period directional turn signals and a brake light.  Henry did not
think these were necessary in 1920, but for safety today, I have
been searching for hard-to-find period accessory parts.

  In a nod to the C&S visored 18" Pyle-National headlights, I
found these:



  I had to make new glass lenses, fusing an arrow over a disc and
then a little finish shaping.  This is how far I am now.  I will look
into using a dim LED light source and incorporate whatever socket
is needed to make them look right, showing a clear arrow, and not
so bright to just make a flash.





  The stop light incorporates a period glass lens with the word
"STOP" set in relief against a blackened surround.  I will post pix
of that one as it progresses.  It will come on only when the brakes
are applied.

  Originally, these things only had a single tail light on the driver's
side.  No brake light, no directional signals.  I will keep the original
taillight as SOP, but add the other stuff to light up as needed.

[nedsn3]

I have a '29 Model A pickup and trying to figure out how to install "period" turn signals on it. I'll be following this! Ned

[Jim Courtney]

Rhode Island C&S number 58, circa 1909:





C&S 27 foot boxcar (ex-KC, ex-DL&G) and C&S eight-wheel caboose 303, both circa 1909:





C&S 27 foot coal car (ex-DL&G, ex-DSP&P) and C&S caboose 308, circa 1901:

[Lee Gustafson]

Jim,

Nice work on #58, that's one of my favorite locomotives. What trucks are you using under the 27' box car? Thanks.

Lee Gustafson

[Jim Courtney]

What trucks are you using under the 27' box car?


I'm using Rio Grande Models Carter Bros 4'0" wheel base trucks with outside brake hangers clipped off and PBL code 88 wheel sets.

These are no longer offered by RGM retail--you'd have to email Eric and ask him to spin you sets of side frames and bolsters. I recently got enough for 10 pair from him.

These are as close as I can find to the UP 14 ton, "type C" trucks. I plan to use them on all my 27 foot cars. I still need to modify the side frames, with a plate with circular cutout between the transoms, and add TLS brass outside brake beams.

[Robert McFarland]

What gauge are these?

[Jim Courtney]

Sn3, Robert.

The locomotive and two cabooses are Overland imports -- I'm very accomplished at tearing apart brass engines / cars; putting them back together, not so much. I'm still working on my soldering skills with "Hot Tip" soldering tweezers and iron.

The coal car and boxcar are old Cimarron Works cast resin kits, that I'm upgrading.

[Jeff Young]

Well, more "hanging down from" than "on" the workbench, but some more fence wire being painted for Jefferson:

[Chris Walker]

Jeff Young wrote

Well, more "hanging down from" than "on" the workbench,

I don't have a workbench that would support my Mancha replica

[skip]

I am just finishing up the three sisters of class B4F in HOn3. The 76 is done, the 75 reassembled and tested yesterday and now I need to reassemble and test the 74. This was an interesting experiment. My main drive this time is to "get them running" out of the boxes with as little modification as possible. After all, the Westisde 74/75 are fairly nice models as delivered from Japan. I have Soundtraxx DCC/Sound installed, LED headlights, then painted and lettered. I wanted to do minimal modification from the original Westside 74 and two 75s. The 76 got domes and tender from a salvaged Balboa 74. The cab windows were modified to remove the D&RGW/RGS panes installed after the C&S days. But I didn't want to do any additional detail hacking beyond the stock engines. The three look pretty good from a couple of feet away and I really like seeing and hearing them run up and down the test track, but I am finding myself less and less satisfied knowing of small details that just aren't right. I am in danger of sliding down that slippery slope toward rivet counting. I think that I have learned that I am not quite satisfied with just slapping a coat of Glidden latex house paint onto the stock engines anymore.



Once I get the 74 reassembled and tested after its paint job I'll post a complete set of photos so you guys can help find all the bits to do on the NEXT tear-down and detail job. I'll expand on some of the bits that are bothering me when I have all three next to each other to compare. Comments are welcome.

Thanks to all the amazing modelers who hang out here. You are a great inspiration.
Skip Egdorf

[Robert McFarland]

I see the 27ft. boxcar has beaded siding like the 26ft. Litchfield should have.Will the production Litchfields have beaded siding?I wish that Leadville Shops would produce full kits of the cars instead of just carbody parts.

[Joe Ferguson]

My first attempt at a Trout Creek Engineering HOn3 South Park boxcar.


8A39102A-DAEF-4990-A6A4-4F901F101C66.jpeg



Joe

[Robert McFarland]

Could you post more  complete pictures of the plans please?

[Jim Courtney]

Beautiful locomotives, Skip!

Did you re-motor or otherwise upgrade the drives?

If ageing forces a move into small quarters, I've some HOn3 C&S stuff for emergency use, if there is no room for S scale stuff.

So I'd be interested in what you HOn3 folks are doing to improve performance of your locomotives. The poor running characteristics of HOn3 brass back in the 1970-80's is the main reason I up-scaled to Sn3.


BTW, Keith, this thread was a great idea!