My brass Sunset models K-27 is finished.
This has been a long road....
First I had to sort out the power pickups, and added phosphor bronze wipers.
Then I replaced the worm with a new one from NWSL.
The next was installation of a Econami decoder with stay alive and dual speakers.
The worst problem was that the drive wheels were out of gauge (and so was the tender wheels...).
I corrected that, and finally I could paint it!
I used Scalecote 1 engine black and baked it in the oven.
Then I painted the details with water based paint and a brush.
The decals are from San Juan, and it was a quick job to apply them.
The weathering is a mix of various water based paints except for the rods and valve gear which got some MIG engine oil wash (oil based).
Now I just have to add some details, such as cab curtains, water bags and such and crushed coal in the tender.

I am testing with some unmodified Atlas #6 turnouts (#0505, #506), Atlas flextrack and some Caboose ground throws the best track plan for my new layout.
I am astonished how solid the test operation is over switches without the usual wires to feed the switch blades and with dead frogs. The ground throws are no problem as everything is easy to reach.



I have from my last layout my Tortoise switch machines and the Digitrax DS64 ready for installation. I am also willing to add the tiny jumper wires to the switch blades and connect the frogs to the switch machine.

But is that really necessary? I did it on all previous layouts because it is recommended and it looks like everybody does it. Do I have simply luck with the quick and dirty approach of unmodified Atlas #6 switches? Will I face massive problems when dirt, dust and glue from ballasting creeps into the switches and isolate the switch blades? Will the dead frog be never a problem for contemporary layout (GP15,38,40 …. etc)?

Living under the layout for some days to do possible surplus and overdone wiring would be some burden I would like to prevent as I am getting older.

I would like to read about your experience.

As mentioned elsewhere, I recently finished some ballasting work on the partial second level of my layout. I used real rock (limestone screenings), fixed in place with diluted white glue, the same as for the rest of the upper level.
Once the glue had dried, I cleaned the rails and decided to run a locomotive over the newly ballasted area in order to check for any problems with ballast in switch point or guard rails. When I turned on the power (MRC ControlMaster 20) and opened the thottle on the handheld walkaround, the locomotive moved, but very slowly and only after turning up the speed control to almost full. I noticed on the separate ammeter, that to achieve that very low speed, the current was at three amps (the maximum amount capable of showing on that meter). I removed the loco and tried a different one, with the same results. I also noticed that with no locomotive on the track, when the throttle knob was advanced, the current showing on the meter increased in the same manner.

The layout is DC-controlled, and I have the ability to use any one of several different throttles, depending on the position of several toggle switches on the layout fascia. The usual throttle is a pulse width modulation type from a local supplier. It's been very reliable, and gives very good speed control and offers the ability to run an almost unlimited number of locomotives at one time (useful for heavy trains on my layout, which has many grades, some up to 2.8% ). The PWM throttle uses AC current from the ControlMaster 20. Thinking that the issue might be with the throttle, I flipped the appropriate switches and instead, plugged-in the MRC throttle which came with the CM 20...it uses DC current from the CM 20. The results were exactly the same: no engine response until the throttle knob was well-past what usually represents running speed, and a maximum draw showing on the ammeter, whether or not the locomotive was on the tracks.

The layout is intended for a single operator, so there are no blocks as would be required for multiple operators. The trackplan is point-to-point (actually multiple points) with an ability for continuous running if lift-outs at the room's entrance are in place - they're usually not, and weren't when this occurred.

In each town through which the track passes, the mainline is doubled, and those tracks are controlled by toggle switches which can kill one or both tracks, as necessary, if I want to run one train past another. The power for dead-end tracks used for industries, in most cases, can also be killed, useful for parking a locomotive while another train runs by. All of the staging tracks have on/off switches, too, as ready-to-run trains are often stored there.
The tracks between towns are, when the power is on, always live, as there are wires under the layout connecting these sections which are otherwise separated by the kill-able double tracks within the towns.

I'm guessing that since the meter is showing a current draw, even when there's no locomotive on a live track, that the problem must be somewhere on those live sections. However, the ballasting work was done on a section of kill-able double track, with no changes elsewhere. There are no tools laying on the tracks anywhere, nothing partially derailed and causing an electrical issue, and no apparent cause for what's occurring - the trains ran perfectly-well immediately before ballasting, as I ran tests to ensure that all trackwork was physically and electrically sound. I also checked the ballast with a magnet, which showed no response - nothing at all within it magnetic, and the same stuff and same application method had already been used previously on other areas, without incident.

If anybody has thoughts on this, I'm eager to hear what you have to say, as I'm stumped.

Wayne

I was recently ballasting some track on the upper level of my layout, and noticed that the platforms of my Walthers train station....





...were curling up at both ends...



Because I have a lot of structures and scenery stuff to add behind the station, I didn't really want to glue it in place. Instead, I decided to use screws, and had some small brass ones on hand. The head just fit into some brass tubing, also on-hand, so I cut a couple of scale 3' lengths off the tubing, then soldered the screw heads into the tubing...



After using a pin vise to drill clearance holes in the platform, I used a smaller bit to create starter holes for the screws into the Masonite beneath the platform...



The resulting trash pails still need to be painted, but do a good job of holding down the platforms while not looking out-of-place....



Wayne

If you need to add visibility stripes, such as these...







...or these...



...to locomotives or rolling stock, it's probably easier to paint them on than it is to use decals.

To do this, I select masking tape (just regular type, or, if you prefer it, the blue stuff - don't bother with the green, as its adhesive qualities are suspect, in my experience) of a width equal to or greater than the height of the needed stripes.  I lay it out on the edge of a piece of glass (any clean, hard surface will work), then use a sharp blade and straightedge to trim an eighth of an inch-or so off both edges of the tape - these edges get nicked as the tape lays about in your workshop or worse, in a drawer.  The edges also collect dust and fuzz, and, over time, the adhesive near the edges tends to dry out.  Make sure when you're doing the trimming to keep the cuts parallel to the edge of the glass.  

For a model like the CN diesel, measure the model to determine how high the stripes need to be - rather than a ruler, I prefer to use dividers, setting them to the proper height on the model, then transferring that directly to the tape.  Trim the excess off the tape.
Next, determine the angle needed...in some cases, there may be prototypical info available, otherwise use photos or existing models to see what looks best to your eyes.  For the CN diesel, I used an ordinary machinist's square, which offers both 90° and 45° angles, and, luckily, the stripes on the real ones are at 45°.  
You'll also need to know how wide the stripes should be...you should be able to find a prototype photo of the model you're painting, and if the model is reasonably accurate, your scale rule will help you to figure
out how wide the stripes should be, and ditto for the space between stripes.
Set the square against the edge of the work surface using to 45°angle (this is why the trimming cuts needed to be parallel to the edge of the glass /work surface) and use a divider, set to the width of the base of the stripe, to "walk" the square along the tape, making the cuts as you go - the first cut merely trims off the excess, the second creates the first stripe, the third cut the first spacer, the fourth the second stripe, and so-on.  Make sure to create enough stripes to do both sides of the loco.

The object to receive the stripes should already be painted in the lighter of the two colours being used, and that paint should be thoroughly cured to ensure that the tape doesn't lift it when removed.
When applying the masking, determine the proper starting point, and, if necessary, trim the tape, then, after the first piece is in place, add the next piece from the work surface, abutting it directly against the edge of the first piece - it's just serving as a temporary spacer during tape application.  Continue applying the masking and spacer tape pieces to both sides of the unit, then carefully remove and discard the spacer tapes.  If there are any other areas on the model which need to be masked before paint the stripes, do so accordingly (for example, a freelanced model might have the walkway edges in a different colour, and will need to be covered).

After the paint has been applied, and is dry to the touch, remove the masking.  If there's been any bleed-under, leave it until the paint is well-hardened before doing any touch-up (unless your painting experience shows that a particular brand is better touched-up while the paint is not fully-cured).  Different brands and paint types do vary in this respect.

For doing chevron-type stripes, such as those on the U-boat, the use of masking and spacer tape is the same, but the angle and width of the stripes, and whether the chevron is pointing up or down, is up to the painter and what he or she thinks will look best.

For doing this type of stripes, I again used tape as wide as the height of the model, but after trimming the edges, used a square and sharp blade to make a vertical cut in the middle of the length of tape (the tape must be longer than the width of the model - you can trim it after application if you wish - I left mine as-is - but any raised details will use more tape to cover them, and pre-trimming will leave tape, in such instances, too short.

I used a variable bevel square, as shown below, to lay out the angle, in this case for the front of a wedge-type plow.  To space the relatively narrow stripes, I made the first cut, then, without moving the square, added a piece of Evergreen strip styrene .125" wide, abutting the arm of the square, and made a second cut, using the styrene as a guide.  The square was then moved to align with that cut, the plastic strip added as before, and another cut made using it again as a guide.  After I had more than enough strips cut for one side of the plow, the square, angle unaltered, was flipped over and the process repeated for the other side.
Here's the masking tape on the glass, mostly used-up, along with the bevel square, X-Acto knife, and strip of styrene...



On the plow, the portion to be striped already painted white, I chose a point on the outer edge of the area to be painted, then chose a long enough piece of tape to reach that point from the bottom centre of the plow.  After that piece was in place, I used dividers to measure the position of the top of that strip in relation the the plow's roof, then transferred that measurement to the other side of the plow, and applied a matching strip of tape.  Working down from the first pair of tape pieces selected, the masking and spacer strips were added to both sides of the plow, and likewise for those above pieces - the spacers' purpose is only to maintain proper spacing of the actual masking and to keep the angle of application constant.

I had already decided that the main full stripe of the chevron, at the bottom centre of the plow, would be white, so marked those tape strips with a "W", and every other one, above and below, with a dot to indicate that that tape was masking, and was to be left on for the actual painting...



The spacer strips were then removed, and the sides and roof of the plow masked to prevent overspray...



...and black paint airbrushed on...



As soon as the paint was dry to the touch, the tape was removed...





As you can see, there is some touch-up required, as described earlier.

Here's the plow, ready for service...





...although the owner was adamant that it be dirty, so it was off to the paint shop again, for some weathering...





I used a combination of airbrushed and brush-painted colours to add dust, dirt, and rust, along with artist's pastels , applied with a brush, then lightly Dullcoted.  While not to my personal tastes, the owner was completely satisfied.

Wayne

Please allow me to bring sad news of the passing of a Big Blue member and my friend.

Bob Hollowell aka Iron Goat passed away March 1. Bob was one of the very first guys I started regularly conversing with on this forum. He was instrumental in helping me get back into this hobby with my boys when they were younger. Always offering advice and lending his help, Bob was a HO modeler but found time to send on news or support for whatever I was doing on my NScale layout. He worked on his HO layout as long as his back would allow, until finally making the change to HOn3 due to mobility limitations. Yet he still found the time to build Nscale buildings for my layout as well as sending me all sorts of layout planning books, information, videos, and tools.

But what most people here didn't know was Bob's "back story" which I don't think he ever shared. He was too modest a guy. Bob Hollowell was one of the very first who volunteered and was selected for the Air Commandos. A very secret component of the USAF, his group did some amazing things - shaping the world as we know it today. The work those guys did changed the strategic and geo-political landscape, that furthered our nation's objectives all around the world. He served multiple tours in Viet Nam in a Air Commando unit that had over a 80% accident/incident rate. Many of their missions remain classified even today. But that unit grew in scope and became the USAF Special Operations Command. He served the USAF faithfully, then went back to military service in the Marines for a few more years until retirement. His life was full of exciting stories, most he couldn't discuss except to close military friends who had the proper security clearance. One of the highlights of his Air Force career was coordinating the airdrops at Pope AFB for John Wayne during filming of "The Green Berets". There's a picture I saw of Bob shaking hands with the "Duke" after a days film shooting. When Wayne appeared in the NCO Club bellowing "where can a guy get a drink around here?", John singled out Bob and elbowed his way to the bar next to him so they could share a few glasses and swap stories.

To me, Bob was my friend of almost 15 years. We regularly emailed, called when we could, and visited once in a while. When my squadron friends died in a C-130 crash, he was the guy I needed to call to help me deal with the loss. I knew Bob would understand, because years prior, he too had lost his crew to the side of a mountain in Nam and carried the pain and regret that he wasn't with them, always. His wisdom and advice, compassion and caring, made Bob more like a father to me than just a friend in the hobby. I will miss him very much.

So allow me to ask that a kind prayer be said for a fellow modeler and member of Big Blue... an man who had an interesting and productive life, a father, decorated veteran, a friend.

Thank you

New product in my Shapeways shop.






<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="https://www.shapeways.com/product/RFJEUDQW9/hon3-d-rgw-rgs-caboose-interior-nbsp?optionId=64999691">https://www.shapeways.com/product/RFJEU ... d=64999691</a><!-- m -->


A caboose interior that is made to fit the MRGS D&RGW / RGS long caboose in HOn3.
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.modelrailroadgeneralstore.com/hon3-d-rgw-rgs-0404-long-caboose-kit-mrgs-kit-400/">http://www.modelrailroadgeneralstore.co ... s-kit-400/</a><!-- m -->

Some of my favorite builds in HO/HOn3.

Coach in HOn3




Combine in HOn3




Caboose in HOn3




Boxcar HOn3




Paper model scratchbuilt.




Miller & sons diorama.




Station close up.




Station




20 t Shay in HO




Bi-level station




Gas station



Leadville building in HO




Modified Lindbergh tug in HO




Weathered brass C-19 in HOn3




FSM engine house for HOn3















Scratchbuilt paper model in HO




Roundhouse for HOn3




Sierra Hotel in HO




Detailed and weathered Swedish Sb locomotive in HO. (Tenshodo)




Drugstore in HO




Store in HO




Auhagen building

Rail-fanning with Doctor Wayne

I have a question about Phase 2 EMD NW2 switchers built in 1945.

Would 567A engines be in Phase 2 EMD NW2 switchers built in 1945? In later rebuilding upgrade programs, could they be upgraded to 567ACs and would they get an increase in horsepower?