Five years ago we had a three-way challenge that was very successful, so in keeping with our five-year anniversary celebration, we’ve had a request to do it again. We also had a similar one over at the other place, and it was also successful. Not being one to mess with success, we’re repeating to one from the summer of 2009 just as it was then.

OK, here’s the dealio (a word used by Gru in the movie “Despicable Me”) . We’re going to have a structure building challenge that we hope will suite everyone at every level of skill or modeling preferences. This one is all about structures. When we talk about structures, we’re not just talking buildings. Houses and factories are fine, but also think other things; water or oil tanks, bridges, boat docks, or grain elevators are just a few examples of what you can build. In order to keep things fair, we are limiting participation to two categories only. If you choose the kitbuild challenge, you can enter the kitbash one as well, but not the scratchbuild. If you enter the scratchbuild, you can also enter the kitbash, but not the kitbuild. The reasoning here is to keep the different skill levels apart and to let everyone complete at the level they feel is challenging to them, or at their preferred method of construction.

Kitbuild challenge will be as follows:
Just build a kit using only the parts in the box for the structure only. You may paint and weather the structure and make cosmetic changes, but you cannot add anything that does not come with the kit. You can add other details such as scenery around the structure. This will allow you to do from a "let it look like the picture on the box", to "I built it like the instructions says, but I've enhanced it with weathering, different paint and scenery". The choice is yours.

Kitbash challenge will be as follows:
Take any structure kit and make it into something different, or even take two or more kits and combine them for something else. You can use parts from other kits, but mainly, you must use your imagination. We cannot define this any more than that; the rest is up to you to figure out.

Scratchbuilt challenge will be as follows:

1. You can build something from your own imagination from scratch. You can use any common parts such as sheet goods and plastic strips. You can use pre-made windows, doors and any small detailed parts, but the structure itself needs to be original. Any structure will do and it can be any scale, just not full-scale…
   
2. This is not a requirement, but it would be neat to get a photograph of a structure, any structure, then scratchbuild a model of that structure. The idea here is to come as close to the real thing as you can. The picture of the original structure does not have to be taken by you, but if you choose to do this, you must also post a picture of it, or a link to it if you found it somewhere on the Net. The surrounding scenery and details, such as people, vehicles, and trees need not be the same.

1. Pick the one or two challenges you’d like to enter, but you cannot enter both the kitbuild and scratchbuild together. This challenge is open to all registered members here.
   
2. Let us know in this thread which challenges you are going to enter. I will start a list and keep it updated based on your choices, but please post your intentions here before starting. We will keep things open so you can enter at any time before the end of the challenge, but it would be nice to know ahead of time who is going to be competing and where. This is the thread where we will keep track of these things, so this is where you’ll find the summary of who has entered which categories.
   
3. Start a new thread (or threads) as follows:
   o (your Screename’s) kitbuild 2014 summer challenge
   o (your Screenname’s) kitbash 2014 summer challenge
   o Or (your Screenname’s) scratchbuild 2014 summer challenge
   
4. Document your progress in pictures. Remember, we like lots of pictures. If you’re not skilled with a camera, either give it a try or get someone else to take the pictures. Just as long as you are the one that’s doing the work, we don't care who takes the pictures.
   
5. The contest will begin on Memorial Day, May 26, and end on Labor Day, September 1. That gives us all a few days to prepare and a bit over three months to actually work on and complete the projects.
   
6. You may start working on your projects anytime, but the challenges don't officially start until May 26. The idea is that everyone has at least three months to complete their challenges. Some may use this additional time to their advantage, other, like myself, may take this time to chill out a bit, or as some people say, "to procrastinate".

• If you build a structure using Walther's modular parts and it follows one of their pre-defined plans, it is a "kit build"
  
• If you build a structure using Walther's modular parts and you dream up a unique structure, it is "kit bashing"
  
• "Cosmetic changes" on kit builds can include changes to or additional signage. More extensive changes such as adding roof details or lights takes it out of the realm of the intent of this challenge for kit builds, but not quite into the definition of kit bashing. I suggest these things be added after completing this challenge
  
• Scratchbuilding means that the basic or major parts of the structure are made from scratch and not kit parts. Small details such as windows, doors, lights, boxes, A/C units and fences to name a few can be from pre-made parts.

Been awhile since we had a challenge, any plan to have a new one anytime soon?

Would anyone be interested in one if there was?

I built these before I converted to DCC so I wanted to have these locos speed matched to the rest of my fleet. As these locos were Tiger Valley models I got dummy units and converted them to Atlas drives. I had to cut holes in the frames to clear the Atlas trucks and carve a motor mount, then cut out the bolsters from an Atlas frame. I milled out mounting pads with my MicroMart drill press then glues d in the bolsters with JB Weld epoxy. Once painted it look like it came that way.









Tiger Valley fuel tank with lots of lead added:





Ready for the paint shop:



Assembled drive:



Painted and decalled shells:



5023 (sorry about the quality of the following photos):







5019 (sorry about te quality of the following photos);






Now of course we have the Atlas units available to us, but they don't run as good as these two - with all the metal these two brutes weigh in at 32 ounces each!

Brand new CNR H12-44 roadswitcher #1658 has returned to her home terminal at Leetown after completing her first roundtrip revenue assignment to Port Maitland.All new locomotives arriving in Leetown are sent to Port Maitland on their first trip as this is an ideal trip to test the engine's abilities and if there are any concerns,the mechanical department staff at Port Maitland are highly qualified to handle any issues---actually most locomotives return to Leetown in better condition after this assignment.In this photo #1658 is shown with a couple of Santa Fe reefers,no doubt filled with the first load of the season of Lake Erie perch which will iced and then shipped out on the next eastbound hotshot freight.

I've got a P2K locomotive I'd like to use for a kitbashing project. It is DCC ready. At this point, I'm not planning to install a decoder, but I found out it wouldn't run on DC power. I can hear a buzz from the motor and wheels jerk when I apply power. However, nothing moves, like is something was jammed. What could it be? BTW, lights are OK.

*** OK, after some tweaking, it was a gear that was misaligned.

Matt

The more I work with DCC, the more I'm rethinking a lot of my operational approach. The conventional wisdom has been that DCC is best for allowing operation of multiple locos without the need to isolate block power. However, I almost never operate other than by myself, but I find so many advantages to DCC besides operating multiple locos that it's raising a lot of questions.

One is that, although a 4-function decoder will allow you to run a loco with headlights on or off, there are other options, both in the age of oscillating warning lights and in the age of ditch lights. A 4-function decoder won't allow separate control of ditch lights, or allow them to flash (or not as the operating rules provide) at grade crossings. This is a problem both with decoders and with light bars. For instance, Kato light bars allow only one option for headlight and ditch lights, all on or all off. There's no point in installing a 6-function decoder in the Kato locos I'm familiar with (I don't know if the new AMD-103 is different), since the light bars don't feed off separate LEDs.


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The first high-end Walthers Proto loco I've looked at is the GE U28B, and I'm delighted with the options you can get using the 9-pin plug and an NCE D15SR 6-function decoder. Ordinary upper headlight and number boards lit:


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Lower headlight only:


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Lighted number boards only:


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All lights lit:


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What I noted back in the days of oscillating warning lights, both from memory and from DVDs, was that use of these lights wasn't consistent. The engineer could run with just the headlight, with both lights lit but oscillating light not oscillating, or headlight and oscillating light. By the same token, ditch lights are used in normal operation on the main line, although if the train is stopped, only the headlight is lit. Headlight is lit toward the rear on DPUs. In yard, a moving loco may or may not have headlights lit, no ditch lights.

I need to keep studying all this, as well as understanding more clearly what the commercial models and decoders are capable of. I want to avoid Kato style situations -- or for that matter, Atlas Trainman Genset situations where there are ditch lights, but they're all wired together, and there's no good way to rewire without a lot of work.

I'd like to hear anyone else's experience along this line.

Hi,

I'm thinking of using the sieved ash remains from a home barbecue as ballast, however, I was wondering whether this could be harmful to the track's rails as I recall that ash is ever so slightly acidic.

I will be fixing it down with diluted (with water) Pva glue using detergent to reduce surface tension, so don't know whether this would help by creating a seal between the ash and metal rails. I could of course be way off the mark in thinking this.

I'd be grateful of any advice kindly offered.

Regards,

Jointed

I started this project about 2 years ago and finished it about a year ago. I started with an old ModelPower shell and an Athearn F-7 chassis. The wheelbase is off by about 3/16", so I lengthened the fuel tank just bit so that it looked right proportionally. This unit started out as a high cab which I cut down. I replaced the fan grill with one from TigerValley. I also had to repair parts of the roof overhang, that was about it for the body. I built a new fuel tank around the old one and filled it with lead in every nook and cranny. The airtanks were cast in resin from some elongated TigerValley RS-36 tanks. All the airlines are brass wire. The pilots were also rebuilt. The handrails and the cab steps really tested my soldering skills. The fuel tank extendion is also a TigerValley part. I used Archer resin treadplate and rivits. The chassis got a Mashima motor and flywheels and an NCE decoder.


I thought I would share some photos:









here's the rest of the photos:
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The ARHS DL&W F-3 trio that myself, Tomustang, and Toptrain have had a part in restoring is on the move to the Streamliners meet in Spencer NC as I type this.
I was lucky enough to be able to grab a few shots of them at Slateford junction near the Delaware water gap near my home in PA. Most of the restoration crew was there and a I had a nice talk with the NS crew that thought that this special move was very cool.


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While we were there, the D&L showed up with their interchange train to set out and pick up what NS had dropped off earlier. So in this pic you get modern day GE units, 1960's ALCO's, and 1940's EMD. It's not often that you can get that mix of eras outside of a museum.

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If any Gauge members end up at Spencer for this event, make sure you get take a look at what we do.