Hello,

meanwhile PECO has brought out a new Code 70 track:






Without great words, so the Code 70 flex track looks alike.




And now the chapter American Angst:


UNIFROGS! Her the also new #6 turnouts in Code 70.





The heart of the darkness, the Unifrog which provoked in other forums so much fear.





The turnout from underneath. Clearly visible the wire for making the frog live.
And at least it is just a plain frog like the ones of Atlas, new Walters Track and other. Leave the frog dead or make it alive, it is simply your decision.
But the points are new, now they were of the continous type. This avoids the usual hassle with hinged points in sight of reliable electrical power supply. Here are no interrupted electrical connections, the continous points also have a continous electric power supply.
So no fear necessary to use the new PECO Unifrog turnouts.


Lutz

my youngest son sent me a great present for our 57 anniversary things you could buy in a hobby shop in 65              mint silver streak kits. note the price on the black box including a set of Athearn sprung trucks. those were the days .
Jim

WPMA-61 at Chestnut Neck.

Bruce

   

Hello,

one example found it's way across the Big Pond and i shot a couple of photos:
























This is the first time a model of an ALCo RS-3 was done in high end quality level of details.
And railroad specific details also were respected.


Lutz

Hello,

in March 2019 i ordered ordered two of the then announced ALCo RS-3s from Bowser. In August 2022 one of the reserved units arrived at my dealer.






My first attempt to fit sound into the loco. Zimo has a new speaker type in their assortement. They use the same 13 x 18mm driver, but fit them into a new lower casing, so the whole speaker is of only 8mm height.
Beforehand said, i was not so amused; but listen yourself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZhzPfZZ_SY The translated text: "Flat sound capsules produce flat sound too."

#1861 is the new Bowser loco and #1806 is a old Atlas one.
Both locos have the same sound decoder Tsunami 2 installed.
Both locos have the same adjustments of the decoders; in real i paste the sound configurations of #1807 sounddecoder and copy it into #1861 sounddecoder. So they have the exact same CVs and configuration.
The only difference are the speakers.


This is one speaker of #1807 the Atlas ALCo, later i removed the flywheel and installed a second Zimo speaker of 13 x 18 x13mm size


My conclusion:
"Hubraum ist durch nichts zu ersetzen, ausser durch noch mehr Hubraum." (Old American wisdom)
My translation attempt: Cubic capacity can be replaced by nothing, except by still more cubic capacity.

I am going to put things right.


Lutz

Starting off this week wit an Alco S4 working the team tracks on the Horn Switch in East Liverpool, Ohio.    
Charlie

Haven't scoured the forums on this site to see if anyone else has discovered Clever Models structures http://www.clevermodels.net/.  These are print your own paper models in any scale (to O).  There is some initial investment (card stock, an inkjet printer, some sharp blades, gap filling Insta-Cure glue, some Sharpies), but once you have those basics, you order your design, print it, cut and assemble.  I'd love if they had more kits, but their stuff is very adaptable and scratchbuild ready.  Prices are really quite reasonable, and if you don't like what you've built, print it and try again (FOR FREE!) - make as many of the same thing as you like.  I've attached some pictures of some of my builds.      - is their small machine shop I think - adapted the LVRR sign on the front by sizing something I found on the internet.
      both the garage on the left, the Oil and Fuel tanks (got those as Freebies on the site) and the green house in the background are Clever kits.

Are there better examples?  Sure!  I'm just getting started building these kits, and that's one of the beauties of the kits, you can always decide you can do better and print out another one to hone your skills.

One of my coworkers took one of the R&N excursion trains (double-headed steam (The Iron Horse Rambles)) from Reading to Jim Thorpe and back last weekend.  Loved it.  A YouTube video taken during the trip can be found here....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ww5SfQzzuvk

The owner of the R&N is a big steam fan and has put millions into restoring a T-1 and a Pacific on their roster.  They run diesel excursions in parts of the Lehigh Valley Gorge from Jim Thorpe, but during the summer offer these longer excursions from Reading.  Real treat if you get a chance.  Lots of Railfans along the route.

Website for excursions is here: https://www.rbmnrr-passenger.com/schedule

I have a cheap pin vise and a set of bits - one per size from No. 61 to 80.  No. 80's are a pretty common size for grab irons, and inevitably, I've snapped the end off my only No. 80 bit.  Any good source out there that only sells specific sizes rather than an identical one-per-size set (and doesn't demand an arm and a leg to ship them)?

This week it is the folks from ALCO showing off their wares to the RK&M brass with a couple of C-628 locos in ALCO Demonstrator scheme (Bowser Executive Line).