06-05-2010, 12:46 AM
Hello All, time for an update.
Purchased a few Blue point turnout mechanisms today. I ordered a pack of five (plus the one remaining #4 turnout to complete the track arrangement at Pinto - nobody seems to have L hand turnouts in stock...at least in Atlas Custom LIne code 83 with brown ties...) then visited another LHS that's going out of business. They had three bp's in stock PLUS the hardware pack with brackets & clevises....clevisi?...in stock at 45% off so I picked up those too. What the heck. I'm going to need them anyway down the line. I only need 4 to complete 'phase I', laying track from staging via the double crossover rear straight track uphill to Pinto. I decided to do this as one phase of construction complete with wiring, turnout machines & knobs.
Ah, knobs. I have a plan to solve a dilemma, one I've been chewing on for some time now. I never have liked the fact that these turnout linkages have been push-pull, so I've come up with a way to change that. More on that later...
The turntable and enginehouse would be either phase II or phase III, depending on whether I go toward Andrews or Watson after phase I is complete. That's why I may not make it into the summer structure challenge. That and the progress I'm making on the Shifter again. But that's another thread...for now I'm just excited about the blue points. They really are neat.
I should have more to share in a week or so, once I resume construction on the layout framework. Picked up some 1x4's to make the bridge sections at my local Home Depot earlier in the week.
Galen
Purchased a few Blue point turnout mechanisms today. I ordered a pack of five (plus the one remaining #4 turnout to complete the track arrangement at Pinto - nobody seems to have L hand turnouts in stock...at least in Atlas Custom LIne code 83 with brown ties...) then visited another LHS that's going out of business. They had three bp's in stock PLUS the hardware pack with brackets & clevises....clevisi?...in stock at 45% off so I picked up those too. What the heck. I'm going to need them anyway down the line. I only need 4 to complete 'phase I', laying track from staging via the double crossover rear straight track uphill to Pinto. I decided to do this as one phase of construction complete with wiring, turnout machines & knobs.
Ah, knobs. I have a plan to solve a dilemma, one I've been chewing on for some time now. I never have liked the fact that these turnout linkages have been push-pull, so I've come up with a way to change that. More on that later...
The turntable and enginehouse would be either phase II or phase III, depending on whether I go toward Andrews or Watson after phase I is complete. That's why I may not make it into the summer structure challenge. That and the progress I'm making on the Shifter again. But that's another thread...for now I'm just excited about the blue points. They really are neat.
I should have more to share in a week or so, once I resume construction on the layout framework. Picked up some 1x4's to make the bridge sections at my local Home Depot earlier in the week.
Galen
I may not be a rivet counter, but I sure do like rivets!