WOW!!! hard to believe I have not posted since January!!! would you believe I have done almost nothing other than run some trains back and forth on the lower section of the layout? Been busy with home renovations and Squids excuse will be that he was doing all the painting for me... But I am done for the most part so back to the layout this weekend once I dig out from all the crap I have piled in there for the past few months
Picked up a sheet of ply and some 1x2 to start the upper section.... only issue is that the bashed little beauty in the attachment wont do grades and I can't see anywhere to add weight. Was going to use this as my main motive power on this layout but maybe not now. I will try to balance it and hopefully it will need some weight in the cab to balance which might improve tractive effort.... absolutely no room up front anywhere. If balancing doesn't solve the problem then 1012 is going to end up a "siding queen" as it wont pull any more than 4-5 cars on the level Oh well... lots of other locos to run that will do the job; I was just partial to this one.
It should be easy enough to add an air tank to the pilot deck, and, if the loco is already reasonably well-balanced, a corresponding weight in the cab.
If more weight is required, hang one on each side, beneath the running boards. I use brass tubing, cut to length, then filled with molten lead. You can solder strip brass around the ends to represent bands, if you want to add a little more detail. A pilot air tank can be quite a bit larger in diameter than the ones under the running boards, while the side-mounted ones can be longer.
bob_suruncle Wrote:WOW!!! hard to believe I have not posted since January!!! would you believe I have done almost nothing other than run some trains back and forth on the lower section of the layout? Been busy with home renovations and Squids excuse will be that he was doing all the painting for me... But I am done for the most part so back to the layout this weekend once I dig out from all the crap I have piled in there for the past few months
Picked up a sheet of ply and some 1x2 to start the upper section.... only issue is that the bashed little beauty in the attachment wont do grades and I can't see anywhere to add weight. Was going to use this as my main motive power on this layout but maybe not now. I will try to balance it and hopefully it will need some weight in the cab to balance which might improve tractive effort.... absolutely no room up front anywhere. If balancing doesn't solve the problem then 1012 is going to end up a "siding queen" as it wont pull any more than 4-5 cars on the level Oh well... lots of other locos to run that will do the job; I was just partial to this one.
That's a very well done cut-stone wall. Was it purchased or scratch built?
I hate taking these beauties apart to try to add weight, but I know it can be done.
Lynn
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bob_suruncle Wrote:WOW!!! hard to believe I have not posted since January!!! would you believe I have done almost nothing other than run some trains back and forth on the lower section of the layout? Been busy with home renovations and Squids excuse will be that he was doing all the painting for me... But I am done for the most part so back to the layout this weekend once I dig out from all the crap I have piled in there for the past few months
Picked up a sheet of ply and some 1x2 to start the upper section.... only issue is that the bashed little beauty in the attachment wont do grades and I can't see anywhere to add weight. Was going to use this as my main motive power on this layout but maybe not now. I will try to balance it and hopefully it will need some weight in the cab to balance which might improve tractive effort.... absolutely no room up front anywhere. If balancing doesn't solve the problem then 1012 is going to end up a "siding queen" as it wont pull any more than 4-5 cars on the level Oh well... lots of other locos to run that will do the job; I was just partial to this one.
That's a very well done cut-stone wall. Was it purchased or scratch built?
doctorwayne Wrote:It should be easy enough to add an air tank to the pilot deck, and, if the loco is already reasonably well-balanced, a corresponding weight in the cab.
If more weight is required, hang one on each side, beneath the running boards. I use brass tubing, cut to length, then filled with molten lead. You can solder strip brass around the ends to represent bands, if you want to add a little more detail. A pilot air tank can be quite a bit larger in diameter than the ones under the running boards, while the side-mounted ones can be longer.
Wayne
Exactly what I was thinking Wayne.... but its going to need to make a significant difference to performance because this thing really is a light weight. I have a modified Jordan Mack switcher with a bachmann power truck under it that pulls almost as well.... yeah I know... you all want to see pictures of that now too right? I will see if I can take a couple of shots and post them up. In the meantime I need to fill some brass tubes with lead and stick airlines in the ends of them.
If you don't want to use lead, just use brass rod of the right size to telescope in the tube. Round off the ends, etc. beforehand, and put a little solder on the rod. Sand it down shiny & thin, insert the rod, then heat the tube to solder it in place. A little flux can help it along if the inside of the tube isn't clean or is old.
Galen
I may not be a rivet counter, but I sure do like rivets!
Here is that switcher I was talking about a few posts back. The flat car is permanently connected and has wipers on the trucks to improve pickup. Now I have to install a decoder.......
Wow... I sure am slacking. So I finally got around to working on the upper level and mocked up the grade to see if what it would look like and if my motive power was up to the task.....
URGH! my steamers even with a helper could barely move themselves with 3 cars up the grade and it just didn't look right even with spreading the grade over as much of the run as I could (nearly 15') of the layout so nuts on it. Revamped with almost no grades resulting in more scenery, quicker completion and still reasonable operation. The completed layout will probably end up in our store as my kid is finally finished school in a few short months and will move out of my basement giving me back my 8 x 12 + layout room as well as the 8 x 8 separate shop area and giving my wife back her guest room... Not sure why she is so excited about a guest room considering I hate having guests.
Sorry to hear the grade didn't work out...better to find out now and choose a different plan than suffer with one that won't work! Glad to see you back on the job. Looking forward to your continued progress...the revised plan seems to allow for interesting scenes and switching opportunities.
Galen
I may not be a rivet counter, but I sure do like rivets!
I invaded my kids room in the basement the other night and measured it up... he is talking to a mortgage broker WOOHOO! and the room is bigger than I thought coming in at just over 9' x 14'... For giggles I mapped it out in xtrkcad and then cut and pasted the existing switching layout into it... which fit perfectly in one corner and started me thinking. I may just keep this layout and move it to the basement and continue. LOOOONG grade down to staging at about a 1-1.5% grade possibly less if I play my cards right.
Down to staging is in the upper right of the attached image on the outside track. I know its a simple layout but I do not want the spaghetti central or an entire room filled with a cockpit in the center. I would still like to add some further industry and have some ideas but this is the draft version.
just a quick update... need to take some pictures but the "upper" deck is finally starting to come together.... funny thing... you cant make two #6 turnouts fit where your plan calls form 2 #5's
But I am done for the most part so back to the layout this weekend once I dig out from all the crap I have piled in there for the past few months 
![[Image: Foe-toesfromTrainBrainsecondcd061.jpg]](http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/doctorwayne/locomotives/Foe-toesfromTrainBrainsecondcd061.jpg)
coming in at just over 9' x 14'... For giggles I mapped it out in xtrkcad and then cut and pasted the existing switching layout into it... which fit perfectly in one corner and started me thinking. I may just keep this layout and move it to the basement and continue. LOOOONG grade down to staging at about a 1-1.5% grade possibly less if I play my cards right. 