Sunday, September 9, 2012
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Weight
I had bought myself a postal scale a few months ago to help with shipping my eBay sales, and thought earlier this evening to use it to weigh some of my N scale boxcars and compare them to NMRA recommendations.
A car that had been giving me some serious grief came out at just over half the recommended weight (.55 oz vs. .95 oz). Ouch! I put two large steel nuts inside it, glued them down, and it brings it almost to recommended weight. Tomorrow after everything is dry, I'll try it out on the layout.
A car that had been giving me some serious grief came out at just over half the recommended weight (.55 oz vs. .95 oz). Ouch! I put two large steel nuts inside it, glued them down, and it brings it almost to recommended weight. Tomorrow after everything is dry, I'll try it out on the layout.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Track Cleaning Car Project
Today's idea is to create my own motorized track cleaning train. Yes, train.
The idea is that I place one or two (one for each track) micro-motors in a large N Scale boxcar, cut a hole (or two) in the floor for the shaft, and put a small piece of masonite or other material on the end. One idea is to use micromotors for pagers/cellphones and take the weight off the shaft that creates the "buzzing" or vibrating. Another is to use electric toothbrush motors!
Currently, I have had two previous track cleaning cars, the first of which I made myself out of masonite and two nails, and it worked alright. But it didn't scrub. Same with my current car, with is a Roco track cleaning car (70300) that has a softer, more absorbant surface. It works well too.
But I want to try a motorized track cleaning car to do better than simply scrape the track once on each pass. My track gets really dirty. It always has, and I don't know why. When I was younger, I chalked it up to all the smokers in my family (everyone but me). Since moving-out on my own though, I no longer have that to worry about, and things have improved (both for my trains and for my health), but I still have trouble with dirty buildup. That may have everything to do with how often I actually run trains: very infrequently. Daily? No. Weekly? No. Monthly? Still no. Yea, sad. But I have other hobbies, some of which include areas of model railroading that don't include actual operation.
Back to the plan: the reason I say TC Train is because I plan to tie the battery operated cleaning car with a battery operated locomotive with trailing boxcar for another battery and electrical switch. This would give me a three-unit, self-propelled, motorized cleaning train that could handle the toughest dirt and corrosion.
Ideally, I still like the idea of all model trains being self-propelled, with throttles controlled via radio signal. Imagine running your trains from your iPad for instance. Ultimately, I don't "like" DCC, as the research I've done into it seems complicated and expensive, and doesn't eliminate issues of electrical conductivity.
My intended victims:
The idea is that I place one or two (one for each track) micro-motors in a large N Scale boxcar, cut a hole (or two) in the floor for the shaft, and put a small piece of masonite or other material on the end. One idea is to use micromotors for pagers/cellphones and take the weight off the shaft that creates the "buzzing" or vibrating. Another is to use electric toothbrush motors!
Currently, I have had two previous track cleaning cars, the first of which I made myself out of masonite and two nails, and it worked alright. But it didn't scrub. Same with my current car, with is a Roco track cleaning car (70300) that has a softer, more absorbant surface. It works well too.
But I want to try a motorized track cleaning car to do better than simply scrape the track once on each pass. My track gets really dirty. It always has, and I don't know why. When I was younger, I chalked it up to all the smokers in my family (everyone but me). Since moving-out on my own though, I no longer have that to worry about, and things have improved (both for my trains and for my health), but I still have trouble with dirty buildup. That may have everything to do with how often I actually run trains: very infrequently. Daily? No. Weekly? No. Monthly? Still no. Yea, sad. But I have other hobbies, some of which include areas of model railroading that don't include actual operation.
Back to the plan: the reason I say TC Train is because I plan to tie the battery operated cleaning car with a battery operated locomotive with trailing boxcar for another battery and electrical switch. This would give me a three-unit, self-propelled, motorized cleaning train that could handle the toughest dirt and corrosion.
Ideally, I still like the idea of all model trains being self-propelled, with throttles controlled via radio signal. Imagine running your trains from your iPad for instance. Ultimately, I don't "like" DCC, as the research I've done into it seems complicated and expensive, and doesn't eliminate issues of electrical conductivity.
My intended victims:
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| Bottom to Top: MRC 7034, Atlas 31012, Atlas 42604 |
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
New Workspace
My previous workspaces were severely hampered by lack of desk space and storage areas.
Recently I've been using two separate desks connected together into an L-shape, but neither really gave me what I was looking for. In the last few weeks, I turned one into a sewing area for my wife, giving me half the room I had before, and then at a computer desk (see link) with limited area for anything else.
Today I decided to do something about that. The original concept was for a couple hollow core doors supported by cabinets (kitchen or filing), but while the doors are pretty cheap, cabinets of any kind are cheap only in construction quality.
Plus, I have a number of storage units that I can use as a basis for a new workstation, so I'm going to try that.
One recommendation I received at the ole' Home Depot was to use birch plywood instead, as it would give more support than a door, though I'd need to spend more time finishing it. It was also cheaper.
Instead of buying a whole sheet and cutting it to the sizes I was looking for (ideally 3x6'), I got a couple 2x4' sections that I'm going to put together into an L-shape. Total cost for those: $37 for 3/4" sections, which isn't bad for a good hard plywood.
Also, a couple large storage boxes to use as a kind of hutch for modeling supplies.
Recently I've been using two separate desks connected together into an L-shape, but neither really gave me what I was looking for. In the last few weeks, I turned one into a sewing area for my wife, giving me half the room I had before, and then at a computer desk (see link) with limited area for anything else.
Today I decided to do something about that. The original concept was for a couple hollow core doors supported by cabinets (kitchen or filing), but while the doors are pretty cheap, cabinets of any kind are cheap only in construction quality.
Plus, I have a number of storage units that I can use as a basis for a new workstation, so I'm going to try that.
One recommendation I received at the ole' Home Depot was to use birch plywood instead, as it would give more support than a door, though I'd need to spend more time finishing it. It was also cheaper.
Instead of buying a whole sheet and cutting it to the sizes I was looking for (ideally 3x6'), I got a couple 2x4' sections that I'm going to put together into an L-shape. Total cost for those: $37 for 3/4" sections, which isn't bad for a good hard plywood.
Also, a couple large storage boxes to use as a kind of hutch for modeling supplies.
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