Hello again;

Been running my new Pennsylvanian train set and when hooking up tender to loco the apparently heavy-duty-heat-shrink wrapped sound system wires had to be given a pretty forceful twist to get plug same way up as socket in back of loco.

Looks like after 3 days out on track that force has twisted black wire out of plug.
In one way it's not a loss since the sound at lowest volume is too loud for me anyway.
But, ya know, I'd like to have the potential to use the sound.

Guess I can find something to do with the sound wires while figuring out how to get power to the tender backup light, which isn't lighted in these train set locos.

Oh well, no longer have to worry about messing up the plug in taking the loco boiler off to repaint it - doing the boiler jacket metallic grey and smokebox black. Also doing the black cylinders, cylinder saddle, pilot beam and pilot in green. Tender top and running boards in red zinc chromate.

There's gotta be a way to make those wires more flexible instead of squashing them into God knows what contortions inside of what looks super heavy duty heat shrink tubing.

Yes, I like the train. Yes I'm happy to have it, and the other sets.
(for which the sound wires were more or less lined up to go in plug rather more easily than the PRR loco)

I am, however, rapidly growing less and less happy with the execution of the sound systems and speed controllers. 

Is there a way to further lower sound system volume in 4-6-0 locos?

Reason:
I have Asperger's Syndrome, an Autism related disorder, and certain sounds actually hurt - one effect of the disorder is hypersensitivity to certain sounds, and light. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asperger_syndrome

Even at lowest setting of rotary switch on bottom of tender it is still too loud for me.

Anybody know of some kind of electronic tidbit that could be cut into wires to speaker to lower the power?

I wish more passenger cars had green instead of red clerestory windows.
Or even a "frosted glass" look.
Which could then be tinted with transparent paints such as Tamiya's acrylics.
I just don't care for the red.
The rippled glass texture looks neat, though.

One red I do like is the Pennsylvania passenger cars - those are pretty!

later,
Forrest

Hey Y'all;

Today got 2 baggage car kits and one of the 2 bobber cabooses in the same box kits.
Am quite happy the kits are available.

I come to G railroading from several decades of plastic modeling and HO Athearn, MDC Roundhouse, and other car kits. These are a familiar way of doing things to me.
That is good.

Plus, they allow me to paint them up for RRs not available factory painted.
And to paint additional car types past what comes in the set.
Example: V&T and PRR sets have the only cars painted for those roads  the kits make it easy to fill out a train.

The 2 baggage cars are going to be painted for V&T, one for my train one for her train.
One caboose is mine and will end up V&T; other is Kathy's and whatever she does with it.

Equally, kits are less money than a factory finished car, which helps the budget as Kathy and I are trying to do this on a less than middle class budget.

Mostly, the kits satisfy my "do it yourself" desire. 

Got the Durango & Silverton passenger set the other day and have discovered that when the power controller is set to "0" there's still enough current flowing that the loco will move after being nudged in same direction controller is set for.

Since it won't move when nudged opposite the way controller is set for, it has to be because some amount of current is still flowing.

Looks like leaving is set with controller in "0" would be a good way to send just enough current to overheat the motor and burn it out.

Okay, just dug out the box of light parts and a Miniatronics 1.5v  30ma 1.2mm dia, red bulb will come on when leads touched to rails with controller in 0

This one you definitely want to unplug when it is sitting still.

later,
Forrest Scott Wood

Hey Y'all;

Question - have V&T "Silverado" set and am painting some green trim on passenger cars which wasn't added at factory - any thoughts on a commercial model color which would get close to factory green on letterboards?

Tried mixing but keep coming up too blue or too yellow.

Needs to not be enamel or lacquer paint.
Needs to be acrylic or other water base, Such as Polly Scale, Testors Acryl, Tamiay, El Viejo, et cetera.

May have asked this before but don't remember.

later,
Forrest
and no, forest green didn't match 

Hey Y'all;
Am trying to free bell from 4-6-0 boiler molding and getting nowhere.
Have pushed, pulled, twisted, rocked, with as much force as I dare to without fearing breaking the castings.

Want it off for painting and to turn bell around to where cord is on fireman's side instead of engineers.
Unlike our HO and On30 locos bell is riveted into yoke and can't be removed to simply turn bell around.

There isn't evidence of superglue showing.
Bell yoke is in 2 halves.
It looks like a press fit.
But, pushing on it hard as I dare from bottom with screwdriver or end of pliers does nothing.

Here's photos:




Any of y'all seeing some secret I'm missing?

As my wife will all to readily volunteer to tell you, I can't seem to leave a train alone 5 minutes after getting it home till something is getting sawn off, one or more holes are drilled in it, or its paint is getting changed. 

Got V&T "Silverado" set with my economic stimulus check, plus a bit more cash.
Something about the locomotive was really bugging me: being done up as a woodburner with spark arresting stack, boiler molding had extended smokebox a coal burner with built-in spark arresting screen would have. Not right.
It had to go.
Sawed it off this morning.
All was going fine till just about done gluing smokebox front on - got a glue drip blemish on side of boiler up by sand pipes.  Arrrrrr.

Well, hmmm, those molded-on sand pipes have been bugging me, if the paint is going to have to be fixed anyway, might as well carve of the sand pipes and add real wire - there holes for wire in the running boards, so why not!
A bit of work with a chisel blade in the craft knife, some wet sanding, and all done. Happy modeler :-)

Hmmmm, while boiler is disassembled and I'm hacking bits off, there's that turbogenerator for electric lighting up between cab and steam dome - it don't look right for an 1870 style painted woodburner.
Would be a bit of work to carve off molded base and fill hole in boiler top.
But . . .

Anyway, back to shortened smokebox - it really changes apparent proportions of the thing, a lot stockier.
Side effects of the shortening include:
1. having to make a headlight bracket. Am intending to replace dim headlight bulb with an LED.
2. needing to make a pilot deck. Have some Plastruct treadplate good for that job
3. smoke generator had to go, not enough room, but that's okay, couldn't be using it anyway.

There's some work to do inside cab too.

Passenger cars need a lot of green trim painted; roofs changed from grey to black; interior painted, especially walls from yellow to wood color.
Want to change interior lighting on cars as well.

Hey Y'all;

Went and paid for my V&T "Silverado" set today - nice train 


Pretty well fills apartment's living room floor, eh! Cat's not sure about this big noisy thing yet.  Green is a vinyl, flannelbacked tablecloth in a 'grass' pattern from football season stuff Wal Mart in fall. Bought it from clearance aisle. Track assembled less one straight each side.

But, leading axle on pilot truck had had the middle plastic part of the axle crack where wheels insert and axle and wheels were floating loose in box 
Put it together and decided to take it home anyway.
Inspection at home showed both ends of plastic axle cracked where wheels insert and same for rear axle on pilot truck. 

Now what ?

Really do not want to return whole train set or even just the loco - it's mine now.

I'm thinking just add some glue - there are several that would work.
OR -->
To see if replacement plastic axle parts are available from Bachmann and I'll just replace the parts myself here?
That's what I'd prefer.

Hey Y"all;

After getting that V&T "Silverado" set, I want to get the PRR "Pennsylvanian" set in a couple months.
Have a book where it looks like some old  timer steamers were in the Brunswick Green on most parts but boiler jacketing was bare metal.

What I want to do is paint over boiler with some gunmetal tone metallic color automobile spray paint.
Will that work or badly react with Bachmann's paint?

Am certain regular model paint spray enamels will work, but color and tone I want doesn't seem to be made.

later,
Forrest

Question:
On V&T 4-6-0 in Big Hauler "Silverado" set loco is done up as woodburner with spark arresting stack but still with extend smokebox with interior spark/cinder catcher like used on coal burners: I'd like to cut smokebox back to between rivets halfway along.

That would look much better to my eye.

Is there anything inside that would make that an interesting adventure, or even prevent that entirely? The smoke unit?

Do not have set in posession yet, will be buying it the 15th.

Anyway, loco has pretty 1870 era paint job 
Doesn't look much like the real Virginia & Truckee's 4-6-0 #26 of 1905 or so, but so what, I like, yes indeed, I like 

Other problem is, now that she's seen the set, wife wants me to buy her one