2015_03_26 Cool day Still doing sound!

2015_03_26

Well still moving along slowly :)
Started on a couple of C Class conversions, installing Loksound Decoders, LED headlights and markers. Need to fill the cow catcher and install KD's as well. Probably means that I need to file off the detail and attach hosebags as well.

So lets look at some of things I have had to think about?

The black one is a late series Austrains chassis weight

 An early attempt on the older weight left me with a broken weight, and it allowed the chassis to flex.

(funny how you don't notice a derailed wheel, or a body piece back to front, till the photo is published :(  )

Plus it took a lot of weight out of the model

 The new weight is heavier around the cab, and possibly would allow for trimming now?

This is what I removed (and I need to take a further 2mm off for better clearance)
Instead of using the larger speaker I am going to use a 16 x 25 x 7.9 speaker which I have been happy with in my T Class conversions. I will also wire in a tiny cell phone speaker to balance the sound.

I drill out the bulk of metal, lightly grind away the bulk of whats left and then saw cut and using a 1 inch wide belt sander clean up the surface allowing the speaker to fit tightly

This means the weight remains intact and supports the plastic chassis.The photo shows another version of a conversion by James of VR Enthusiasts.

Cheers
Rod

2015_03_21 Yackandandah Festival W/End

2015_03_21

So I finally got the inside "office" stocked with all my sound gear (Loksound and tools anyway)

So you would think the output would be improving?

I have worked on three engines The first an X Class in VR is running sounds great but the body is under tension and keeps unclipping. So I will have to dismantle it and make some changes. But I will make the changes in the second one to make sure they work.

The second one is causing me grief as I have difficulty adding marker lights. Not enough room, and my adhesives are just not holding Thanks to James who posts on VR Enthusiasts, I have come up with a fix. So here are some pictures of the engine, which I seem to have found enough space to get the top down flush. I had to leave a circuit board out and use tiny resistors to find more room.

The Last two shots are of the old Powerline 830 which now boasts kd's marker lights and a silent decoder. The problem with it is that it has an open frame motor, has not run for 15 years and corrosion had stopped the pickups from working. The slightly smaller flanges on this model, do clear the Code75 dog spikes, just!!

So not a lot to show for a few weeks work, but progress never the less!

hmm wonder where the headlight dropped out/?  You know how bad your eyes are when you only see things in pictures.

Lens glued in with Krystal Kleer  So I need to wash down the front to clean up spills.

Headlights and Marker lights, buffer filled in. Just a few steps and I think I will leave it as is. I have found some hose bags. They will be added, too bare isn't it?

Found the whistles,and wondering how I would go about thinning and adding to handrails.
Cheers
Rod

2015_03_20 I now walk every day, out with the trees!

2015_03_20

Trees!!  Trees and more trees :D

Still waiting on some leaves and deciding how I am going to do the trunks. I have great ideas from many of my friends, but I am not convinced that I can't find a quicker and better way to make them.
When the material I ordered arrives I will take a break and spend some time on trees :)
(Click on pictures for larger image)

Cheers
Rod

2015 March St Patricks Day for sure! for sure!

2015_03_17

Working on sound
Tried fitting out an old Powerline 830. 4 hours in and nothing works, and I have no idea why. The motor spins on a 9 volt battery Every wire connects to the right decoder wire and I get an LED flash and power goes down on Decoder Pro. Decoder tests just fine, disconnected :(

Got two X Class fitted with speakers and Loksound 4.0 DCC sounds decoders and having trouble getting body to fit on one. Pictures later.

The 930, 44 Class sounds?   Used an older engine because the correct one sounds awful, almost like an EMD :(

Cheers
Rod Young

2015_03_10 Home Sweet Home.

2015_03_10

Disappointment with Sandown turned into a nice day at Kyneton.
Stayed the night at Tony's place in Bendigo and called in to PC Hobbies on the way home.
Took little out of Sandown, more out of Kyneton, and a lot more from PCB Hobbies :)

Now I have to save up for Caulfield :)

Some Pictures!  Claim bragging rights (just remember my store shopping is very limited, and I only get to do this once or twice a year)

Coolum Design Laser cut wood kit Single road small country loco shed for branch terminus
Model Train Buildings  on Face Book

Coolum Laser Design Coolum Beach Laser Design

Walthers Kit

 Corn silo But it will become a wheat silo on the Branch

Walthers Corn shed. Going to use this for Uncle Bens Wodonga.

Couple of nice books. Gerald was not only an Elite Engineman with the VR, he was a gentleman and a fine Boss to boot. We really loved this fellow, and I was very happy to be the first cleaner to sit a Drivers exam with him when he took on the job as Examining Officer at Dynon. We spent three hours under R707 at Spotswood servicing the Loco whilst I had a verbal Drivers exam. Talk about putting a cleaner at ease. Even so I failed a safe working question and had to return later to finally get my ticket :(

Ian Wilson sold this one to me at a nice price.  Can't resist a T :D

Ian was also selling TrainBuilder stuff, and it looks like I might have been lucky to find this one, as they have been sold out for a month.

Coolum Beach Laser Design, made this wood kit. It is the original  Station Building at Bullarto
http://modeltrainbuildings.com.au/

 Brass cast signal gates from Broad Gauge Models at Kyneton See their adds in Australian Railway Modeller.

Tri Axle bogies for my US and European trucks.

Another couple of signals for the SG

Here is the scrap roads :)   Some bought as spare parts but all work just fine. So they need sound decoders as they are all still DC

I have a pretty low tolerance when I find I have acquired junk. You know that of course. This is a cheap KMart /Big W vacuum cleaner. It required two empties to vac out the Rover. Both times little rubbish but blocked filters. Now my house is tiny and has carpet in two 3m square bedrooms, rest is tiled.    I need to empty this three times to complete the house. I have asthma and hay fever and each time is a real effort as dust explodes out of the filters. The damn thing sounds powerful and yet 5 minutes after you start using it the red light comes on, as it loads up and stops sucking.
Well this does suck. So the third time I ever used it I failed to vac the House despite cleaning the filters out twice. So I put it through the Rod Young fail test. Holding the

hose I swung the thing around in the air three times and bounced it off the wall. I did this twice and could not break it. But although it passed this test with flying (helicopter??) colours it goes in the skip tomorrow..mumble ...mumble....  grumble.....

Cheers
Rod Young

2015_03_09 Sandown Exhibition

2015_03_09     Gee what a mild summer we have this year :)

Little things are happening. I finally got sick of spreading all my work out on Coal Siding as if it was a work bench. And packed it all up and moved it inside and set it up in my Office.
Its easier to work in there and I dont get distracted all the time and "play" trains. Now I can install sound in peace in an air conditioned room.  When I do go in the shed, I can operate without working around all the clutter as well.
Have 2 C Class and 3 X Class being fitted with sound. The first X Class sounds great, but the body will not sit down, its about 1.5 mm too high. Looks like I will have to take it apart and machine out about 2mm in the weight to sit the decoder a little lower.  But at least I can prepare the rest and know they will sit down. So next job.
I can machine the C Class at the same time.
I made a jig for the fuel tank lid which really speeds up placement of the speaker The Loksound is really nice sound.  DCC sounds

Went to Sandown on Saturday, drove down leaving about 3.15 am, but got there too early. Got taken in my the Auscision HooHaa, and was bitterly disappointed. Anyway as usual arrived with money to spend, and left with most of it intact.
Every year its the same. I promise never to go to that Exhibition again. and go anyway. Someone please remind me next year?. 

On the way home I attended the Exhibition at Kyneton and had a great time. Nice job fellas I will come again, and you got all my money, which surprised me too :)
Cheers
Rod Young