A View of the completed tank cars

Here are the completed cars sitting in the yard awaiting weathering.   The first three are 8000 gallon cars that required the frame milling. This is a Philadelphia Quartz car.

Next is a private owner car that enables me to highlight my Italian heritage coupled to a Deep Rock gasoline car.  A very colorful car.

Next are the 10,000 gallon Chemical cars.  These are the easily modified cars. This one is an older release - a Warren car. These cars stand up well next to the Precision brass models of the same class of cars. 

This is a new one - a Hercules Chemical car that is very distinctive.

Lastly, one for my Standard Oil of NJ, carrying LPG. 

This gives you a view of the car ends with the couplers and air hoses

You can see they line up.

And the cars look good from down low as well.
 

Now we need an additional throttle

Well, now we need project box number two to use as a base for an old product called a RixRax hand held throttle with a long tether. So, I took out a Stancor 12.4 volt transformer I had and my last RixRax throttle. I had purchased two in about 1985 for a layout I was building then. I had only used one and have already incorporated it into my layout in Weigh Scales. So, this was "old new stock". As before, we layout components to see how we can make this item. The grey item is a base that holds the blue circuit card.

This throttle came as components that were somewhat pre-wired. The base has a portion of the circuitry and the throttle body has the rest. 

My problem is that the throttle body is connected to the base by 6 wires. Those wires connect to the pins on the right side of the blue circuit board. So, I decided to put a connector on the side of the box to make it easier to screw the wires from the layout to the throttle. 

On the box in the background, you can see the 8 pin connector that I am using. I am actually building two of these throttles as the crew likes them so much, I am having to add one to Reed to make the switching there easier.  In this view, you can see that the fuse body is on the base as I could not fit it on the top. The on/off switch is also on the base next to the 8 pin connector (shown on the rear box). 

The tops are pretty simple as all I can mount are the transformer and the circuit card. 

I am trying a different transformer but I am not really satisfied with its characteristics so will go back to the Stancor. This one is a center tap 24 Volt unit, but it does not have the power output I want. 

Here is the completed appearance of the unit but it is also where my problems began. I used a Chinese made fuse holder for these. I had just bought them off Amazon. They were awful. I could not get them to screw on or off reliably. I was using choice words as the last thing I do is fuse the circuit and I could not get the cap off. The darn things cam eina package of 8 and everyone was faulty. So, I have a 50 year old, but unused, Bussman fuse holder and that will go into the circuit. Once I did that, and connected those six colored wires to the terminal block and my hand held throttle, I found that the unit works great. 

Now I have to come up with a new/old way of connecting a 6 pin plug and socket that will stand up to some usage. The cheaper Chinese ones are not too dependable. I have found a source for "new stock" Cinch-Jones plugs which, while more expensive, are industrial strength. 

In closing, I mentioned that the RixRax throttle was from the mid 1980's. I needed another one and went out on eBay to find the one for Reed. Could you believe it, but a guy had just listed a "new old stock" one. I bought it immediately. It is good that I am not the only one holding on to things for eons! That Bussman fuse holder was from a stock I was given as demo's when I joined the company in sales in 1968! I left them in 1969 but they are still paying out!

 

Some Power Supplies for Shamokin

Well, I need a turnout motor power supply for the mine and Shamokin complex. I used 3 volt Switchmaster like high torque motors in RixRack mounts for the turnout power. So, I gathered my material which included a 6.3 volts center tap filament transformer for the power supply, a bridge rectifier to convert it to DC, a power switch, line cord and a fuse holder. I also ordered a project box from eBay. 

Using my hole drills, I cut mounting holes for the power cord and inserted it with a stress reliever. 

The stress relief required a bigger hole than I had a cutter,  so I used a Dremel cutter to complete the hole and mount the plug.

Here I had gathered the components and used my cutters to cut the mounting holes. 

This is the layout for the top with the transformer on one side, the fuse ahead of it, and the on/off switch next to the power strip. The Power strip has three positions - plus, center, and minus. The feeds come from underneath the top.

Here we see the bottom before all wiring is done. The center tap of the transformer is the Zero voltage, and each side of the bridge rectifier will be plus or minus 3 volts. 

 And here is the simple wiring and we are done, once I connect the line cord to the fuse holder and the on/off switch. So, when I tested the supply, it did not work. Darn!! then, going back and trouble shooting, I found I had a defective transformer. So, I got a new one and inserted it and then it was exactly 3.15 volts on either side. Perfect! Thank goodness!

Taking a break and converting some Atlas tank cars to true 2 rail operation

As you all know, Atlas has reissued the Intermountain tank cars with diecast frames and their trucks and couplers. These are nice cars but the trucks re too wide for scale cars and the cars sit way too high. So, I have just undertaken a project to convert three 8,000 gallon cars and 3 11,000 gallon cars. The 8K cars are more difficult as the frame has to be modified. The 11K are a snap. You only have to mill off the mounting pins for the Atlas couplers on those cars, and drill and tap for the Kadee box. You also have to drill out the Athearn bolster as on the 8k car. They also require a mounting ring on the bolster pin.

On the 8K cars, you need to mill out the frame to accept the kadee coupler box as once you set the car at the right height, the coupler would be very low. This shows a bottom view of the mounted box after I milled about 0.050 out of the center sill and then drilled and tapped the center sill. I also had to make a bolster ring (0.060 thick) that raises the car on the Athearn truck to meet the Kadee height gauge. I had drilled out the bolster on the Athearn truck to allow it to sit on the Atlas pin. I used Atlas's truck screw after I turned down the diameter of the head. 

Here is an end view with the coupler mounted. On some cars I used the Atlas air hose. On other cars, I used a cast rubber air hose. 

Here is the line-up of the completed frames awaiting the bodies return. 
 

Completing the Track Work into Shamokin

Well, the track plan has been decided on and now I am gluing the switch ties down to allow the passing siding from the main to the factory to be installed. We have the ties glued and weights on them to fix them in place. 

Glue is dried and the tops of the ties have been sanded. 

A look down the track to see where we have to connect to the trackwork back by the factory.

The first turnout is now built and the second is under construction. This is a little tricky as the turnouts are on a surface where the grade is ending and then flattening out. Also, I am standing on two stools and my head is pressed into the ceiling.

The second turnout is just about done, and I realize I have to extend the wooden ties by at least a couple to provide space for the ties of the diverging tracks to be placed. 

Now the track beyond the turnouts has been placed. You can see there are a lot of sweeping curves involved in smoothly blending into the tail tracks. The left most track is a future siding for a building flat that will be placed along the wall. 

An overview of the whole junction

 A distance shot of the town of Shamokin, less a few structures. Now, on to the wiring.

Modifying a tool

When trying to make the headlight lens for the RS 1, which is 1/4 inch in diameter, I found that the leather punch I was going to use put a big dent into the clear plastic as it had a sharp point on the male member.  So, I figured I could make a brass collar to surround the point and make the head of the punch appear flat. Using brass rod, I turned it to the required diameter, then drilled the center out to allow for the point. The whole assembly is here.

Then I glued to adapter to the punch using canopy glue so it would be easily removed, should I need the punch to be usable for heavier material. The punch is resting on the female member of the tool. 

 Here, you can see the punch point in the interior of the spacer. When I used it, it worked perfectly but the glue could not hold the spacer when the punch was withdrawn from the material. Not a problem as it was easily re-secured, and a second lens made. 

Finishing the RS1

Previously, I had added canvas shades to a GP9. The Alco RS1 also had canvas shades so I had to do another engine. You have seen earlier photos as I painted the engine. Here I have taken my cigarette paper and twirled it on a wire mandrel and test fit it to the cab.

The wire is 0.020 and painted black as we start. Then I glue the paper to itself and the mandrel. I use the glue on the paper to make cigarettes. 

Here is my brand of choice but any brand will work just fine. 

The cab shade mandrel has been fixed to the cab side by using canopy glue inside the cab. Next, I set the length of the shade and made a base using 0.030 wide styrene strips, painted them black and secured them and paper to the cab above the windows. I then colored the paper with Poly Scale aged concrete. 

Here is the engine now reassembled and ready for a little more weathering. 

The fireman is distracting the engineer telling him he likes the shades. He can thank Lee Turner for showing me how to do this.

Almost finished product. This is a Car Works model with a new drive using NWSL wheels and a Des Plaines tower. I really like the looks of it.  A new branch line shifter. The engine number was from an engine assigned to the Northern Division. 
 

Reaching out for Shamokin - Part 1

We have to add some ground to allow the tracks to reach from the branch line turnout back to the factory and team track. If you look at the lower center, you can see the Homasote patch to add the necessary base.

This is an overview of the additional base. Ed and Paul worked hard to get the sub-bracing in on a recent train night. They then cut the Homasote to match the hole they were filling. My job was then to level everything up and finish the installation.

This is where we diverge from the branch main and head back to the plant. The patch was necessary to allow me to add another two turnouts to form a passing siding and a switch to another plant that will be on the wall. 

The patch is set and now has been painted to match the rest of the cinder base.

An overview of the completed patch

The two turnouts have been located using the diagrams. They will be two Number 6 right hand turnouts in a row. I had to move the furthest one towards the rear as I had to deal with bracing underneath. 

 An overview of the prospective installation.