Eastern Tn logging on the DG CC & W RR 1928

Doctor G

Well-Known Member
Nice!!!!

:thumb:
Bill, that is the slowest rod locomotive I have ever seen anywhere. The micro mark drive shaft is a nice clean installation. I didn't see any binds in the short video:confused::confused::confused:.

What do you think the speed was....a 1/4 scale mile per hour??? Very impressive.
Doc Tom:thumb:
 

Bill Nelson

Well-Known Member
:thumb:
Bill, that is the slowest rod locomotive I have ever seen anywhere. The micro mark drive shaft is a nice clean installation. I didn't see any binds in the short video:confused::confused::confused:.

What do you think the speed was....a 1/4 scale mile per hour??? Very impressive.
Doc Tom:thumb:[/quote


Oddly enough, the lope only shows up at higher speeds Bass Ackwards from the way it usually works. I got no idea what the speed would be but I could count the wheel RPMs, ( It is slow enough to do that), and do the math from there, but I'm too lazy

the bind may be related to quartering, as it seems to have that frequency

Bill
 

pgandw

Active Member
I got that Micro Mark drive shaft installed in #1. It went in very nicely. thse look familliar, and I am wondering if they are the driveshafts we once could get for Hobbytown drive mechanisms.

Bill Nelson

Bill

The Micro Mark universals are in fact left over Hobbytown stock. I had my LHS order a few for me. They ordered double for stock, and were amazed at how fast they sold. They are reportedly quieter and a tighter fit than the NWSL competition.

Fred
 

Bill Nelson

Well-Known Member
Thanks Fred,

The humongous gear reduction motor that is in my #8 an MDC 2 truck shay, I once had in my #5 a Mantua General with a Carry replacement boiler. It was so slow I could crank the throttle to 100%, and then off as fast as I could, and get less than 1/4 turn of the driver. That was a lot of fun, but the top speed was way to low.

#1's performance , caught on the workbench video is at about 9% of throttle using a bachman throttle from an On30 train set my dad got. I can actually get some better performance from the higher quality throttles on my layout. I'm currently plotting how to get electrical pick up off of the insulated side of the locomotive.

I'd love to get all wheel pick up on the tender as well, but these AHM tender trucks are fragile. No axles with wheels this small are available commercially. someday I'd like to experiment with putting some HON3 wheels on HO axles, take some brass HOn3 truck side frames and HO bolsters, and try to cobble up some brass trucks with all wheel pick up, that would work under these AHM tenders.


#1 tuns so well now I need to do some testing and find out what it's minimum radius , as it might be a fun focus for a micro layout.

It is a shame that the Hobbytown drives are not available, can you imagine what could be done with those old MU drives where the motor in one unit could drive other units through universals between the trucks. You could have a A-B-B-A lash up with a humongous motor in one of the B's, a sound decoder in the other, and five or six speakers spread around through the rest of the lash up. with the old carry cast bodies the whole thing would weigh pounds, and could pull the walls down.


Oh well #1 runs well, and that is a minor victory for old mechanisms.


Bill Nelson
 

Bill Nelson

Well-Known Member
SML a   SOU  Pass  loc.jpg SML a  sou  pass trn  in Sou  stgng.jpg SML a Sou pass  trn n Hrlow.jpg SML a nw grd rl..jpg work session

It has been a long time since I have done much on my railroad itself, other than some track cleaning and maintenance.


I got up there this morning and did some track cleaning , and then addressed a problem.



I had been wanting to run Southern Railway passenger trains into Harlow Tn., but my Bachman Southern RR Green and gold 2-8-0 could actually negotiate two out of three of the branches of the code 55 three way stub turnout at The Harlow Terminal, it dropped it's lead truck up in the cut, under the highway underpass, where the track transitioned from code 55 hand laid track to code 70 flex.


Careful study showed the track was all in gauge, and the problem was due to a vertical curve ( a change in the grade). By adding a code 70 guard rail at the offending spot, I was able to get the hefty 2-8-0, which runs very smoothly , into and out of Harlow Tn without a problem.


My original plan was to have the Southern Passenger train move forward into the Terminal, and back out. However The KD permanent under the tie uncopler magnet caused problems. It is absolutely necessary for the smooth operation of my freight interchange; so for now the Southern Railway passenger train will back in and head out going forward.

The Bachman 2-8-0 is a excellent running locomotive, and is very well detailed. In it's very well done Southern Green and Gold passenger scheme, it is not acurate for the steam era. This was a freight locomotive. One of these survived to be a part of the Southern railway's steam program in the 1970's, and was painted Green and Gold for steam excursion service. This paint job is correct for this locomotive, but just barely. I retain it, because I don't feel like building a proper Southern railway passenger locomotive, and could not do this good a job with the iconic green and gold paint job.

you can now ride into Harlow TN. on a Southern passenger train, to begin your travels in Gorre County TN. on the DG CC & W RR

The photos show the SR train down on the southern staging tracks two levels below Crooked Creek, the Bachman 2-8-0, the train in front of the Harlow Terminal, and the gaurd rail that makes it all possible

Bill Nelson
 
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Sawdust

Member
Hey Bill I just wanted to say Hello. Looks like you have been very busy since I was on here last. Everything is looking really good, you have come a long way. I'm a Moderator on another forum now & have been busy over there. I'll stop by later to check out some more of your progress.:wave:
 

Bill Nelson

Well-Known Member
Jim,

Good to hear from you! It is also good to hear that it looks looks I have been busy. I have been frustrated that other needs, and my insane schedule impinge on my train time. I have avoided moderator duties, as I figured it would cut into my already diminished modeling time.


I hope you have had time to whip up some cool projects, and I miss the updates on your very well done structures.

While I have been working on my RR, I have been frustrated by the limits on operation that come from it's extreme design. I keep thinking that there ought to be better solutions, and I have several drawings that try to find a way to keep Crooked creek, and Ridgemont/ Stateline and Gegokayoosa, and build something ore operable. No luck so far, the shape of my rr room seems to prevent a sane plan. More and more I'd like to have more exciting room for my rod locomotives, especially the 2-4-4-2's to run and play. My Valley division is just too boring.

No luck with the drawing board so far though. I recently got another Hon3 switch ; that had been on back order, delivered, so I can start working on a second return loop for the narrow gauge. were I to start over, with or without a more usable space, More of my empire would be Narrow gauge (I did not used to have any good running Hon3 locomotives), and more of it would allow use of my Rod engines, and I'd have a couple insane branches to use my geared power. As it is Most of my RR is that insane branch.

Bill Nelson
 

Bill Nelson

Well-Known Member
SML lng Sou pass trn #1.jpg SML SOU  long pass trn #2.jpg longer Southern passenger train

I snagged another Southern Combine and passenger car from Dr Tom's old Southern interchange train, and added it to mine, so I have a longer Southrn passenger train. I can back this train up the helix and into Harlow without incident, after tweaking a couple of the trucks on the passenger cars. Getting these cars from tom was a wonderful thing, as they are not for sale in the Southern scheme at this time.


I may cut off the magnetic whiskers, so I can run the train in forward and back it out. if I try that right now, I get an unintended uncoupling, that sends the passenger train hurling down the helix. before I cut the whiskers though perhaps I should replace the stock Bachman couplers on the 2-8-0 with KD's. The bachman couplers don't do the delay uncoupling trick, and perhaps the KDs would not uncouple unexpliclably under tension crossing the magnet. the magnet in that location is critical for the Southern dropping off freight cars.


Bill Nelson
 
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Bill Nelson

Well-Known Member
Thanks Tom they do look good; and I'm pleased that these can be backed up the helix and through the center track of the 3 way stub switch. They might go through the outside track, it is likely they would not go down the inside route which has a tighter radius.

This train will have to make visits to the club. I will have to get KDs on the locomotive, and see if it can get into Harlow going forward without the coaches uncoupling and taking the very quick ride down to Southern staging.


Bill
 

Bill Nelson

Well-Known Member
coupler

I got a KD on the tender of the 2-8-0, which was a pain. the post in the coupler pocket was too tight for the KD #5 centering spring and the KD coupler also I reamed them out and got them to fit, but it is not ideal. If I was going to be using it for magnetic coupling I'd want to cut off the bachman box and but a KD box on it.

It fixed half the problem I can pull the passenger train into Harlow without false uncouplings, but it still uncouples backing out so I guess I will have to cut the uncoupling whiskers.

The locomotive bumps a lot where the oversize spikes don't clear the flangeways on the code 55 rail, so that is another project to work on.


Bill
 

Bill Nelson

Well-Known Member
working better

I trimmed the magnetic whiskers on the southern caches and the Southern passenger train goes in and out of Harlow in either direction on the center and outside track of the tree way stub switches in front of the terminal @ Harlow. I have not tried the inside track there, it has a vicious curve that nothing longer than a 50 ft boxcar or an MDC shorty Overton has ever gone through.


Passenger trains can now roll into Harlow from The Southern staging. I have done some work on my code 55 track in Harlow with my optivisor and an NMRA standards gauge, checking flangeways at spikes . After a while I can see the worst offending spikes without the gauge. in a lot of cases I can reposition the spike so it doesn't offend.


Bill Nelson
 

Bill Nelson

Well-Known Member
After carefully checking flangeways on the code 55 track and replacing and or adjusting spikes whose heads got into the flangeways I had the southern passenger train getting into and out of the inside track next to the Terminal. No way I ever thought that big consloidation could get through that tight curve. It will only go through if it is run very slowly, also once the locomotive is past the kink, it has to stay slow, or it will snatch the passenger cars off the track.

I took the southern train to the club to run it there, but the DCC system there doesn't like the 2-8-0 and shorts out, even though the locomotive does very well on DC. I will have to study it and see if I can figure out what the problem is.


Bill Nelson
 

Bill Nelson

Well-Known Member
It is a relatively recent locomotive, with a can motor, and a plastic frame. In any case Most Dc locomotives will work on the 00 address, but with that being the only address that will work we are limited to one at a time on the RR. I have some locomotives that draw too much current, and they will run a while before they kick the circuit breaker. this one kicks the circuit breaker as soon an it is on the rails. I will need to um plug the two plugs between the tender and the locomotive, and do some testing with a multimeter, and see if I can figure out what is going on DCC systems ' circuit breakers have hair triggers, and will kick over tiny momentary stuff that DC power packs ignore.

Isolating the motor brushes is needed when installing a decoder, but doesn't seem to affect a DC locomotive on the 00 address.


Bill Nelson
 

Bill Nelson

Well-Known Member
SML some plcs I didn't  want to pull  spikes.jpg SML SOU tndr in a bind.jpg sml spks tht  intrfre  wth  flgway.jpg Spikes #1 Harlow project.jpg More Harlow rehab work

I have been doing some more rehab work in Harlow. in some places I am using an NMRA standards gauge to find where sloppy spiking interfered with the flangeways on the code 55 track. Back in the Dark ages Lambert made very fine spikes that would work well with code 55, but they have not been available for the last 30 years, and we have to use whatever we have.

whatever I had, when I started Harlow was too fat, and often left me with not enough flangewy. I have smaller skies now, although the smallest will fold up before they will go into my yellow poplar ties.

My massive Sou 0-8-0 switcher, a proto 2000 unit, now can negotiate the inside track od the 3 way stub switch that is closest to the Southern staging, in spite of the kink. it is tight though, the front tender tuck actually lifts off the rail, but it hasn't derailed yet.

The top picture shows one of my 3 way stub switches . locations I did not want to pull spikes from. So when they were in the flangeway, I filed them down.

the second photo shows the lead tender truck @ the place where the bind lifts it off the rails.

In the third picture you can see an offending spike, and in the fourth you can see a size comparison between the ones I'm removing and the smaller spikes ( Micromark small spikes) that I am replacing them with.

the operation in Harlow is getting smoother as I resolve the flangeway issues. Harlow may yet be salvageable.



Bill Nelson
 
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Bill Nelson

Well-Known Member
SML  #wy sw  wth  filed  spiks .jpg SOU 0-8-0 on insde Hlw trc.jpg more photos of the track progress in Harlow

In the overhead shot of the 3 way stub switches the shiny spike heads show where the spike heads were filed down for more flangeway clearance.


In the second photo the Southern 0-8-0 is in the spot where the front tender truck is lifted off the rails on the inside. As long as I go slow, it has landed on the rail each time hasn't derailed yet. Slow is the standard procedure anywhere near 3-way stub switches anyway.

The three tracks in front of the terminal are working better than they ever have. I am now over on the back side of Harlow (Southside) working on the flangeways over there. If I can get that area squared away I may need to get to work on the tannery and the associated rolling stock ( bark cars, and hide cars).



Bill Nelson
 
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gbwdude

General Manager, W.R.Ry.
It looks really unnatural for that big steamer to go through such a tight area, but then again how often will that switcher go on the track closest to the station? I'm sure not much. Either way it's really amazing to see that beast go through that. It'd be even a more amazing feat if the Milwaukee Road made a visit on that track...

Tyler
 
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