layout progress & engine pics

[UP SD40-2]

GREAT NEWS!!(for me)

i received some GREAT news today!! i pre-ordered an Atlas UP MP15DC with QSI about a month ago, and it will be on my doorstep next week!:thumb: surprisingly, UP still has a few of these in use today! there are a few in Janesville(right next to Beloit here). i have been rail-fanning these for a while now, and will FINALLY have a model of one:thumb:. i have been checking out the pics of this model for a month now, and have bought the parts and decals to make it like the ones UP has here in Wisconsin. i have the all weather windows, rotating beacon and decals i need, after that, its just a little paint work and relocate the horn, and it will be set!!:thumb: should only take about 2hrs to get into shape. i will post pics when i get her done. -Deano View attachment 28584

 

[UP SD40-2]

Hmmm...

you know, after looking at the MP15DC's UP has from out west, i am not sure if i like the all weather windows, or the sun shades better...good thing i have a couple days to mull it overtooth1. any input here? THANKS, -Deano View attachment 28585

 

[MilesWestern]

Me, being too much a westerner (only been out of CA 20X in 16years!) I perfer the latter, the sunshades look much better, and you can get a better crosswind by having traditional windows on a warm day. Also you can lean out the window, like the old SP crews did! :thumb:

 

[UP SD40-2]

Me, being too much a westerner (only been out of CA 20X in 16years!) I perfer the latter, the sunshades look much better, and you can get a better crosswind by having traditional windows on a warm day. Also you can lean out the window, like the old SP crews did! :thumb:

Miles, ok, thats one for the sunshades:thumb:. i like sun shades ALOT, just am tore on this because i "kinda" wanted to make it like the ones at home here...ARRGH!wall1 hamrtooth1 THANKS for your input Miles! BTW, the pic with the all weather windows was taken by ME, in Janesville.-Deano

 

[doctorwayne]

I'll cast my vote for the all-weather windows. In my opinion, they not only look better, but they're generally sturdier than most sunshades.

Wayne

 

[MilesWestern]

dR.Wayne has a point! I added sunshades to one of my geeps, and thy fell off within a month.. (note: HEAVY handling, box transport though)


(EDIT) but....!!! If you take extra good care onf your lokies, them SUNSHADES it is!

 

[Thoroughbreed]

I stumbled upon these forums by googlin layout plans for an ho scale room, and couldn't stop looking for 3 hours straight.jawdrop I absolutely love it here, the way you have taken so much time to explain things about dcc and misc facts of the fallen flags, that upto ten years ago, you couldn't find any of this info anywhere. The internet has opened so many doors to all hobbies. In the town I live in, there is only 1 hobbies shop left, a Hobbytown of all placeswall1 , with bare minimal stock, but with a fellow ho-scaler running the store, and I can get things as I need them. But now I've found so many other shops, not to mention
Ebay, and I think I found my next-ex-wife LOLsign1 .
Up you have some wonderful pics and posts of your UP roster and scevery for such a small switchbck layout, and a great roster of power. I am impressed by the support on these forums as compared to a few others I've seen. Keep up the excellent work!!!:thumb:

 

[doctorwayne]

Welcome to the Gauge, Thoroughbreed. You'll not likely find a more helpful bunch of modellers anywhere else.

Wayne

 

[UP SD40-2]

I'll cast my vote for the all-weather windows. In my opinion, they not only look better, but they're generally sturdier than most sunshades.

Wayne

Wayne, THANKS for your input!:thumb: after reading your "vote", looks like the tide has turned, i think Miles has changed his mind. looks like 2 for the all weather windows. THANKS! -Deano

 

[UP SD40-2]

Thoroughbreed, WELCOME TO THE GAUGE!!!:thumb: hope you like it here, LOTS of GREAT folks, ready to help out!:thumb: BTW, glad you enjoyed this thread, and THANK YOU!, for the complements! -Deano

 

[cnw1961]

........UP still has a few of these in use today! there are a few in Janesville(right next to Beloit here). i have been rail-fanning these for a while now, and will FINALLY have a model of one:thumb:. i have been checking out the pics of this model for a month now, and have bought the parts and decals to make it like the ones UP has here in Wisconsin.........

Deano, if you want to have one of those, go for it and take the all waether windows. I think you will regret it, if you use the sunshades. But if you use the sunshades, it might give you a good reason to buy another MP15 .

 

[UP SD40-2]

THANKS Kurt! well, now that makes 3 for putting the all weather windows on the UP MP15DC i will have at my door on Monday, or Tuesday. zero for the sunshades. Wayne, Miles and Kurt, THANKS guys for your input!:thumb: -Deano

 

[UP SD40-2]

well, its Saturday, so i was at the folks house. i told dad about the UP MP15DC that was coming UPS to me on Monday or Tuesday, and dad wanted one as he remembers the CNW MP15DC's that used to switch out businesses here in Beloit in the 70's-80's:thumb:. the hobby shop in Janesville had one CNW MP15DC, but it was DC, not DCC . I told dad i had a couple extra MRC Brillance sound decoders(never know when ya might need one) , and that if ma bought the engine for his birthday(this Wen.), i would give him the decoder and install it:thumb:. dads NOT in great shape, he has Parkinson's(shakes alot), and is crippled up with artheritis...tell you what though, he practically RAN to ask ma for the engine . of coarse ma said yes:thumb: , and off we went. cripes i am glad i ordered mine with QSI, because Atlas circuit boards are big and bulky, and leave NO room to add a sound decoder. i took out the Atlas circuit board and "hot wired" the Brillance sound decoder in. got it put back together and it worked GREAT!!:thumb:. I was going to put the front and rear railings on it, sunshades and plow, but dad wouldn't stop running it!sign1 guess that will be next Saturdays project. **OH YEA, since WSOR's round house is close to the hobby shop, i took pics of some of the engines in the yard. sorry the pic quality is NOT great, but here are three kinda unusual engines that were there today. the first is their 25th anniversary engine, the second is a RARE no side stripe engine, and the last is the Richard M. Scallion memorial engine. till next time...stay on track! -Deano View attachment 28606 View attachment 28607 View attachment 28608 View attachment 28609 View attachment 28610

 

[MilesWestern]

COOL! just what I wanted to see, thanks Dean! Encore, Encore!!

 

[UP SD40-2]

Hey, let's see some of That stuff, namely Your dad's trains! This thread HAS variety, let's mix it up a little more, shall we?

Miles, i didn't forget your request:thumb:. here are just a FEW of dads engines. he has TONS more, but these are some of whats on the layout today. it would take a thread as big as this one to post all the engines he has. unlike me, dad has a multitude of roads he likes, and doesn't mind mixing them together. the first pic is the WSOR i got him for last fathers day. second pic is of 4 of 5 of his DCC engines, all CNW:thumbi know a couple of the engines need the railings on them, just need to get time to do them) . the new CNW MP15DC, and the CNW RS27 are the only 2 sound engines he has. except for a CNW SD45(not pictured),the rest of his engine roster are all DC. the other three pics are just SOME of the different engines he has:thumb:. there you go Miles, hope this post gave you some "variety". tooth1 -Deano View attachment 28611 View attachment 28612 View attachment 28613 View attachment 28614 View attachment 28615

 

[MilesWestern]

COOL!!! :thumb: Thanks so much dean!!! That's great, I like how your dad paints tha caboose industris ground throws green and presumable res on the other side to make sure shich direction the track goes! I'll have to do something like that too...if I can. Thanks again dean, and the WSOR SD40 looks photographically real, is that a BLI, or the new Athearn?

 

[cnw1961]

Dean, nice to see that you could make your dad happy :thumb: . Earlier on this thread you mentioned that you put your first MRC Brilliance decoder into your DL109 and you wanted to tell us how this decoder ranks with you. I may have overlooked it, but I can’t find your rating of this decoder :cry: . Even if you did so already, could you please tell me how you like this decoder?

 

[TruckLover]

WOW DEAN, Your dads layout is looking awsome.:thumb: :thumb:

 

[UP SD40-2]

Miles and Josh, THANKS GUYS! about a quarter of dads layout is close to finished, most of it is still a "plywood central". Miles, the WSOR SD40 is made by Athearn, REAL nice details:thumb: , boy Athearn has come a long way!:thumb: -Deano

 

[UP SD40-2]

MY THOUGHTS, on MRC's Brillance sound decoders

...Earlier on this thread you mentioned that you put your first MRC Brilliance decoder into your DL109 and you wanted to tell us how this decoder ranks with you. I may have overlooked it, but I can’t find your rating of this decoder :cry: . Even if you did so already, could you please tell me how you like this decoder?

Kurt, i would be HAPPY to tell you MY VIEWS on the MRC Brillance sound decoder:thumb: . KEEP IN MIND, this is ONLY MY THOUGHTS on them...OK, first i would like to say, i have, and have experience in these sound decoders: QSI, DIGITRAX, LokSound, MRC's AD370, MRC's Brillance and the Soundtraxx LC series, THIS, is what i am basing my answer to you on . in MY EYES, NOBODY beats QSI for sound, NOBODY! so i will use QSI as the BEST, and i will use the Soundtraxx LC series and MRC's AD370 as the bottom of the barrel. Digitrax's sound decoder, and Loksound i feel are about the same(better then average), HOWEVER, i guess i should put MRC's Brillance in the better then average category too:thumb: , heres why: it offers 12 different horns to choose from, and 6 different bells:thumb: . 17 accessory sounds, and, 4 different lighting effects!(mars light, etc.):thumb: EASY to install, and has "back EMF":thumb: :thumb:...BUT WAIT, thats NOT ALL, it even comes with 2, yep 2 speakers to choose from!:thumb: EVERY decoder has its faults though(well, EXCEPT QSItooth1), the diesel sound is generic, good sounding mind you, but lets say you put one in an FM unit, it sure DOES NOT sound like an opposed piston engine, same with Alco's etc. the horns are OK, but not GREAT. the sound it does have is plenty loud though, and i like that:thumb: . AGAIN, every decoder has its drawbacks, take Loksound, GREAT decoder, but the horn sound is too soft, funny because ALL the other sounds Loksound has are loud enough, just not the horn(YES, i have adjusted the CV's to full volume ). BACK to MRC's Brillance, it retails for around $119.00, at that price, i would go with LokSound, but you can find Brillance at places online for around 80-89 dollars, at that price, ITS A BARGAIN!!:thumb: :thumb: **WELL Kurt, that is MY, MRC Brillance review, hope it helped!:thumb: -Deano View attachment 28642 View attachment 28644