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Re: hypothetical question with a real answer
Glad to hear what I had to say resonated with you Bill.? I don¡¯t really have an issue with S modelers helping modelers in other scales to ¡°see the error of their ways¡± and become 3/16ths aficionados.? That effort just doesn¡¯t alleviate model railroading¡¯s dwindling population.? Smaller numbers of shoppers/buyers is one of the reasons leading to the closing of businesses that we have patronized most of our modeling lives. ?( plus things like the passing of the owner, ?changing trends in the hobby, (and taking advantage of those trends).? Why was there never an S-scale Thomas the Tank set? But bigger picture, people don¡¯t take up physical hobbies or life skills that could be taken as a hobby, like they did 70 years ago.? When was the last time someone you knew, younger that 55; Sewed a dress or shirt from a pattern. Took apart a carburetor of fuel injector system and fixed it. Installed their own brake pads. Repaired a lawn mower engine. Baked a cake from scratch. Hung a door. Built a model airplane and flew it. People now buy ready-to-wear; have someone else fix it or build it; or do the hobby virtually ( video games, on-line games, etc.). I think the nut to crack is how to get young people engaged in using their hands to make things rather than using their hands to just push a mouse around. ?( yeah, I know, mice are old technology). I suspect this problem is above my pay grade, But I know what i see at shows.? Kids like trains.? Men and women of all ages also like model trains. (Not universally, like kids, but a lot of them).? And if you put a remote control in a kid¡¯s hands and let her run the train for a while, they will be back, asking questions. If we are going to attract people from outside the hobby, we have to ¡°advertise¡± outside the hobby; otherwise we are just preaching to the choir.? So, should we be advertising in non-train magazines?? PC Gamer, Wired, outdoor life, Garden and Gun, New York Times, Wall Street Journal? ? Where can we exhibit our trains and reach an audience that wouldn¡¯t necessarily come to a train show? ? County fairs, ?Christmas festivals, your businesses front windows? ? Mr. Swederska¡¯s original question is a good one, and he¡¯s a great person to stand up in front of that group and engage them in that discussion.? Me, I help operate a high-rail layout/ display at various shows and venues where I can talk with men, women and kids about model railroading.? And I hang out here to learn more about operations, modeling, the history of the hobby and, dare I say it, train nerds. It¡¯s really sunny outside, ?I think I¡¯ll go sprig some centipede grass and contemplate the infinite. Ted On Sun, Jun 23, 2024 at 12:34?PM Bill Hawk via <archhawk=[email protected]> wrote:
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Re: NWSL J&L Tank, Another Question
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I wonder if the wreck scene is the only surviving photo of one of the cars in service?
I am guessing the diesel hood is a Fairbanks Morse switcher (NYC, as in P&LE).
Jace Kahn
From: [email protected] <[email protected]> on behalf of Bill Lane via groups.io <bill@...>
Sent: Friday, June 21, 2024 5:08 AM To: [email protected] <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [S-Scale] NWSL J&L Tank, Another Question ?
Most model J&L tank cars are painted wrong based on a builder¡¯s photo since that are almost no known photos of it running in the wild. My car is painted wring ¨C oh well.. I am not changing it. ? Thank You, ? See my layout progress at:
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Re: Frank Titman tribute
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If I remember, I will bring a 2-8-0 converted from the AF 0-8-0 from Bill Fraley's collection; I am pretty sure it was a Titman job.
Jace Kahn
From: [email protected] <[email protected]> on behalf of R. James Whipple <rwhipple@...>
Sent: Sunday, June 23, 2024 2:21 PM To: [email protected] <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [S-Scale] Frank Titman tribute ?
Bill, I will be happy to bring a few of his incredibly ingenious AF hopper conversions that I bought. Frank was one of the most imaginative and creative modelers the hobby has ever seen!
Jim Whipple
Pittsburgh PA
On Sun, Jun 23, 2024 at 12:09?PM Bill Lane via
<bill=[email protected]> wrote:
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Re: Frank Titman tribute
Bill, I will be happy to bring a few of his incredibly ingenious AF hopper conversions that I bought. Frank was one of the most imaginative and creative modelers the hobby has ever seen! Jim Whipple Pittsburgh PA On Sun, Jun 23, 2024 at 12:09?PM Bill Lane via <bill=[email protected]> wrote:
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Re: hypothetical question with a real answer
Thanks for the shout out Ted.
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I completely agree with all of it especially the "bring in new modelers" mantra, not the "switch'em over."
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Bill H.
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Re: Free to a Good Home
I fondly remember Spike if he was Bill Fraley's mascot.? I saw him when I visited Hershey many years ago.? I would consider bringing him how to be in Dave Jaspers museum if he is available.? I don't recall Lottie unless she was the mascot for the Lehigh Valley ore cars.? There were some racy advertisements for S Helper service featuring Betty something a 1950's pin up girl.? For some reason Don and Mike never used the ads.??
-- Ken Zieska 1/64th Scale Modeler |
Frank Titman tribute
¿ªÔÆÌåÓýIf you are coming to the NASG Convention next month and have a known Frank Titman built loco or maybe a car bring it. Hugh Sinn and I are doing a tribute display in the model room. This will likely be the biggest collection of Frank built rolling stock outside of his house in 1 place in a long time. ? Thank You, ? See my layout progress at:
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Re: SHS Cabooses Interior
I actually still have the transparent display sample from China that we used at our booth. All the electronics are stuffed in the WC! (Head if your father was in the Navy!). We wanted constant lighting, so it¡¯s either a 1.5 or 3 volt bulb. I¡¯ve owned enough Flyer cabooses to know we wanted to be able to change the bulb. Adjacent to the bulb is the split light pipes to illuminate the class lights. If you have a model with no electronics, it¡¯s possible it was a painted sample from China, we got one for each roadname offered¡
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Re: Brought To You By The Letters G, M and P¡
¿ªÔÆÌåÓýRich,That¡¯s a neat looking car. The different ends really sets the car apart from the other kits I use.? Way back in time when I was a rivet counter in Sn3. The crowning touch to a great box car build like yours was to put a tinny piece of paper on the tack boards. Don¡¯t ask me why that memory jumped back in my head. ? Mike Swederska? On Jun 23, 2024, at 8:53?AM, Rich Gajnak via groups.io <rustytraque@...> wrote:
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Mike Swederska Meramec Valley Lines Modeling Mopac equipment in 3/16 Don't let perfection get in the way of good enough! Keep model railroading fun! |
Brought To You By The Letters G, M and P¡
Another project that languished has finally been completed, although not as intended.? ? I bought one of S Scale America¡¯s (DesPlaines Hobbies) X-29 boxcars with CGW decals when they first came out.? I intended the car for the Kansas Grain Belt, my former railroad.? Only the dimensional data from the SSA decals would be used along with my custom decals.? I assembled the car, then set it aside for the time being. ? That time being about 10 years¡? The car was finally painted this past April.? When I began decaling, I screwed up the SSA decals.? While they very fine they were also a bit fragile.? So, the car got set aside again as other things distracted me for a couple of months. ? K4 decals to the rescue.? I ordered a set of their Pennsy X-29 boxcar decals just for the dimensional data.? The car was now also assigned the new railroad, the Galena and Mineral Point.? The G&MP decals are from Rail Graphics before they closed shop.? So, the first piece of revenue equipment is now ready to make a few bucks for the new railroad, something that never happened for the old railroad. ? Rich G(ajnak) |
Re: hypothetical question with a real answer
Good day! For me, I¡¯m on about the same page as Bill Hawk, but would refine it to say that one can start out in the hobby running American Flyer, then, if one wishes, go on to model in high rail, and if the scale modeling bug bites, change all your wheels and track and move into full-on scale modeling, without giving up the modeling you¡¯ve previously put your effort into or switching scales.? It¡¯s more of a refinement of modeling skills and the evolution of your interests that determines your path.? So it is a great scale in which to bring in young railroaders who will then have several choices as to how they can continue to enjoy their hobby as they grow older and more skillful, without having to switch scales.? No other scale does this as well. Enjoying the simple pleasure of running a train and the excitement of the sound and power of a big engine, even a docksider is a big engine when you are 7, and the equipment is sturdy enough to survive your 7 year old self, and is still scaled realistically enough look like the real thing.? The two rail track helps a lot as well. ? Then one can add in the excitement of actually loading barrels into a gondola; ?people , or cattle, into a car and then taking them on a journey.? You can add operating crossing gates, freight and passenger stations, lumber loaders, coal loaders and your layout becomes more alive with towns and businesses and activity and this can fire your imagination, while introducing you to ¡°realistic¡± operations.? How sneaky is that?!? Modeling follows along with you on this journey.? Putting together a Plasticville or K-Line building is modeling.? Doing a simple layout, then adding turnouts, sidings, houses, tarpaper roads and businesses along your route is modeling.? Buying premade trees, or going through a nearby field or vacant lot and collecting the seed heads of ¡°weeds¡± to use as trees is modeling. One day, that could lead to scratch-building brass Northerns in exacting detail to the prototype, or the type of scenery that will get you on the cover of RMC, or just reworking the Plasticville Frosty Bar into a weathered, scale version of the one you used to go to when you were 17. So, for me 1/64 scale provides the widest range of modeling opportunities with the widest range of expressive possibilities.? And one can move between these options over time and not have to entirely abandon all you have accumulated. ?( try converting your Lionel three rail to O-Scale two rail¡) It also provides the best scale representations of motive power and rolling stock sturdy enough for a 7-year old to play with and not readily break. ?(Try that with your HO Bachman), so it is ideal for bringing in kids to model railroading.? And although there is a lot of talk about converting HO modelers into S modelers, in order to grow the hobby, we need to attract more kids, and adults who are not currently model railroaders, into this very rewarding hobby.? That would be actual growth, not just shifting emphasis. Thank you all for what you are doing for the hobby.? The collective knowledge and modeling skills of this group are awesome. °ä³ó±ð±ð°ù¡±³§¡±, Ted On Fri, Jun 21, 2024 at 4:41?PM Bill Roberts via <bill=[email protected]> wrote:
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Re: Today¡¯s S Scale project
Thank you Mike for sharing your knowledge and experience.
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
Ian McKinley On 6/22/2024 8:00 PM, Mike Swederska wrote:
Guys, biased on the private request and those here I will post as I go. --
This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. www.avast.com |
Re: Today¡¯s S Scale project
No I haven¡¯t but I can see that there can be a use for it. There is definitely techniques in jewelry making that I have used.
-- Mike Swederska Meramec Valley Lines Modeling Mopac equipment in 3/16 Don't let perfection get in the way of good enough! Keep model railroading fun! |
Re: Today¡¯s S Scale project
Guys, biased on the private request and those here I will post as I go. With that said I will back the truck up a bit and mention the NWSL parts.?
I use their gear box, CV and motor on this project.? Gear box is for the AF axle.162.? 25-1. The motor 2032D-9? ? ? ?9.5K RPM with a 1.75A stall This motor is way to small for the medium to large steamers. But I use the same gear box in every one of my loco builds.? I do a lot of these and so I highly recommend the NWSL Quartering tool. Yes it is for the smaller HO size axles but I filled the axle slot in mine to accept the .162. I also use their wheel and gear puller to open up the old gauged wheels to the newer NASG. When enlarging the quartering jig slot, only file the side the plastic lock down screws are on.? That way you lock the drivers in exactly the same as if they were HO.? When moving the drivers to the correct gauge. don't just move one side. Move both wheels halve the distance this way you keep the square to the axle with out creating a wobble. Do the same on the axle that you have to pull the gear from. When installing the gear take precautions to make sure it is square to the axle and centered. The easiest way of doing this is mark the axle at the original gear opposite side you will be sliding it off and press the new one to that mark.? If your not pulling both wheels make sure you put the gear box bearing on before the gear. Can't tell you how many times I didn't.? If you do all these steps carefully you will get a smooth running drive train.? I will post when I get to the side rods as to how I do those.? There is nothing hard about all this if you take your time. -- Mike Swederska Meramec Valley Lines Modeling Mopac equipment in 3/16 Don't let perfection get in the way of good enough! Keep model railroading fun! |
Re: Standard Gauge Brass 3-truck WSLCo. Shay for sale...........
That might be somewhat true, but they were close. The Clover River loco was a compound, the Uintah locos were?simple. The pilot model pictures do show the different cylinders, plus other details. From the factory standard gauge Clover River #4 had 36,711 pounds of tractive effort with 45" drivers, while 3' gauge Uintah #50 and #51 had 39,600 pounds of tractive effort with 42" drivers. So they were close in size. Data from "Timber Titans - Baldwin's Articulated Logging Locomotives". In my case it doesn't matter, since mine will be painted/lettered for my own railroad. Dave Heine On Sat, Jun 22, 2024 at 7:33?PM JGG KahnSr via <jacekahn=[email protected]> wrote:
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Re: Standard Gauge Brass 3-truck WSLCo. Shay for sale...........
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I considered the upcoming PBL 2-6-6-2T but on learning it was merely a standard gage version of the narrow gage prototype, I passed.? For that much money I'd wanted a correct one.? I do own a PSC O scale Clover Valley 2-6-6-2T that I need to put back together
before I kick off.
Jace Kahn
From: [email protected] <[email protected]> on behalf of David Heine <dheineww4@...>
Sent: Saturday, June 22, 2024 7:15 PM To: [email protected] <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [S-Scale] Standard Gauge Brass 3-truck WSLCo. Shay for sale........... ?
I'm in a minority with?ED. I don't have any for sale, but I have four PBL standard gauge locos, 3-truck Shay, Heisler, 2-truck Climax and a 3-truck Climax. I would also have a standard gauge 2-truck Shay and a forthcoming 2-6-6-2T, but not enough
standard gauge reservations were received for those projects, so my Sn3 has/will have additional motive power. Most of my standard gauge is dual gauge, so I might just use narrow gauge motive power to pull the standard gauge cars.
Dave Heine
On Sat, Jun 22, 2024 at 1:42?PM Ed Loizeaux via
<Loizeaux=[email protected]> wrote:
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Re: Standard Gauge Brass 3-truck WSLCo. Shay for sale...........
I'm in a minority with?ED. I don't have any for sale, but I have four PBL standard gauge locos, 3-truck Shay, Heisler, 2-truck Climax and a 3-truck Climax. I would also have a standard gauge 2-truck Shay and a forthcoming 2-6-6-2T, but not enough standard gauge reservations were received for those projects, so my Sn3 has/will have additional motive power. Most of my standard gauge is dual gauge, so I might just use narrow gauge motive power to pull the standard gauge cars. Dave Heine On Sat, Jun 22, 2024 at 1:42?PM Ed Loizeaux via <Loizeaux=[email protected]> wrote:
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Re: NWSL J&L Tank, Another Question
On Friday, June 21, 2024 at 07:54:04 AM PDT, JGG KahnSr <jacekahn@...> wrote: With all the other ones out there, I wonder how many were actually imported? I was a principal on this. Project. ?We wanted to begin in S with a ¡°one-off¡± offering, figuring that the small customer set would rather buy one brass car than, say, 10 if we did a really common car. ?Apologies to Bill Lane, but we were not about to do a hundred PRR X29 boxcars because no one would want just one. ?We chose the J&L car because it was a good looker that couldn¡¯t be created by kitbashing any AF car, nor would it have been an easy scratchbuild, and we had a Lobaugh O scale kit to guide us (and the Korean builder) in the design process. We imported 100, built in Korea. ?I had all 100 in my basement. ?Inspection showed that ten were terrible: ?chassis so skewed that repair was hopeless. ?Their tanks, separated from their chassis, were then advertised and sold to On3 modelers as kitbash material. Another 35 had the cold solder problem, so I personally repaired/resoldered dozens of ladders and railings. We sold out within about 14 months. ?NWSL¡¯s next S brass:car would have been a 19000-series NYC wood sheathed caboose, but, alas ¡ª that didn¡¯t happen because the Korean firm doing the fabrication became overwhelmed with HO orders (undercutting Japanese brass prices rather substantially). Footnote: ?NWSL got back in ?business with that same Korean firm with an On3 Rio Grande caboose. ?The pilot model was OK, but the production models came with the cupolas installed sideways ¡ª rotated 90 degrees. ?In addition, when placed on a track, the cabooses sat on their end platform steps rather than on their wheels! ?Thus was born ¡°Far East Distributors¡± (F.E.D.). Because NWSL owner Raul Martin was so ¡°fed¡± up with the builder that he needed to create another firm whose specialty was selling really crappy brass at severe discounts to kitbashers. ?Just for cabooses? ?No. ?He already had more committed stuff in the pipeline, and it turned out to be nearly as bad as the cabooses. ?One of these was a stripped down On3 steamer advertised as ready for detailing by the purchaser. ?Several were bought from FED by S scalers who did pretty good jobs bashing them into acceptable S standard gauge locos. -- Dick Karnes, MMR |
Re: Today¡¯s S Scale project
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The SSL&S mechanisms were the weak part of the kit; the gearing was primitive, the driver axles, as I understand it, were the odd AF size, and the rods took a lot of work to roll smoothly.
Jace Kahn
From: [email protected] <[email protected]> on behalf of Roger Nulton <roger.nulton@...>
Sent: Saturday, June 22, 2024 2:02 PM To: [email protected] <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [S-Scale] Today¡¯s S Scale project ?
Mike,
Please do post your in progress photos. You have incomparable skills that provide so much inspiration to us! I tried to build some SSL&S kits when I first entered the scale side of the hobby and failed. My Pacific was cosmetically completed but I could not get it to run worth a darn, so I gave it to a friend more experienced in building steam, but he had no luck either. Thanks, Roger Nulton -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Mike Swederska Sent: Saturday, June 22, 2024 8:37 AM To: S Scale Groups IO Post To Group Email <[email protected]> Subject: [S-Scale] Today¡¯s S Scale project Over the many 20 to 30 years of modeling an S Scale I have always been on the lookout to buy SSL&S Parts. I like to buy kits that some guys have started and failed on are from the estates that somebody is selling. Back around 2011 or 12 I bought, a parts box of all kinds of detail parts. Once I opened it up, I found that a lot of it was for a consolidation with 56 inch drivers so I just kind of put it all back in the box and the other day I decided to go through this box itemize the detail parts and put them in my inventory for future used. Upon doing so I decided to start building the consolidation since I had a set of drivers and side rods and the frame to start from. So scrounging through my inventory. I started to build it and you can see by the picture I have an assortment of parts laid out. I¡¯m at the valve gear step and I just happen to be a Walsherts valve guy and not so much a baker valve Gear guy. After talking to a buddy of mine about the different valve gears, and then he brings up the needle bearing issue and the maintenance that the prototype didn¡¯t have to deal with on Baker valve gear using needle bearings. He really pushed me in the Baker direction. Although the Walsherts valve gear was designed to be on the outside of the locomotive compared to the Stevenson and other valve gear systems allowing the engineer to lubricate everything consistently during operation. The. Walsherts valve gear actually performed very well with low maintenance . But after talking with him and reading his dissertation on Baker and needle bearings I¡¯ve decided maybe to try my hand at a baker valve system on this consolidation. I¡¯m building it for the Meramec Valley lines so I¡¯m referring to this model as a mutt because it¡¯s going to be made up of all the parts that I¡¯ve collected over the years.? Upon going through some of my parts that I got from Rusty¡®s estate I found a full set of Baker valve gear that looks to me like it came off of an 0-8-0 Overland or consolidation. I am likely to use that , if not, I¡¯m gonna go with the Walsherts valve gear. I can darn put one of those together in my sleep. I should say that all the parts in this picture are out of my inventory of parts including those cylinders. So with all this said, let me know if you want me to post progress pictures. Mike Swederska -- Mike Swederska Meramec Valley Lines Modeling Mopac equipment in 3/16 Don't let perfection get in the way of good enough! Keep model railroading fun! |