Leeds Hill RR Equipment

[John_Wilda]

Hi friends!
I’ve decided to start a master build thread for the LHRR on here, as I am working on a number of cars at the moment. Here’s where I’m at now…

I spent a ton of time today painting and priming different rolling stock. I worked on my tanker, 25 tonner, refer, ex-CSX box car, and Henrietta. I also detailed Toby a bit more.

I have a bit of a problem with Henrietta. I didn’t sand down the factory finish enough so the primer didn’t stick very well. Does anyone think it will be OK if I give it a few more coats, or do I need to sand it down and start again?

[Eric_Mueller]

@John_Wilda

I didn’t sand down the factory finish enough so the primer didn’t stick very well.

If you are not satisfied with it now, I would recommend starting over. It would be a shame to see you get this done the way you want it only to have your work peel off.

Eric

[John_Wilda]

A quick Henrietta update!
I’ve actually gotten quite a bit done. After the primer didn’t go on so nicely I sanded the body and tried again. It was better but still not great. I ran with it & painted the final color shortly thereafter, but found some dents and holes I didn’t fill well enough. So, one more step back: refill and let dry.
In the meantime, I’ve gotten all the railing pieces for each end of the coach 3D printed and below you can see a test fit. You can also see the stairs I made (styrene). Here they are simply attached with double-sided tape, which honestly may be my long-term solution…

This was actually finished before most of the above. I think I took this photo while I was waiting for the color coat to dry. On the frame I pull the buffers and hooks off each end and stripped off their paint. At the same time I stripped the finish off the buffer beams themselves. I cut off the running board from each side of the car, too. Repainted everything and rebuilt. The floors seen on either end are styrene.

[John_Wilda]

PROJECT COMPLETE!

Not only did I complete my Tandem box car…

… I also finally completed Henrietta! Overall I’m very happy with how this looks. I could have been more careful filling gaps and sanding the body, but the fact that you cannot tell where the styrene/original plastic seam is makes me very happy. The railings are 3D printed (which took a few tries) and most of the original bits were used. The ends & steps are all custom (styrene), the grab rails and door handles are craft rod. One of the gates even hinges properly, which I am very proud of myself for.

Oh, by the way, Tandem Bagel Co is where I work. That’s why I made that car. I’m really happy with it, but I wish the water-slide decals weren’t so obvious. Is there a way to fix that? All I’m doing is applying them wet and removing air bubbles.

[David_Marconi_FOGCH (David Marconi CHHNNG)]

Trim them as close to the actual decal. Use Solvaset or I believe there is also a Microset, both help settle the decal into the many nooks and crannies.Multiple coats and prick the air bubbles as you go. These soften the decal film. Then coat everything with your favorite clear in mists not heavy sprays. Others will have more methods JMHO YMMV

[RRRR4 (Lou Luczu)]

Good job, John.
The most successful decals I have done are:

1. Have a clear gloss on the surface you are putting the decal on
2. After put a flat coat on
   Learned that from Stan Cedarleaf. Another member from here that I miss dearly.

[John_Wilda]

Not too much new to report here. (Turns out I’d missed a couple updates for GSC, but managed to somehow still publish them here for you guys!)

The most fun thing, I think, is the rail bike I am working on. It’s meant to be etirely 3D printed except for the wheels, which I am re-using from a NewBright box car I bought.

Still missing some bits in this shot, and this is v1. I already started v2 (longer buffer rods and some detailed spots to make attaching other bits easier). My main issue is that I have no idea how to get this thing to run! Suggestions are more than welcome.

Otherwise, I have been working on several detail bits with my 3D printer. These include tie plates, dwarf signal, assorted RoW signs, archbar trucks, and a three-link coupling for my Thomas & Friends stock. All f these files can be found on my website or my MakerWorld page.

[rmccown-admin (Bob McCown (Admin))]

Whistle post is nice. It’ll fit right in with my mileposts and other ROW bits…

[John_Wilda]

Ha! The left-most looks identical, just much taller! I took my dimensions from one of the posts that still stands along the old ROW here in town. (There are at least 5 whistle posts from the old Central Mass RR along the rail trail in Hadley. Someone even repainted them semi-recently.)

I really like the look of the yard limit sign, too.

[PeterT]

Nice job.

@John_Wilda

I have no idea how to get this thing to run!

Maybe some robotic people pedaling?

Many moons ago, there were “stompers” - little electric trucks that just happened to be the right size for gauge-1 track.

This is my speeder on a stomper with similar wheels to yours. It has 1 AA battery, and it ran twice around Roger’s huge RGS layout, including the 3% hills.

For your little beast, you need a lunch pail or similar to hide a miniature motor/gearbox. You can buy these on eBay or Aliexpress. The gear ratio is the problem - mine was 40:1 so it was very slow. You then need another box (safety gear?) to hide the battery. You can get small 3.7V Lithium 16340 batteries, which are 1/2 the size of an 18650: 16mm x 34mm. 34mm will easily fit between the wheels.

[Dave_Meashey (David Meashey)]

Sometimes an object one would normally throw away will work for the model railroad. I cannot find the photo at the moment, but I once converted the box that held mechanical pencil leads into a credible model of a concrete milepost.

Regards, David Meashey

[rmccown-admin (Bob McCown (Admin))]

The left one is yours, I just stretched it vertically and scaled it up about 15 percent.

I’m not quite happy with the yard limit sign yet, but getting there…

[RGSNH (Al Pomeroy)]

if you want some more scale looking wheels we should talk i made this pushcart model a few years ago and even sold a few.

these can be customized to meet you needs an be printed i a tough resin.

Al P.