Large Scale Central

Triple O -- 2022 Plans & Objectives

General Discussion
#1

Last year, I discovered that committing to a build “campaign”, the so-called Rehabilitation of the Missiles Sponges, helped focus our efforts, our learning, and my spending. Even though I didn’t pull it all off (one loco done, one done enough, and a third put back on the Track of Perpetual P
uttering), it was a good tool, so I thought I’d try it again this year.

Repair.
-Charlie, O.S.'s B’mann railtruck. This is ongoing, is our first post-Mik project, and has priority over all else this year. Call me Ishmael…
-North Star, our shop queen B’mann 4-6-0.

  • Diesel Dan, Kid-zilla’s clean machine. It powers up when we swipe the magnet, but won’t start, and then shuts down.

**Build / Re-build

  • Crane car. I promised this to Kid-zilla. It is #2 after Charlie the Railtruck. Trucks and wheels are on hand, as are plans for a flat car (last year’s Annual from White River Productions) and a simple crane (from the GR compendium). Time to bring out my nemesis, Table Saw, and see if I can master a straight cut!
  • Pump house. My father-in-law’s water tower needs an upgrade. I plan to use this project to see how far I can go using only foam.
  • Bucket-o-Trains. I picked this up last January. There are a lot of “micro-projects” in this lot of battered LGB, U.S.-profile cars, ranging from new doors to truss rods.

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The idea, as always, is to see how much I can source from local craft, hobby, and hardware stores. Since some of these are beat to a pulp, I may go “all in” and repaint, re-roof, re-letter, etc.

Of course, all of this is subject to life, job, and circumstances, but it is nice to have a plan!

Eric

2 Likes
Bachmann 4-6-0 Periodically Stops and Whines
Tub-o-Trains: Low-Cost Micro-Projects on the Triple O
What's on your workbench?
Triple O - 2023 Plans & Objectives
Bachmann 4-6-0 Periodically Stops and Whines
#2

Plenty of stuff for us to watch comment on, and enjoy. I may have to copy this idea and come up with a similar “plan”

#3

My goodness! Half the year is gone by! Here’s where we stand:

Repair

  • Charlie the Railtruck. Done! See: Onward the Pequod – Getting a B’mann Railtruck to Work Permanently
  • North Star, our shop queen B’mann 4-6-0. Not started. Not scheduled.
  • Diesel Dan. Done! (perhaps “Dumb”). After fieldstripping and testing everything, I contacted Del at GScale Graphics. He suggested I makes sure my batteries were fully charged. Oooops…

Build / Rebuild.

  • Crane Car. In progress. See: Crane Car for the Triple O
  • Pump House. Not started. Not scheduled.
  • Bucket-o-Trains. Started, not documented. I did scale the scope of this project back a bit due to other emergent projects (MOW, Olomana’s engine burning out, losing a war with Sabre Saw, etc.). Things were starting to get damaged lying around, so I realized the immediate issue was to get things serviceable, out of the work area, and into proper storage. The focus will remain crafting replacement parts with locally sourced materials. Painting and numbering will go to a different project (we already have a couple in mind!).

Thanks for all the assistance along the way!

Eric

#4

Hard to believe, but it is time to wrap up the “new projects” part of 2022 and give the lanai over for Halloween costumes, Thanksgiving celebrations, and Advent / Christmas festivities! Forgive me if I take a moment to “count coup” as I bring this thread to a close.

  • Charlie the Railtruck. Done! See: Onward the Pequod – Getting a B’mann Railtruck to Work Permanently . If I have to admit a failure here; success did not inspire Oldest Son to again take up model railroading as a hobby. It did seem to fire his imagination to build and create, so all is not lost. He seems to have taken a shine to model rocketry and perhaps balsa airplanes.
  • North Star, our shop queen B’mann 4-6-0. Done! Bachmann 4-6-0 Periodically Stops and Whines
  • Diesel Dan. Done! (perhaps “Dumb”). As my last post mentioned, try the simple solution first…
  • Crane Car. Done! Crane Car for the Triple O. This one proved a fun project that honed and developed a lot of skills ranging from saw cuts to vocabulary. The expansion of this project to include the crane tender really added to the set, and it really made the whole look a credible MOW set that, if not “prototypical,” is consistent with our universe.
  • Pump House. Not started. Deferred to 2023. The crane tender and more pressing repairs bumped this project.
  • Bucket-o-Trains. Partially complete. Tub-o-Trains: Low-Cost Micro-Projects on the Triple O. Though we had to scope this one down, this helped place four derelicts back into service, greatly adding options for our all-in Hawaii / Wild West days. There is still and LGB U.S.-profile box car to rebuild and an LGB U.S. style reefer to fix-up, so plenty of projects left in this box!

Along the way, there was my absolute favorite “campaign” of each year, the Mik ( Mik 2022 - Hale o Waihona Lanahu). This is the single greatest learning evolution on LSC, and it remains the biggest rally point for Team Mueller each year. We just had our fist discussion about Mik 2023, in fact…We also had to overcome the usual issues of running trains from track power, derailments from various reasons, and the occasional system failure ( OLOMANA (LGB 22130) - How do you remove the motor? ). I take great joy in seeing these little iron horses make the circuity bearing if not shared parts then the shared ideas of my “virtual club” here on LSC. I have also been amazed on how much of what is shared here has saved me money on things raging from home maintenance to car repair.

I am already plotting 2023 plans and objectives. I found this goals list very, very helpful in terms of establishing priorities and prodding myself to get on with it. I have always believed you need a plan in the first place so you have something from which to deviate! I hope to rope the crew back into a few of those projects in 2023. “All may participate, none must participate” will remain my mantra on that particular goal. I will likely preview a couple ideas to do a practicality check and to build a parts list, but, as ever, “First, the MIK!”

Please accept my sincere thanks to Bob ( @admin1 ) for curating the site and to all the members for pushing the Triple O, its crew, and me towards new level of achievements!

Aloha,
Eric

#5

Possible Mik 2023 builds depending on the criteria this year?

#6

How soon will Dave Taylor start a countdown to MIK ‘23? Now that I am slightly more available , I’m looking forward to 23

#7

Possibly! I am making an inventory of actual and projected repair parts as well as anticipated project bits, so we will be prepared!

#8

“Amen, and amen!!!”

#9

INTERMISSION ?

#10

I told the kids this is back from when cartoons were still funny.

Eric

1 Like
#11

Yeah. As the projects have gone up in complexity, the ability to box them up and move them out of the way has gone way down. In late November, I have to move the project bins and “gemuckabuckets” (scrap buckets sorted by material available to any and all for whatever project) inside, too, to make way for the Christmas tree. I still have a bunch of odds and ends to accomplish, to include assembling my parts list from TrainLi for repairs and new projects.

I have multiple cores that have lots of possibilities for those new projects: that box car; O.D.'s grain elevator (She lost interest after she got the “A.” The idea of scoring / making the wooden planks is not especially appealing to her.), that pump house I didn’t get too this year; and a little house that was our first attempt at scratch building. I am also kicking around some ideas for our engine service facility area; a “secret” project using the hulks of our re-powered LGB m2075 (battery) locos and another m2075 (battery) from Pete’s ( @PeterT ) junk box; an inspection loco using one of those hulks and a powered tender (Thanks for the idea, Pete!); a South African Railways inspired “Tropical” 4-6-0T using a donated B’mann 10-wheeler chassis; and another Kid-zilla inspired project using the same basic flat car design we employed to bring his M.O.W. set to life. The MIK (Come on, Dave ( @Dave_Taylor ), give us a hint!) takes place of honor in racking and stacking what we do followed by crew interests, available time, and, alas, budget.

So, yes, it is an intermission. But it is a mentally busy intermission!

Eric