Large Scale Central

Welcome to Jurassic Park!

General Discussion
#1

Since I was told that some dinosaurs would cut and throw, we are now entering Jurassic Park.

This is the locomotive wiring and circuit boards. Board 5 is stripped, still on the floor of the firebox. The two diodes are flipped off the board, and the new chuff connects to those points, to allow a feed direct to the former Ames Super Socket… All components and wiring to the optics are removed.

This is a sheet of black .080" styrene glued to the top of the tender opening. This prevents any water OR rain from condensation under the coal pile from affecting electronics, and allows future installation of loose coal by the customer.

This is the underside view of the plastic sheeting installed, plus the 4.5AH battery pack.

This is the tender floor with the speaker installed and the entire Ames Super Socket assembly removed.

This is the new .080 deck I built. I cut the old Ames Mounts short by enough to just clear the magnet of the speaker. I could mount the gear up under the new coal opening styrene, but thought I’d try this. The 6 amp RCS unit is installed, the Sierra and interfaces. Receiver is under the back of the new mount board.

This is another shot. Note just behind the coal “spill” pile on the deck you can see one of two 1/4" holes now in the deck. These are just below the spillway behind the coal retaining board to allow any water that comes past the coal to actually get out of the tender without running down the cableways to the tender to loco sockets. I intend to be charged and wired today in the tender. The reason I used a 6 amp unit is that I have actually tested one of these with shiny wheels on my old aluminum track, and it draws 3 amps when it grabs.

#2

Dontcha wish the manufactures would sell a model with just the wires to the motors sticking out and none of that other crap. Just as an option, of course. The trackkies need all that stuff!

TOG

#3

That’s where this all went south with Stanley in September.
All we wanted was simplicity.
You have no idea the troubles the Chinese Electronics can cause.
Like, if one of the 14 transistors on the firebox board goes bad, you CANNOT turn that function either on or off, depending on how it fails.
Case in point, this unit has a regulated 12VDC to the smoke unit, no matter what position you place the switches in.
TOC

#4

John,
as a devout ‘trackie’ all I need is a direct electrical connection from wheel pickups to the motor terminals plus additional wiring to front/rear headlamps. The only complication would be two diodes for the directional headlamps and a resistor for the LED’s if we have to have LED’s. I do not want marker lamps. Possibly one addition would be two power leads to eventually hook up a sound unit (even then the sound would be basic).

I do not need smoke, flickering fireboxes, Ames sockets, complicated circuit boards with 14 diodes just to have a light in the firebox (how many times would the firebox door be actually open long enough). It is time engineers and not electronic geeks built these things again. Keep it simple!!! If you want all the bells and whistles then buy a computer game.

#5

Hey Tim.
On behalf of Dave.
Welcome to Jurassic Park.
You old dinosaur you.

#6

Tony,
persons of my ilk are referred to as ‘coal burners’.

#7

Tim.
Didn’t some of the Worlds supplies of coal get put down during the Jurassic period?

See I knew we could get a link somewhere.

#8

Can’t wait to see the next evolution of the species. Darwin, apparently, had it backwards…

K-27 #455, the Post Rex version. I like it.

Matthew (OV)

#9

Hey, I’m just having fun watching my baby come together! :smiley: No optical chuff, no Ames Super Socket and NO PROBLEMS!!

#10
Tim Brien said:
John, as a devout 'trackie' all I need is a direct electrical connection from wheel pickups to the motor terminals plus additional wiring to front/rear headlamps. The only complication would be two diodes for the directional headlamps and a resistor for the LED's if we have to have LED's. I do not want marker lamps. Possibly one addition would be two power leads to eventually hook up a sound unit (even then the sound would be basic).
Tim, I agree completely with you! The manufacturers need to offer "options" just like an automobile. Bare bones to computer generated fire, smoke screen, etc.

I have outgrown my “smoke making toy train” I take the unit out. The freaking smoke is a laugh anyway–just a wisp!
Flickering firebox, gone, again a kids attraction.
Cab light–gone.

Front headlamp, yes.
Back-up light on tender-maybe.

But that just me.

TOG

#11

I get to operate on two indoor pikes during the winter. One is an extensive Sn3 rendition of a major portion of the RGS.

My job is Yardmaster at Ridgeway. I'm given an old C19 as power to do the switching and train makeup. 
 After a few minutes of switching, at he most; I shut the "Noise" off.

The noise that so many people demand today, is not pleasant after a few minutes. When you have an extensive amount of switching to do, the noise become irratating, so it is of little use.

Same again on the HO layout that I get to “Play” on…lovely brass locos of the CN style; all with noise…very soon shut off, in order to concentrate on the operation.

Firebox, flickering lights, cab lights…egads…waste of time and money.

Class lights (Not markers, as they so often are called), again are a waste of time. White flags would be more realistic, in some cases, as all of our operations are during daylight hours.
Having the class lights on the boiler front is nice from the detail point of view, but having shining red, white or green in them, is not much use unless you know why. They were not put there just to look pretty.

Today, the manufacturers are all catering to the “Out-of-the-box”, “Lionel mentality” hobbiests…they are the BIG market that make all of our toys possible, at prices the average working person can handle.
So; we are stuck with the fact that we have to bite the bullet; stew in our rath; and watch “Mad Hatters” like Ames, Equire, and company, load up our future models with “Entrails” like those shown in Dave’s picture.

Useless to a lot of us, but when you actually get your tools, and hands into action; it is great fun to do the “Extraction”. I can just see myself; were I in Dave’s place; my eyes twinkling with glee; ripping out those guts; only to have tears appear thinking of the waste. That I have to pay for the entrails, sorrows me to no end…but then; when I buy a chicken, a steak or a roast of pork…I’m paying for the entrails too; but don’t get to take them out, or stew them…!!!

#12

Well, a first test-run has been successfully completed! I am going to finish mounting things like smokebox supports, and pack it up. This is the shot of the finished tender:

(http://lscdata.com/users/curmudgeon/K27tenderinstallresize.jpg)

and this is the firebox floor, with flywheel removed for better control during switching, and the noise board mounted on top of the firebox board.

(http://lscdata.com/users/curmudgeon/K27motorresize.jpg)

Most of the extraneous wiring was either removed or terminated so as not to cause any issues later on. This unit could have been done so simply, and even elegantly, if someone had not decided to throw all this design criteria at it. TOC

#13

Dave,
your result looks like exactly the model that a lot of people asked for many months ago on that other forum, that due marketing contracts were unable to talk about the model. Obviously, there were those who were able to circumvent all the secrecy and add their little bits to the pot.

#14

Tim-
I don’t consider this any different than putting a Mallory distributor and duals with Smitty’s on my Flathead Ford.
THIS is the way I want it.

I will also add that the new chuff trigger is perfect.
I have more “room”, the adjustment is not critical at all, and with an incandescent headlamp fed from battery voltage, it lights up the railroad in front of it AS IT SHOULD.

#15

I’ll have to "bookmark " this particular thread as I plan on doing the same thing to mine, when and if I get one. I usually wait till the second run when all the “bugs” are fixed so I’ll stayed tuned to this channel for any updates in that regard.

Keep us posted, Dave.

Thanx!

#16

Hey Dave
What’s the procedure for gutting all the stuff in the tender? Id like, if possible, to re-use the engine-to-tender plugs to run power, and chuff-stuff, but toss everything else.

#17

Clip the wires right at the Ames Super Socket.
I have the color codes and what they do.
I’ll send you the list of what to do in the upper firebox board.

I use SPECIFIC wires between loco and tender, remove others carefully and save.

TOC

#18

Wish me luck, I’m goin’ in!

(puts on goggles and scarf)