17th Annual Midwest Narrow Gauge Show

Another Midwest Narrow Gauge Show has come and gone. I'll be posting some pictures here later.
The clinics were excellent, especially The Passenger Cars of the WW&F (Chris McChesney and Gary Kohler), Making the Grassinator (Jeff Schumaker), Seven Simple Structures (Sam Swanson) and HOn30/HOn2 Locomotive Mechanism Equalization and DCC (Chris McChesney).
The contest models were very well done and the competition was heated. The HOn30, Sn2, Sn3, and On30 modular layouts looked and operated well. (In the interest of full disclosure I am a member of the Great Lakes HOn30 Module Group so my assessment is partial!)
Dennis V had a very interesting and impressive micro layout with hand-built switches. The camaraderie was excellent as always.

Barry McClellan, the proprietor of Railway Recollections, gave me some tips on finishing his Forney kit. The trailing truck was lifting the cab deck so that it was not level. His tips were:

File the rear buffer beam flush with the bottom of the cab floor. I'm using a Talgo trailing truck and the additional thickness was pushing up the floor.

Glue the boiler onto the cab. This made the cab assembly more level.

I decided to file a very little off the bottom of the tabs on the inside of the cab walls. These tabs rest on the housing for the slide mechanism of the trailing truck and I suspected that they were pushing down on the floor. Use caution here. It is better to preserve the good fit of the parts than to risk potential issues. (This is not a tip from Barry.)

I ran the loco on the Great Lakes HOn30 Module Group's 38 foot long layout and it ran several loops at a constant speed without stalling. The trailing truck does have electrical pick up and this helps. I'll post more pictures as I have them.

I also pick up a Railway Recollections Billerica & Bedford Box Car A kit. After reading the directions and looking over the pieces this kit will be fun and straight forward to build.

Barry at Railway Recollections has updated his web site with pictures of new Maine HOn30 box car, gondola and flat car kits. Click on the link at left to go there. If you model the early Sandy River or Billerica and Bedford these will fit your layout perfectly. The box car/baggage cars are unique and would add interest to any model railroad. I have several of Barry's kits and they are nicely detailed and easy to build.

DCC Options

Here are some decoders that could work for HOn30 locomotives because they are small enough. As you'll see 3 decoders from 3 different manufacturers can fit into a typical HOn30 locomotive. The locomotive shell in all these pictures is a Chivers Forney. The picture are right shows that a Digitrax DZ143 decoder will fit inside the shell though it might preclude the use of a flywheel.
Here's the DZ143 inside the shell.

















Below is a Lenz Gold Mini W decoder. Lenz offers an additional power module that would keep the loco moving over dirty track but it's too large for an HOn30 Forney.













Lastly we're showing a Train Control Systems M-1 decoder. Their website is www.tcsdcc.com. While I have not operated any of their decoders they look promising.

Added on Feb 2 :
TCS (www.tcsdcc.com) has just released a new Z scale decoder (catalog number Z2) that is rated for use with N scale mechanisms. This is the smallest decoder I have seen yet. But may I just need to get out more. :)

This one might be useful for those really tight spaces.

Another view of the transition module with Linekin Bay in the background. The boards over Linekin Bay are for storage of another module.

Lightweight Module Construction

Here are some photos of a transition module that I have built to transition from the standard 6-7/8" setback from the back drop to a 12" setback. This will be the standard for modules for my home layout. The transition modules will allow the layout modules to conform to the HOn30 standard and be used at meets with the Great Lakes HOn30 Module Group (GLHOn30MG). The 12" setback arose as I found that many of the Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington Railway station were located on the west side of the tracks and since the defacto GLHOn30MG standard has been right is north the station must sit behind the main line. Because the WW&F ran through rural areas this often leaves a field in the front 2/3 to half of the module. Moving the main line 5 inches forward provides more room for detail such as vehicles, figures etc around the station. My plans for Monson Village and Strong also work better with a 12" set back.
The construction was inspired by Sam Swanson's Windes Inlet module, built mailing from foam core. He has detailed the construction techniques in the latest issue of Light Iron Digest. Construction was done from memory so read the article to learn best practices.

Materials include 1 20" x 30" sheet of 1/2" thick foam core, 6" x 48" x 1/4" poplar, 2' x 2' x 7/8" bead board, aliphatic resin (carpenter's yellow wood glue) or Gorilla Glue.

• Cut 2 pieces of foam core 6" x 24" for the front and the back with a sharp utility knife and a framing square, making cuts with 3 or 4 passes . Try to make the cut edges as square as possible so that the pieces mate well for gluing and the frame will be easier to keep square. Cut 1/2 of the foam and paper surface from the end of each front and back piece to from a "rabbet" of sorts, leaving the paper on one side intact. The poplar ends will be glued into this rabbet.
  
• Next cut 2 pieces of foam core 23" x 4" for the center bead board support.
  
• Cut 4 pieces of foam core 4.5" x 6" for corner blocks.
• Cut 2 small strips of foam core at least 12" long as supports for the top surface.
  
• Cut 4 square pieces of foam core about 4" x 4" as supports for the center bead board support.
  
• Cut the poplar into 2 24" long pieces for the ends.
  
• I waited to cut the bead board until I could them them to fit the less-than-square frame.
  
• Draw a line on the inside of the front and back foam core panels parallel and 7/8" away from the top edge to mark the space that the bead board will fill. All supports must stay below this line.Draw the same lines on the poplar ends.
• Glue the 4.5" x 6" corner blocks to the ends of the front and back foam cores panels keeping them below the 7/8" line.
• Glue the 2 23" x 4" center support pieces into a "T" beam.
• After the front and back panel assembly have dried glue each to a poplar end using a framing square to keep them square.
• After the glue has dried, glue the two end/side assemblies together to form the complete frame (looks like a box).
• After the glue has cured, glue the center foam support in the middle of the frame running from front to back and below the 7/8" line but flush with it.
• Glue the long foam core strips on the inside of each poplar end, below and flush with the 7/8" line.
• After the glue has dried place the bead board into one corner of the top of the frame, mark it to fit inside the frame and cut it. Dry fit it and trim if needed. The bead board should fit into the frame so that the surface is flush with the top edges of the frame.
• Glue the bead board into the frame using Liquid Nails for Foam Board or latex adhesive caulk. I used the caulk because I've used it before to glue down Woodland Scenics foam track bed.

Now the module is ready for track wiring and scenery. My module weight about 3.5 pounds without track, wiring and scenery.

Stevens Creek HOn30 Lasrer Cut Monson Box Car Kit

The Monson box car kit is now back in stock! Get them now! It's very cool that this is run number 4 for this kit.
It is very encouraging to see this HOn30 kit supported so well. The quality of this particular kit and the current popularity of laser cut kits must be factors in this.

Stevens Creek Monson HOn30 Box Car Kit

These are all sold out for now. If you are interested email Ken at scm@hon3.com. The next run of these depends on interest received via e-mail. The run that just sold out was the second run.

Stevens Creek Monson HOn30 Box Car Kits

Word on the street is that the excellent Stevens Creek Monson Hon30 box car kits are almost sold out. I have one and would highly recommend this kit. I have not built it, but I have scanned through the instructions and it looks like a well-designed kit that will yield a great finished product. It consists of laser cut plywood. It allows you to build 3 different versions that all match the prototypes.

Use this link to get good views of the kit parts and the assembly process from the manufacturer: http://www.hon3.com/MonBox/index.htm

I don't know if a second run will be done. If I find out I will let you know.

I do have several Stevens Creek kits and am very happy with them. I did meet the owner at the 26th NNGC last year and he's a great guy.

P.S. I have no financial interest in the manufacturer or this product. Just a satisfied customer.

Updated Links at New England Scene

I see that Jim has updated the links page on his New England Scene website. Check it out along with his building kits. The most interesting link is for a Hon30 Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes No. 19 2-6-2 kit in brass from Victors Scale Models. It's out of my league, but fun to look at.

Worsley Works also has a new rail bus kit in 009, the T&D 4mm Saloon kit. It's a brass etching that will require the builder to add other cast details but it looks like fine start to a kit. Here's the link to the manufacturer's web page for this kit: http://www.worsleyworks.co.uk/Image-Pages/Image_NG_Irish_TD-Inspection_Saloon.htm

I know 009 is a little larger than 1/87 but I'm willing to overlook it.

Brian's New End Module

Here are pictures of my friend Brian's new Hon30 module. It will serve as one of two end modules so that our group can run a loop.

This is a work in progress so that's why the stones for the retaining wall on the left side are still white. They will be painted.
The white spot in the gravel pit is wet gloss medium that will be water when dry. The trestles still need to be built. This module conforms to the HOn30 module standards listed on the HOn30 mail car site.

As always, click on the pictures for a larger version of each photo.

I've been quiet for a while because I haven't been doing much modeling lately. So here's some old pictures of partially complete projects waiting for me on my work bench. The first one is a Kennebunk Models resin kit of WW&F No 9 on a Bachmann chassis. It is waiting for smoke box and boiler details and pilot details. The boiler is filled with Templo to give it as much weight as possible. If you don't have Chris McChesney's handbook on Hon30 locomotives I recommend it. That's where the Templo idea came from.
The second picture shows a Chivers forney body that will go on an scale Kato C-11 drive. This was a 2-6-4T
before I removed the last driver. There have been a few articles over the years on this conversion. Pieter Roos did that last one in the Maine 2-Foot Quarterly in the 1990's. The drive is very nice. The drivers are a little large but the trailing truck has pickup so this should run well when it's all together.

The other news of note is Stevens Creek Model's release of the Monson wood shed in HO. Click here to see it: http://www.hon3.com/Woodshed/index.htm
This kit has some very nice detail and will become part of my Monson module in the next few years.

I hope to have more to report as I get back into modeling.

Here's some pictures comparing the N-Drive mechanism to a Bachmann.

Here the N-Drive mechanism is on the right. The Bachmann mechanism on the left has Nigel Lawton's re-motoring kit and a new worm from NWSL installed. The biggest difference is the motor position: it sits much closer to the worm and rear drivers. So use of the mechanism with the Chivers small Forney kit (RC-45) requires some modification.


Here's the N-Drive mechanism with a new boiler made out of 2 sizes of brass tube so that the Chivers smoke box casting will fit into it. The motor fits inside the new boiler. I think this will allow the Chivers kit to use this mechanism.
The last two photos show Bachmann and N-Drive chassis for comparison. Note that the drivers are a little smaller on the N-Drive chassis and the wheel base is a little shorter. The chassis in front in the last photo is Bachmann with the original motor, boiler and cab floor to be used in a Kennebunk Models resin forney kit now out of production.

N-Drive Website

Thanks to Stephen at http://fairlightworks.blogspot.com/ I've discovered that N Drive Productions has a website now:

http://www.n-driveproductions.com/

The range and prices page are the correct prices for the 9mm (N scale) drive.

Note that the wheel base and motor location are different from the Bachmann drive it replaces.

Here's the N-Drive order form.

New Forney Kit from Railway Recollections

Railway Recollections (see links list) has released a resin kit of Sandy River and Rangeley Lakes RR No's 20, 21 & 22 both late and early. This is the late version with air brakes and steel cab. Please note that the assemblies here are only test fitted and the gaps will disappear when fully assembled with screws. This is a nice resin kit with accurate parts that fit together well. For what it's worth I recommend this kit for any HOn30 Forney lovers out there. It runs on the recently released Bachmann N scale Prairie 2-6-2 (Bachmann # 51551). This chassis ran well on my N scale layout for twenty minutes after the middle driver was removed. It might fit on the older Bachmann 2-6-2 or 0-6-0 but why take that chance that all your effort will be negated by a poorly running mechanism?
This kit is just begging for super detailing and many of the parts are not hard to find. The bell and handrail stanchions at left are prime examples. I'll also add pop valves, a whistle, a compressor (hence the hole in the running board) and piping.
This is a well-thought out kit. The pieces scale well against drawings for No 20 that I enlarged to full size HO. The wheel base is also right on.
Extra weight is added in the cab, but since the Bachmann split frame remains this is not really needed.
The Bachmann chassis shown here has been prepped for use except the original pilot and pilot deck and the leading truck have not yet been removed. The manufacturer provides an HO scale pilot to replace the existing N scale one.
One other good reason to try this kit is the trailing truck suspension. It slides from side to side and will take a 10" curve per the manufacturer. I believe it, based on how far it swings. It provides vertical suspension as well, keeping the drivers in better contact with the track. Not included, but recommended by the manufacturer and shown here are Kato N scale passenger trucks with electrical pickup. I got a used Kato N scale passenger car cheap just for the trucks. B & F Hobby has had them for sale as parts in the past. These will compensate for the limited eletrical pickup due to the short wheel base and lack of tender. The combination of the good running chassis, the rear suspension and trailing truck pickup means this will be a good runner. I'll update this as I complete this kit.
As a disclaimer I have no financial ties or interest to the manufacturer or this kit. I just want to share a good thing. This should be available from any of the three sources in the links section: Trains & Things, Train & Trooper and B & F Hobby.

Latest Linekin Bay

Here's the Linekin Bay module at the Narrow Gauge Show. The latest addition was the ramp to the floating dock where the steam launch is docked and some details on that dock.
Behind it is the Monson Junction module, built by Tom and Bob. Bob has some excellent Bangor and Aroostook standard HO equipment at the interchange. Look for Bob's articles on modeling Maine NG passenger equipment appearing in RMC and/or the 2008 On30 Annual.
As always click on the photos to view a larger version.

16th Annual Midwest Narrow Gauge Show con'td

This view shows the back from the branch end of the layout. The corner of Tom's winter/spring transition module is in the right foreground. Next is Jeff Head Tide module, and then Sam's Windes Inlet module. After that are Phil's harbor module, Pete's Winslow module, Vic's Weeks Mills module. The total length was 32 feet.
Ford's Mill is one of the distinctive structures on the WW&F and Terry's module shown here captures it in 1/87 scale. Just beyond it is Pete's Whitefield module. The yellow building is Erskine store which served as the local post office.
Tom's Ice Harvesting module at left captures the bygone practice of harvesting and storing ice in the winter for use in ice boxes during the summer. This all vanished with the advent of mechanical refrigeration. This module is the first one on the U-shaped branch section.

16th Annual Midwest Narrow Gauge Show

Front view of the Great Lakes HOn30 Module Group set up at the show. The first two modules next to the corner are Pete M's North Whitefield modules. These are the same two modules that won best HOn30 module at the 2007 Nat'l Narrow Gauge Convention. If you get down to ground level you get an authentic feel for North Whitefield, Maine on the Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington between 1900 and 1915. Pete used these to earn his master modeler certificate.
Here's a shot of the modules from the back showing Jeff S's mill module. This is a free-lanced mill loosely based on the woolen mill that the Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington served near North Vassalboro, Maine.


Here's Sam's Windes Inlet module. The mockup is a stand in for Windes Fine Fish which won a structure award at this show. Sam's clinic covered the techniques he used to build this. Excellent information!

Here's another shot of North Whitefield. That's Pete's Whitefield module at left.




This overhead shot shows many of the modules on the main loop, but does not show the ones on the branch line at the other end. In the foreground is Jeff S's East Dirigo module showing a typical early 20th century Maine village. It includes a one-room school house and typical business district. The signage is very well done.

Locomotives

At left is the typical Frary/Hayden conversion from the '70's using the Trix FM chassis and the Funaro & Camerlengo Plymouth resin shell for the cab. It does still run well despite being dropped 48" once. :)



Here's a Jordan 1930's school bus shell on a Bachmann trolley mechanism. The rear wheel wells were filled with plastic sheet and Squadron putty and wet sanding until smooth. The idea is from Mark Rollins with a few of my own modifications. The construction is described in detail in the Fall 2002 issue of Maine 2-Foot Quarterly.


Here's a very quick and easy conversion if you can find a Kato N scale pocket loco mechanism. This one is from the yellow steeple cab. Remove the shell, remove about an 1/8" of plastic from the motor housing on each side and the Funaro Plymouth shell will fit onto the chassis.
Here's the same loco with a DCC decoder installed.

Here's a close up of Terry's tug boat that also shows the ball signal on Linekin Bay. Terry did a great job on building this from the Model Shipways kit. It's a wooden-hulled steam tug which fits the era of I model. It was only a visitor on the module. The ball signal is based on the prototypes used though out New England and specifically on two Maine narrow gauge railroads: the Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington and the Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes. It is functional, being actuated Switchmaster style switch machine by a toggle switch on the fascia. The construction was written up in the Maine 2 Foot Quarterly, Spring 2004 issue. There are plans to added a stationery decoder for actuation by DCC.

Old Photo

Here's an old photo of Linekin Bay from 2006 showing an overview. Terry Davis' excellent tug boat model is on the left side of the harbor. It's mounted on a plank so that's why it looks like a barge. I poured Envirotex for water and added a floating dock in mid 2007 so it has changed a bit.