Living the dream.
Hello everyone, and welcome to a new weekend!
This week my share is my new multimeter that I purchased for use with my model railroading.
There was a thread a couple of weeks ago that asked about what kind of multimeter would be a good choice for model railroading. I have always used my rock solid and reliable Fluke model 73 for everything, but that meter is about $200.00, and I figured there should be a less expensive good option out there.
My searching brought me to the Fluke model 101. I ordered one from Amazon for less than $50.00, not too bad.
This meter has some features I really like. It is auto-ranging, which makes it easy to read, and cuts down on the number of dial positions. There are only 7 positions on the dial, and they are all clearly marked.
This meter is small. It fits very comfortably in the palm of my hand, and I can flip the dial around with my thumb for easy one handed operation.
It is significantly smaller than my old reliable Fluke model 73.
I wanted a set of alligator clip leads. I found a set with small clips on Amazon for about $10.00 and bought them to test.
The leads test out at full continuity on the meter. Nice.
The clips themselves are very small, but have nicely formed teeth and a good strong spring. Durability seems OK at first uses. They do not have a cheap feel to them.
I tried the clips out on a couple of sections of Kato HO scale Unitrack and tested continuity through one of the connectors. The meter reads less than one ohm, and that is good enough for me.
I wiggled the track around a bit, and the meter never detected an intermittent connection at the rail joiner. The alligator clips stayed on the track perfectly. This is all very good.
One thing this meter does that the model 73 would not do is check AC frequency. My Fluke model 87 will check frequency, but that meter costs over $400.00! This feature was a nice surprise.
My belief is that this will prove the be an excellent meter for model railroad use. The cost was under $60.00 for the meter and the alligator clip leads. I am happy with it.
There are a few notes.
1) The yellow button is not for a display backlight. This was disappointing. My Fluke 87 has the same yellow button, and it turns on the backlight. I assumed this one would do that as well. The yellow button on this meter is to cycle through the functions of the OHM position.
2) The leads that come with the meter are not of the same quality as Fluke industrial meters like the 73 or 87. The wires are stiffer and the points are not as hard or sharp.
3) It is only a CAT III meter. That does not matter for model railroading or house wiring, but it is not for industrial use.
4) This meter does not measure current. For me, that is OK. I have the 73 and 87, and I also have two inductive amperage meters. If you need current measuring capability, this meter will not suit your needs.
5) Diode test IS NOT a continuity test. It never is on a Fluke meter. This meter has BOTH "Diode Test" and "Continuity Test" functions. These functions are accessed with the dial in the OHM position using the yellow button to select. Diode Test measures voltage drop. Continuity Test measures resistance.
6) The meter is made in China. It has a similar high quality feel to my other Fluke meters, and I do not think this will be a problem.
Overall I give this meter a B+. It should easily fill the needs required by 99% of model railroaders.
I am looking forward to seeing everyone's photographs this weekend. This thread can always be counted on to be the best of the week.
-Kevin
Thanks for setting up another fine WPF, Kevin
I like your new Fluke. Some of my favorite test leads are the little grabber-type like the ones I show here:
SD_9-decoder-4 by Edmund, on Flickr
I have others that are much smaller than those shown. Sometimes the alligator clips are "too coarse" for model electronics.
Sometimes I need to grip a piece of 36 ga. wire and the little hook will grab that small wire securely. It is nice to be able to swap out different test clips. A friend gave me a pair of tiny needlepoint ones, too. They're good for checking points on a PC board or will access the back side of many tiny sockets, too.
Regards, Ed
I've been meaning to post this for a couple of weeks, but I finished off those On30 boxcars I was scratchbuilding:
The Location: Forests of the Pacific Northwest, OregonThe Year: 1948The Scale: On30The Blog: http://bvlcorr.tumblr.com
Thanks for opening up the WPF Kevin. Nice meter, something to look into.
I like the little hook clips too, Ed.
Danny, Good looking boxcars and scenery. Hey, I live in Oregon, the area you so nicely model.
My picks for this week. Oldie moldies from my early days in the hobby, when I'd build anything that struck my fancy. Lettering never was my forte!
Logging caboose, scratchbuilt early 80s, based on a picture of a contest winner in RMC mag in the late '70s I think. The smokestack got busted in a layout mishap. I'll fix it...
This string of old time wood hoppers dates to about that time too. Based on an article and drawings in MR.
I have 8 more of these ready to assemble to make a string of 12. They don't fit my era, but are only off by about 90 years. They'd look good behind those Pocher 4-4-0s, I recon.
A derrick car built on a TMI flat car in the mid 80s. Based on a project from a publication, I think it's called 35 projects for model railroaders.
Boom car. Also on a TMI flat, this was built I believe in the late 90s or early 2000s. It goes with a TMI crane, the pic was really blurry on that. The tool car has a Bachmann 44 tonner drive hidden in the box end. Drives like one too, as you may 'spect. Note the reefer trucks to match the mechanism, figuring the shop guys salvaged them for this non revenue-non interchange car. (In the 90's, I saw a piece of MOW equipment with genuine arch bar trucks here in Bend on BN tracks!)
Maybe later I'll get a decent shot of the crane, but it's basically as per kit, nu'n tricky.
Keeeee-ep 'em coming! Dan
Editing out another double post.
I purchased a resin printer, and when it works... here's the results:
(My Model Railroad, My Rules)
These are the opinions of an under 35 , from the east end of, and modeling, the same section of the Wheeling and Lake Erie railway. As well as a freelanced road (Austinville and Dynamite City railroad).
Good morning from mostly sunny and warm Northeast Ohio!
Kevin, thanks for starting us out, nice meter, one of my club members bought one that is verbal because when he is trying to look at the meter while holding the leads in hard to get to spots the leads move and he doesn't get a good reading while the verbal one lets him know the reading while holding the leads in position.
Ed, good find on those leads but sometimes the clips don't always get where you need to be, see above.
TB Danny, nice to see the finished product, I remember the in progress shots a while back.
Dan, nice looking models, I remember that contest winner, that was the period of time when the only way you could win at the NMRA National Covention was to build an On3 model.
Jimmy, you are really getting into the different printing mediums.
This weeks completed work!
Second Eastern Car Works N&W H2a Coal Hopper kit, added the air lines for the brake system then painted with Scalecoat II Black paint and lettered with Greg Komar's decals. This time I used the decals for the 1951-1963 time period.
McKean Models Evans Boxcar kit, replaced the plastic grabs with metal grabs, added a Moloco End of Car Cushioning Coupler Pocket, replaced the poorly done end ladders with some left over from PS1 boxcar kits, added some left over walkover platforms from duplicates in other kits and finally a wire grab over the platform. Car was painted with Scalecoat II B&M Blue and Silver paints and then lettered with Herald King Decals and the Evans Products logo from a Microscale set. The Green Bay and Western received a couple of hundred of these cars some were painted yellow and the others blue, the blue cars were assigned to the American Can Co in Green Bay, WI.
I have been expanding my fleet 40' Trailers for intermodal trains I am building up. The first van is an Athearn where I modified the FGE Prototype by removing the the little metal flap over the landing gear and all the cast on grabs that were only on the FGE Van, painted with Scalecoat II Silver and lettered with Microscale Decals. The second van is a Walthers Trailmobile and it is painted with Scalecoat II White and lettered with Highball Graphics decals. Don't know why Walthers lettered all their Trailmobiles with Foobie Paint Schemes and did not do any of the prototype ones like the DT&I. Also I added mud flaps to the ends of the vans, why the manufacturers do not include these is a mystery!
Atlas Trains RS-32's (Highly Modified) hauling a mixed freight on the Strongsville Club Layout.
Thanks for looking!
Rick Jesionowski
Rule 1: This is my railroad.
Rule 2: I make the rules.
Rule 3: Illuminating discussion of prototype history, equipment and operating practices is always welcome, but in the event of visitor-perceived anacronisms, detail descrepancies or operating errors, consult RULE 1!
Kevin and Ed .... Thanks for discussions about meters .
TB Danny ..... Your scratch built On30 boxcars are excellent !
Dan .... Your logging caboose is really nice. I like the wood hoppers, derrick car, and boom car very much too.
Rick ..... I just learned from you the DT&I had TOFC trailers. Both of your trailers look great. Same for the N&W hopper and GB&W boxcar. The NYC RS32's look very nice.
.....
Yesterday was J J Hill's birthday. He lived from 1838 to 1916, and was called "The Empire Builder". He essentially built the Great Northern Railway. He put together "The Hill Lines" which comprised GN, NP, and CB&Q.
Great Northern's best known passenger train, the Empire Builder, was named after him. Amtrak has continued to use that name for its train from Chicago to Seattle.
Here are pictures of my Empire Builder. The real train was hauled with Burlington E-Units from Chicago to the Twin Cities, and GN F-units from the Twin Seaties to Seattle. I use both types of locomotives on my layout.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
Hello all, I've been getting a lot of work done on my club module, which you can read about here:
https://northcountrytrains.wordpress.com/2021/09/17/module-work-nothing-like-a-deadline-to-speed-things-up/
I will have a video and better photos when it is "done", or when the train show happens a week from today, whichever is sooner. Enjoy the weekend.
Harrison
Homeschooler living In upstate NY a.k.a Northern NY.
Modeling the D&H in 1978.
Route of the famous "Montreal Limited"
My YouTube
Hi there. Great picks so far! I'm still doing scenery work at home, so no shots from the layout this week. My steamers got to "stretch their legs" at the club: a Northern and a Mountain got recruited to move some heavy loads around. It's always a joy to run steam - especially when there a no hiccups!
Simon
20210907_205117 on Flickr
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
gmpullmanI like your new Fluke. Some of my favorite test leads are the little grabber-type like the ones I show here:
Thanks Ed, it seems to be a really good little meter.
A few years ago, there was a thread about how to test a model motor. I posted what I thought was a good response.
The late great Randy Rinker sent me a private message about my post. He suggested that when someone asks that kind of simple question, it is probably not helpful to say "I use a $400.00 fluke meter, an industrial power supply, and $300.00 worth of specialized test leads."
Of course, he was 100% correct, so I have avoided most meter discussions. My answer for "What is the best meter for...?" could always be "The $400.00 Fluke Model 87 is the best." This is true, but it is not a helpful answer.
Now with my new Fluke model 101 and the less expensive alligator leads, I think I will finally have a more appropriate answer to share.
I miss Randy.
Evening all. Kevin, thanks for starting us out this week.
Ed and Kevin, got to get me some if the test leads that you are showing. Looks like they would come in handy for all sorts of things.
Danny, love the boxcars. They look like they have been on the rails for decades.
Dan, Nice models. Like the MOW train.
Jimmy, how long did it take to print the figure?
Great models as usual Rick.
Garry, Always love it when you show the Empire Builder.
Nice progress Harrison.
Simon. Like the look of the 2 big steamers on the ore train.
This weeks contribution. A wreck in Plymouth prompted the wreck train to head east out of FonduLac.
Took me about 2-3hrs to print 16 of them. I had several fail, but that was due to the build plate being incorrect
Kevin, Thanks for sparking-off the WPF.
Thanks to all the contributors and viewers. Have a good weekend and Happy Batman Day. Regards, Peter
Well there is the first of three in street turnouts. Built this one today. Not completely finished but that was due to two soldering irons eing warn out. The stock rails went on nice, but the other rails just over taxed them. The torch had to be used. These type of turnout are called tongue and nape. pushing a truck through finds it works perfectly. no guide rails ment the frog derailed all the time.
SHane
A pessimist sees a dark tunnel
An optimist sees the light at the end of the tunnel
A realist sees a frieght train
An engineer sees three idiots standing on the tracks stairing blankly in space
Heartland Division CB&Q Rick ..... I just learned from you the DT&I had TOFC trailers. Both of your trailers look great. Same for the N&W hopper and GB&W boxcar. The NYC RS32's look very nice.
Garry, the DT&I ened up with 310 trailers leased from four different vendors in 4 number series, you will be seeing the rest of them in the future. They also acquired 235 piggyback flats from previous owners and you will be seeing them in the future also.
Also, I love your pictures of the Empire Builder, I would like to have a set but I have to draw the line with my PRR, NYC, NH and Wabash trains.
Simon, really like your double headed steam with the ore train.
Lakeshore Sub & Velo - Nice looking layout pictures.
Amazing work, Shane especially working with worn out soldering irons. (That's the one tool you don't want to be if owned by me!!!) I make my own turnouts too, challenging and rewarding.
I assume those are for trolley or traction? And what scale are they?
Cool picture, Peter! Dan
Danny: Your scratchbuilt narrow gauge freight cars are all excellent!
Dan: I am a huge fan of that derrick car you built. I saved the picture to my idea file for later food for thought. Great work.
Jimmy: Your 3D printing is looking good. May I ask why you decided to print figures? There are literally hundreds of unpainted figures readily available for low prices. My interest in 3D printing would be freight loads or small industrial items.
Rick: You DT&I trailer this week looks especially good. Everything else is impressive as well.
Garry: The Empire Builder looks great. I am not a fan of orange being used in signage or paint schemes (I know, I work at Home Depot now), but Great Northern sure made it look great.
Harrison: Thank you for the update.
Simon: Your two big steamers look great hauling the heavy tonnage on the club layout.
Bear: Thanks for the laugh. I look forward to the toons each week.
Lakeshore Sub: Needing to dispatch a wreck train cannot be good. I hope the damage is not too bad.
Peter: Love the Bat-Signal! The Dynamic Duo must be on their way. Has anyone made a Bat-Mobile in HO scale? It would need to be the George Barris Lincoln Futura TV series version. It is the "real" Bat-Mobile to me. I'll bet all that red pinstriping would be a pain in HO scale.
Shane: I never heard of a Toungue And Nape turnout. It looks like you did a fine job on the assembly. I don't think I will ever build any turnouts.
My order arrived yesterday from Model Train Stuff. My wife loves the Ninja-Cats!
Here's an update on my module:
I’ve just about finished the coal trestle, which I’m calling the Lafayette County Coal Co after Jim Lafayette, from whom the trestle and other buildings came from.
The brick retaining wall was a lot of fun to make, and I must say I’m happy with how it turned out, considering it will be hardly visible.
5015 looks right at home switching coal loads.
That’s all for now. Stay tuned as I come closer to finishing Skenesborough and the rest of the module.
Southgate 2 Amazing work, Shane especially working with worn out soldering irons. (That's the one tool you don't want to be if owned by me!!!) I make my own turnouts too, challenging and rewarding. I assume those are for trolley or traction? And what scale are they? Cool picture, Peter! Dan
Regular street trackage for standard frieght equipemtn. . I had never heard the name eithe until I started the reseach for doing street tracks and came accross it.
Some very cool stuff indeed this week. I'm back to working on my layout after a long hiatus. I was getting pretty burned out on the whole thing. But now I seem to have gotten my mojo back.
Here are few shots of the Altoona end of my N Scale Layout.
Modeling the Pennsylvania Railroad in N Scale.
www.prr-nscale.blogspot.com
Loving the photography everyone!
Kevin, thank you for the info on Fluke meters. I was just asking elsewhere for a meter recommendation as I have locomotives that need DCC sound decoders in time.
So I'm working on my shelf layout and decided to expand it from 25.5" to deep to 29" as that allows for double tracking up front, more room for a spur on the front and I eliminated the rear track from the design. Here's what I have so far. However, I added pieces to the existing styrofoam base and realized there were slight differences in heights, which could be a hassle for putting on trains and track, so I tore it out and put down one whole piece of 1.5" styrofoam.
Even with just pieces being fitted into place, it's been a lot of fun seeing things come together. The trestle I worked on earlier to just see how track would fit.
Alvie
Simon ...... The 4-8-4 and 4-8-2 look great.
Lakeshore ..... Thanks for commenting about my Empire Builder.
Jimmy .... 3D printing looks fun.
Peter.... Neat Batman photo. I wonder if Brent saw it.
Shane. I am impressed with your home made turnout.
Rick... Thanks for commenting on my Empire Builder. Also, thanks for taking time to tell about DT&I TOFC.
Kevin .... Thanks for your remark about my pictures....1/87 cats are tiny, aren't they.
Harrison.... Very nice work with scenery at the coal dock.
GP9 .... Your N scale layout looks great.
Alvie.... Your expansion of the shelf layout looks good.
As usual I'm a day late .....
-Kevin - thanks for starting off WPF. I don't have any of the exotic connectors for my simple meter(s). I'm not very electronics savy so the simple works best for me.
Ed - More exotic leads. I never knew there was such variety.
tbdanny - good looking little boxcars. Good job.
Southgate2/Dan - Great looking scratchbuilt cars!
Jimmy - Whats next? Amazing!
Rick - Good looking cars as usual. Loved the RS-32s.
Gary - Great photos as usual.
Harrison - Interesting work.
snjroy - Loved the steam double header photo.
Bear - Only you ould notice. Good one!
Kevin - More meters.
Lakeshore Sub - Good looking work train.
HO-Velo - Batman Day?
Shane/NVSRR - Beyond me.
Kevin - Nija Cats?
Harrison - Good stuff. Good job on the coal tressel.
GP9-Man - Looking good. I can just barely see N-scale equipment, so good job.
Alvie - Its a start.
My humble multi-meter. It replaced a $7.98 Radio Shack special that lasted for more than 20 years.
My almost 16-year old Autistic grandson loves steam engines. Here he has NYC #5335, a Hudson at the head of a double-header with Pere Marquette 2-8-4 #1235 at the head of his mixed freight.
Keep the photos and ideas coming guys. thanks to you WPF is always the best thread of the week.
Remember its your railroad
Allan
Track to the BRVRR Website: http://www.brvrr.com/