Thanks, Lou. I appreciate it. From my limited experience with little plastic people, I have found the Preiser figures the best detailed, and they are the most expensive.
So far the museum putty is holding them just fine. The real test will be when I pack up the train in my transport case and take it down to the museum to run.
DC
http://uphonation.com
This is my final part of this thread with photos of the finished, populated dome observation lounge. Thanks to all for looking and participating.
My next passenger car project is a UP COSF 1939-1940 12dup-5bd sleeper. I will be remaking a Rivarossi 12-5, and plan to rivet it with the Archer rivet decals.
To finish up the interior, I have been attempting to sculpt, mold and cast the various styles of chairs that were used in the lounges of this car. Since this deals mostly with molding and casting plastic parts, I decided to start a new thread. Please see "Molding and Casting Dome Obs Lounge Chairs".
Sorry for any inconvenience that this reply may cause to those not interested in the chairs.
Arjay1969 wrote:DC,Awesome job! I do have a question about your power feeder wires on those trucks, though...How are they attached to the trucks? Are they soldered to the screws, or sandwiched in between the sideframe and bolster? Your solution to that may have just saved me a bunch of headaches with lighting my Walthers cars. Oh, and I've had good luck adapting various manufacturers' trucks to 2-56 mounting screws (not applicable to your Soho cars, since they use a shouldered screw) by using the "top" plate (with the center post) from a Kadee #5 coupler box. Had a couple of sets of Hallmark brass trucks that needed that in order to mount to ECW core kits.
DC,
Awesome job! I do have a question about your power feeder wires on those trucks, though...
How are they attached to the trucks? Are they soldered to the screws, or sandwiched in between the sideframe and bolster? Your solution to that may have just saved me a bunch of headaches with lighting my Walthers cars.
Oh, and I've had good luck adapting various manufacturers' trucks to 2-56 mounting screws (not applicable to your Soho cars, since they use a shouldered screw) by using the "top" plate (with the center post) from a Kadee #5 coupler box. Had a couple of sets of Hallmark brass trucks that needed that in order to mount to ECW core kits.
They are soldered to the screws. I pulled the screw out of the truck (don't want to melt the plastic bolster), and put a little solder on the end of the screw, then put the screw back in the truck. The wire is about 24g, 100 or more stranded wire - very flexible, and so far holding up.
Robert Beaty
The Laughing Hippie
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The CF-7...a waste of a perfectly good F-unit!
Then it comes to be that the soothing light at the
end of your tunnel, Was just a freight train coming
your way. -Metallica, No Leaf Clover
Charlie wrote:DC, the car looks much better with the new trucks, Can you post photos of how you modified the bolsters on the truck/underframe?Charlie
DC, the car looks much better with the new trucks, Can you post photos of how you modified the bolsters on the truck/underframe?
Charlie
No mods to the underframe were required. All the original Soho truck mounting parts were used with 2 modifications. I shortened the spring. I think the Soho trucks are way too stiff to begin with, but it will definately need shortening for the Walthers trucks. I turned down the black plastic spacer so it would fit on the top of the Walthers bolster/center plate.
I fashioned a .060 piece of styrene to add to the bolster height. To find the center of the hole for the shouldered Soho screw, I used a #4 nut that fit the Walthers bolster hole real nice. The spring and screw fit real nice in that hole.
DC http://uphonation.com
MP 53 on the BNSF Topeka Sub
Charlie wrote:I would recommend upgrading the trucks on the dome lounge obs with Train Station's 4 wheel outside swing hanger trucks. You can either file down the bolster by .10-.20 or shim the couplers by the same amount and add a set in interior lighting wipers to the trucks. Charlie
I would recommend upgrading the trucks on the dome lounge obs with Train Station's 4 wheel outside swing hanger trucks. You can either file down the bolster by .10-.20 or shim the couplers by the same amount and add a set in interior lighting wipers to the trucks.
For Charlie. Baby's got new shoes!.
The Walthers trucks may not be as fancy as the CY trucks, but they are better at electrical pickup, and cost a whole lot less.
Thanks for the nudge, Charlie.
AntonioFP45 wrote: dcfixer wrote: I see that someone has "bubbled" up my thread. While I'm here, I want to mention that I no longer use any wipers. All my lighted Soho and Rivarossi cars are now riding on Walthers trucks, with 8 wheel electrical pickup (the dome obs looks great with the Walthers 41-CUDOs). Not only has the flicker been practically eliminated, but my throttle position as been reduced at least 30% due to the lack of wiper friction on the 4 cars that had the wipers. I have also found a small, high capacity SMD capacitor that looks promising. I will post a new thread on this when I get pics and the capacitor circuit finalized.Sorry, Robert. But, the "hippie pickups" are still king of the wipers, IMHO.DC DCFixer,Good to read of your success with the Walthers trucks. To light up my Metroliner interiors, I'll have to go with your "hippie pickups" since the truck sideframes on them are unique in appearance and unfortunately no one else makes them (bummer ). When I'm ready to install the LED lighting, I'll refer to this thread. If I run into any "pickles" I'll post here or send you an email. Appearance-wise your method looks promising.
dcfixer wrote: I see that someone has "bubbled" up my thread. While I'm here, I want to mention that I no longer use any wipers. All my lighted Soho and Rivarossi cars are now riding on Walthers trucks, with 8 wheel electrical pickup (the dome obs looks great with the Walthers 41-CUDOs). Not only has the flicker been practically eliminated, but my throttle position as been reduced at least 30% due to the lack of wiper friction on the 4 cars that had the wipers. I have also found a small, high capacity SMD capacitor that looks promising. I will post a new thread on this when I get pics and the capacitor circuit finalized.Sorry, Robert. But, the "hippie pickups" are still king of the wipers, IMHO.DC
I see that someone has "bubbled" up my thread.
While I'm here, I want to mention that I no longer use any wipers. All my lighted Soho and Rivarossi cars are now riding on Walthers trucks, with 8 wheel electrical pickup (the dome obs looks great with the Walthers 41-CUDOs). Not only has the flicker been practically eliminated, but my throttle position as been reduced at least 30% due to the lack of wiper friction on the 4 cars that had the wipers. I have also found a small, high capacity SMD capacitor that looks promising. I will post a new thread on this when I get pics and the capacitor circuit finalized.
Sorry, Robert. But, the "hippie pickups" are still king of the wipers, IMHO.
DCFixer,
Good to read of your success with the Walthers trucks. To light up my Metroliner interiors, I'll have to go with your "hippie pickups" since the truck sideframes on them are unique in appearance and unfortunately no one else makes them (bummer ).
When I'm ready to install the LED lighting, I'll refer to this thread. If I run into any "pickles" I'll post here or send you an email. Appearance-wise your method looks promising.
Thanks for the kind thought, Antonio. I'm going to write Walthers' product development, tell them what I did, and suggest they make more trucks. I love them.
Just so there's no confusion, I'm only responsible for the "hippie pickups" name; the idea game from Robert.
I'm glad that I can help, and please feel free to contact me in any way, any time.
Did you get my PM?
"I like my Pullman Standards & Budds in Stainless Steel flavors, thank you!"
dcfixer wrote:Sorry, Robert. But, the "hippie pickups" are still king of the wipers, IMHO.DC
S'aright. They still work quite nicely on plastic trucks, such as the ones from Train Station Products (which are what the majority of my fleet is equipped with).
I' m looking forward to seeing your improved lighting circuit, though...that sounds promising.
AntonioFP45 wrote:DC,Thanks for posting the "hippie pickups" photo. I want to light up the interiors of my Metros and Rivorossi passenger cars with LEDs and this looks like a good method. I've uploaded your photos so I can use them as reference.
Thanks for posting the "hippie pickups" photo. I want to light up the interiors of my Metros and Rivorossi passenger cars with LEDs and this looks like a good method. I've uploaded your photos so I can use them as reference.
Antonio,
No problem. I think they will last a long time.
I should probably point out something that may not be obvious in the photo. I didn't use the truck/wiper mounting screw as the electrical path to the inside of the car. I hard wired a very flexible, multi stranded, 22-26 wire to the wiper directly ( the solder blob between the screw and wheel axle). The wire passes through a hole in the bottom of the car (under the wiper) and is soldered to the Cu run under the flooring. The wire needs to be very flexible, so the insulation is stripped off, also. I also put a large gradual bend in the wire inside the car and down in the recess to allow unrestricted movement of the truck. I did this because after all the interior is done, the last thing I want to do is to take everything apart and tear up the flooring to fix an electrical problem. I have had too many problems with wires breaking and poor contact when using the rotating truck mounting screw for electrical.
Arjay1969 wrote:Very nice! Your soldering skills are superior to mine, I'm ashamed to admit.
Very nice! Your soldering skills are superior to mine, I'm ashamed to admit.
Robert,
Thanks for the kind words.
I'm a total solder bombardier with the cheap solder pencils. They are so frustrating. Then I got a good, variable temperature solder station with a sleek pencil, interchangeable tips and a soft flexible cord. I use the small screwdriver tip for working on the cars. I picked up a nice, used Weller station on Ebay for $60, including shipping. It has made all the difference, and the tips last a long, long time. I have 25 year old Wellers at work, some with the same tips. The other thing is that I keep the tip clean by wiping it on a damp sponge before each application. There are some good soldering tutorials on the net. Weller has a lot of info on their site.
Arjay1969 wrote:DC,No problem! Glad to be of service. Hey, how about some photos of those so everyone can see the "Hippie Pickups"?
No problem! Glad to be of service.
Hey, how about some photos of those so everyone can see the "Hippie Pickups"?
"Hippie pickups"!! 3/16" Cu tubing, Athearn 4-wheel passenger wipers and wheel sets.
Arjay1969 wrote: DC,No problem! Glad to be of service. Hey, how about some photos of those so everyone can see the "Hippie Pickups"?
OK. I will do that after the paint dries on the OSH trucks that I'm putting on the car...a couple of days.
Arjay1969 wrote: dcfixer wrote: I got wipers on all the Rivarossi stuff. They're OK, but they slow down the wheels and require periodic cleaning. I can tell by the wear that they will also require replacement in the near future.A suggestion...take a piece of brass tubing that has an inside diameter large enough to clear your axles. Cut off a piece about 1/8" long. Now grind off one side of it so that you can slip the tubing onto the axle without removing any wheels. solder the tubing onto the original wiper, and you have a new pickup that will not only last forever, but give (in my experience) better contact (larger surface area coming into contact with the axle). Voila! I love this forum thing. There's such a wealth of experience and knowledge to be had, and so many nice people willing to share. Thank you all. That's one of the things I love about it too...I learn something new just about every time I log on.
dcfixer wrote: I got wipers on all the Rivarossi stuff. They're OK, but they slow down the wheels and require periodic cleaning. I can tell by the wear that they will also require replacement in the near future.
I got wipers on all the Rivarossi stuff. They're OK, but they slow down the wheels and require periodic cleaning. I can tell by the wear that they will also require replacement in the near future.
A suggestion...take a piece of brass tubing that has an inside diameter large enough to clear your axles. Cut off a piece about 1/8" long. Now grind off one side of it so that you can slip the tubing onto the axle without removing any wheels. solder the tubing onto the original wiper, and you have a new pickup that will not only last forever, but give (in my experience) better contact (larger surface area coming into contact with the axle). Voila!
I love this forum thing. There's such a wealth of experience and knowledge to be had, and so many nice people willing to share. Thank you all.
That's one of the things I love about it too...I learn something new just about every time I log on.
I did the pickups on my Rivarossi 44 seat coach using 3/16in tubing for the Athearn 4 wheel pass wheel sets. There is a distinct improvement!
Thanks, Robert.
Interior Detailing a UP Dome Observation Lounge-Part 4:
I do the outside of the car at this point. Enough said on that for now.
It's hard to imagine how I would make skinny little fake wood paneling, tiny little pictures and signs on the wall or a decal without a computer. I find just about every pattern or picture I want on the net. All the paint, capture and image manipulation software, plus the print technology make the computer a very creative tool for a modeler. I think everyone here has caught on to that. When shrinking an image, I resample at a higher resolution. Normally, 600 dpi works. I clear coat the printed sheets of photo paper with Krylon Crystal Clear Satin. The paper should last a long time and shouldn't fade or yellow. Colors will darken, so I allow for that. Using the wall templates I made earlier, I cut out the overlays (get a new blade, and often) from the printed sheets. When I'm satisfied that the finish overlay or picture/sign is good enough and fits in there, I clear coat it lightly again to get all the edges.
When working with fabric for carpeting or the chair guard panels under coach windows, I back the fabric with the clear packing tape. It helps minimize fraying, holds the shape and the glue doesn't seep through. For different pile, patterns or to alter the color a little, I airbrush Dulcote and/or paint.
Making curtains and drapes out of fabric is somewhat tedious, but pretty easy. I cut about 3in wide by 6in long strips of the fabric I want to use. I lay down a strip, backside up, on a sheet of plastic. Starting at one end, I fold back about 1/2in to make a crease across the strip. I open the fold back up and spread a fair amount of Testor Clear Parts Cement and Window Maker in the crease and about 1/4in to each side of it, fold the fabric back over and press it down. I use just enough of the glue to slightly soak through the fabric. It dries clear. I cut the folded piece about an inch from the end, and continue down the strip, making a bunch of single folds in the same manner. After the glue sets, I cut the folds off (get a new blade, and often) with a straight edge about .040in from the end of the fold. By varying this dimension, I get curtains of different thickness. I then glue, using small amounts of CA glue, the .040in strips on top of each other till I get the width of curtain I want. My 2x2 wood block with a strip of tape, sticky side up, comes in handy here for laying out and holding the strips. If I want a curtain that looks partly drawn open, I glue thicker folded strips on edge between the tight folds. After the CA glue sets, I cut curtains to desired length.
I start assembling with glazing the windows. I cut .005 or .010in strips of clear styrene long enough to cover as many windows in an area as possible, and then glue them down. This is one reason why I like brass. The walls are thin, and the glazing, shades and wall overlays end up giving a thicker, more real appearance, and the windows look flush. Next I build up the area around the glazing with scrap styrene to keep the wall surface flat for mounting the shades and overlays. I make my shades out of scrap .005in styrene, and taller than the window so I can glue them down above the window. It's a lot easier and cleaner than gluing them to the window pane itself. I put the wall overlays down, glue in the curtains, and that's about it...well, except for the re-dos. With .005 glazing, .005 shades and .010 paper, only .020in per wall is taken away from the inside dimension.
That's all I have for now. I want to thank everyone who has contributed to this thread. I have had so much fun in this forum the last few weeks that I haven't done crap on my cars...except for acquiring some new ideas, of course. I have also neglected my web site. I'm ready to get back to work on the railroad.
That is an excellent idea! More surface contact means more friction, also. Do you use a contact grease? I use a GE red contact grease (just a thin film) that I get from work. It seems to improve electrical contact and stops the squeeking, too. Anyway, I'm going to be upgrading my Rivarossi cars with the new Hippie pickups.
Thanks, Robert
csmith9474 wrote: dcfixer wrote: Smitty Thanks for the tip. Those CY trucks look pretty nice. I wonder if they are all metal. That's really the way I want to go to avoid the drag and maintenance of wipers. I got wipers on all the Rivarossi stuff. They're OK, but they slow down the wheels and require periodic cleaning. I can tell by the wear that they will also require replacement in the near future.I love this forum thing. There's such a wealth of experience and knowledge to be had, and so many nice people willing to share. Thank you all. Thanks again, Smitty.DC The CY trucks are all brass. Some are sprung, and some aren't (I personally prefer trucks that aren't sprung).
dcfixer wrote: Smitty Thanks for the tip. Those CY trucks look pretty nice. I wonder if they are all metal. That's really the way I want to go to avoid the drag and maintenance of wipers. I got wipers on all the Rivarossi stuff. They're OK, but they slow down the wheels and require periodic cleaning. I can tell by the wear that they will also require replacement in the near future.I love this forum thing. There's such a wealth of experience and knowledge to be had, and so many nice people willing to share. Thank you all. Thanks again, Smitty.DC
Smitty Thanks for the tip. Those CY trucks look pretty nice. I wonder if they are all metal. That's really the way I want to go to avoid the drag and maintenance of wipers. I got wipers on all the Rivarossi stuff. They're OK, but they slow down the wheels and require periodic cleaning. I can tell by the wear that they will also require replacement in the near future.
Thanks again, Smitty.
The CY trucks are all brass. Some are sprung, and some aren't (I personally prefer trucks that aren't sprung).
That cinches it for me. If I buy new trucks, it will be the CY trucks. I just got to look at some pics, and determine if they are "I" bar or "rectangular" equalizers.
dcfixer wrote:I got wipers on all the Rivarossi stuff. They're OK, but they slow down the wheels and require periodic cleaning. I can tell by the wear that they will also require replacement in the near future.
dcfixer wrote: Charlie wrote: I would recommend upgrading the trucks on the dome lounge obs with Train Station's 4 wheel outside swing hanger trucks. You can either file down the bolster by .10-.20 or shim the couplers by the same amount and add a set in interior lighting wipers to the trucks. CharlieI have thought about that, too...more than once. I have some nice pics of the car in the 50s with the 41-CUDOs. I saw them at Walthers. I am sooo tempted, but hesitate to alter the Soho. I have had the same struggle within, concerning a couple of Mustangs - stock or mod? I lean toward stock, preserving the original. I think it's a matter of personal preference. It would look sharp, though. I'm going to get the trucks, just in case, but I haven't made up my mind yet. Also, I will have to rip up the flooring. They're not all metal? Will they mount the same as the Sohos? I got lots of wipers, but that car rolls great the way it is!! I'm going to loose some of that, huh?Thanks, Charlie.DC
Charlie wrote: I would recommend upgrading the trucks on the dome lounge obs with Train Station's 4 wheel outside swing hanger trucks. You can either file down the bolster by .10-.20 or shim the couplers by the same amount and add a set in interior lighting wipers to the trucks. Charlie
I have thought about that, too...more than once. I have some nice pics of the car in the 50s with the 41-CUDOs. I saw them at Walthers. I am sooo tempted, but hesitate to alter the Soho. I have had the same struggle within, concerning a couple of Mustangs - stock or mod? I lean toward stock, preserving the original. I think it's a matter of personal preference. It would look sharp, though. I'm going to get the trucks, just in case, but I haven't made up my mind yet. Also, I will have to rip up the flooring.
They're not all metal? Will they mount the same as the Sohos? I got lots of wipers, but that car rolls great the way it is!! I'm going to loose some of that, huh?
Thanks, Charlie.
The TSP trucks are good rollers provided you use excellent wheel sets with them. I think I have a pair of Soho's later OSH trucks that have better detail and relief on them. All you would need to do is paint them HM gray. I have several UP cars I'm planning on getting rid of. PM me if interested. I will list the cars and prices.