PM the layout.
With cooler weather 'spending more time' in the basement 'now'.
The past summer I got this Menard's functional 'oil pump' and, finally, electrified it.
I 'tapped' into the existing Menard's 'wal plug'.
This is the 'interchange/ return loops' and, initially, there was no scenery but, over the years, I've added buildings to the 'area'.
Nothing 'fancy' but better than just 'bare wood'!
One of the linkages via a 'choke' to a turnout in the Seattle yard needed re-soldering.
The turnout is the main turnout to the yard so it gets a lot of 'use'.
The long passenger cars, sometimes, uncouple at this spot on the mainline so I raised some of the rail with shims to, hopefully, provide a 'smoother' transition between two different sub road beds.
The St. Paul turntable stopped working (Walthers) so I cleaned up the gears as some ballast can find it's 'way' into that area.
Cover on the motor.
Some foam to protect the fragile railings on the 'deck'.
All better.
During the summer about a dozen cars derailed so they needed some PM.
Most of these are vintage metal and wood car kits.
They have functional sprung metal trucks and the new wheels sets can short against the sides of the truck.
When I obtained these cars I left the original wheel sets on the trucks but all of them didn't have RP-25 flanges.
Now that I know how to insulate the truck sides with small pieces of electrical tape, I can replace the wheel sets.
Couplers were too high so some 'offset' couplers were installed since the couplers had to be lowered and not raised
and there is a scale coupler pocket on the end of the car and I didn't want to cut it off.
11 cars PM'ed.
video:
I like the metal wheels as I get a more 'realistic' sound from them although they can short if they derail.
The shorts used to be a problem as I had to reset the circuit breaker when this occurred.
Now, with my new CB's that reset themselves about every 5 seconds, the problem is, usually resolved quickly and no need to take a lot of time resetting the CB's.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xith2WvKMQY
I have about 250 vintage metal Athearn/Varney and wood Silver Streak/Ambroid freight cars.
These are the vintage metal kit cars that were PM'ed.
The vintage wood kit cars.
I like the look of the functional sprung trucks.
These 2 are only contemporary plastic cars that needed some PM.
This car derailed in the Glacier 'snow' area and needed some wheel 'cleaning'.
One of the wheels was defective (too narrow) so replaced.
Wood kit.
Bulk wheels are the best 'buy' (100 per box).
we'll get more space when we hit the lottery haha
