It did, and it didn’t

The planned car repairs worked somewhat well but not quite. Fortunately, our work aids speeded up everything. All but one boxcar are out of the shop. This is due to the next phase innovation in draft gear. This next design will hopefully strengthen “pulling” power. It may ease construction as well. A win-win for the OSR car shop. The shifter is still under rebuild and has a new “cosmetic” set of drive wheels. It is also getting a stronger frame design as well. And one more thing, the first turnout with the new design was followed by six with a better slide plate component and will now be getting one too. We have been very busy on “The Very Small Railroad”. Getting more done, omscaler

And more good news

Now that the module upgrades were completed, the OSR car department started on railcar running gear upgrades. The number of boxcars in the shop were eight. As of this writing, all are complete. Reporting marks were added to four with the remaining cars expected to have them shortly. The next priority is the shifter rework. After that we have a covered hopper needing repair. A work order has been submitted for two cabooses. The Mogul should be along shortly too. We will see how all this goes. Planning along, omscaler

More about the upgrades.

Last post we talked about the new tracks and turnouts. Omscaler would like to throw a little more light on what we did. The new turnouts have better geometry for better operation. This included a diverging angle so acute that the need for a radius was eliminated. The turnout mechanisms were moved to the inner area of the turnout. The new design eliminated the older lock screws. The new device looks better and more “railroady”. Moving the mechanism let us get a screw head off the passenger platform which received a “concrete patch” for appearance and safety. The locking device has a vertical tab that has been marked red on one end and green on the other. This gives us a dwarf signal though a little odd looking it may be . Omscaler is used to odd stuff on The Omega Scale Railway. It is part of OSR life. The track has been upgraded to a standard material throughout. This overcomes a previous error in off-spec material. The new tie marking method gives a neater appearance too. When the turnouts and track were complete, unfinished track-side areas received a “fill dirt” treatment. Some other places got a “gravel” tinting. Overall, the new changes have given us a more attractive home for the OSR. Enjoying the “Module Life”, omscaler

Onward and upward!

Hello again, blog readers! Our new turnouts have made life easier on The Very Small Railroad (OSR). Some tweaking was needed and some may still be ongoing. We can now move rolling stock from place to place on the module somewhat smoothly. We did the replacements in stages so as to interfere as little as possible with rail traffic movement. The new “drop-in” design went well also. The hardest part to the upgrade was in fact digging out the old turnouts and removing the old rail. A new updated utility knife purchase made this easier also. Everything that is up to the new specifications now moves smoothly. Some older equipment had improved performance too. On the other hand, some older equipment had hybrid experimental running gear with others having the original running gear. These cars were removed to the “shop” area for upgrading. As of the writing, only three have been done. Eight more need work. The shifter needs a repair as well. It looks like omscaler has his work cut out for him. We will get ‘er done, omscaler

Not yet!

A couple of posts ago omscaler said the new turnout and track upgrade “should” be in place by now. And omscaler was right. They “should” be in place by now. But, the fact is life got in the way. In order to do the quality job readers have come to expect, we had to take our time and do the job right. The new turnouts, while not perfect are indeed much smoother and much more reliable. Tweaking will be done as best we can. All the new turnouts and new replacement track have taken longer than expected. Hopefully, by the time you read this, all will be complete. And I hope all had a safe and fun Fourth of July! With patriotism and joy, omscaler

Get out of town!

Yep, that’s what The Omega Scale Railway needs to do. Right now, Murphysboro, Illinois is the town occupying the module. A sort of municipal “Lone Ranger”. This means The Very Small Railroad has no destination. Not a good place for a railroad to be in. So, where will we go? The plan is for the next one foot by three foot module to be based on Union City Tennessee. The freight house for this location has already been built. There will also be at least a couple of small rural/wooded modules to be spaced between the larger modules. This is the plan so far. Omscaler believes the current innovations will help move things along more quickly. We will see exactly how quickly, hopefully very soon. In anticipation mode, omscaler

Now we’re moving!

As of this post, the previous account of the new turnout style has been tested, tried and installed. Also at this point, the other older turnouts should be having an upgrade as well. The new tie marking guide is helping to get new track on the module more quickly. Omscaler needs to plan the next phase of construction. Currently, there are still three boxcars in the shop for upgrading due to being put on the back burner. More railcars to be re-shopped plus additional cars, locomotives and other stuff to be made. Still having fun, thankfully, omscaler