It is about time!

 Last week’s post described the latest project on The Very Small Railroad. It has been a very long time since a structure was added to the Murphysboro module. The development of the running stock upgrades took way too long. The place has been looking like a ghost town. Only two buildings to see. Fortunately, the upgrades appear to be working. However there is still a pesky friction problem. In spite of this, we did build a twelve car train. This length of train is just about all we can do in three feet due to turnout placement. Guess what? This means we need more modules! Didn’t omscaler tell you the fun never stops on The Omega Scale Railway. We always go back and forth on which project to do next. But as always we will get ‘er done. Omscaler

 

New project announcement

That is right. We have a decision. Our next project will be a building. Not just any building. The structure will be the “Hamilton House” Hotel, located in old Murphysboro, Illinois. However, there are two considerations here. One is that the location will be changed from the original one. Two is that the building will be a “partial model” due to limited space in that part of the town. We may change the second consideration. The final decision has not yet been made. To get started there is plenty to do with drawing a working plan from our chosen model The “Jackson House” Hotel still to be seen in Eureka, Nevada. Now you have some trivia about The Omega Scale Railway that you can tell your grandchildren. See you on the right of way next time, omscaler

 

One down and one to go

 Yes. We have just one locomotive and one tender to finish. Just a short while ago, the 0-6-0 shifter was installed on the layout module. We will do a “shake down” to check it out in short order. Initial running though short is promising. The upgrade on this particular locomotive was a little challenging. Fortunately, a modular design was used and that helped shorten the turn around time. Omscaler hopes that the same will hold true for the Mogul. As a point of information for readers, this is the closest to deadline a post has been prepared in a very long time. Late but not tardy, omscaler

 

Springtime!

So glad to be out of the cold. Today’s weather: perfect. Will it continue? Not likely. Anyway, enough about the outside, let’s get to the inside. All but one railcar is upgraded. We had a “surprise” repair to make on a flatcar. We think this was a fluke and will not be repeated. Both locomotives are in the shop for the same upgrades. After that, who knows? Seriously, omscaler has plenty to do here. It is a little hard to pick a direction but it will happen. A work holder was devised to help with the upgrades and will help us going forward. Omscaler is still taking votes on the next car or locomotive type to be built. Please make your voice heard in the comment section. Looking forward, omscaler

 

A stitch in time

 A stitch in time saves time goes the old proverb. I am finding this to be true as I “stitch” the car upgrades. The group I am working on now consists of four boxcars and one flatcar. Our new materials and techniques may be a little extra challenging on this flatcar due to small dimensions. The previous cars that were shopped did include a flatcar as well and this car works okay. However, omscaler had to fiddle with it a little more to get the job done. The covered hopper had to go to the scrap pile and a better design for this type will be made. See I told you this model railroad is challenging. All part of the fun here. Anyway, back to the workshop. Omscaler

 

And then it was seventy...

Yep. After the frozen came the toasty. I live in an odd place. The winters are most foul until it warms up. The summers have heat exceeded only by humidity. However, we at The Very Small Railroad persevere. Mostly due to air-conditioning. Keeps warpage to a minimum. As far as the specific work goes, There have been some interesting developments. We have developed components that let us eliminate about two parts of running gear and are much simpler to make as well as working much better. We have also decided to use a strong center beam on the rolling stock which helps when shoving cars. The improvement also lets us use a simple rod instead of a formed “J-hook” configuration. This saves time, material and effort. Initial trials have been very successful. We are hopeful for success with multiple car testing at this point. This is why we are upgrading all railcars and may do the same for locomotives too. On another train of thought (you thought you would get away without a pun), The Winter Train Show, hosted by Smokey City Rails, was last Friday and Saturday. I was accompanied by my youngest grandson. It was good to see some folks I had not seen for a long time. I have been informed that the April Train Show will take place in Gadsden, Alabama. I hope to see you there. Working the plan, omscaler

 

Brrr outside!

The outside temp is indeed cold. Omscaler is glad to be able to be indoors and work on The Very Small Railroad and this blog. The real railroaders, however, are also the “real snowmen ( or women)”. They work regardless. Tough people. They work with picks and shovels at times to un-ice turnouts. Rails sometimes need clearing from deep snow. The work never ends. That is why omscaler thought about giving them a little time on this blog. Here’s hoping that all the rail workers stay safe and strong. As we continue into the new year here, we have encountered a challenge ourselves. We are experiencing a lot of friction when we try to move multiple cars. Nasty little surprise it is. Happily we have a working plan to overcome this problem. It is what we do. Omscaler hopes to work on simultaneous projects this year in order to try to get more done. We will keep you posted. Omscaler