NP Lester WA T-Trak Z Module Set Project

This photo appears to be of one of their excursion runs. Possibly a least of steam type adventure, which they did in that time frame using engine 2626.

 

That new coal dock ramp looks great! Nice work melding in your new module, too.

 

Yes there were other photos from the same trip, and one said 1957 NP Casey Jones Excursion, but I looked that one up and it was to Issaquah, and this is Lester, so I'm not sure. Still it's very interesting for reference comparison of the model.

 

I made more progress today, finally getting those cross braces all done:




After lunch I came back and bent rails, then installed the rails, deck platforms, walkway, and hand rails. I still need to install the cable and rollers before painting, but I'm kinda tired all today's tweezer work, so I'll pick it up tomorrow:




And here is a prototype reference shot from this side of the model to compare:

 

Today I modified the sand tower by adding an industrial lamp, the electronics which include a bridge rectifier, and 4K ohms of SMD resistors, and wired to copper foil wrapped around the feet. Also a pair of 1/8" bases with strong mini bar magnets was made, so the feet can have a strong and electrically sound power pickup without using pogo pins, because this model has just a bit too small of a footprint got pogo pins:




The sand house was however big enough for pogo pins, and a bridge rectifier was also added. It received the same 1/8" base with larger magnets that reach out and grab the model into perfect alignment and electrical conductivity with authority:




And the coal dock was airbrushed with Floquil Roof Brown today. Now all the structures for this new module have their mag bases attached, and everything after the glue dries I can wire up the lighting tomorrow, and start on the ash pit construction:

 

A quick update, I wired the structure lighting in today:




Then did a quick power on test OK:




And then I looked over the reference photo, and came to the conclusion I needed to add a couple more tracks. I need one for the coal gondola empties, and I needed a siding for the fire car that sits alongside the sand house:






So time to crack open another Atlas Turnout:




It's a hassle cutting out track to install a turnout inline. I had to cut the couplers to half length, but in the end I was able to get the turnout in place. It's a good thing I had not done the ballast work yet. Here you can see where the track for coal gondola empties will go, just behind the coal dock. I will have to install yet another turnout on the yard throat module for the empties track:



And now this module is going to be almost ALL track, but actually prototypical. It might be the most track ever lain on a 440mm T-Trak-Z module?

Looking over more NP photos today, I noticed this cat... As he slunk over the turntable tracks you can clearly see he's sporting all his best swank. The cool of it all... the cool:

 

I used a thin reinforced Dremel cutoff wheel, to cutout track the exact length of the turnout, then removed a couple ties each side. I slid track joiners on as far as the would go on the rails, then used the cutoff wheel to cut the remaining joiners off at the rail ends. Then drop the turnout in, and use a jewelers screwdriver to slide the joiners on the turnout, then solder.

Edit: I decided to check my stock of turnouts, tortoise machines, and hare decoders just in case... It looks like I am running low on Atlas Turnouts, maybe only 60 left on hand, then I'll have to use the Fast Tracks:


And the Tortoise / Hare collections seems to be dwindling too, what to do? Build More Modules of course!

 

I did get a steel of a deal on the Tortoise's and Hare's. I paid something like $880 for 100 of each from an estate sale, so less than $9 for both a $12 Tortoise and a $25 Hare decoder back then, and I think they are close to $50 a set these days. That's a lot of money just to have an automatic turnout control

 

And for today all I managed was to cut parts for and assemble the switch machines:




I also mounted them through the module, and did all the wiring except the indicator LED's and manual push buttons:

 

Been busy doing yard work this weekend, taking down a nasty tree, and reducing it into firewood and mulch, so had little time, but I did do a little bit. I drew up the peel and stick overlays for the Rokuhan turntable approach tracks, to make them look more like the Atlas tie spacing the prototype turntable approach:




You can see that once applied to the approach tracks, they hide the Rokuhan screws and help blend in with the Atlas tracks, even before applying ballast:




And after ballast, and a sprinkling of ground cover and static grass, the approaches look much better, but I still have a bit of cleanup to do when the glue dries:




I also did a bit of terrain forming with Great Stuff, then today I carved it with a sharp knife:




And the only thing else I did was to apply ballast to the whole module. I have to let the dilute Mod Podge dry a day before I can get to covering the terrain. I used to use 50/50 white glue with water to glue ballast, but found on the Hotel module that using 50/50 water Mod Podge gives a flatter appearance to the ballast, which I like better. I will be using Mod Podge from now on: