Refer Gets an Upgrade

I upgraded the trucks on my reefer.  I removed the stock trucks and installed Micro-Trains Bettendorf trucks with short extension couplers. (PN# Micro-Trains N 00302021).  I also replaced the plastic wheels, which come stock on the trucks, with BLMA N PN# 9810 33" precision metal wheels.

Plastic wheels replaced with metal wheels

New Truck with Knuckle Couplers Installed

Trinity RD-4 Hoppers!!!

I'm very excited!  Look what arrived in the mail today...

Then There Was Light

I'm pretty excited to get started with new lighting!

New Gondola

Picked up a new Micro-Trains gondola.

"Spirit of Alaska" Joins the Fleet

I picked up a Kato SD70MAC recently.  Engine #4001, the Spirit of Alaska, now runs my rails, hauling my passenger cars instead of the B&M Alco I was using.  I quickly bought a DCC chip for it and gave it a test run: nice and smooth.

The "Spirit of Alaska", SD70MAC #4001

The front and rear guard rails need to be painted white.  I'll also have to do some tinkering with the coupler.  The body mounted coupler on the engine pulls the truck mounted coupler on the railway post office (RPO) to the outside of sharp curves, causing a derailment.  This happens because the truck on the RPO sits so far back and the coupler shank can't swing far enough in its factory supplied gear box. 

RPO Pulled Off the Track

I'm planning on swapping out the truck mounted coupler, on the RPO car with a body mounted coupler.  That should solve the problem.  For now, I have a boxcar in between the two. The truck mounted couplers on the boxcar keep the train on the track.

A Box Car Makes for a Temporary Solution

Track Tip: Stagger your rail joints.

While laying flex track years ago I discovered a method for keeping the rails parallel at a joint.  If not carefully laid, flex track will "kink" at a joint in a curve.  To combat this, typically you hear of people soldering the joints before bending the track.  I typically don't like to solder my joints, as I often change the track around and soldered joints would make this very difficult.

I discovered the rails will stay parallel if the joints are offset or staggered.  By carefully removing a few spikes, rail joiners can be offset.  Here is an example of such a joint.  The joints are separated by about an inch or more.  If very careful, you can accomplish such a joint without removing any ties.  This prevents you from having to glue them back in later.

Staggered Joints

Loop Expansion

With the transition from Kato Unitrack to Atlas Code-55 track, I decided to extend the table by a few inches.  This would allow for broader curves, and a more natural look to my new passenger cars.

Before Expansion and Conversion

After Expansion and Conversion