Sandstone & Termite

[gregh]

Another good session Greg with plenty of interesting freight - some of those passengers must have a long wait between trains

Yes there was only one mixed train running that day.

All that slow-running has given me even more incentive to go battery powered. Just wondered how long the Stainz runs between charges as most of my locos are small 0-4-0s and I don't want to use a battery trail car
Rik

The Stainz is owned by Geof. His website is here http://www.trainweb.org/btr/Latest ...s what I generally use for even larger locos.

 

[gregh]

Its too bad we were not able to meet up when you were out this way. That storm really messed things up. But all that overtime I did at work allowed me to buy two live steamers. Hopefully next time.

Lucky you with 2 new locos. Looks like you need a flame thrower on the front at present.
I hope we'll be back in Boston next year sometime, so will try again to get to Kittatinny

 

[GAP]

All that slow-running has given me even more incentive to go battery powered. Just wondered how long the Stainz runs between charges as most of my locos are small 0-4-0s and I don't want to use a battery trail car
Rik

The Stainz is owned by Geof. His website is here http://www.trainweb.org/btr/Latest News.html
- you can find his email address on his Links page. I'm sure he'd be happy to tell you how it did the conversion and how long it runs. He has a good description here: http://www.trainweb.org/btr/Stainz.pdf

He is also on GSC as geofc if you'd rather send a PM

I'd suggest the trick to doing small engines is to find the minimum number of AA NiMH for the speed you want and then figure where to stuff them in. Cells around 2000 mAh will give you many hours running I'm sure - that's what I generally use for even larger locos.
[/quote]

If I might just add a comment on battery powered 0-4-0 locos I have 2 (1 Stainz and one LGB tank known as Stumpy) running on 9, 2700mAH NiMH (10.8V) Stumpy is fitted with an old Bachmann sound card and I can get in excess of 3 Hours running time from each.
Attached are some pictures of Stumpy and his internals.

 

[ge_rik]

The Stainz is owned by Geof. His website is here http://www.trainweb.org/btr/Latest News.html
- you can find his email address on his Links page. I'm sure he'd be happy to tell you how it did the conversion and how long it runs. He has a good description here: http://www.trainweb.org/btr/Stainz.pdf
He is also on GSC as geofc if you'd rather send a PM
I'd suggest the trick to doing small engines is to find the minimum number of AA NiMH for the speed you want and then figure where to stuff them in. Cells around 2000 mAh will give you many hours running I'm sure - that's what I generally use for even larger locos.

Thanks Greg - a really interesting website with plenty of good detail. The .pdf is a nice idea. I still have the Stainz from my starter set which was the first loco on my railway. I seldom use it now but seeing his conversion has given me some ideas for Anglicising and batteryising it.

I'll drop him a line - thanks

Rik

 

[ge_rik]

If I might just add a comment on battery powered 0-4-0 locos I have 2 (1 Stainz and one LGB tank known as Stumpy) running on 9, 2700mAH NiMH (10.8V) Stumpy is fitted with an old Bachmann sound card and I can get in excess of 3 Hours running time from each.

Useful photos - thanks. I have tried creating my own servo operated reversing switch using a slide switch, without much success. I have got a couple of dpdt toggle switches so much give them a try.

Rik

 

[gregh]

Keith, one of the group has succumbed to the 'dark side' and has purchased a livesteam Roundhouse 'Billy'. He's still learning how to control it on down grades, but this video has some great steam effects running under my big rock ledge...
http://youtu.be/LDMZVOnhMsU A...ery/RC.... [url]http://youtu.be/CgvFUN0c28k

Both videos are only a couple of minutes long.

 

[Shawn]

Nice videos Greg. The Billy ooksgreat running through the rock cuts.

 

[gregh]

Nice videos Greg. The Billy looks great running through the rock cuts.

Thanks Shawn. Keith really has gone to the livesteam side.
Here's another video at his place (Bottle Creek Tramway) of his 'Billy' and Bryan's Regner 'thing'. Lots of footage of my 2 (battery) tank locos. I recently updated the sound sytem in black #9 which features mainly here. It had one of my original Picaxe steam sound circuits which was a really harsh chuff. I've since perfected a circuit that allows me to 'shape' the chuff with an attack and decay time. I can also control the volume with a voltage output from the Picaxe.
http://youtu.be/M6ZbjoKV_kM

This 2nd video compares the before and after sounds....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mmgtvf9U6yE&list=UUEXchzh7bEaaToBJGmYSWng&index=2 < Link To http://www.youtube.com/wa...oBJGmYSWng&index=2

 

[gregh]

I've been busy making what I hope will be a 'blockbuster' movie but nowhere near finished yet.
I had lots of discarded videos, so thought I should use them. This is the result.

http://youtu.be/EOJq-k4wCB4

 

[Shawn]

Nice video Greg. Guess you guys are heading into winter. How the drought down under? We have been getting more then enough rain out here.

 

[ge_rik]

Great stuff, Greg. Always enjoy watching your railway in action.

Rik

 

[gregh]

Re: Sandstone & Termite

Five members of GRASS got together here on the Sandstone and Termite yesterday in cool summer weather. There were 2 live steamers (Terry and Keith) both of which have been modified with flywheels to provided enhanced slow running.
Mark and Geof and I stick with our 'instant' battery power. So here's a video of the day's trains. Part of it shows my new Buffet car running.
It was a very busy day and at one stage Melaleuca saw 6 trains at once which required some splitting and shunting of trains.

http://youtu.be/rI3pYtFGTOA

 

[PhilP]

Re: Sandstone & Termite

Very nice!
Wish the weather was like that here..
Wish I had the natural scenery to build a line in..
Wish I had the real-estate for something that big!


Interesting variation on the points on the line.. Is that prototypical to your part of the world?

 

[ge_rik]

Re: Sandstone & Termite

Some great shots Greg. Really impressed with the slow running of the live steamers. I've always been a bit skeptical about the realistic running of live steam - apart from the Regners which are geared and have flywheels. Is there any online info about fitting flywheels to non geared locos?

Rik

 

[gregh]

Re: Sandstone & Termite

Very nice!
Interesting variation on the points on the line.. Is that prototypical to your part of the world?

No, not prototypical, just my simple and cheap way of being able to have enough points. I call them swivelling turnouts. There's more info here:
http://www.members.optusnet.com.au/satr/track.htm

Some great shots Greg. Really impressed with the slow running of the live steamers. I've always been a bit skeptical about the realistic running of live steam - apart from the Regners which are geared and have flywheels. Is there any online info about fitting flywheels to non geared locos?
Rik

Terry has just joined our group and is a mechanical genius. Spends hours (and big bucks ) modifying his only loco - the Roundhouse 'Billy' with tender. I'm trying to get hime onto this forum. He is negotiating with someone in UK to make these flywheel mods, but I believe they'll be many 100's of dollars. I have been doing some electronics (picaxe again) for him to control his water feedpump depending on the water levels in the bolier and tender. Next he wants to somehow enhance the sound????

I too have never been impressed with live steam because it is too fast as you say. But I must admit the steam effects the other day were awesome. But it still takes too long to get steam up! I've had a couple of battery locos out and away while they are still mucking around with water and gas. But it does give more time for socializing while standing around waiting to get steam up.

 

[ge_rik]

Re: Sandstone & Termite

Terry has just joined our group and is a mechanical genius. Spends hours (and big bucks ) modifying his only loco - the Roundhouse 'Billy' with tender. I'm trying to get hime onto this forum. He is negotiating with someone in UK to make these flywheel mods, but I believe they'll be many 100's of dollars. I have been doing some electronics (picaxe again) for him to control his water feedpump depending on the water levels in the bolier and tender. Next he wants to somehow enhance the sound????

I too have never been impressed with live steam because it is too fast as you say. But I must admit the steam effects the other day were awesome. But it still takes too long to get steam up! I've had a couple of battery locos out and away while they are still mucking around with water and gas. But it does give more time for socializing while standing around waiting to get steam up.

One day I might invest in a Regner but only for its novelty value. I much prefer trying to emulate semi-prototypical train operations and, as you say, I assume that by the time I've got the steamer up and running half the timetable will have passed by.

I'm really enjoying the increased flexibility which battery r/c is giving me over track power. I can get trains up and running in a fraction of the time it took to prepare the railway previously. All I need now is some sort of battery powered leaf and debris removal loco/train and I'll be laughing.

Rik

Rik

 

[gregh]

Re: Sandstone & Termite

I'm really enjoying the increased flexibility which battery r/c is giving me over track power. I can get trains up and running in a fraction of the time it took to prepare the railway previously. All I need now is some sort of battery powered leaf and debris removal loco/train and I'll be laughing.
Rik

Yep, leaves are the big drawback for a GR. My best investment was a battery powered leaf blower, but even it doesn't blow everything away - leaves and twigs always get caught under the rails. And the ballast gets blown too. Any rail mounted leaf blower, will never be big enough in my opinion.
but BATTERY POWER RULES FOREVER !!!!

 

[gregh]

Re: Sandstone & Termite

Recently I acquired a model of Queensland Railways PB15, 4-6-0 loco, A friend also has one, so we decided on some double-heading. Both are RC. It's always fun having two people control separate locos on a train.

http://youtu.be/CVZUMSoISJ8

 

[tramcar trev]

Re: Sandstone & Termite

Your videos are always award winning. I loved the PB15's travelled many times out to Ipswich behind them. Yours is particularly accurate too compared with the real thing; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7hVJxtiWRM
Watching your video reminded me that I have to duck out to Royalla and retrieve the now unused fixed distant, I have a new home for it....

 

[maxi-model]

Re: Sandstone & Termite

Very nice Greg. Well put together video, some nice shot angles there. Looks like you have had to kitbash and scratch build most/all of your stock but you would not think so to look at it. Nice bit of modelling. Thanks for posting.
Max.