Bits and Pieces

Having trouble finding traction tires. Need one for my Trix Decapod. Without it the locomotive kinda bops it way down the track. All the local hobby shops only carry HO size. Don't want to wait a week for an online purchase to show up. Hmmm...What do I have laying around? Had some goop for coating tool handles, kinda like Bullfrog Snot but WAY cheaper. Liquid tape might work. Now that I know it needs to be stirred up I tried that electric glue. I succeeded in gluing the wheels to the brake detail. When I did free them up the coating was rough and caused wheel wobble. A lot of wheel wobble. Have to work out the kinks in this process...

Wait a minute...what about heat shrink tubing. If I had the right size I could...Ahh here it is. Not sure what diameter, there's only two or so inches and no labeling. Still it looks like it could work...

Heat Shrink Tubing Remnant

So I cut off a sliver, making sure it was relatively square and finagled it onto the driver. Then I hit it with a blast from my heat gun to send it home...

Shrink Tube Traction: Right Engine, Right Rear Driver

Traction's fixed. Now all I have to do is balance the weight OVER the drivers. On locomotives that don't have slots for traction tires (most of them) I'm going to use what I "AggTrac" but what the producers call PlastiDip. It comes in colors, including clear. I used to have a video of how it improved traction on an L1s. It was impressive. I'll have to make another video.

I also experimented with superelevation again. Last time I used stripwood and it was too thick. The elevation was so "super" that when an I1s stalled on the curve it flopped over. This time I used plastic strip. I went with .010 at first but it didn't make much difference. .020 provided just the right effect...

Superelevation: Forge Curve

I place the plastic strip after the track is nailed down by pushing it under the tiestrip until it's directly beneath the outer rail. Transitions are created by moving the strip toward the outside ends of the ties...

Superelevation: Transition

I'll finish up with a railfan video. Excuse the crude cinematography and the goofy music. I tried to add titles and locations, but that's a long story...

Regards

Frank Musick

Chief Cook and Bottle Washer

Allegheny Eastern Railroad