7mm Richards P48 US Thread

richard carr

Western Thunderer
Those figures will get removed once I put everything back together I prefer my locos not to have crew.

So the next challenge was the front ditch lights, the atlas ones are appalling, they look nothing like the real things.
I 3D printed some a few months back and found some spares and set about fitting those.

20260411_132218.jpg

So these just pull out, the wires are run through a nice channel in the frames, it's worth removing the multiple working cable to make fitting the new wires a bit easier, they just pull out and push back in again once it's done.


20260411_132226.jpg

So here are the new ditch lights glued in place, I still need to feed the LED wires through the channel, I find a tiny bit of black tack placed in the channel helps keeps the wires in place while you screw the cover back on. You can see the tiny LEDs they are held in place with some Kristal Klear canopy glue. Once that is done each light needs wiring to it's own function on the decoder, you can then set each function to be a ditchlight, add in grade crossing logic, have one light set to the opposite phase to the other and then they will flash on and off like the real thing.


20260411_133047.jpg

Then I went to put it all back together and found that it didn't run very well and the headlights didn't work, just great.

The running issue was down to having to remove the motors and then fit them back into the truck to get the side frames off, I had probably over tightened the screws putting them back together. As for the headlights I'm hoping that it's just a case of me plugging them back into the wrong sockets on the PCB.
 

Stephen

Western Thunderer
I guess no one at Atlas realised that their crew was positioned with a similar hand pose to that used by a certain 1930's European right wing dictator....

I'm curious why you prefer this as I'm the exact opposite.

Personally it an 'all or nothing' scenario for me....I don't intend on populating passenger cars with people, and I've also never been a fan of people on layouts in walking positions etc. I guess when you can obtain a model with a really fine level of detail, you would seldom gain a figure of a human with the level of detail to match that. I could be wrong, but that's just my personal stance.

However....I was quite impressed with an O scale Lenz German Bo-Bo Diesel loco I saw at a show a couple of ears ago, where upon changing direction of travel, the driver in the cab at one end 'disappeared' and then 'appeared' in the other cab leading direction. Apparently a factory installed DCC feature, that was simply a powered flap/platform that dropped/raised the driver into position. The Lenz factory was certainly more sensitive as to their crews' hand positionings as well.....

Cheers,

Stephen
 

James

Western Thunderer
you would seldom gain a figure of a human with the level of detail to match that

Modelu!

I do get your points about being all or nothing certainly putting passengers in coaches can be a mammoth task. At The NRM we have filled one complete ten coach train with passengers, imagine a half full midday express, and the amount of worked to actually get sufficient people is quite significant.

Carefully picking people to place on layouts is really important, relaxed and static poses work really well but the cliche of somebody running for their train, really doesn't work!

I also like it when there are hints of life, not many people about but you can see an open door open windows. That's a really nice way of adding I think life to a model. :)
 

Brian McKenzie

Western Thunderer
. . I've been away in Chicago and Texas . . .

I got back yesterday morning, so in the evening I set about fixing . . . .

Richard, how do you cope with all the travel - and then set about working on intricate models so soon after?
If this is too personal and you'd prefer not to comment, please ignore.
I was quite staggered reading your message at #806 (and 'staggered' after any intercontinental flights!)

-Brian McK.
 

daifly

Western Thunderer
I spent the last 25 years of my aviation career doing the same sort of thing flying back and forth over the Atlantic up to six times a month. Aim for about 4 hours sleep after getting home and then get on with life because in a couple of days you’re going to do it all again. If you don’t get on with life, you won’t have one. I didn’t have the luxury of the opportunity for a sleep on the way back across either!

Dave
 

Rob R

Western Thunderer
Much the same process with 12 hour night shifts on terra firma.
Starts to get a bit wearing after the first 20 years......especially without the railfanning opportunities.
 
Last edited:

richard carr

Western Thunderer
Richard, how do you cope with all the travel - and then set about working on intricate models so soon after?
If this is too personal and you'd prefer not to comment, please ignore.
I was quite staggered reading your message at #806 (and 'staggered' after any intercontinental flights!)

-Brian McK.
Brian

I think Dave hit the nail on the head, you just have to get on with things, going to the US is relatively easy as it's just like having a late evening and when you do go to work you are normally awake.
It's going to Asia that is the challenge because then you are doing a night shift by going to work at what is 1am in the morning UK time.

Richard
 

mickoo

Western Thunderer
I did 12 hr shifts on the docks, two days then two nights back to back and four days off, damn near killed me after 9 years; four day block or four nights would have been better.
 

simond

Western Thunderer
In many years of that kind of work lifestyle, there was one, one-week trip to Melbourne, and that really did ”do my head in”.

Asia was always worse than Detroit for jet lag.

and the cabin crews on the BA flights always ensured that the dinner was served quickly, and the wine flowed freely, so a good portion of the outbound, and nearly all of the inbound flights was spent in the land of nod.

it was great fun until 9-11. Lots of cockpit rides, and travel was pretty stress free. Aided by the gold card, of course…
 
Top