SteamPower4ever

Just got the MTH G gauge newsletter by mail. Looks like all the Dash-8s are available now Jens

The Heljan NOHAB is scheduled for Q3. No further news available as yet. If they decide to do a matching passenger coach, it would most likely be: The B type, which was a slightly shorter version of the modern European standard 2nd class coach. The Cc type, which was the standard express coach before the B type. The problem with the B type is that while it looks standard, it isn't (it's slightly shorter), so you can't just make a ton of liveries on the same mold like you probably could with a German coach. The Cc type is a special Danish design too, and I don't think you can use the mold for anything else. That would probably be the right one for your Nord Express, although I don't know if that was the type actually used. Short story, the market for Danish stuff is probably too small. In addition, ESU has stated that the Pullman brand will market models that showcase the capabilities of their decoders, i.e. models that "do" something. We will probably see mostly German models marketed by Pullman and produced by Heljan. Heljan may eventually make some freight cars on their own, but frankly I doubt it. Jens

Oh no, I'm not considering FB their 'shipping now' list, but they did pull the dash-8 pics from the FB page. Anyway, it doesn't matter one bit. They do what they do and ship when they ship, and I bet I'll like the models when I get them.

Nice. I always liked the center-offset boiler on the shays. Well done with the succesful mod. This engine will most likely serve you well for years. Jens

Ooooh - 'shipping'. I hope my F7s are in this lot. It would seem they've decided simply not to post gauge 1 pics on FB then. Jens

Very nice. Looks like burner extends almost through to the smoke chamber. Or is that just some optical illusion on the picture. We're seeing the engine from the front, right? Jens

I've seen that one before. I believe it was a boiler explosion that made the top engine jump ...Jens

No, you certainly don't see that every day, but the Sinsheim museum has some really cool stuff on display - not counting the annual gauge 1 exhibition.

Nice I've made a similar video of a BR50 on display at the Sinsheim technical museum in Germany: Jens

So nice. I think it's really cool that even though 611 is a bit of an exotic bird to my eyes, it does exactly what I expect a steam engine to do - blowing out steam from the cylinder valves at the time I expect it and so on. It seems very familiar because the tech is simply the same as the ones I've seen first hand. A tip of the hat to all that made her run again. Jens

Very nice. Very inspiring Jens

You know, 'getting stoned' has sort of taken a new meaning through time ... Sorry for going that far off-topic, but I couldn't help myself Jens ... steamin' Right back at you, Sir.

Hehehe ... - "Boss, that triplex doesn't steam too good." - "What? Must be the wheel arrangement. We'll make a 4x3 instead. That will be much better." Jens

Thanks, but I'll pass. I've seen my share of flame wars in various forums. I guess the smaller pipes and ducts on a scale model makes for very different conditions than on the full scale models. I was just asking out of curiosity. Jens

Wow. Perhaps even less fuel would do the trick. Does the fuel/air mixture matter here? I'd think if you reduced the fuel flow it wouldn't matter to the burner as long as it has enough air for a clean burn, but it may reduce the exhaust temperature. Of course, with small regulators it could be difficult to adjust. A stray thought: Are the cylinders lubricated like they'd be in 1:1 scale? If so, remember to use steam oil that is rated for the higher temperature. On the steamers at the railway museum we used special steam oil for all steam cylinders. It was so thick and gunky we kept it in canisters on a shelf over the firebox door, so it would be more viscous when we needed to top up. Jens

I bet the road number is different, too, right?

Very nice. That was one of my objections to the models. You know, Bob, you could be making up the recipe for an irresistible bash Jens

I noticed today that the Dash-8 pics including the NS version are still on the MTH Pinterest page. I'm not registered, so I can't get to the pics, but I can see they're there. Jens

Absolutely. I didn't mean you should do anything to the valve gear. First of all, I don't think you can do much in small scale - second, I certainly agree - a live steamer that runs well is by all accounts good enough. I'm not a live steam person myself (not yet anyway), but I've heard horror stories about expensive models that were impossible to get running decently. The Märklin BR44 for example. For most people, I think that would spoil the fun. Jens

During the Easter holidays of 2015, the main line across the country was closed for a bunch of maintenance at many locations. Here's a time lapse video showing a two-track mainline bridge being replaced in fours days - condensed into less than two minutes. This work took place not far from where I live, but the video is courtesy of Banedanmark, the national rail infrastructure agency. Jens

Bob, no, for the time being I have a different project in mind. Currently I'm in the early phases of investigating my options on that one, but if I come to a dead end for whatever reason, I might consider stretching a bunch of MTH coaches. Jens

If we're allowed to make wishes, I hope for a UP gas turbine. Veranda w/tender or a Big Blow. Here's a 45min video of the UP turbines: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHyF4MT2LuY Jens

Aaaargh ... so nice Thanks for the picture. I can't remember how many times I saw that video ... Jens

Very nice. Fuel efficiency is a noble goal in itself. A friend at the museum spent a lot of time adjusting the valve gear on S class #736. At one excursion run he ended up having it running 80 km/h on only 5% valve opening ... but that was 1:1 scale of course. Jens

Allriiiiight !!! I'm not on FaceBook, but my identical twin is, so I asked him to like it ... Jens