Double heading postwar Lionel

[pjdog350]

Miss Sharon and I Both sit outside in the morning just to see everyone walking there dogs. We are big k9 people. I’ve always wanted to know where you get your dogs in the videos from.

Been through the hero 3 manual but no cinematic function! Just a bunch of resolution settings?

[pjdog350]

It’s very rare that I get to run trains in the evening. I’ve been so tired I’ve been sleeping in. The mornings I’ve slept in the last three days. Didn’t get up yesterday until 9:15 AM.

So I got my nursing duties done at 6:23 PM and told Miss Sharon I was going to see if I could run both the 224’s and the 675’s double headed. I did a repair on the trailing 675’s drawbar and it failed ASAP. Rather than try to fix it again and not being sure I had the correct rivet I just replaced the trailing truck assembly. Tried the two double headers again. Then one of the 224’s E-Unit was giving me trouble. It didn’t want to cycle. After getting the both 224’s on the same page we took off. It’s a rush to have two double headed postwar steamers running on the same layout.

I’m working on another double headed project. I have a 2026 and I have a bid in on another one that looks like it will not require and restoration. Just the normal tune up stuff. We will see what happens there! I did bid pretty high!

[starfire700]

The dogs are from a life-time accumulation of figures. A few dogs usually are included in groups that I find, and I always keep the dogs. We have always been dog people, have had schnauzers, wire-hair terriers and mostly westies-West-Highland Terriers. They have a great disposition. We lost 2 of our 3 in the last year. Hard to find a Westie these days, none in rescues  and breeders want huge $$ to hold ones that aren't even born yet. So our latest replacement is a little Terrier mix, had to travel to Nashville to get her from her foster home.
We also have 3 big dogs in our house, Debby's sisters's, a 165lb Gt Dane, a cattle-dog mix and another mix. 

[pjdog350]

I'm looking for a new camera so I can improve the videos  plus I still need a video editor. Guess I'll get a GoPro hero 8. At my age I really hate spending money on another camera I have so many but they are old and don't stand up to the world today.

I made a new video with the GoPro hero 3. I've been messing with the settings and really have it messed up bad!!! But I did make a video running 675's & 224's. I did add some lighting to the mancave to help with the darkness of my videos. I think It helped allot.

It's a long video but I was really enjoying sitting there watching the 4 engines working. It's loud too!

I started another front coupler on an other postwar Lionel engine! This coupler will be different. Shorter!

[pjdog350]

I'm going to start looking for those little dog figures Jim.

[starfire700]

My movie editing program is HD movie maker pro, was in the Microsoft store. The store should be a windows app on your computer. I tried the free app, then bought the "pro" version, was about $10 one time fee. It was fairly easy for me to figure out, I am still discovering features that it has.
My GoPro is an 8 black. It has the linear function, called cinematic on the camera. I can sync it to be controlled by my Samsung phone, so I have remote control of start/stop and a larger screen to watch. Since the gopro 9 is out, there may be some good deals on the 8. I got an extra battery and remote charger, plus some extra chips.
Not being critical, just helpful, but mounting your camera, instead of holding it will give much better results. Then you can set-up scenes, get lighting right where you want it and run trains past the stationary camera. Extra mounts for tripod or stick-on bases are inexpensive, available from Amazon.
I am 70 today and it surprises me that I have been able to learn this modern technology, so don't underestimate yourself!

[pjdog350]

I have allot of GoPro attachments plus a tripod. I’m always in a hurry to get the video which causes me to not be as professional as I should. When I was working for a living I was always under. Pressure to meat the schedule. It stuck with me. Now I’m hurrying so I be down before the patient wakes up? I worked in aerospace as a software engineer. Hurry up we need this NOW!!! It’s why I had ulcers. They still bother me today.

I need to hire a nurse and take life easier while there’s still time.

I had fun with the double headers this morning.

Bet you dog food bill is a big one with the 165 lb dogs?

[starfire700]

I am same, or was, always in a hurry and double-tasking, so nothing got done right. Making videos has taught me to take time and get it right. I spend days cleaning trains and especially the wheels, then setting-up a scene such as 20-car unit trains. Ulcers are no fun, so I try to relax, even if I have to shoot a scene several times. I either have myself in the picture, or forget to turn on some of the lights. Some lights are battery and others are on at least 5 transformers. I try to make a scene perfect, but always make some mistakes, maybe the viewers don't notice them, but I do.

[starfire700]

Speaking of K9's, here is a birthday card I got.......dog farting rainbows. What could be more special?

[starfire700]

Returning this thread to train-related content, but with a K9 theme,
I am watching the Twilight Zone episode about Willoughby, a town where a frustrated city worker jumps off his commuter train in his dream, to return to a simpler life.
We lost a special Westie named Willow a year ago, so I changed the name to Willowby and made a billboard for my suburb on the layout.

[starfire700]

I have been working on a double-head Lionel General project, but too many projects on the bench have stalled any progress. I will post some pix and hope that will motivate me. I need the smoke unit and plunger or a junk 1872 with these working parts if anyone has them??
No sense doing this project without SMOKE!
I recently got a 1862 with a broken pilot, and this gave me the idea to do a DH General project.

[pjdog350]

Should be a great double header set Jim.

I’m stalled on my 2026 triple header. I’m tired. I was going to do some work this morning but could not get up. I have all the material and I’ve made two brackets I just need to attach them to the pilot truck and be sure they match up correctly. It this works out I’ll do the same to the 675’s which I run every morning I can get my butt out of bed.

Love the hole in the wall layout. More of that if you have some more movies. Hope you have that on you tube for us!!!!

[pjdog350]

Jim got me going on the double heading of the 2026's with his morning post. Today I got a test arm built. I'll mount it to Terry's 2026 and see how it works. I have two rebuilt 2026's ready for double heading. I have three 2026's but one still has a motor problem.

Attached are some pictures of the progress. Should be able to test them tonight or in the morning. If all goes well I'll make four more of these for the 675's and the other two 2026's. Going to see if the 2026's will triple head?

[pjdog350]

The new arm for the front coupler on the postwar 2026 is working perfect. It's the same as I did months ago but the damn MTH Z4000 gave me trouble and I thought the coupler was shorting out. The 2026 and the 675 pilot truck is the same. Has the same part number in the service manual. I will make new arms for the 675's and two more 2026's. The 2026 are going to be triple headed. As soon as I can get the motor in the third 2026!

Only the lead (terry's) 2026 has a liquid smoke unit so it starts almost at once. the second 2026 is a normal Lionel smoke unit. I'll fix that ASAP. Right now I'm only pulling 10 6456 hoppers but in the morning I'll add 9 more.

[starfire700]

I motivated myself to finish the front coupler on the General loco project. I settled on a 1940 hood type, as that is all that I had, so will have to add the same to a General tender for double-heading.