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  1. jasonelki

    Grab irons. Bend and make your own or buy them?

    Looks nice! Did you bend the vertical pieces as well? If so are the wrapped around the horizontal section? (similar to old metal athearn) On another note, I purchased 18" drop grabs through Tichy and thought they were very reasonable for a bulk bag. Walthers number 293-3015. $3 for 100.
  2. jasonelki

    Locomotive Photo Help

    I'm looking to detail an old athearn so it looks like the prototype Milwaukee Road GP9 #326. I have found two color photos, one at sd45.com and the other at rrpicture archives. The sd45 photo was taken in Montana in 1970 and the exhaust appears to have spark arrestors on it? Whereas the...
  3. jasonelki

    Bachmann Spectrum split gears?

    Called NWSL and they do sell replacement gears for the 44 tonner. They are made of brass. Will brass axle gears wear the plastic gears in the trucks at all? I do not have a caliper or anything else that will measure this gear precisely, but I think I'll order a couple and see what happens...
  4. jasonelki

    Ore Docks and the Modern Day

    Superior Wis has a bunch of ore docks, not sure if they are still used or not. They are neat to see in person as they are absolutely mammoth structures. Duluth, Superior and Proctor MN are all good spots for railfanning. The yard in Proctor is huge and usually has TONS of full ore cars...
  5. jasonelki

    Quality of IHC ore cars?

    Oops, I should have specified taconite ore cars, which are very short and would look and function well on my layout! http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/932-40501
  6. jasonelki

    Quality of IHC ore cars?

    Hmm, I see the atlas N scale ore cars, but not the HO version. Do/did they offer these at one time?
  7. jasonelki

    Quality of IHC ore cars?

    GN and Jim, thank you very much for your responses. I think I'll avoid these ore cars, I've got enough projects already! I'll have to look into the walthers cars in the future. Thanks, Jason
  8. jasonelki

    Quality of IHC ore cars?

    Wow, IHC must be fairly average stuff, if it was really nice or very poor someone would have let me know! :D
  9. jasonelki

    Quality of IHC ore cars?

    Looking to purchase some of these but have never seen them in person. Are they nice items? How about the details? What brand do they compare with, athearn, proto? I suppose these are older items since I have yet to see them at my LHS. Thanks for any advice. Jason
  10. jasonelki

    Bachmann Spectrum split gears?

    Hmm, I'm not opposed to spending a little more as long as they work, which is why I'm skeptical of buying another set of gears from Bachmann, as they may split again. Hopefully NWSL is better with the gears than the wheelsets, still waiting on a set from my LHS for 3 months. How does the...
  11. jasonelki

    Looking for cheap drill bits?

    This is exactly what happened:D I'm using the Tichy grab irons and they discolored and bent very easy!
  12. jasonelki

    Looking for cheap drill bits?

    I've been working with only plastic. My pin vise is double ended, so I just break it down so I can fit it in the chuck of my 14 volt drill. I only let about 3/8" of the drill bit hang out, seems to work very well. Can change speeds but slower works much better than fast. I usuall just leave...
  13. jasonelki

    Looking for cheap drill bits?

    pin vise, but lately the pin vise in a 14 volt cordless drill, seems to work well and haven't busted any for awhile.
  14. jasonelki

    Looking for cheap drill bits?

    Just got 50 in the mail yesterday, how do they hold up? I have only used the walthers #80 bits. Who knows, they could be the same thing for all I know, just a lot cheaper from widget!!
  15. jasonelki

    Looking for cheap drill bits?

    hmm, gave this a try without much luck. Are you able to heat the iron once and stick it all the way through the shell? If I got halfway through I was lucky, and I heated up the grab so it was very hot. Either I'm not doing something the same as you or my shells are thicker! :D Athearn BB...
  16. jasonelki

    Bachmann Spectrum split gears?

    Anyone ever try and glue the gears on the wheel axles? The split gear on this 44 tonner looks as if it could be glued. Not sure how long it would last, but just wondering if this has been attempted?
  17. jasonelki

    Looking for cheap drill bits?

    Thanks for the responses fellas! Bought 50 from widget, that should be enough to last awhile!:D
  18. jasonelki

    Athearn Blue Box SW1500 - Conrail 9615

    X2 :D Very nicely done.
  19. jasonelki

    Looking for cheap drill bits?

    Not bad Joe, I'm hoping some of the mad detailers jump in here, as they must have a source, or they somehow don't break them, which I'd love to know the secret!!
  20. jasonelki

    Looking for cheap drill bits?

    Does anyone have a good source for reasonably priced drill bits? I am looking at mostly #80 bits, and paying $2.50 for 2 at my LHS is getting a bit old, especially since they break very easy. :D Any ideas are much appreciated!! Jason




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