Overhead lines repair. Pantographs were getting stuck on a big solder blob (why this was not an issue originally and suddenly became one is a mystery, but it was definitely a bit of work I wanted to do better on anyway), but things are tided up and trolley service has been resumed.
#ModelTrolley #ModelTram #NScale #NScaleTraction

Working on scenery.

My layout is mostly urban, so the scenery so far is an empty lot with weeds growing in it.

#ModelTrain #ModelTrolley #ModelTram #ModelRailroad #NScale

Making it B&W so it looks like an old movie :)

#NScale
#ModelTram
#ModelTrolley
#ModelTraction
#MicroLayout
#Noir #FilmNoir

Here's the atmospherically illuminated layout.

#NScale #ModelTram #ModelTrolley #ModelTraction #MicroLayout

More work on streetlights for my #NScale #ModelTram/#ModelTrolley/#ModelTraction #MicroLayout. I've been using tiny LED's inside of beads. The beads turn into nice warm-glowing lamp globes, but they have holes all the way through and bright light was shining out the top, so I needed to put opaque caps on top (which most globe-shaped streetlights actually have, anyway).

I tried just dabbing paint but it wasn't opaque enough. So I painted some electrical tape, and cut out little circles with a home-made tool. It's a piece of brass tubing which I sharpened with a Dremel. The little circles of tape got stuck in the tube so I used a rod to push them out (which meant having to remove the sharpened tool from the pin-vise handle each time, which is a little awkward, but it's a small layout and I didn't have to do too many.

This is a useful jig for testing if you are doing things with #LED's: 9v battery fixture, alligator clips, and resistor (so the LED doesn't explode).

I'm working on streetlights for my #NScale #ModelTrolley layout.

#modelrailroad #modelrailway #modeltram #modeltrolley #modeltraction #tram #trolley

Soldered up a little testing thingie in preparation for making and installing streetlights. (Note the resistor--if you don't put some resistance in series with LED's, they literally explode). #modelrailroad #modelrailway #modeltram #modeltrolley #nscale #nsacletraction

I've been wanting to add working streetlamps to my trolley layout for a long time, and finally found something that works.

I tried using plastic beads as lamp globes and illuminating them from LED's under the layout via fiber optics, but never could get the fibers to absorb or disperse the light very well.

I ordered some super-cheap model streetlights from AliExpress. They lit up nicely, but the lamps themselves were way too big.

But *inside* those lamps were some insanely small LED's. And putting those LED's in the beads works pretty well.

You can get tiny LED's from other sources, obviously, but these worked out to about $1 each, and they come attached to convenient lead wires.

#NScale #nscaletraction #modeltrain #ModelTrolley #modeltram #modelrailroad

@hulavikih Yeah, it'd be nice to get that going. I used keep touch with modellers via email lists; FB pretty much killed those, but I never felt like FB gave me the same kind of connections. Let's also kick off #modeltrolley #modeltrolleys #modeltram #modeltrams #modeltraction and #nscaletraction!

Btw, I have a trolley-themed blog: http://nkncat.blogspot.com/

I'll add a random picture of one of my trams.