This was a bit of work to get this synchronized, but it's getting easier. New York Central and Santa Fe freights on the two top loops. This is pretty much what I had in mind when I started this adventure:
Two Full Freight Runs On Top Level
of course there was a bit of trial and error involved - as shown below:
Caboose In Free Fall
Frank, you have done it again....Looks great.
Dennis
TCA#09-63805
RIP Chewy - best dog I ever had.
Jim Fortner wrote:Ha! One car too many! Great video, I hope no cabeese were injurred in the making of this motion picture?
No cabeese were injured. However, the guy who was sweeping the floor ain't ever going to be the same:
Nice FRANK, how do you keep em apart? From not hitting each other TMCC? or the BURNS activator?
laz57
Frank.....Very nice conventional action. I see that the two levels share the same reverse loops. Now, I understand what you were talking about, concerning your wiring blocks. Great looking layout !!!!!
Chuck
Kinda like watching synchronized swimming...just don't leave the room to fix a sandwich.
Certainly glad that no trains were harmed in the making of this video; or else Pammy and those folks from PETT (People for the Ethical Treatment of Trains) would be picketing outside your front door...
All I could think when the caboose got clipped was...
WHOA! WHOA!! WHOA!!! WWWWWWHHHHHOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Poor Amish guy... Frank you need to take it easy on him! Hopefully he wasn't your carpenter or construction is going to be taking a huge hit!!!Brent
Caboose my eye! He rammed that caboose with a 2343! Is that any way to treat that locomotive?!
Jim
Modeling the Baltimore waterfront in HO scale
Thanks for the compliments folks.
ATSJer wrote:All I could think was how much that just cost!
Luckily, I have a vast supply of $5 and $10 cabesse.
Frank,I have been waiting a very long time for that video!
Now spill the beans on the track isolation solution! I didn't see your trains slow down, did I?
Wes
Wes Whitmore wrote: Frank,I have been waiting a very long time for that video!
not nearly as long as I have - I had to start with this:
and yes, that IS a pizza box lid holding up the track in the corner.
There are four blocks - the top level, the lower level and one for each loop. It's a little tricky getting them synced, and there is a flaw in the system where they briefly are both powered on the same block. But for the most part, the theory works - I just need to see if I can clean up the execution.
Well let me know when you finalize, and if you can, shoot a video of just one train going through the block and waiting. i would like to see that.
thanks!
Doug Murphy 'We few, we happy few, we band of brothers...' Henry V.
Frank, I thoroughly enjoyed your video. Your Santa Fe crew should be brought up in front of the FRA for drug testing for running that red signal.
Since I have similar loops, I have an emergency power off button. During the Christmas season, Home Depot or Loews sell a remote control on/off switch that you can use for your outdoor lights. The remote control is fairly small, about the size of a remote control for your car. I have used the remote many times when the "kids" are running the trains. I actually wear the switch on a lanyard around my neck. One click and the whole layout goes dark.
Celebrating 18 years on the CTT Forum.
Buckeye Riveter......... OTTS Charter Member, a Roseyville Raider and a member of the CTT Forum since 2004..
Jelloway Creek, OH - ELV 1,100 - Home of the Baltimore, Ohio & Wabash RR
TCA 09-64284
Ha ha Frank - that is great! BTW - what hit the floor first? SInce the video abruptly stops as the caboose falls - I can only assume you dropped a $400 video cam to save the caboose - priorities - right!
Looks great!
Regards, Roy
I think you use that emergency killswitch for more than just kids...:)
Wes Whitmore wrote: I think you use that emergency killswitch for more than just kids...:)Wes
Did I need to hit the kill switch when you ran the trains? I had to hit is six or seven times when the Chief was running the trains.
Frank, the image of that caboose getting clipped by the Santa Fe reminds me of the scene in "Emperor of the North" when they are Highballing out of the yard. I really enjoyed it.
Great video Frank. I must have inherited some of the same sets you have from my father. I have the Santa Fe F3 AA set, and the NYC F3 AA set running too. I get a real kick out of the fact that I inherited a Lehigh Valley hopper from my dad, and I now live in the Lehigh Valley. I love your layout keep the great pictures and videos coming.
Scott
God bless TCA 05-58541 Benefactor Member of the NRA, Member of the American Legion, Retired Boss Hog of Roseyville , KC&D Qualified
jaabat wrote: Caboose my eye! He rammed that caboose with a 2343! Is that any way to treat that locomotive?!
Thats what made me cringe...hope those number boards survived! Neat video Frank! Wondered if you could do some remote switching and get them swapping lines? Maybe have the upper dedicated to "Westbound" and the lower "Eastbound" then swap around at random; Might add some additional excitement to the operation... Are the blocked sections of track absolutely necessary? I could envision running them both off one handle like that with no blocks as long as the engines and their consists are matched pretty well speed-wise.
Nicest looking PW setup and operation I've ever seen....on a wall no less!
Roland
ChiefEagles wrote:Fire the engineer.
To be Frank, Frank - that's probably the solution!
As far as switching at this level, I was going to just let these switches run themselves using teh auto de-rail feature. I may hook switch controllers to them anyway just to have the extra flexibility.
I don't see this being able to run off a single handle, as the speed match between two trains would need to be perfect or eventually one would catch up with the other.
It's nice to see trains running on your layout! You could use the groundrails to keep the tains from hitting eachother (the second train only runs if the first train is on a isolated part, like explained in ctt a few months ago) The nonderail function of the switches however works wonderfull!
Hey Frank,
I just saw some recent photos of your layout over on the MTJ site. If you don't have the makings for a featured CTT layout article, no one does! Excellent photos of some terrific handiwork!
you are too kind, Jim.
seeing as how I am down to 17 days to get this to a reasonable state - howsabout you taking a Florida vacation for the next few weeks and givin' me a hand?
I'd love to, Frank, but it looks like you are doing an excellent job by yourself! Far better than anything I could do!
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