Ed: Thank you for all that information.
I was planning on using my signals to represent route selection and turnout position on my layout. However, I am thinking the signals really should "do something" as the train passes.
It sounds like the system you are using would really fill the need for what would look right.
I am going to be looking into a few options for signalling. I have plenty of time to decide.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
SeeYou190The new signal bridge sounds like it is quite a project. Is this the most complicated signal component you will have?
Thanks for asking, Kevin.
This bridge spanning four tracks is my largest as far as the number of signal heads (arms) but it really isn't too complicated if I look at it in small bites.
The outer two signals will control movements at the ends of sidings entering the main. If the respective turnout is not aligned they will show absolute stop. The inner two signals will control movents on the main line.
There are modelers who go for full signal protection and their systems are geared for detection and occupancy of a track. I much prefer to use the Signal Animator from Logicrail to make the signals "do stuff".
When I watch an engine pass a permissive signal, it "drops" to red or stop for any train following. This is through an I-R detector or a photocell on my older signals I haven't upgraded yet. This makes for somewhat realistic appearance. The signal will stay red as the train passes over the detector.
Once the IR or photocell is uncovered a timer will start, I have mine set to 30 seconds, then the signal will go to medium, then after another 30 seconds clear.
Sure, IF the train stops with the caboose just past the photocell the signal may go to green but this doesn't happen often and I can live with a few compromises.
If there is a turnout or if the direction of traffic changes the Signal Animator board can be overridden to hold the signal at stop or the most restricting aspect.
As far as most complicated I would say there is a signal bridge I put in a couple years back that was a little involved. The bridge was just before the beginning of a siding that went to the staging yard. I wanted to show a "diverging medium" aspect , red over flashing yellow over red, so the engineer knew he was taking the siding. As the train passed the signal it dropped to all red. Getting the flashing yellow was a challenge until I figured out how to use a circuit for a FRED flashing rear end device to incorporate into the final wiring.
Here is the signal showing the main line clear:
IMG_2752fix1 by Edmund, on Flickr
This is what makes it all work:
IMG_2745fix by Edmund, on Flickr
Another recent project was the working semaphore:
I really enjoy watching the signals "do their thing" while the trains are running.
Just one more fun aspect of the hobby that can be very rewarding.
IMG_3607_fix by Edmund, on Flickr
Cheers, Ed
Timmy: I have obtained a few custom decals for lumber companies through trades, and most of them have the word "creek" in the name. I do not know if that is typical or not in the real world. CEDAR CREEK LUMBER, BEAVER CREEK LUMBER, and BLACK CREEK LUMBER are three of them. I like the way "creek" sounds with lumber.
Maybe you could tie it in with DEMON HOLLOW and make it ANGEL CREEK LUMBER?
I love the cat. Jack did not show up this week and I thought we might have no cats.
Allan: I will always like seeing picture of F units in the SANTA FE warbonnet scheme. Absolutely the best for my eye.
Shane: That four inches you added will certainly make your trains look better. Having some scenery in from of the train is a huge improvement.
Thanks to everyone that contributed this week. I have enjoyed all the pictures. I hope I did not miss anyone.
See you all next week.
I added 4 inches to the side to add the low relief scenery
Shane
A pessimist sees a dark tunnel
An optimist sees the light at the end of the tunnel
A realist sees a frieght train
An engineer sees three idiots standing on the tracks stairing blankly in space
Thanks Kevin for starting WPF.
My thanks to everyone who contributed this week. Some spectacular modeling on display here.
Following Garry's suggestion about just running trains:
Santa Fe F7 #334 rounds the curve at the west end of the BRVRR layout with a six car streamlined passenger train. Number 334 is one of the oldest locomotives on the layout.
Keep the photos and ideas coming guys. Thanks to you WPF is always the best thread of the week.
Remember its your railroad
Allan
Track to the BRVRR Website: http://www.brvrr.com/
Little Timmy BTW: I need a name for my lumber company..... was thinking of calling it Tillamook Tramway..... or, Tomohawk lumber co . ??? Im open to suggestions .
BTW: I need a name for my lumber company..... was thinking of calling it
Tillamook Tramway..... or, Tomohawk lumber co . ??? Im open to suggestions .
Nice modeling and it's good to hear from you Timmy. It looks like you've been busy.
I guess I'm partial to Tomahawk Lumber Company because my friend Lee from back in high school grew up on Tomahawk Resort on the other side of the lake.
I know this is a spear but I like this boxcar. Don't know why I haven't bought it yet but it just went up $5
TF
Oh, I almost forgot ...
I had some help "rearanging" my paint bottles ...
Rust...... It's a good thing !
Sorry I havent been posting here as much as I use to. Been having some trouble logging on.
Anyways ... My " Buffalo Brine" refeer is still staring at me from the bench. I got all the hardware for the doors and such, but Im just not ready to tackle the new sides just yet.
Meanwhile, I went on a decaling bender...
I also finally got around to finishing my Tichy ore cars...
the "prototype car" that all the others will eventually look like...
And then ..... it happened ..... I was digging around in my "junk bin" ( you know.... looking for something, but I dont know what...)
and for some reason I pulled out these parts...
N ow with all my other projects going on, will I ever do anything with these parts ?...
( Im thinking they will build into a nice little paycar for my lumber company.
Peter: Thank you contributing another of your outstanding photographs. They are all so beautiful. I look forward to these every week.
Ground Effects: Thank for the picture of the little donut shop. The lighting on the sign loooks great.
Ed: I am glad to hear you liked the new Signalling book from our hosts at Kalmbach Media. Mine has not arrived yet. The new signal bridge sounds like it is quite a project. Is this the most complicated signal component you will have?
Happy Sunday to all. Thank you to all that have contributed so far. Hoping for others to join in. There is still time.
Everyone is displaying some fantastic work here
I'm continuing on my signal kick. I just got the new Signals & Interlockings book that has been touted in another thread. Yes, it is well worth the cover price (I found one for $19 and free shipping).
My latest PRR bridge will span four tracks and have eight heads. (56 LEDs!)
PRR_position-light-oa by Edmund, on Flickr
Oregon Railway Supply used to offer this nice PC board and they supplied some nice yellow LEDs that look very close to what the PRR PL signals used.
PRR_position-light by Edmund, on Flickr
Not a strong yellow but more of a pale yellow.
I remember riding the Broadway back in 1971 and arriving in Altoona around 2 AM. Looking out the back windows of the (B&O) observation car it was neat to see so many PRR signals lit up. I'm trying to recreate that memory.
NS-PRR signal bridge, Tipton, PA night by John Leopard, on Flickr
Howdy..... Acknowledging those who commented on my photo. Thank you to Ed, Jimmy, David, TF, Harrison, Rick, Kevin, Mel, Ringo, and anyone I missed.
Ed: I'm impressed with your FP7 and your GG1.
Jimmy ..... Your 3D printed mine car with track looks great.
David... Nice UK diesels. Your little people scene shows a lot of activity.
TF... Nice locomotives. The GN brass model is very beautiful.
Harrison.... Thanks for sharing the video with your layout progress.
Rick ... Big congratulations upon your retirement. The DTSL hopper, the ALM boxcar, and the PRR FP7's look good.
Simon.... I like the logging locomotive. Good to hear your club is getting back to being active.
Mel..... Your tribute to Randy is exceptionally nice.
Ringo.... Among your interesting photos, I saw a very impressive ore dock. Really nice !
Mick.... Thanks for sharing your comparrison of speakers.
Peter ..... Your outstanding photo this week does a great job of capturing a mood.
Groundeffects... That is a very nice donut shop.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
Here is a project I completed this last week:
This is a N scale model of the Walthers "Hole in One" donut stand. For more info there is another thread (started last night) the discribes the building of this display. I would like to eventually incorporate this into a future N scale layout.
Kevin, Thanks for starting the WPF, seeing an ol' Athearn blue box kit always makes me feel good.
Rick, Happy retirement, more time for model railroading!
Ed, Always enjoy your pics and 'just run trains' is some great advice.
Thanks to all the contributors and viewers, have a good May day weekend. Regards, Peter
This has been a great edition of Weekend Photo Fun so far, and as Ed said, there is still plenty of the weekend left for more.
Simon: That little shay looks like it is working hard to earn its keep.
Mel: Your custom work on that boxcar is a fitting tribute to our lost mate. Randy will be sorely missed by these forums.
Ringo: What can I say about my love for SD45s, good trade! They are one of my very favorite locomotives. Truly awesome and powerful looking machines. Back when I modeled 1968 in N scale, Kato made the N scale model of this beast just before I switched to HO scale. I had a couple of them, but they were never painted. The STRATTON AND GILLETTE never had a finished SD45.
Scott: Thank you for sharing the photos of your layout. It looks great. Please feel free to join us over in "Show Me Something" during the week. I like the Mel project with a Cary body on the Athearn chassis. Good stuff.
Ed: Your collection of GG1s must be massive. I am glad to hear you are happy with this newest addition. I hope you are also happy with the new cat!
David: That is a great scene with all the happy little people about. I would be looking at the cakes too!
Micktropolis: That new speaker sure is massive compared to the old one. It is good to hear that the upgrade addressed an issue that was bothersome for you. Great work.
Not a whole lot from me this week. I was looking at speaker soulutions for my brass 2-10-2 that has a vanderbilt tender which are nortoriously difficult to open. I figure I might try a speaker in the smokebox but wasn't sure how to go about doing so. I came across Scale Sound Systems and their boiler barker speaker and I plan on ordering a few at least, when the time comes.
But I also saw that they had a replacement speaker for the Athearn Big Boy. After watching the youtube video demonstration, I bought one.
The stock speaker is on the right, the SSS on the left if it wasn't apparent. One of the issues I had with the stock speaker setup was the articulated chuff drowning out the whistle at speed even after my CV tweaking. With the SSS it's all very clear and full sounding, and I didn't change any CVs after installing.
I'm actually surprised Athearn would waste all of that space in the tank. I'll reuse the Athearn speaker on another locomotive but color me impressed with Scale Sound Systems.
That was my only major project for the last week or two. I'm waiting on a gear puller now to regear my little UP 0-6-0 and remotor it with a Minebea 15mm square motor but besides that, I've just been clenaing house getting rid of old shirts, model kits that I don't plan on building, old statues and figures, and generally trying to reduce the amount of 'stuff'.
The Backshops - A blog dedicated to modeling projects
Lovely pictures by everyone once again.
Little people at the crossing. --
Maurice on his bicycle. Little Tommy looking at his favorite cakes. Mrs Murray on her way to the Bakers. Ron Henderson delivering coal. And more --.
David
To the world you are someone. To someone you are the world
I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought
Really enjoying the contributions!
I need another GG1 like I need another cat. This week I got both
PRR_4880-GG1-a by Edmund, on Flickr
Well, I have a fourteen-car Congressional Limited and Broadway just released their silver-painted G. Not my favorite look but, well, the Congo has to be complete, right?
PRR_4880-GG1 by Edmund, on Flickr
— and, from the other end:
Congo_tail by Edmund, on Flickr
This guy pulls all 14 cars up a 2% grade with barely any hesitation.
Plenty of weekend left, folks!
Sorry that I missed last week. Was out of town.
More great stuff including Mel's tribute to Randy.
Thought I would show off a short freight train passing the local passenger train still being pulled by steam.
I'm also starting a Mel project. Dug out my old Cary E-7 body and Athearn SD-40 chassis and will be create another E unit for the CNW fleet.
Great start to the weekend.
Scott Sonntag
Great work, since I posted.
I have my pic via facebook upload, si perhaps that's affecting it for some. I'll look for another uploading site and try again later today
(My Model Railroad, My Rules)
These are the opinions of an under 35 , from the east end of, and modeling, the same section of the Wheeling and Lake Erie railway. As well as a freelanced road (Austinville and Dynamite City railroad).
Kevin- Thanks for getting us started! Boxcar looks great!
Garry- Thats a great looking scene. Love that steam engine
Ed-Those FP7s look great. Can't wait to see them pulling a train!
Jimmy- I can't view you picture for some reason, but Im sure it looks great!
David- Good looking locos! I like the guy with the story
TF- Those are great looking locos! Somthing about that ATSF Steamer and those mine carts look odd, but fitting at the same time! I like it!
Harrison- Layout is looking good!
Rick- The cars look great as always. Now that I'm planning a bigger layout, I hope to be able to run some 60' cars
Simon- Nice shot! I've always like lumber railroads
Mel- Thats a very good tribute. They look amazing. I never knew Randy on a personal level but he always gave good advice. He will me missed by many. RIP
This week I traded my F45 for a SD45, Very happy with it.
I sent in my submition for Athearns Primed for grime contest
I was pretty happy with it but a lot of very talented people entered and I did not win. Was still a great time and I hope they do anotherone again soon!
Finally got around to installing DCC in my DC fleet. First up was WSOR 701
I started a new job last week and I found out the Tri-County MRR club was just around the corner so I stopped in there to get an application and to check out the layout. It's really impressive. I hope to be back next week to run some trains.
Here they're shooting the oceanspray commercial!
Hope to see more great contributions this weekend!
Kevin looks like a good start for the WPF, I like the color of your kit!
Garry, I simply love little people, great scene!
Ed, slick bezel, very nice "15s".
Jimmy, another little people!
David always has little people, great!
TF, slick looking steam, I love steam!
Harrison, coming along very nice, keep up the good work.
Rick, your cars always look soooo good.
Simon, another steam and it's a Shay.
This WPF post is my tribute to the best DCC (and Arduino) Guru ever on any forum. I bought two cars off eBay and one arrived on Monday. Not sure if just one car would be nice enough for a Randy car so I bought a pair, this car is like new and in perfect condition.The second car arrived yesterday, while the first was in pristine condition for a used car the second car needs a bit of work. It has a missing end ladder and break wheel. The internal weights were rattling around and it has glue here and there all of which can be rectified fairly easy. I don’t really get into freight cars and these will be the first Walthers cars on my layout.It didn’t take many minutes to crank out the decals and I think the first car looks perfect.
RIP Randy. My thoughts and prayers are with your family, you will be missed by thousands of model railroaders world wide. Mel My Model Railroad http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/ Bakersfield, California I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
That's a great start for WPF!
Here is a picture I took at our club a few years ago. Our club will be re-opening soon - I look forward to seeing my club buddies!
Simon
DSC_0086 on Flickr
This has been a great start for the new Weekend Photo Fun. Thank you to everyone that has taken the time to post so far.
Garry: That is a great picture of your layout. I love steam locomotives pulling passenger trains.
Ed: Those FP7s are good looking engines. Is there something special about an FP7 B unit? I was under the impression FP7As used normal F7Bs as boosters.
Jimmy: Your printed mine car looks good. It looks like if I am going to keep up, I will need to get a 3D printer in a few years.
David: I really like the picture of your various locomotives. They are a handsome bunch.
Post Hog: That brass 4-6-2 looks great. It looks like it is an very early Pacific style locomotive. Great colours.
Harrison: Thank you for keeping us updated about the progress on your layout. I look forward to your posts and your enthusiasm for the hobby.
Rick: Congratulations on the retirement. It took me about an entire year before I fully decompressed from work and was able to forget about everything. I am so relaxed now. The DT&S hopper looks great. It seems like not very many prototype covered hopper cars are painted oxide red, so seeing one makes it stand out, to me at least.
Good morning from partly cloudy and mild Northeast Ohio, after yesterdays rain looking forward to some sun today.
Officially RETIRED yesterday, only have to go in if they have a problem they can't solve themselves.
Kevin,thanks for starting us out with your find, hope you get back to modeling soon.
Garry, another fine picture of your layout, I never get tired of looking at them!
Ed, great looking engines, I have a pair of A units, but I had to install the extra long couplers to keep the passenger car coupled to the engine from fouling its trip pin on the front of the engine.
Jimmy, same here, also when I look at you photos on my I-Phone it locks up the thread and I have to start it over and skip over your entry quickly.
David, good looking but strange looking engines compared to US prototypes.
TF, I see you took the plunge, nice looking locomotives, I need to start painting my brass steamers, will have more time now that I am retired.
Harrison, good progress on your layout.
This week's completed projects!
Bowser 1958CF ACF Covered Hopper Kit, painted with Scalecoat II Boxcar Red and lettered with Herald King Decals. The Detroit and Toledo Shoreline had several hundred of these cars. They were used to haul Silica sand out of Rockwood, MI, they usually picked up 35 cars of day of this high iron content sand that was primarily used in glass making in Toledo and up in Canada, also was used in the manufacture of leaded glass and toothpaste.
Athearn 60' FMC Boxcar kit, painted with Scalecoat II B&M Blue, Silver and Grimy Black Paints. The Arkansas Louisiana Missouri served several paper plants and these cars hauled paper from a Internation Paper Co plant located online.
Since Ed had his FP7, here is my pair pinch hitting on the Broadway Limited running on the Strongsville Club Layout.
Rick Jesionowski
Rule 1: This is my railroad.
Rule 2: I make the rules.
Rule 3: Illuminating discussion of prototype history, equipment and operating practices is always welcome, but in the event of visitor-perceived anacronisms, detail descrepancies or operating errors, consult RULE 1!
Kevin- thanks for starting and nice car. Your S&GRR cars are not getting as much mileage as they used to, but they are still being run on the module.
Garry- Your layout never stops providing great photos.
Ed- Now you have me thinking about a bunch of DCC projects I've been putting off. Looks like a great engine though!
Jimmy- For whatever reason I can't see your photo, probably just me though.
David- It's refreshing to see some UK prototypes for a change. Keep them coming!
TF- Beautiful locomotives. I've actually never ran a N scale steam locomotive.
I posted a short update video on my YouTube page the other day that I thought I'd share. Enjoy, and have a great weekend!
https://youtu.be/wuCvvlZCpMk
Harrison
Homeschooler living In upstate NY a.k.a Northern NY.
Modeling the D&H in 1978.
Route of the famous "Montreal Limited"
My YouTube
Good morning
Thanks for starting WPF Kevin. I like the Penn Falls box car kit. Taylor Falls is an hour away from my home, so I wish I had a Taylor Falls box car kit. Then I would have TF in the diamond instead of PF
Enjoyed the CB&Q Garry and the city scene on your layout looks great. I had a similar locomotive delivered this week.
Congrats on adding the PRR FP7's to your roster Ed. Nice! I look forward to seeing the update on your signal lights. I know you've been working hard on them and can't wait to see the updated results.
I'll be interested to see the paint and weathering job you do on your mining car Jimmy. I got some low bodied ones that are similar not long ago.
Love those over the pond locomotives David Thank you for being such a great host in the Diner this month. All your dedication was greatly appreciated.
Amazing story of that little dog Bobby in Scotland that would go to his master Greyfriars grave everyday after he past. That was one loyal Dog!
I had recent deliveries of a Key Brass GN 4-6-2 and a CB&Q 4-8-4 Northern, 52' Tender with quad wheel trucks.
Thank you, Keep em comming please!
Kevin. Thanks for starting WPF. A good looking boxcar.
Garry. A lovely scene. I do like to see trains in the scenery. Thanks.
Ed Lovely looking FP7
Jimmy A nice looking mine car.
My contribution. Class 47 47711 Greyfriars Bobby passing Leeds Sovereign Street Station on its way to Crown Point Yard.
Class 37 37417 Highland Region, 47711 and Class 52 D1035 Western Yeoman at Crown Point Yard. At the rear is the figure of John King. He has a Yard Pass to take photographs.
I must finish the ballasting.
Kevin: always nice to have new equipment
Garry: beautiful scene as always. The sky looks perfect.
Kevin: nice find.
Here's mine: its a mine car and tracks for an abandoned coal mine Im installing on the club layout. I drew it up in sketchup,and printed it out. I need to make the ties thicker though