Teen Model Railroader Place August 2009

 Nice GG.

In SCRail news, i've got an idea to re-do my layout design a bit to get a much less crowded town space and also some more indsutry, though the msot I've drawn so far is a sketch.

As a reply to Alex's, Vincent's, and Jordan's posts...

Yes, Alex does own about half the shares of WRS stock. Actually, maybe we both own about 45% of the stock, then the last 10% are split between the other people who have helped with the railroad!

And what do you mean "spending plan?" We have had lengthy discussions about the GP40-2L(W) units (politically correct designation! ), the new cars (although I'm still a bit iffy on that; while I would like new cars, I can't justify them until I can stop plowing money into buildings, scenery, etc), new buildings, operating signals, maglevs, and Zarkoon Freight Teleportation Systems for an improvement in transit times and operating ratio!

Oops, I guess the attachment didn't work. Bah, I'll send it again when I get back from DC. It was something along the lines of Locos, then Fascia/Electrical, then Buildings, then Scenery, then Rolling Stock, then Vehicles, then lighting/signals. It was so amazing... 2 pages all in detail. Anyways... You'll get it when I get back from DC on like next monday or sometime...

The only thing I want to say now is do the Fascia and UT5s right now. Like... Get somehardboard(preferable) or 1/8" plywood to use as a fascia. Paint it if you use plywood, and cut holes for the UT5s. This, alone from scenery, will make the layout look more professional, and will be much easier to operate when you're not searching under benchwork forplaces to plug it in. At the same time I'd recommend getting the Micro Mark car routing system, and installing car card boxes in key locations. You're current car card arrangements are difficult to read,and the boxes are difficult to access under the layout, and don't look too hot. To reduce visual impact ofwhats under the layout, you can also add a curtain behind the hardboard/plywood, that extends to the floor, so guests/operators are not distracted by what's underneath the layout, and can focus on the layout itself.

Okay. Yoshi doesn't think I need a fascia, just a curtain. I'm going to build "mini-fascias" with the UP5 ports and waybill boxes mounted on them flush with the front of the layout. Then I'll hang the curtain behind that to hide all the junk under my layout. That should contrast enough against the black curtain to make it easily visible.

My waybills and car cards are fine, but I need to re-write a lot of them with neater handwriting, and the bill boxes need replacing. I thought about making them out of wood, but I think it'll be easier to buy them... I don't have many woodworking skills besides big stuff like benchwork.

Also, I noticed 9423's realistic speeds! Switching is fun (as long as you have clean tracks) when you have to worry about how long it takes to stop!

 lol, just be glad it ain't MY handwriting.

That's why I love Atlas locos. if the track is clean,. they run like a dream at slow speeds.

Yoshi doesn't but I do!

When I purchase my Micro Mark Stuff, I'll only be using like 20 of the Car Cards and Waybills, and a few of the others. That leaves you about 80 car cards/waybills, 20 loco cards, and the 2 Bill Boxes I don't need. That way you just need to invest in like 3 more boxes, and you'll have better looking cards! Even if you were to add 2" strips of masonite along the edge, it will still look better than painted foam.

When you get the Atlas GP40-2Ls I'd recomend setting CV3 and CV4 to 25 too because A, its prototypical to have locomotives going slowly upgrade, B, the stopping and starting looks much nicer, and C it has the same drive so they won't be fighting against each other.

Yes, the GP40-2L units will definetely have scale speeds... With sound () and scale speeds, the effect will be really neat!

We calculated the cost of fascias, and it wasn't that much money, but for the time and effort (and money saved) I can add mini-fascias and curtains. Anyway, I'm going to figure out new locations for bill boxes, and use one for each town. I don't know what I'll do in the yard area (I'll probably build that one) but I'll only need three others, in Mascoma, Enfield, and West Canaan.

Atleast put the billboxes on the layout egde. It isn't fun searching under your layout to find your cassettes...

 I think the mini-fascia is a great idea personally, but wrapping the foam edge in something that will discourage people sticking things in it would be smart. A black curtain with red mini-fasci with the boxes and also the UT5 panels would follow the WRS's paint scheme too. Also, the red would really stand out and make it easy to find the mini-fascia. Just my 2 cents.

My fascia is black foam. And the mini-fascias will have the bill boxes, UP5 panels, and my one reversing circuit switch mounted on them. Then the black curtain will hide all the junk beneath the layout from view. Every thing you'll ever need (save for refreshments and the bathrooms will be mounted on the mini-fascias. No more searching underneath the layout for stuff!

I think red mini-fascias would actually be too distracting. Black would work, and the bill boxes will have white labels, plus the UP5s are white already. They will stand out as they are.

TrainManTy

My fascia is black foam. And the mini-fascias will have the bill boxes, UP5 panels, and my one reversing circuit switch mounted on them. Then the black curtain will hide all the junk beneath the layout from view. Every thing you'll ever need (save for refreshments and the bathrooms will be mounted on the mini-fascias. No more searching underneath the layout for stuff!

I think red mini-fascias would actually be too distracting. Black would work, and the bill boxes will have white labels, plus the UP5s are white already. They will stand out as they are.

Yeah, I figured that would be. I still wouldn't paint them black, maybe a dark green or dark brown. 

One other thing you might look at would be putting small shelves by the mini-fascias

Why not black? There would be no visibility issues, and even a dark color would distract from the layout and contrast with the black skirt.

Yes, a sorting shelf will be part of the fascia, with place for operators to set down their waybills, uncoupling pick, etc. I don't allow food or drinks while operating (although I maintain the right to do so myself) but if I did, it would work to set those down too.

To be honest, the black painted foam doesn't look that great or professional. Covering that with a 2" strips of masonite between the "mini fascia" would make it look so much better!

Stick with one color too. Fascia should only be one color, and a dull one at that. Dark Greens and Tealish colors work, as does black, but when your Fascia is made up of different colored sections it detracts from the layout as a whole.

Very true... I agree completely. The thing I'm stuck on is priorities. Would I rather have spend several hours of modeling time and a bunch of money on a nice fascia, or something to improve the operation of the layout itself?

Just playing around with photos and Photoshop...

As an evening thunderstorm clears away, Train 403 heads west around Mascoma Lake.

- F/36, 2.0 seconds, at ISO 320. Light is provided by layout track lighting and a photo lamp with a difuse filter. (Actually, it's an old reading lamp with a floodlamp bump that I'm holding a piece of paper over, but it serves the same purpose!) The stormy sky was added in Photoshop.

#9423 leads 402 past Mascoma Lake.

- F/36, 4.0 seconds, at ISO 640. Light is just natural layout lighting, track lights.

Jordan, how'd you know what my bro did when I had a layout? I've found a flatcar stuck into the foam once.

GG, Just because they are the same engine from the same manufactuer doesn't mean they'll run at the same speeds. When I had 3 non-sound Gp30s and recieved 2752 (which I got for the sound/dcc chassis), I tested the 3 non-sounds. One ran a little different then the rest, so I stuck 2752 on that chassis. Same with 8569, since the chassis under one of my Gp9s was really close to my sound/dcc GP9.

BTW, don't knock on black painted foam. It makes good coal loads.

Ty, I like the second picture. Regarding fiascas, Defenitely go with one color, with some type of hardboard.

Tyler, definately go with the mini fascias, all black, with enough room for the UP5s, waybill boxes, shelves, and to cover the entire edge. I painted my plywood and foam edge black, and its horribly awful. When I start over on my new layout, I'll definately invest in some kind of fascia.
I remember a few years back in MR, there was something about how some guy used chalkboards for his fascia. That way, he could leave notes for operators and stuff.
Oh, and BTW, Nice job with those photos, especially the first one!

I had two Spectrum F40PHs whose speed didn't match. Maybe it had something to do with one being 8 years older than the other, but yeah...

I had set aside some of the money that I made to buy an airbrush, some paints, and two covered hoppers, but then I got the email about the $20 SW1500s from Atlas (even though they're made by Athearn). I think I'll get two, and then maybe I can still get the airbrush and paints

I'm just assuming that two locomotives, from the same run, will have the same chassis, decoders, and settings that they will run well in tandem. I've always been happy with how Atlas loks ran together, and you must remember, P2k Geeps have been in production for many years, through which there have been changes in the internal mechanism.

 Tyler, excellent photos!

hey joe, I sent you a friend request on facebook.

well guys, I'm stuck at the beach and I'd rather be home getting cranking on that shelf layout. shouldn't cost me anything for the benchwork (use some old wood we have), and wiring will hopefully cost me less than $20. The main thing is I don't have the shelf measurements and I really want to get started on the trackplan.

Hopefully they'll run together with Trainman GP38-2s...there's always CV adjustment, I guess.

If I'm already installing something over the foam, I'm actually going to go with a full fascia. Half the cost and effort goes into the joists to support the fascia, and if I'm putting them in, I'd rather spend a couple extra bucks and go the whole nine yards.

Thanks for the kind words on the photos. I'm still going to take more at a higher ISO at a longer exposure now that I know how to lock the mirror open in my camera. At 30 seconds, even that can shake the camera enough to blur the numberboards on an HO scale loco!

A big thumbs up to CSX for making our train 20 minutes late today! I don't know what went wrong, but we had a speed restriction and the dispatcher made us wait for all but one train we passed! That, and we were held just outside of Framingham station for no reason I could see, except maybe for a switch crew in the yard... Ah, the priority CSX gives to commuter trains!

How do you think I feel commuting to your house!

You better get that fascia done soon, because the Widecabs will be here by Christmas! Or you can ask for the Sound Equipped one for Christmas!

For us, there's always one of two things we can blame it on: A train stuck in the North River Tunnels, or Portal getting stuck open (yes, this does happen on a regular basis). At least they're working on getting it replaced...

Now I'm stuck. I had decided on what I could do with a hundred bucks. I could get a Blue Box SW1500 from Atlas, an airbrush, Walther's 2010 catalog, and some paints. But now Atlas announced the Gensets, which I would have to preorder by the end of the month. I'm leaning towards the Genset, but it would sit in primer gray for a while. I already have money set aside for whatever I want, but I don't want to spend more and more. I'll probably go for the Genset, though.

I think the MBTA is cutting back on repair to the Red Line fleet... So far this past two weeks there have been four disabled trains! One last Wednesday (got out and walked from Kendall), one this Wednesday (also walked from Kendall), one this morning (again, got off in Kendall, but this time walked to Copley Square and visited the Boston Library (which has an excellent book on the B&M and another on the B&A) before riding the Green Line back.

Then this afternoon I hung around to chat with some other volunteers, left for Kendall (the Green Line had almost nothing running for some reason) with plenty of time, and got on the train. We ran out onto the Longfellow Bridge and stopped. Then we stayed stopped...for half an hour!

I got out at the next station (Charles/MGH) and, since I could no longer make it to South Station before the train left, I sprinted clear across the city to Back Bay Station. I got down to track level to watch the lights of my train receed into the tunnel...

I hate disabled trains...

 Joe, if it's gonna be in primer, sjut get what you had wanted and pick up a genset when you have the money. they mgiht go on sale later on, and you can get a roadname that didn't sell and paint it up. no biggie

TrainManTy

I think the MBTA is cutting back on repair to the Red Line fleet... So far this past two weeks there have been four disabled trains!

Better than the "repair" that the MMC does. Hey, at least you weren't caught in this situation a few months ago...

About New York Arrival/Departure Delays of Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Northeast Corridor, North Jersey Coast Line and Midtown Direct service

NJ TRANSIT apologizes for the significant delay and inconvenience many of you experienced this morning.

At approximately 6 a.m., Morris & Essex Lines Midtown Direct train 6606 became disabled near Morristown Station due to a mechanical problem. Although the train was able to regain power, it continued to experience mechanical difficulties and was canceled at Newark Broad Street Station as a precaution. Train 6606’s passengers were transferred to following train 6610.

At approximately 7:10 a.m., train 6610 became mechanically disabled at Kearny Junction, where the Morris & Essex Lines connect to the Northeast Corridor. Train 6610 was able to regain power and continue to Secaucus Junction, where it was also canceled as a precautionary measure, with passengers transferred to trains 3550 and 3918. Resulting congestion caused delays of 15-20 minutes to Northeast Corridor, North Jersey Coast Line and Midtown Direct trains.

Unfortunately, at approximately 8 a.m., Northeast Corridor train 3918 became disabled in the South Tube due to a mechanical problem. An Amtrak rescue locomotive was dispatched to tow the train back into the station, and the train was cleared from the tunnel at approximately 9:10 a.m.

However, until the disabled train could be moved, all NJ TRANSIT and Amtrak trains in both directions were forced to share the single-track North Tube for service in and out of New York Penn Station. This caused significant delays to all trains ranging from 30-60 minutes throughout the morning peak period. In addition, some Midtown Direct trains were rerouted to and from Hoboken Terminal, where customers could use their rail tickets and passes at no additional charge to continue their trip via PATH.

Regrettably, some customers who were on the first disabled train, train 6606, were also on the other two trains that became disabled and incurred an even greater delay, arriving in New York more than two hours after train 6606 was scheduled to arrive.

At approximately 9:10 a.m., the South Tube was returned to service and normal operations resumed using both tunnels. Residual delays affected service through the mid-morning hours.

HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!! Just shows what great work the MMC does. Must have sucked to be on 6606 that day! That's a 3 1/2 trip aboard three trains on the FAILroad.

Sawyer- I already ordered the SW1500, just a few minutes ago (in BN, because that's all they have left). Just like what happens in my version of history, the state government (aka my parents) will help fund the Genset. I found a hobby shop up in Pt. Pleasant, so we'll have to head up there and order it by the end of the month.

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Here's a small update on my current kitbashing project. The most recent thing I've done was cutting off the steam pipes from the cylinders so I can make new ones as the original ones don't come up far enough on the boiler. The new rear truck is actually a pilot truck from some other engine that was in somebody else's (s)crapbox. Now that I have a torch, I have started to bend my piping for the FWH system. It is 1000x easier after you've annealed it. After I've made new steam pipes I will attach some new pilot steps and running boards above the cylinders.

I got some new acquisitions this week:


A BLI NW2 with sound and DCC.

Some cars that came with it.

I'm not changing roads or eras, I just happened to get a good deal on the NW2. I may end up repainting it for BN if I can't find a BN to swap it for it.

This is what I did today:

I finished most of the FWH piping on the engineer's side. The green stuff is the lagging on the larger pipe which is a thin strip of masking tape wound around the pipe and secured with CA. It's not perfect but for my first time ever doing something like that and my first ever project period, I am quite happy with it.