WPF June 6, 08

[O_Kamoto]

 Alright guys, hope you can see this,  to see more got to the Dixie Model Railroad website.

 

 

 

 BTW...   The ore train is 140 cars and that is the head end in the background.

-Dave

[jbinkley60]

 

This week's pictures are of my completed high current decoder adapter.  This is something I designed to allow me to DCC control my layout lighting, not draw power from the track (i.e. use an external power source), provides fixed DC voltage for Tortoises, and provide multiple lighting circuits for buildings.  This version has a much higher current rating than my original unit (up to 10A vs. 3A).  I am powering mine right now with a Magna Force MF615 for a 6A output limit.  An old power pack of transformer will also work.  It also has the variable output for interior building lighting that is controlled by the throttle setting and I added a second on/off section for exterior building lights and street lighting.  F0 and F1 each control independent on/off outputs.  Lastly, the fixed and switched voltage ranges are adjustable within a range, by selecting a value for R5.  No more stacking diodes to adjust the voltage on the fixed voltage regulator. 

Here's the schematic:

And a few pictures of my unit during construction.

 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

 

[modelmaker51]

 

This week's pictures are of my completed high current decoder adapter.  This is something I designed to allow me to DCC control my layout lighting, not draw power from the track (i.e. use an external power source), provides fixed DC voltage for Tortoises, and provide multiple lighting circuits for buildings.  This version has a much higher current rating than my original unit (up to 10A vs. 3A).  I am powering mine right now with a Magna Force MF615 for a 6A output limit.  An old power pack of transformer will also work.  It also has the variable output for interior building lighting that is controlled by the throttle setting and I added a second on/off section for exterior building lights and street lighting.  F0 and F1 each control independent on/off outputs.  Lastly, the fixed and switched voltage ranges are adjustable within a range, by selecting a value for R5.  No more stacking diodes to adjust the voltage on the fixed voltage regulator. 

Here's the schematic:

OOOOH! I want one of these! Cool gadget.

[C&O Fan]

Another shot of the New Kid on the Block, a PFM Rio Grande L-131 2-8-8-2 fresh out of the paint shop.  She's a little 'grindy', but you'd be too, if you hadn't been run since about 1970, LOL!

Snip

Wow Tom I really love that Loco

you can almost feel it breathing

What's the loco at the top left in the background ?

[Driline]

 

This week's pictures are of my completed high current decoder adapter.  This is something I designed to allow me to DCC control my layout lighting, not draw power from the track (i.e. use an external power source), provides fixed DC voltage for Tortoises, and provide multiple lighting circuits for buildings.  This version has a much higher current rating than my original unit (up to 10A vs. 3A).  I am powering mine right now with a Magna Force MF615 for a 6A output limit.  An old power pack of transformer will also work.  It also has the variable output for interior building lighting that is controlled by the throttle setting and I added a second on/off section for exterior building lights and street lighting.  F0 and F1 each control independent on/off outputs.  Lastly, the fixed and switched voltage ranges are adjustable within a range, by selecting a value for R5.  No more stacking diodes to adjust the voltage on the fixed voltage regulator. 

Here's the schematic:

And a few pictures of my unit during construction.

 

Impressive. You might want to think about selling this concept to NCE, Digitrax or maybe Tony's Train Exchange, and make a little "coin" on the side.

[twhite]

Wow Tom I really love that Loco

you can almost feel it breathing

What's the loco at the top left in the background ?

 

Terry--Thanks.  She's proving to be quite the puller, too.  If she's like my other PFM's, the 'grinding' will go away once she's worked in a while.  I honestly think I'm the first owner she's had that ever has RUN her!  It's caused from their rather strange articulated reduction gearing. 

The loco in the background is an Oriental Limited "Powerhouse" USRA-style 2-8-8-2 modeled after the Rio Grande's 3500 series from the early 1920's.  It's a combination of cast metal and brass.  Not really highly detailed, but a very smooth loco and so quiet all you can hear is the rods clanking. 

Tom

[C&O Fan]

Still playing with Mirrors (see last week's WPF for details).. My contributions this week:

Wabash # 1104 with 1104A in the lead crossing the bascule bridge out of the yard.

 

Wabash class O-1 4-8-4 #2907, same bridge

 

 

I like the idea and the use of a mirror is very clever but why not just set the camera on the track and take the photo

[C&O Fan]

My newest loco a Bachman 2-8-0 DCC with Tsunami sound get's pressed into service

pulling the 2 car local from Thurmond to Mt Hope

[jacon12]

Mike, that scene looks like a painting.  Very well done!  Man, I wish I was half that good.

Jarrell 

 

 Love the mist, Grampy's pics and those SP locos.

   An HO P2K B&M S1 makes an appearance on the OO scale UK side of my layout.

 

 

 Mike 

[jacon12]

 Love the mist, Grampy's pics and those SP locos.

   An HO P2K B&M S1 makes an appearance on the OO scale UK side of my layout.

 

 

 Mike 

Mike, that shot is just BEAUTIFUL!  How on earth did you get the algae in the stream?  Really superb modeling!!

Tom

I agree Tom.  I know a scene is spot on when I want to walk into it and wade around in the water.

Jarrell 

[rolleiman]

User "C&O Fan" wrote 

I like the idea and the use of a mirror is very clever but why not just set the camera on the track and take the photo

Read my post in Last weeks Weekend Photo Fun thread and you'll see why..

last week's WPF

 

In addition, with respect to my two posted photos, Impossible on my layout withOut a mirror. 

 

 

[C&O Fan]

User "C&O Fan" wrote 

I like the idea and the use of a mirror is very clever but why not just set the camera on the track and take the photo

Read my post in Last weeks Weekend Photo Fun thread and you'll see why..

last week's WPF

 

In addition, with respect to my two posted photos, Impossible on my layout withOut a mirror. 

 

 

Oh ok i see

My camera is a Cannon power shot and from the base to the center of the lens

is 6 HO scale feet and since it's small i can generally just set it right on the rail to get a good

eye level photo

[rolleiman]

Exactly... Your Canon also has a Live view, in that you can see the photo before taking it, or at least frame it up.. Setting an SLR on the rails (though some now have live view) also presents the challange of being able to see through the viewfinder. Doable with an eyepiece attachment but still easier to take the photo with a mirror.

[tatorsalad]

Nothing much done this week execpt I custom built myself a flatcar. It's almost complete, i'm just waiting on some decals.

 

[jasperofzeal]

If I were a rivet counter, this one would be easy to count: 0.   J/K, what materials did you use for construction?

[Geared Steam]

Great photos this weekend fellas. 

Mostly finished the gallows portion of my Atlas TT. I will cover it completely with planking and dress up the motor house. Not an original concept but one well worth doing. The gallows cost me about $5.00, the cables are actually stainless steel welding wire.

 

[twhite]

Geared Steam--

That's a honey of a turntable.  Kind of reminds me of the one on the old SP Keeler branch at Laws.  Nice work!

Tom

[tatorsalad]

If I were a rivet counter, this one would be easy to count: 0.   J/K, what materials did you use for construction?

Well rivets are kinda hard to do in n scale but the main material I used was styrene. 

[ukguy]

This weeks project was a scratchbuilt flatcar with load.

 

 

Great progress everyone.

 Karl.A

[twhite]

Karl--

That flatcar model is a STUNNER!  Kudos!!  Did I understand correctly that it only took you a WEEK to build it?  Amazing!

Tom

[Heartland Division CB&Q]

Karl .........WOW ,,,,,,Now that's a flat car!

[Grampys Trains]

Hi all: We were returning from a family function in Mapleton this weekend, and we were passing through Orbisonia, and I just had to stop and see if the EBT was still running. It is, and I caught this train just before it was ready to depart. I was chatting with the lady in the ticket booth, and I mentioned that I was glad the trains were still running, she told me, at least through this summer. The RR is for sale, and the two guys running it now, are elderly and not in great shape, physically and no one in their family is interested in running it.  So, the future of the EBT is not certain. Anyone interested in riding the EBT may want to do so in the very near future.  She also related to me that the shops were open this weekend (manned by volunteers). Unfortunately, I couldn't take the tour today.  And the shops are not always open.  Only when there are enough volunteers.  Here's a few pics I took today.

[tomkat-13]

    I have started on the roads....& grade crossings. (far from complete)

   Before:

   So far....

 

Any questions and/or comments welcomed....always looking to learn something new!

                     Related links on the layout:      http://cs.trains.com/forums/3/1436416/ShowPost.aspx#1436416

         http://cs.trains.com/forums/1433211/ShowPost.aspx

        http://cs.trains.com/forums/3/1405737/ShowPost.aspx#1405737

               http://cs.trains.com/forums/1417716/ShowPost.aspx

                   http://cs.trains.com/forums/3/1378506/ShowPost.aspx#1378506

http://cs.trains.com/trccs/forums/1315698/ShowPost.aspx

http://cs.trains.com/trccs/forums/1348379/ShowPost.aspx

[railroadnut675]

Tomorrow I start a six week summer program at USF for math, science and computers (I am not a nerd)

   There will probably be a lot of down time, so I can go to the Barnes and Noble on Campus and (hopefully) pick up July's MRR.

   May I also mention the 6 floor library? And Cafeteia? And gameroom?

 

Pillsbury 3 bay covered hopper; Answer to how I weathered this one at the bottom

 

 

 

 

An old Heidelberg reefer

 

 

And returning now is this fuel car.

 

 

 

 

Apologies for any low camera quality

Answer: the covered hopper isn't weathered at all." border="0" width="15" height="15" />

[wm3798]

We had another fun afternoon of running trains yesterday afternoon, and enjoyed meeting Dave Foxx and letting him run some of his nice looking C&O stuff.

We also had a total of 6 crew, and we set up this shot of the representative power that ran on the layout:

Following the mirth and mayhem of yesterday's run n' gun, I finally got around to shooting some more or less finished shots of the new track alignment at Ohiopyle.
Here's the view looking east.

I thought this shot looked enough like a languid August afternoon to be appropriate on this hot weekend.

Here's a series of a short freight making its way through the new works coming in from the west.

The train appears from the portal of the tunnel, and passes the new industrial track at the west end of Ohiopyle.

Slowing down from road speeds to pass through the switching area, the train approaches the crossover.

The dispatcher in Cumberland is moving him over to the wrong rail to allow him to pass a MOW gang working on the track up ahead.

The train clatters through the trackwork as it heads east toward Meyersdale and Sandpatch.

The train picks up speed as caboose 1891 clears the switch.

Meanwhile, the local, which was holding on the siding of the G.A. Smith Baking Company, gets ready to finish it's switching duties.

And just in time, the counter monkey at 84 Lumber finishes pulling the last hack of lumber from the WM bulkhead flat, that is due to be picked up and returned to Ridgely.

Lee

[ukguy]

Thanks Tom and Garry,

 I just went back to my last post and replaced the original photos with new ones.

 I started it Weds morning Tom before work, a couple of hours per day and finished it this morning. Thanks for the remarks.

 Karl.A

[outdoorsfellar]

.... of days gone by.

[tomkat-13]

    And just in time, the counter monkey at 84 Lumber finishes pulling the last hack of lumber from the WM bulkhead flat, that is due to be picked up and returned to Ridgely.

Lee

The lighting looks so real!.......Was this taken in real sunlight?.....Nice job!....

[chadw]

As usual, there is some really awesome stuff on here!

I have a couple prototype pics.  I went to the Greenbank station earlier today, (remember the 2x8 contest) and caught the W&W train there.

First a pic of 4-4-0 #98

Next is SW-1 #114

And finally the old depot and water tower.

That's actually the Yorklyn depot.  It was moved to Greenbank in 1968.