Teen Model Railroad Place February 2010

[WCfan]

Time for a new place.

Old Thread.

http://cs.trains.com/trccs/forums/t/166083.aspx?PageIndex=9

[Railfan Alex]

Cool.

My layout hasn't really moved forward, I've gotten busy with other things again...

Joe, congrats on continuing to make progress on your layout.

You guys need to be my motivator, i.e. push me to do work on mine.

[Anonymous]

Railfan Alex

You guys need to be my motivator, i.e. push me to do work on mine.

PEER PRESSURE! 

I've been working on my schedule. I'll post it when it's done.

[Anonymous]

The new schedule is up on my blog. I also have a new video!

Video - Chasing train NAWJ
Chasing intermodal hotshot NAWJ (Nashua, NH - White River Jct., VT) over the White River Southern Railroad. We'll meet business train extra LECD-1 in Ogden Siding and see some overhead views of the train on the Mascoma Lake Grade.

[ns3010]

TrainManTy

Railfan Alex

You guys need to be my motivator, i.e. push me to do work on mine.

PEER PRESSURE! 

Don't submit to peer pressure! The only right choice is your choice!

Tyler, I like the schedule. It makes it easier to understand how the railroad operates.

[IVRW]

Okay, so I said it was dirty track. Now, I dont know what it is. Ive stopped the phenomena of trains moving a few mm and then the system beeping. Now, the trains have full power, but wont move. One putters along at .000000000000000000000000001 MPH, jittering all along, but thats it. I put some metal across the track to see if the system would respond and it did. The locos could have VERY dirty wheels and cant receive power because of it, or their decoders could be fried. Also, it could be the DCC system itself. I hope to take the locos and system to a hobby shop test track and see if they are the problems or not. Any input?

[ns3010]

I believe I remember you saying something once about having Bmann DCC On Board locos. They're ***.

On my GP50, the rear headlight is always on, whether I turn it on or not. The loco doesn't move. When I switch directions, the rear headlight stays on, and the front headlight doesn't activate, and the loco still doesn't move...

Bmann's QC is either lacking or nonextant. But both my Spectrum F40s run/ran fine (I only have one, because the first one died, and I was able to get a cheap replacement, but I'd had it for years before it died)...

[IVRW]

I do not have Bmann decoders. The DCC system is supposed to run a DC loco when set at "00," But even that isnt working. I have an idea. Maybe the wheels are dirty. In that case, I will clean a section of track and take an unused loco and see if it goes. This could show if it is dirt or electrical. But remember, I have a Bazillion papers a week, and now two unit exams as of today, so it might be a few months before I go down stairs. I SO wish they could run right now, because I remember the good feeling I had when they were running at the train show that felt like eating a 1000 ice cream sundays.

[RailfanS]

ALEX.....................

It's 8:00PM................

Have you worked on you layout today?

Okay got that out of my system,

 As for your loco problems John, that sounds quite strange. You said they moved but only at a crawl? Must be a DCC thing, I don't have a clue. For me it's either they run or they don't. Also what was your DCC system again?

IVRW

But remember, I have a Bazillion papers a week, and now two unit exams as of today, so it might be a few months before I go down stairs. I SO wish they could run right now, because I remember the good feeling I had when they were running at the train show that felt like eating a 1000 ice cream sundays.

 Hope you find the problem soon. If I had that much school work I'd need to run my trains every day to preserve my sanity.

In local news,

I got the parts in for my SD40-2 today. I have to admit, I was amazed how simple a Kato mechanism is. Within a half hour I had the entire mechanism moved to the new frame (the old one got distroyed while I was "trouble shooting" the electrical problem) including the new curicut board. I also confermed that the old board was the cause of the electrical problem. When I pulled it off the loco I noticed a large crater on the underside where it had burnt out. I haven't been able to use this loco in at least 2 years, so it's like getting a new one

Well, see you all next time,

Jamie

[ns3010]

John, sounds to me like it's the system and not the locos then. You should probably get that thing checked.

Jamie, sweet that you got it running again.

Well, my Spanish paper is more or less done, and I was able to convince my mom to let me begin on the layout soon!

[IVRW]

*Runs "puffing and chuffing" up the stairs and screams YES to the world* It was as I thought!!!! The Track was so dirty, I now need a new track eraser. 2 of my 3 DCC locos ran fine After I cleaned them and the track. The third is still crawling, though. I also got to completely try my new throttle. AMAZING! Solved! IS NOW EATING 1000 ICE CREAM SUNDAYS AGAIN!

[ns3010]

At least it was something easy!

Got a crapload of track in the mail from Tyler. I know I won't use anything close to all of it, but I just bought it all anyway...

[Anonymous]

Yeah, I sent you enough curves to make a helix up to the floor above...

John: You can clean your bright boy / track eraser with sandpaper. I've been using the same one for years and cleaning it after every time I clean all my track with it.

[IVRW]

That reminds me of an old MRM Cartoon, a Joe Model Railroader was showing friends his hallway. He said "This is the Helix that connects my Basement Layout to my Attic Layout.

Also, check out my Photobucket site below, and tell me if it works and how you like it.

[Anonymous]

I can see the photos, but cut the background image and go with black, gray, or white...your photos will look so much better when you don't have to struggle to distinguish them from a photo background.

Just my opinion.

[ns3010]

Yeah, I checked, and there's enough to make 3 and a quarter circles, not counting the straights.
And as I was un-rubberbanding it, a piece of the WRS fell out, a few pieces of ballast glued together. I now own 0.000001 of the WRS! You forgot to mail my Certificate of Stock

John, I like it. A bunch of nice photos ya got

[IVRW]

Tyler, Thanks for the feedback. I have now (sorry for the previous typo that spelled "not") implemented a better background. I also added a slideshow showing the best photos. A link is in the photo at the end of my signature. Try that and temm me what you think of that please.

Joe, tehehe. What a story.

[Packers#1]

 Joe, nice story right there!

My photobucket backdrop is a pic I rather like. I don't really care if people can distinguish my photos or not as of yet, as I don't add tags. All I use my photobucket for is a site to hold my pictures for posting them to the forums. I may someday get around to tagging them all (lord help me if I ever do though; last time I checked there were about 1900+ files I had uploaded)

[IVRW]

Okay, I have something that could very easily start a discussion. In nearly every MRR project layout, the writer always says something like "This little end sticking off right here is for future expansion." Well, those little niches are always included for such an instance in nearly every layout. So tell me this? Has anyone ever expanded off those little edges? Does anyone have plans for such an operation? Put plainly, can you find a likely instance where expansion will most definitely occur with such an expansion that will not harm normal operations?

[Railfan Alex]

I'm falling behind here...

I'm away for the next two weekends, so no layout work anytime soon.

And it isn't peer pressure if I'm telling you to pressure me!

[Anonymous]

I didn't leave room for expansion, but I expanded anyway...two cutoffs to bring the mainline perpendicular to the layout edge so I could build a lift bridge to a staging yard shelf.

[IVRW]

I just recently discovered that if I add one turnout, I can add an Iain Rice like cassette staging operation along a wall. Normally, trains would go like this: Leave Irvine Yard, switch at St. John, switch at Stockton, return to Irvine Yard and terminate. With the staging, I can do: Leave Irvine Yard, switch at St. John, switch at Stockton, pass through Irvine, pass through St. John, and then terminate in staging. An added bonus would be the fact that I can do the entire thing in reverse, which I cant do normally. Ill talk to Dad to see if I can at least install the turnout. and get the track going. Even if I dont do staging, I can easily add in a module for my club, and use it as terminating facilities at home and a module at the club. Either way, its a win win situation. What do you guys think?

[ns3010]

I'm planning for my layout to take up the absolutely most space possible, so there's no point in leaving room for expansion...

Alex, we shouldn't submit to your peer pressure, either!

John, sounds like a good plan, but I can't really tell without a track plan (hint, hint...)

[Packers#1]

 Well, my layout progress has gone nowhere since Christmas break, which I figured is what would happen. I think it'll pick back up towards spring break when rugby season is over and I have more time. So for now it's a static layout and also I can dream about other layouts (how I keep my current layout interesting. I may end up building a micro-layout in another theme entirely so both layouts will be fresh; when one gets old I swap to operating/working on the other). Operations on my layout would definitely be going now if my dad and I could find the time to build some shelves for my power pack, but we just can't seem to find the time. Oh well, around my house, projects typically get thought up and then sit around for a month or two before we get around to building whatever it is or fixing whatever it is.

[IVRW]

Joe Im right now on vacation and I dont think I will be able to get you a track plan until I get home later today.

Sawyer I anticipated that same thing for me and I got myself back into the game by forcing myself to work on it when school started again in early Jan. Once I had good progress going again, the barrier was overcome. I suggest you try it.

[ns3010]

Sawyer, I know that feeling way too well. Until I tore the layout down, it had been almost a year since I had done anything on it (except run trains).
In the summer, I don't have a layout down the shore (whoops, just made a major typing mistake, good thing I caught that! ). I'm considering a possible diorama this summer. If I build one every year, maybe I could make a mega-mismatched-era-modular-layout-thingy! But I have a few ideas...

John, take your time; I wasn't expecting it that soon!

Today, I'll rearrange the room and maybe cut some lumber before I go to my friends' party.

[Packers#1]

 John, perhaps. really, it comes down to the time I do have to work on it I'm too tired too. All I can really do right now is build trees. I may force myself to add in some more weeds though. I also can hopefully build the roof to King Furniture soon.

Joe, I don't even run trains b/c as I've been saying I dnt have the shelves i want for my power pack. once those are built operating sessions should begin (ops sessions being myself just switching North Branch and the yard).

Speaking of the town of North Branch...

I will be redesigning the downtown business district. no track changes; however, I will be minimizing the amount of stores and adding in some houses. I have several different configurations I want to try before settling on one, so we'll see how it all turns out. 

I got semi-finalist in a trackplanning contest on another site and got $25 store credit to the shop holding the contest, so I'll soon have some detail parts for my layout (they don't have any freight cars, and all the vehicles and structure kits I would have ordered aren't in stock)

[ns3010]

My ops sessions will be the same: Me running a billion trains (not at once; I'll be running the local, 101, which will need to clear before 703/704, the intermodals, and NJT trains come through, but everything except 101 leaves staging, passes through, and then just goes back to staging).

And congrats on the win!!!

[IVRW]

Like Joe said, congrats. Can you show us the winning track plan or is it your current track layout on the layout? Also, for the roof to King Furniture, keep it removable. You might want to detail the interior someday.

[Packers#1]

 Thanks guys. here's a link to all the trackplans that entered (mine is the last one):

 http://www.muskokacomputes.com/Files/Trackplan_Contest.pdf

John, the plan has been to make a removable roof all along so that if a car derails inside the structure I can easily get to it.