Didn't end up selling much, couple engines and 20 cars. Mostly boxcars, I had more than I could have used on this layout. I'll need around 115 more coal hoppers when I start operating, Sent from my PantechP8010 using Tapatalk
I've been looking thru the pictures on your layout building, and I'm impressed. I also noticed what looks like a Walthers Trainline Geep chassis behind that FM unit. Just curious- is that going to be converted to DCC?
Eventually, yes. I'll have to file the ends of the chassis so my Athearn shell will fit. Sent from my PantechP8010 using Tapatalk
Success! Most of the layout-ready cars now are Sergent-equipped (150-ish??). I also extended the sub roadbed out to the helix and starting around the outside of it. Picture quality is poor, cell phone quality. Excuse the mess, (rail)road work ahead!
Nice looking viaduct! Will there eventually be a backdrop ("permanent", but easily removed for access to the window; or temporarily inserted for a photo op), so you can take pics of trains on the viaduct?
Absolutely, I just have it in place since I don't have anywhere to put it until i get track laid that far. Sent from my LG-UK495 using Tapatalk
I took some decent shots on my good camera last night, so here is a tour of the layout as it stands. Everywhere East of Ravenswood Yard has changed a good bit from any track plans I have posted, so refering to those on Page 1 won't help much except for generalities. Full Yard at Ravenswood from the West end looking East. There are 7 trains staged here since neither East (Richmond/Chesapeake, etc..) nor West (Huntington, Louisville, Chicago) Staging has been built yet. Car cards and waybills have been set up for each car and ready to roll.....although that will be a while! One industry is now in operation. A&P Tea Co regional warehouse at Ravenswood. A&P was, at one time, a major grocery chain throughout the region in the 60's and 70's, but has disappeared since the early 80's. There will be another structure to the left of the current building, which explains the MDT reefer standing alone. Moving East, half of the crossovers and temporary tower at this location. The Yard lead switch to the east end of Ravenswood yard also branches here, as well as the switching lead in the foreground. This is on a lift-out section that crosses in front of a 3' high attic access door. Backdrop is attached directly to the door to allow for access. The current end of track; the other half of the Ravenswood crossovers is yet to be laid. The crossovers are critical to the operation of the yard, as all Westbound trains have to be pulled out and over the crossovers to the run around to proceed to staging, as the West end of the yard is cut short . Continuing further East, the first of a series of "sharp" curves along Tucker Creek towards Elizabeth. This is the same curve pictured in a picture in an earlier post from last week or so. Track radii will be 34" and 30", not planning to super-elevate. Continuing farther, both the viaduct above and this section below are across a double-window. They are both designed to be removable in the instance of, God forbid, a fire or some other disaster. Otherwise, this section will stay in place all the time. Anyhow, the double track ends here and funnels down to a single track until it goes around the bend to the helix. In the far corner, there will be an LPG transfer station and stamping plant and the community of Gates. More in the next picture. If one were to look at a map of WV, there is a small, unincorporated community of Gates Ridge along Tuckers Creek between Ravenswood, WV and Elizabeth, WV. Here, I will have a small stamping plant and an LPG transfer facility. Like normal, the railroad usually has its own names for various places along the route. This point is known simply as "Gates". There used to be a train order office here prior to WWII, MP 531.2. The sub roadbed currently ends right underneath the last viewpoint, hopefully I can get the sub roadbed built into the helix as well as cork glued down by the end of the month.
I give up... Check out the latest post on my blog: http://chlcrr.blogspot.com Sent from my LG-UK495 using Tapatalk
Checked them out, nice progress Pat. I see you hand lay your turn outs. You have way more patients than I!
That would be because I'm cheap! I just had the points come loose on one in the west yard last weekend. Hopefully, a quick touch of the iron will fix it. Hoping not to have to rip it out. There are a few Shinohara turnouts that I've had on hand before I built the layout. I have a Fast Tracks jig for a #6 turnout, but too expensive to justify for a couple #8s or curved turnouts. Sent from my LG-UK495 using Tapatalk
Experimental fascia-mounted manual turnout control. I'm going to drill a hole through the "paddle" and run a coat hanger from the lock to the turnout. $1.17 for the lock and $1.59 for the u bolt. I'll do a full write up later. Sent from my PantechP8010 using Tapatalk
I bought 18 locks, all keyed the same. I may not need that many, but it'll be close to that number. Sent from my PantechP8010 using Tapatalk
Pat, I don't know if you may have made some adjustments or changes in your TrainBoard pics in Post #67 above since Dale's post a week ago, but--FWIW--today, I'm seeing the same pics here in the TrainBoard thread that I see on your website. Dale, are you currently able to see his Post #67 pics in TrainBoard? If not, please post about the difficulty in the Support forum here so we can track down what prevents you from seeing the pics. Pat, I like your idea of locking the turnouts...it will add a prototypical flavor and slow down the pace of operations, so your operators will need more time to complete a run from Point A to Point B, and you won't even have needed to add more track to the layout to make that run feel longer). Does turning the key one way or the other actually move the points one way or the other; or will turning the key only unlock a separate mechanism that moves the points, so that after unlocking that mechanism, a second lever must be moved to change the position of the points...and the key is then turned back to its first position to lock the points in their new position?
For reference, Post 67 has direct links to RailImages uploads. Post 72 used the "Upload a File" feature, not RailImages.
The lock directly controls the turnout position. I am going to use a coat hanger wire straightened and with a "Z" bent into it to directly connect the turnout. The "Z" with act as a spring and will absorb some of the flex and allow the points to be firm.
Installed the "Lock and U Bolt" turnout control on the layout and attempted to bend some wire for the turnout control. I learned a few things: *Coat hanger wire is overkill and too large for the turnout (Filing made it work this time) *The Rotation of the lock provides far too much travel of the wire *Very good baseline for improvement. So now I have a few things I can try to improve on. *Try a smaller hard wire (Phosphor Bronze) with a 3/32" conduit, like the ground throws on the surface. *Use more or a larger "Z" bend to eat some of the excess travel caused by the lock. *or, mount a ground throw upside down underneath the layout between the lock and the turnout. This would require flush mount of lock to fascia. In the pictures, the lock and bolt is parallel with a Bear Valley Quick Switch... fore runner to Humpyard Purveyors' Armstrong lever system.
Some alternatives to the Lock and U Bolt TO Control, for what they're worth... 1. On my N-scale layout, I ran a brass rod from the front of the layout to a hard-to-reach throwbar at the back. Remotely moving turnout points manually by ppuinn posted Oct 14, 2016 at 1:33 PM The brass rod at the lower right in this pic will eventually be capped/disguised with a 55 gallon drum or small tank when the cardstock building is replaced with a proper model, and the rod will be hidden behind shrubs or under buildings, but will still serve the turnout at the back of the shelf when an operator pushes or pulls the tank to move the points to where the operator wants them. This next pic is the view the operator has of the points as they are being moved. The placement of the buildings and the limited clearance between this deck and the light hanging on the underside of the deck above it, made it more convenient to move the points remotely. In other areas of my layout, I've installed Tortoises for such hard-to-reach turnouts, but thought I'd give this manual option a try. [Full disclosure: this TO to a seldom used interchange track was only used once during the 3 formal op sessions I've had since installing it, so I can't speak to its long-term performance or acceptance by other operators besides me and one other.] Remotely moving turnout points manually by ppuinn posted Oct 14, 2016 at 1:33 PM 2. On my HO layout, I ran brass rods from ground throws at the front of the shelf to TOs at the back of the shelf. Remotely moving turnout points manually by ppuinn posted Oct 14, 2016 at 1:33 PM Eventually, these rods will be hidden by trees, shrubbery and a road but the ground throws will be visible in a plainly decorated (gravel only) area close to the front edge of the shelf. These ground throws/TOs have performed reliably for multiple operators. 3. On others' layouts, I've seen 1x2s mounted flat against the fascia about 2 inches below the surface of the deck. Ground throws were mounted on the top edge of the 1x2s and the rods extended through a small hole in the fascia, and passed beneath the Homasote and plywood shelf to a linkage up through the Homasote/plywood to the TO throwbar. On one layout, the 1x2s extended for a length on either side of where clusters of turnouts were located, and (to me, anyway) seemed to provide more protection for the ground throws than individually mounting them on the top of 2" to 3" long 1x2s, as the other modeler did. I also thought the longer 1x2s looked nicer than multiple short ones. (Others' views may differ.) I suppose it would also be possible to attach a narrow shelf to the bottom edge of the 1x2 (and maybe additional support underneath?) to provide a surface other than the layout deck for sorting car cards or holding paperwork, etc while working an industry or yard. Obviously, fascia mounted car card boxes would need to be mounted to the side or lower than the 1x2, so the cards extending upward out of the box would not cover any ground throws mounted on the 1x2. This might lead to blocking the view to the lower deck when trying to mount car card boxes far enough below a 1x2 on the fascia of an upper deck.
