It's Saturday, College Football and Trains. The perfect mix. This may help. Click on it to enlarge it. The above picture didn't turn out so well, so I took the following picture. Originally I built this end of the layout with a much tighter curve. Supported by the ox, I meant BOX framing you can see in the picture. That wasn't good enough. You've heard me say, "Wider curves are the best curves". Only on train layouts. I'm going to get in trouble for that one. So, I pushed the curve out with the framing you see in the picture and now I'm so very happy!! You know, with the results. The bonus I was able to attach the Saddle for the MRC Transformer. Just noticed in the picture how the cat's have clawed up the cork roadbed. Aiiyiiyii !! Wires,, wires everywhere. And everyone one of them has a purpose. I ought to know I wired them in without any help. No one would help me. With two or three exceptions they all wanted me to wire in their layouts. Except for Conductor Ron, NMRA Owen, Big Steve and A.C.Engineer John. These are the guys I bounced things off of, or learned about new items and ways and means to get something done. Miss these guys. Desiring to help others. I wired in various owners layouts. Then the owners would tear it out because they didn't understand it. Very true. Never mind how I felt about it. Hey, it's their layouts they can do anything they want with it. Don't come back to me and ask me to fix it. Not going to happen. Unless it was my fault. Different story with a different ending. Wiring, now then I get to hook everything back up. Color coded, as long as I can see the wires. That's been tough as of late. Michigan, is walking away with their football game 14 to 0. Game isn't over.
Ah, my Razorbacks don't play til 7pm. Cardinals doubleheader just started, Pujols got number 698 last night...come on 700! My challenge on space is a limit of 6'4" in width and trying to keep it as close to 30" deep as possible. Wish me luck.
Woo Pig Sooie! Or should I say "Whew! Pig Sooie!" after today's win?! Three generations of University of Arkansas Graduates: Mom & Dad were classes of '54 & '55; I am class of '86, and my two kids are classes of '16 and '17, with three Engineering, a Home Economics, and a Finance & International Business (Magna Cum Laude) graduate. My brother lives in Saint Louis, and is keeping me abreast of Pujol's HR stats (one of his granddaughters attended her 1st MLB game today with him.) I quit watching MLB after they pulled the Allstar Game from Atlanta. I might make an exception if the Cards make the WS...
Nice family history. All centered around football. Thanks for sharing the history. The games I got to watch here in Idaho, ABC. I fell asleep during each game. A runaway game is bor-ee-ing to me. And, hard to watch. All three games: Everyone of them was a runaway. Three schools are now scratching their head and wondering about their coaches and teams. That's okay, I suppose, as this is the start of the season. Everyone has time to improve and the season isn't over yet. Now back to Trains and the Layout. When it comes to train layouts this is the most tedious time of reconstruction. Requiring a lot of attention to wiring details. The track reconstruction won't be bad as I enjoy laying track. Just not in the sense of demolition and replacing damaged track. Never mind the $$$'s it will take to get'r done. Looks like I have a major project ahead of me. No there isn't a family member left that's even interested in helping me. They want me to get rid of it. Sigh!! Over my dead body as in pry it from my hands. You all know that no one gets out of this life alive. You do know that? More on the transformers. As I get them installed. Today will be a good time to do that. As, Our local TV stations won't carry professional football games. Pretty sure that's a special ticket thing through cable, satellite or WiFI Otherwise, I'm not sure the reason. They didn't ask me what I wanted. Later!
The Tech 3 is installed and hooked up. Done without putting screws into the body of the transformer. Plastic feet accepted the screws without demolishing them. And anchored it nicely. What is this I'm playing with boats? No!! Models of boats will come later. I'll have to get a hold of Pete, to secure some boats. Now to get the 35 M anchored and hooked up. I have an A/B cut off switch which will allow me to shut down Cab B. and operate on DCC. That's built in. I just don't see me converting some 100 plus locomotives and motors over to DCC anytime soon. If at all. You know the $$$ thing. As one friend reminded me. Rick your on the shorts here, said George. Aiiyiiyii. Thanks George for the reminder. I know I'm an old man when it gets as difficult as I'm experiencing to get under the train table. Waking up muscles that have been sleeping. Don't be calling me an old man. Unless you want to. Pictures? Not much to see that you haven't already seen. Model Railroading on a budget!
I wrote up this history as seen by me on BarstowRick.com. However, someone got in and started rewriting my material. Security issues and Word Press, wanted to charge me to fix it. Yeah, right!! Like I have that much $$$. Not going to happen so shut it down. Grumble, grumble, grumble. Switch versus Turnout The back story: The Railroad Professionals in the family. Step Great Grandad, was a Moffat Man as a Engineer, Grandad, was a Santa Fe Engineer, Great Uncle was a Santa Fe Conductor, Dad was a REA agent, and i worked for the Union Pacific as an agent, short stint. That should cover the family history. My interest in Railroads, the lingo / jargon took on a zeal all of it's own. I paid attention to the stories I would hear and the descriptive...well I think you get it. When my Step Great Grandad gave me a S scale, American Flyer, Heavy Weight Passenger Train for Christmas. He started something that hasn't stopped. When I discovered I could have a model train that resembles the real deal. I was on a dead run to collect what i could. Switches: As i grew up watching and listening to my family of Rails = Railroad Employees. I heard a lot of different Jargon. I never ever heard any of them use Turnout. Didn't happen. My Dad was at the newsstand and found a Model Railroad wig wag (magazine). He picked it up, paid for it of course, and brought it home. After reading through it and I would hear sounds like oooh, aaahm, aargh, no way, what the...well... you know. All said in disgust. Eventually, he handed it to me. Saying, I'm sure this will help you with your model railroading but these folks don't know railroading. Thanks Dad! For the first time I read Turnout, say what?? That sounded as foreign to my ears as the Spanish kids next door. That led to a phone call to one of the big wig's at the magazines headquarters. Wig wag, one I don't subscribe to today. It was met with laughter, I overhead in the background, "Some kid thinks he's going to straighten us out". You know that never happened. The issue of the proper use of Turnout and Switch has been a battle in the ranks of model railroaders to this day. A not so popular discussion, i might add. i walked into a club layout in Southern California, introduced myself as Rick Howland aka BarstowRick. I was met with, "Oh you are that guy, the Turnout guy". What!!?? Switch Guy!! Would be preferred. "I'll call it anything I want" he said. A member of the club. As he went off muttering something to himself and I didn't catch it. Pretty sure it had something to do with me. No Problem. You can call it anything you want. It's your model railroad. You make the rules, set the standard and decide what verbiage or lingo you want to use. On my layout it is a SWITCH. Seldom will you hear me use Turnout, except in the install mode. Then grudgingly it's a Turnout. I need to get back to work. I have a lot of maintainer work to do. Track to lay, wiring!! I have to install some Switch Panels and wire them in. Then I need to take the Switch Job out and deliver some MOW equipment and supplies to the crews. Spot some car's. Pull out empty or full loads of freight cars and deliver them back to the yard to be classified and reassigned. "Switch" in the vernacular of the railroad employees, who've used it for years longer then there has been model railroaders. It's a Switch. That's it on the subject from me, for now. Thanks for the read. Now where did I put that darned Turnout? I need to switch out some Atlas #4 automated switches with some Kato #4 switches. And then hook them up to some momentary on, DPDT toggle switches. Having fun yet? Later
I thought a normal rail switch was "DPDT;" there are two rails that have to be switched! Otherwise, it would be a derailer!
Glad you didn't say scissor switch. Now that's funny Doug. I don't care what anyone says. That there is funny. I don't know of any switches that wear a slip. No, I know what you meant. I'm thinking about it.
So you are all wondering what in the world kind of layout would or better said Did, Old Rick build? Looking back to the future. Let's take a look. Oh gosh let's see what would I build? I would have something like George's layout but with considerably more running. Not the physical kind where people go out in the morning and run a mile. I want trains running a mile. Most likely a double deck where trains can disappear and the reappear on another part of the layout. Kid's fantasy, for sure but i know some adults who stay in touch with their inner child. Ta-da, that would be me. George has an awesome working yard for classification of freight cars. In addition I would still want a hidden staging yard where trains can be spotted, waiting for crew call, to head out at a moment's notice. Good place for my passenger trains. At the time I built what you see today. I had a 10 X 10 shed to work in. I wanted wide curves and not those tight itty bitty turns. You know the 9 3/4 inch curves. Gosh, who in their right mind came up with those? They should be outlawed. Actually, I think it was a spin off from HO's 18 inch radius curve. That in itself is tooooo tight a curve for HO. That's when it hit me, an 18 inch radius in N Scale is by far bigger then what we get in HO. Huunh, what? Your asking. Think about it. I will get a 36 inch equivalent to HO if I build an 18 inch radius curve, in N Scale. Close to the 30 plus an inch radius many HO enthusiast were pushing their curves toward. Do the math and see if it comes out the same for you? Which means a 15 inch radius curve in HO is the equivalent of a 30 inch radius in N scale. Not a 100% accurate measurement. Close enough. Do you see what can happen to your curves. "Wider curves are the best curves" yep I've said that. I'm not the only one. I share that opinion right along with many other hobbyist. I built in a 24 inch radius curve that is well, you tell me the equivalent. Awesome!! After hours of planning, draft paper, scale drawings and finally one freehand drawn draft. It was decided as to what kind of layout I would have. A Entertainment Layout. There will be barbecues, country music, dancing girls, I would sing, "I don't look good naked anymore." True to the song, of course. NO, no, not that kind of layout. I might have a brothel on the layout with a red light in the porch light and a theater but that would have to come later. I didn't say, what I said, did I? I would forego the yard. Grrr, grumble, grumble, hiss, finger waves at myself! When there's no room, there's no room. Space restraints becomes a real issue. I planned on building a modular yard that would sit outside the shed. However, I soon learned the kids in the trailer park where i lived, would bash that idea. Literally!! The layout got built as you've seen it. The bonus to being here. If there is one? Despite the smoke, heat and wasps. I hate it here. I can build a working classification yard. Hey, hey, hey!! Well, I've almost yack-ed enough for this session. Got's to get back to work. Later!
True! Any switch that transfers current from one rail to another acts the same as a DPDT toggle switch. Actually a SPST comes to mind. I will need to diagram it out. I'm digging it, I'm digging it. But then what would you expect a retired mortician to do.
I can do it. What do I need to load the first call wagon with gurneys, body bags, hazmat gear, towels, bottled water and gloves? Now that's funny. You guys are better at this humor then I happen to be.
