Image stabilization won't show how bad it really is. You'd have to watch the surrounding terrain, or other car(s) to see the side to side sway. Not sure how it'll look, if I turn the IS function OFF. Or, I can run a leading locomotive, to show the actual track conditions!
Finished getting my second reverse loop toggle box wired. Four connections and I'm done! Two connections to the track and two connections to the toggle. Might be fully wired tomorrow!! Shouldn't take too long to make my connections.
Excitement level definitely up!! This close to finally finishing a project that's been in the making for about 7 1/2 years! Minor track work, and clearance issues. If it cools enough, in the near future, I'll aim for getting a systemwide video made. The wye alone provides for much more, interesting operations.
Wired in toggle switch today! Have to take the whole mess apart and turn toggle switch around!! Position of switch does NOT match polarity of track. Despite this problem, track runs, just as I had expected. Locomotive leans and/or derails in several places around back reverse loop. So, I definitely have some major track work to do, before I can run anything reliably! At this point anyway! But, by going extra slow, I can see where the problems are! Just got too dark for me to attempt to do anything. So, tomorrow, I've got track work to do! By tomorrow night, I MIGHT have track suitable for trouble free operations.might start ballasting track in back to start, working back towards main/siding along the side of the house. Quite happy with the results, even if far from what I could have hoped for!! At least it runs.
Worked on track yesterday. Started by leveling out the reverse loop in back. Had to dig out a couple of high spots, and fill in some low spots. Went a bit faster than I expected. Added the needed super elevation to the curves as I went. Tested the track with locomotive and caboose as I went. Still have a rock hard high spot under a switch that I gotta get rid of!! Think that's my source of locomotive derailments. Then, filling in the resulting massive hole under the switch, should level out the remaining track I have. Minor touch up as needed then. Still need to turn toggle switch around, so it matches track polarity correctly! Currently, if I try to run over insulated joints, as toggle indicates, I short the system! It'll take me more time to pull it apart that it will to make the 30 second change! This may be the only major thing that absolutely has to be done! If I feel decent, and the weather is good, I may look into starting to ballast the track. Should I choose NOT to ballast, I'm gonna pull an 8-10 car train out and play!! Should give me an idea of how things are gonna work. And what I'll have to fine tune as ballasting gets underway. Should try and get photos and/or video of things tomorrow!!
This about as far as operations got today!! Ten car test train, with 2 locomotives. Still had 4 cars to place on track. Never made it, as it started pouring even harder right after this! Right now, nothing runs. Locomotives are dead. Gummed up wheels I think! When I did manage to get all cars on the track, it had started to rain again. Right now, cars are indoors. Locomotives are still outdoors, under a couple of garbage bags in an attempt to keep 'em dry! Gonna try and clean track, and TRY to clean locomotive wheels and MAYBE try again.
Yeah, and it rained again, like this a short time later. Killing my train, once I barely had it running!! Getting train to run a train length was worthless. Track was so gummed up, and now, locomotive wheels are even worse!! A towel just ain't gonna clean the wheels this time. Think I gotta call in reinforcements, a Dremel with wire brush, for starters!! Supposed to be wet, in some fashion all week. With 30% chance of rain at the worst. What makes this so bad, is that it actually HIT Longmont. Usually, it falls completely apart, or goes completely around Longmont. Everywhere else gets belted, and we got nothing!! The one day we get something, it destroys my entire day!! Well, guess I get to clean a load of wheels tonight. Got nothing better to do now!! If things were better, I'd probably still be outside running right now!! Or as I should call it: Testing the track!
Ran 2 locomotives, 4 cars and caboose today. Yesterday's rain caused me trouble today!! Think it contaminated a couple joints. Where I had no trouble running a test train the other day, I have to push down on a specific section track to get power to the back yard reverse loop. However, the section of track I have to push on, needs to be clamped as it is. I knew I was going to,have to, but just have not gotten to it yet!! But, while I'm clamping those sections together, I'm also going to be running additional power feeders along the line. This I was already planning on doing. Just wanted to get things working decent, before I added feeders and eventually started ballasting. Still gotta turn that @&$&$@&$ toggle switch around, to match track polarity!! Even tried running my passenger cars, after a quick wheel swap on the Pullman. Kept derailing at a specific switch ALL the time, and other locations sometimes. Works better through switches, but still jumps in places. More because of slight, Unseen low spots in track!! Or definite drops, where I'm still battling the bridge situation. Much better than before though, so I'm not gonna complain, much! Again, if weather holds decent tomorrow, track and/or electrical crews will be working again!
Especially with loose and/or unsecured rail joints! Guess I shouldn't complain too much?? It's a real good way to find out which joints need "Special help"!!
Took time yesterday, to prewire feeders/jumpers for therailroad along the side of the house. Was my initial plan today, to add said feeder line. Looked a bit cold and would eventually rain a time or two during the afternoon. So, I never bothered to,get out and get things wired. Might not get a chance over the next couple of days, if rain expected during the day at some point. May be longer than a couple of days, because I'm gonna have to let the mud dry out a bit first, before I even try to get down the!! Went shopping with my folks instead. So today, I accomplished just what I set out to do, Absolutely nothing!! Will see what the next few days bring, as far as weather. The good news is though, the toggle switch for the back yard reverse loop is fixed! Wasn't a simple turn switch 180* and you'll be fine.....Oh No, it was a COMPLETE dismantle and complete rewrite job, starting from scratch!! Adding one lamp at a time after I checked temporary connection, to make sure I was gonna add the right lamp to the right terminals! Managed to get that project finished, just as it decided it was gonna try and rain lightly!
This brings back memories of automotive high performance work. The many times I encountered a project which was advertised as a "simple bolt on installation, with common hand tools..." Yeah. Right. Two and a half days, custom parts fabrications and not the easy afternoon promised.
Thanks to me building my power feeds ahead of time, I was able to get the rest of my track jumped and working. Almost! Have 1 more short jumper to build and install. Have one more set of joints that need clamps. Still have trouble with one short section of track. The feeder wires and maybe extra set of clamps will solve that problem I hope!! Worked through a very light, short sprinkle, and finished the last of my connections almost right at 5:00!! Then ran my GP40's and caboose over the entire system. That's when I found the dead section yet. Granted, heavily gummed up wheels does NOT a help matters!! Ammonia and paper towels clean wheels last time. May try again, following up with a wire brush in the Dremel. And a quick clean of the rail heads. Next couple of days are gonna be cold! Tomorrow colder than today! If it warms up within reason, I'll look into starting to ballast my track. Get as far as I can now, and finish next spring, if necessary. At least now, my track is about 99% done!! Think over winter, I can look into trying to get the K27 back in action!! Then, with that running again, I can really set up a train, and prepare to do the ultimate in fine tuning of the track, to get the narrow gauge stuff to run, without derailing!! Not the longest day of work, but a good, productive day if anything!
Is there some sort of track cleaner you could push along ahead of the engine or locomotives, to get as much as possible so wheels are less of a mess?
There is, but I don't have one. I've got a cleaner, but it was designed to be put under a car, and pulled. I modified it slightly by mounting a Kadee coupler on the leading end, and put it behind the caboose. Guess I'll have to check CH in Denver next week Monday/Tuesday, whenever money arrives. Benefits are being drug out!! Mental evaluation on Oct 14. Then, after more review, maybe I'll get benefits! Had to pull early, again, from retirement funds.
Last feeder/jumper wire is in, and last set of troublesome rail joints are clamped. Have NOT tested anything at this time. A bit too cold and muddy to be staying out any longer than necessary. Will check when it dries out a bit and warms up a bit more! A day or two with any luck.
