Some days are...... some days. Everything went south again.

You need a running start.

I had one the very first time. I shut the camera right off because the pusher shoved the rear empty hoppers off the rails. I had the train just start moving and went to do the video. So I added ballast and tried again, and then again, and then....

 Just to note, the train is actually parked, split on the lowest point of the layout. The curve near the fence is that lowest point. So half is going up hill and half is still going down. It is amazing just how heavy the train actually is. I pulled it by hand and really struggled. I believe I'd need around five engines distributed thru the shorter second train next time. Good thing I didn't add all the cars. Hmmm, that would be two or three engines for every ten to twelve cars. Sheesh.

I love the layout. Can you post a video of the whole thing?

Tanner111 posted:

I love the layout. Can you post a video of the whole thing?

Sure, if he can get the train to go around the whole thing!

gunrunnerjohn posted:

Tanner111 posted:

I love the layout. Can you post a video of the whole thing?

Sure, if he can get the train to go around the whole thing!

I’d like to see it even if the train is not running. 

always there for me GRJ!

Thats awesome!  Great layout. Thanks for sharing Joe!  Good luck getting your issues fixed. 

"Mama said there'll be days like this..." - from the famous song Mama Said by the Shirells

Pretty cool Joe, how long a run of track is that all around?  What do you do with all the locomotives and cars when it's time to come out of the rain?

Interesting..does the Aristo-Craft Dash-9 have the extra 5 pounds of lead weights in the fuel tank?

Do the USA Trains SD70's have the traction tire equipped wheels installed?

Far as switch power going south everyone I know has track power feeds on all 3 sides of all track switches. The tiny wiring the manufacturers provide is to power a frog...not a block on either side.

I believe it's like 250' around the yard? It's been so long I forget now.

All the cars go into the shed (Back Garage) thru custom doors onto staging tracks. So I don't need to take stuff on and off the rails.

 The engines go into the shed on the upper storage tracks and then get put up on extra shelfs.

I had to remove the rubber tires off of the SD70MACs as the gears aren't lasting very long.

I still need to add more weight to the Aristo Dash 9s that I have. It appears that they pull well enough as is so I wasn't in any hurry to add extra wear and tear to them. Both brands pull decent enough without tires to still snap couplers!

 Running the layout in this direction, I've always noticed engines struggling more. So I believe that the 1 1/2% grade the other direction is easier. I'd guess that this direction has a more than 2% grade? The curves come closer together and there's a few humps that make it tough. I thought I spent more time smoothing out this climb this year? I now also believe that some of the cars aren't rolling easy and need attention. Maybe something rusted got dirt inside?

 I got the bug to try this direction as a test and I wasn't prepared for the outcome of a failure. My G scale MTH engines pull better but even those would throw tires if they're not flexible like new ones up to the task of this climb. My MTH Triplex makes this hill and if it's pushing, it will either shove the train up or off the track out of it's way. I think it outpulls three 1/29 scale diesel engines (without tires).

Love the little trapdoors, that's quite an impressive spread.  Where exactly in the NE are you located?

here's a photo back when I was laying the shelfs out.

I went back and roughly doubled the number of storage tracks. Still not enough.