Last night I drilled the holes in the control panel and installed all of the LEDs (except 4 or so, short on mounts) and switches. In my opinion, its turning out pretty good. I also had time to build the frame to hold it, but that still needs painted.
* The wires on the back are not connected to anything yet, so please ignore the mess!
**I used Laidoffsick's video to help create this.
No work done today.
I did run trains though. After the older kids left for school I bought my 12 month old son down to the train room. We ran my Legacy 10 wheeler pulling 2 atlas O reefers and a caboose. He loves the sound of the train and watching it go. Best day on the layout ever!
Soldered 48 drops in 11 blocks with different color wire to tie in one of my hidden storage yards.
I used buss wiring in the yard so each piece of rail will have a direct feed. In order to maintain uniform appearance I preloaded each buss with a series of shrink tube segments so as to apply a shrink wrap over each soldered connection.
There were 6 buss wires running through the J trim (shown earlier) picking up the drops along the run.
A 1 x 4 fascia board will finish off the installation.
Tom Tee posted:Soldered 48 drops in 11 blocks with different color wire to tie in one of my hidden storage yards.
I used buss wiring in the yard so each piece of rail will have a direct feed. In order to maintain uniform appearance I preloaded each buss with a series of shrink tube segments so as to apply a shrink wrap over each soldered connection.
There were 6 buss wires running through the J trim (shown earlier) picking up the drops along the run.
A 1 x 4 fascia board will finish off the installation.
What gauge wire did you run for drops and buss?? I ran 14g buss and 16g feeders. A bit of overkill I think?
darlander posted:Safety project completed! Added mounting pins, washed, primed & finish coat and installed the new fence. Next, the MOUNTAIN.
Dave
That's a very handsome and successful project, Darlander. Very nice, indeed!
FrankM
To the Moon!! I Agree:
"That's a very handsome and successful project, Darlander. Very nice, indeed!
FrankM"
(i go to sleep wishing i could do something as nice as that....) I can dream
Dreaming is good, isn't it, Miggy (love that moniker!) , and when we see cool projects explained and pictured on the forum, we can get inspired to try new stuff on our own, right? I know, at least, that I find plenty of inspiration on this forum. Some stuff I try; some I just admire and hope for the best! 
FrankM
yup, yup. What is the member with the tagline... "It always looks sooo easy when someone else is going to do it?... I may have missed a few key words"
High School Hockey Time Here in Minnesnowta. good clean fun. Teen years, Ten Foot Tall and Bulletproof.. now wonder the armed services pick em whilst they are........ So much energy, dreams, LIFE
C & T,
I run 10 ga, 12 ga &14 ga buss' depending on the length of run. Drops are usually 18 ga, sometimes 20 ga.
I always work with 12 wire colors minimum. When you work with conventional control you need a lot of wires. When you work with a lot of wires you need ready distinction.
I also use number tape and color tape for additional I.D. purposes.
Tom Tee posted:C & T,
I run 10 ga, 12 ga &14 ga buss' depending on the length of run. Drops are usually 18 ga, sometimes 20 ga.
I always work with 12 wire colors minimum. When you work with conventional control you need a lot of wires. When you work with a lot of wires you need ready distinction.
I also use number tape and color tape for additional I.D. purposes.
Thank you! I know Mike Reagan said you can run 16 guage buss wires for hundreds of feet or even a mile with no problem. So I was thinking 14 may have been overkill. The female and male spade connectors I got to slip on the connections of the fastrack were made to accept 16g wire. Worked out really well. I only used 4 colors, small layout. Red outside main, green inside main and spurs off of it, white accessories, black common ground.
Jim
Miggy posted:yup, yup. What is the member with the tagline... "It always looks sooo easy when someone else is going to do it?... I may have missed a few key words"
Yeah, that’s how it goes. Frankly, I get annoyed at people who have electrical stuff come naturally to them, because ALL of them simply assume it’s equally easy for everyone else.
I’ve never understood that. I have skills that not everyone has, and I’ve never thought everyone else had the same. For example, I can draw reasonably well (and used to do it professionally). Not everyone can do that. Some local modelers have said they don’t get how I can get such good shots on my layout without fancy lighting or a camera that costs more than their homes. Also, I have always had an uncanny ability to hit targets with almost any firearm I get my hands on. In the Army, I was a whiz at calling in indirect fires (mortars, artillery and such). I almost always dropped my spotter round right on the target. They even had me demonstrating how to judge areas for immediate suppresive fire (which means you’re calling in a bunch of artillery rounds to hit out of the blue without any adjustments to a spotter round). 99.9% of the time the incoming airburst went off right over the target.
But I never thought that everyone else had the same feel for it.
Electricity and sheet music are two things I’ve long ago given up trying to understand. In each case, I understand the core concepts, but not nearly enough to be useful to myself or anyone else. When it comes to electrical stuff, I leave that to people who know better.
Frankly, I’m sick to death of the, “It’s simple for me, so therefore it must be simple to you, too” mindset so many people have…
Kittytrain1969 posted:Big_Boy_4005 posted:I finished the plywood roadbed for a 3 track yard this week, and have started to lay track. This yard wasn't in the original plan, so it was more difficult to work on. I'll be happy to have this project done.
WOW, now that's the kind of layout I would like to have someday! Of course I can't even cut two boards the same length, so it would be a challenge to say the least:>
You sir, are a master carpenter!
Thanks Kittytrain. I'm really not that great, but having the right tools makes me look good. A compound miter saw and a good table saw work wonders for a train layout. A good saber saw also helps.
I find it interesting that you chose my first post to this topic from more than four years ago.
This is what it looks like now.
Didn't do one thing on the layout today. UPS goofed me up and delayed my cork coming till Thursday. So with nothing to do. I checked here through the day on the forum page to see what everyone else was doing and surfed the net looking for something to buy to make me feel better. And kept checking Menards to see where my wood car was on its journey to the store so I can go pick it up............Paul
paul 2 posted:Didn't do one thing on the layout today. UPS goofed me up and delayed my cork coming till Thursday. So with nothing to do. I checked here through the day on the forum page to see what everyone else was doing and surfed the net looking for something to buy to make me feel better. And kept checking Menards to see where my wood car was on its journey to the store so I can go pick it up............Paul
Paul, you could have spent the day looking for Mark and Bob!
Miggy posted:Hey Paul, I wonder..... if sawing logs and weathering them is worth the effort..? Thoughts? I did see this little Engine that Could: (unbelievable)
Awesome Miggy! There was a standard rail logging outfit (The Little River Railroad) just a few miles from me in the late 1800s and early 1900s before the area became a national park. I have books about it and the people that worked the line and ran the trains. Most of the roads in the Smoky Mountain NP on this side of the mountain are paved over tracks. Everything about it is amazing! From the people, the trains, to the trees! I hear there is a tree about that size you have pictured in a protected area of forest in NC. I want to go see it!!!!
Jim
Nothing on the layout... spent the past few days renovating the basement for display shelves, putting up my railroad artwork/artifacts, and put in a workbench! I'm hoping in another couple weeks to have that project pretty much wrapped up.
Still working on the den..going to be a long haul.
Mr. Fed Ex dropped of my latest purchase today though. Spotted a 040 PRR switcher that needed some TLC. ONLY $25 so a good project. It runs just needs a pick up roller replaced and the light in the tender is broken. Easy fixes.
Miggy posted:#CarsNTrains Jim, that is just tooo kewl. Back before automation, when two hand saws were sharp, Steel Wedges created a kerf, and men were men. "Git er Done!"
Back in the fifties, I remember walking through one of these at The Great Danbury State Fair in CT. It cost a nickel for the walk through & a post card. It looked even bigger as a little kid. My dad & his brothers were loggers from Canada in VT, NH & Maine. My grandfather owned a logging company from late 1800's until the depression of early thirties wiped him out. Back then it was selective cut using teams of horses. I need to dig out some of the old pictures.
Very Kewl. I dont imagine the high school kids ponder that...
thanks for sharing your story!! <salute>
Phased three transformers (two PW) and started running common bus wiring using Dale H's Romex method. Mail delivered circuit breakers and TVSs yesterday so need to hook those up as well.
replaced to wood supports, all grades and the tiny circle helix. Need to cut out circle for the drop, grandson drew a Circle with H for the Heliport, that will go next to the service station, away from the Giraffe herd crossing so as to not rile-up-the-herd.. wish I could program in crease speed for slimb grade, and decrease speed or appy brakes for down grades. The gravel Tender makes fun Chuh-Chuh-Chuh- sound and the grandson was tickled pink..
the wife likes it when he opens a ups package with a newly aquired car.. think i'll have to buy more.. ... ... ... .... ...
Miggy posted:replaced to wood supports, all grades and the tiny circle helix. Need to cut out circle for the drop, grandson drew a Circle with H for the Heliport, that will go next to the service station, away from the Giraffe herd crossing so as to not rile-up-the-herd.. wish I could program in crease speed for slimb grade, and decrease speed or appy brakes for down grades. The gravel Tender makes fun Chuh-Chuh-Chuh- sound and the grandson was tickled pink..
the wife likes it when he opens a ups package with a newly aquired car.. think i'll have to buy more.. ... ... ... .... ...
Miggy, Your layout and your stories that go along with it are priceless! It's like the little kid in you is finialy getting to play! Do us all a favor and play as long as you wish, it sure puts a smile on my face!
carsntrains posted:Awesome Miggy! There was a standard rail logging outfit (The Little River Railroad) just a few miles from me in the late 1800s and early 1900s before the area became a national park. I have books about it and the people that worked the line and ran the trains. Most of the roads in the Smoky Mountain NP on this side of the mountain are paved over tracks. Everything about it is amazing! From the people, the trains, to the trees! I hear there is a tree about that size you have pictured in a protected area of forest in NC. I want to go see it!!!!
Jim
I'm familiar with that RR, and like many such former short lines in the region, there's very little left. At least there's a small museum dedicated to it.
Put up 140' of display shelves today... what a pain. I have another 126' to go.
I spent some money today!
I had a rough few days. Yesterday was the topper on the cake! Tons of winds here in Michigan and was at a store on my lunch hour. As soon as I got back in the car the roof of the store blew off and landed right on my car! I was very lucky! Took it in the body shop today, $5k to fix. Thank god for insurance!
So I went to my local hobby shop, Great Lakes Hobbies, and picked up a Lioncheif Berkshire. First ever Lioncheif and she runs great. Sounds good and pulls well. Ran my 1st long train on the layout with it. Plan to repaint here to a Pere Marquette 1225, and pick up another to be either a Nickel Plate 765 or the PM 1223. Enjoy the video.
Wow Jim!! so very sorry for your misfortune! If a roof would land in our driveway, $5000 would total both my car and my wife's van with some left over!!
The Berkshire looks and runs great!!
JD is that a LC or LC+ ?? Looks and sounds great!
Jim
Jim, even with the bumps in the road the layout is coming along great. Nice video of the progress. In the last few days for me I have not got much done. Attaching the girder bridges to the die cast bridge took a lot out of me. I really needed a vise to snap them together LOL. Last night while the wife was watching her Cavs game I started laying cork down that finally came yesterday. I got two sections into it and suddenly went blank, senior moment not sure on that. I thought I had the game plan down pat but now I have to take a step back and reevaluate it which is probably best rather then rip up a large section. As for today I am hoping the weather breaks so I can get down to Menards and pick up my timber car that came in yesterday. Also I got a package of cars yesterday that I have not even opened yet. That box is sitting in the front porch. Talk about dragging things out. Especially when it comes to trains...........Paul
Jimdeleever. Beauuutiful video. Sri bout that wind damage.
Sorry about your car, Jim.
Did even more control panel work last night. Got it all painted (not sure how I feel about the gray that I chose), mounted, and switches tightened. I was hoping to be able to hide the hinge a little better, but the wood that I used for the frame (bought by-the-foot moulding) wouldn't allow it. Next up... wiring the thing. This should be fun.
Looks very good, Mike!
Yes, wiring, the fun begins!
WOW Mike, your just flying right along! Things are looking great, bet you will be running trains anytime !
Today I only opened a package I got yesterday. But after hitting a bit of a snag yesterday I should be able to get back to laying cork again. What had thrown me off was at the front of the table while getting ready to lay down cork for a silo complex, further into the table would be some manual switches that I would have to reach to throw them. So the idea of the wheat silos in that area is going to be replaced with the Atlas Icing station which I can then reach over. And with doing that I realized that York is too far away to wait to buy switches for the area so I have to figure out an order for Ross switches to get me buy till York. Four new additions to the layout. A Weaver wood chip hopper, two Weaver TOFC flat cars and a custom made wood chip hopper in BAR markings. The Weaver cars have to be changed from 2 rail to 3 rail. Pics....................Paul
carsntrains posted:JD is that a LC or LC+ ?? Looks and sounds great!
Jim
Jim
Its a Lioncheif. Sounds great and runs great. I have to dig in to find out how it activates the chuffs. Its only 1 chuff per rev. I want to increase it to 4 or at least to 2.
paul 2 posted:Today I only opened a package I got yesterday. But after hitting a bit of a snag yesterday I should be able to get back to laying cork again. What had thrown me off was at the front of the table while getting ready to lay down cork for a silo complex, further into the table would be some manual switches that I would have to reach to throw them. So the idea of the wheat silos in that area is going to be replaced with the Atlas Icing station which I can then reach over. And with doing that I realized that York is too far away to wait to buy switches for the area so I have to figure out an order for Ross switches to get me buy till York. Four new additions to the layout. A Weaver wood chip hopper, two Weaver TOFC flat cars and a custom made wood chip hopper in BAR markings. The Weaver cars have to be changed from 2 rail to 3 rail. Pics....................Paul
Wow. I really like the new BAR Woodchip Hopper...... Great color & Graphics. I'm in Southeastern NH so I'm always the lookout for local road names. Good luck with the redesign.
The night before last, I got my trains all set up for the op session I have scheduled for tomorrow evening (my wife is going to spend a few hours with her female friends tomorrow night anyway). I put out an open call among the local layout owners I’ve taken part in their op sessions, and one layout owner who has a layout even smaller than mine, but only the two guys who helped with the wiring during the build accepted. I’m fine with that (as I told each they’d always have first crack at any op session due to their selfless efforts when I was first layout track), but I must admit I wish someone who’s never seen the layout before took the invite. But then again, I’ve only ever done two open invites like this (the first was right after the layout was functional, to get an idea on how to run future ones, when it was bare wood). Anyway, I re-arranged the cars, got the car cards (I use the Micro Mark 4-position destination inserts) all set up correctly as it all resets with just flipping the destination inserts to the next position. And yes, I threw some cars out of order for the train to start the session, so it won’t be too easy for the 2-man crew to figure it all out. Even with layout as small as mine, it usually takes over an hour to run a train all the way through and return with the empties to the interchange.
Jdevleerjr posted:carsntrains posted:JD is that a LC or LC+ ?? Looks and sounds great!
Jim
Jim
Its a Lioncheif. Sounds great and runs great. I have to dig in to find out how it activates the chuffs. Its only 1 chuff per rev. I want to increase it to 4 or at least to 2.
JD yep my Polar Express will run so slow it shows how it only makes on "chuff" per revolution. I tell you it is amazing how slow that PE will run! One chuff for ever 5 or so seconds! : )
Jim
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