The Carolina Sandhills Lines in HO Scale

[davefoxx]

PHRASING!  🤣

[davefoxx]

“This is a test.  This is only a test.”



"If this had been an actual [lighting of a completed project], the [tail-end lights] you just [saw] would have been followed by official information, news, or instructions[, such as jumping up and down with glee, giggling like a schoolgirl, or fapping].”

This was just a test to see how well the LEDs light in the body shell under running conditions.  Right now, they’re only connected to the AC power from the rails, since they’re wired directly through the lighting system of the Walthers car without any capacitor or other electronic gizmo.  Following a Larry Puckett YouTube video, I now have a list of parts to order and complete this project, including:

1) Full wave bridge rectifier, 1.0 - 1.5 amps, 50-100V
2) Radial electrolytic capacitor, 1000uF, 25V
3) Trim potentiometer, 10K ohm
4) Resistor, 100-150 ohms, 1/4 - 1/2 watt

By temporarily putting the car together, I confirmed the need for the trim potentiometer, because I’d like to turn down the LEDs a little.  Also, the capacitor will be useful, as expected, but I will admit that I am surprised at how well the LEDs are working under the current conditions.  For some reason I have not yet figured out, power is only coming from one truck, despite the OEM Walthers Amtoob having electrical connections from the trucks through weights that run the length of the car.  Unfortunately, due to the construction of the trucks, there’s no good way to solder wires directly to the trucks.  So, yes, the lights flicker a good bit, but if that second truck was powering this lighting system, it might be good enough that I’d just stop here.

DFF

[davefoxx]

With the enlargement of the folding staging yard that represents Hamlet, N.C., by adding the third track, I figured out a neat twist to operations in this yard.  Up to now, I always had the motive power on an inbound train tie down the cars and runaround them to grab the caboose.  Then, the caboose and engines would pull down to the end of the shelf for servicing.  I figured out that I have sufficient space that I can have a dedicated switcher do the duties of pulling and attaching the caboose.  Now, the train’s power just cuts off and moves to the middle track, which represents the locomotive facilities.  The switcher will pull the caboose back into the small stub at the end of the track that the train came in on.  The caboose is serviced and then shoved onto the next outbound train.

For my Seaboard System (SBD) and CSX eras, I can use a SBD MP15DC (made by Atlas) that I have owned for several years.  Thankfully, I didn’t sell this MP15 when I purged a chunk of the fleet earlier this year.

But, I lacked any switcher for the years prior to the SBD formation in 1982.  So, I picked up an inexpensive Walthers Mainline SW7 decorated for the Seaboard Coast Line as No. 127 (ex-Atlantic Coast Line No. 645), which will work during the years from late 1967 through early 1983.  The prototype No. 127 was retired by the SBD on 3/15/1983.  Right now, the layout is 1972, so this switcher is perfect.



This Walthers locomotive was inexpensive (as DCC and sound models go), because it’s got an ESU Essential Sound decoder- the economy decoder.  Thankfully, I was able to modify the decoder settings on the LokProgrammer, despite it having not a lot of options on the decoder.  Since it supposedly has a Next18 connector, I don’t have a replacement decoder that could fit.  However, since I was successful with some basic remapping and modifications (volume) to the sound files on the LokProgrammer, I’ve got the SW7 working on the ProtoThrottle acceptably.  The only real issue is that this economy decoder lacks a physical independent brake and has a unique speed curve table.  Since I like momentum, I’ll have to think farther ahead when running this little switcher.  And, since it’s just a switcher that won’t be MUed to anything, that unique speed curve table is not a dealbreaker.

I’ll likely upgrade this decoder someday, but it’s working well enough now that I can run it until the hobby funds will allow the purchase of a new V5 LokSound decoder that will fit.  For a small locomotive, this SW7 runs well.  No buyer’s remorse.

DFF

[davefoxx]

I decided to pull my passenger train off of the layout, so that I could temporarily repurpose the third track on the folding staging shelf as locomotive servicing.  I was able to get three two-unit sets of four-axle locomotives in that track.  A two-unit set of six-axle locomotives fits in the middle track without fouling the crossover, and the third track is the caboose track/runaround for the arrival/departure track.

We all love locomotives and most of us have more than we can even put on our layouts, right?  Well, this gets me about 75% of my 1972-era Seaboard Coast Line fleet on the layout.  Reminding me of how much I enjoyed railfanning at Brian Park Terminal on the RF&P in Richmond, Virginia, from 1988-92 during my college years, I still really enjoy hostling locomotives and even just hearing them idle.

I had fun last night hostling these engines around what’s supposed to be Hamlet, North Carolina.  For example, in the photos below, that SW7 in the third track just picked up the caboose from the other end of that inbound cut of cars on the same track while the road power cut off of this end and moved over to the servicing track.  The switcher then ran that caboose around the wye on the way back to this end of the yard to get the caboose on the other end of the switcher.  That cut of cars will represent the next departing northbound freight train, and the switcher will tack the caboose onto this end of the cut of cars.  The next assigned road power will run ahead to the other end to tie on, brake test, and depart.





DFF

[Bendtracker1]

Dave, just spitballing here.
You've expanded the yard by adding the three track cassette, what if you were to expand the cassette to incorporate the three yard tracks?

How often is the existing cassette left in place?  Could an expanded cassette be taken down as easily as the three track cassette?

[davefoxx]

Dave, just spitballing here.
You've expanded the yard by adding the three track cassette, what if you were to expand the cassette to incorporate the three yard tracks?

How often is the existing cassette left in place?  Could an expanded cassette be taken down as easily as the three track cassette?

Allen,

Thanks for asking.  I’ve considered that.  The limiting factors are:

1) I’m lazy.  That’s why I recycled the staging shelf and merely jammed in the third track.  Required minimal reconstruction.
2) Those three tracks are supposed to be the yard in Aberdeen, which is some twenty miles or so from Hamlet.  Due to space limitations, I just can’t split Aberdeen’s yard and Hamlet’s staging apart any further.
3) The way this layout is operated, there’s no advantage to lengthening those three stub tracks.  The length of trains going up the NS branch or over to the A&R are limited to three or four-car capacity tracks in those staging yards.  Even if the NS or A&R yards were empty, I can only send a maximum of six or eight cars, respectively, so there’s just no real need for extending those Aberdeen yard tracks, not to mention that the yard lead is only so long, too.  Well, at least this is what I keep telling myself, because of reason #1 above. 🤣

Thanks,
DFF

[Bendtracker1]

Fair enough, all good points.
It just seemed like wasted space that could be used.

[davefoxx]

Never say never.  As I indicated, I’ve considered it before.  Who knows?  Once I decide that I no longer need the folding down capability of the shelf, I might even just permanently extend the layout by four to five feet. The sky’s the limit on what I do to represent Hamlet at that point.  Extending the Aberdeen yard tracks could be a part of that plan.

Thanks,
DFF

[motofavorite]

That’s a snappy little wire rack you’re using for the staging cassette. Where did you find it, and is it on wheels? I have a spot where an extra four feet of “decorated staging” would be a godsend, but it’s shared space. It would be nice to have it on wheels so it could sail away when not in use. I’m no carpenter, so something sturdy and level sure would help to keep the trains on the track, or at least off the floor.

[davefoxx]

I’m in the office today with practically no cell service, so I can’t upload photos at this time.  I will try to remember to do so tonight.

That shelving unit is on wheels and was purchased at Lowe’s.  I have two of them and just cut one down to fit under the staging yard, which does not sit directly on the shelf.  The staging yard straddles the shelving unit, so I can easily roll the cart out without disturbing staging.  More details soon.

DFF

[davefoxx]

Here you go!



Hope this helps,
DFF

[Iain]

This really “plain Jane” GP38 needed something to spice it up.  So, . . .

Yes!  That’s my favorite R.E.M. song, “Driver 8,” coming out of this Geep!  And, this is my favorite version- recorded live at The Olympia in 2007.  About six years ago, I added The Cars’ song, “You Might Think,” in place of the dynamic brake sound file on Aberdeen & Rockfish GP38 No. 400.  I had long forgotten how to do this, so, today, I was determined to figure it out.  You may notice that No. 2007 also lacks a dynamic brake.  So, when I press the dynamic brake button on the ProtoThrottle, I get this!

To fit an entire song on even a LokSound V5.0 decoder, I needed to save significant memory space.  First, I loaded a V4.0 sound file for a GP38, which takes up a lot less memory.  For this basic Geep, that’s little sacrifice, and this is key to making this work.  By also deleting sounds that I wasn’t using, e.g., dynamic brake, coupler sounds, and flange squeal, I managed to get just enough space on the decoder.  You can hear the prime mover, bell, and horn at the beginning of the video.  They sound fine, even from a V4.0 file.  Oh, and because this a V5.0 decoder, I still get perks like adjustable bass and treble settings and better brake settings for a functional independent brake.  That brake is needed when you ramp up the momentum for ProtoThrottle use.

Perhaps there’s some irony that Michael Stipe is singing about “Locomotive 8, Southern Crescent” coming out of this particular Geep, because NS No. 2007 later became under the ownership of the Southern Ry., after the road absorbed the original NS in a merger around 1974.  It even got a high short hood!

DFF

that geep could do with a cut down fuel tank ...

[davefoxx]

that geep could do with a cut down fuel tank ...

Yes, but that’s waaaaaaay down the to-do list.  My model of A&R No. 400 needs a smaller tank, too.

DFF

[davefoxx]

Just walking past the layout just a few minutes ago when something caught my eye:

“Uh oh, the original NS line is down.  Get out the chainsaws, fellas!”



DFF

[Chris333]

"We will rebuild"