The Carolina Sandhills Lines in HO Scale

[motofavorite]

Thanks for the pictures of your mobile yard!

[davefoxx]

"We will rebuild"

HAHAHAHAHA!!!

[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

I just upgraded this SW7 to a LokSound 5 DCC Micro (ESU Item #58828), because it was my understanding that these Walthers Mainline locomotives use a Next18 plug.  Hindsight being 20/20, I should have known that the ESU Essentials decoder (an economy decoder) wouldn’t likely have a Next18 plug.  Unfortunately, only the DCC ready SW7s come with that set up, so the decoder I had bought prior to removing the shell wouldn’t work.  I considered returning the decoder and just doing the usual Decoder Buddy and 21-pin decoder, but I was concerned about the height of those 21-pins preventing the low switcher hood from fitting back on to the frame.

Random internet surfing discovered that ESU used to offer a motherboard for Next18 decoders (ESU Item #51955).  Although discontinued, I found one at Mountain Subdivision Hobbies, and I received it in the mail in just a few days.  This motherboard was not designed for this locomotive, so I used 3M double-stick automotive tape to secure it to the mechanism.  Just the usual wiring of four track power wires, two wires each for the front and rear headlights, and two wires each for the speaker and motor leads.  Thankfully, that wiring job was uneventful, and the shell fit back on the frame just fine.

I’ve got LokSound V5.0 control now, including a functional independent brake.  It was just not feasible to switch with this SW7 without working brakes, since I ramp up the momentum.  Test running has already shown much improvement, making the additional expense of a decoder worth it.  Had I realized this before ordering the locomotive, I might have been able to find a DCC ready unit and saved a few bucks.  That’s water under the bridge at this point, though.  I’m very satisfied with the end result, and this little switcher is fun to run around the staging yard.

DFF

[davefoxx]

Because these cars are enormous, I purchased just two Greenville 7,000 cu. ft. wood chip hoppers to test whether they would fit in the chip loader siding.  Wood chips are not nearly as heavy or dense as other commodities carried in open hoppers, so it’s much more efficient to haul chips in these specially designed cars, rather than a recycled coal hopper.  These models are from Walthers out of their mid-level Mainline series.  I would’ve preferred the models being from their top of the line Proto series, but beggars can’t be choosers.

As expected, two of these Greenville hopper cars would not fit on the siding, so I cut out the small knoll at the end of the track and lengthened the track by several inches. This required some minor terraforming, and I added a wood shim under the cork subroadbed to create a slight incline at the end of the track.  My layout is just slightly out of level here, so this incline will keep uber free-rolling cars from rolling out of the loader.  And, since the prototype used a winch and cable to move cars through the loader, a slight incline is probably a safety feature to keep cars from rolling off of the end of the siding.



Now, two cars will fit through the loader with room to spare.



How big are these cars?  The comparison: it’s like they’re from different scales. 😮

[davefoxx]

The Little Engine That Could.  “You got this, little guy!”  🤣🤣🤣



DFF

[Tad_T]

I have some of the N scale Missouri Pacific chip hoppers from Trainworx and Bluford Shops. Exactly the same comparison.

I like what you did siding.

[davefoxx]

The result of my first attempts at AI (ChatGPT):



DFF

[chuck geiger]

Try Google Gemini

[davefoxx]

@chuck geiger,

I tried Google Gemini, but, unsuccessful at addressing some issues on that platform, I used ChatGPT to touch up the logo. 🤣



DFF

[Chris333]

Is the nose on that F-unit cast or sheet metal? 

[davefoxx]

Is the nose on that F-unit cast or sheet metal? 

And this was the better of a number of attempts.  Good enough applies . . . for now. 😉

DFF

[davefoxx]

Inspired by the East Penn RR’s Santa Train this afternoon, consisting of a first generation rebuilt Geep, a boxcar, and a caboose, . . .



the Aberdeen & Rockfish Ry. quickly dispatched their own similar Santa Train:



(Too bad I didn’t have an HO scale Santa for the tail-end car!)  🤣🤣🤣

DFF

[Philip H]

Ya know DFF that second Sandhills Line image would make a killer sticker. Incase some of the rest of us want to have them in our train rooms. Or decals for a boxcar though if you do that for love of SCL get them done in N scale

[davefoxx]

Ya know DFF that second Sandhills Line image would make a killer sticker. Incase some of the rest of us want to have them in our train rooms. Or decals for a boxcar though if you do that for love of SCL get them done in N scale

HAHAHAHAHA!!! I’m thinking T-shirts. 🤣

DFF

[davefoxx]

I added one of those former NS Executive F-units to the ACWR’s fleet- an anachronism beyond belief, considering the layout’s changing eras never go much past 1990.  But who cares?  This thing is cool.  I added a LokSound V5.0 decoder and loaded a GP38-2 file to match the upgrades that NS did to the real F9.  I’ll go to online videos of the prototype to best match the horn and bell when time allows.



It will need ditch light work, though.  I think the left ditch light is not functioning, and despite adding a LokSound V5.0 decoder, I haven’t got the right ditch light to do anything other than flash.  Might just be easier to replace the LEDs and attach them directly to the decoder.  We’ll see. That’s a project for another day, but no biggie since ditch lights aren’t in use much on my layout.

DFF