Weekend Update 8/11/19

[davefoxx]

76 pieces of flex, 184 feet of track.  And it's ALIVE !

Love the Family Lines covered hoppers in there!

DFF

[mu26aeh]

Love the Family Lines covered hoppers in there!

DFF

Pretty sure they were yours 😁  Thry will get a patch out but retain the family markings

[davefoxx]

Thry will get a patch out

Noooooooooooooooo!

On a slightly similar note, though, I just purchased an HO scale Atlas B30-7 in the first CSX Transportation scheme.  Only because it was still a Seaboard System locomotive and painted in that scheme before the CSX merger.  The evidence is a small SBD under the cab windows.  I’ve got an ESU LokSound V5.0 decoder waiting at home for it.

Stay tuned,
DFF

[Maletrain]

Getting back to Spectre3's train room wiring:

I do think it is a good idea to have the room lighting and layout wiring on separate master switches of some sort.  If something happens on the layout, it is best to shut it down, but bad if that means you end-up in the dark trying to find the problem.

There are many ways to accomplish separate master switches.  The belt and suspenders way is to use 2 breakers, with each going to some sort of separate master wall switch, and thence to separate sets of outlets or light fixtures.  That is the way I am wiring my shop.  The outlet boxes are labeled "tools" and "lights" (plus the panel # and breaker #)

But, shorts on small scale model layouts are unlikely to trip a main AC house current breaker, so taking the layout and room wiring off the same breaker is not that terrible an idea.  The wiring could be split to 2 master switches, and thence to the two systems. 

But, I would still not want to put electrical outlets from the 2 switches in the same outlet boxes.  It is too easy to turn off one switch, open the box, test one set of contacts connected to a wall switch that is turned off, and then touch the contacts that come from the other switch that is not turned off.  I know that there is a lot of history to double wall plugs with the top one being switched and the bottom one going around the switch to remain hot. (Or, was it the other way?)  I have had a few houses professionally wired like that.  I have also seen an electrician get quite an arc out of one when he was being lazy.

[dougnelson]

I bought a bunch of vehicle kits from Rasputen at the N Scale Weekend. Here are two completed kits. A 1938 Ford cab over, and a 1958 GMC 860 sleeper cab. I won the GMC in the raffle. It’s a little outside my period, but that is a cool truck.

[bnsfdash8]

I did a couple more tweaks to my "Versacoil" coil car, like adding the brake gear underneath.

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I'm thinking of creating my own artwork for the decals and some etched parts since I've never done that and have always wanted to give it a shot.

[basementcalling]

76 pieces of flex, 184 feet of track.  And it's ALIVE !

How much clearance railhead to underside of the plywood? Radii on the curves?

How long will a train at road speed be in the helix?

Also, how did you join the pieces of wood? Splice plates? Fancy joints?

[mu26aeh]

How much clearance railhead to underside of the plywood? Radii on the curves?

How long will a train at road speed be in the helix?

Also, how did you join the pieces of wood? Splice plates? Fancy joints?

Clearance is about 1.75", radius is 19 and 21".  Test train (2 engines, 12 cars) took 2 minutes 30 seconds bottom to top.  Road trains will probably approach 3 minutes, slower and longer.  Approx max train probably 30 cars, more likely 20-25 depending on traffic.  Joints were made with steel plates approx 2"x3", 6 screws each.  Packs of 4 purchased from Lowes.

[Cajonpassfan]

Not much work on the layout this week, just a bit of maintenance and track cleaning in anticipation of the Railwire’s very own @GaryHinshaw ‘s visit on Saturday. Good times were had by all, and I have pics to prove it. Lest there be speculation, the V sign signifies Victory over gravity (and conductivity) as Gary managed to get a freight up the long mountain grade over Cajon Pass and into Barstow staging, unassisted but by the staging yard camera
We got to do more of this...fun stuff!
Otto K.

[GaryHinshaw]

It was great to see Otto's pike in person (though the visit was all too brief because I had other commitments in LA to attend to).  Otto has a wonderful concept for Cajon that captures all of the major elements of the Pass in a well thought out plan, and he's well along the way to realizing it.  It's one of the best examples of prototype modelling in N scale that I can think of.  I can't wait to come back for an ops session!    Thank you for the hospitality Otto.

[DKS]

[Cajonpassfan]

...  I can't wait to come back for an ops session!    Thank you for the hospitality Otto.

You’re welcome here anytime, Gary. I guess I better get right on it!
Cool banner DKS, even if I do make a poor substitute for the likes of Morgan Freeman
Fun stuff.
Otto

[up1950s]

Clearance is about 1.75", radius is 19 and 21".  Test train (2 engines, 12 cars) took 2 minutes 30 seconds bottom to top.  Road trains will probably approach 3 minutes, slower and longer.  Approx max train probably 30 cars, more likely 20-25 depending on traffic.  Joints were made with steel plates approx 2"x3", 6 screws each.  Packs of 4 purchased from Lowes.

If there is a derailment getting your hand over a car to lift it back on the rails will be slim pickin's . I guess a lipped stick under the car might help ?

[Philip H]

@Philip H Got any more that you don’t want? 

Ed

@ednadolski - got two more and they are staying put.

Any idea who made them?  They were in ziplock bags when bought.

[jpwisc]

Painting is mostly done (2 cars out of 12 in this batch left to paint) so I started decaling.
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