Summertime Blues

Our air conditioning died last week and had to go without it for about three days until we finally figured out it was just the capacitor for the condenser fan had failed, but that was when it reached over 105 degrees outside for the whole week.   :(
The layout is used to having climate control along with the rest of the house, so it got well into the 90's in the garage during the afternoons.  This morning I noticed that the layout did not like seeing those temperatures, as a string of boxcars in the new staging yard were leaning significantly to one side from some severe expansion issues.  I have to do a thorough check on how the whole layout fared, but so far only appears to be that one Atlas flex track section where a rail popped out of the ties.  I was worried about the slip rail in all the sections of my Atlas code 55 flex while installing it, as that rail was excessively loose compared to any other flex I had dealt with before.  Fortunately I was able to carefully push the rail back down into the spike heads, so maybe that is better than the whole track section getting distorted and ripped apart....  a little track cleaning with a few test trains should verify if all else is well.

Meanwhile been working way too much overtime at work to get much progress on the layout as I had hoped, but on the brighter side still been able to tinker with a few more sound decoder installs.  The sound fleet now is up to six units, with 2 Cadillacs (SD9's), 3 Tunnel Motors, and an SD40-2 ready for programming.  The PR3 is here, but have yet to actually load any sound projects.  Here's a couple pics of the latest install into a UP Kato SD40-2 that will be used as a pool unit:

Sounds a lot better than the other GP38 default sounds currently in my Cadillacs and Tunnel Motors, that's for sure!  A lot of my power is EMD 645 prime mover equipped, so this unit is a lot of fun to have working since the first actually sporting the correct sounds on the layout!

Getting ready for the PSR layout tour here in September, but not sure if I am going to make it putting the sound units into service with the constraints...  maybe they will give me a break at work     :)

Taking Things up a Notch with Digitrax Sound Decoders

Since expanding the layout, I have found the need to build more trains and also find more motive power to pull them.  I am finally pulling old power (and rolling stock) out of boxes as well as purchasing others to balance out closer to SP's '78 roster, and putting decoders in them...  so why not try some sound decoders?  MRC was out from what feedback I got from others, so I started looking at the Digitrax drop-in decoders.  On a recent visit to Ron Sipkovich's Cajon Pass layout, I had the opportunity to hear Digitrax's 645 prime mover and other sounds used in the SD40-2 first hand.  With its small speaker, this decoder did not match up to the Tsunami or Loksound decoders that I have heard in N scale cowl units (bigger spkr), but if I could stuff a 10 X 18mm speaker into an N scale hood unit, I was pretty much sold, especially considering there was no major milling and I got the same performance and reliability as their non-sound counterparts.  Latest acquisition to the fleet here that needed sound, were a set of Intermountain Tunnel Motors.  Since receiving some help from fellow Forumites on the Atlas forum (thanks Tivo), I found that the Digitrax SDN144A0 (used in Atlas GP38), was a possible candidate for the Tunnel Motors.  So I bought a few to verify as a worthy prospect.  It is pretty close to a straight drop-in install, with only a few minor issues to resolve.  I had to modify the frame halves by carefully prying the ears to get the .024" needed for the thicker decoder board.  Don't get too crazy or one can easily crack the frame ears.  I have encountered this before, and in some cases I will take a Dremel cut-off wheel to open the gap a bit more.  After taking the calipers to the shell and speaker widths, I noted that it was a tighter fit than I was comfortable with, but pretty close.  I wanted to be able to disassemble the unit for maintenance without the 10 X 18mm speaker getting stuck inside the shell, so some filing of the speaker and the body shell were in order.  Removal of about .010" overall, and I was able to slide the shell on and off smoothly.  So far I am happy with the user friendliness of the decoder settings and feel like I have adequate control of all the sound levels.  With the speaker sitting in the back and partially under the decoder, the sound still resonates pretty well.  I got the volume on max for some of the sound schemes, but toned down for others resulting in an acceptable balance for the layout's ambient room noise.  Still have to load the 645 sound scheme files in this version, but once I get the PR3 programer here, that should be easy enough.  The headlight has to peer over the capacitor that sits in the front, so it is a bit dim and needs further work, but I have to revisit sometime soon to add more full SP light packages on my lead units anyhow...
...and a pic showing how the components fit:

After tackling a Tunnel Motor, I decided to try an install with the same SDN144A0 decoder in an Atlas SD9, but more filing (speaker and inside of  shell), and headlights still to reckon with.  On this unit the decoder was too thin and ended up being too loose between the frame tabs.  Instead of trying to shim with styrene, I ended up adding a small amount of solder to each decoder pad for more reliability.  Another fairly straight forward install with no major modifications.  I took the previous decoder out of the SD9 and swapped it into a GP40-2 that has now been added to the fleet.  As time permits, I will push forward with lighting effects to include more SP light packages, and also put some premium sound / speakers in my early Kato power (Loksound and larger spkrs in U33Cs and other SD's), but short term these drop-ins are a quick and easy way to get sound started on the layout.  For now, just my lead units will have sound, but hearing a full consist roll by on Tim Dickinson's BN layout (each with its own distinct characteristics), has pretty well hooked me at this point... so there's no stopping me now!

Resistor Wheel Tutorial

Added a Page with a short How-To article on adding resistors to your rolling stock.  Get that DCC train with detected wheel sets together, because yes, you are welcome to run it here for Opp Sessions.  Already looking forward to our first BYO Equipment Night....     :) 
Direct link to the page:
Detected Wheel Sets

Updated "Insight on Operations"

Spent the last few weeks getting the layout ready for its first official operating session since putting the Staging Yard into service.  Paperwork was more than I wanted to deal with, but on the verge of completion now.  Updated the "Insight on Operations" pages in the "Espee Oregon Division Pages" section to reflect all the changes.  Of note is some changes that Blogger has made to their pages recently.  Now you have to right click on an image after opening it, then click "view image" to see it full size...  wtf?  Anyhow, here is a direct link to the page:
Insight on Operations
Among the new changes, added some trains including a Cabhop, a Hauler Job, a second (Night) Weyerhauser Job, and restored one of the monster empty lumber drags.  Biggest change is the complete overhaul to how Eugene Yard handles traffic.  The new lumber mill is now also in service so the Oakridge turn now handles a bit more switching chores. 

BLMA 100 Ton Trucks Added to Chip Gon Fleet

Since the new lumber mill will be shipping cars soon here, I had to prepare more woodchip gondolas so they could be put in service.  Recently I acquired a number of Deluxe Innovation Chip Gons with some really nice loads already added (Thanks Arnold!).  So after my last visit to Kel's place and admiring how easy it was to add body mount couplers and BLMA trucks to these cars, it was time to add the upgrades to my cars here.  MT 1015 couplers in bulk are cheap, and with the plastic underframe it is easy to drill and tap the mounting.  With the BLMA 100 ton trucks under them, there is no need to shim the 1015s for a perfect ride height.  I hated to put resistors on such nicely detailed wheels, but fortunately no one has ever made note of seeing a resistor on any of my rolling stock to date... so after adding a detected wheelset to each car, it was a real breeze to complete the dozen additional cars needed for service.

Here is a comparison shot of the Deluxe GEBC "Ace" chip gons with the BLMA 100 ton trucks on left, and MT RB trucks with FVM 36" wheels on right.   The newly modified car appears to have too low a coupler height when comparing to the other car, but this is mostly due to the fact that the MT talgo trucks have the 36" wheels installed, making the ride height higher than normal on those cars.  The car's new ride height difference is striking.... these things look sweeet!          

Another shot but of a Deluxe Gunderson Deep Rib gon for comparison.  I have body mounted some of these before, but never with the addition of the BLMA 100 ton trucks.  Not quite as straight forward of a mod, but by using the 1025 coupler, it is basically just a matter of filing the end sill to make room for the coupler box to fit up snug to the underfame.  Well worth the time to get the better ride height, as these cars never looked quite right until lowering them down this far.

Still a few more chip gons on the layout that need the upgrade treatment, but will go back and revisit the ongoing body mount project (yet again) not far down the road.

About 50 cars have been added to the layout to balance out operations with the new mill, and trains that have been reconfigured since the addition of staging.  Been slowly adding more resistors to wheels and am down to the last few cars that need to be completed for the next run.  Had a number of inquires on how I put on the resistors, so working on an overview in "My Pages" section with some snapshots on my methodology making detected wheelsets.  Maybe some ideas others would be interested in...  stay tuned for that one.

Expansion Phase II Commissioning

  Last weekend we were able to have a real loose operating session to drive the layout hard and find out how things performed with the new Staging addition.  Ray threw a lot of weight into getting the signaling installed and reconfigured, and deserves his usual pat on the back for what many take for granted regarding the intricacies of installing CTC on the railroad.  Staging has made a dramatic change to how the layout flows now, and appears to have reduced the overload problems that my Eugene Yard had been bogged down with.
It looks like things are fairly solid since we ironed out a few minor details, but I still need some more feedback from operators on how the staging flows (regarding arrivals and departures).  Looks like I might have to add more dreaded paperwork to the General Rules on how operators are to handle staging, as it is not as seamless as I had hoped.  There is a bit of confusion on trains arriving at their destination name (for ex Portland), but then pulling the train the rest of the way into the staging yard leaves the head end at the opposing name location (ex Klamath Falls), so crews are not clear on which yard office handles the paperwork.  I suppose just a minor glitch that seasoned operators will never think about, but I want to simplify things for new operators so as not to drown them.  Hoping for more operator suggestions on how to deal with it on a simplistic level as they encounter it first hand...
Still more work ahead before any official crew calls go out again, but once I can get a grip on the loose ends (adding related cars, associated paperwork, etc), we will schedule accordingly.
The next session will surely unveil some more items that need attention, but I plan with each future session to expand on train assignments in an effort to fill out operations, and also to make car flow even more a part of the railroad, as opposed to just moving the trains.
Hoping to move toward adding more scenery over the next few months....

Lumber Mill and Stage II Progress

Latest project was the building and installation of 3 more code 40 turnouts for the lumber mill trackage, and pushing through on completing the rest of the trackwork there also.  Just a bit more wiring and this industry should be ready to receive it's first cut of cars in conjunction with the inaugural ops of the new layout configuration.  It's as close as I could get with selective compaction for my version of Pope Talbot.  The trackage arrangement is close comparing the SPINS diagram to years gone by (minus one track), but I don't have the real estate for accurate structure placement.  I have a temp structure set-up for now until I can get more info on how it looked vs what I have to work with.... then these stand-in structures should eventually move to the proposed Klamath Northern Gilchrist mill location on the upper deck of the expansion.  

Looking out the West end of Oakridge:

Meanwhile also got both temp staging yard panels installed.  They don't show exact track alignment as it made the ladders appear a bit confusing, so this is kind of a test for the permanent panels, but want to see how it all flows with emphasis just focusing on the track numbers needed for movements.  Staging will be where those new to the operations will board their first run, and I'm hoping to make it as seamless as possible  just to get the feel of the layout, without being submerged into the intricacies of full ops...

Here is a view of Portland Panel with arrival / departure's break down.  Note the 5 throttle slots are typically for the corresponding 5 departure tracks (top of control panel board is visible here also):

So now that all track feeders have been finished and all Tortoise wiring is completed for Phase II expansion, it was time to run the first test train through the staging yard!  

A 45 car MT lumber drag pulls out of Klamath Falls after a run through into Portland and "through" the staging yard for testing:

....only a few minor issues.  Once I added a few more feeders and filed some switch points it appeared to be pretty seamless running both ways through the yard with the first test train.  Got it wired now temporarily to run trains and verify the flow, as the booster and associated wiring for block detection etc is still progressing.  The DB150 Booster will sit on the shelf behind the new control panel board installed under the Portland yard location.  Work still progressing on the front of the panel board which will carry the support for the DB150 (power districts) and detection / signaling related devices.  Have progressed most of the way through on the Loconet connections for the new throttle racks and booster.  All throttle racks have been tested and are up and running...  

Klamath Falls Panel and Throttle Rack:

...but not without issue.  After installing the new throttle ports around the addition, we tied it into an existing UP5 with it's own PS, but the system failed to power the throttles with the DCS turned off.  After putting the LT5 tester on the output jacks of the UP5 we found that it was wired different than the schematic included with the Digitrax user manual...  The side port output was wired with the LocoNet rear jacks rather than to follow the front Throttle jacks!  No evidence of this found anywhere on the web or otherwise from anyone else, but that is what it was.  So Ray modified the UP5 circuit board for pin 6 output to configure it as per the user manual drawing, and it all works perfect now!

Optimistic the signaling gets integrated into staging soon so we all can resume our erratic schedule of Ops...     :)