Trials and Tribulations

I'm getting laser cut control panels for all of my panels. One of my operators has a laser cutting machine and is willing to do the job. I sent him three files. Two for new panels and 1 as a redo because things have changed. Of course last minute after sending the files I discovered that my CAD drawings for the holes I cut before were wrong. I always cut them the right size but they would be wrong for a laser machine. 

Then I decide to get the one panel for Rigby ready with everything up to the door of the panel. So all day yesterday I made cables and ran wires into the panel itself. It should be ready when I get that panel back.

This morning I turned on the layout and could tell right away there was a problem. Turned everything off and started looking around and to make a long story short my voltage regulator was putting out double voltage and fried one of my I/O boards. This happened once before so I already had a spare voltage regulator. The last time I had two fried boards. For some reason it always gets the closet one two the power supply. Got everything changed out and all is fine again.

Since I was already under the layout I took some time to shorten all of the lengthy wires in Bath and Brunswick North. Bath was completed, but when I got to Brunswick the first Tortoise wire I shorten had a problem. The person that done it originally crossed there of the eight wires. I had to find the right TSM and remove it to straighten them up on the tortoise end. Luckily it was the closest to the aisle.

Needless to say I spent way more time working than I thought I would have liked to.

Yes I sometimes work on the railroad

The yardmasters and dispatcher should be happier now. I connected the yard lead on the north side of Brunswick to the mainline. I also added signals and an extra block. I'm sure I will have to modify another block to get it as correct as I can. It meant re-wiring the yard lead and turntable track to be on the right block. Now there is an extra escape/approach if needed.

This wasn't my first choice of options, but it was the easiest.

Scenery coming for the loop

The loop over Rigby is now covered. It will be either a small town or a farm.

Rigby Work

With some help from Kenny Mann, I got 10 of 11 tortoises installed in Rigby. Most of them has been tested. Some minor adjustments will be needed but I'm close to getting this done.

Upper Fascia complete

About 85' of fascia installed on the upper level. This makes the upper level fascia complete. I also got a lot of plaster down in the single loop above Rigby.

Open House

Ready for an open house tomorrow after the Carolina Mountain Division Meeting.

And then I get back to construction.

New Trains and Changes

1. Passenger and Commuter Service will start.
2. 1st class trains will follow a schedule
3. Train 88 will now deliver the empties to the Dairies.
4. SB, BS trains no longer exist. The local out of Brunswick (BW) will turn at Wiscasset (WB) and go back to Brunswick. Switching should be trailing point only at your discretion.
5. The trains that go to or from St. Albans through Brunswick (AB, BA, AR or RA) will now work Belfast. Southbound will work the team track. Northbound will work Easton Mill. The waybills have been changed so that can work. In Brunswick you will need to block the Belfast cars behind the engine to keep from switching on the helix.
6. Removed references to what track you terminate on except for the SAN trains that go out and come back to the same track.
7. Removed references to any Wood Job train stopping in the yards. If there is ever a misrouted car, we can deal with it separately.
8. Train Schedules have been modified to get all of the new trains in.
9. Hopefully all paperwork has been modified to meet everyone's needs. Train schedules, worksheets, track cards, train instructions.

I guess that is enough for now.

Upcoming Changes

Now the the track is fully installed, I'm making a big push to get the rest of the trains in operation. It has taken a major rewrite of the schedule. 

All locals will now be turns. The AB/BA trains will pick up switching at Belfast. The northbound milk train will start placing the empties at the dairies. Passenger and commuter service will be back in service. 

This schedule should start in July.

Train watching

Ran across the Rocky Mountaineer sitting on the siding outside of Canyonlands NP and Moab around noon.

Bangor is now open for business.

Finally got the Bangor Panel in and wired up. All towns now have local control. Opening Bangor means 4 new industries and 12 more spots. It means that three trains will have more to do and I can start up piggyback service again.

The only places with no local panels are two staging yards.

I did a thing!

I couldn't help myself. I ran across a good price on an engine that matched the paint scheme I fell in love with. I bought it. Really it is too modern for my layout but then again it is my layout. Plus I have a club I can run at.

Acadia now online

The control panel for Acadia has been installed and is working. Time to add rolling stock and change waybills for the new industries.
The wood jobs will have more work. The milk trains will have more stops. Maybe even time to bring out some passenger/commuter service.
Bangor will probably have to wait a bit just due to time before the next session.

Local Control Panel location.

I am debating putting a control panel for an upper level town on the lower level fascia. I did this on the last layout. So, for all of you that were at my last layout, was this a problem that I didn't know about? The issue here is that I can't shrink the panel size and putting it on the upper level could be somewhat in the way.
If you have thoughts on this let me know.

Katahdin is active

Local control was installed. Eight new spots and a reactivating the Wood Job out of St. Albans. All of the Wood Jobs trains will have somewhere else to go other than the paper mill. Waybills will be printed and placed out tomorrow.

Todays issues

The last weekend session had issues with the DCC tripping for a short while and then cleared up and no issues after that. Today's session had one section of track shorting, but not the whole layout. Got it narrowed down to one car with metal trucks that had been running for years with no issues. The trucks have been changed out and hope that those tripping issues are done.
One other issue was that 80% of the phones went out. Don't you just love electronics. Good news here is that we can still go back to radios if necessary. It does make it tough to continue to get the rest of the upper level ready for ops.

Rest of the updates

In all cases the track is in mechanically but not electronically at this time. I also have to make and wire up the local control panels. All of the turnouts are operable at the computer. Then I have to make step stools for short people. Redo and add waybills and rolling stock and then I can add the industries to the operating session.
The only place left is a logging branch off Acadia.

Acadia Updates

Acadia. 5 industries 20 spots. The saw mill went here. More work for the Wood Job and milk train.

Ignore the batteries they are weighing down an area that needed a glue up.

Bangor Updates

Bangor with 4 industries and 12 spots. I have more for the milk train and I can bring back piggyback service

 

 

 

Chuck

Katahdin Updates

Katahdin with the logging siding installed. Two tracks eight spots. Now the Wood job will have more to do.

The new staging is now in operation.

We had a session today and any train going to NMJ went all the way to the new staging. After the session was over the two trains that didn't run got put into reverse and backed all the way to the new staging.
Then I tore out the old staging and put in the cork to reconnect the town. The town's new identity is Acadia.
Now I have a little over week before the next session to get Acadia in service. Mainline only for now.

Getting Closer to using the new section

I have been installing signals until I ran out of signal's. I do have four on order that will complete everything from NMJ to the north side of Acadia. When I finally get the new staging open then I will modify Acadia and at that point I will need 4 or 5 more signals to finish.
In the near term all this will mean is a longer run on the upper level until I can get something industries put in. The turnouts are there so maybe it won't take too long.

Also my repair parts came in for my occupancy detectors and they are now repaired which makes all of my NMJ staging tracks available.

Now I have to make NMJ a little bit longer to fit all of the trains AND then I can open things up.

Golden Spike 1/27/24

It's official, I ran a train end to end today.

Golden Spike ??

Could technically call today the day of the golden spike, but I will wait. The track is connected all the way but I caught a small issue with the bridge connection that was the last thing I needed. I will make those adjustments tomorrow and maybe then I can call it done.

Just a little more done

I have been recently modifying the Apple Valley club JMRI. It hasn't been working right in awhile.. it is taking up some of my time. BUT



I did get Katahdin wired up today. The only area left would be the old NMJ, which will now be Acadia. It does look like I will need to order some occupancy detectors. I also better start counting the signals I have left. There may be more of those needed also.

Update

Northern Maine Junction and Bangor are wired up. Blocks are set for everything I have done so far.

The bad news right now is that I could run out of Occupancy Detectors. Part of the reason is that instead o one block between towns. This time I did two. I also used detectors on siding groups for a reason I wanted to improve on auto detecting a train. I might have to rethink this part. That takes up more detectors. Another reason is that five detectors have a broken rheostat. I order a bunch of those, so I can repair what is broke now and later.

Picture Time

The mainline is in except for one spot. I should be able to get to that in a day or so. I started wiring the track up today.

Below you will see the loop above the roundhouse. Old NMJ is on the left. The town will be Acadia when finished. The sawmill will be inside the loop. Northern Maine Junction is left of the clock and heading back to the right.

Working our way towards the new NMJ. This picture shows where the covered bridge will be the one holdout for having the mainline done.

Working our way towards Katahdin.

The lumber town o Katahdin will get a double track this time. It will help with traffic and allow me to use my double track bridges

The spur for the logging siding.

Katahdin on the right and Bangor on the left and the nod under (about 5’ 1”)

Bangor with the turnouts already installed. Down at the end and around the corner is Northern Maine Junction.

Whoo Hoo News!!

Mainline track is basically complete. Just one piece that has to go through a covered bridge when I get the bridge installed.
Once I get everything where the trains can get to the new staging, the old staging comes out and another town gets put in.
I also finally got an idea for trackwork for the sawmill. I was starting to think locating within the benchwork I currently have was going to be a problem.

Sub Road bed is complete!

Sub road bed is complete. Road bed is working its way around. That is now at the left end above Brunswick.
There are two bridges to install. One just needs the abutments cut to size and the other will need some adjustments to the benchwork.

Let’s Call This Job Complete

The major redo is basically complete. Everything mechanically and electronically is done. About the only thing left to do is move the phone. It only needs to move somewhat because of the facia location. I can do that at any time.
I did end up relocating four industries. So those waybills will need changing. If I don't get to them right away, no worries since the major project went so well, plenty of time.
Now maybe I can get back to building.
Chuck

Day 4

No pictures today, but the progress has been steady. All off the track complete and is powered up. The OD's are working in every block. The signals have been moved to their new position.
Some of the logic had to be changed because some turnouts throw the opposite way, some blocks are slightly different which also effects signals.

The things left to do is verifying all the signals will work with the changes. Put the Searsport control panel back in and test. Put the Searsport facia plugs and telephone in their new location.
Chuck

Day 3 Connecting the Mainline

The mainline from Belfast to Wiscasset is back in place. There were some mainline and siding adjustments. I think the Mainline looks cleaner than it did before. Wiscasset passing abilities will be a little shorter unless extend the track on the other end. Right now I am talking just the track work, not all the power and other controls.

Day 2 of the redo

All of the turnouts with the wacky connections have been moved to the proper location. Even the one that ended up on top was put in its rightful location.
All of the wires that needed to be moved to get the track out, are now re-connected.
All of the risers for Searsport are now in their final resting place. Some got moved multiple times to ensure that Searsport didn't do a crash dive.
The hidden track is in its new location. The benchwork is connected at both ends. Track pulled up where needed and cork has been glued down for the upcoming trackwork.
The Dairy in Wiscasset will have to move, so there will be a new setup when done. Not yet sure what that will be. The passing siding will be slightly shorter although I could make that up at the other end of town.
Not much change will happen in Belfast.
Still have to redo the wires from the control panel. Facia plugs will have to move, the phone and pretty much everything that was on the facia.
Chuck

Day 1 of the relocation of the track under Searsport

The track came out much easier than I thought it would. Some wires just had to be unplugged, moved and reconnected. A few had to be cut a little. All of the supports under Searsport were moved without incident.
One turnout was closer than expected, but it will be fine. I probably will purchase one of those side mounts just in case. I just have to remember who made it.