Tehachapi, BC

[GaryHinshaw]

Decorating for the holidays:



After getting a replacement circuit breaker to replace a defective one, I installed LEDs in all of them.  While testing them I realized it was kind of seasonal (not so obvious in the photo, alas).

Merry Christmas from Tehachapi, BC!  May all your blocks be green come 2016!

[basementcalling]

Decorating for the holidays:



After getting a replacement circuit breaker to replace a defective one, I installed LEDs in all of them.  While testing them I realized it was kind of seasonal (not so obvious in the photo, alas).

Merry Christmas from Tehachapi, BC!  May all your blocks be green come 2016!

And to you and Tehachapi, BC.

A frightening photo. What the heck are those boards?

[GaryHinshaw]

Circuit breakers.  They divide the layout up into 6 districts so that a short somewhere only brings down 1/6th of the layout.  They look fancy because they're a little bit smart, but basically just 2 wires in, 2 wires out.  The top two LEDs are red because I put quarters on the track to test those districts.

[Bendtracker1]

Gary,
Are those the PSX breakers?

[GaryHinshaw]

Hi Allen.  These are On Guard units (OG-CB), the little cousin of PSX.  If I get heavily into onboard sound some day, I may have to upgrade, but so far they've been trouble free.

[Bendtracker1]

Hi Gary and thanks
Ah!  OK I didn't think they looked quite like the PSX units I have, that has yet to be installed. 
Don't see me going with sound yet, but I jumped up to the PSX units to replace my PM42's only because I found a good deal on them.  Curious to see how much better they'll work?

[Santa Fe Guy]

Circuit breakers.  They divide the layout up into 6 districts so that a short somewhere only brings down 1/6th of the layout.  They look fancy because they're a little bit smart, but basically just 2 wires in, 2 wires out.  The top two are red because I put quarters on the track to test those districts.

Very nice neat work. They do look kinda Christmasy.
Merry Christmas.
Rod.

[Scottl]

Very neat electrical work, Gary.  I can say from first hand experience that all of the efforts "under the hood" are really worth it when you are operating trains on TBC.  We need to see more photos like this...

All the best for the holidays!

[GaryHinshaw]

TBC just experienced its first perceptible earthquake: a magnitude 4.8 jolt 19 km NNE of Victoria BC.  It was very brief, but substantial enough to give us an adrenaline rush.  Happily no damage, and all cars remained on the rails.

[C855B]

What? No tunnels collapsed? (SP lost two in the 1952 Tehachapi quake. It was ~7.7.)

[davefoxx]

Gary,

I'm happy to hear that there was no damage.  But, I'm curious, in the absence of scenery on your layout to catch rolling stock, do you tend to park rolling stock away from the edges?  I know on my layout that I tend to do so, not so much because of a fear of earthquakes, but due to the risk of children, especially my four-year-old daughter, Aly (otherwise known as Tornado Aly), who tends to swing and lean on the layout's table legs.

That said, I recall the Virginia earthquake in August 2011, so, since then, I have an idea of your description, "jolt."  Heh, you'll appreciate this:



DFF

[ednadolski]

Scary stuff!  Glad you are OK!

Kudos for solid benchwork   

Ed

[basementcalling]

Usually it is good to shake things up a little.
Glad there are no repairs needed.

[GaryHinshaw]

I'm curious, in the absence of scenery on your layout to catch rolling stock, do you tend to park rolling stock away from the edges?  DFF

Dave, I don't make a special point of it actually, and I have had a few ops-related mishaps because of the lack of scenery.*  One area of concern is the Vortex, which is part staging yard, and will typically have trains parked in it.   I haven't made firm plans for any barriers in there yet, but I expect I will. 

*The last item on the to-do list before scenery work can commence is about to be ticked off: I'm getting DCC-controlled turnouts and block detection wired up over the holidays.  With that infrastructure work done (and the mainline ballasting as well) landforms can soon follow.   How long has it been?.... 

[GaryHinshaw]

BTW, they're predicting swift sales of earthquake kits following this tremor (which is a good thing).  My wife actually went on such a spree a few months ago, so in theory we're modestly prepared...