Seaboard Central 2.0

[davefoxx]

Haha!!!  Good stuff.  I think I'll designate the location of the new staging as "Komodo."   

DFF

[davefoxx]

Thanks to a great idea by @wm3798, the swing-out section is wired and can be easily disconnected for stowing under the layout.  Genius!



Here's the ugly guts, but it works:



Thanks again, Lee!

DFF

[MichaelWinicki]

Thanks to a great idea by @

Here's the ugly guts, but it works:

That's not bad!

[Scottl]

That is a great idea.  I was going to use a phono plug and socket, but that might be something I have the parts for.

Now you just need to paint it to match the fascia

[davefoxx]

Now you just need to paint it to match the fascia

Agreed.  I'm hoping that my fascia paint is still good, so I don't have to buy more paint.  I plan to lightly sand and paint a second coat on the fascia of the original layout, too.  It has a number of holes and scuffs left over from the expansion that need to be repaired.

DFF

[Scottl]

I find wall paint lasts quite a while.  I used the last of my sky blue color recently and was surprised to see it dated to 2009 on the label.

Those new Seaboard locos look pretty good too!

[basementcalling]

Thanks to a great idea by @wm3798, the swing-out section is wired and can be easily disconnected for stowing under the layout.  Genius!

Here's the ugly guts, but it works:



Thanks again, Lee!

DFF

Scuse my electrical ignorance, but why the jumpers? Why not just a 2x thingamajigger with the red wire under one screw, and the feeder off the other?  Is there a yellow wire from the phone cable, which I didn't think could handle our current needs, to the black doodad?

Elegant solution. Are you painting it black so the staging area disappears?

[davefoxx]

Peter,

The plan is to add one more set of feeders to the second track.  Right now the tracks work, but the second track is fed through turnout.  So, the second set of feeders will be tied in with the first set.  I wanted to keep the wires from the phone cable under separate terminals.  I probably could have gotten away with a 2x terminal block, but I didn't have one and this 4x block is left over from the expansion.  Might as well take advantage of the extra terminals, plus access under there is tight, and it's easier to attach the wires from the right side instead of fumbling with the left side terminals.  The short loops of wire will be replaced with metal jumpers that fit terminal blocks.

Oh, and there is a yellow wire from the phone cable.  It's just hard to see in that photo.  It's connected to the second terminal from the top on the right side.

DFF

[wm3798]

The phone wire is pretty light, but in the 6 or 7 years I had my rig operating, I never had a single problem.  I did, however, have a connection at each end, so it was a closed loop circuit... I'm not an electrician, so I can't tell you if that worked better, or if it was a bigger miracle that Rescue Fire Company never had to come calling...

Since you're running DCC at about 14-16 v at about 1 to 1.5 amp, if you're worried about it, you could install a simple momentary contact switch that opens the circuit when you don't need power out there in Komodo...  By the way, that has become short hand in my family for those times when someone poses a stupid question about something that's already been discussed...  My dad used to play that record for us when we were kids...  Clearly in tune with the old man's dry sense of humor...

Lee

[eric220]

Oh, and I decoderized the other two B36-7s this afternoon.  This is quintessential Seaboard System: fast GE four-axle power hauling a hot intermodal train:



This puts a smile on my face!

Grey four axel GEs, huh? Like this?



Caught those in Grand Junction, CO on Monday.

[davefoxx]

Grey four axel GEs, huh? Like this?

Hmm.  Not exactly.  Those UPY B Boats in that condition doesn't really put a smile on my face.  But, I guess it beats being scrapped.  They really look funny with the fuel tanks pulled.  I'm surprised they didn't leave those on to add some tractive effort.

DFF

[davefoxx]

The phone wire is pretty light, but in the 6 or 7 years I had my rig operating, I never had a single problem.  I did, however, have a connection at each end, so it was a closed loop circuit... I'm not an electrician, so I can't tell you if that worked better, or if it was a bigger miracle that Rescue Fire Company never had to come calling...

Since you're running DCC at about 14-16 v at about 1 to 1.5 amp, if you're worried about it, you could install a simple momentary contact switch that opens the circuit when you don't need power out there in Komodo...  By the way, that has become short hand in my family for those times when someone poses a stupid question about something that's already been discussed...  My dad used to play that record for us when we were kids...  Clearly in tune with the old man's dry sense of humor...

Lee

My phone cable is only about 6-7" long, so I'm not too worried about it.  At worst, there's only going to be two locomotives in Komodo.

DFF

[eric220]

Hmm.  Not exactly.  Those UPY B Boats in that condition doesn't really put a smile on my face.  But, I guess it beats being scrapped.  They really look funny with the fuel tanks pulled.  I'm surprised they didn't leave those on to add some tractive effort.

Yeah, they were pretty beat up.  Still, it was an interesting (if slightly concerning) sight to see so many of them in one place.

That said, yours do look much more awesome!

[davefoxx]

Okay, electrical wizards, here's a question for you.

ISSUE: Whether telephone wire is heavy enough to run DCC power through safely, i.e., not overheat and cause a fire.  Keep in mind, the telephone wire is only six or seven inches long, and I'm not even certain if any of this is a concern.  The locomotives seem to respond fine as the wiring currently exists.

QUESTION: I used only two wires in the six-wire telephone cable for each rail on the swing-out staging section (however, my telephone plug only uses four of the six wires).  What if I were to also use the additional two wires and essentially "double" the wires to power each rail?  It would be easy to tie the two pairs of wires together for each rail, especially on the shelf's end with the terminal block.  Or would this cause problems with the DCC signal?

Thanks,
DFF

[C855B]

You should be fine, Dave. That phone wire is #26, and with the short run is good for 2 amps. If you want a belt and suspenders (or are using a 5 amp booster), double-up with the other leads 'specially since it's so easy. Think "short circuit".

No concern with the DCC signal.