Indiana Harbor Belt of Texas

[Rossford Yard]

Thanks to Wyatt and Doug for all their help.  A guy couldn't ask for a better crew.

I know not much looks different this time, but Wyatt spend most time on that wiring.  Oh, I could do it myself, but I would probably then jump off a  bridge, so I am glad to have him.

I have now been running the layout and the track work seems very reliable.  Any problems I have had are human error (no way to fix that!) or faulty rolling stock (uneven weights, crapumates, out of guage wheels, etc.)   Take those out of the train to the RIP track and all runs well (even with, mostly, the uneven weights)

As Wyatt's video shows, I have accomplished goal number one of running long trains.  23 autoracks is pretty impressive to me.  Starting to modify my old Excel switch lists for ops on the new layout, and have done some scenery shell work, but it is not far along.

[Rossford Yard]

Upper level of my layout is running flawlessly. No derailments not accounted for by my own operator error.

Wish I could say the same for the helix.  While I don't think its anything with the trackwork, heavy trains, accumate couplers, etc. make getting trains up from staging a real problem.  Specifically, somewhere along the line, a coupler breaks, or the train breaks apart.  Eventually, I suppose I will make all 700 freight cars "perfect" and they will work, but until then......maybe I need to break those 25-30 car trains in two, although that would be a pain.

Won't be an issue most nights as I can set up one or two trains for yard or local switching for my own self.  Still wondering how it will play out as I develop my ops scheme for some bigger sessions.  Even if I tune all the trains, and they make it unscathed up the helix, it takes a long time!  Maybe I can say its like waiting for a train to come in the proto......

Anyway, just as I put 2" spacing between staging tracks based on past staging experience, I would have to say that I would add small straight sections to any helix on every level (making it an oval) so that when those inevitable uncouplings happen, you at least have a place to recouple cars.  And make it a rerailer in case one truck comes off in the recoupling process.......

[LIRR]

nicely done.....

[soo]

making the 700 perfect will definitely take some time. Maybe do a train at a time.

  Might have to bring up a train ( 30 cars) in two sections... I am sure you will figure something out.

  Keep on keep'n on

  Adios Wyatt

[PAL_Houston]

Thanks to Wyatt and Doug for all their help.  A guy couldn't ask for a better crew.

I know not much looks different this time, but Wyatt spend most time on that wiring.  Oh, I could do it myself, but I would probably then jump off a  bridge, so I am glad to have him.

I have now been running the layout and the track work seems very reliable.  Any problems I have had are human error (no way to fix that!) or faulty rolling stock (uneven weights, crapumates, out of guage wheels, etc.)   Take those out of the train to the RIP track and all runs well (even with, mostly, the uneven weights)

As Wyatt's video shows, I have accomplished goal number one of running long trains.  23 autoracks is pretty impressive to me.  Starting to modify my old Excel switch lists for ops on the new layout, and have done some scenery shell work, but it is not far along.

Great Stuff.  Glad you are up and running trains!  (And, way to go Wyatt!!)

[soo]

Well here is another report. This past week,5-8 August some more work was done on the IHB.

1. Installed an PSX-4. So now there is 6 power districts. One for each staging yard(2), One for the helix to include entry and exit trackage. One for the main, and one for each the front yard and the back yard. I did manage to notice one thing... while wiring the PSX4 , I was using my standard of black wire towards the wall and the red wire to the aisle. I was movin along,, then just by chance I noticed lokies were shorting out on the frogs,,hmm. Well,, after much cussing and swearing that I will never wire a layout again, I came to find out all I had to do was change the booster wires coming into the PSX4,, fixed!!!. Thank god,, because I was ready to get the sledge-o-matic at 3 am in the morning.

2. One of the major projects going into this layout was the lift out section.


  Here we have are beautiful model Jeff Brauer holding what is to be the lift out. ( pic was taken at the very beginning,,duh)

 We are able to get pc tie sections from American Tie and Timber. These are the same sections that MC Fujiwara uses on his freemo modules and in his videos describing the way to create the track joints. Well any who,, to the pics!!!

This is the rightihand side of the lift out as you standing in the room fixin to walk out. Quite a nice array of trackwork.


  Here is the left hand side, as the train moves this the way to gibson yard, to include the backyard and front yard.

  I was so nice to get this finally done,,I was tired of standing up too soon and getting torti'd. Meaning of getting tortoise switch machines stabbed in my back.



  I was quite pleased with the way it turned out. In the pics you can see I installed latches, and metal plates to help with alignment. To make the electrical bridge connection, I used a 4 and 12 position male/female connector.

3. Another milestone.. The Gibson yard engine and roundhouse area. The only issue that was had with this area was the control box for the turntable,, after much frustration, cussing, and then placing a call to Walthers themselves. We find out that analog control box " wore out". I call BS on that,, they just want you to fork 180$ for the DCC upgrade. Away we go with the pics!!!!




  Just a little more work, and then scenery can start. And then the Mechanical, Electrical, and Bridges and Buidling depts can take a break.

 I was curious to see how many Turnouts there are,so I did a count and found out there are 108, and 90 something tortoise switch machines. All tortoise machines have toggles for control and bi-color LED's for indication.

  Well there ya have it. Layout runs great, control panels, work great,, overall a great expierence!!! I think I see black and red wires in my sleep along with a soldering iron.

  Adios Till Next Time,, Wyatt

[Denver Road Doug]

Nice update!   I'm pretty amped to cruise down and see the layout now.   Hopefully I can get in on the action of some of the scenery...weathering/ballasting track, etc.

[soo]

Doug, you can do all that stuff you want!!! I pointed Jeff in the direction of track weathering article a month or two ago in the mag that shall remain nameless.

  Part of me kind of hates to see the clean wood and cork, and neatness go away. But also another part of me is ready for the vision to come to frutition.

  Adios Wyatt

[Denver Road Doug]

Well, I really would like to get in on the fun.  Hopefully after the move I can make time for some work sessions.

I get where you're coming from about the clean look.  I wonder what would happen if we just painted the whole thing (structures and all) a dark gray.   Sort of an "all the world's a stage" concept...the rolling stock would be the focal point.   Hmmm....

I have always wondered what a Black & White (or Sepia) layout would look like.   Make everything gray tones to appear is if viewing from a B&W TV.

[soo]

Doug, that could be done. Have everything gray,, and just have the harbor units in color.. Hmm

  I... Need...Sleep...

  Wyatt

[postman]

Wow, what a great layout!
Any update?

[soo]

Not yet postman,, going up there this weekend, maybe have some news by then.

  See ya, Wyatt

[soo]

Well I am here to update the progress, even though it may not be great progress ,it is progress.

  The trip before this one, it was decided that the duplicate road number lokies needed to be re-numbered. So I set out on that task. I did three lokies, every stinkin number had to be cut out by itself. Getting the old numbers off took some effort, making the black stripe fade ALOT. Some masking and re-painting was required before the application of the numbers.



  On this trip I had a few things to do...

1. Install and wire the R.I./ IAIS trackage. This track comes and goes from nowheresville. It just there to create the scene. Still it need to be wired so that locos and passenger Bi-Level cars will have working lights. One thing I thought about was making a cassette to create additional track lenght so that when videos are taken, you can see a train move on the R.I./IAIS. That will be a future project, maybe.




2. Paint the fasica, the idea that Jeff and I had was to paint the fascia black with and orange stripe. I have to say,,,, I think it came out GREAT!!!!! Not too much,, but just right. Adds some serious POW to the layout.





 You can see in those pics,, that some of the control panels are pretty close to matching and that some are off. I guess Kinko's had to throw a kink in there.lol

    Another task that was required was the programming of the consists that will power the multiple trains for the layout. Some decoders gave me fits, some worked like a champ. More towards working like a champ. I do know that NCE decoders gave me a major headache. It seems that once a consist address is programmed into a NCE decoder it " forgets" the original loco number, so I had to reset CV 19 to 0. And then the decoder amnesia was cured. So after 26 consists and 71 different locos. I was done with programming consists, till next time.





  Another thing that had to be done, was finishing the painting of the track. That means all track that is visable. The last area that needed to be done was the area in front of the helix and then the liftout section also.


  Yes I know the fascia is not cut out for the canal yet, hey rome was not built in a day either.lol

  So there you have it, not jaw dropping progress, not floor to ceiling scenery progress, but just plain ol' progress. Now I need to work on my own layout. The weather is getting nice here in Texas, time to open the garage doors, jam out to my Dokken channel on Pandora and get some work done.

  Till next time, Wyatt

[Denver Road Doug]

Just in time for Halloween!!!!   

Seriously, that looks freakin' SWEET.    I definitely think it looks a thousand times better than I thought it would.  And of course--ahem--I had complete confidence in the idea.

The power pic is very nice, btw.   Sorry I couldn't make it down there this weekend.

[Bendtracker1]

Wyatt,
Like Doug I think that fascia looks awesome!  Nice job.

Hey a little progress is better than no progress.