Delaware & Hudson - Champlain Division

[Ian MacMillan]

Your measurements are pretty much the same as mine. I picked up a 5m string of the warm white LEDs from a US seller for $14 shipped and I was pretty impressed with it when I hooked it up yesterday. I think I am going to put two strips; one front and one back.

[bdennis]

More light research..
http://dh2ndsub.blogspot.com.au/

This time, when is the light I am getting enough.. Time to reach for the LUX meter.. (on the iphone!)

[bdennis]

Now that the lighting research is completed and the decission has been made to stay with fluro's, I decided to make a start on the main deck and staging decks in stratigic places around the railraod (that wont get in the way when I go to install the remaining fluro's)
See my blog for updates.
http://dh2ndsub.blogspot.com.au/

[bdennis]

Have been doing some work on roughing in the main track, Aux power, Loconet and phone system bus for the layout.
Have also been planing the location of the loconet devices (all 28 of them).
See my blog update.
http://dh2ndsub.blogspot.com.au/

[bdennis]

Just a quick update.
I have now completed the lighting install on the layout.
See my Blog for updates.
http://dh2ndsub.blogspot.com.au/

I have also been mounting the 28 devices needed to manage the layout.
Here is an example.

[bdennis]

Just a quick update.
All the staging and main deck ply is now cut to size. As the backboards and isles have very few straight lines or parallel lines this was a large task but is now completed.
I now need to install staging and then set up the elevations for the main deck. At present all the ply is sitting at staging height (1100mm). The main deck will mostly be at 1400mm (56inches)
http://dh2ndsub.blogspot.com.au/

I have also mounted all the electronics and connected them to the main track, power busses, and loconet.

[bdennis]

Another update on the D&H..
http://dh2ndsub.blogspot.com.au/
All staging deck now completed including the grade to and from both North and South Staging.

[Leggy]

Nice work Brendan.

[bdennis]

Guys,
Just a quick update on the progress on the D&H Layout Build.
I have been busy laying track and cork for the staging yards and the approaches to staging.
http://dh2ndsub.blogspot.com.au/
I have now completed both the North and South staging approach tracks.
I have completed the South staging and the reverse loop.
All turnout machines for South staging and the staging bypass tracks are installed and also working.
South staging

South staging approach

North Staging approach

South staging turn around loop under Corinth.

[Bsklarski]

Looks very good, Im liking it!

[bdennis]

Just a quick update.
Another 10 turnouts and 32 lengths of Atlas Code 55 Flex are now down and all of North and South staging including the approaches is now done.
Now to add track power.
http://dh2ndsub.blogspot.com.au/

[coldriver]

Why not scenic those long staging approaches? 

[basementcalling]

Just a quick update.
I have now completed the lighting install on the layout.
See my Blog for updates.
http://dh2ndsub.blogspot.com.au/

I have also been mounting the 28 devices needed to manage the layout.
Here is an example.

Care to identify your devices. A curious DCC newbie inquires.

[bdennis]

Peter,
Happy to call them out..
The left most 2 boards is 1 set and is a an incarnation of the LocoHDL from Europe. A friend in Australia made it and it drives 16 Tortoise machines.
http://users.telenet.be/deloof/

The next one is a TC64 from RR Cirkits
http://www.rr-cirkits.com/
Very useful as It can be either 64 inputs or 64 outputs or a mix of both

On the second board the pair are effectively 2 of the same thing.
The board on top is a Digitrax DS54, 4 output driver board. The board under them is a CD unit to drive Snap coil turnout machines.
See here:
http://jean-louis.simonet.perso.neuf.fr/Ds54_CDU.pdf
based on the info in the PDF I made the boards myself and had the bards etched.. They are larger than normal and this was an error in the etching.. But works fine.
As I am using older H&M Snap coil machines and the output of the DS54 is not strong enough and was over heating resistors on the DS54.

In terms of what is available today off the shelf, the TC64 is available and I would highly recommend it.
The DS54 has been replaced by the DS64 from Digitrax.

I will be using the TC64 to drive signals mainly, but also use some of the ports as inputs from switches on the fasica.

The other 2 are make your own kind of things..

Hope this helps..

[bdennis]

Why not scenic those long staging approaches?

Coldriver,
Thanks for that.
I plan on using Portholes along the fascia to see where the train is as it is a long run. (close to 15 meters from staging to the main deck)

I have now updated my blog with a few pics as how I plan to open up the fascia for the trains that are going to and from staging.Like this: