The Carolina Sandhills Lines in HO Scale

[davefoxx]

. . . and another:

DFF

[davefoxx]

Minor update with little progress on the layout, since we were out of town vacationing last week on Hatteras Island and, unfortunately, got included into the mandatory evacuation due to the power outage.  But that's another post.  This week, I received a few goodies to continue to rebuild my fleet in HO.

First up, after months of searching for Atlas' Aberdeen & Rockfish No. 400 GP38, I won this guy on eBay!  Yes, I paid too much ($46.00 shipped), but considering that I also purchased an entire Atlas GP38-2 locomotive with DCC and sound from HOGTRAINZ.COM for only $137.93 shipped, this A&R locomotive will cost me no more than if I had purchased it new.  Comparable new locomotives with DCC and sound seem to be in the $180.00 to $200.00 range.  Plus, I'll also have a SOO GP38-2 shell to sell, if I ever get around to it, to mitigate even more of the spent funds.  With the planned shell swap, this locomotive will likely have a better DCC decoder and sound, since Atlas released the A&R GP38 approximately ten years ago!   I've already added all of the details to the body that, thankfully, were supplied with the shell.



I also bought this reeeeeeally old Atlas SCL caboose.  Yes, those are horn-hook couplers!



I have since installed Sergent Engineering couplers and painted and installed the grabs.  I need to do a few touch ups on the grabs, because my impatience to let the paint harden got the best of me to get this caboose running.  But, no biggie; decant a little spray paint and use a micro brush.



DFF

[davefoxx]

Aberdeen & Rockfish No. 400 (a/k/a Duke Blue Crane) is up and running!  I received the donor Atlas GP38-2 today and performed a shell transplant.  The A&R GP38 shell required some minor sanding and trimming, but it fits.  Someday, I'll modify that fuel tank, because the prototype has a really small fuel tank.  But, I can live with this tank for now, because that's exactly how the N scale model looked, too.

It's so good to have No. 400 back on the roster.  I missed my N scale model when I sold it.



DFF

[davefoxx]

Woo hoo!  The one model locomotive that I have looooooong wanted (Seaboard Coast Line U36B No. 1776 in the bicentennial scheme) is finally supposed to be on a container heading to the U.S. I'd be a liar if I didn't say that Atlas making this locomotive available in HO with DCC and sound wasn't at least a small piece of the decision to switch to HO.  Thanks, Atlas!  Woo hoo!

[eric220]

I'd be a liar if I didn't say that Atlas making this locomotive available in HO with DCC and sound wasn't at least a small piece of the decision to switch to HO.

<melodramatic voice>Damn you Atlas!!!!</melodramatic voice>

[davefoxx]

With the purchase of some rail joiners last weekend, I've got all of the track installed on the roundy-round portion of the layout, including the yard and the wye.  All that remains is to build the grade for the A&R line up Bethesda Hill (as seen at right in the first photo below).  With the wye connected, I had to cut rail gaps, so I could power up the layout without a massive short.  Oh, and I'm planning to scratchbuild another former-SAL Aberdeen station which will go where the magnetic uncoupling wand is sitting inside the wye, just like the prototype!



I decided to make the reversing section just the length of the single track between the main line and the yard.  Yes, that is a short reversing section, but, as seen below, this holds one Geep and two 60' freight cars.



This is, not coincidentally, the same length as the stub in the yard.  So, I don't expect to have problems from a short reversing section.  Since I don't have any lighted passenger cars, and I don't plan to send a lash-up of more than three locomotives through there, it should work.



Wiring has commenced.  I started running the bus and dropping feeders on the first section (out of three sections) of the layout.  I screwed a plywood shelf to the underside of the L-girders under the yard for the command station, power supply, and radio antenna.  You can see the black and red bus wires, as well as the AR1 auto reverser that I recycled from the Seaboard Central 2.0.  It's not the most high tech reverser, but it's working flawlessly at present.   I'm also using the Track Bus Taps and Male Quick Connects in lieu of soldering to the bus.  This is the first time I've ever used connectors, so we'll see how that goes.  I don't know that it's any easier than soldering, but it is a cleaner look under the layout.



Between the three sections of the layout will be these PowerPlug Luminaire Disconnects, so I don't have to cut up the bus wires when and if I need to move this layout.



DFF

[davefoxx]

For shits and giggles, here's the updated track plan:



DFF

[Philip H]

Tell us more about the origins of these o sage one:

[davefoxx]

Tell us more about the origins of these o sage one:

@Philip H,

I learned about the PowerPlug Luminaire Disconnect on MRVP, which used them on a project layout.  The wires are merely pushed in and won't come out.  The plugs are easily disconnected and cannot be reconnected incorrectly, due to their shape.  I bought mine at Home Depot:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ideal-PowerPlug-Luminaire-Disconnect-Orange-5-Per-Bag-Standard-Package-is-5-Bags-30-1302S/203734794

DFF

[davefoxx]

I'm psyched!  I have been procrastinating on building the A&R line up Bethesda Hill, because I feared that the grade would be unprototypical.  However, I just measured the run at 112", allowing for the necessary vertical curves.  Since I need a rise of 3" minimum, that equates to a grade of 2.67857% (3" rise divided by 112" run = 0.0267857 times 100 = 2.67857%).  According to the A&R's website, "The A&R keeps its diesels maintained for the short but tough 2.5% Bethesda Hill grade out of Aberdeen."  Nice.  Close enough for me!

DFF

[mu26aeh]

I'm psyched!  I have been procrastinating on building the A&R line up Bethesda Hill, because I feared that the grade would be unprototypical.  However, I just measured the run at 112", allowing for the necessary vertical curves.  Since I need a rise of 3" minimum, that equates to a grade of 2.67857% (3" rise divided by 112" run = 0.0267857 times 100 = 2.67857%).  According to the A&R's website, "The A&R keeps its diesels maintained for the short but tough 2.5% Bethesda Hill grade out of Aberdeen."  Nice.  Close enough for me!

DFF

Is it done yet ? 

[seusscaboose]

Ouch 

[davefoxx]

Is it done yet ? 

Almost. 



Actually, this is the roadbed just roughed in.  I have since glued everything down and carefully leveled the roadbed side-to-side.  It rests under a pile of books while the adhesive sets up.

DFF

[davefoxx]

While waiting for foam adhesive and lightweight spackling to cure, I went back to some wiring today.  As seen below, I've now got all of the feeders to each yard track installed, the reversing section is connected to the AR1 auto reverser, and the first three frogs have been hooked up to a Hex Frog Juicer.  With the exception of the turnouts at the other end of the yard, this section of the layout is completely wired.

In the picture below, the bus wires are the 16 gauge black and red wires with the feeders connected through Track Bus Taps and Male Quick Connects.  The Hex Frog Juicer is at one o'clock in the photo with the AR1 near the center.  Feeders are red and black 22 gauge wires to match the bus wires and minimize error in connection by color-coding.  The frog wires are yellow to differentiate them from the other feeders.



DFF

[Carolina Northern]

Everyone knows frog wires are supposed to be GREEN.