Scaled Down: Mopac Jville NW branch

[MichaelT]

FWIW, I figured out how you can use one...

HA! I like it!!

[MichaelT]

Update 4/12/13:

Well I'm at a stopping point for now (mainly because I am out of turnouts). The good news is I have the entire main section of the layout fully connected and have test run some engines over all the tracks. The bad news, I only have one track going to the staging area (again because I'm out of turnouts). So that will have to wait until I can budget some more turnout purchases. In the meantime I can start setting roadbed down, soldering track together, soldering electrical wiring here and there, and working on the ridge/hill area taking the branch up and over.

I'll also have to build/buy a bridge for the overpass.

I've added some first shots, sorry for the resolution; they're all taken with my Iphone.

















So I think we're off to a pretty good start. I want to thank you guys for your suggestions, a BIG thanks to David Smith for your layout advice and planning expertise! It's not "exact", but it's close! I think this is going to be a nice little pike to work/operate/run in the upcoming months!

michael

[davefoxx]

Looks like a great start.  I would recommend, before you jump the gun and install roadbed, that you run trains... a lot of trains... and try to operate the layout.  You may find some tweaks are necessary.  If you go back through my Layout Engineering Report, you'll see that I have continually made changes after construction.  You might wish to avoid that.  Me?  Well, I'm not afraid to make changes to my track plan, but you may not want to be so liberal with ripping out track and trying to make it right.

Keep posting those pics, because I'm really looking forward to following your progress.  I really like how you've taken pieces of Dave Vollmer's layout and mine and (with DKS' help, of course) quite possibly have designed something that will work even better for you.

DFF

[MichaelWinicki]

Wow Michael!

Nice!

Great to see the progress!

I think one way to maintain motivation on building a layout is to get trains running as quickly as you can.  It's not that you need to have all your track in place or have it all running perfectly– that can come over time. 

But being able to get some trains running quickly is a good thing.

[MichaelT]

Looks like a great start.  I would recommend, before you jump the gun and install roadbed, that you run trains... a lot of trains... and try to operate the layout.  You may find some tweaks are necessary.  If you go back through my Layout Engineering Report, you'll see that I have continually made changes after construction.  You might wish to avoid that.  Me?  Well, I'm not afraid to make changes to my track plan, but you may not want to be so liberal with ripping out track and trying to make it right.

Keep posting those pics, because I'm really looking forward to following your progress.  I really like how you've taken pieces of Dave Vollmer's layout and mine and (with DKS' help, of course) quite possibly have designed something that will work even better for you.

DFF

Thanks Mr. Foxx; I knew once I made the decision to scale things down, that I would take ideas from yours and Vollmer's layouts, and I was counting on DKS giving me some design ideas. One of the things I love about this place is knowing that I can get some quality advice and suggestions even though I'm not as advanced as some of you gents are. All I need now is for Lee to come by and offer to do some DCC installs for me! LOL

The two biggest ideas I wanted from yours and V's layout was the double main (Vollmers) and the rising branchline (yours) even though the area I'm modeling doesn't have any type of overpass (it's relatively flat around here) I still knew I wanted that on my little branch also.

And yes, I will be running some trains, and seeing how things work before I start gluing down roadbed and track. While I'm not afraid at all to rip out track, roadbed, etc., I'd rather run with things tacked down for awhile and make changes as they come up before I commit to gluing things.

One thing I might want to pull from some of you guys is a suggestion for an ops session on this layout. I'll get some pictures of all the sidings, and what industries they will be, and try to put together a day/week ops list and run it sequentially and see how things go.

michael

[MichaelT]

I was able to pickup three more #6 turnouts this morning after train class, so have the staging/industry area in the yard started at least. I really like these ME turnouts. Love being able to switch the turnout with a finger instead of installing a throw on it.

[MichaelT]

Found a problem with one of my Atlas turnouts, #7L, the engine was splitting the points and shorting the layout. The end of the points seemed to be a little blunt, so took a file to the ends of the points and filed them down some. After a few tests, I think I've gotten it filed down enough now; the engine ran through five or six times without splitting the points.

I'm thinking the points will stick more when I get the ground throws attached, but that they're working right just being pinned right now makes me a happy camper!

[MichaelWinicki]

Found a problem with one of my Atlas turnouts, #7L, the engine was splitting the points and shorting the layout. The end of the points seemed to be a little blunt, so took a file to the ends of the points and filed them down some. After a few tests, I think I've gotten it filed down enough now; the engine ran through five or six times without splitting the points.

I'm thinking the points will stick more when I get the ground throws attached, but that they're working right just being pinned right now makes me a happy camper!

Michael, check the wheel gauge of your loco's.

With Atlas code 55 switches, you need to have your wheel gauge right-on.   A good percentage of my new loco's come through a tad-narrow and that tad-narrowness can create some issues.  I don't think I've had to refile any points– not after I re-gauged the wheels.

[MichaelT]

Michael, check the wheel gauge of your loco's.

With Atlas code 55 switches, you need to have your wheel gauge right-on.   A good percentage of my new loco's come through a tad-narrow and that tad-narrowness can create some issues.  I don't think I've had to refile any points– not after I re-gauged the wheels.

Thanks Michael, I'll check them.

[MichaelT]

Good news to report today!

I did find a wye in my stash, so I put together the wye at the staging/industrial area; for now it is stub ended, I don't have another crossing to connect it, and I'm totally out of turnouts so can't go any further now until next payday. So Dave Foxx and David Smith, thanks so much for the corroboration on the wye!

Now, I'll have to get something to switch the polarity with Digitrax right? Is that the AR1 module??

michael

[MichaelT]

FWIW, I figured out how you can use one...

Ok, need help from some of your wiring guru's. I connected the wye and didn't even think about it when I tried to run a loco into the yard area. The engine just clicked until I realized what was happening. So David or Dave or Lee, someone...could you use the diagram here from David, and let me know the best place to connect an AR1 (Digitrax) and where to isolate the connections? I'm assuming at the two turnouts from the main outside loop to the yard (wye), but want to make sure I know how to do this; and that's why I'm asking, because I do not know how.

michael

[davefoxx]

I would use the new wye connecting track (the sharp 11" radius track) as the reversing section by gapping both rails at each end of this track.  Your reversing unit would connect to this track.  This should be longer than any locomotive consist you would run.  However, if you run passenger trains with track-powered lights, this section may not be long enough.  I probably should leave it to the DCC gurus to give you a better answer.

DFF

[MichaelWinicki]

They're pricey, but the Tam Valley "Auto Reverser" makes wiring up and operating a "Y" (when operating in a DCC environment) super easy... http://tamvalleydepot.com/products/dccpowerfrogjuicers.html 

[MichaelT]

What a frustrating evening!

Hooked up the AR1 I found in my spares box...engine kept tripping the circuit no matter how far counter clockwise or clockwise I turned the mechanism.

So thinking to myself, maybe I don't necessarily need a reverse loop on this little pike, and remove the AR1. Fenagle the wye turnout and an unused curved turnout, and put some tracks down to get a little runaround in the staging area/industry area of the small yard. Start running an engine again...all is well until;

the engine runs past the frog on the ME turnout...so put a jumper hand held on rails fore and aft, and the engine picks back up. ME instructions calls these turnouts "DCC friendly", but it's anything but. It does have an all metal frog, and there are instructions for electrical modifications and power routing, but right now I'm just too frazzled to sit down with them and figure it out.

So things came to a somewhat screeching halt tonight...but I did learn a few things. I can now adequately solder feeder wires to the backs of metal rail joiners, thus not having to worry about soldering feeders to the rails themselves if I don't want to.

My Mopac GP38's look very cool running through the layout already, and it's still just a sea of blue and pink foam.

I was starting to get away from David Smiths advice of making a layout to "busy" looking with too much track. For now I think I'm going to run trains and do a few ops schedules (once I figure the turnouts and the wiring down), and make sure no adjustments need to be made, and then I'll start opening up the glue and getting the roadbed down.

mdt

[MichaelT]

And call me stubborn.

I soldered some more feeders to rail joiners and connected some feeders to the turnouts to fill the gaps. Engine runs smoothly across all the tracks now!