The Carolina Sandhills Lines in HO Scale

[Point353]

2) Said staging yard.  I need to decide on the constuction method of a transfer table to get the power around cuts of cars for a runaround.  The length of this yard is severely cramped in length.

A double-ended siding/yard with sector plates instead of turnouts at either end might be an option.



http://yourmodelrailway.net/view_topic.php?id=6273&forum_id=6&highlight=sector+plate

[davefoxx]

Yes, something like that or even a straight, sliding transfer table.  I must say that I like that pivoting design, though.  Thanks for sharing!

DFF

[wm3798]

The trestle could be a fun modeling project at the kitchen table while you kibitz with those you love.  Just make a detailed drawing of the dimensions you need to fit,  and sketch up your patterns.

Structures, Ditto.

The trees, it's true, Super Trees are a tad spindly for HO, but you can't overlook the forest for the trees.  If you need an area to just be forested, they'll blend in and be fine, just put a couple of more suitable trees in front of them in the view shed.

Regarding the room finishes, I'll try to refrain from saying "I told you so"... but there it is...

Since the layout is in a state of limbo due to all of the other issues, this would be the time to pluck the fragile stuff off, put a tarp over it, and get the room finished the way you want it.  Make sure you have the wiring you want for the layout in the walls, and just get on with it.  The transformation of @mu26aeh 's layout room is incredible thanks to his efforts in this regard, and I'm guessing that once you have a space that's more pleasantly finished and lit, the other projects will start dropping like flies from the old "To Do" list.

Good job picking up the slack at work.  It's got to be exhausting.  You already put in more time than I would ever want to, and carrying the load for the others must leave you more dead than alive at the end of the day/week/month...

Lee

[chuck geiger]

Your honor I would like to retract that ballasting job.

[pdx1955]

The August 2017 MR had an article on using Woodland Scenic tree armatures and gluing Supertree-like material to the branches to get a more substantial tree. A few of these in front would disguise the plain Supertrees in the rear as the foliage would be consistent.

[Point353]

The August 2017 MR had an article on using Woodland Scenic tree armatures and gluing Supertree-like material to the branches to get a more substantial tree. A few of these in front would disguise the plain Supertrees in the rear as the foliage would be consistent.

A quick look at the appearance of those trees can be seen from 0:54 to 1:00 in the following video:

[mu26aeh]

The trestle could be a fun modeling project at the kitchen table while you kibitz with those you love.  Just make a detailed drawing of the dimensions you need to fit,  and sketch up your patterns.

Structures, Ditto.

The trees, it's true, Super Trees are a tad spindly for HO, but you can't overlook the forest for the trees.  If you need an area to just be forested, they'll blend in and be fine, just put a couple of more suitable trees in front of them in the view shed.

Regarding the room finishes, I'll try to refrain from saying "I told you so"... but there it is...

Since the layout is in a state of limbo due to all of the other issues, this would be the time to pluck the fragile stuff off, put a tarp over it, and get the room finished the way you want it.  Make sure you have the wiring you want for the layout in the walls, and just get on with it.  The transformation of @mu26aeh 's layout room is incredible thanks to his efforts in this regard, and I'm guessing that once you have a space that's more pleasantly finished and lit, the other projects will start dropping like flies from the old "To Do" list.

Good job picking up the slack at work.  It's got to be exhausting.  You already put in more time than I would ever want to, and carrying the load for the others must leave you more dead than alive at the end of the day/week/month...

Lee

I obviously echo Lee's comments.  I'm shocked at how the basement has been transformed already and I'm not even done yet.  I wish I could have studded/drywalled the walls as well but budget and space just wasn't there (you know adding a studded wall removes almost 5" of layout space, can't have that).

I too am picking up slack at work, because I work with a bunch of .... " If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all"

[jpec]

A quick look at the appearance of those trees can be seen from 0:54 to 1:00 in the following video:

Luke Towan has an excellent tutorial on making WS tree armatures look dee-hee-hee-cent...

[davefoxx]

Inspired by @C855B’s reveling in his ballast job today, I threw down some sand materials for the base layer of a planned pulpwood yard.



It’s still soaking wet with adhesive, but I wouldn’t mind if the sand dried a little lighter in color.

DFF

[davefoxx]

Today, I purchased an ESU LokSound V5.0 decoder and TCS motherboard to decoderize an HO scale Athearn SD50 that I purchased a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, the V5.0s appear to be incompatible with Keep Alives from other DCC manufacturers.  I've been using TCS motherboards with my ESU decoders, making installation of a 21-pin decoder easy.  My understanding is that ESU has a system built into its V5.0 decoders to deactivate the Keep Alives during programming.  This can't be done on other manufacturers' Keep Alives, causing problems.  For example, I couldn't write a sound program to the decoder.  After an internet search, it seems that programming with other brand Keep-Alives might even fry the decoder!  Yikes!  Guess I got lucky, because I didn't damage my decoder.

Overall, I'm not happy with the V5.0s yet.  They need to be significantly revised by ESU.  Apparently, there are complaints that locomotives with V5.0 decoders cannot consist well (speed mismatch) with V4.0s.  I discovered that there is no longer three-step speed programming, as there is no CV6 onboard the V5.0s.  WTF, ESU?  I am very disappointed with a lack of compatibility between V5.0s and older decoders.  Reminds me of the New Coke fiasco.  After many complaints, ESU has already added Run 8 and Coast back in after removing these sound effects from the first batch of V5.0s.  So, there's hope.  I can't even imagine why they took those sound effects out in the first place, not to mention the inherent incompatibility of these new decoders that they have created.

The solution?  I pulled the V5.0 decoder out and swapped it into another locomotive that has no Keep Alives.  That allowed programming of the V5.0 decoder.  By putting that locomotive's LokSound Select decoder into the SD50, I can speed match my SD50 to a pair of SD40-2s in my fleet that it will play with from time to time.  The other locomotive that I borrowed the Select decoder from is my Aberdeen & Rockfish GP38.  Since it isn't generally consisted with others, the V5.0 decoder can live there for now.  So, a short-term compromise, at least until ESU updates the software in the V5.0s.

The result of the LokSound Select in the SD50?  Here's a shot under the hood.  These SD50s are actually Athearn Blue Box quality in their running characteristics.  But, at this point, I'm too lazy to go into swapping out the motor, especially since any noise in the driveline is more likely from the gears and universal joints than the motor.  Since I don't run my locomotives at high speed, the noise is not much of a problem.  Note how I installed a piece of styrene tubing in the top of the cab (it's painted black to hide it) for the front LED headlight, which replaces the Athearn incandescent bulbs.  The tubing is a simple solution to hold the LED without glue or tape and to keep as much light out of the cab as possible.  It's just a press fit of the LED into the tube, which allows the shell to be removed and separated from the frame without plugs or unsoldering wires.  The rear LED headlight is taped to the frame.



Working headlights and wonderful ESU sound.





It is a Seaboard System SD50 that I saw in the pages of Model Railroader in the early 1980s that caused me to become enamored with that railroad- a fascination that continues to this day.  It's very special to me to have a model of the SD50 in my fleet.  I know that real railroaders didn't care for the SD50, but, to me, it was the latest modern motive power in the mid-1980s, so it remains one of my favorites.

DFF

P.S.  Oh, and I am also disappointed with ESU, because they were going to replace a V4.0 decoder under warranty a few months ago.  They asked me to wait for the V5.0s to come out, but, months later, I still have not received the replacement decoder or received a response to additional emails. 

[davefoxx]

The Loksound V5.0.  I am starting to see the advantages.  It has A LOT more memory than the V4.0s.  Not a huge concern for me yet, except I would like to learn how to download a song into a locomotive and surprise Aly.

The workaround for now, due to the lack of CV6 on the V5.0s is to use a V4.0 sound file.  You cannot use a LokSound Select file.  You must use a V4.0, and the LokProgrammer will convert it to a V5.0 file.  That allows the continued use of CV6.  In my case, that allowed me to use a sound file for a GP38 that I like much better than the limited V5.0 files for now.  The use of a V4.0 sound file also seems to allow the prior settings of speed steps before I swapped decoders (with minor tweaks) to speed match the locomotive to my standard of 35 smph at speed step 63 and 70 smph at speed step 126.  Those minor tweaks could be due to the use of the locomotive over many months, rather than any problem with the decoder, though.  As I said, they were minor tweaks.

I also spent time on YouTube and found a horn and a bell that almost exactly match the prototype Aberdeen & Rockfish No. 400.  Sweet.  Admittedly, the videos are from the 21st century, and I'm not 100% certain that the bell and horn sounded that way thirty-plus years ago, but I'm cool with it.

Maybe a video later to demonstrate, because sound, or it didn't happen, right?

DFF

[wazzou]

Maybe a video later to demonstrate, because sound, or it didn't happen, right?

DFF

Right!

[davefoxx]

Right!

Uploading as we speak.  Wait until the ed of the video for a surprise.

DFF

[davefoxx]

There's a lot more memory on the LokSound V5.0 decoders as compared to the V4.0s.  So much that you can add a lot of sound effects to the decoder.  It also takes less time to load the sound files to a V5.0 decoder, if not full.  While it might take twenty-five to thirty minutes to load a sound file to a V4.0 decoder, it only takes six or seven minutes to do the same file to a V5.0.  These V5.0s can hold an entire song (although I didn't record that on the video), but wait until the end.

/>
DFF

[davefoxx]

Okay, time for some disclosure.  I have been struggling with my layout, because of tasks that need to be done that I dread and because there's a number of flaws that have been nagging at me for some time.  So, since I have ben enjoying the improvements to my fleet with DCC and sound conversions, I decided to go after a few of the layout's bugs.

First, I wanted to deal with my reversing section that is a wye.  Multiple problems, including the continued use of a Digitrax AR1 and a few gaps cut into the track that kinked.  I've also since learned that it's recommended (for whatever reason) that the rail gaps should be staggered, which I didn't do.  So, I popped up the bad track and ripped out the AR1.  I researched it, and a Dual Frog Juicer has been ordered to power the reversing section.  I love juicers, so this should fit right into the layout.  A problem that the AR1 was causing was that it didn't always trip correctly, when a train hit a frog within the reversing section, seemingly causing competition between the juicers and the AR1.  Bye bye, AR1.  The plan is to build a drop-leaf extension to the end of the track on the wye's tail (like I did on the Seaboard Central 2.0), to extend that tail track and to better allow runarounds.  Cork and track in the bad wye section are going back in.



Second, I was displeased with the roller coaster that was this siding in the picture below.  I really liked the transition from the hill to a similar siding on the Seaboard Central 2.0, but I just didn't recreate this effectively here. 

BEFORE:



So, I popped up the track and added two layers of cork roadbed and styrene shims to lessen the vertical curves.  Much better.  I also had to jack up the structure by a similar two layers of cork, and I'll finesse that elevation once I finish the building so that the floor matches the box car door openings.  Now, this is much closer to the track profile on the Seaboard Central 2.0, and it just looks better.  The end of the track does have a slight upturn, to keep cars from rolling off the end of the track.  Cars can now be spotted at all four doors without rolling away.

AFTER:


Last, but not least, is this siding in the photo below.  Unfortunately, due to a joint in the foam subroadbed, it was discovered after laying the track that cars tended to roll toward the mainline.  Nothing got sideswiped, but, "Whoops!"  Not good.  So, I figured out how to take a putty knife to loosen the end of the track (probably about six inches or so) and a take snap blade knife to shave the top of the cork without removing the track.  Once the cork was whittled down, I glued the track back in place.  Better, as evidenced below by the boxcar that now stays at the dock.



The next projects are more ballasting, the trestle, and fixing the Tortoise that powers the switch to the furniture warehouse on the hill.  For some reason, I cannot control this switch machine through the DCC system anymore.  It's the only powered switch on the layout, and it's address is 1.  But, no go.

DFF