Weekend Update 12/24/23

[Maletrain]

Frankly, I would not make any bets on what lightning will or won't do.  The voltages are tremendous, and arcs occur to all sorts of things, especially things that have large masses of metal.  Short of making a laboratory quality Faraday cage for the layout, I would not expect complete safety from a bolt that can hit anywhere.

As for lightning not hitting the same place twice, it hit a friend's boat twice, although she was in 2 different places on the Chesapeake Bay in those 2 events, which were years apart.  Closer to home, I have had a different boat, and 3 different trees within about 100 feet of each other get struck by lightning over the years.  the rest of the property has been untouched for over 40 years.  When a storm comes, we stay away from that part of the yard.

So, my take on safety for a model railroad is to try to give the lightning a very long jump path to get to it from the house wiring.  That means an unpluggable and removable extension cord instead of a simple on/off switch to isolate the layout wiring from the house wiring.  And, of course, don't be running trains when the lightning is flashing. 

[Philip H]

In the close of the day, the KCS Holiday Express races south to tie up in Baton Rouge, passing CP DK Smith and Phil’s Bayou Another. The Ed’s warehouse in the background is nearly empty having sold its stock to help locals prepare for the festivities of the day.



Special thanks to @mu26aeh for sourcing the rolling stock; to @DKS for being Control Point worthy; to @Ed Kapuscinski for keeping my grounded; @Dave V for scenery inspiration; @davefoxx for feeding my U boat addiction & @wm3798 for JFRTM.

[spookshow]

I'll go ahead and build the danged Faraday cage if you guys promise to stop obsessing over lightning 

-Mark

[nickelplate759]

There's a very nice Faraday cage here:  https://www.mos.org/live-presentations/lightning

Not quite big enough for most train layouts.

[NtheBasement]

@spookshow isn't even in Florida... https://vividmaps.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/lightning.jpg

[jjb62556]

Mark, love to see a better photo of your MStL F units....Jim

[spookshow]

Mark, love to see a better photo of your MStL F units....Jim

No prob, how's this?



-Mark

[jjb62556]

thanks Mark, did you paint them or buy them that way/ they look great! Don't you have a RDC in MStL also?

[Bob]

A unit oil train with run-through BNSF power is moving through Shenandoah Junction and approaching Duffields, West Virginia on the CSX Cumberland Division.
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[spookshow]

Did you paint them or buy them that way? They look great! Don't you have a RDC in MStL also?

Thanks, I painted those FT's myself. And yes, I also did an RDC-4 (where, much to my shame and embarrassment, I wound up putting the bathroom on the wrong side  )



FWIW, I also did a Doodlebug -



So there you have it, huzzah for the Tootin' Louie! 

-Mark

[John]

A unit oil train with run-through BNSF power is moving through Shenandoah Junction and approaching Duffields, West Virginia on the CSX Cumberland Division.
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You captured Shen really well ..

[ATSF_Ron]

SP 2842, a C-10, drops off a couple cars of exotic hardwood from northern CA to a furniture factory on my layout.  Photo 1 shows the short consist passing an old PE tower.  In the background is a repurposed UP station that now functions as headquarters for the local lumber yard.









Seeing these pics on a large screen points out some obvious needs for this scene.  Finish and touch up ballast on the unitrack, weather the track/ballast, finish sanding and repainting the parking lot, get the dang sky backdrop back up on the wall! I pulled out some of my structures that have been in boxes for nearly a year.  I moved and got married last year about this time, so life has been busy!  Feels good to get back to modeling and finishing up this module.

[bbunge]

After much trial and error, put a TSU 1100 in the Kiddo's Gen 2 (or 3?) GS-4 and he was able to run it on the Bantrak layout at the B&O museum this week.

I pretty much followed the Soundtraxx youtube instructions, but have had a dandy of a time getting the shell back on correctly enough so the cab will sit properly.  But at least got it together enough that he could run it and play with the horn.

Bob

[jjb62556]

I have the old MStL mainline in my backyard in Montgomery......

[R L Smith]

mrhedley, nice job with Binghamton NY!