American O Scale: "Portway Terminal Short Line, MN".

[Donw]

I have recently put together a DCC system and CAB from MERG very keenly priced and having put it together I could replace any parts.

 

Don

[F-UnitMad]

As reported in this Thread that I started earlier today:-

 

 

Portway Center has a disused lower quadrant Order Board. 

 

I have assumed the access ladder and control rods have been removed as well as the blades, partly because I don't have any suitable ladder, and also I'm not entirely sure how the rods would 'end' at the base; obviously some kind of bracket & lever arrangement. But as penance for such a slack attitude I have shaved off the molded pips, and drilled out the five holes on the signal arms where each blade would have been bolted in - edit:- which, of course, utterly fails to show in the photo!! 

Plenty of long grass & undergrowth has still to be added, especially along the siding, & the main line has still to be ballasted.

Edited December 17, 2022 by F-UnitMad

[Northroader]

If that’s what floats your boat:

[F-UnitMad]

14 minutes ago, Northroader said:

If that’s what floats your boat:

 

It does, and I have had a copy of that photo for a few years.

 

(although it's not the original Order Board, and not in the original location )

Edited November 14, 2020 by F-UnitMad

[F-UnitMad]

To be more accurate, the Order Board has been relocated to outside the Agent's Office...

 

Thanks to Dave1905 for the information.

Edited December 17, 2022 by F-UnitMad

[F-UnitMad]

Well now, back in April I was very happy to report on my acquisition of an Atlas CP Rail/Soo Trinity covered hopper off ebay, at a 'must have' price.

Last week another one was listed; the start price for bidding was around what I'd paid before, but the listing also had 'Best Offers'.... suffice to say that although I paid a little bit more than before, I still got this second hopper at a very good price - it had only been listed a matter of hours when the deal with the Seller was done. Happy bunny.

The first one I bought had had Kadee couplers fitted, recessed a bit from the usual Atlas position, and held in place by hex-drive nuts. The sad thing was I had to refit them to the standard position due to my 3ft radius curves. 

Anyway - finally got chance to open this second one tonight; hmmm, this looks familiar....

 

 

 

 

The first hopper I got was previously owned by Colin Stewart of this Parish, as it emerged on page 16 of this Thread.

 

On 19/04/2020 at 19:34, Colin Stewart said:

Hi Jordan

 

Just to cheer you up, I sold a pair of them recently and I believe that’s the ones that were on eBay - thought they were too modern for you otherwise you’d have had first refusal!

 

Colin

Well Colin, it looks to me like your pair of hoppers are back together again..!!

 

 

Double-happy bunny.

Edited December 17, 2022 by F-UnitMad

[JAMO]

These cars are really nice and finely detailed like European stock at that scale.

[F-UnitMad]

Back in Ye Olde 12v DC days, one thing I did with my 'China drive' (i.e. twin motor) locos was to rewire them in series instead of parallel. This improved slow running, with the slight drawback that top speed was reduced. On a Shunty-plank this was no hardship.

Even with DCC, series-wiring had an advantage, in that motor power consumption is lower, so lower power decoders can be used, so in my Atlas GP35 I used a TCS Wowsound HO Decoder.

However, since my layout has had an oval for a while now, there are times when you just want to let your trains Highball for a while. Now the reduced top speed has become a disadvantage, especially with sound, so at top speed the engine is thrashing away in notch 8, while the loco crawls along somewhat embarassed. All very well if this was a mountain railroad, dragging heavy tonnage up a long grade, but in Minnesota?? Nah...

So something I've done with my SD40 & RS3, which have 3amp decoders, is rewire them back to parallel motors. The decoders can deal with the slow running, but now they again have a decent top speed for rolling along the high iron It's not fast by British standards; we're talking American freight speeds, but at least these two locos can look a bit more respectable now out on the main line. 

Next up is my long-suffering Weaver GP40, which got a Canon motor along with a Loksound decoder last year. At that time I also changed the lower gear cog in the chain drive from a 12 to an 18-spoke cog. This was a tip I'd read about on the OGR Forum to enhance slow speed running, which it did, dramatically!! But the top speed was just waaaay too slow; ideal for a switcher, but not really a road engine. So last night I had the loco apart again, and swapped the 18-tooth cog for a 10-tooth one!! Later I shall report back on what effect that has...  

 

[Northroader]

There’s a “Slow Order” going in because of the track, so you’ll just have to put em back to what they was.

[Keith Addenbrooke]

2 hours ago, F-UnitMad said:

Back in Ye Olde 12v DC days, one thing I did with my 'China drive' (i.e. twin motor) locos was to rewire them in series instead of parallel. This improved slow running, with the slight drawback that top speed was reduced. On a Shunty-plank this was no hardship.

Even with DCC, series-wiring had an advantage, in that motor power consumption is lower, so lower power decoders can be used, so in my Atlas GP35 I used a TCS Wowsound HO Decoder.

However, since my layout has had an oval for a while now, there are times when you just want to let your trains Highball for a while. Now the reduced top speed has become a disadvantage, especially with sound, so at top speed the engine is thrashing away in notch 8, while the loco crawls along somewhat embarassed. All very well if this was a mountain railroad, dragging heavy tonnage up a long grade, but in Minnesota?? Nah...

So something I've done with my SD40 & RS3, which have 3amp decoders, is rewire them back to parallel motors. The decoders can deal with the slow running, but now they again have a decent top speed for rolling along the high iron It's not fast by British standards; we're talking American freight speeds, but at least these two locos can look a bit more respectable now out on the main line. 

Next up is my long-suffering Weaver GP40, which got a Canon motor along with a Loksound decoder last year. At that time I also changed the lower gear cog in the chain drive from a 12 to an 18-spoke cog. This was a tip I'd read about on the OGR Forum to enhance slow speed running, which it did, dramatically!! But the top speed was just waaaay too slow; ideal for a switcher, but not really a road engine. So last night I had the loco apart again, and swapped the 18-tooth cog for a 10-tooth one!! Later I shall report back on what effect that has...  

 

Last night I was re-reading part of Al Kalmbach’s “Operating Manual for Model Railroaders” (originally published 1944 - I have a 1954 printing). He wrote this around 70 years ago:

 

”One of the greatest thrills of model railroading is the realization that slow speed, effectively used in the form of speed reductions and proper starting and stopping is infinitely more fun than simply running trains pell mell as fast as they will go.”

 

I don’t know the first thing about DCC and the associated electronics (I only got as far as “in series instead of parallel” with the post above), but thought it might be interesting to share that thought from one of the pioneers.

[long island jack]

These will help with the dizziness, from all that round and round and ro..........

[F-UnitMad]

 I don't stand spinning round & round to watch, y'know!! 

 

I'll pick a good spot, & watch the train roll through the scene* - several times!!   

Other times it's just nice to give the locos a good run, while I do some other modelling, although I do have half an ear out for any derailments, although the mainline is quite reliable.

 

*I use the word 'scene' rather loosely, given the fact most of it is unfinished....

 

 

[F-UnitMad]

1 hour ago, Keith Addenbrooke said:

Last night I was re-reading part of Al Kalmbach’s “Operating Manual for Model Railroaders” (originally published 1944 - I have a 1954 printing). He wrote this around 70 years ago:

 

”One of the greatest thrills of model railroading is the realization that slow speed, effectively used in the form of speed reductions and proper starting and stopping is infinitely more fun than simply running trains pell mell as fast as they will go.”

 

I don’t know the first thing about DCC and the associated electronics (I only got as far as “in series instead of parallel” with the post above), but thought it might be interesting to share that thought from one of the pioneers.

I wouldn't argue with that - my serious ops do try & replicate the fact that several hundred tons of train takes time to move, and stop. It's just that running at speed can also be fun for a while, and as I spent many months planning this layout, I gave myself the option to indulge in both.

[F-UnitMad]

3 hours ago, Northroader said:

There’s a “Slow Order” going in because of the track, so you’ll just have to put em back to what they was.

I'm going to have to video a high-speed run down that siding, now, aren't I..??!!  

[Donw]

ON a fairly small layout you can be doing a lot of starting and stopping . All very low speeds. It is quite nice to be able to amble round at a reasonable speed. Not the 90mph  plus I remember being done by a late running train trying to catch up but the normal sort of speed between stations.

Don

[JAMO]

I like the slow running of the switching and from time to time I'll be happy to see a massive train running all around my basement.

On day I hope...

 

For me it's a good solution to have a running layout and a shortline connected to an interchange. But in O scale we need space and it's a long work.

 

 

[F-UnitMad]

Over on Mr Northroader's "Washbourne" thread, he gave a State of the Layouts Address, which went down very well, & Mr Nearholmer stated it was an idea he would steal. Well, so shall I....

 

Portway Terminal RR, Annual State of the Layouts Address 2020.

I am pleased to report some progress on the Portway Terminal High Line Sub-division this past year.

As well as the ceremonial Golden Spike Day on March 20th (page 13 of this Thread) scenic work has started in various areas and the mortal remains of the original HO layout are more or less hidden now. There has been - and still is - much faffing with DCC for various locos, and lots of playing trains er, um, I mean Operating Sessions, carried out with the main aim of Having a Good Time.

A general view southwards of the layout & it's environs...

And northwards...

Just this week a proper start has been made on the Chemical Supplies building, with a foamboard carcass taking shape, ready to be clad with corrugated paper. This is the first time I've used foamboard, it's nice to work with!

 

 

The two other layouts I have are British outline, and can be glimpsed in the overall views. Due to photo download limits, and the fact I don't think I have threads for them on RMweb, Part 2 of my State of the Layouts Address will follow shortly.... 

Thankyou. 

[F-UnitMad]

Annual State of the Layouts Address, part two.

 

My UK outline O layouts have made little or no progress this year, and have only been run occasionally. In fact the smallest, "Lyddlow Goods", is a bit of a dumping ground at the moment...

 

On Withyn Reach, I did make a start with some point rodding and a ground frame. The frame was scratchbuilt with balsa, and Skytrex whitemetal levers, the rodding is adapted from the Wills 4mm scale kit, which is closer to 7mm scale, alledgedly!!

....which got as far as here, and the mojo died a death - that plastic rodding is fiddly stuff to work with!!!

 

 

Edited December 17, 2022 by F-UnitMad
Spelling!!

[F-UnitMad]

....and to wrap it up, a bit of a State of the Locos update...

During the early lockdown I did manage to finish off my two Heljan 6-axle diesels; a photo & comment was even published in BRM magazine as part of a larger 'lockdown' article.

My Class 31 now has it's wipers refitted & ETH jumper fitted under the buffer. It's finished as 31 415, an Old Oak Common machine that for some time had a similar white stripe treatment to those allocated to Finsbury Park, a neat addition I like very much.

 

My Class 37 has been finished as 37 270, which was the last loco to haul a revenue freight for BR in the Forest of Dean in 1976. The model isn't absolutely 100% accurate for the Uber-Rivet Counters, but it's good enough for me.

 

In the background of that photo can be glimpsed the body of one of my U.S. Weaver Geeps. 

The grey one is my slooooow project to model a CSX GP38-2; the body shell had some painting done on it in the summer; the Ex-Milwaukee 'Soo Bandit' is my long-suffering GP40, currently still in bits while I mess with - & have currently messed up  - it's drive-line gearing. I've had a rest from it to prevent it becoming the first loco in my collection to become airborne...

 

Anyway to end these reports on a happier note, there's always my Atlas Plymouths to fall back on.

So in a nice line-up and as a sign-off for a funny old year, here's Bah Humbug from the Portway High Line Sub.  

 

 

 

[Northroader]

The whole place looks much more organised than my dump, I must pull my finger out, even without the big oval. One thing got me puzzled looking round, how do you get in and out? I regularly think of Lyddlow goods as a very good small space job, hope that don’t get closured.

[F-UnitMad]

23 minutes ago, Northroader said:

One thing got me puzzled looking round, how do you get in and out?

The loft hatch is in the floor, with a hinged cover I lower over the hole when I'm up there. The edge of the cover is just visible in the foreground of the second, northwards photo.

 

28 minutes ago, Northroader said:

I regularly think of Lyddlow goods as a very good small space job, hope that don’t get closured.

No no, I won't be closing it, I just don't play with it much.

[Donw]

Sensible man putting the hatch cover back down while you are up there. One foot down the hatch hole can be a very nasty accident. 

It looks a grandplace to enjoy a bit of modelling. Some good modelling on show. I am intrigued by the bit on one side which appears to come down from the roof. It hardly looks strong enough to be supporting but what is its purpose.

 

Don

[F-UnitMad]

11 hours ago, Donw said:

 I am intrigued by the bit on one side which appears to come down from the roof. It hardly looks strong enough to be supporting but what is its purpose.

The "support" is coming up the other way. The internal walls of the house were built up into the loft space to support the purlins, two on each side of the roof. The lower purlins were where the roof was boarded down to; the upper purlins were left exposed, and are what form the backscene of the layout. The builders simply boxed in the internal walls (there's one each side of the loft) right up to the ceiling, but I took photos and measurements beforehand so I could change things afterwards.

On the side that you can see best I just cut away the plasterboard, re-insulated the space above, and left the wood battens in place, as that is the side you approach up the ladder, and to aid entry I'd added a short hand rail at the bottom of this wall. I'm trying to disguise the opening the trains go through as a highway overpass.

On the other side I removed all the wood & plasterboard from above the wall, as they weren't structural, hence the dodgy 'patch' in the ceiling above it still visible, to open out the full view of the layout from end to end along that side. I really need to go back around the plasterboard again and replace the tape with filler & repaint it to tidy it all up.

I will take some more photos when I can to help explain.

[F-UnitMad]

Photos as promised, first a view of the one internal wall, with ladder & hatch, cover hinged up out of the way. At the bottom of the wall is the light switch, & a short handrail to assist the 'Final Ascent'

 

Next a view underneath the layout at that point. The 'baseboards' are Knauf extruded styrofoam slabs, glued to wooden 'T' girders I made, which are screwed to the underside of the purlin. Due to the thickness of the foam this reduced the available height of the backscene above, but it was the easiest way to fit the foam, which could also run over the top of the internal walls as well. Such a baseboard system is also very light, so the extra strain on the purlins (which are massive!!) is minimal. I wouldn't want to be hanging wooden, braced baseboards off them like I have here, and this method has also meant that legs to the floor have been avoided too.

The DCC bus is just household wiring cable, stripped where required, the blue & brown wires being a useful colour code & the bare earth just left in for strength, but very carefully not touching anything else!! At this point the bus ends (or starts??) and runs around the layout to the other side of the wall, so is is not a continuous loop. I was careful to isolate the rails above this location so that they don't form a continuous electrical 'loop' either. Why I did this I can't quite remember, but it's something to do with DCC best practise & elektrickery. A Tam Valley Mono Frog-juicer is also in view here.

 

Another view further along under the layout, again showing home-made 'T' girders, the DCC bus, and track feeds. the other long black wire is the cable linking the NCE plug-in ports. As the layout was intended for HO at first, I only used T-girders full-width where the foam slabs joined each other, and half-width at the halfway point of each slab. When I changed to O Scale I added more of them to brace it rather better!! At each end of the loft I used normal metal shelf brackets, screwed into the studwork. The backscene is strips of hardboard glued to the side of the purlins & painted.

 

Finally a view of the other internal wall, from which I completely removed the wood battens and plasterboard above it, to open up the view down the layout. You can see the bottom of the purlin at the back, the T-girders screwed to it, and the DCC bus passes through the plasterboard at this point, through black plastic tube, the main power feed from the Booster being the other side of this wall.

You can also see that the foam slabs, at 19inch wide, weren't quite as wide as the internal walls came out!! Never mind, with a bit of hardboard glued over the edge it makes a useful shelf for track cleaners & uncoupling skewers!

There is another white power lead here too which carries 12v DC; on the HO layout this powered the loading dock warning lights at the warehouse, now it powers the Truckstop flashing sign, which is a bit of a cheap gimmick but as it's there, I thought I might as well use it.

 

Edited December 17, 2022 by F-UnitMad

[Regularity]

Please tell me that you aren’t using mains cable for DCC and DC power. It’s not about the rating, but about the practice of using cabling intended for one purpose, for another.