peach james

It depends on who'se NEM pockets. Bachmann Mk 1 coaches are all too high, and I shim the end of the coach down .020" with a strip of plastic (it might even be .010") to push the couplers down just enough. I only do that on the brakes which are going to be coupled to an engine, the mid train cars are left at the factory height. (there's no point adjusting them, as the trains are fixed composition at this point). The goods vans are a mixed mess- some are OK with just direct in, some need some shimming, some need the NEM boxes taking off and filing or shimming to the right height. If they are the right height, then the kadee 17/18/19/20's fit in as a pull out/push in replacement. If the manufacturer got it wrong, then the bodging starts. The first things to get when working with Kadee's are the gauges and the pliers to bend the pipes. I have a couple hundred mounted, and need a bunch more... James

George's Trains, Toronto. Downstairs was a lot different than upstairs, if you got the invite. And they had Tri-ang, I think most of the left overs from the Canadian production... We went and saw a Hudson downstairs in '82 or so... James

Dave, I'm sure I tried to post before- thanks for taking the time to scan this OK- on other Long Marton news, just like every @!#!@# layout I have ever built, it has had another embarrasing performance for the club. Not too shocking, as the laws of mechanical cussidness are in full effect. I'm still waiting for the ds 64 to come back from Digitrax (it's in the post office's hands, somewhere between Florida and Victoria). After spending several days cleaning all the track with IPA, and all the engine wheels, it was still dirt that mostly brought it down. I need more time, but the fact that I had another meeting I had to attend last night (about a lego club issue) and Wensday was a powerless day due to windstorm...they lead to a quite disapointing performance. Next step: work on the up track until the trains will reliably go around it. Right now, about 1/2 of the time the black 5/5MT and 9 on come off the track somewhere. There's a couple of spots, one of which I can see the wheels lifting up off the track. (1st coach only...rear truck). Anyway, I think that little more will get done, depending on bad weather for the next few months. It's about 8C outside, at 1730 hrs and the sun was nice. (but the 3 year old's hands got cold after 30 min out or so) James

Rob, Having driven probably 2000 miles (!) behind a 3.5" gauge Brit, it won't pull the skin off a rice pudding from a standing start if you are in mid gear. Once you get going, then mine will happily run up to about 4 turns back from full gear, and will run forward at up to 6 (of 13) back, if you are truely trying hard. (faster speed=less cut off...I've been to the far side of 10 real MPH behind it...). So, start at full gear, and work your way down. I found that with big loads (~1000 lb, behind a 114 lb loco) that the "best" way was to open the throttle to around 1/2, then start winding the reverser back, shut the drains, wing the throttle to wide open, and keep on turning back the reverser until it starts to kick. (then, throw on a shovel full, close the bypass, and look up...). If Robin Hood lost it's feet, shut the throttle and start again. (also, important to note, make sure the steam brake is off...) Basically, unless the Brit is at track speed, it's going to be a good way away from mid gear... James

So, tonights progress (?) was quite simple: 1. Move 2 sections of LM out from the wall. 2. Realize that is going to make it hard to get the trains (metioned above) back to the staging yard. 3. Hack off a bunch of styrofoam with the belt sander. (it looks much better without the round mountains of expanding foam !) 4. Move trains back to staging yard via splitting into 2 sections & a bit of playing like Meccano magazine would offer (train A has 25 wagons, train B 20, and only 15 wagon siding to pass them...) 5. Move section #3, which includes the entire signalbox. (good thing that I used Molex connectors, as 2 wire DCC this is NOT...), then move #2 and #1 sections around. It's also like switching with 1 more space than wagon. (a good inglenook). I then went and painted 2 32" by 48" chunks of sky, after removing a bunch of nuts/bolts/screws ect off a shelf that needed to come down. Last: move the sections again, and stare and contemplate how much plaster is needed to get this bit done. Also realize plaster is tucked behind the first section I moved ! I also stripped out some more vestiges of the DC wiring, the last of the 14/2 cable came out today. I think it dates LM 2.0, based on the fact that it has red/green/white sheething on it. So there's not much left from the previous versions of Long Marton in the basement now at all. No parcels from Digitrax or Eurotrains today. James

Dave, I've used the bell codes post 1960, as from http://www.signalbox.org/block/bells.shtml#Midland . So, it "should" be 4-1 for a mineral, but I am aware that there were all kinds of both official and unoffical changes made to them. Changing which bell code is sent for a train is relatively trivial (I know where I hid them, and they are fairly easy to change if time consuming in RR&Co 5). I'd like to see what you have though, because I know I don't have any notices related to the S&C signalboxes. (I guess I should try and get a hold of them...but I tend to think that I am looking for rocking horse dung...if anyone with any 1955-1965 signaling notices for the S&C want to make copies, I'd love them !) Michael, I am waiting for Digitrax to send me the replacement unit, for the one that arrived defective. I'm not sure when it will arrive. When it does, it will go into place, which shouldn't take too long as I had the previous one in & wired. I didn't try getting the trains back to the staging this morning, perhaps tonight because of time. (I didn't want to end up with trains strewn about the basement and having to leave to get to work) Now off to read the Lunester's Lounge, James

Oh bother, as pooh would say... I forgot only one little minor detail. I'm missing a DS 64. The one for Appleby signalbox. So, when I tried to run the signalbox program tonight, it didn't quite work how I wanted it to... And it took me a minute or 2 to realize why... In good news, the LED indicators moved to 4-1 for the mineral that was started, so I may have gotten it mostly right. Next step: empty the storage yard under computer control. (possibly tomorrow early AM), then try the no-signalbox program & see if it works. If it works, then I am at a standstill until I get the DS 64. (I think I will move forward on some foam alterations if that is the case). I'm going to pick up a sheet of masonite (1/8 or 2mm) pressedboard tomorrow to let me finish running the sky to the end of Long Marton.

And yet the Ambleside over here is famously mentioned in a song (SotW is a great band, John Mann the lead singer is a fine gentleman...) James

Well, it's not quite proper, but I don't need 2-2-3 for instance (at least, not as per the Western region, where it is "is line clear for tamper to stop in section?) Todays bit was to change over the outputs for the lights, and then tonight I had to reverse all (56) outputs to them, to make them work "right". That, and add the 2 solenoid controlled signals into the program (just adding #'s for them, they were in the program but had 1 as the ID, which is the default setting). D5705 got a few laps in, along with another wheel cleaning session, and 50035 moved about 6". So, a bit more done... I am hopefully getting closer to being "done" with developing the program, then I will start in earnest with scenic'ly completing the layout. Next on my list from a scenery prospective is to get another 3 DCC concepts station lights... (well, possibly the hardboard and 1x2 for the walls may come first...but they are a locally available item, whereas the lights are not...) It's just past 10 PM here, and I am for bed now- I probably will putz around at 6 am or so with a little work on LM. Next step: finish putting the trains on the computer, then press "go"...followed by hammering on the "stop" button about 6 seconds later ! (probably...) James

Well, like many other people, I find that by keeping a log on here I have to progress at _something_... So, the overall intent is to run Long Marton as the signalman, with a series of trains (not a schedule, that would, in some ways, be much easier...) running through. The computer is used to drive the trains, and react as the Appleby and New Biggin signalmen. That's the primary mode that I intend for "operations". To just watch trains is easier, as I made up a program in about 2 hours which runs both up and down with varying trains. It's just when trying to get the signalbox aspects to work right that the amount of work involved spirals upwards at a fast rate. Tonights entertainment was to take both boys downstairs while SWMBO made curried chicken for dinner, get D5705 running on the CONDOR so they had something to watch, listen to the small one complain about the middle bridge not be in place, incessently (up? UP? UP???) then start working on putting the plastic bits together for the displays. Upstairs for dinner, then back down after to continue connecting them to the TC-64. I had to replace one Insulation Displacement Connector (IDC), as it wasn't working at all, and fix another display's resistor, but they all work now. Then, I started into putting the #'s into the program, and finished that up. I went and tested it...and of course, it doesn't work...because, I'm not turning the outputs on/off, but Left/Right...and the way I rigged it in RR&Co won't let me do it that way. Back to changing around 56 datapoints, plus 70 numbers in RR&Co, to make it work. Some of them will get done tomorrow morning before I go to work, one got done tonight. I could NOT do this using DC, I would have to use some sort of processor based logic to make the layout work. Relays would have gotten too costly to get the job done...now, mostly, it comes down to kludging through RR&Co to get things to work the way I want them to in RR&Co. (note, that doesn't make what I am doing the easiest way to do it in RR&Co, but based on what I have seen from TTG and Beast, I don't think I am that far off in how I do the programming) James

So, I got as far as wiring the TC-64 up. 3x 3 digit displays, 1x 8 LED/1 digit display. Around 85 soldered wires on .1 spacing for pins. (a spare was also done, using one of my extra 7 segment display elements). Programming has commenced, I will go and get the laptop and do some more later today. (which shouldn't be too bad to do, I know how to do it now, I think). Then, intergrating the bells to the display, which will need more work. The painting was done on Wednsday night, with a 3.8 L can of light green paint bought at Wal-Mart for $14, and added black acrylic paint to darken it up. All of the near side of LM was painted, to give a more unified feeling to the layout. I will see about getting backscreens done along the remaining bit without as well, that makes another fairly quick but very effective addition to how the layout looks. I'm not sure if I will get to hack at the styrofoam on the far side of Trout Beck/Bridge 253 & the goods yard. James

Working on wiring a TC-64 for the DCC to display numbers of bells for people who can't count. (like me...). That was box from Tony's Train eXchange. Perhaps a photo later. James

OK, last night's fun was getting trains to run again. As those of you who have experience may know, when you make a giant mess in the room, the track collects the worst of it. And then, track cleaning is mandatory...and wheel cleaning. At one point, 5705 could make about 1/2 of a lap before I had to pull it and clean wheels (again!). This went on for 5 laps or so, then up to every other lap, and later on, just letting it run through. I moved 50 035 (Ark Royal) around by hand, and put the HHA's on behind it. So, at the end I had trains running on both the up and down lines, going through the storage and staging respectively. 5705 on the down line takes about 2x the time of '035 on the up line, which is about right given that it's about 2x as far. Tonights tasks: It depends. I'm waiting for stuff to arrive from TTX, Eurorail hobbies and Digitrax, but the last job for this evening will be painting with cheap latex paint. Goodbye mixed greens, hello uniform green... James

I don't generally label wire, but for the most part I am under 6' of cable run on each board. The inter-board connections are labeled, mostly by using a colour code system (Black/Yellow are DCC, green is ground, then purple & brown are 16v AC....) Device wiring (like from frogs) is mostly black 22ga wire, as are droppers. The key with those is to keep the runs as short as possible, because of the high relative resistance. It can end up looking like: dsc_0140 DSC_0022 by Peach James, on Flickr This photo is on a 30x45" section, with 11 turnouts, 19 block detection sections, 1 emergency stop, and a 110v light. Yes, there is a lot more than 2 wires on that board ! James

I'm sorry, I've been busy outside ripping off some bits of deck. (& burning them). It's been on my to-do list for about 3 years...just took getting around to doing it as I wanted a reasonable dry day to do it, and I needed to think up a plan as the whole lot is overhead, and cutting the last support beam while you stand on it is...spectacular, but not good ! The last couple days @ work have been busy too, we did another DC Organization Team Training for HMCS Calgary. (with only 3 of us for flood, down from 6 the last time) James

OK, last night's fun was getting a couple of photos taken. I put them up in Long Marton, as they are equally appropriate there as here: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/13244-long-marton-sc/page-4&do=findComment&comment=952956 (my pair of 28's, without the current train for them...) James

OK, the next one that was asked about- the Condor, with the Class 28's in charge. So, this is just the chassis with the current (Seuthe #10) smoke unit installed. It's been modified to have 2 of them fitted, you can see in the following: The smoke generator is about centre of the photo, with a sub-mini relay which powers it from the track direct. The drive to the Bo end of the engine has been removed to allow enough room to cram all I wanted into there. The DCC chip is a NCE D13SR, and the white bit is a plastic sleeve to keep the wires away from the sides of the smoke generator(s). The intent is to replace this single unit with 2 of them, both will be #9's (10-14V) rather than #10 (12-16V). I am probably going to put a resistor across the relay, to feed a low voltage across both units to allow for faster smoke operation. I'm not convinced on them operating _all_ the time through LM, I want it to be a bit of a suprise event. D5717 D5717 D5717 D5717 D5717 D5717 Just 5717 on its own, without any assistance from 5705. It's a tad weak with just the Co end driving. Note how the smoke flows along with the loco. D5717 D5717 D5717 The pair of engines together. D5717 Smoke flowing out from the bottom of the engine. As the smoke hasn't got a lot of thermal energy, it kind of wafts around, just like at work. (at work, we have some issues with smoke migration through the drains...like real life, it isn't a fun experience ! (well, for the students, it's theatre smoke about the same as the oil based stuff from the units on the 28's) OK, so a little more info: Judith Edge make the kit for Flatrol P's http://www.ukmodelshops.co.uk/judithedge/kit/293 for the Condor. There is some more info at http://nicwhe8.freehostia.com/d5705/start.html James

Like, this kind of clag? IMG_1525 by Peach James, on Flickr OK, so the story behind the photo- we have oil fired boilers with "automatic" controls on the ship. The controls system is pnumatic, and has a few delays in it between things happening. The burners (3 per boiler) are NOT controlled by the same system, they are controlled (off/purge/on ignition/on/clear/cool/off) by a 9 position rotary switch, which the operator (muggins here) has to turn. When you make a mistake on operating (vs being just a handle turner), then the above can happen.

I seem to think that the reason 5705 is more expensive is that they (Hattons) were donating some of the dosh from it to the restoration group. That's why I bought one of them...I wanted one with the wrap-around windows, but Hattons changed their minds about making them. I know that in full size, the windows fell out, and didn't seal at all well, but those problems don't affect a model much ! James

There's a link to the magazine article on here: http://nicwhe8.freehostia.com/d5705/start.html Which details a trip over the S&C. I have a pair, one of which is now a 3-BO only, as the space was needed for fitting smoke generators...it's about 1/2 done, I need to get some 12V (vice 16V) smoke generators for it. (Seuthe one fitted doesn't smoke on my DCC as I run it at a lowish voltage) James

That is all looking much more "right", as though it would be done that way in real life, and not a "5 arch viaduct, curved, to be installed....here" ish. I'm very impressed with how far along it has come over the last week or so, the hill form makes it look so much like the S&C rather than a sheet of plywood. I'd take Ribblehead, it would fit in place of Long Marton with ~10 ft to spare, if my figuring is right. (I know that LM is longer than it, but I'm just estimating based on the trailer here). I did contemplate it, but wanted a station somewhere on the layout. James

https://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&ll=54.614852,-2.514735&spn=0.000002,0.001206&t=h&z=20&layer=c&cbll=54.614893,-2.514582&panoid=Ql8CInNvI46lRZz88RA1PQ&cbp=12,249.86,,0,0https://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&ll=54.614852,-2.514735&spn=0.000002,0.001206&t=h&z=20&layer=c&cbll=54.614893,-2.514582&panoid=Ql8CInNvI46lRZz88RA1PQ&cbp=12,249.86,,0,0 OK, so where we are working started out this week as: Before I hacked another couple of cm off the styrospan, it looked like the above, then I repainted it using the poster paint... A little further on, we come to Trout Beck... DSC_0012 by Peach James, on Flickr (the trees that got planted, at the other end of the layout) James DSC_0010 by Peach James, on Flickr

Cheap Poster Paint. Lots of cheap, not quite vivid green childrens water paint. (mix black & green...to get something dark greenish). Speaking of which, i need to go do some painting, now that the dust has mostly settled downstairs. I hacked more of the 6' off of Bridge 253- I will post a couple of photos in Long Marton later. It looks better with the shorter hills, and it makes more sense. James

I'd have to agree that the original as constructed plan was too high. As I posted in Long Marton, it's easy enough to end up with mistakes in the rough shaping of the landforms, and then they tend to compound. I still have to hack and slash something like 1/2" over the entire side of Trout Beck's approach from Long Marton, as the shape isn't anything like right. The key for me was cutting out a ~33% Slope sidewall for Bridge 253, at which point the whole fill looks wrong, as it implied that the hill was about 6' too thick on the east side. The real railway did things for a reason, and moving dirt by wheelbarrow cost money. That's a huge amount more dirt to move, and it just wouldn't have happened. I'm a bit suprised that your viaduct is as tall at the approaches as you made it- but, it is done now. (IE, I think they would have used more of the dirt as fill, because if you have to move it, you might as well reduce the amount of viaduct required as long as it makes sense). I may get to do a bit more tonght, not sure, James

Another update: the DS 64 is now in the mail back to Digitrax, as it only gave +-4V on 12V input... The Tam Valley 3 way servo controller has one servo connected, and the other not, as well as having it's addresses put into it. A RR Cirkits TC-64 is on order (64 channel I/O box for Digitrax/Loconet). To be used as the controller for the 6 LED 7 segment displays that I am going to use because I am too !@#@#! cheap to pay Friedwald for a new version of RR&Co, after the nastygram over me asking for a copy of 5.0c post 7's release. (and yes, I have a licence, I wanted the program...not the licence). The easier way would have been some form of wi-fi enabled display in the other room driven through from RR&Co...(at least, I suspect it may have been easier, if I had RR&Co 7 vs RR&Co 5) Basically, I need to display the bell signals in a visual format, so I need to use some form of display. The easiest possibly would not be the way I am going with it, but it's a way I understand...7 segment displays, each segment independantly driven by DCC. I am aware that there are other ways to multiplex them using non DCC drive equipment, or a PIC, but I have chosen to go a slightly different route. Any way I work forward would have cost about $200, by my math, so this way is just as crude and easy _for me_ to get from where I am to where I want to go. Tonights fun was hacking at the styrospan around Bridge 253. The Appleby end had the belt sander taken to it in a grand style, and still needs more adjustment. I need to bring my dust mask in to do it though, as I am through the plaster and carving large quantities of styrofoam down. This is adjustment to the rough landform that I created 6 years ago. I also went and planted a bunch of Woodland Scenes trees at the other end of the layout, as much as anything to get them out of my way. (better to have a forest than a bunch of logged trees...) James