Gulf, Atlanta & Eastern - into the second decade

[Barry Ten]

I do so love this layout.

 

What I wouldn't give to run some trains on it!

 

November-ish maybe? I'm away for a big chunk of October, but things get a bit easier after then.

[Barry Ten]

This arrived today. It's the Model Power USRA 2-8-2, as reissued by MRC (Model Rectifier Corp) with some upgrades to the mechanism, including on-board DCC and sound.

 

 

The Model Power engines (pacifics and Mikados both) had a bit of a mixed reputation for running qualities. I had a Pacific which would barely work, until I swapped the tender one for a Bachmann unit with better pickups, at which point it was transformed. And I had one of the earlier 2-8-2s, which ran nicely on DC out of the box, that is until I dropped it putting it back in its box, severing the loco-tender connection. Fortunately the damage to the loco was minor, so it's still in the repair queue...

 

MRC have adjusted the pickup arrangement, as well as putting in DCC, and this one at least is a smooth, capable performer out of the box, and the sound - in my judgement, at least - is really nice. It's not entirely happy running tender first through my sharpest curves, but that's a limitation that I can easily work around.

 

In terms of the detail, nothing's changed: it's still the basic Model Power loco. The chassis and valve gear is fantastic, whereas the body is a bit of a mixed bag. There are quite a few separate details, and the moulding is very sharp ... but then there are those cast-on handrails, which are a bit of a throwback to the bad old days of N. They look a bit dated compared to the separate handrails on all my other steam locos. That said, they're not too bad from some angles and certainly not all that noticeable when the engine's running. It's the kind of area where it's debatable whether it's worth fixing it or not - it would be quite a task to file them off neatly, around all that other boiler detail. Another quirk, which is present on all the Model Power engines I've seen, is that backwards lean on the cab, which is a separate plastic moulding. I'm not sure if it's easily correctable. The old models were reputedly a pig to disassemble, so I never attempted it.

 

If I sound a bit critical, I'm not - it's really nice to have a smaller steam loco with sound, and since the Kato Mikado isn't in production (and isn't DCC ready anyway) this is your only 2-8-2 in N. I'm glad to see that MRC have taken the trouble to keep it on the market.

 

Cheers!

 

[DanielB]

I'm certainly tempted by these myself - but I've got to hold on until those damned SD40-2's come out before I can plan to buy any new - expensive - locos.

[F-UnitMad]

Must admit that if you hadn't pointed out the Mike's faults, I for one wouldn't have noticed!! It looks good to me. Quite a temptation for N scale, in fact!

[Adrian Wintle]

I'm certainly tempted by these myself - but I've got to hold on until those damned SD40-2's come out before I can plan to buy any new - expensive - locos.

Besides which, you have to save up for a set of BLI Centipedes

http://www.broadway-limited.com/paragon2nscalebaldwincentipede.aspx

 

Adrian

[DanielB]

$500? I don't think so!

[Barry Ten]

Been working on the other side of the peninsula over the last few weeks, where the single track mainline sweeps around to reconnect with the old part of the layout. It's mostly been making hills, plastering them, then adding ground cover.

 

Here's the view looking up the track, with the tunnel marking the point where the line rejoins the old area:

 

 

Lower angle:

 

 

And looking back the other way, to the 180 degree curve at the end of of the peninsula:

 

 

And a train coming in the other direction:

 

 

Adding foliage to steep surfaces can be a pain, as PVA, UHU etc lack the grip to hold the pieces long enough until they've set in place. I've used superglue quite a lot, but a little bottle doesn't go a long way, especially when you've got a large area to do. The solution, I now reckon, is the hot glue gun, which provides the instant grab you need, and those sticks last a long time. The only thing to keep in mind is that they're not called hot glue guns for nothing - ouch!

[dwyaneward]

Great looking scene, Barry. :good:

[Barry Ten]

It's been a while since I posted anything on this thread, and to be honest I'd got a bit blocked with further progress.

 

Back in September I mentioned that I'd made a mistake when allowing for clearances for intermodal trains:

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/17776-gulf-atlanta-eastern/?p=2013727

 

Although I'd said I might live with it, it seemed a shame to not be able to run double-stacks when all the other tunnels on the layout were sized correctly and the problematic bit was only a foot or so long. However, the need to rip out and redo perfectly good scenery was not viewed with a great deal of enthusiasm either. On the other hand, if I carried on developing the layout to the left of the troublesome area, I'd only be making it even harder to undo the mistake in the future. Hence, no progress! I knew things were going badly when I started thinking about building a second layout just to run the intermodals...

 

Yesterday, feeling suitably bullish, I decided to rip out and redo the bad area. Luckily several bits of scenery were designed to be removed anyway, so these could be set aside and re-installed later. However, there was inevitably a lot of damage to the backscene and some of the plaster castings shattered beyond repair. However, it was nothing that couldn't be replaced.

 

 

 

Here's the state of play by this afternoon. I've added about another 8mm or so  of clearance, just to be safe, even though it only needed an extra mm or two for the intermodals to squeeze through. The foamcore support for the branch trackbed has been reinstated and the track above glued and pinned back into position. The backscene was replaced and the retaining wall put back, using the castings that had survived. Now begins the work of building back up the fixed scenery above the branchline - tedious but not too difficult. All in all, I hope this fix will enable me to carry on developing the layout with a clear sense of purpose - we'll see.

 

Incidentally, with the scenery removed, I could see what caused the initial difficulty. The clearances were sufficient at one end, but the trackbed wasn't quite flat due to a slight rise between two baseboards. In other words, the track was rising slightly and bringing trains into contact with the ceiling. I should have allowed more room for error.

 

Cheers and thanks for reading.

[Robatron86]

It takes a lot of nerve to tear up a completed part of a layout, but I'm sure it will all be worth it Barry. 

[DanielB]

Totally agree with Rob. If you hadn't done it now, you'd have totally regretted it when the rest of the layout was finished.

[PaulRhB]

Good idea and I usually do it with a week to go to shows to give it momentum

[Barry Ten]

Frustrating times at Barry Ten Towers

 

There are lots of good things about N scale. The detailing is great, the mechanisms run very nicely, with great slow speed performance, and - in my experience - provided your track laying isn't terrible, derailments are so rare as to be not be an issue. I love the scope for running long trains through immersive scenery, and the range of scenic accessories is very good.

 

Over the last year or so, though, I've been running into an ever-growing list of problems which I'd loosely categorise as motor/decoder issues, affecting a range of models. In no particular order:

 

1) motor failure. Some will remember the long-running saga of my Kato E8, which started running hot and eventually became a virtual non-runner, only being able to limp around for a bit before overheating. After swapping the brushes

and trying a second decoder (money and time), I eventually ordered a new motor from Kato (more money and time). It ran fine after that, but now I've got a nasty suspicion that this motor is going the same way as the first, since I've

caught the engine being sluggish and occasionally stopping after a period of running.

 

2) decoder failures, either progressive or sudden. Sometimes traceable to something stupid I've done, but not always. One engine began showing an intermittent short which initially didn't affect running, but gradually got worse over time.

 

3) expensive problems with sound-equipped stuff. I've had three Broadway Limited sound equipped engines and only one has been problem-free out of the box. The E8 had a pickup issue which needed it to be sent back to the States for repairs - at my own expense, since it was out of warranty - but now it's behaving oddly again, with inconsistent speed under load. It used to run superbly (after the overhaul) but now it's struggling with a passenger train on grades/curves which didn't use to trouble it. No idea if its a traction or electronics issue, and these things are significantly less user-friendly for maintenance than the usual design. I fear I'll be sending it back again - yet more money. A second BLI engine (as PA) has pickup or power issues while an otherwise identical unit runs flawlessly.

 

4) just inexplicable motor/decoder crap which isn't always easy to diagnose. Locos losing addresses for no reason. Weird stuff happening under consisting. Locos running very slowly despite decoder resets, back EMF adjustment etc.

 

Modelling the US from the UK has some drawbacks, and getting maintenance done - and just generally having access to people who might know solutions or things to try - is difficult. I know of some decoder installation specialists in the UK who aren't that keen to look at American mechanisms now, presumably because they don't need the hassle when they have enough work with British outline customers.

 

In fairness, I've rarely had problems with Atlas locomotives, either DCC-onboard or DCC-ready which have later had decoders installed. My own Atlas sound-equipped loco seems reliable, as does my Athearn challenger. But this ever-growing list of gremlins is very disheartening. I've never encountered similar motor/decoder problems in 4mm. I'm committed to American N now, but I must admit I'd have some misgivings if I knew then what I know now.

 

Is it just me?

[roundhouse]

Sorry to hear of your loco problems. Luckily I have had very few. The odd Kato motor failure easily resolved by purchasing a new motor fairly cheaply form Kato USA with no import charges and low postage so not really any mor expensive than UK stuff.

 

Decoder wise I have had a fair few Digitrax decoder failures. I think it might have been a certain period when they were obtained as newer ones have generally been OK.

 

In comparison to U.K. Outline N scale the American stuff is way superior. I have had so many failures of Farish and Dapol locos compared to Kato Atlas or Athearn. Just try getting replacement motors for Dapol locos!!

[Barry Ten]

Sorry to hear of your loco problems. Luckily I have had very few. The odd Kato motor failure easily resolved by purchasing a new motor fairly cheaply form Kato USA with no import charges and low postage so not really any mor expensive than UK stuff.

 

Decoder wise I have had a fair few Digitrax decoder failures. I think it might have been a certain period when they were obtained as newer ones have generally been OK.

 

In comparison to U.K. Outline N scale the American stuff is way superior. I have had so many failures of Farish and Dapol locos compared to Kato Atlas or Athearn. Just try getting replacement motors for Dapol locos!!

 

I'm hoping it's just a run of bad luck, in that case.

[Barry Ten]

Coincidentally, Jim Kelly's N scale column in the current issue of Model Railroader touches on some similar frustrations as he reports having an increasingly poor success rate of installing hardwired decoders, with mention of difficult installations, accidentally damaged decoders, blown bulbs etc. Certainly touched a chord with me!

[Barry Ten]

I thought I'd post a follow-up to the above, relating to DCC woes. The saga definitely took an unexpected turn.

 

I mentioned that the BLI E8 was running poorly. I got in touch with BLI and they couldn't have been more helpful, so a big thumbs up to them for their

customer service department. However, after dismantling and checking the model,  as well as changing the traction tires, I couldn't find an obvious

fault. I also noticed (as also mentioned above) that my Kato E8 was running unreliably, but put it down to an unrelated issue. Then, I tried my Lifelike

E6 unit ... and that was also running slowly.

 

Again for a few days I just put this down to gremlins and engines being a but stiff after being out of use for a period, but then I remembered that I'd

begun to suspect that my FT units were also running slower than normal... It wasn't as obvious with freight locomotives, but now that I thought about

it there was a systematic drop in speed across all my engines.

 

Having had this brainwave, I disconnected my Powercab and swapped my Prodigy in instead, and the transformation was startling, with everything running

exactly as I'd want. In other words, there was nothing wrong with either of the E8s, but just a loss in track power from the Powercab. Now, it used to be OK,

so I can only conclude that there's been a gradual failure of the power supply.

 

Now I'm looking at the possible solutions, be it an upgraded power supply or an SB5 power booster. I've posted a few more thoughts here:

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/52016-help-with-nce-powercab/page-4&do=findComment&comment=2552107

 

I'm actually quite happy about this problem because I'd far rather solve a systematic issue with the control system, then chase after individual running

quirks in a fleet of locomotives.

 

Going back to the post above, I've also fixed a couple of the non-running engines with only minor attention being required; in one it turned out that a bit of

Kapton insulation had failed and the motor tag was shorting against the frame. Luckily there was no damage to the decoder. So, happier days at Barry Ten

Towers.

[doctor quinn]

Hi Barry, I'd get in touch with NCE, they were very helpful when my Powercab developed a fault and fixed it under warranty in spite of me buying it second hand. Nick

[Barry Ten]

Following discussion over on the other thread, I invested in a Maplins variable voltage power supply, and this has made a fantastic difference to the performance. Thanks to John from Bromsgrove Models for pointing me to the suitable item.

[Barry Ten]

It's a small thing, but replacing that power supply has given me a real boost of enthusiasm for working on the layout. So, over the last couple of weeks, I've tackled a few scenery areas that needed finishing or redoing, as well as reinstating a siding that I decided I wished I hadn't removed originally.

 

I also got around to fitting lights into my Kato coaches, using their own lighting kits, which I've a feeling I bought as far back as 2012 from Kato's own shop in Tokyo. They've sat around since then as one of those get-round-to-it-one-day projects. To be honest, there didn't seem much point worrying about lights in coaches when I was struggling to find a passenger locomotive with enough guts to haul the train!

 

However with the new burst of mojo, I opened up one of the lighting packs and did a test-fit into one of the coaches. After a fiddly hour or so I got it working, but the light was a bit too blue-white for my taste, so I did what I should have done originally, which is add Kato's tiny orange plastic filter, which warms the hue up somewhat. It's not a drastic change but a step in the right direction.

 

The next coach was a bit easier, then the next, and by the time I did the last two I had it down to about five minutes per vehicle, including a wheel clean. It's a very well designed product which does what it says on the tin. Kato have already put pickups in their coaches, so the work involved in adding the lights is pretty minimal, albeit a little fiddly.

 

Normally this E8 runs with a B unit and a baggage car, but I've removed them to get more of the lit train in view. It looks pretty cool snaking around the room and in and out tunnels. Cries out for some passengers though.

 

 

 

[Barry Ten]

Six months on, I thought I'd check in with an update on that Maplins power supply. There was some discussion over on the other thread (see above) about the high amperage rating of the Maplins unit but in practical terms it doesn't seem to have had any ill effects. The base of the Power Cab handset does get a little bit warm, but not uncomfortably so and most definitely not "hot" - more what you'd expect if you'd had it in your hand for any length of time. I've had the voltage selector on the 15V setting for most of that time.

 

I've also continued to be able to run two Cab06 units off the Power Cab without any issues.

[DanielB]

Nice to see you back at GA&E.

 

Once those SD40-2's arrive, I'll have to hand deliver them to you, if you wouldn't mind an ops session?

[Barry Ten]

Nice to see you back at GA&E.

 

Once those SD40-2's arrive, I'll have to hand deliver them to you, if you wouldn't mind an ops session?

 

Not at all, it would be fun!

[Adrian Wintle]

Nice to see you back at GA&E.

 

Once those SD40-2's arrive, I'll have to hand deliver them to you, if you wouldn't mind an ops session?

 

The Intermountain ones? I was mildly disappointed by the Southern one I got. It was the shell detailing - considering the effort that went into it I would have expected the correct style horns and bell (although most people wouldn't notice - they are in the right places). Otherwise it is a very nice loco although they did change it from the initial advertising and have used the regular (between the frames) decoder packaging for the ESU decoders. Perhaps the re-packaging of the decoders is what took them so long.

 

Adrian

Edited June 10, 2017 by Adrian Wintle

[Barry Ten]

Recent weeks have seen some more snail-like progress on the GA&E. Most of the work has been concentrated on Paynesville yard, where I've been attending to ballasting and those tedious but necessary jobs like adding cosmetic sleepers (made out of white plastic section) at the joins between track sections.

 

 

I do like the sweeping curve entering this yard. It took a lot of fiddling to get the right curvature, without being too tight at any point, but I feel it was worth it in the end. Although the concealed trackwork does get down to 11" radius curves, I've tried to adhere to my initial goal of avoiding any overly tight visible trackage, although it does get a shade tighter than I'd like in one or two places elsewhere on the layout.

 

Two low-angle views, with some ballasting still to be done in areas:

 

 

 

The other main job that I've been working on is adding a spur off the branch, as shown below, where it crosses over the entry tracks to the yard:

 

 

This doesn't serve any purpose other than to break up the linearity of the high-level branch, suggesting a branch off to some other industry or even an interchange. It's fully wired, though, so it could serve as a way to swap cars on and off the layout, if I can think of a way to incorporate it into the car-card scheme.

 

That's about it for now!

Edited June 20, 2017 by Barry Ten