Eastern Tn logging on the DG CC & W RR 1928

Close to 9:00a the temperature was in the mid 70’s, so I took the opportunity to load up a truck load of garbage out of my garage. Then I went and lopped down a bunch of saplings along my retaining wall, and poisoned the stumps so they wouldn’t come back.

Then I went up to the RR room and installed the two 6 position rotary switches I wired up last night in the control panel.

As a bonus, behind my control panel, I found another 6 position rotary switch, Wish I had found two, but one is better than none, I. Can have Sanders ridge and Gegokayoosa on the same block, and have one huge block for the narrow gauge up the eastern ceiling, and up the top of the central peninsula .
 
Good to see some of your pictures showing up. Looks like the new Zealot is causing some headaches with your photos. Maybe a moderator will come along to help out??? Doc Tom
 
can't post picture from my phone. after several false starts, I was able to load pictures from my camera taken at the small setting. have completed the standard gauge main line all the way to Terrapin, I have a block controls wired up, and installed in the control panel, just need to hook up the Terrapin, and log camp block. ( the log camp was going to be Flea Creek, but I don't have room for a creek), so that is up in the air; and Montgomery furnace, all I have to d is hook it up, and see what works.


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sorry for the fuzzy image, the phone takes a faster picture.

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here is the completed main and passing siding at the logg camp, and the partially done roadbed and subroadbed for the 3 sidings for the camp.


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this is the end of the lower level of the peninsula, here likewise the main and passing siding is in, with some roadbed and track work needed on the four sidings.


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This is the far end of the Montgomery furnace block, and the reconfigured Cave Cove Creek bridge.


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Thomas is visiting Downtown Harlow.


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Have been working a little on the courthouse square area.


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I have the shelf in to get the narrow gauge up to the Gizzard area. the old narrow gauge line had a 6.5% grade, which made for tough conditions. this has a maximum of 3.3%.



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that shelf lets the trains get up to the high Gizzard bridge, and the low Gizzard bridge which goes to the log reload.



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Not sure what the varnish is doing on the siding to the log transfer, but there it is at Biscuit Rock. it must have happened, photos don't lie. note the narrow gauge caboose cut down from one of the ubiquitous HO bobber cabeese.
 

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I don't know of anyone having problems loading pictures, but you're the only one I know doing it from their phone. Phones Pics contains large amounts of meta data, which may be causing a problem. Uploading from a P.C. does not seem to cause these problems, as far as I can tell. I'll have to read on and see if anyone else is having problems.
 
a more in focus picture of the return loop in the bottom of the helix nook


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a lift out allows access into the helix nook


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with the lift out out


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the joint, the atlas re railer is cut in the middle, the end on the lift out spans the gap, so the rail gap, and the lift out gap are not in exactly the same place.



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the view from inside the helix nook.


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it looks like I built some super smooth curves, I'm working on wiring this stuff up, hope it operates as well as it looks.
 
I screwed round head brass screws into the benchwork, to use as contacts for the lift out. and then soldered wires to the screws and the track.


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thin brass contacts screwed to the lift out, and soldered to the rails provide contact. both sides of the layout have powered rail, so with a contact on either side, both would have to fail to make a dead spot on the lift out.


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Also on todays list, one of the my GML Memory walk around throttles had a broken on off switch, so I replaced it.

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These are not cooked up Yet, I need to run a 3 wire control loop for each of them around the layout, to wire the stereo headphone jacks the throttles use to plug into.
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If I get up there later this evening, I'm going to gap the rails in 3 needed locations, and work to wire up the two remaining blocks on the standard gauge main.
 
Going to be wanting to pick DR. Toms brain soon, picked up some epoxy to do the river in Harlow.

Am going to make a dam using aluminum flashing, which I will screw to the plywood under the Masonite under the river, perhaps sailing the flashing with white glue,

I’ll need to test the epoxy next to some foam. As the foundations of the water works are foam.

I recon a bit of Vaseline on the aluminum as a release agent may be in order.


Also will likely need to test the dam with water, both to check for leaks, and to estimate the amount of epoxy to mix.
 
Going to be wanting to pick DR. Toms brain soon, picked up some epoxy to do the river in Harlow.

Am going to make a dam using aluminum flashing, which I will screw to the plywood under the Masonite under the river, perhaps sailing the flashing with white glue,

I’ll need to test the epoxy next to some foam. As the foundations of the water works are foam.

I recon a bit of Vaseline on the aluminum as a release agent may be in order.


Also will likely need to test the dam with water, both to check for leaks, and to estimate the amount of epoxy to mix.
Will the dam be a model on the river? Or will it be temporary to keep the epoxy from falling on the floor? Glad to help in anyway I can. Dr. Tom
 
Got a measurement of the craft room off the two car garage on the Houston house. It is. 11.5 X 19, so it is just a tad narrower and a tad shorter than my current RR.


I might be able to build something using either Crooked Creek as a beginning down one wall, or

It might be possible to run Harlow, the helix, Southern staging, and the gizzard o. The upper deck. I’ll have to do some car full measurements, There won’t be enough room for a wide central peninsula, and two shelves.


There might not be room for Harlow and the helix, this will take a lot of study , But either way, I maybe able to cut my current RR in pieces , putting a third at the lake, another third In Texas, and adding to either as will fit.

Perhaps building some On3 portable

Jennifer says if we stay there long term, we could tear down the craft room, and build a larger one.
 
As a follow up about pictures. No one else is having problems. I know that Phones generally aren't compatible with anything, and I can upload easily from my Android phones. The problem is on your end.

I would also like to remind you guys we don't get paid for this and the only thing "poorly" done was your methodology in figuring out your problem with uploading pics.
I am of the opinion that posts #1302 and #1303 should be redacted. They are unbecoming, and could have been handled in a Private Message, which will get definitely get my attention, and I do read every single post made in this forum, spending hours a day here. I do not get paid or reimbursed in any manner. I don't appreciate those remarks at all. I would and will delete this post once those two posts have been dealt with.

Zathros
Senior Administrator
Zealot
 
In the old days, the maximum file size was clearly stated.

When files would no longer load from the phone, and camera settings that loaded for years no longer would load, I could find no information about maximum file size, and it took a couple weeks of experimentation to come up with settings for the camera that would load.

My issue is fixed, but you must understand the frustration of dealing with this . Sorry if something hurt your feelings, but look at how long it took to get any responce, a month or so after I figured out, by trial and error, what size photo would post.
 
I am studying options for the new house in Houston TX. Jennifer has suggested that I put a layout in one stall of the garage, leaving enough room for a car in the other, but Being able to use the second stall area when a car is parked in there, and using the workshop as a combination sitting room and work room.

Likely the TV and sterio will be out there too. I might be able to fit crooked creek down one wall of the garage, with shelves on the back wall, possibly extending into the workshop. A logging camp, crooked Creek, and staging would provide some good operational possibilities.

I 'm studying the possibility of using Harlow, southern staging, the Helix and my new gizzard at the lake. The helix nook Is 26 inches deeper than the rest of the room, so Harlow yard , and the shelf above it could be rebuilt considerably wider. Looking at my original plans, Harlow yard, and the shelf above it could be 2.5 feet wide, as wide as crooked creek, excepting the dogbone at Tom's Bend, instead of 9 inches.

Unlikely I could make the narrow gauge go anywhere; and such a set up would have limited delivery locations, but Southern Staging could be used as a destination for log trains as well as the Southern interchange, and trains could be turned down there.


Will have to do a lot of study, and negotiations on how much space will be available at the lake.

Our Neighbors bought a vacant lot adjacent to both our lots, and might sell half of it to us. Jennifer is interested in building a detached garage across the driveway, farther up the hill, so there would be no steep grade between the garage and the road.

This would remove any need to park a car under the house, and would free up space for RR, as the only competition would boat and tool storage, and laundry.

When we sell the farm, we will likely want to add onto the lake house, adding a master suite, more closet space, an interior staircase to the basement, Moving the laundry area up to the main floor. This could Create , and free up lot more basement space.

Also, Jennifer has mentioned the possibility of tearing down the garage at the new house, and rebuilding a garage with a bonus room above for trains; So there may be much more opportunities for train space in the future; so the big question is how much of my old layout do I want to hang on to.

Every time I have built something, it's been an improvement. I love the potential of my current set up, but it is the result of struggling with a difficult space for 35 years.

The pieces of my current RR all reflect that struggle. Now I have to weigh the cost and benefits of recycling layout parts vs starting over designing for the available space.


In retrospect the best I have ever done in layout design was the Bumpass modules; and the biggest error I have ever made in layout design was building a layout around them.

Putting Crooked Creek in a garage without heat or air will get me to full operations quickly, and I will be re soldering busted joints on my hand laid switches twice a year.

Part of my brain wants to save as much as possible of my current RR, And the other part wants to salvage the buildings , track and bridges, and start over, aiming at maximum use of the available space. Had I not built around Bumpass 40 years ago, Bumpass would have survived, and I’d have a portable I could take anywhere, and have 45 minutes to an hour of operations after 15-20 minutes of set up.

My big quandary now is should I save as much as possible of my current RR, or pack up the buildings and the commercial track, stow it all in boxes, and build two entirely new RRs ; or three, part of me really wants to build Bumpass squared , a small sectional RR that could easily be transported to shows.

Not very long ago , I was worried about a car shortage, And quite likely now I’ll have a large car surplus , It is hard for me to get my self to do anything for my trains right now. Perhaps If I can see the space in Houston next weekend, I can get fired up about planning.
 
I am studying options for the new house in Houston TX. Jennifer has suggested that I put a layout in one stall of the garage, leaving enough room for a car in the other, but Being able to use the second stall area when a car is parked in there, and using the workshop as a combination sitting room and work room.

Likely the TV and sterio will be out there too. I might be able to fit crooked creek down one wall of the garage, with shelves on the back wall, possibly extending into the workshop. A logging camp, crooked Creek, and staging would provide some good operational possibilities.

I 'm studying the possibility of using Harlow, southern staging, the Helix and my new gizzard at the lake. The helix nook Is 26 inches deeper than the rest of the room, so Harlow yard , and the shelf above it could be rebuilt considerably wider. Looking at my original plans, Harlow yard, and the shelf above it could be 2.5 feet wide, as wide as crooked creek, excepting the dogbone at Tom's Bend, instead of 9 inches.

Unlikely I could make the narrow gauge go anywhere; and such a set up would have limited delivery locations, but Southern Staging could be used as a destination for log trains as well as the Southern interchange, and trains could be turned down there.


Will have to do a lot of study, and negotiations on how much space will be available at the lake.

Our Neighbors bought a vacant lot adjacent to both our lots, and might sell half of it to us. Jennifer is interested in building a detached garage across the driveway, farther up the hill, so there would be no steep grade between the garage and the road.

This would remove any need to park a car under the house, and would free up space for RR, as the only competition would boat and tool storage, and laundry.

When we sell the farm, we will likely want to add onto the lake house, adding a master suite, more closet space, an interior staircase to the basement, Moving the laundry area up to the main floor. This could Create , and free up lot more basement space.

Also, Jennifer has mentioned the possibility of tearing down the garage at the new house, and rebuilding a garage with a bonus room above for trains; So there may be much more opportunities for train space in the future; so the big question is how much of my old layout do I want to hang on to.

Every time I have built something, it's been an improvement. I love the potential of my current set up, but it is the result of struggling with a difficult space for 35 years.

The pieces of my current RR all reflect that struggle. Now I have to weigh the cost and benefits of recycling layout parts vs starting over designing for the available space.


In retrospect the best I have ever done in layout design was the Bumpass modules; and the biggest error I have ever made in layout design was building a layout around them.

Putting Crooked Creek in a garage without heat or air will get me to full operations quickly, and I will be re soldering busted joints on my hand laid switches twice a year.

Part of my brain wants to save as much as possible of my current RR, And the other part wants to salvage the buildings , track and bridges, and start over, aiming at maximum use of the available space. Had I not built around Bumpass 40 years ago, Bumpass would have survived, and I’d have a portable I could take anywhere, and have 45 minutes to an hour of operations after 15-20 minutes of set up.

My big quandary now is should I save as much as possible of my current RR, or pack up the buildings and the commercial track, stow it all in boxes, and build two entirely new RRs ; or three, part of me really wants to build Bumpass squared , a small sectional RR that could easily be transported to shows.

Not very long ago , I was worried about a car shortage, And quite likely now I’ll have a large car surplus , It is hard for me to get my self to do anything for my trains right now. Perhaps If I can see the space in Houston next weekend, I can get fired up about planning.

Looks like you got some good ideas going there Bill. It will be fun to see what you come up with. I am sure the creative juices are flowing. Doc Tom
 
Back from Christmas Break at the Houston Bungalow, have the house most of the way set up


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while not in the middle of a forest, like our farmhouse, this one has a spectacular live oak tree. the RR will be in the workshop and the garage, leaving space for a crew lounge and work area in the workshop. and a small car, and tools in the garage
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planning on a dual level with a helix to the right, (30 inch radius drawn, but a 24-26 inch radius is more likely. return loop on the extreme left, a city with a small interchange , a sawmill and an iron works on the lower level , long main with a return loop on the upper level with an interchange with a narrow gauge line loop to loop above the standard gauge

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