G.E.C's layout pictures

GEC,you are right about that.The rails are the return path to the Substations by means of several pairs of 750 MCM that go the the Low-side of the Transformers in the Substations.Also each Substation has a Huge Ground Grid that is also attached to it.
 
I don't think it would be a great idea to touch both rails at the same time.The rails are also used for the signals that are picked up from the rails,putting any part of your body across the rails could cause a TOL ( Track occupied Light ) which means there is voltage on the rails plus your return to the Substations.
 

MadHatter

Charging at full tilt.
A guy I usd to work with- when he was younger- put a steel rod across the rails and ran away. The railway police came to his house that night and told his parents- he got the smack of his life needless to say. :mrgreen:
 

Russ Bellinis

Active Member
Getting back to a question raised a few replies ago about running overhead electrics and conventional dc locomotives on the same track in dc, would it work to make sure all of your electric locomotives had their wheels sets insulated so that there was no short across the rails? Then have the positive rail also wired to the catenary so that positive current was fed to both the positive rail and the catenary at the same time and just use one negative rail. It would seem to me that in that situation conventional and electric locomotives could both use all tracks. Am I missing something here, or is this a possibility? Of course the one problem might be that reverse loops, wyes, etc might short out through the catenary. Is there a way to do this?
 

MadHatter

Charging at full tilt.
:wave:Russ:

This is what you should do:

The wires that go from the motor to the right hand side (engineers side) pickups/rail need to be cut from the pickups. Assuming that the panto can pick up current you attach those wires (that used to be connected to the right hand side) to the pantograph.

There is no need to insulate the wheels because they are already insulated.:thumb:

In order to run one train on the rails and one on the overheads you need two power sources. You could use just one, but then there's no point, imho. You can the run a diesel loco and an electric loco independantly of one another. It would almost be like digital trains because you can run them towards each other or stop one while the other moves.:twisted:
 

green_elite_cab

Keep It Moving!
Well, i've started work on my Married pair of Arrow III EMUs. I've also painted them with stainless steel metalizer. they are almost mirror like on the sides, which is exactly how the prototype is. Right now i'm trying to figure out how best to apply my decals. I'm going to have to cut up and modify the usual NJ transit decals to get what i need.
 

green_elite_cab

Keep It Moving!
Well, i've got my Arrow IIIs painted, and i've since put on some of the decals. I also am working on scratch building the correct pantographs.

101208001rj8.jpg


101208002ec2.jpg


101208003no5.jpg
 

green_elite_cab

Keep It Moving!
I've discovered a good photo to steal the "disco-band" for the PL42AC and ALP46 locomotives, but now i need a good way to print them. How would a decal sheet printed from my computer work? I would think that would make the colors run....

Anyways, I'm going to put the commuter models away for a bit i think. I think i'm just going to respray some metalizer on the Arrow IIIs, just to be sure i have a good coat, seal them, decal them, and store them. same for the ALP46 and PL42AC, because until i get the decals and frames, they aren't going anywhere. I also need to find some fiber optics, if anyone has any ideas for that.

In the meanwhile, i have a couple GP15-1s to put together, as well as finishing off that C32-8 that i have most of the parts for (i stole the decoder i intended for the dash 8 for the SD60I). The C32-8 only really needs to get resprayed in a grayer color, and now that my airbrush is working again, i'm going to try and mix up a good color.
 

Russ Bellinis

Active Member
I haven't done it, but I've heard that a thin coat or two of Floquil Crystal Clear sprayed on top of the printed decal will seal the colors so that they won't run.

I'm not familiar with the commuter cars you are modeling. Is the "disco band" more than just a solid color stripe? If it is just a stripe and you can't get the correct color in a sheet of Microscale trim film, you can get clear decal paper and spray paint it the correct color and cut out the stripes.
 

green_elite_cab

Keep It Moving!
I haven't done it, but I've heard that a thin coat or two of Floquil Crystal Clear sprayed on top of the printed decal will seal the colors so that they won't run.

I'm not familiar with the commuter cars you are modeling. Is the "disco band" more than just a solid color stripe? If it is just a stripe and you can't get the correct color in a sheet of Microscale trim film, you can get clear decal paper and spray paint it the correct color and cut out the stripes.

On the newest NJ transit locomotives, they have a new paint scheme where the "disco stripes" become a faded band. Originally, it was three diagnol stripes, and you can see them in my earrlier models.

The new paint scheme has a band like this-

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=353611

I'm also having a problem resizing the white logo and disco stripes on the front of this locomotive to HO scale without making it all pixelated. any suggestions?

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=684839
 

green_elite_cab

Keep It Moving!
alright, i've got some work on my CNJ caboose done, but i got to upload the pictures.

anyways, I can't decide what i want to build, so i'll make people vote.
 

Russ Bellinis

Active Member
On the newest NJ transit locomotives, they have a new paint scheme where the "disco stripes" become a faded band. Originally, it was three diagnol stripes, and you can see them in my earrlier models.

The new paint scheme has a band like this-

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=353611

I'm also having a problem resizing the white logo and disco stripes on the front of this locomotive to HO scale without making it all pixelated. any suggestions?

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=684839

I can see where that stripe fading from one color to the next would be hard to duplicate. You might be able to take a picture with a digital camera and put it on your computer and photoshop the stripe off of the locomotive to print onto a decal sheet.

As far as your problem with the logo and disco stripes getting pixelated, I think you may be enlarging a photo that is too small to start with. If you can get a photo that is O scale or larger and then reduce it, you will probably have much better luck with it.
 

green_elite_cab

Keep It Moving!
I can see where that stripe fading from one color to the next would be hard to duplicate. You might be able to take a picture with a digital camera and put it on your computer and photoshop the stripe off of the locomotive to print onto a decal sheet.

As far as your problem with the logo and disco stripes getting pixelated, I think you may be enlarging a photo that is too small to start with. If you can get a photo that is O scale or larger and then reduce it, you will probably have much better luck with it.

I actually have used photos and things to get the faded stripe already. AS it turns out, programs like MS train simulator have a lot of people who build virtual models. For most of it, its just a matter of finding someone who did a good job, and then litterally cutting and pasting the pieced into a file that is printable, and to scale.

THe problem is, No matter how large of a photo I find, whenever i try to shrink it down it looks weird. the only thing that just occurred to me, is i might only be able to resize it once. if i resize a resized picture, then a probem can result. Still i think i need to find something better than MS paint to work in.
 

green_elite_cab

Keep It Moving!
well, it looks like the decal sheet i was waiting for to be made is almost out, but apparently they didn't figure out the white NJ transit logo either. FRUSTRATION!

anyways, i've got to find something to do on my layout. I have many open projects, but i just can't seem to get working on any of them.

My layout itself is starting to bore me... but i'm not to crazy about tearing anything down just yet.

I'm still in an epic battle of NEC vs Conrail Mainline. Both I have finally developed viable track plans for, (i've come up with a modular NEC plan, making catenary modular will be the challenge. I should be able to collapse the layout so that it doesn't take up epic space)

I'm I've posted the Conrail plan here before.

I think for my first couple modules, should i go that way, i'd like to model the B&O bridge to the SIRT (staten Island Rapid Transit). I think thats in linden NJ. also, the LANE overpass looks interesting, if it can be done. Metropark station would be one i'd like to do as well. There are a couple other interesting areas of the NEC, and including a swing bridge just like the walther's kit, so there are possiblities.

the only reason i lean more towards my conrail layout is because it definitely better planned, and It allows for more freight running, considering i have more Conrail locomotives than anything else.
 

green_elite_cab

Keep It Moving!
Well, i've bought an Atlas house kit, and a woodland scenics set of kids playing basketball, and so i hope to cover one end of my layout pretty soon. I'll just do some simple scenery, and install the players on the "driveway". It will be a small scene, but it will cover the back corner.

Once that corner is covered, i only have two corners to finish, which are on the front side. One is just always covered in junk and i never came up with a plan to fill it in, the other is also full of junk, but its also where i have a highway bridge, and its where my layout would connect to any addition i'd make. I'm not quite sure how to finish that one either.
 

green_elite_cab

Keep It Moving!
My Conrail Ballast Express C32-8 has finally approached completion. This has been a tough one, especially with the frame modifications.

I'm also irratated that the flat clear paint "faded" everything, but thats only a problem for some decals (particularly the black "Conrail Quality" decal on the side). I think i need to re-apply some decals, so i'm not worried, i'll just re do those. the faded effect didn't really hurt the color of the C32-8 that much, so it will

Also, i finally installed a decoder in my E60MA and lighted it up, so it will probably be running on some shows soon.

I actually have my NJ transit E60CH and U34CH parked out at my club now for the open houses coming up the next two weekends.

If you live near Burlington County NJ, i'd suggest coming down. I'm there on sundays (saturdays i have to work to pay for these things).
 

green_elite_cab

Keep It Moving!
One day when i get a new camera i'll have to seriously update this thread, because a lot is going on.

Anyways, i got a blue line AC6000CW and a trackmobile. The trackmobile is amazing fun, but my track needs to be re-worked for it to run smoothly.
 
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