Tetter's Layout Progress and Other Pics.

tetters said:
Well...

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Finally the last set of industry tracks. This set is a spur of tracks directly off of the interchange tracks. Just to keep things interesting when switching out cars for it. The track gauge and magnet were placed there to hold the cars in place...it seems there is a bit of a slope there. I'll have to think of something creative to hold them in place when parked there.
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Just something to keep in mind...Using an easily forgotten track gauge or other piece of metal across the track to hold cars in place can lead to loss of hair and other aging processes. Don't ask me how I know this. Let's just say I had one less Kadee coupler height gauge, one broken window, and 3 hours time wasted looking for a short and literally rewiring underneath the layout. Oh yes, the gauge was nice and warm before it went outside. :cry:

The worst part is that it's happened more than once. :cry::cry:

I keep telling myself model railroading is fun....
 
pgandw said:
Just something to keep in mind...Using an easily forgotten track gauge or other piece of metal across the track to hold cars in place can lead to loss of hair and other aging processes.
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sign1

Don't I know it. I came close to doing the same thing a couple of times. It's part of my S.O.P. that before I reconnect power to the tracks I check for any errant metal or tools that may be laying across the trackwork and cause the loss of hair and wayward airbourne tools! It is a good thing that those tracks are still isolated from the layout electrically speaking. Feeders are in place, just not connected to the main bus.

Thanks for the reminder though...you did make me smile! :mrgreen: sign1
 

pgandw said:
Just something to keep in mind...Using an easily forgotten track gauge or other piece of metal across the track to hold cars in place can lead to loss of hair and other aging processes. Don't ask me how I know this. Let's just say I had one less Kadee coupler height gauge, one broken window, and 3 hours time wasted looking for a short and literally rewiring underneath the layout. Oh yes, the gauge was nice and warm before it went outside. :cry:
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pgandw said:
The worst part is that it's happened more than once. :cry::cry:​


I keep telling myself model railroading is fun....​
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I got a good laugh from this, until I reached the point about the guage being warm before it "went outside". I went from sign1 to :confused:, why was it warm?​


Tetters, nice to see progress. Layout is looking good, I cant wait to see the scenery. and I can see Im not the only one with random pipes here and there comming out of the walls in spots.:cry:​

​
 
Kevinkrey said:
I got a good laugh from this, until I reached the point about the guage being warm before it "went outside". I went from sign1 to :confused:, why was it warm?​

Tetters, nice to see progress. Layout is looking good, I cant wait to see the scenery. and I can see Im not the only one with random pipes here and there comming out of the walls in spots.:cry:​
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I'm guessing it was warm until he threw it through the window! :eek:

Thanks for the compliment. Yeah...about the pipes...I think they were for the old oil furnance tank. However...I'm not about to tempt fate.

Yet. :mrgreen: :eek:

Just kidding!
 
Maybe he meant it got warm from sitting on the tracks with a current going through it.:eek:
Our house is 106 years old, and random pipes are only a small part of the list of problems with building a layout to fit. They can be a pita sometimes.
 
The trick is to incorporate the random pipes into the machinery. Some of them can become silos or towers or concealed by skyscrapers. John Allen built a very steep mountain up his support pole, set a hotel at the top, and had some sort of winch to get his patrons up and down.
 
Kevinkrey said:
Maybe he meant it got warm from sitting on the tracks with a current going through it.:eek:
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It was warm from the short circuit current going through it. Kept taking apart and reattaching wires under the layout, then testing to see if I had gotten rid of the short.

I had innocently left the coupler height gauge at the end of a spur where it was being used to check coupler heights and serve as a bumper. No short circuit when the turnout was set against the spur because I was using power routing on that spur. Out-smarted myself on that one by a long shot.

Now Kadee comes out with an insulated coupler height gauge.
 
I spent most of my weekend getting my back drop in place. For some reason this was a lot harder then I thought it should have been...

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Oh well...it already looks miles better then that ugly green wall I've had to stare at all winter.
 
Thanks folks. Tonight I plan on patching up the seams and screw holes, then completing the facia installation. The back drop and facia board really help finish off the look, even if I still have lots of work ahead of me.
 
I didn't get around to the patching. I did finish the rest of the fascia last night and decided to start whipping up another one of my little control boards for the East yard ladder.

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I've decided to stick with small and simple design. I don't have the space for a large centralized control board so I'll make several variations of these small localized ones.

I also like the idea that instead of mounting the switches directly to the facia, I can undo a couple screws for the panel and pull it away to inspect the wiring if need be.

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18 days without an update to this thread. oops.

No pictures, however if you haven't guessed by another recent thread by me, I've been busy tackling the electrical side of things down below. Just this last week, I've installed and wired up nine Tortoise machines...(why are these so gosh darn cheap on e-bay?)

I think with the handlaid track comes the challenge of making sure that power is provided to all the rails due to the isolation gaps et all. I must have cut, stripped and soldered 30 some odd feeders to my rails the other night. Plus put together and wire a control board with LED's to operate the turnouts. Whew...

I'll post pics up tonight of my spagetti factory in progress. LOL.
 
Squidbait said:
Slacker! A little cold weather gets you off the bike and scurrying back to the basement? :p sign1

Looking forward to seeing your progress this fall!
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Yeah well...I'm a fair weather rider.

I got lots to do this time around...but then again who doesn't it. Mostly I want to finish up my track work, pushing in those last few spikes, getting my switch machines all wired up some touch ups to track ballast in some areas...

I have my double x-over in my sights to get wired up and functional in the coming weeks ahead. Plus a couple other switch machines to get wired and mounted.

I also need to get my backdrop painted a nice sky blue. The hardboard brown is starting to get old.

Eventually, the reality hit me that I'm going to need to by an airbrush. Glad to see that there is a thread going on with recommendations on what to buy.

When that is done then I can start work on structures. Really looking forward to this time around. :thumb:
 
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