Summer Idyll
Posted by Keith Hayes on Jul 10, 2016; 10:42pm
URL: http://c-sng-discussion-forum.254.s1.nabble.com/Summer-Idyll-tp5549.html
Summer is upon us, and the distraction of yard work, home maintenance and my family yammering at me to get out of doors leaves me less modeling time. When I do get to the basement, the ongoing projects are not calling. So today I operated.
Far too long ago, I hosted an operating session and the guest operator--Darel???--had to leave before he completed the switch list.
The list has been sitting on the layout for a while, so I checked it against the cars located throughout Leadville, located the stragglers and started switching. Well, before I started, I cleaned the track.
One of my layout goals is to have a smooth running layout and dirty track and dirty wheels seem to conspire to frustrate me. I have operated on a couple local layouts and while the occasional derailment seems inevitable, the railroads run very smoothly. All the plastic PBL wheels on my rolling stock is changed out now, and I have been copiously cleaning paint off the metal tires. The locos are slowly receiving current keepers. I ran an abrasive pad over the track and powered up the 75. Things were off to a good start, but on about the fifth move the loco stalled. The south yard ladder seems to be the culprit: I don't know if there are current issues with the turnouts (there should not be, as the Tortoise throws the power and there is redundancy), or the loco tires need a good scrubbing.
Switching cars also uncovers bug-a-boos with the individual cars. A coal had a low coupler, and the knuckles like to stick. Some CA on the carrier iron solved the low issue, and I need to get some graphite into the knuckles. A flat car needs some more diagnosis: it appears to be a combination of car weight and the wheelsets getting fouled by trussrods/ brake rods. And, a switch motor is not working--the power routing is fine, suggesting I need to troubleshoot the power to the toggle.
Anywhoo, it was an enjoyable hour or so shoving cars about to make up the train for Denver. I marvel at how long it takes to make switching moves: my sidings are about eight feet long, and I seem to run more slowly than C&S hoggers. It also points to the wisdom of blocking the train properly to facilitate switching. It leaves me wondering how the eastbound crew was able to switch Climax and make it to Como. No wonder they complained.
While I had the DCC on, I tried consisting a caboose with the 75. You use a common magnet, and the effect is pretty neat--rail clicks and wheel squeeks, along with an air bleed when you start. Another project is to get my programming track in order so I can change the caboose address and increase the volume some. The locomotive sound tends to overpower the sound in the caboose. It will be a very nice effect as the trains climb the high line.
URL: http://c-sng-discussion-forum.254.s1.nabble.com/Summer-Idyll-tp5549.html
Summer is upon us, and the distraction of yard work, home maintenance and my family yammering at me to get out of doors leaves me less modeling time. When I do get to the basement, the ongoing projects are not calling. So today I operated.
Far too long ago, I hosted an operating session and the guest operator--Darel???--had to leave before he completed the switch list.
The list has been sitting on the layout for a while, so I checked it against the cars located throughout Leadville, located the stragglers and started switching. Well, before I started, I cleaned the track.
One of my layout goals is to have a smooth running layout and dirty track and dirty wheels seem to conspire to frustrate me. I have operated on a couple local layouts and while the occasional derailment seems inevitable, the railroads run very smoothly. All the plastic PBL wheels on my rolling stock is changed out now, and I have been copiously cleaning paint off the metal tires. The locos are slowly receiving current keepers. I ran an abrasive pad over the track and powered up the 75. Things were off to a good start, but on about the fifth move the loco stalled. The south yard ladder seems to be the culprit: I don't know if there are current issues with the turnouts (there should not be, as the Tortoise throws the power and there is redundancy), or the loco tires need a good scrubbing.
Switching cars also uncovers bug-a-boos with the individual cars. A coal had a low coupler, and the knuckles like to stick. Some CA on the carrier iron solved the low issue, and I need to get some graphite into the knuckles. A flat car needs some more diagnosis: it appears to be a combination of car weight and the wheelsets getting fouled by trussrods/ brake rods. And, a switch motor is not working--the power routing is fine, suggesting I need to troubleshoot the power to the toggle.
Anywhoo, it was an enjoyable hour or so shoving cars about to make up the train for Denver. I marvel at how long it takes to make switching moves: my sidings are about eight feet long, and I seem to run more slowly than C&S hoggers. It also points to the wisdom of blocking the train properly to facilitate switching. It leaves me wondering how the eastbound crew was able to switch Climax and make it to Como. No wonder they complained.
While I had the DCC on, I tried consisting a caboose with the 75. You use a common magnet, and the effect is pretty neat--rail clicks and wheel squeeks, along with an air bleed when you start. Another project is to get my programming track in order so I can change the caboose address and increase the volume some. The locomotive sound tends to overpower the sound in the caboose. It will be a very nice effect as the trains climb the high line.
Keith Hayes
Leadville in Sn3
Leadville in Sn3
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