Untitled, a photo by BGTwinDad on Flickr.

Following extensive testing of a B&O unit borrowed from the GPF&F Railroad, the CH&FR has acquired two EMD SD35 locomotives for use in mine service in the Glover’s Bend area.  The first, B&O#7413, is painted in the Chessie System paint scheme, and is already in operational service.  The second has just been delivered, and is due for a heavy service and painting operation at the Frost River Locomotive Works.  This unit will be painted in a classic CH&FR paint scheme, and will be numbered CHFR #7401.

The SD35 is a six-axle Diesel unit produced by the General Motors Electro-Motive Division (“EMD”) from 1964-1966.  Its 16-cylinder 567D3A engine produces 2,500 HP, and its overall length is 60 feet.  This combination of good horsepower, short wheelbase and high traction makes the SD35 a good choice for pulling heavy coal trains on the sharply curved trackage in the Glover’s Bend area.

Both locomotives are slated for a full detailing, including detailed fans, grab irons, sun shades, windshield wipers, MU and airline hoses.  Stay tuned for more information on the detailing process.

 

In a recent thread on my favorite internet train watering hole, one of the users, having just received his new Digitrax Zephyr Xtra and a couple of new DCC locomotives, was having trouble using the Zephyr to program the locomotives.

The jolly crew of course jumped in to help him diagnose the problem, and what resulted was a pretty good list of things to check before hitting the panic button when you DCC conroller doesn’t work.  While these points are specific to the Zephyr and Zephyr Xtra, most if not all of them are also applicable to most DCC systems.

• Is it wired up correctly?  The main layout should be wired to the “Rail A” and “Rail B” terminals, the programming track to “Prog A” and “Prog B”.  Beware that there is a ground terminal between the two programming track terminals.
• Where is the locomotive, and which programming mode are you using?  Ops Mode works only on the main track, while Direct and Page Modes work only on the programming track.
• Is it a non-Digitrax decoder?  Some non-Digitrax decoders don’t respond with a strong enough signal for the programmer to “hear” the response.  Placing a 1-kΩ resistor across the rails can help with this.
• Are the rails and locomotive wheels clean?  Poor contact can affect the communications.
• Does the locomotive have  a decoder?  Sometimes it pays to check the obvious.
• If using a PR3 and JMRI with your Zephyr, did you tell JMRI to use the PR3 in MS100 mode or Stand-alone Programmer mode?  Stand-alone mode should only be used if the programming track is wired directly to the PR3.
• If you’re in Ops Mode, did you select the correct locomotive address?

Well, that’s a start.  My hat is off to my friends at nScale.net for their willingness to help those with questions, and to their suggestions of things to check.

If you have ideas to add to the list, be sure to post them here!

Untitled, a photo by BGTwinDad on Flickr.

I’ve actually gotten a little bit of work done on the layout.  After what seemed an enormous amount of fiddling I finally got the sand tower arranged so that locomotives will fit between the hoses, so I permanently attached that.  Then I filled in with a bit of lightweight spackle and painted the ground with a burnt sienna.  In retrospect that color is a bit too dark and red, but I was going for a wet red clay… I think I need just a bit lighter and more tan next time.  Add some fine turf in a mix of green and yellow, and things start looking like something.  Next up, here, I need to permanently install the fuel tank and add some piping, and then do something to make the road look decent.  I’m going to have to paint it darker, and then add some striping (again), as the tape I was using didn’t work.

The road into town begins to take shape.

Over on the other end of the layout, I’ve installed the road and the first grade crossing.  I’ve got a lot of work to do to make this look right…  I didn’t count on the grade crossing being narrower than my chosen road width, and I made a mess of the road when putting spackle around the edges to blend the grade… but I’ve got the basics in place, and with some work I can make it look like something.

Again, with the burnt sienna paint and some fine turf ground cover, this begins to look like something.  I need to fill in some holes, add some gravel and stuff on the steeper slopes, and continue to add detail… I’ll have to trim the road back a bit and add a gravel shoulder, and blend it into the grade crossing better.

After I took the photo, I went back with the  lightweight spackle and began filling and blending in the grade on the upper hill… very soon the Woodland Scenics Risers should begin to disappear.

Finally, I also began adding ballast to the main line across the front.  This is Arizona Rock & Mineral rock ballast – real crushed rock! – and is very interesting to work with.  It lays very nicely and has a very fine consistency and a wonderful color blend.  I’m glad that Fifer Hobby carries this in single bags, as it’s quite expensive if bought direct from the manufacturer.  I like the way the mainline color (grey, right) differentiates nicely from the yard ballast (brown, left)… should help guest operators see more quickly which tracks are which.

One thing I did notice is that it’s easier to be sloppy with the cork roadbed with Woodland Scenics (crushed walnut shells) ballast. as it’s a bit more forgiving when trying to form a nice slope on the ballast.  With the AZR&M ballast, I’m going back and cutting a slope into the cork instead of leaving it messy.  This is a good Best Practice anyway, so it’s not so bad, and is fairly easy with a sharp razor blade.

 

 

, a photo by BGTwinDad on Flickr.

Today was a very fun day, train-wise.  I spent most of the morning at Pete Birdsong’s place.  First we did a dry-run of my upcoming demo of the Virtual Sound Decoder project at the next NMRA Division 10 meeting.  We’ll be using Pete’s new N scale switching layout as part of the show-and tell.  It’s based on a published track plan (can’t recall the name) and is built on a sheet of Masonite with an aluminum angle frame.  Very lightweight and portable.  It also has Peco turnouts, and this is the first time I’ve ever seen them in person.  I am now a HUGE fan, especially in places where manual operation is desired and one does not want to use over-scale ground throws.  Here’s a helicopter-shot of the layout.

Pete has only just begun the scenery work, but the layout is fully operational and he’s already integrated it into his operations software. He also has it hooked up to a benchtop-mounted sound decoder and a PC speaker to provide neat sound effects.  It was interesting and educational to compare the operation of the commercial sound decoder with my VSD software.  I have some work to do, but I think mine held up pretty well, if I do say so myself.

After our testing, it was time for Pete’s monthly operations session, and the gang arrived in droves.  I first took the “milk run” which involved an RDC with a passenger car and a boxcar all the way from Camp 2 all the way to Fernwood.  By the time I finished there was a long line waiting for trains, so I took a turn at switching the N scale layout.  It was quite a challenge using the old U-boat to shuffle cars up and down the hill and get them all in the right spots.

By the time I finished that job, the crowd had thinned just a bit, and I had time to squeeze in one more run, using a weatherbeaten 2-8-0 to haul a short cut of boxcars from Fernwood to Magnoila, switching out for two different cars, and shuffling on to Camp 2.  It was a thoroughly enjoyable morning, to say the least.

To top things off, Pete introduced me to one of the club members who owns a local hobby shop that I was not aware of – and who was able to cut me a sweet deal on a decoder for my new SD35… so by bedtime my birthday present was off the display track, through the shop and ready for revenue service!

You can see more photos of Pete’s layout in my Flickr set.  I hope you enjoy them!!

 

 

 

 

, a photo by BGTwinDad on Flickr.

Residents in Glover’s Bend were awakened by a new Diesel rumble from the nearby Nolan Yard. The CH&FR, in its search for improved efficiencies in its crucial coal hauling operation, has leased two six-axle units from the GPF&F Railroad for testing and evaluation on the Glover’s Bend Division’s steep grades and tough curves.

Arriving yesterday evening were EMD SD35 B&O#7414 and EMD SD50 C&O#8625. With their weight distributed across more contact points on the rail, thanks to the three-axle trucks, these engines can start a heavy train easier and drag it up the tough grades in the Glover’s Bend area more effectively than the four-axle Diesels currently on the roster. With shipments on the rise, this will be a critical change to operations.

The two units will be tested extensively over the next few days operating trains in a variety of situations, and will be studied and evaluated by the maintenance crews as well. If the tests are successful, the CH&FR plans to either purchase or long-term-lease two or three units for regular use on the mine runs. Initial reactions were mixed.

“That SD35 is a sweet machine… good power, good traction, and a comfortable ride. But that SD50? It’s just too darn big. I don’t know how we’d get it into the maintenance shops. It’d be a bear to run it all the way to Frost River every time we need to fix something!” , one engineer was quoted as saying.

The next several days should certainly be interesting for railfans in this area, as these two big engines ply the local rails.

IMG_2271, a photo by BGTwinDad on Flickr.

Back in 1962, a model railroader named Allen McClelland began to build the Virginian & Ohio, an HO scale model, in his home.  But it wasn’t just any model.  Allen created his railroad to be just like the real thing… a real railroad, only in 1:87.1 scale.  He used prototypical methods in the modeling, in the selection of equipment, and in the operation of the railroad.  At the time this was a real change from the common practice, and in the intervening decades, the V&O – as a railroad, not just as a layout – has become one of the icons of the model railroad world.

Allen wasn’t alone.  Two of his friends, Tony Koester and Steve King, built their own railroads along the lines of the V&O: the Allegheny Midland (Koester) and Virginia Midland (King).  Together, the three railroads shared a “family” relation along the lines of the real-life Chessie System or Family Lines, known as the Appalachian Lines.

In recognition of the relative fame of these model railroads and the immense contributions to the hobby by their creators, Fox Valley Models released a set of N scale model equipment decorated in the V&O and AM colors… a “fantasy” version of FVM’s GEVO engine, along with a set of coal hoppers and boxcars.  In one sense, these are not N scale models… they are 1:1.83 scale models of the “real” Appalachian Lines equipment (which was itself HO scale…).

I picked this one up from my favorite online model retailer, Fifer Hobby Supply, on special order.  Mike & Robin have a great operation, and are very easy to work with.  I may also pick up an Allegheny Midland boxcar, and I might even consider a few of their coal hoppers as well, if I can find them.  The GEVO locomotives are too big and modern for the CH&FR, but it might not be out of the question to custom-paint an SD40 or something, one of these days…

 

, a photo by BGTwinDad on Flickr.

My wife and I were “antiquing” in a little shop in South Charleston, WV when I stumbled across this little gem.  It’s a brakeman’s lamp, I know not what vintage.  On the top of the cap of the lamp is stamped the logo of the Pennsylvania Railroad.  Lamps like these would have been used by brakemen (and I suppose other railroad crew members) to signal trains at night.  By holding the lamp or swinging it in various ways, they would indicate different messages to the engineer.

Untitled, a photo by BGTwinDad on Flickr.

It’s fairly common in the real world (“prototype” to modelers) for a “customer” company such as a chemical firm or a power plant to lease their own equipment to haul either supplies to their plants or product from them (or both!).  Quite often, especially in the case of long-term leased equipment, the customer will place his own logo on the car, while the reporting marks still show the leasing company.  One will thus see covered hoppers with grain or chemical company names, or tank cars from various chemical companies or ethanol vendors or fuel suppliers.

The CH&FR serves NSN Scientific, Inc., a fictional chemical company with sites in a number of places, including Glover’s Bend, the town I am currently modeling.  I thought it fitting, then, that some of my leased hoppers bear the company logo.  These are the first, and I’m sure there will be more.

These particular hoppers have just had an initial base coat of clear gloss applied, followed by the “NSN Scientific” logo decal.  Next up they will receive a coat of matte finish to seal the decal, hide its edges, and kill the glossy finish, and then perhaps a bit of weathering.

I custom printed the decals using decal paper from Micro-Mark on my father’s Lexmark inkjet printer, and used Krylon Crystal-Clear and Matte Finish spray-can paints for the coats. The Micro-Mark paper seems to work well for black decals, but the color ones I tried on another model seem to run… I need to experiment more with that, as it could be user error.  The process is simple.  You just make up your decal artwork in any suitable computer program (I used a mix of GIMP for the image work and OpenOffice Draw for the page formatting), and print on the special paper with an inkjet or laser printer.  Then you spray over the decal paper with Gloss Coat spray paint.  Once the paint is dry, you use the decal just like any commercially purchased decals.

Both cars are Atlas models, the smaller a 70-ton ACF 3560 cu.ft. 3-bay hopper leased from GE Rail Services (ACFX), and the larger a 4-bay 5250 cu.ft. centerflow hopper “on loan” from Union Carbide Corp (RAIX).

 

LocoIO Completed!, a photo by BGTwinDad on Flickr.

What is this? This is the LocoIO board. It was designed by Hans DeLoof, and is available from a Belgian company called “Het Spoor” (Dutch for “The Track”) as a kit for about $45 US including shipping, with the current exchange rate.

This little guy plugs into the Digitrax LocoNet, and has 16 independent I/O pins. Each of the 16 I/Os can either act as an input, generating a LocoNet message when the voltage on the pin changes, or as an output, changing its voltage in response to a LocoNet command.

What’s it for? Well, I’m going to use at least some of the I/Os to turn LED lighting on and off from my JMRI computer. I can use other pins as inputs from block occupancy detectors or control panel switches or whatever. I can even drive the flashers on a crossing gate signal if I like.

With an add-on board it can be used to drive turnout motors or solenoids, and of course the inputs can also provide direct turnout position feedback to the LocoNet.

The kit comes as a bare PC board and a bag of parts, and to build it you have to place and solder all of the parts. This may seem intimidating, but if you’re able to solder track feeders, this should be no harder than a typical model structure kit. The PCB is labeled clearly where each part goes, and aside from figuring out which resistor is which, the placement is pretty obvious. While there are a lot of pins to solder, the small size means it goes quicker and easier than rail soldering.

You may note from the picture that there’s an empty chip socket in the center. This is where the microprocessor “brain” goes. I need to do a final inspection and clean the solder flux off the board before installing this most important chip.

Assembly took about an hour, and went very smoothly. Next up after cleaning and testing, I will install it on the layout and hook it up to a 12V power supply, my LocoNet, and the lights I want to control. After programming it from JMRI, I’ll be ready to use my very expensive light switch!

So I haven’t had much to post lately.  Real-world life has been keeping me busy.  But I have a couple of model projects in the works that I’m waiting till nearer completion to post on.  I think you will be pleased.  There’s actual scenery cropping up on the Glover’s Bend layout!

In the meantime, here’s a video of a Norfolk Southern mixed freight headed Northbound out of Lexington that I caught.  There are a few interesting cars, including a SOO LINE covered hopper up on a flatcar and a former CB&Q covered hopper where the old logo is still (barely) visible.  Some pretty interesting graffiti, too, if you’re in to that sort of thing.  A BNSF SD70MAC and two NS Dash 9-40CWs up front, and it is flying.

I always seem to be on the wrong side of the sun for these things, and while the iPhone video capture is better than nothing, it’s less than ideal for this sort of thing.  Still, enjoy!