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Harsco
Fireman
USA
1101 Posts |
 Posted - 08/25/2008 : 08:24:03 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Steam Nut
Oh, I hear a tape measure off in the distance! I do have an idea for two more tracks that I have been holding out on amd you already have the turnouts.
See? See what I mean! LOL
In all seriousness, without exception, every "addition, corection, or modification" that Steam has recommended since we began this odessey has borne fruit. I still remember the feeling of sheer horror I experienced when he suggested cutting apart, then grafting in a 30 inch extension into the end of a peninsula...yet without it, there would be no Division Street yard, the need for which I had conveniently overlooked/ignored. So.....let 'er rip, Steam! |
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Steam Nut
Fireman
USA
1272 Posts |
Posted - 08/25/2008 : 10:04:45 AM
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| Let er rip! Oh I don't think you should have said that...... You could be sorry! |
Steam Lives! |
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MarkF
Engineer
USA
9270 Posts |
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Steam Nut
Fireman
USA
1272 Posts |
Posted - 08/25/2008 : 12:44:43 PM
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| Yeh, Lucknow, That will be the local where we hand you the car cards and your lunch and also tell you what time coffee will be ready the next morning. I think the best saying will be Clear the main! |
Steam Lives! |
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Steam Nut
Fireman
USA
1272 Posts |
Posted - 08/25/2008 : 12:45:22 PM
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| Yeh, Lucknow, That will be the local where we hand you the car cards and your lunch and also tell you what time coffee will be ready the next morning. I think the best saying will be Clear the main! |
Steam Lives! |
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MarkF
Engineer
USA
9270 Posts |
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Harsco
Fireman
USA
1101 Posts |
Posted - 08/30/2008 : 10:05:04 AM
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Preparations have now started in anticipation of the next benchmarking session, when my through and way freights will be added into the oeprational mix to see if and/or how much they gum up the two track mainline. Having gone through the steel mill inter and intra-plant moves, we've now set up the layout with labels for each industry siding with the name, car type, and number to assist the operators as they go about their business. For the time being, car cards and waybills will not be used; the operators will simply exchange one for one so we can get a sense of how the initial draft of Mark's proposed schedule is actually going to work. Interwoven through the process will be the traffic flow of minerals to both Harsco and Commonwealth as well as a lot of inter-plant movements by the PRR hot crew.
Here's a close up of sidings at Capital and State Streets to illustrate:
Each siding was populated with the appropriate car type and number, then a corresponding "match" placed in the Division Street and staging yards:
This was most definitely an eye-opener for me, having never comprehended the sheer number of freight cars that would be needed just to run the layout in an organized fashion. As Mark began the process of putting cars in appropriate places, he quickly ran out of my inventory and began digging into his own stash (thankfully, the Northern Division is on hiatus and won't need the rolling stock for awhile). Even then, after three hours of consulting lists and rummaging through boxes, we still hadn't finished up placing cars.
One of the needs identified during the last session was for an engine pocket at Division Street, which I installed last evening as well as realigned several of the sidings:
In the meantime, I have card and throttle pockets to fabricate, as well as a laundry list of things to get accomplished between now and the session. Although relatively short and very linear in nature, the density of traffic movements will hopefully make the layout challenging enough for seasoned operators as well as newbies like myself....
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Edited by - Harsco on 08/30/2008 10:06:22 AM |
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hunter48820
Fireman
6024 Posts |
Posted - 08/30/2008 : 10:21:40 AM
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Hi Rick,
Looking good. You are making great progress towards a really nice operating layout.
I notice that you are also using Atlas switches. If you have any problems with dead spots around the points due to poor electrical contact, let me know. I've added a simple jumper between the point and closure rails on all my switches and have very little stumbling of any kind around them. Alot of times, this doesn't show up until after the track has been painted and the scenery and ballast is in place and/or dirt builds up between the point and stock rails.[:-boggled] |
Best, Andy Keeney
Look out for #1, but don't step in #2! |
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Diamond Bill
New Hire
USA
34 Posts |
Posted - 08/30/2008 : 10:56:47 AM
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This message for Hunter48820. I would like to see the jumper for Atlas switches. Please post it here for everyone.
Thanks. Diamond Bill |
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MarkF
Engineer
USA
9270 Posts |
Posted - 08/30/2008 : 12:36:43 PM
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| To add to Rick's comments, we are easing our way into full operations on Rick's layout. His operations are very different from most layouts as the center point of his operations is of course the steel mill. Many of the movements are related to that one industry and in the previous session, that alone kept four of us busy for nearly four hours! This time we will bring more of the mineral trains that feed the steel mill online, as well as the four locals that serve the other areas of the railroad. My goal here is to monitor the traffic and see if my guess of a schedule will work. Keep in mind that Rick is modeling a 7 mile stretch of a two track mainline. Doesn't sound like much, but the traffic density will be huge! With all the local industries, through freights feeding both the steel mill and the local yard, as well as 'hot movements' making their way around, it will be very interesting! (Yes Rick, I keep using that word 'interesting'!) |
Mark
See my homepage at http://home.comcast.net/~prrndiv/
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MarkF
Engineer
USA
9270 Posts |
Posted - 08/30/2008 : 12:41:36 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by hunter48820
I notice that you are also using Atlas switches. If you have any problems with dead spots around the points due to poor electrical contact, let me know. I've added a simple jumper between the point and closure rails on all my switches and have very little stumbling of any kind around them. Alot of times, this doesn't show up until after the track has been painted and the scenery and ballast is in place and/or dirt builds up between the point and stock rails.[:-boggled]
Andy, we did have a couple of minor issues with the Atlas when we first installed them. Quite frankly it surprised me as I've never seen these issues with the Atlas before. The probles we encoutered has to do with the metal contacts on the underside of the rail. This was easily corrected by adding a small amount of solder to those contacts and the problem went away.
You bring up a good point as it concerns the paint and ballast as now I'm wondering if it might not be worth while to do this to all the turnouts as a form of preventive maintenance to avoid more occurances. Thanks for that thought! |
Mark
See my homepage at http://home.comcast.net/~prrndiv/
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hunter48820
Fireman
6024 Posts |
Posted - 08/30/2008 : 1:06:52 PM
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Hi Bill,
I have to take a couple of photos when I get a chance and will post them along with some info on what I did. I'll can eiher post them in the Nashville Road thread to keep all my info in one place, or I can create a thread just for that so it is easy for people to find. I'm sure others could add their own thoughts on what they do to make their switches more reliable. |
Best, Andy Keeney
Look out for #1, but don't step in #2! |
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hunter48820
Fireman
6024 Posts |
Posted - 08/30/2008 : 1:11:04 PM
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Hi Rick,
What area of the switch did you solder to correct the problem? Was it related to the points or closure rails that the points are attached to? |
Best, Andy Keeney
Look out for #1, but don't step in #2! |
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Harsco
Fireman
USA
1101 Posts |
Posted - 08/30/2008 : 5:55:12 PM
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I'll let Mark answer your question Andy; if memory serves it was one turnout and I chalked it up to simply a manufacturing glitch, not an ongoing problem that needed to be addressed on all turnouts. As far as issues go, I've had zip, zilch, nada....they have been very reliable to date, but then again I haven't painted or ballasted them yet either. To be perfectly truthful, I've had more issues with Peco's popping their springs....
One thing I have noticed about the Atlas is their geometry...if you watch an engine traverse through them, it "wiggles" one way, then the other...the track is made that way (this is on the #4's, not the #6's). Again, it hasn't proven to be a problem |
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hunter48820
Fireman
6024 Posts |
Posted - 08/31/2008 : 07:33:06 AM
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Hi Rick,
I am familiar with the lack of straightness of the #4 switch. I talked to the Atlas people about it and they can't figure out why they are having the problem. To straighten them out, I cut the little cast plastic connections between the ties under the rails. You don't have to do them all but when you try straightening out the switch, it becomes apparent which ones you need to cut. After you remove them, it is much easier to flex them to get the warp out of them.
Regarding the points, on all my switches (#4, #6 and #8), I solder a very fine wire (one fine strand of wire taken from #14 stranded wire) and use it as a jumper from each point rail to each closure rail. I solder it to the inside base of the web on each making sure I don't get any solder on the hinge.
I do use a Weller soldering station and it has really helped me with my soldering capabilities. With it, I am able to do many things that I could never do with my earlier attempts and equipment. I will try and get some closeup photos posted of the modification in case anyone is interested. |
Best, Andy Keeney
Look out for #1, but don't step in #2! |
Edited by - hunter48820 on 08/31/2008 07:35:25 AM |
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Topic |
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Harrisburg Terminal Railroad (HTRR)
