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MarkF
Engineer
USA
9276 Posts |
 Posted - 06/14/2010 : 6:56:07 PM
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| So I'm holding my breath and wondering how you made out! Can you throw a machine on the layout from the panel upstairs? |
Mark
See my homepage at http://home.comcast.net/~prrndiv/
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LVRALPH
Fireman
5430 Posts |
Posted - 06/14/2010 : 8:22:13 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by MarkF
So I'm holding my breath and wondering how you made out! Can you throw a machine on the layout from the panel upstairs?
No not yet, but close. I am tracing out the circuits on the switch lever and signal levers on the CTC panel. Bruce dropped off some telephone wire so now I can run the circuits from the SMINI too Rockport and Penn Haven. Check my Rockport to do list and ou will see how close I am. |
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LVRALPH
Fireman
5430 Posts |
Posted - 06/15/2010 : 5:11:22 PM
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Well it was time to get off the pot. Bruce dropped some wire off. Since he went to great trouble to get it, I started ripping out the old wiring from Crestwood to Penn Haven. This is about 25 ft of RR. Gone are 2 DS-54 control buss's. 1/2 of the DS-54 power buss, the old 16 gauge +5V buss, and the - 12v buss, along with a 8 wire tele control cable. I pulled so much wire out, I felt like I was converting from DC to DCC. That's how much wire CMRI saves you.
I left in the +12v buss, and converted 1/2 of the DS54 power buss to be a new +5V buss. It's 12 gauge not 16, so that will be better. I'm stringing the wire Bruce brought over now. I have been home most of the day as my wife had to have wrist surgery this morning. So I took advantage of the time.
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Edited by - LVRALPH on 06/15/2010 5:13:52 PM |
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Tony L
New Hire
14 Posts |
Posted - 06/19/2010 : 02:39:15 AM
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Hi Ralph. As you can see I am back online and can't wait to see your machine up and running, and try it out. Small note, I have been known to push things to their breaking point. I'll find all the bugs in it! . Seriously, if you need any help on signal practice or placement I can be over pretty quick. Have you thought about the crossovers East of CP Rockport and their control? |
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dlwrailfan1
Crew Chief
USA
574 Posts |
Posted - 06/19/2010 : 1:32:06 PM
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[quote]Originally posted by LVRALPH
Well it was time to get off the pot. Bruce dropped some wire off. Since he went to great trouble to get it, I started ripping out the old wiring from Crestwood to Penn Haven. This is about 25 ft of RR. Gone are 2 DS-54 control buss's. 1/2 of the DS-54 power buss, the old 16 gauge +5V buss, and the - 12v buss, along with a 8 wire tele control cable. I pulled so much wire out, I felt like I was converting from DC to DCC. That's how much wire CMRI saves you.
Modern technology to the rescue. I look at the old pictues of telephone poles with 30 cross arms and today we bury a thin fiber optic cable that has the capability of the entire phone system 100 years ago.
Eric |
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LVRALPH
Fireman
5430 Posts |
Posted - 06/20/2010 : 5:00:46 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Tony L
Hi Ralph. As you can see I am back online and can't wait to see your machine up and running, and try it out. Small note, I have been known to push things to their breaking point. I'll find all the bugs in it!. Seriously, if you need any help on signal practice or placement I can be over pretty quick. Have you thought about the crossovers East of CP Rockport and their control?
Anything you can offer will be accepted. I'm not sure what you mean about the Penn Haven X over. |
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MarkF
Engineer
USA
9276 Posts |
Posted - 06/20/2010 : 11:08:16 PM
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| So Ralph, it's been a few days since the last update. Any progress? Any signals lit yet? |
Mark
See my homepage at http://home.comcast.net/~prrndiv/
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LVRALPH
Fireman
5430 Posts |
Posted - 06/21/2010 : 07:36:23 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by MarkF
So Ralph, it's been a few days since the last update. Any progress? Any signals lit yet?
No Mark. I was up in Hazleton the last 4 days visiting my dad. But I did have time to study the V 3 manual more and start writing what I hope will be the LVRR program. I am writing just enough to get the Rockport interlocking operational as well as Penn Haven. I was only going to do just Rockport, but when I ripped out the unecessary wiring, Penn Haven went as well as Crestwood. If I can get these 2 OS's to work the rest of the RR should be much easier.
I want to get the CTC machine signal and switch lever indicators operating first, as well as the block occupancy lights, then have the CTC machine levers operate Rockport. If I can do that, adding the code to get Penn Haven operational will be a snap...I think!
I'm feeling some heat as Hueber has completed his assignment to get the front replacement sheet metal that we will overlay on top of Bill Gruber's track diagram. All we have to do then is remove the existing LED's, bolt the new plate on, then drill holes for the new LED's. Joe spent some serious cash to get what he tells me will be a very professional finish. I think I'll get steam nut to come over and drill the holes. I'm not ruining this! Maybe we can get Hueber to comment on this thread on what he did and why. It's his machine so he can do what he pleases. I'm just hooking up the wires. By the time he finishes with face plates and levers, this thing will look better than anything I built downstairs!
While up in Hazleton, the Reading Tech Society has a modular display at the Laurel Mall from Thurs to Sat. I stopped buy to see it. It was very well done and th scenery was as good as the Portarail display. It was 3 times as long as Portarail so it was really nice.
They had an operating signal system, so I was asking a lot of questions on their approach. They did not use CMRI but other third party devices and JMRI to connect it to a computer to drive the signal logic. Digitrax DCC controlled the trains as I am doing.
I can't comment comment on which is easier, but so far as I look back over each step that I have considered difficult, they have not been as hard as I thought. Right now it is the programming challenge, but when this is done, I feel it will be the same thing. Hard at the beginning, but very easy after the journey has been made.
I am fortunate to have Conrail Bill, a programmer, guiding me through this along with Bruce Chubbs excellent manual. Bill, has taken me on as a student, and has quite the task. I hope not to let him down and drive him nuts.
I will have a section of this thread where I will discuss the programming and my journey. I hope to be able to explain in laymens terms how I accomplished this and where I got the needed help. |
Edited by - LVRALPH on 06/21/2010 07:37:19 AM |
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Tony L
New Hire
14 Posts |
Posted - 06/21/2010 : 08:31:19 AM
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Anything you can offer will be accepted. I'm not sure what you mean about the Penn Haven X over.
[/quote]
I thought that beause of the distance from Packerton to Rockport that you could have an automatic signal between the 2 locations on both tracks, and also have it protect the Penn Haven X over. Or have you already planned this out? |
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LVRALPH
Fireman
5430 Posts |
Posted - 06/21/2010 : 10:08:50 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Tony L
Anything you can offer will be accepted. I'm not sure what you mean about the Penn Haven X over.
I thought that beause of the distance from Packerton to Rockport that you could have an automatic signal between the 2 locations on both tracks, and also have it protect the Penn Haven X over. Or have you already planned this out?
[/quote]
Tony, I plan to have an interlocking signal on each side of the crossover to protect it. It will be it's own interlocking. No block signals will be between Rockport and Penn haven due the short distance. There are onlt 2 oe three blaces where I will have block signals due to the size of the blocks. Everything else will be an interlocking signal.
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LVRALPH
Fireman
5430 Posts |
Posted - 06/29/2010 : 06:43:53 AM
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I'm still working on the programming end to get things working. Looks like my July 4 weekend date to have something operating will pass. I ripped out the 3 DCCOD's that were at Rockport under the layout. I originally distributed these around the West end of the layout not using the motherboard. I saved wire by doing this way. I just ran a +12V and signal ground buss wire to the area and connected them to the DCCOD's. I used wires and spade lugs connecting them to terminal strips instead of the supplied mother board connector.
Since I am going back to a mother board I replaced the original connector. I never throw anything out! This required more new wires to be run from the Crestwood node to the Rockport area, a distance of about 15 ft. I ran the buss wire from the DCCOD motherboard to the Rockport area. So far 2 wires have been strung. The first is for block 145, which is the single track from Crestwood to Rockport. The second wire is for the Rockort OS section containing the turnout. It is only ablut 18" long, but requires a full run of wire since I am not destibuting this. I disconnected all the drop feeders from my main bus, and connected them to these new sub busses that come out of the DCCOD. Here is a pic before changing it back to a Molex connector.
I am also rebuilding the Rockport panel. This is a practice prototype so I can make adjustments in future panels. I am installing repeater signals on the front. I printed out a seachlight signal from an old MR and reduced that on a copier. I then inserted bi color LED's drilled into the targets. I'll show you the back when its done, but I learned a little trick to make the wiring a little neater on the rear. Right now its a bit of controlled rats nest. I still have to add the rest of the graphics but here is were I stand as of today.
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MarkF
Engineer
USA
9276 Posts |
Posted - 06/29/2010 : 12:50:26 PM
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| Ralph, that panel looks great! But one question; wouldn't you have two signals for westbound traffic - one on the #1 track and another on the #2 track? |
Mark
See my homepage at http://home.comcast.net/~prrndiv/
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LVRALPH
Fireman
5430 Posts |
Posted - 06/29/2010 : 1:40:43 PM
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[quote]Originally posted by MarkF
Ralph, that panel looks great! But one question; wouldn't you have two signals for westbound traffic - one on the #1 track and another on the #2 track?
[/quote
Mark, you are correct in that is the normal way of signaling. That would assume both tracks would be bi directional. The LV double track mains were only signaled in one direction. Thus, the eastbound number 2 track does not get a signal. If a train was to travel west on number two, it would be via train order and dispatcher permisssion. No signals would guide them. The LV was only bi directionally signaled on single track. This is what they did when they converted to single track. Thus I copied the prototype. |
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MarkF
Engineer
USA
9276 Posts |
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railroadnut03
New Hire
6 Posts |
Posted - 06/29/2010 : 7:40:05 PM
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Ralph,
If "rockport" is a interlocking then there would need to be a signal protecting #2 track through the interlocking. Yes, you would need a train order to run the opposing direction of traffic, but if there is NO signal on #2 track and you have a order to run the opposing direction would have NO idea what way the switch is lined and could run through it!!! There should be a dwarf protecting it. In all interlockings ALL tracks must be protected by a signal, to control movement..
Mike |
Edited by - railroadnut03 on 06/29/2010 7:43:26 PM |
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Topic |
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Signaling my model railroad
