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LVRALPH
Fireman
5430 Posts |
 Posted - 09/07/2010 : 07:25:50 AM
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| Bill let me know that green over red would be wrong, so I have an issue with the bottom head of signal 1371. I hope to look at that tonight. I need to get Hueber over or steam nut if he wants, to install these panel fronts. I'm NOT! |
Edited by - LVRALPH on 09/08/2010 11:30:26 AM |
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LVRALPH
Fireman
5430 Posts |
Posted - 09/09/2010 : 06:27:14 AM
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Ignore what I said in the last post. I tested some of the signal conditions and forwarded them tho Bill for review. I need to check a couple of more. This allows me to have the OS basically working for the MER which was my goal. In the meantime here is a the eastbound signal 1372.
LV 2 has a clear board to head to Packerton!
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Edited by - LVRALPH on 09/09/2010 06:38:07 AM |
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LVRALPH
Fireman
5430 Posts |
Posted - 09/11/2010 : 06:04:44 AM
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I hope to find a little time this weekend installing the local control circuit at Rockport (OS 137) and to begin installing the controls and signals for Penn Haven (OS 131 and 132)
Upon further review of LV pictures it seems my signals might be too small. So instead of 20 ft I increased the size to 25. That seems to match the pictures in the books a little better.
Thats why I dont mass produce things Hueber. You learn stuff as you go along. |
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LVRALPH
Fireman
5430 Posts |
Posted - 09/12/2010 : 3:23:10 PM
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I spent the day running wires and hooking up switch 132. This turnout controls the access to the Hazleton branch. It is controlled only by the dispatcher, but in reality is a sideing with coal hoppers.
I got it working. Well almost. It only turns one way. If i reverse the leads to the machine it turns the other way, so I think the wiring to the machine is OK. Looking at my PC screen I get the proper indication. So I think I have an issue between the SMINI and my connection points on the machine. Since the Rams game is almost on, I closed up downstairs and will ponder this. Then come back during the week to check things out. But first to finish painting the porch. |
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LVRALPH
Fireman
5430 Posts |
Posted - 09/12/2010 : 8:42:31 PM
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I had an hour to troubleshoot switch 132 after watching the Rams lose a tough one. I fixed it! The problem? Stupid Ralphie wiring tricks. I hooked up the turnout leads to the pins that control switch 131 (the crossover). Had I thrown the turnout lever for switch 131, it would have worked perfectly. So I added the wires made the changes, and it works. Another device connected![:-eyebrows]
Next, the crossover turnouts at Penn Haven. But porch painting will come first. So I do not expect to get to this until later. |
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MarkF
Engineer
USA
9272 Posts |
Posted - 09/12/2010 : 11:30:45 PM
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Ralph, porch painting? Come on man, you have to get your priorities in order here! And when is that next op session?  |
Mark
See my homepage at http://home.comcast.net/~prrndiv/
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LVRALPH
Fireman
5430 Posts |
Posted - 09/13/2010 : 06:07:30 AM
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Mark. My goal is to get the signals and turnouts operating from Penn Haven to Solomon's Gap. The hill as it's known. That should make the RR more fluid (unless Hueber is dispatching) and cut down on radio chatter.
I am about 1/4 there. Then I have to fix some issues from the last session. If all goes well it will be either Thanksgiving weekend, Christmas week, or the first week in January. Tax season does not start killing me until the 2nd week of Jan. |
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LVRALPH
Fireman
5430 Posts |
Posted - 09/13/2010 : 06:08:15 AM
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Mark. My goal is to get the signals and turnouts operating from Penn Haven to Solomon's Gap. The hill as it's known. That should make the RR more fluid (unless Hueber is dispatching) and cut down on radio chatter.
I am about 1/4 there. Then I have to fix some issues from the last session. If all goes well it will be either Thanksgiving weekend, Christmas week, or the first week in January. Tax season does not start killing me until the 2nd week of Jan. |
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LVRALPH
Fireman
5430 Posts |
Posted - 09/14/2010 : 8:54:06 PM
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| The crossover at Penn Haven is now working. I also connected up block 1311 to it's DCCOD at the Crestwood SMINI. So that piece of track is operating. Moving along in small steps. |
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jatravia
Fireman
USA
2521 Posts |
Posted - 09/15/2010 : 11:59:12 AM
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Great news Ralph!
Joe <>< |
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LVRALPH
Fireman
5430 Posts |
Posted - 09/15/2010 : 5:34:03 PM
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Good news. I am working on the signals at OS 131. Last time I had all kinds of crazy test results when testing port B of the SMINI upstairs. I was getting dark indications when I should have gotten a red or green. Feeling it was the jumpers not making good contact or hooked up wrong I took it back downstairs.
I hooked up the wiring for the top head of eastbound signal 1312. It worked correctly. When the signal lever is thrown to the right for eastbound traffic it lit green, when I threw it to stop it went red.
So I will continue to hook up the rest of the signal heads and test the results. I should have a lot of time to work on this next week and fully expect to have the OS operating and the RR back in operation before MER. |
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jbvb
Fireman
USA
1865 Posts |
Posted - 09/15/2010 : 8:45:08 PM
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| Good going, Ralph. One point about signal height: On many RRs, they didn't spend more on signal masts than they had to. On straight track with no obstructions, the topmost (or only) signal head might be no higher than the cab window in a loco. This also happened where a signal could be made visible *under* an overpass. Where there were obstructions, or a curve meant that a signal needed to be visible above cars on the other track, they'd go up to 25 feet or so. Check LV photos, I'm a long day's drive from Packerton. |
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LVRALPH
Fireman
5430 Posts |
Posted - 09/15/2010 : 8:57:25 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by jbvb
Good going, Ralph. One point about signal height: On many RRs, they didn't spend more on signal masts than they had to. On straight track with no obstructions, the topmost (or only) signal head might be no higher than the cab window in a loco. This also happened where a signal could be made visible *under* an overpass. Where there were obstructions, or a curve meant that a signal needed to be visible above cars on the other track, they'd go up to 25 feet or so. Check LV photos, I'm a long day's drive from Packerton.
That's what I did. I was noticing in pictures that the lower head was cab height, but the upper head was about 5 ft higher. Thus my increasing the height. |
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LVRALPH
Fireman
5430 Posts |
Posted - 09/16/2010 : 3:07:05 PM
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 Well, I think I have OS 131 working. I think, because I might have some wires reversed. I finished building signal 1312 the eastbound home signal that protect the Hazleton Branch and the Penn Haven crossovers.
With the signal lever thrown right for eastbound movement I get a red over green. I think it's supposed to be green over red since the turnout is normal. I would expect red over green if the crossover was thrown. I need to have Bill show me where in the program I check this stuff. The other signal 1311 correctly shows red over red.
If I set the signal lever to the left, I get a green over red for signal 1311 and red over red for signal 1312. I have a dummy signal for 1311. It can't be seen and I have the signal led's on the panel to show that indication.
All, I need to do is install 2 wires for each turnout in the crossover and connect them to a couple of DCCOD's. Then I need to make sure I have all my feeders for all the blocks and Os's attached. If I did not rip out to much wiring at Crestwood the railroad might be running again. Just in time for Porta-Rails vist tomorrow and MER in 2 weeks.
Here is signal 1312 installed. I still have to paint it.
Here are the repeater signals to be mounted on the panel. I have not yet drilled the holes.
I still need to install and test the manual control circuits. But I might just take a couple of weeks off and work on some other projects just to clear my head.
Hueber has some time off and we might be able to install the panel fronts. Then I could install the block occupancy indicators, wire them up, and test those.
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Edited by - LVRALPH on 09/16/2010 3:10:59 PM |
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MarkF
Engineer
USA
9272 Posts |
Posted - 09/16/2010 : 11:59:21 PM
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| Your making great progress Ralph! Once those panels are installed and wired, it will be neat to see the lights chase across the board as the trains make their way across the layout! |
Mark
See my homepage at http://home.comcast.net/~prrndiv/
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Signaling my model railroad
