Spring break is over?

Well it is and I went back to work today after a week off.  I did get a few things done, model railroad related.  Redoing floors took up most of the break and I didn't even complete it.  I replaced some old Atlas Selectors on my control panel with toggle switches.  This will free up some much needed space for a rural scene in St. Just on the lower level.

An original part of the layout for all the powered switches in the Fredericksburg industrial area.  I'll add the blocks to this by way of toggle switches.  

This piece to the right of the control panel will be removed.  The layout is separated by blocks from when it was DC powered at one time.  I left it like that to help find shorts and to cut off track power if not needed.   

This triangle area across from CVS will be some farm fields and a old barn/house.  I will use trees to hide the tracks leading off to the left.

Toggles are installed and some still need to be labeled.  Easier to figure out what toggle controls what.

Tools of the trade and other things

Well, finally finished up the upper level track change.  The trackage is done, did all the wiring and complete the signals.  This new track makes so much sense.  No pics of that because wiring is necessary but boring.  Tonight I wanted to cover a couple of tools that make my work on the layout so much easier.

The first one is my Klein Tools electrical nippers.  I have had these forever and believe at one time they were my dad's back when I was building a crappy layout in the basement in my late teens.  These do it all.  Pull nails, strip wire, cut Kadee trip pins, cut wire, cut wood, pull staples are a few.  I would be lost without them.  The bent shape them makes perfect for pulling nails out of the road bed.  The thing is, I have never sharpened them once in all these years.

The best tool I own.

The next item is something I made and is very handy.  I even have a drawer for them.  I call them my jumpers.  They are like jumper cables.  I use these to test track before it's wired and test my toggle switches before I solder them to my signals.  I also use a MRC DC power pack to power all my signals and switches.  With these jumpers, I test out signals, LED's (with resistors) and the like.   I use the power pack on the layout because it keeps more power on my NCE system and doesn't require me to have a booster.  I'm only running 2 amps.

Wire and alligator clips soldered together.

Here are the two signals down on the east end of the layout.  They are a simple 3 light signal from Tomar.  They have been hooked up to toggles and are ready to go.   

The electrical boxes in front of the Carolina trailer are temporary.  Been working hard in this area. 

Lastly, is a Tangent hopper that was painted into a Michigan Interstate hopper.  The MCIS is the railroad of Greg McComas and I do some of his custom work.  You can find the link to his blog on the right side of my blog.
 MCIS #7282 has shown up on the Midland with grain for Mid-Atlantic Feeds.

Settling back into summer modeling

Last week was the first week off for me as a teacher this summer.  I really did not get a break as I had a track camp for little kids most of the week, a summer school workday Friday and a train show Saturday.  Quite busy.  This week started off with a project for a client of mine I have done cars for the last few years.  I'm about half way done with his cars.  I have found some time to work on my layout a little and added a new signal to BY and weathered a old freight car.  I got my lumber and materials for the end of the lower level and I have waited to do after the freight car batch.  That is my top priority now.

I sold a lot of my On30 items at the train show Saturday and picked up a few items of need.  I did find a guy selling signals and I knew I need a few more.  I had to replace the 3 over 3 at BY because I accidentally shorted out a few included all important red.  So that needed replacement.  On a whim I bought a B&O cpl that I was thinking I would put on the Orange line.  But why not BY?  it looks good.  I hooked all my signals to toggle switches to be changed by the dispatcher.  That's usually me.  Makes it a little more operational.  This one I hooked up to 2 toggles so that I could use all the position lights.

In with the new, out with the old.  I moved the signal back a bit for switch possibilities.

Medium Approach

Stop

Approach

Approach medium

 I'm not a signal expert but the above signals are from a web search of B&O cpl signal meanings.
Signal aspects of the B&O Railroad

Tried a different method of weathering today.  Almost done but needs to be darkened a bit.  A boxcar you do not see everyday!

West end signals are installed and working/ other projects

Finished up the last signals on the layout over the weekend.  All my signals are controlled by toggle switches on the fascia.  Since op session only consist of 2 people, I'm the one who will throw them.  I installed 2 Tomar regular 3 light signals and one BMLA searchlight signal.  The 2 Tomar signals are going into Battlefield Yard and the other is right across the track going west to Orange (hidden staging).  The searchlight signal is different and controls trains coming off of the Virginia Central branch line.

The other pictures are other things I'm working on this week:

The two Tomar signals.  There will be another bridge between the signals and the other overpass.

 

 

These BMLA signals are very detailed.  Definitely different on the layout.

Got another Alco, this time a RS1.  She will work for the F&NN and will be patched.  Really liked the black and yellow!  It has a Tsunami in it and was the most challenging one I have ever had the pleasure to put in.

A high and wide load.  Gotta have a interesting load during some op sessions.  Finally got the brass wire I need for tie downs.

A side dump for a MOW train.  Gotta get some VMID lettering on it.

No this is not HO but an On30 Forney getting a new tender.  One more good days work and she will be complete.  Maybe 2 with the paint!

Soldering and signal frustration

Well after about a month or more of doing other things, I decided to install more signals on the layout.  This did not seem to be a long task but a tedious one.  My signals at the crossing have been put in for a few years now.  I installed them with on-off-on toggle switches.  I did the same with these.  These toggle switches have 6 connectors in the back to connect the correct wires.  I did myself a favor and ran the 2 main power wires all the way around the layout when I first thought about the project.  So that was done.  Those connect in the middle connectors on the switch.  Then the LEDs are on one (with the correct resistor) and the common is on the other.  Simple as that, right!  Solder them in and your done right!  Wrong! If the common and LED were switched connections, they would not work.  I found this out the hard way.  Soldering them in: not working, clip them in: working.  I went through toggle switches.  This was the obvious choice.  Went out and got some heavy duty ones like the other switches.  Then I found out about the common and LED thing.  Talk about frustrating.  I spent most of the day trying to get these to work!  The positive:  I did go several hours of soldering work without burning myself.

Soldering is something that if you are going to be in this hobby, you are going to have to learn.  It used to be painstaking but I found something that makes it so easy.  Tinning flux by Oatey is sold in Home Depot and other hardware stores.  Before this, my soldering was bad but this makes it so easy.  Put some on the end of the wire or connector and the solder bonds instantly.  No preheating!  I use and old soldering iron that has a little indention that holds my melted solder.  Works for me!  I use Micromark's Soldering Iron Stand instead of the little one that come with the iron. I use the same method on decoders and those expensive Tsunami decoders.

On with the progress:

My working (frustration) area above my desk.  The signals would control exiting of Battlefield yard.  Gator clips are great for testing connections.  Lots of tedious soldering work.

This is the larger signal that controls the VM out of Battlefield Yard.

Red signals coming out of the yard.  The one on the right is the RF&P connection that leads to hidden staging.  Need to lean it to the right some

Green Signal on the VM and an approach on the RF&P connector.  I wanted to wire the toggle to show a red over green or visa versa and it would not let me do that.  I'm sure you could but I could not figure it out.  I was happy they are lit!

Toggles are set and the fascia did not fit back even but that might be for another day!