Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 26, 2021 23:07:59 GMT
Okay, where are you starting? If your turnouts are already wired, converting to DCS control should be a breeze with instant success.
Tomorrow we plan to install the second pit and track. Since I have to get on the board to do it, I plan to place a last support under the coaling tower so that it will also be complete.
Like you, wiring is again staring us in the face. Sometime this week we need to begin on the permanent roundhouse and stub-track power. Putting it off has not resulted in its being done. I have to try separating the AIU from the secondary relays to reduce the clutter of wires.
Good luck Mark. Send pictures.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 26, 2021 23:26:02 GMT
Bill, my turnouts are not wired. I drilled holes in the table and dropped all the wires from the DZ1000s through. I bought wire, but it is still on the reels. That was I only got the track wired to MTH terminal blocks to make sure I could run a train, and was waiting for AIUs when I went in for back surgery in May. I thought I would get the track connected through the AIUs and relays first since that wire is already in place. Then I would pull the Dz1000 wires and connect them.
I will keep everyone updated with photographs as I go.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2021 9:58:56 GMT
Rich came over and got the first section of floor cut cut on Roanoke Shops building one. Now he needs a copy for building two. I helped him and worked on some electrical and painting interior stuff for the buildings.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 6, 2021 2:59:38 GMT
Good progress has been made this week. Inspection pits have been installed in Roanoke Shops buildings 1 and 2 and the first sections of flooring were screwed down. The plan is to have a two part concrete floor and buildings that can be easily removed to gain access as necessary. Rich is in charge of the floors and will hopefully be here tomorrow. Lighting is important on the layout. We plan to control lighting using the DCS system and have been wiring an AIU, relays, and terminal strips that will power buildings, structures, yard lights, etc. The basic system is in place and, even more important, works. The coaling tower, Roanoke Shops inspection pits, and boiler house, are operational.Different lights operate in daylight, night, and some operate 24/7. A great deal of detail work remains. Does anyone know of a good lighting control system that is used on layouts, possibly computer controlled? With proper control, our buildings can do a lot but to be honest, we have not had time to investigate sources. Al at Millhouse started out on a design several years ago but demand was not great enough to continue the project. Labels have been affixed where needed and an outline of the system is ready to be input into the computer so that we can tell exactly what each wire does/where it goes. Age does not necessarily equate to good memory. This is the Coaling Tower, Roanoke Shops #1, and the Boiler House, with lights on. Note that Roundhouse lights were off. The Inspection Pit lights are bright. Building lights have not been connected. The Boiler House is a Harry Hieke creation as are the Coaling Tower and Roanoke Shops buildings. A tall Stack goes behind the Boiler House. It will likely be one of the last things added due to the weight near the plaster Round House.
|
|
|
Post by Country Joe on Oct 6, 2021 22:51:13 GMT
Bill, you guys are making very good progress! 👍
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 6, 2021 23:14:26 GMT
Thanks Joe. This week has been unusual. Three steps forward and still awaiting the backwards ones. It is nice when things work.
|
|
|
Post by david1 on Oct 7, 2021 0:26:36 GMT
Looking good Bill. I enjoy watching your progress.
Dave
|
|
|
Post by firewood on Oct 7, 2021 14:50:44 GMT
I love that boiler house - the visible furnace reminds me of an old place I ran once. Before we … cough… “modernized” and installed oil-burning boilers there were “dutch oven” brick extensions on the front of the old boilers to burn wood. The wood was brought in on push cars running on 2’ gauge mine track. For automated lighting projects, you might get some ideas for Arduino open-source systems here: create.arduino.cc/projecthub/projects/tags/lightswww.arduino.cc/en/Guide/IntroductionDave
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 7, 2021 16:29:37 GMT
Oh no, you aren’t going to catch me on this one. A couple of months ago I gave our grandsons one of these arduino project things to do to “learn all about lights, etc". My thought was, Let them get interested and learn and maybe I won’t have to.
One project done and baseball started. No further progress since then.
Seriously, I think that you are correct but we are have so many train projects going with this layout that there just isn’t time. Thanks for the info. I will check it out. Paula just retired. I will try it out on her. She must have some time. She was asking about airbrushing track this morning.
Thanks for the info on the boiler house. I will ask Harry if it was originally wood burning. N and W would have been ultra modern with a coal hopper on the siding. That’s the plan.
|
|
|
Post by anjdevil2 on Oct 7, 2021 17:28:07 GMT
Monday and Tuesday was general clean up and modification of the sidewalks. Street in the Christmas Village will now loop behind the Christmas Tower. Made a cut out behind the tower and wired in the plug for the tower.
Drilled holes for the streetlights on the station side and marked out the sidewalk and parking lot. Next up is painting the board gray for the sidewalk and parking lot then putting in the expansion joints, wiring in the streetlights and then striping the parking lot next to the station.
The street is wide enough that "Main Street" may become a boulevard - if that is the case, will need to make a small island, which may not be that difficult.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 7, 2021 23:47:27 GMT
Your progress looks great, Bill! I'm not up for trying to learn about Arduino either. I have had little train room time, so wiring has been slow. I have slowly been working on my power substation kit. The parts are so tiny, lightweight, and odd shaped that it has been slow going too. I usually paint parts first before assembly, and that is what I did on the transformer. It was hard to not get paint on the surfaces that are to be glued. After completing the transformer, I decided to build the rest and then paint. The sub assemblies are almost done and are just sitting in place, since I need to gravel the yard and paint each assembly. Next will be to glue all the disconnects that are laying on the table in place on the structure on the left. That will be a bit slow going. Here is how it looks now, Although I worked in substations from the mid '70s to early '90s and the parts make sense to me, I have needed to check the numbers on the sprues for a few. I didn't mention it is a Walthers HO kit. They did a nice job on it, and I think it still scales right for a small town distribution station.
|
|
|
Post by firewood on Oct 8, 2021 2:10:12 GMT
I completely understand. For myself I try to avoid deep electronic involvement at all costs. I know there's a plethora of electronica inside some of those locomotive thingies, but I run my layout by conventional cab control - 'cos my mind is still in wood-burning steam-powered wrench-yanker mode. Dave
|
|
|
Post by Country Joe on Oct 8, 2021 4:21:02 GMT
I did some reading about arduinos a while ago and it was all over my head. I think I'm a dog too old to learn that new trick.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 10, 2021 1:10:47 GMT
Lots done the last two days. Rich has cut, painted, and installed, the complete floors in each of the Roanoke Shops buildings. We used Miller Engineering fluorescent lights inside and Evan Designs LEDs for outside doorway lighting. After we finished, Rich wanted to know what the next building was for. It is a saw tooth roof building similar to a Roanoke Shops machine shop. “Let’s get it in place and connected.” This from the guy who has been pushing to install the Transfer Table today. Back under the table I went and soon it was connected. Then we turned our attention to the Transfer Table that will service the diesel portion of the yard. Rich figured out the steps that we need to do to get it installed and we went over them three times. The plan will work. Thirty minutes remained so we fixed a string of LEDs in the roundhouse. This was probably the best week that we have had working on the layout. Unlike when we did the first level, we know a lot about what we are doing and make pretty rapid progress. The gremlins have stayed away. Tomorrow we hope to begin on the Transfer Table. Roanoke Shops 2, Saw Tooth machine shop, Round house, and Coaling Tower. Looking from the front, the Transfer Table is in place ready for installation Coaling Tower, Roanoke Shops 1: Boiler House, and Roundhouse We need to send Dave at Evan Designs these photos. Most of the lights are his Attachments:
|
|
|
Post by Country Joe on Oct 10, 2021 17:31:09 GMT
Looks great Bill. You guys are doing a great job. I love the lights. 👍
|
|