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4:30 am I hope to complete nailing down the foam underbed and track for both White Plains (an extension of the Coaldale yard to include a large grain terminal with accompanying sidings) and the Coaldale yard. I need to adopt a naming/numbering system for the various tracks in the Coaldale yard. I think I will try the following. The Outer Mainline track will be #1. The end-around track beside it will be #2a and the next track will be called #2b. The use of letters will help identify the fact that both tracks 2a and 2b originate with the same turnout. Continuing toward the left will be tracks 3a, 3b & 3c, 4a & 4b, and 5a & 5b. In addition there are two small storage tracks for cabooses called cab-a & cab-b plus 3 small maintenance tracks called mtc-a, mtc-b & mtc-c. That should do it.
I dusted off 11 additional cars last evening and placed them in the Coaldale yard. I still have to update my data base for these cars, including the addition of a photo for each of them.
Here is a diagram showing the various locations. Pine Ridge is below The Channon.
Finally, here are the recently dusted off additions to my rolling stock:
Notes:
- ONT - Ontario Northland
- CP - Canadian Pacific
- BCOL - British Columbia Railway
- QR - Queensland Rail
- EJ & E - Elgin Joliet & Eastern
- UTLX - Union Tank Car Company
- AT & SF - Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe
6:15 am Now to join the work gang and see about laying some track.
7:00 am I have had another look at my track layout and made a few simple changes to the Mainline routes. The net result is that I now have only one reversing loop and the entire Inner Mainline is simply an extension of the Outer Mainline with no reversing loops. This significantly simplifies the wiring and solves my nagging concern that the previous layout would not work with DCC. I trust my intuition - when something doesn't feel right, it usually isn't right.
The only difference is the removal of two small sections of track near the center of the layout. But the difference is huge in terms of the electrical current characteristics of the layout. Also the original layout design assumed a visual barrier (the green lines) which I have decided not to use.
3:00 PM I have added the foam underbed and nailed down it and the track for the entire Outer Mainline as well as for Distillery Row. The entire left side of the layout is now operational as well as the top and right side Outer Mainline. I can form a train in the Coaldale yard and travel to either Black Diamond or Distillery Row, drop off the appropriate cars, and return to Coaldale. While the locomotive is at Black Diamond or Distillery Row I can move the empty cars to where they may be loaded, and move the loaded cars to a siding where they may be picked up and taken to Coaldale. Once in the Coaldale classification yard the cars can be re-sorted to form a new train that will take the loaded cars to their ultimate destination. So far, this seems to be working quite well.
7:30 PM I have cleaned off one more boxcar, CN 445531, a 40' steel boxcar with dreadnaught ends and a Manitoba bison on the side.
The 200 Ton Crane was purchased in Calgary last week and is now on the layout as it was ready out-of-the-box.
5:00 PM I spent the afternoon nailing down the track in Black Diamond. I have decided to try the procedure of enlarging the holes in the track ties and then using 5/8" x 18 gauge wire nails. It took about 4 hours but I was able to cut the foam underbed to size, place the uncoupling magnets, and then nail everything in place. The complete switching yard for Black Diamond is now operational. This is the first area of the layout to have the track completely installed.
Diesel locomotive CN 7847 (an Alco RS-3 diesel) conducted a test run on the Outer Mainline around Black Diamond and everything ran smoothly. I have yet to perform a series of prototypical switching activities in the Black Diamond yard.
I modified some of the piping at the distillery and the track sidings now fit beside the loading platform. I also glued a couple of pieces on the loading platform that had come apart.
I want to spend a couple of hours running trains from Coaldale to Black Diamond and back before deciding whether to add the ballast at this time.
3:00 PM I began the day by visiting the local hobby shop to see if they had a Kadee #37 coupler. Nope. Installing that on the SD40-2 diesel locomotive will have to wait until my next visit to Calgary.
I then toured the local hardware stores looking for a wire nail that I could use to nail down my tracks with. The "rail nails" that I presently have are too short to make a firm connection with the plywood underneath the foam roadbed. I bought the smallest nails I could find, the diameters being just a bit too large to fit through the pre-drilled holes in the track ties. However I was able to enlarge the holes enough so that this will work. However I am still not sure of the approach that I should use. One option is to glue the track to the foam roadbed which is glued to the groundcover. This may still be the best solution. It provides a firm connection. A second option is to glue the foam to the groundcover but use nails to attach the track to the foam. A third option is to see if the nails will hold both the track and the foam to the lower surface. Using nails gives me more flexibility if I change my mind as it is much easier to remove the track That may actually be the way to go.
This third option is worth trying. The one possible disadvantage is seeing the nail head. That may be an important factor. I may be able to minimize this by painting the nail head black (at the moment it is a shiny grey color).
Although I was not able to buy the Kadee couplers, I did buy 2 more turnouts. I have placed one on the layout and that completes the track system by adding an "end around" capability at the Distillery Row sidings. However this track gets in the way of some of the piping at the distillery so I will have to make a few small changes to that diorama.
Another day of little obvious progress but from the point of view of playing with alternatives, it was a good day.
9:50 PM Earlier today I spent about half an hour gluing down some of the ground cover at the Black Diamond site. This is a necessary first step to gluing down the foam track bed, which I hope to begin tomorrow.
I then spent a couple of hours attaching the guard rails to the SD40-2 diesel unit. This was very slow work as all of the holes on the diesel body had to be slightly enlarged with a pin vise drill. The guard rails (6 in total) are now installed. I then tried to install a Kadee coupler but it didn't fit.
I decided to try the Kadee web site (which I was not sure existed) and see if they provided special instructions for units such as this Athearn kit. A bit to my surprise, the answer was yes. I photocopied the instructions and will visit the local hobby store tomorrow and see if they have the necessary parts.
While reading the instructions I thought I recognized some of the terms (such as a 2-56 screw, and a tap drill). I checked one of my tool kits and was delighted to see that I had the necessary screws and nuts. However I still need a #37 Kadee coupler. Hopefully the hobby shop will have these.
Today may not appear to have been very productive, but for me it was another important step forward. I am now familiar with the Kadee web site, and realize what is involved in making a modification to a locomotive to ensure that the proper couplers are installed.
8:40 PM I worked on three different projects today. There are many of these "little" projects that need attention in order for the overall layout to be functional.
The first was to add a small corner piece of wood to the tabletop at a place where the track "cut the corner" and was no longer supported. This was straight forward and took about half an hour. The track from Black Diamond to Distillery Row is now fully supported and ready for train traffic.
The second was to begin attaching some of the accessories to diesel locomotive CN 5930, the SD40-2 locomotive with the NAFTA label. I originally bought this kit in 1994, but have never taken it out of the box. Although there are only a few accessories, this does include a number of metal guard rails. This turned out to be much more difficult than I originally thought as the pieces did not fit into the holes on the side of the frame. I finally tried redrilling the hole with a small pin vise that I remembered using many years ago. Success. I have the long guard rail along the left side of the unit installed at the moment. One of the nice features of this hobby is that there is no time pressure to complete this. I will continue working on this when I have some spare time.
The third project was to dust off another locomotive (CN 1706, a GP7 unit) and 4 additional cars: CN 79793 (a Pte St Charles caboose), CN 74009 (an "Old Timer" wooden caboose), CN 123411 (a 41' gondola car) and CN 461010 (wooden box car). That brings the number of operational locomotives on my layout to 2, and the number of rolling stock cars to 17. The Coaldale yard is beginning to look realistic as the cars start to fill up the classification tracks.
I am looking forward to getting the SD40-2 unit operational so I can see what a modern train looks like. I have a number of cylindrical hopper cars that need dusting off and then I should be able to form a unit train consisting of only grain cars. And when I assemble the 6 100 ton quad cars I will have a modern unit coal train.
My data base indicates that these cars were last used in 1995. The gondola car was originally purchased in 1988. It was the third car that I had purchased! The diesel locomotive was bought in 1991. I am having some difficulty realizing that it has been that long since I have been involved in this hobby. It is a great hobby for a retired person, who has time on his hands, and who has an interest in the history of railways.
7:20 am So far this morning I have stayed on the screen and updated the project page for my Model Trains activities. It now has much more detail for the steps involved in creating a final "permanent" track layout that is thoroughly tested at each stage.
9:00 am More progress. I have added the foam underbed for the track at Black Diamond. CN 7847 then left Coaldale with car 45686, a 100 ton quad hopper which is representative of the coal unit trains common in western Canada today. It arrived at Black Diamond on time, uncoupled the car on the arrival track, and then ran an end-around, leaving Black Diamond and continuing on the reversing loop to return to Coaldale. A very satisfying trip for the entire crew as it demonstated the basic feasibility of the track layout. There is still some work to be done at Black Diamond as one performs a number of prototypical switching maneuvers moving empty cars to the loading bays and moving loaded cars to the siding for pickup by a local run diesel.
Following that, I will have some major construction work as I glue the foam to the ground cover and then glue the track to the foam. I want to take this very slowly and very carefully, making sure that each section of foam is exactly where I want it and that the track is then centered on the foam. I also want to check that each joint connecting two sections of track is perfect with no kinks or uneven track. This will be the first attempt at providing a permanent section of track. Once that is done, I will add ballast to the track bed thus completing the laying of track for this section of the layout.
A quick check of my stuff indicates that I have a Walthers kit of 6 100 ton quad hoppers that need to be assembled. They currently have Union Pacific on the side of the cars but it will be an easy matter to cover this over with black paint and then it will be suitable for my first modern unit train. I also have an Athearn kit, an SD40-2 diesel with a CN NAFTA paint scheme that has never been out of the box. It will provide an appropriate motive power for this unit train. Clearly, I have a substantial amount of work in front of me.
I still need to buy a couple of turnouts to complete the Black Diamond track system.
12:10 PM I ended up buying 4 turnouts, 2 left and 2 right. The Black diamond track system is now complete. CN 7847 picked up #45683, a 100 ton quad hopper, and took it to Black Diamond where it carried out an end-around maneuver, leaving the car on a siding. It then picked up the car and pushed it to a track for empties. Later it will be moved to the mine to receive its load.
Here are 2 photos of my layout:
And here are 4 photos of the Southern Alberta Model Railway Club:
It is an impressive layout.
7:40 am I hope to get the reversing loop working so I can run trains from Coaldale to Black Diamond and back. Yesterday I changed the location of a few buildings in The Channon and was able to come up with a system that allows me to add the coal yard which includes an above ground ramp. I am delighted as I thought that particular feature was impossible in the available space. It also gives me two destinations for coal from Black Diamond. I continue to surprise myself by seeing how I might improve the layout by simply looking at it and imagining various operating situations. I also made a small change to the track layout at Black Diamond that should improve the switching activities in that area. I now have a longer receiving track and a better layout for holding the empty cars. I might thumb tack down the yard track at Black Diamond so I can begin some serious realistic running scenarios between Black Diamond and Coaldale. This would add incentive to build the coaling tower kit for Coaldale so I have a realistic destination for the coal. Assuming the present layout I have determined that I need an additional 13 turnouts. However I only need 2 more turnouts to complete the Black Diamond yard. I will visit the local hobby store this morning and see if they have any.
11:30 am This has been a very satisfying morning.
I added an Atlas Twin controller to the layout which allowed me to control the outer mainline reversing loop. I had to lay some temporary wire along the floor to connect the controller to the transformer but that will be removed when I upgrade to DCC. I also had to disconnect a few connections, but these will be reconnected when the DCC is installed.
CN 7847 then took to the road to test the track and the polarity of the wiring. I am pleased to report that the run was successful. The unit left Coaldale at 10:45 hours, arrived at Black Diamond at 13:45 hours, and then continued around the loop arriving back at Coaldale at 16:45.
CN7847 then carried out some local yard duties in Coaldale, creating a train consisting of 7 cars: BATX 635 (tanker), GATX 22691 (tanker), CN 210048 (reefer), CN 539027 (box car), CN522360 (stock car), CN 473966 (boxcar), & CN 78213 (caboose). It left Coaldale at 18:30, passing by Black Diamond at 21:30 and arriving back in Coaldale at 0:30 hours. This was the inaugural continuous run on the outer mainline. There was much celebrating in the nearby town of Queenston when word was received of the arrival of the train in the Coaldale yard.
However there is still much work to be done before the railway may be said to have truly arrived in this corner of the world. Much track still needs to be surveyed, the road bed needs to be brought up to grade, and the entire line tested. There are supply problems at the moment as current plans suggest that a total of 13 more turnouts need to be purchased.
The next step will be to lay the roadbed for Black Diamond so that one will be able to add appropriate uncoupling facilities (i.e. under the track magnets). This will all be done without fastening anything down in order to test the overall system for operational characteristics. Once it is clear that the system's design is satisfactory, the road bed will be permanently set (i.e. glued to the ground cover) and the ballast added. Thus the schedule is for Black Diamond to be the first complete section in the area.
I am also going to have to do some web research on installing decoders in locomotives!
2:30 PM The web has been a real eye-opener. I now have the MRC manual for their system and have identified the NCE decoder for my RS-3 diesel locomotive as DASR. Digitrax's decoder for that locomotive is DH150K. MRC's decoder is simply called a Diesel decoder. Since my locomotive was made before DCC was common, I will have to learn to solder the module into the chassis and connect the various wires to the appropriate locations. This looks like it will be a real challenge.
4:30 PM I have now identified a number of useful web sites:
- Model Rectifier Corporation (source of DCC systems): http://www.modelrectifier.com/index.asp
- Table showing available decoders for different locomotives: http://www.gatewaynmra.org/dcc/dccdecoders.htm
- Intermountain Railway Company (source of kits and rolling stock): http://www.imrcmodels.com/index.html
- Canadian Model Trains Inc. (online clearinghouse): http://www.modeltrains.com/Default.htm
- Sylvan Models (maker of rolling stock kits): http://www.isp.ca/Sylvan/ho-scaleproducts.htm
3:00 PM I have added 2 more barrier strips and have now completed the power wiring for the outer mainline track. I am now thinking of adding an Atlas Twin controller so I can control the reversing loop for the outer mainline track.
I also took 4 more rolling stock out of a box, dusted them off, checked the coupler action and height, and then let locomotive diesel CN 7847 pick up each of these cars from a siding in the Coaldale yard and move them to a classification track. I now have 1 diesel locomotive and 13 rolling stock on the layout.
The two hopper cars are from the modern era whereas the box car and refrigerator car are from the mid 1900's.
7:20 am I have updated my train maintenance data base. Here is a screen capture of part of the report that gives the last date of maintenance for each car.
Here is a screen capture of the actual record for one of the cars.
9:15 am I have thumb tacked down and cleaned the complete outer mainline track. CN 7847 left Coaldale at 9:00 am and went as far as Distillery Row before reversing direction and returning to Coaldale. The trip was uneventful, however the power in the line at that point was too weak to continue. The next step will be add some additional wiring to boost the signal strength. There is a reversing loop around the coal mine at Black Diamond that will require special wiring for DC until I purchase the DCC equipment. Before I do the special wiring I will run a locomotive to the loop and then reverse it back to Coaldale. This will at least test the track for signal strength.
I will also try to complete some maintenance on two or three more cars and then add them to the layout. Track fastening and cleaning, wiring, and car maintenance gives a fair amount of variety to the day.
7:40 PM I have added one 4 terminal barrier strip to the layout. I now have power connecting to both ends of the Coaldale mainline track.
The power problem was due to a short circuit where a loop of track fed back on itself. I thought I had insulated the point of connection but a close examination indicated that I had missed this one connection. As soon as I replaced the metal connectors with a pair of plastic connectors I had full power on the locomotive for the entire length of the outer mainline track. Great. I need to buy some more 4 terminal barrier strips before continuing wiring the outer mainline track.
I dusted off two more cars and checked the couplers for height and action. CN 473966 (a box car) and CN 522360 (a stock car) are now on the layout. Diesel locomotive CN 7847 picked each of these cars up from a siding in the Coaldale yard and moved them to a classification track.
7:05 am I now have a roughed-out plan for the entire layout. It is time to begin laying track with a foam roadbed and thumb tacks. This will provide an operational test of the entire layout. At the same time I will install the necessary wiring and thus begin to run trains again. My goal is to have a DCC system operational before Christmas.
I envisage two power districts: the outer mainline and the inner mainline. The outer mainline will consist of Coaldale, Distillery Row and Black Diamond. Essentially this is the layout along the outer walls of the room. The inner mainline will consist of Queenston, The Channon and Pine Ridge. This is the layout in the center of the room.
The control panel will be placed at the end of the Coaldale yard and will control all the turnouts on the mainlines. There are 9 turnouts on the outer mainline and 12 on the inner mainline. I will also have separate control panels for handling the turnouts for each of the local switching areas: Coaldale, Distillery Row, Black Diamond, Queenston, The Channon and Pine Ridge.
As with my previous layout, I will begin with a smaller section of the outer mainline, lay the track on a roadbed, wire it, and then running a small train on it to see how it works operationally. One of the advantages this time is that I have a good understanding of what is involved in doing the wiring.
12:30 PM The layout is operational. I have foam underbed for the mainline arrival track in the Coaldale yard. I have power on the arrival track in the Coaldale yard. I have one locomotive, CN 7847 (an Alco RS-3 diesel), and one boxcar, CN 501417, currently on the layout. I was able to run a test of automatic coupling and uncoupling using the under the track magnet that will be used to uncouple the train from the mainline locomotive and then have the locomotive do a run around to leave the yard. This was the first time that I have tried coupling and uncoupling since I began working with my trains a few months ago. There is a genuine feeling of satisfaction to be able to do this without touching the train.
However the idea of using thumb tacks to fasten down the track does not work with the foam underbed. The tack fails to reach the plywood. I will leave the foam underbed that I have put down this morning but will not add any more as I want to use the thumb tacks to verify that the overall mainline layout is electrically sound and that I like the operational feel of trains on this setup. Then I will convert to DCC and verify that I have that working properly. Finally, I will reinstall the track using the foam road bed.
There is still lots of work ahead. I will now begin tacking down the track and adding additional wiring for power every 4 - 6 feet.
1:40 PM My first iteration of the overall layout is now complete.
I will need to buy a few more turnouts to complete this layout, but at least the present indications are that it is workable.
9:20 PM I have been playing downstairs with my layout for about 5 hours today. I have a clear idea of the track layout for both the main yard and the coal mine.
I have added the sheets of ground cover to most of the layout and have begun placing the track on top of this to see how it works when I actually have to use track sections of pre-determined length and curvature.
In creating these two track layouts I have come to appreciate the significance of having a long lead track at the entrance to each yard. This is necessary for the yard engine to carry out its duties without having to enter the mainline and thus potentially cause difficulties for trains on the mainline. Such a long lead track has never been part of my thinking when considering layouts until now.
My approach to a final layout is a mix of heuristics and careful planning. The diagram below represents my original basic plan. Since then it has been modified by turning the right side into a one-ended large yard. The only other change to the mainline is to continue the track that is second from the top in the diagram to join the right hand side of the oval loop just below it. This creates a mainline run through Queenston.
The heuristics come into play as I begun to view the overall layout and try to place passing sidings and switching turnouts for the various structures and industries. At the moment I have Coaldale pretty well established. It is all track and no structures. I also have Black Diamond (the coal mine) set up with the proper switching track and a long lead so a switching engine, without entering the mainline, can move the empties to the mine and remove the loads to a siding for pickup by a mainline locomotive.
The two remaining large areas are Queenston (a town with a number of industrial buildings and sidings) and Distillery Row (a large refinery complex with storage tanks and a loading platform). The remaining three areas (Pine Ridge [lumber mill], Paradise Valley [farming] and The Channon [small village]) are all relatively small and should be easy to fit in.
I prefer working with a large empty table and then seeing what happens when I place a few structures on it and then try to set the track to service them. Or sometimes I begin by placing the track and then seeing what buildings can fit into the arrangement. I also have a large grain terminal that would look very nice with a couple of long sidings containing about 8 - 10 cylindrical grain cars. Once again, the idea is to set up the track so a train can drop off about 8 cars and pick up a similar number.
At the moment I do not have any sidings on the mainline. This means that only one train can be running on the mainline at a time. I will try to set up a siding on the left side and two more on each side of the oval.
I have yet to make a final decision on whether to use visual barriers or not. I will wait until I have the layout more or less set and then I will set up a temporary barrier and see what I think of it.
The mainline track enters Coaldale from the top right. The train arrives on the rightmost track and the locomotive uncouples from the car and reverses back on the siding track beside the mainline. The eight tracks in the middle are called classification tracks. This is where a switching locomotive will create new trains which will be picked up by a mainline locomotive and taken out from Coaldale along the mainline track in the upper left corner of the image to the rest of the layout. The remaining tracks on the left of the Coaldale yard are holding tracks for spare locomotives, cabooses and cars requiring maintenance. It is possible for the yard locomotive to disassemble an incoming train and create a number of new trains without ever entering the mainline track.
There are 7 siding tracks for the Black Diamond mine. The nearest two are for empty cars, the middle three are loading tracks (the coal drops down into the cars from the mine complex), and the two lines furthest away are for loaded cars ready to be picked up by a mainline locomotive.
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