Delaware & Northern Construction version 1.0

Started by jerryrbeach, February 05, 2018, 09:11:43 PM

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jerryrbeach

Quote from: jbvb on March 29, 2018, 11:21:28 PM
Blocks are a much more elegant way to debug short circuits than cutting feeders loose from buses.

James,

Anything that makes it easy to find and fix a short has my vote.
Jerry

Lynnb

When I started in the hobby all I had was dc and a layout divided into quite a few blocks, I think the best part of designing it was seeing the atlas snap switches work from the control panel I made up. The layout also contained a couple reverse loops requiring toggles on the control panel flipped. I still have that 2'x2' control panel with all its dpdt switches on it.
Ontario, Canada
The Great White North

My Layout Venture-> https://modelersforum.com/index.php?topic=6003.0

Jim Donovan

Jerry;

I too have been lurking. Great work. Loved the feed store. You are modeling about same era as I am and the post on ballast and tie colors hit home. In Florida in 1908 the question was 'what ballast'  And the tie color was 'worn out'. I'm going to have to rethink how that part of layout is going to look.  Keep those posts coming for us beginners.
Holland & Odessa Railroad

jerryrbeach

Quote from: Lynnb on March 30, 2018, 11:56:49 PM
When I started in the hobby all I had was dc and a layout divided into quite a few blocks, I think the best part of designing it was seeing the atlas snap switches work from the control panel I made up. The layout also contained a couple reverse loops requiring toggles on the control panel flipped. I still have that 2'x2' control panel with all its dpdt switches on it.

Lynn,

I finally dismantled my last control panel about a year ago, but kept the electrical components.  Most of what I will have on the new panel will be recycled from the previous ones. I love the advantages of DCC, especially the sound, but never really considered using it for this small layout.
Jerry

jerryrbeach

Quote from: Jim on April 05, 2018, 06:10:33 PM
Jerry;

I too have been lurking. Great work. Loved the feed store. You are modeling about same era as I am and the post on ballast and tie colors hit home. In Florida in 1908 the question was 'what ballast'  And the tie color was 'worn out'. I'm going to have to rethink how that part of layout is going to look.  Keep those posts coming for us beginners.

Jim,

Hard to believe you consider yourself a beginner based upon the quality of your modeling.  The fact is, even though I have been in this hobby for over 50 years, I learn new things every day.  It was only after starting this layout that I began to research how the roadbed would likely have appeared at the time.  My previous layout, set about the same time, had cinder ballast and dark colored ties.  The internet and the growth of local historical societies has made it so much easier to research specific locales, rather than relying on more generic published information.   
Jerry

jerryrbeach


I wanted to let everyone know that plans regarding this layout have changed over the summer.  My original thought was to move this layout into a small upstairs bedroom.  That bedroom was the home to my last layout.  I planned and designed the modules and track plan for that space.  Instead, I moved my sleeping space into an upstairs bedroom thus freeing up my former bedroom on the main floor.  I now plan to use the first floor room for my layout.  It offers several advantages including a larger floor space and no stairs to climb.  I'm pretty excited since the new plan offers more of the things I wanted but could not fit into the smaller space of the upstairs room.  The new plan will be strictly point to point and no longer require a duck under.  The plan also features more aisle space, a longer run between the towns, and better viewing angles.


The layout is currently separated into its three modules and stored in my living room.  I close that room off to save on heat, converting my seldom used dining room into a living room during the winter.  I finished that conversion yesterday, exchanging the furniture in the rooms, and fastening a heavy drape across the doorway to the living room.  A cold front is due here today and the drop in the outside temperatures will require me to start heating the house. 

The good news is that the two main modules will fit easily in the new space and will function as part of the new track plan with only minor modifications to the existing track.  At this point I am not sure where the third module might fit or if I will be dismantling it to use the lumber for a different size domino.   I want to remodel the downstairs room, refinishing the hardwood floor and painting walls and ceiling before I move the layout into the room.  I'm not sure how soon I'll be able to get started on that project since I am still devoting most of my time to the farm.
Jerry

jerryrbeach

I was downloading some photos from one of my memory cards and stumbled across this photo of layout construction last winter.  Yes, I am obviously that crazy, or maybe I was that desperate to build a layout.  (I invoke my Fifth Amendment right.)
Jerry