Saturday, February 9, 2008

More Paper Work

Spend the day working on Paper Work. I did not have a complete list of the rolling stock on the layout. I updated the list today, this will help with checking Reporting Marks when adding cars. The count was over 150 cars now on the layout. Still have another dozen or so cars to add to the layout, namely tank cars and air slides for the Mill. The Shops will be busy.

Also added a couple more switching districts plans to the layout. With the changes to the layout, not everyone knew were the industries are located, specially since a few have moved. Hope to add Town names to the layout fascia soon. Some people can not find the town limit signs on the railroad.

later

Doug

Thursday, February 7, 2008

S4s back in service

The WRS Shops have finished the repairs on the pair of S4. The Blue Unit received a new NCE decoder and the Red unit had tape installed between the motor and the frame.

later

Doug

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Operating Session Feb 4

On February 4th the first operating session on the revised White River Southern was held. Below is the photo of the Mill Run preparing to depart the Yard for its first run to the new Mill Complex. WRS had to lease power from Conrail for this train due to its tonnage (15 cars).




David was the first person to switch the new Mill Complex. The Mill Job, will require the operater to move seventeen cars in the complex. The cars are delivered to the Mill Complex by the Mill Run.




Glen after making the first Mill Run, returned to Dogwood to switch the cars he delivered. Don was busy recordering the events for an upcoming video.




The Roseton Local has arrived at Roseton. The crews from the Roseton Local (Ross) and the Junction / Blue Ridge Switcher (Doug) are busy discussing how to break up the train, so both could start their jobs.





Ross busy switching Roseton / Whiskey Falls.



Doug is in Blue Ridge working on switching.



The session ending when the Junction / Blue Ridge Switcher crew ran out of hours.


The Bartown Switcher was not ran this session, since two of WRS Operators (Pierre and Bruce) were not able to attend. With the changes in the layout, more operators are required to operate the layout. (five verse six).


We will try this again in a few weeks.

later
Doug




Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Power Shortage on WRS

Yes, it can happen....

When I when downstairs to do one final check before the operating session, two of my S-4 quit working. I did not have time to spend finding what was causing the problem. So I had to dig out two old Athearn switchers that I had chipped for the Kids Layout.

Ok now I have power for the operating session. But when the RS11 was backed into the Yard to pick up the ten car train for Roseton, it just set there and spinned its wheels. So it had to be replaced with the GP9. Since the plan was for the WRS to be an Alco equipped Railroad, the use of the RS11 will have to be looked at.

So I will now have to spend time on getting the WRS Alco fleet back on the road.

later

Doug

Monday, February 4, 2008

Interchange Yard

Finally the crack in the wall has been repaired. In the background (grey wall), you can see a grey line starting in the middle of the window frame, which is the repaired crack. Hopefully this will dry up the lake under the Yard.




Below is the view from the other side of the Black Hole. The first six feet of the three track Interchange Yard have been installed.



If I can round up enough cars, it will be in use at the next operating session. Need also look at how the Interchange Yard is going to be used. The plan was a car would go fromt the Interchange Yard to the Departure Tracks in the WRS Yard. Then to the Industry. After being picked up at the Industry, the car would return to the Arrivial Yard. The next day, the car would move from the Arrivial Yard to the Interchange Yard. It will take four or five operating sessions for a car to make a complete cycle.


later


Doug

Sunday, February 3, 2008

Track - were does it go.

The track gang has replaced the crossing in the Mill, (see below). Now the Shipping Warehouse and Spots 2 & 3, can be serviced. Spot 1 had to be moved due to length of track after the crossing was not as long as planned. Did not want to put the switch for the Receiving Warehouse on the joint between the two modules, which shorten the distance between the crossover and the track to hosting Spots 4 & 5.


When I started the addition to the layout, I had three or four lengths of new track and when I made a trip to Moncton, I picked up another twenty five lengths. So with this new track and the track I would recover from the old yard, I should have enough to do the work. To finish the Mill, I had to solder together a few shorter pieces of track to get the job done.

Now to finish the Interchange Tracks, I had to make another trip to the Hobby Shop yesterday for another ten lengths. Hopefully this will be the end of track laying for a while.

later

Doug

Saturday, February 2, 2008

MFMR 2008 Convention

I have added the link to the web page for the MFMR 2008 Convention to My Links on the sidebar.

I have been "railroaded" into doing a clinic on adding Operations to a Layout.

So I have three months to learn how to do it. :-)

later

Doug