AGHRMatt posted:
Very nice. Are you running with shoes and live outside third rails?
Hello Matt
THANKS for the appreciated comments. The THIRD RAIL on this EL system is the early uncovered "EL" Style as used even now on the subways and EL's (L's, heh) in Chicago, Boston, and was originally used by the IRT and BMT early original EL Lines using wooden EL cars. That is, NOT COVERED, and higher and closer to the running rails.
All my O-Scale NY Subway and EL cars run in more reliable TWO RAIL POWERED MODE -- with my scale but "dummy" 3rd rail shoes riding a fraction of an inch just over the 3rd rails, but not contacting them. See 3 photos attached. Thus I can also run my 2 rail "diesel"l locomotives (or any steam locos) on the EL if I want to (and I do so for operational fun-diversity!) in that 2-rail DC mode. Almost all N, HO and O Scale 2-rail operators of subways and EL's model the outside 3rd rail as "dummy" -- as well as a few 3-rail Track operators (ie; Joe Porretto, Steve SIRT, CTA Fan Terry, etc) ) who model the outside 3rd rail (covered or not) as a dummy 3rd rail for prototype appearance.
The 3rd rails on my O-Scale EL System ARE WIRED FOR LIVE POWERED USE --- and with one changeover switch for EACH MAINLINE TRACK, it converts the track rails to both NEGATIVE common, and the outside uncovered 3rd Rail to LIVE POSITIVE.
The "under-the-EL" trolley street track is ALSO wired with change-over switches for each of the 2 trolley track mainlines, the same way --- except in 2 rail mode the overhead trolley wire is still live --- but in 3 rail mode the overhead trolley wire is live but now BOTH running rails are negative common.
Vern Gillman, a fellow Charter Member with me of our NYC Model Transit Association, founded about 1981, ran his LIVE spring-sprung 3rd RAIL Shoe EL cars on my EL layout when it was exhibited at a few big train shows in the mid-late 1980's with his 3rd rail shoes riding on my LIVE 3rd rails. I set up one mainline local track with its outside 3rd Rail LIVE for Vern's train, and the other local track was in 2-Rail mode for my trains. The "under the EL" Trolley system was hooked up to East Penn Traction Club Layout Trolley modules at those shows !
The 3rd rail powered operation on the EL worked well, even tho the 3rd rail pickup operation was spotty and hesitant at times as Vern's EL cars then were very light, and sometimes the shoe spring pressure was not strong enough or was too strong and thus tended to try to lift the truck slightly off the rails. He has long ago since re-designed and improved his operating 3rd rail shoes, and (also NYCMTA Charter Member) Steve Olsen's subway cars use the same live sprung 3rd rail improved shoes when running on Vern's layout at shows. Their present 3rd rail operation (with VERY CLEAN track rails and 3rd rails, heh) is presently very reliable these many past decades.
regards - Joe F
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