Great Northern railway

Thanks, Mike.

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More testing.

Took another yard track of 47 freight cars on the mainline to test.  One came derailed.  Some new intermountain brass wheel sets added.  From now on, I'm putting a piece of tape on the car to let me know if the car has derailed in the past. 

Some more pictures of, what I call, unusual or interesting decorated freight cars:

A few decades ago, a modeler gave me a car with his private road name on it.

An all wood kit.

Don't remember if the 'load' came with this car but different.

The engineer was kind enough to stop the train so I could take pictures!

Another set of 50 freight cars taken 'on the road' to test them out: 2 derailed and went to the bench.

If I remember correctly, I think TM (train miniature) called these 'bill board' reefers.

A little unusual where UP and SP are, both, on the reefer.

One complaint I heard about the digitrax is the dials are too small and the NCE is more comfortable with the 'wheel': The digitrax can be operated the same way using either the left hand to scroll the left dial or right hand to scroll the right dial.

LOL another 50 cars! I might have 75-80 if I am lucky!~

FINALLY!

I think all testing of cars and the mainline are done.

The last 43 car train finished it's journey.

In 40-47 car trains, every one of the 650 cars has run a full 800' of mainline.

Each of the two yards had a full 35-47 cars backed through every track.

The DCC is working great.

Next step will be to run two trains in opposite directions to put a 'load' on the DCC system.

Videos of GN S-2 pulling an all GN reefer train (save one car).

GN S-2 at Marias pass:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OU7Fjk0dnM8

GN  S-2 at Tumwater canyon trestle:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ktxJhGCs9c

GN S-2 at Skykomish:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjPv1oFhL4A

Interesting:

I did some track adjustment and wanted to test a DC engine at the location with my RC remote system and it was not responding until I got the transmitter very close to the receiver.  I'm guessing the digitrax 1.9 gighz is overpowering the RC transmitter.

Final set of cars tested and arriving at Seattle.

Nicely done Sam! Glad you got everything checked! Now you can go back to having fun running trains!

Good news/Bad news:

More kit freight cars:

The last of the kits:

Mike,

Still have lots to do besides putting in my first decoder, which I may start, tomorrow.

A video of a fellow railroader that brought over his two SF 4-8-4's double heading on the GNRW.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbqajntmI3E

Weird derailment.

Only one engine, the UP 8500 turbine, derails at this one spot; no cars, nada, just the lead trucks on this engine.

After 30 minutes, or so, of fiddling with the gauge, I thought that the far side rail may be a little low so I shimmed it up with some thin cardboard.  All's good again.

Probably could have used the 'top side' creeper but cleared stuff out of the way and climbed on the layout to fix the 2nd level track.

Decoder testing.

Connectors should be in, tomorrow, so the WOW 1 with 'keep alive' decoder was tested using a 'sugar cube' speaker and a can motor.   Interesting, the PFM sound speaker wouldn't work.  

For GN engines, I usually have two of each so one will be converted to DCC.

Test decoder video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsGmBX_5cLc

samparfitt posted:

Weird derailment.

Only one engine, the UP 8500 turbine, derails at this one spot; no cars, nada, just the lead trucks on this engine.

After 30 minutes, or so, of fiddling with the gauge, I thought that the far side rail may be a little low so I shimmed it up with some thin cardboard.  All's good again.

Probably could have used the 'top side' creeper but cleared stuff out of the way and climbed on the layout to fix the 2nd level track.

 

Decoder testing.

Connectors should be in, tomorrow, so the WOW 1 with 'keep alive' decoder was tested using a 'sugar cube' speaker and a can motor.   Interesting, the PFM sound speaker wouldn't work.  

For GN engines, I usually have two of each so one will be converted to DCC.

Test decoder video:

when youtube is done.

 

Sam, I am sorry you had a derailment! But I am glad it was an easy fix! I hope you have better luck with your decoders.

Train running.

A fellow railroader brought his GN Z-6 4-6-6-4 by sunset (with DCC) and ran it on the GNRW.

Video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87a7DpkuTms

After, we went to his club layout in Ross, Ohio.

They have two rooms of a converted school building (a big school building).

I believe there is one other HO layout, an N gauge and a 3 rail layout.

It's set up for digitrax. 

New arrival:

All DCC stuff. 

Another 'walk around' throttle, wire, connectors, a couple TCS 1479 Kam-4 decoders for the yard switchers, etc.  Getting all decoders with 'keep alive': don't want any annoying 'restarts' every time there is a momentary break in 'juice'.

Used up all the intermountain wheel sets so got another 100 for 'backup' for cars that I think are OK and roll nice but may derail.  Besides, the new wheels give that O gauge sound where you can actually hear the cars 'roll by' when standing next to the train.

My first decoder install.

Nothing fancy.  Just the motor controlled by the decoder on one of the switchers.

For me don't need a lot of engines making 'noise' so the switcher is just the basic decoder.  This 0-8-0 can pull 45 cars out of the yard so there is no room for extra wires for 'other' stuff as the boiler is all lead.  The engine is Tenshodo's and has no backhead so that's where the decoder went.  Made it simple so no wires between the tender and engine. 

A basic install, like this, went very quickly.

Although the next one (see below) is much more time consuming.

Labeled the decoder schematic for all future decoder installs. Red is ground, black is hot side of track, orange is motor neg and gray is positive.  Most of the engines are all can motors so motors have two tabs for electricity thus are already 'grounded' from the engine frame.  Simple and quick for the switcher.

All ready to "do it's job"!

Did start on a more complex decoder install using the wow 101 1517 decoder.

Putting in all the LED's.  Drilled out marker lights for green LED's: can get red in there, also, but the bare wires to the LED's were shorting out against the brass so, for this first complex install, will just use the green led's.  I'm thinking some thin CA on each led will 'seal' them electrically without impairing the light (next engine).  Drilled out the tender light and put 4 led's in under the running boards, headlight and fire box glow.  No cab light as no backhead in this GN R-2 2-8-8-2, closed cab. 

The red and green led's lighted up but I always run another set of wires from the led wires to ground to make sure no led wires are also grounded, which was the case in the small confines of the marker lights.

Got 3 more throttle holders.  One more added to the 'main' throttle location.

Each of the two yards also got a throttle holder.

2nd switcher converted to DCC.

Made a small brass tab for the ground side.

And used the screws that hold the motor to the mount to secure the ground tab.

Just taped the decoder to the bottom of the motor.

Why no extra wires for lighting; no 'room in the inn' for anything else with the entire boiler filled with lead.

The remaining unused wires were just cut about an inch long (just in case).

New delivery.

Four rechargeable 9.6 V batteries for the throttles although I may not need them as it appears the 'power off' routine shuts down drainage on the batteries.

A fellow railroader came over to help me set up my PC interface with DCC (JMRI).

He also brought over his UP big boy to run on the GNRW.

A very impressive engine: working headlight, marker lights (engine and tender), number boards and cab.

To me, they 'nailed' the whistle sound from what I remember watching videos of big boys.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Duhu8UPBd4    

I think you will enjoy the DCC installs. Once you understand programming CV's it makes the final product even better. I have more fun installing decoders than playing with the finished product. TCS makes a fine decoder and the KA is a must with Brass items. SoundTraxx's and ESU sound really nice too. Don't bother with the Digitrax sound bug.....

Bruk,

The decoder for 'motor only' installs in the switchers were really quick and easy. 

I've only got one decoder so far for sound that is LED ready.  I want to make sure this decoder is 'the one' to use in all my mainline engines.  I have lots of LED's with resistors for engines (about 7-11 per engine) and it would be nice to cut the resistor off and install just the led's to the decoder:  red, green and clear all have different ratings so I need to see if the decoder works well with such a wide range of current needs.  If the LED decoder fails to do it's job on lighting, I'll then get the  decoders where resistors are needed.  Unfortunately, I'm guessing that I'll need the resistors for so many different rated LED's, which means taking up more space in the boiler.

Being in this DCC stuff only a few weeks, I've got a lot to learn.

Thus far, I'm happy with the TCS decoders.  

I'm planning on doing about 10 of my engines. 

At 100 bucks a 'pop' for wow with sound and 'keep alive' that keeps cost down by only doing a select number of engines.  10 engines should be enough to keep lots of trains running at once.  Plus, I'm hoping others bring their DCC engine 'over' to run.  So far, I've had two railroaders bring their engines when they were visiting, individually.

The rest will stay DC and only get run at an end of an operating sessions or on my own when I want to run one of them. 

Presently, I can run on about all 1500' of track;  yards and mainline.  The turntables are DC.  The one reverse loop still needs converted to DCC.  It's a three track, 8' diameter loop and is not used much but can 'handle' very long trains.  It was intended for the ore trains and passenger trains and as an 'interchange' with other railroads.

For the reverse loop, I've bought digitrax reverser and 'jack wabbit' for the switch machines (old style solenoids used when I built the layout back in the 80's: pre-tortoise days) and it appears it will be an easy install.

I sure like having not to throw toggles for blocks as it seems I'll forget at least a few during train runs.  Now, all blocks stay at one position.  I've run, probably, 50 trains since conversion to make sure all cars run without any problems and backed full 35-45 car trains through all yard tracks.  

I've put about 350 intermountain wheel sets on the cars.  Love 'em: makes the cars roll freely, which is needed when pulling 35-50 car trains and they sound like  an O gauge train as one can hear the train 'roll by' when standing next to the track.

To keep track of any cars that derail, I'm adding a piece of tape to the roof: quick and easy to know which car have had past problems. So far the intermountain wheel sets have solved most derail problems.  A lot of my old plastic wheels had gunk buildup on the 'tires' of the wheel and the metal axles rusted (being in the basement and being about 40 years old).  Only a hand full of cars have derailed since the new wheel sets and those get some extra weight.   I've never weighted the cars to NMRA standards as, with 48" minimum curves and #10 turnouts on the mainline and also yards, it hasn't been necessary.  I also felt that all that extra weight on such long trains will severely limit train length.

Install of WOW 101 steam decoder version 4 in a GN R-2 2-8-8-2.

Made up a schematic and list of what wires go to engine and those that stay in the tender where the decoder is located.

Lots of wires when sound and 'keep alive' is added!

Initially, only the wires for the motor were connected: one step at a time!

Made a 10 pin connector between the tender and engine.  Not sure if I need this many but, with this being my first complex decoder install, I figure it's easier to have too many wires and combine them, if need be, versus having too small of a connector and re-doing it.   Did this mainly in case I want different functions controlling different sets of lights.

Interesting: draw bar is now strictly for pulling!

Test of marker lights and 'running' lights under the running board.

Needed another connector between the running gear and the boiler.  A four way connector: One hot and three for the marker lights, running board lights and headlight.

Put 1/16" shrink tubing over marker and running light wires to protect them from getting tangled with the motor and universal.

Marker and running lights work via the decoder.

Got the PFM speaker to work so I won't need to use the sugar cube speakers.

It occurred to me that since the PFM sound needed two capacitors in series with the speaker to work, same would be true for the decoder.

The PFM speakers have excellent quality including the bass sounds.

Well, everything works except the tender light doesn't come on when put into reverse.  Suppose to be blue and yellow wire but nada.  Will have to investigate.  I'm making the assumption that when the instructions say R for tender light means that function is already set up in the decoder.

WOW is right, quite the undertaking! Good luck and I hope you get the tender light figured out!

Layout visits after the Div 7 (Cinncinnati) NMRA meeting.

Both were PRR layouts:

Some original PRR signs.

2nd PRR layout visit:

Some unusual problems:

Train was shorting, intermittently, and it took about an hour to find one metal truck that didn't like the new intermountain metal wheel sets as the wheel rim would, occasionally, touch the truck frame.  With DCC's 15 volts on the track, I could see a quick spark occur when pushing the car.

Screw fell off a car and fell between the turnout rails and when cars went over it with the new metal wheels, it would momentarily cause a short.  Another 30 minutes, thinking it was one of the cars on the train!

Went through 2 packages of insulating washers to raise coupler height on about 50 freight cars that were too low. 

About a half a day to check all cars.

WOW Sam I thought you would have fond that in all the testing you did! It's good that you were able to fix the problem, I guess that is part of model railroading! 

Testing 650 freight cars over 1500' of track is a large testing base.

Oh don't take me wrong. I know you have a huge layout and hundred of cars. I was just surprised that some made it by your last round of testing. I know how you are very careful checking things!

It's virtually impossible to check every combination of car to every foot of track.

I do the best I can and hope everything stays on the track.

If I only ran 10-15 car trains, I'd probably rarely see a derail (not counting human error).  When I pull on the front coupler of a 50 car train, that's a lot of weight 'back there' so I'm imagining the forces go up exponentially the farther one gets to the front of the train. 

As the scale gets smaller, the more attention to track is needed, ie O gauge versus HO.   My O gauge stuff, with those big flanges, stay on the track a lot easier.  The flange on an HO RP-25 wheel is probably about a 1/32" or 0.5 MM.

One little joint miss alignment, etc can cause havoc in HO and maintaining 1500' plus 97 turnouts is on the side of being 'anal'! 

Like they say, there's a fine line between a hobby and insanity.

There's a big difference between 'would like to have a large layout' and 'really wanting a large layout': The amount of time spent is staggering.  This sums it up pretty good: The wife once said: can't you sit still for 5 minutes!

I understand what your saying Sam! Your wife is right also, sometimes you just need to sit down for 5 minutes. My wife says that and I watch the clock! LOL

Actually, I've reached the age where I recognize my mortality and time is not an object that can be saved.  AARP, charge cards, etc. all advertise for things I have no interest in: vacations and eating out.  During summer I fly my RC planes and winter, work on the railroad and I'd rather eat a good steak on the grill than what they serve in restaurants.  For some reason, they marinate steaks: all I want is a good, unadulterated steak; direct from the cow!  Both hobbies gets plenty of socializing, which is half the hobbies.

We, each have our own path to take, which is right for us but probably not for others.

I'm with you on the steak, I can grill a better one at home then any restraint near us!

on my way with beer...

Here's my share:  

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GN Z-6 4-6-6-4 decoder install.

More decoders being delivered but, in the 'meantime', I can prep the engines for  them.

One nice thing about installing the decoders is now I can put all those LED's into the engine that didn't exist 30 years ago!

With so many wires from the tender to engine, I cut a slot in the front of the tender.

On the outside, there's a recess in the tender so the harness should  be able to rest in that area.

One GN Z-6. Tenshodo's.

Tons of lead so it can pull lots of cars.

I lucked out on being able to run the marker light wires inside the boiler.  I can't believe there's an actual hole in the lead where I can route the wires (left side).

Marker lights drilled out.  I like the sturdy construction of Tenshodo's engines.

I was able to drill out the marker lights without them bending or ripping off.

One hole in the front of the fire box to route the marker light wires.

Too much lead up front to put a total of four lights under the running boards but there is enough room for two holes drilled in the boiler for the back driver lights.

Tender headlight and marker lights drilled out and touched up with black paint.

Three holes also drilled in tender to route wires.

Marker lights installed and glued in place.

Same for tender.

Ditto for headlight.

And last, two under the running boards.

Trying to get the younger generation involved!

Neighborhood kid came over to 'run trains'.

He likes the new DCC setup.

He ran the UP 8500 turbine from Seattle to St. Paul,

I ran the GN S-2 4-8-4 from St. Paul to Seattle and we met at the siding at Tye.

He had 42 cars and mine had 40. 

The turbine had no trouble going up but the S-2 had trouble getting out of the yard (slight uphill grade to help the switchers, 'switch').  Once out of the yard, it's all downhill for 400'.

Sam, great job getting the younger generation into the hobby! Hope it sticks!

Tomorrow should be a good day: tracker numbers say  3 packages arriving 

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GN N-3 2-8-8-0 Tenshodo prep for decoder.

Plenty of holes direct from the factory for the decoder wires.

Installed a can motor many decades ago, along with a 48:1 quiet gear set.

Drilled out the tender and head light and marker lights. 

Room to run wires along the boiler.

'Tons' of lead.  One heavy engine.

New delivery.

N&W Y-3 2-8-8-2.

Made in 1978 by custom brass. 

Another model that's never been run and sitting in a box!

I wanted a Y-6b but, when the price of this engine is almost half of a key Y-6B: frugality 'kicked in'.  Besides there's not a whole lot of difference, appearance wise, between the two.

Did a test run: runs quiet but is extremely slow: must be about 15 MPH, tops.

Replacement of the open frame motor with a can should 'do the trick'.

Came with a protective sleeve.

Their royale series.  Lots of detail.

Not the usual engine box as it is hinged.

No foam, will have to cut some.  I bought a large 4'X8' thin and thick foam just for all these boxes.

4 pieces of lead should give her good traction.

Compound articulated.

Something a lot of engines don't have: lanyards for whistle and bell.

Besides the price, another reason I bought it is for the removable cab roof.

Always nice to be able to see 'in there'!

Well detailed cab.

New delivery:

Another throttle and another 100 sets of intermountain wheel sets.

The fuzzy picture are some very small male/female connectors to interface between the tender and engine.

PFM speakers.  Got 10 more on the way.

Very high quality sound, especially the bass.  About an inch square by 1/4" thick but no problem fitting in steam engine tenders.

Wow 101 1517 decoder with sound and 'keep alive'.

Decoder install in GN R-2 2-8-8-2 by Tenshodo.

My first complex decoder install. WOW 101 1517 with sound and 'keep alive'. As on a full size steam engine, F7 needs to be tapped to apply brakes resulting in brake shoe squealing. F6 releases them.
Tap F8 twice to switch from sound to light mode. F1 turns off marker lights, F4 turns off running board lights. When in reverse, front headlight goes out and tender light comes on. Fire box glow.

Lots of wires.  Made my own harness.

This took a lot of work.  Had trouble getting the lights to work.  The lights would work under a DC test and harness checked OK.  Found out that I had to make all new harnesses and thicker wire to the head light.  Initially, I didn't have a male/female connector and tried to use two male connectors and that caused all the problems due to not being able to properly solder the 'female' side.

Besides a harness between the engine and tender, there also is a 4 prong connector between boiler and running gear, for ease of maintenance.  Also a 2 prong connector to the headlight since it is on the front set of drivers.

Fire box.

Four sets of running board lights.

With a 48:1 gear ratio, the engine ran well but when applying enough speed to make the engine move around 40 scale MPH, the chuffing was way too fast.  Option to use the cam on the driver or there is probably some CV I can change to slow down the chuffing.

Short DCC test run video of the GN R-2.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?...amp;feature=youtu.be

New foam cut for the N&W Y-3 box.