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If its just a small bump, I'll take it.  It's wild how different very similar engines act over the same piece of track. I will say, I'm super happy that I built it off that wall. It's been a god send to be able to get to the back of the layout and work on scenery.  Not to mention checking on the sump pumps.

I'm hoping to get the tunnel lined and covered this weekend, so I'll post some pics of what it looks like with a top, and walls.  I've been playing around with tunnel portal alignment and I want to make it dynamic. I've been playing around with some ideas on how to do that, and make the tunnel and city area not look like its just a box plopped on some plywood. I think I have some ideas that are, again, inspired by some areas in the Mon Valley.

I just realized I haven't updated this post since prior to York! There has been a lot going on on the layout, plus some new motive power, rolling stock, and, FINALLY, DCS!

On the layout, I have the upper level fully mocked in. I have a door built on the back that I can open to get to any derailed / stalled trains. Here's a progression of how its come along.



I also picked up some more MTH houses for the suburban scene and am planning a fun scene with that trailer.

I've also done some more mountain making. I broke out the plaster sheets and started covering foam mountain into the white mountains! haha. I need to make some rock molds, and once that gets done, painting and groundcover will commence!

Now, the layout currently looks like this! Its come a long way in under a year from moving into the train room. I'm already plotting a few things, including a possible new spur track in the front, backdrops, Phillips Hue lighting, and room decor.

Now on to York! This was my first York and I had an absolute blast. I met up with some friends, connected with folks I've chatted with on Instagram, and met a lot of the awesome Youtubers. This is such a great hobby, with so many amazing folks. Its always the people that make these events and the hobby so great. One of the highlights of the weekend was going to the Lower Susquehanna Valley Modular Railroaders "Run what you brung" night. They have such an awesome layout and are currently in the planning stages for building a permanent layout.



Now, for my York haul, I got a little over excited. haha. I was able to pick up some really great rolling stock, scenery items, and an engine I had my eye on for a while now from Vince's Trains, and another not so planned one from Mr. Muffins. The big purchase was picking up a DCS system for an absolute amazing price too. Command Control has really changed my layout and made it much more fun, especially around building consists, switching engines, etc.  Now I do have an issue thats been going on thats isolated to one loop, but more on that later. Here are some pics of what I picked up.

Now, on my DCS issue. After a few missteps in hooking it up, mainly me trying to power it through the variable channels, I was able to get it to run flawlessly! Then, my issues started. Long story short, I think I need to check the wiring on my inner loop. Every time I shut everything down for a time and turn it back on, the engines on my inner loop miss the watchdog signal and turn on.  Without fail, they fire up.  My outer loop, everything is golden and I've never had an issue.  Oddly enough, if I swap the wires come from the TIU to my Z4000 and restart the remote, everything works fine.  But then, it comes back after I turn anything off.

Any thoughts on what could be causing this?



Thanks!

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Last edited by Tall J

The layout is looking great, Justin!

Yes, command control is great!  I really like the DCS system once I got the hang of it.  Your problem sounds like what I had, missing the watchdog.  I am going to tag @gunrunnerjohn who has a little add on watchdog generator circuit that should help you.  He sells them through Henning’s Trains in Lansdale, Pa.  Maybe John can give you a quick link to a concise description.

On to your York trip.  Nice haul.  I have made the trip twice and think the best part is meeting up with friends from the OGR forum.

Those are nice modules the Lower Susquehanna group has.

As Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young once sang, "Its been a long time comin'." I can't believe its been 4 months since my last update. After a little burn out on it, a busy summer, and focusing on my always broken Jeep, I've carved out some time to work on the layout throughout the summer. Here is the most recent set of updates!

First up, I figured out my DCS issue. If I power both loops up at the same time, the watchdog is triggered and I don't have any issues. Its weird, but it works and I'll take it.

Next up is the layout. I have 5 sections of my layout that needs scenery; the rural area, river, lower town, upper city, and yard / industrial area. I've focused a lot of time working on the upper city (building the structure for it) and around the yard. I wanted to focus in on one area and try to get a majority of the scenery done. The best area to focus on, learn and grow on is the rural area.

Since I'm modeling Western PA, I wanted to make sure the scenery reflected that. Nothing there is flat. Even the cows have a set of legs that is longer than the other. The last thing I wanted to do was have a flat plywood central. With that in mind, I built up where I wanted all of the houses to go with some 1/4in pink foam. I used some scraps to elevate some houses and build in some random little hills and what not. This caused a flat area to have some interest. I also want to activate the corners, so I built up a little area to put an MTH trailer in.

The next thing I worked on was a large mountain to go behind the town. I wanted it to be something reminiscent to what I grew up with and see when I take the Capitol Limited home. I followed a process that I learned from Chris's Trains and Things videos. I built out the platform from foam, then built FOAMHENGE (you have to scream that right?), which were some pieces of foam I shaped and stood up. Then I added cardboard lattice work, covered it up in plaster, and slapped on a quick coating of sculptamold.

A quick coat of camo brown spray paint, some rock molds, and ground foam...and voila! The first piece of scenery, I've ever built to full completion!

Today, I started on the little hillside between the tracks. Since its a tight area, I opted to use Woodland Scenics Shaper Sheets. for me, the jury is still out on it. I'm not totally in love with how it works, but it, plus some more sculptamold, and I think it came out ok. I'll be interested to see it covered in paint and grown foam. I do think I can cover up imperfections and whatnot pretty easily too.

I'm hoping I can get everything painted tonight or tomorrow.

Last up, I wanted to show some cool railroad related items my mom found while cleaning out some things in the house. The first book was written by an Engineer in Dickerson Run, PA about his stories when he was working on the railroad. The cool thing is he put a note in it for my great grandfather (a conductor on the P&LE). The second is a book of postcards of P&LE Howard Fogg prints. A few cool shots I added are of the Dickerson Run yards where the P&LE interchanged with the Western Maryland and of Holy Grail engine (that one day I will get!): the A2 Berkshire.

Hope to see some of yinz in York!

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I have wondered a couple of times where you have been.    I'm glad you have been working on the railroad.  It was almost a shame to cover up Foamhenge, but the mountainside does look great!  Those are some nice books your mum found, and an excellent one to keep with the note to your great-grandfather.

I certainly wish I was going to York, but alas, I am not.  Have a great time there!!!

The progress cartainly does look good. I like the mountain! I've been thinking more and more about my own URR build and struggling with wanting to put in so much as I remember into a small place.. I like how you have handled it.



I'd say "hi" at York, but a new job has me busy. Have a lot of fun and watch out for Brady's. LOL.

@Greg Nagy posted:

The progress cartainly does look good. I like the mountain! I've been thinking more and more about my own URR build and struggling with wanting to put in so much as I remember into a small place.. I like how you have handled it.



I'd say "hi" at York, but a new job has me busy. Have a lot of fun and watch out for Brady's. LOL.

Greg, it certainly is tough picking what to put on a small layout.  Justin is doing a great job.

Is URR the Union RR just east of Pittsburgh?

@Mark Boyce, I'm still here! Its been wild that I feel like I worked on the layout more during the warmer months than I did in the colder months. My wife said the same thing. haha She was really impressed with Foamhenge. I told I guess I'll need another layout to have an area thats just structural. lol Thanks, always, for the kind words on my progress

@Greg Nagy Oh you don't know how I was tempted with something he had but I held out! Will power prevailed, for once.  Thanks! I honestly still struggle with putting to much in it. I've actually cut back a lot of things and ideas and have been focusing on the concept of less is more. The industrial area is whats going to be hard though because I'd love to cram more in.



Now for a quick post-York update. My goal for York was to get 2 Pennsy style Z Stuff Signals and pick up some more scenery items. I got that and a few great deals on some P&LE rolling stock. I didn't see any of my grail items so the bank account is still safe . But with a full weekend after going up on Friday, I was able to get some more scenery work done so here it is! I worked on the area where the small trailer is go to be, added some more ground cover, and put in gravel driveways

I need to ballast some areas and add in bushes / course cover, but I like the way its shaping up.

And for some of my York purchases, I picked up this great little loading dock for my small yard and, like I said, 3 P&LE cars.







And, in the theme of less is more, I'm still debating on putting in an offroad scene. Let em know your thoughts.

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Not a big update since I've been doing a lot of work travel recently, but I wanted to share the first glimpse at some of my scenery work.

Welcome to Western Pennsylvania.



Also, I just scored something off of my Holy Grail list. So in a few weeks, I should have some pictures of it! Now back to the basement for some more work.

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Thanks everyone! I feel like there is so much cool terrain to model through that area. Last week when I was driving through to put our classic car in storage in Cabot, PA, I kept taking mental notes on the colors of the rocks, how the ground swells around rocks, undergrowth, all of it. I think you'll be seeing some changes on that hillside in the next few weeks too!



@Greg Nagy, that coke gas pipeline is actually in the works for the other side of the layout. haha.  Stay tuned for that.

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