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October Update

It's been a few months since I last posted. Most of what I've done on the layout (besides running it), has been improvements to existing parts of the layout. I've rewired the sensors for my Arduino-driven turntable so they're more reliable, and managed to fix up some other bugs with it.

This staging area at the end of my layout was originally just meant to represent an interchange with a standard-gauge line. As you can see from the photos above, I'd already started working on it. I forgot to take a proper 'before' photo.

The siding that curves off to the right of the photo was built as a locomotive parking track, but wasn't really used. It didn't really feel right to park one of my engines off-stage. So I added scenery to this section.

Here's what it looks like now. It's a designated diesel parking area. I was also able to fit a short section of standard-gauge track at the back, and I've got some O scale boxcars that'll sit on it once it's weathered. I've been wanting to get this standard gauge track on for ages. In fact, the bumper at the end of that track is my first O scale scratchbuilt structure.

With this completed, the layout scenery finally felt finished. As such, I've now started adding details to the layout. I've accumulated a large amount of detail castings over the years, a few at a time, for just this moment. People, animals, barrels, that sort of thing. I'm planning to add details to the whole layout, but I started with this extension, and some of the locomotives:

Now, having the diesel parked at the diesel facility left one of the turntable tracks empty.

Back when I got into On30, I purchased two Bachmann Climax locomotives. However, I could never get them to run properly. The motor speed would drop off after half throttle, and they would constantly lose power.

So I took them apart, to see if I could fix them. It turned out that one of the windings in one of the motors was shorting, and so I fixed that up. Testing revealed that both motors were working fine on DC voltage after this. As such, I upgraded them both to modern decoders, a Tsunami 2, with a KA-4 keepalive module in them. This fixed up the power loss problem.

I also made a few small modifications & repairs. I'd given them some additional details, back when I'd first purchased them. This time around, I gave no. 1 a Banta Modelworks closed cab. The other major change was repairing the front and rear pilots, as the plastic struts holding them had broken. These were replaced with metal castings. I made the pilot boards from coffee sticks, trimmed to length and painted black.

With that, I put them into service on my layout. These are some of my favourite-looking models, and it's good to have them running again.

For now, I'm mostly going to be focusing on adding details to the layout, to bring it to life.

#on30 #model railroad #model railroading #trains

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Finally got the turntable finished, so I can run trains again.

#On30 #model railroad #model railroading

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Some photos from today's running.

#on30 #model railroad #operating session

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The weather is cooling down here in Australia, so I can get back into the garage and run trains again. Here are some photos from yesterday's session.

#on30 #model railroad #operating session #photos

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What di you use for ballast?

Woodland Scenics ballast, but I have a couple of different 'blends'. One for the 'valley' (i.e. Camp A) and one for the 'mountain' (i.e. the rest of the layout). It's their grey, brown and dark brown ballast of different sizes mixed together in different proportions.

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I'm working on a project to write a book on DCC Arduino programming. I came across your work on the subject and I've read Parts 1 and 2. I wonder if you have Part 3. I can't seem to find it.

If part 3 is the code, then I never got around to doing that. It's been modified significantly since then. The base station now runs an automated dispatch system, essentially acting as the 'dispatcher' so that I can focus on running trains. It also communicates with the automated turntable, to indicate which locomotive has been selected.

#DCC #Arduino #model railroad #On30

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My latest build, a small tank car.  It’s built on the chassis from the tender of the No. 9′s donor logo.

#model rail #model railroading #On30 #kitbash

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It’s been a while since my last update, so here are two more locos I’ve built in the meantime.  This is no. 12 of 11 engines I planned to have (heh), an 0-4-0 tank engine built on my Bachmann porter.  I never really liked the look of the porter, but it runs well.  So I rebuilt it into something more to my liking.  It’s got a TSU-1000 decoder and a keepalive, which helps with the limited pickup.

This is the latest addition, to replace 2-8-0 no. 9.  Again, I wasn’t too happy with how that model looked.  Owing to the length of the turntable, I’d had to make it rather short.  As such, it always looked ‘off’ to me.  This 2-8-2T was built on an IHC 2-8-2 chassis with styrene, PVC pipe and spares I had on hand.

#On30 #kitbash #model railroad #scratchbuild

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Just completed this build. Used the chassis from an outside-frame Forney and scratchbuilt the rest.

#On30 #Scratchbuild #kitbash #narrow gauge

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An update on what I’ve got done on the layout, over the last 6 months.

#layout update #On30 #video

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Minor update on locomotive no. 7.  I was looking at it, and realised that it wasn't in the same livery as my other locos.  Where they have a 'graphite' coloured smokebox and white lining, it had a black smokebox and no lining.

So I gave it a quick repaint, and it now looks like part of the BVLC 'family'.

#On30 #model railroad #kitbash #model locomotive

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After buying some secondhand trees, I’ve updated the scenery on the Camp D side of the layout.  This has brought it closer to the original vision I had for the layout.

#On30 #model railroad #model scenery

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Here’s a video showing the scenery on the Camp D side of the layout.

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Finished the scenery on the Camp D side of the layout.  Now all that’s left is running operating sessions.

#On30 #scenery #logging #narrow gauge

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Just found this site, and I see some very interesting stuff. Working on my 7th railroad and at age 72 this one should last me. Just found some old dc (I am using dc with the block system - got to save my retirement dollars) motors from what I guess were from rubber band eniness. One was still in its sealed bag. I also found a little two inch diameter fan blade (not sure from what) that presses over the output shaft of the motor. Have any ideas what I could use those motors for?

Thank-you 🙂.

EDIT:

For some reason, only the first sentence showed in my inbox.

Are you planning on doing any sort of layout animations at all?

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Scenery has been started on the Camp D side of the layout.  Here are some progress photos, of what’s been done so far.

#On30 #model railroad #layout scenery #model train