GREENBERG SHOW - 2009-11-23 11:40:49

I attended my first Greenberg Train Show yesterday. It was a blast. I've always associated this show with larger scale interests such as S, O, etc. and while the large scale clubs and vendors were certainly there, the smaller scales had a large attendance as well. I took Emma with me, this being her first train show, and she loved the large scale layouts. Many of which had some sort of Thomas the Tank Engine themed train running so she was delighted each time she saw one! Thankfully she was also very patient as Daddy browsed through the various vendors browsing at products.

As I often find the case, the selection of N scale equipment was unfortunately limited, though not completely absent. I went with the mindset that I would not allow myself to purchase any new locos as appealing as they may be. I am running a branch line after all and already have four plus an RDC and Doodlebug ;). I was very good at not picking up any newer rolling stock as well, although I was hoping to find either a B&M caboose in the Minute Man scheme or a set of the Athearn Overland coaches in B&M paint but neither was to be seen. My primary goal was to pick up some structures.

Finding structures was not as eventful as I had hoped it would be but I didn't leave empty handed. I left with two Atlas stations, one in kit form, another already assembled which was clearly on another layout at some point. This second pre-assembled was only a few dollars and will be a great temporary place holder until I find the permanent solution. What I am finding is that although I like the details and convenience of the new pre-built structures such as those offered by Woodland Scenics and Walthers, I much prefer the cost of the kits nor do I mind the assembly as it can be rather fun and relaxing. So while I really like the Clyde & Dale's Barrel Factory, The overall cost of this structure is much more than a kit, so kits it will be.

Other purchases include a couple pairs of MT 1015 couplers to finally convert my SW9 and second 2-6-0 to knuckle couplers, a dozen Minitronics SPDT switches and other assorted wiring items. I've decided to hold off on the conversion to DCC and wire the layout for single CAB block control to save on cost. I will eventually migrate back to the realm of DCC as I had with HO but at the moment since I will be the sole operator for some time to come, a single DC cab will meet my needs. I will be doing the wiring to DCC standards though to allow for easy conversion at a later date.

The final purchase, and one that excites me quite a bit, was a new bridge for the upper level track to span the lower. Until now, I had been temporarily using an Atlas Warren Truss and several girder piers to span the gap but had never intended this to be the permanent solution as I just did not like the way it looked, it was convenient at the time though as I had already had the materials from a previous N layout. At yesterday's show I discovered a Kato Unitrack single track truss bridge that would perfectly bridge the gap. Of course being part of the Unitrack line, it was designed to interface with the tabbed connectors of Kato Unitrack. I asked the vendor selling the item how difficult he thought it would be to modify the bridge to work with my standard Atlas code 80 sectional track. This is when he laughed and said why modify it if you can use these, and handed me a pair of package containing a pair of converters allowing Unitrack to mate up with standard sectional/flex track. Problem solved! I put the bridge in place last night and ran a couple of trains over it without issue. I love the way it looks. I do still need to pick up a pair of piers but only from a scenic perspective as the bridge itself is supported by notches cut into the 2" foam I'm using for construction. I'll post photos later of the old and new bridges for your comparison.

Whew, that was a lot of an update! Until the next, happy railroading!

MORE PROGRESS - 2009-10-19 16:15:10

Time marches on, the seasons change, and finally I find myself spending more time in the basement in front of the layout. As is usually the case for most model railroaders, most of my progress halted during the summer months due to good weather and other activities. Now that the leaves are falling and the cold weather is setting in, I find the basement a more comfortable place to be.

As I previously posted, the mainline track is done, and I have taken things a step further to put in a more permanent bridge using some Atlas piers and Atlas Warren Truss bridge. This still is not the permanent solution I want for this area but it allows me to at least rough in the foam for the scenery at the edges of the embankment. Central Valley has recently releases a 150' Truss Bridge in N scale which has caught my eye as the final resident of this part of my layout.

The roster continues to grow, with the recent addition of a second Model Power 2-6-0 Mogul, an undecorated Kato RDC3 and a Life-Like SW9 in B&M Minute Man paint. The RDC3 will at some point be decorated in the original B&M Minute Man scheme as delivered by Budd. I must say that as my first Kato loco I am really impressed by the detail of the RDC3. I particularly enjoy the red end lights that come on as the unit moves forward. A nice change over your standard directional lighting.

Plans for DCC are on hold and the Prodigy Express has been put back into a drawer for storage. As many of my locos are older and will take a bit of work to install decoders, I've decided it will be cheaper to wire the layout for DC CAB control to start with and migrate to DCC later as the budget allows for decoder installations.

Well, that's it for now, keep railroading!

MAINLINE TRACK DONE! - 2009-06-05 21:16:48

After months of procrastination I finally put the (temporary) finishing touches on my mainline trackage. I can now run a train along the complete mainline loop non stop! I say temporary as I haven't done anything official to install a bridge over where one section of track crosses the other yet. At the moment this portion is comprised of several pieces of sectional straight track supported by risers of the same 2" foam I used for the construction of the layout itself.

Photos of the completed work are in the Gallery.

LATEST UPDATES - 2009-04-22 17:09:09

Hello once again. Time for the latest update on the status of my N scale B&M Dowe, NH branch line.

First off I have finally replaced the coupler on the back of my Model Power 2-6-0 tender which had come with a rapido style coupler installed. Since most of my rolling stock have knuckle couplers on them, the use of the 2-6-0 was limited, and I was just being lazy about purchasing the couplers needed. It didn't help that this is one of the few locos that MT doesn't have on their conversion chart on their site. The coupler was finally replaced caused by the loss of the rapido coupler when my nephew knocked the loco off the layout causing the coupler to break off and the assistance of Ian over at Hobby Emporium in Tyngsboro, MA with the guidance of which coupler to use. I have now installed a MT 2004-1 coupler on the tender with a drop of CA and all is well. It couples up perfectly to my MT, Atlas and Intermountain rolling stock.

With the coupler replacement, allowing me full use of both my 2-6-0 and GP7, now comes the task of DCC conversion. I have one Digitrax DZ165 decoder which is planned for installation in the 2-6-0. I have yet to purchase the planned TCS CN-GP decoder for the GP7. The question is now, do I install the decoder in the 2-6-0 and switch over to my Prodigy Express DCC system leaving the (better running) GP7 side lined for now, or do I continue using my MRC Tech II 2400 as my throttle until I have a decoder for each loco. Keep in mind that the track work still needs to be completed. I am very anxious to get back into the world of DCC so I may bite the bullet and go with the not as spectacular running (but still good enough) 2-6-0 and upgrade the GP7 at a later date.

Speaking of track work, along with the purchase of the MT couplers, I also picked up the last few remaining pieces of Atlas code 80 flex track and Peco turnout I need to complete the mainline, this is hopefully on task for this weekend. I of course still need to determine what type of bridge I am going to span the cross over with but I have temporary plans for that at the moment to at least allow full running of trains over the whole mainline for testing. Atlas has released so new nice looking bridges in their code 55 line, but since I am using code 80, I'll have to explore other options.

That's it for now, until next time. Happy model railroading!

MAINLINE TRACK HALF COMPLETE! - 2009-03-04 22:00:28

Hello once again, time for the latest update on the status of my N scale B&M Dowe, NH branch layout.

Yes, you read the headline correctly, the mainline track work is half way complete. I have installed Woodland Scenics N scale FoamBed and Atlas code 80 flex track on the mainline extension that will lead to staging, the passing siding, on the lower level, along the right hand loop and up the grade leading to the upper level.

A couple of changes that have been made since the initial plan was completed are a switch to Peco #4 turnouts rather than the initial Atlas #5 where were initially called for with the original decision of Atlas code 55 trackage. Due to limited availability of the Atlas code 55 at the local hobby shop, I've switched to the code 80. I realize its larger but for my needs it works just fine.

I also had to re-evaluate the grades, initially planning on 2% all the way around, due to the space limitations, particularly on the left side loop, I've had to switch to 3% grades for each. With my planned train length of 8 or so cars, this shouldn't be a major issue.

That's it for now, pics of the work will be posted in the gallery shortly.