Steve's SOCAL BNSF layout

[steveparkinson]

Update time, been a while since I've been on here and haven't done a whole lot to the layout. Spent my summer tearing out the front and back lawns and doing drought tolerant landscape and yards so that was a big project and now it's done! Also been busy with school and have only one class weekend left and I'm done for good! All of that while working full time hasn't left much time for the layout.

Little upgrade for you, installed DCC finally, didn't try the DCC/DC thing together due to too many risks. I am slowly converting my DC locos. Giving the track a good cleaning and working out some bugs and hope to have some videos up later.

DCC temp console with independent program track.

http://youtu.be/_Pf_OM3L1uM

Steve


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[tootnkumin]

Very neat and organised.

 

[montanan]

I well know how the summer can take you away from the hobby. Worked from May until October on remodeling projects. The only time I got to see the layout was when I went into the train room to find a tool.

Nice to see you're back in action. Waiting for updates.

 

[steveparkinson]

Another loco converted, installed micro trains couplers and a digitrax sdn144a1 sound decoder. Not too impressed with the sound but it's better than none.

This is one of my first N scale locomotives I purchased and still a favorite. One more converted, many to go!

Steve


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[steveparkinson]

Thanks for the comments toot and montanan. It's good to be back and have more time on my hands.


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[logandsawman]

Hi, Steve, glad to see your update. I have been wondering, what course have you been studying?

 

[steveparkinson]

Thanks David, just wrapped up aviation law and aviation maintenance class, they were the last two I needed for a bachelors of science degree in aviation management.


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[steveparkinson]

First consist using DCC, still have some issues to work out....

1. When consisting I lose the sound functions of one of my locomotives (9255), it has sound but I can't independently control the horn and bell etc. Still need to figure that one out, it's fine when it's out of the consist (Digitrax SDN144A1 sound decoder),

2. Track has issues as you can see by the video, originally it was wired for block DC but now you can see slow and fast spots on the track as the DCC picks up the wire feeds to the track. I guess I need to solder more feeders more often to make up for the power drops??

The other issue with my original track wiring is that I added insulated rail joiners for blocks and the sound locomotive loses sound and "starts up" again each time it passes over the insulated joiners. I'm debating on whether I should remove all of these insulated joiners??

https://youtu.be/KcVJNhA5iEQ

 

[Sirfoldalot]

Steve. Been following your progress all along. I am going to have to come see your layout one of these days.
You have done wonders!

Congratulations on your degree. That is a great accomplishment!

 

[steveparkinson]

Steve. Been following your progress all along. I am going to have to come see your layout one of these days.
You have done wonders!

Congratulations on your degree. That is a great accomplishment!

Thanks so much for the feedback, I still see it as "so much left to do". You should come check it out if you're ever in the area.


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[Lynnb]

Nice to see you have the dcc running, I bet you find it so much better than the dc. You will find dcc is extremely sensitive compared to dcc, may explain why your loosing sound. Depending on which sound you have in each loco will eventually add up against 1 a semi dirty track and 2 what your dcc command station will put out. You will probably find if you run one sound loco at a time there fine but when you do loco1 ( amp amount) + loco2 ( amp amount ) may equal over power burden on command station. You will need a clean track with lots of feeders to the buss and make sure any locos your not using are completely shutdown.

 

[steveparkinson]

Nice to see you have the dcc running, I bet you find it so much better than the dc. You will find dcc is extremely sensitive compared to dcc, may explain why your loosing sound. Depending on which sound you have in each loco will eventually add up against 1 a semi dirty track and 2 what your dcc command station will put out. You will probably find if you run one sound loco at a time there fine but when you do loco1 ( amp amount) + loco2 ( amp amount ) may equal over power burden on command station. You will need a clean track with lots of feeders to the buss and make sure any locos your not using are completely shutdown.

Thanks Lynn, I've been really cleaning up the track the past few days. Cleaning it with alcohol and cleaning again as I find dirty spots. I've also been soldering a lot of the rail joiners and adding more feeder wires where necessary. Still finding spots here and there and fixing as I go. Got the trains running to detect bad/weak spots and they're loaded with cleaning cars and dust catchers.

I've only been running one consist right now with one sound loco in that bunch. I've got another but not running it at the moment until I get all the bugs worked out. Guess I may need to look at a booster down the road???

Thanks
Steve


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[new guy]

??? I'm running 7 (or more sometimes)DCC locos w sound on over 300 feet of track with one power feed! Not all the track is new, the 'old' track I hit with 320 sand paper to get down to 'good metal' make sure the 'faces' of the rails are also bright and good fishplate connection and I'm not having any power issues at all! I do believe I have reached the limit of what I can do with this set up. If I add anymore track it will have to be as another power block (DB5), no feeders other than the one to the new block.
90 feet from end to end!

 

[steveparkinson]

I have cleaned all of my locomotive wheels thoroughly and the track too. I've been cleaning the track and soldering rail joiners and removing some of the insulated joiners but still have power speed ups/slow downs on the locos.

Do you think it may because I originally wired my layout for block and ran through terminal boards for neatness? I guess I wouldn't have one continuous bus wire with feeders, rather a bus going to terminal blocks and that block feeding the feeders and so on as the bus goes from one terminal board to the next block/terminal.

Guess I'm just wondering if it would be worth rewriting the bus and replacing the terminal boards with suitcase connectors directly under the track.

Steve


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[steveparkinson]

Rough sketches on the ideal DCC wiring compared to mine...

Example of wiring mess (originally wired for block DC), some of the wired have long runs from the terminal boards before going to their block and other actually backtrack....

Ideal DCC wiring.....

Would changing my wiring to the ideal DCC improve performance?

Thanks
Steve


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[wombat457]

Steve,

I am not electrically inclined by any means but, logically, I would think cutting the wiring by (what looks like) almost 75% has to be beneficial. It makes sense to me that the "fewer" connections you have, the fewer points within the electrical work there are for potential fails, electrically.

With the DC setup, there are 48 connections for wiring and; therefore, 48 potential points where connectivity can fail. Additionally, there are a number of switches that could also fail. With the DCC setup there are only 14 connections and no switches for the same track work. Figures based on the sketches.

Lastly, and this may not be 100% correct but, with the DC wiring, the power has to run through a number of switches that might (somehow) impede the flow of current.

Bottom line, even if my logic isn't accurate, the DCC wiring has to be better. I suppose the other thing to take into account is "how well" the wiring is done in the first place. If, as I suspect you are, very good at wiring then whether or not the DCC wiring would "improve performance" or not maybe mute but I do believe that it would be far more beneficial.

 

[tootnkumin]

This is an issue that my AMRA club is facing, using old DC wiring to use with DCC. There are definite voltage drops on whole sections of the layout. Unfortunately for us DCC club users, it's not likely to get a speedy resolution because of the layout's dual use.

A lot will depend also on your systems size (amps), a 2amp starter set won't have anywhere near the capacity of a 5amp.

 

[OleSmokey]

Even as small as my layout is, I have only 3 track connections. I plan to add one more to one section of track. Thats 4 when complete.

 

[steveparkinson]

This is an issue that my AMRA club is facing, using old DC wiring to use with DCC. There are definite voltage drops on whole sections of the layout. Unfortunately for us DCC club users, it's not likely to get a speedy resolution because of the layout's dual use.

A lot will depend also on your systems size (amps), a 2amp starter set won't have anywhere near the capacity of a 5amp.

Tootn, thanks I think that's what I'm experiencing too on my layout. I do only have a starter set but I'm only running three loco's and experiencing the drops, I can try with one or two and see if it still happens.

Steve,

I am not electrically inclined by any means but, logically, I would think cutting the wiring by (what looks like) almost 75% has to be beneficial. It makes sense to me that the "fewer" connections you have, the fewer points within the electrical work there are for potential fails, electrically.

With the DC setup, there are 48 connections for wiring and; therefore, 48 potential points where connectivity can fail. Additionally, there are a number of switches that could also fail. With the DCC setup there are only 14 connections and no switches for the same track work. Figures based on the sketches.

Lastly, and this may not be 100% correct but, with the DC wiring, the power has to run through a number of switches that might (somehow) impede the flow of current.

Bottom line, even if my logic isn't accurate, the DCC wiring has to be better. I suppose the other thing to take into account is "how well" the wiring is done in the first place. If, as I suspect you are, very good at wiring then whether or not the DCC wiring would "improve performance" or not maybe mute but I do believe that it would be far more beneficial.

Tony, thanks I think that's what I'm leaning towards also. Some of those lines run feet in either direction after coming off the terminal boards. That was just a very small example of my wiring, some of it's probably much worse and has longer spans between each terminal board and where the terminal board feeds the track.

Think I may redo my mainline using bus and feeders only and remove the insulated joiners to see if improves things. If it does then I'll continue with the rest of the layout.


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[tootnkumin]

If you are running all sound locos, 3 would be about it for capacity, non-sound, you'll get more. Sound takes a good voltage kick, just to get that feature going, once settled back down to normal, it's not so much.