The D&J Railroad -- From Scratch

[montanan]

I have done the same thing. Built a switchback siding and it sat empty for years. Originally I had thought about it being a gravel pit, but now it's going to be a salvage yard. Something will fit.

 

[D&J RailRoad]

My two G sons will be out here this weekend and will want to run trains for a while. Had to clean up the basement so there wasn't so much clutter for them to get into. I'm putting together a small switching schedule for them to work out.

 

[D&J RailRoad]

I took some time to just run trains tonight before the Gsons came over tomorrow. Here is the new BLI loco, AT&SF 2-10-2 blowing by a signal bridge with some good billowing smoke. Yeah, that smoke does linger, but I like it.

 

[ianc]

Boy, that takes me back to my childhood and my Lionel layout. That smoke smell lingered for hours. I'd like to smell that again. I'd like to be 12 again.

 

[D&J RailRoad]

I stopped in a new store today that sells house hold decor stuff. Not really sure why I went in there because my house is pretty much the man cave that I like. Anyway, I found a spray can that gives the smell of musky cabin wood and gun powder. I bought a can for about $5 and brought it home and sprayed it around the kitchen and TV room. Yeah, smells like hunting cabin upstairs and like a model railroad in the basement.

 

[tootnkumin]

No beans for dinner tonight then.

 

[D&J RailRoad]

Installed another turnout this afternoon. It's wired in to a Tortoise machine then linked to the interlocking signal system.
Once again, I don't know what kind of industry I will install here, but I'm sure something will be here.

 

[FM C liner]

Ken, thanks for sharing your layout, it looks great. Hope you had fun with your grandsons.

Thanks
Scott

 

[Bruette]

Ken, thanks for sharing your layout, it looks great. Hope you had fun with your grandsons.

Thanks
Scott

My sentiments exactly and I will add this is one of my favorite threads!

 

[D&J RailRoad]

Yeah, my two gsons ran trains most of the weekend. They like the steamers more than the diesels.

 

[wombat457]

Ken,

You wanna adopt another grandson, or son ?

 

[D&J RailRoad]

and who might that be, no wait, let me guess.

 

[wombat457]

and who might that be, no wait, let me guess.

... ah lets see, a tall, great looking guy with a massive sense of humor who also talks kinda funny ..... maybe ?

 

[D&J RailRoad]

oh no, not an Aussie accent!

 

[wombat457]

Darn it (with an Aussie accent) you guessed

Seriously though, you have a great layout and it is even better to see your grand kids enjoying it - they are the future of our hobby and you are a great source of inspiration for them.

PS: I promise I wont talk too much, or if I do - I'll slow

 

[logandsawman]

They like the steamers more than the diesels.

]

The first model train I ever saw was a steamer, I must have been about 7, and that thing amazed me, how those wheels could go around connected together with the rod on each side. I wanted my own train after seeing that. I guess my parents deemed the steamer to fragile and bought me the F-7. lasm

 

[montanan]

Looks like the kids were having a blast. My older 2 grandsons do a great job running the trains, but the younger one is all hands, not good.

 

[D&J RailRoad]

A little more work done today. Installed another turnout for a small industry and did a little work on the tunnel below the cut. Only the track is installed. The machine and wiring will be installed tomorrow. I will probably have to add a DS64 to run this turnout. It will be linked to the interlocking signals though. This turnout is just across the isle from the two turnouts I installed in the last two evenings.
The tunnel portals needed some retainer walls on each side to hold back sifting dirt from the walls of the cut.

 

[montanan]

Progress is progress. You're moving a lot faster than I am. Looking good.

 

[D&J RailRoad]

I am embarking on an upgrade to the control panels for section 3 of the D&J Railroad. If you go back about 18 months on this thread, you will be in the interlocking signal part of the build. I installed the signal system on section 3 first and went through the learning curve on how to do it. When I started the signal system install on section 2, I used breakout boards for the control circuit boards which made wire connections so much easier. I used the breakout boards for section 1 as well. Now I have a little time to go back and change section 3 over to the breakout boards also.
This first picture shows the rats nest of wires that are very touchy to work through when tracing a signal.

The first step is to pull the edge connectors off the circuit cards then pull all the wires off the plywood were I had them stapled to provide stability and anchoring so they wouldn't damage the cards if they got tugged. I also pulled out the supporting wood frame that was holding the wood panels that the cards were mounted on. This will all be replaced by a single homasote board and the cards will be mounted to that. I will also clean up the booster command station in the shelf on the left along with the wall wart power supplies.