To automate my turn around loop I have two devices. One for turnout control this optical sensor:
http://www.azatrax.com/dual-train-detector.html
For reversing the DCC I'm using the Digitrax AR1.
Friday, February 04, 2011
Trackwork makes me crazy!
I really can't stand laying track. Well maybe that is harsh, I really can't stand ballast. It just seems to be there to muck everything up.
Here is what I have found after laying a lot of track.
1. Use track nails to hold things in place. I've had so many problems trying to get flex track to line up and stay lined up on tight curves. The only way that seem to work is to drill a small hole in the ties and put down some tiny nails at crucial points.
2. Use a Dremel tool and cut off discs to cut track. Using rail nippers is for the birds. Rail nippers never give a nice cut. The Dremel can cut nice straight cuts and you can even use it to sand off any nasty bits.
3. Solder on the outside of the rails. If you use too much solder on the inside rails then you might be creating a derailment point.
Here is what I have found after laying a lot of track.
1. Use track nails to hold things in place. I've had so many problems trying to get flex track to line up and stay lined up on tight curves. The only way that seem to work is to drill a small hole in the ties and put down some tiny nails at crucial points.
2. Use a Dremel tool and cut off discs to cut track. Using rail nippers is for the birds. Rail nippers never give a nice cut. The Dremel can cut nice straight cuts and you can even use it to sand off any nasty bits.
3. Solder on the outside of the rails. If you use too much solder on the inside rails then you might be creating a derailment point.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
New Rail Bus Coming
For Christmas I asked Santa (my wife) for a Bachmann ON30 Rail Truck. I'm not a big fan of the looks of the rail car but there are a lot of cool kits and examples of what you can do to customize one.
MicroMark was having a big clearance sale on them so they were only $49. Xmas morning I was delighted to find one under the tree. Unfortunately it only worked for about three minutes. Searching the web I found the their is a serious flaw with the gearing on these rail trucks.
So I contacted MicroMark and found out I had two options. One send it back to them for a refund but pay for restocking and postage (rip off!) or send it back to Bachmann for repair which I did.
About a month later I got a call from a nice guy at Bachmann who said the rail truck is being redesigned and it might be six months to get a new one! Yikes! But the good news is they offered me their new Rail Bus in exchange. Awesome. I can't wait. I like the looks of the rail bus and it can handle the low volume of passenger traffic on my railroad. Nice of Bachmann to offer the upgrade! Boo to Micro Mark for dumping the product on the market and then charging customers for returns.
MicroMark was having a big clearance sale on them so they were only $49. Xmas morning I was delighted to find one under the tree. Unfortunately it only worked for about three minutes. Searching the web I found the their is a serious flaw with the gearing on these rail trucks.
So I contacted MicroMark and found out I had two options. One send it back to them for a refund but pay for restocking and postage (rip off!) or send it back to Bachmann for repair which I did.
About a month later I got a call from a nice guy at Bachmann who said the rail truck is being redesigned and it might be six months to get a new one! Yikes! But the good news is they offered me their new Rail Bus in exchange. Awesome. I can't wait. I like the looks of the rail bus and it can handle the low volume of passenger traffic on my railroad. Nice of Bachmann to offer the upgrade! Boo to Micro Mark for dumping the product on the market and then charging customers for returns.
Some scenery going in...
I'm not a big fan of pre planning. It drives me crazy with all the options. I'd rather start out with a general plan and start laying track!
Of course the downside is when one gets a new bright idea after stuff is laid out! Originally I had planned for this lower track to be independent of the upper, larger track. One at kid level, one for the adults.
But I've since reconsidered. The background you see behind and above the trestle has just been demoed a bit to make room for a climbing grade. The trains will circle this mountain twice to reach the upper level. Yeah I know I should have planned it better in the first place but then again I might not have even started.
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