I just replaced a few cars with some Metal wheels I had laying around and WOW! The Difference is amazing!
Not only will the wheels not leave grime on the track, but the Rolling Stock now weighs more, I was able to shove one over a piece of track that had a "Solder Bump" and it barely moved. If I did that with one that had plastic wheels it would of derailed.

Thanks for the advice guys!

Another tip for filing the "solder lumps," use a "draw filing" method. That is using a fine jeweler's file, put the file 90 degrees to the rail, and then slide it back and forth along the rail, not across the rail. Think of the rail as the grain in wood and file with the "grain" not across the "grain." You will end up with a much finer, smoother, surface on top of the rail with fewer scratches.

I too would recommend acquiring a set of jeweler's files if you don't already have some. They are incredibly useful.

In the future, apply solder from the sides of the rails, and only a little bit. Use smallest diameter solder you can find, it is the most easy to control.

It sounds like there is a track problem, not your switcher. even though you soldered a joint, it may not be making a good connection still.

for clean tracks and wheels, a track eraser (bright boy, whatever they sell), and Orange-clean will do the trick. I poor some orange clean on a paper towel, lay it over some tracks, and hold one end of the locomotive down on the paper towel while its running. if it starts getting REALLY black on the paper towel, shift it over a bit (this is a problem on the "old" athearn wheels, they LOVE dirt). shift the paper towel again to a dry spot to remove the orange-clean (this can make your wheels a little slippery), and wipe clean whats left.

Flip the model around, repeat. For freight cars, just keep rolling the car back and forth over a orange glow wetted paper towel.

For tough grime, a screw drive can be used to scrape it. worst case scenario, remove the wheels and clean individually.

There's another school of thought that says DO NOT mar or scratch the rail surface EVER, and if you do, polish the railhead with the least abrasive thing you can find that'll do the job without pitting. This is similar to the reason posted above about applying oil, to minimize pitting. I have personally stopped using brite boy erasers and am rehabbing my old track on which I had used them by applying finer and finer sandpaper/sanding sticks when it's time to clean the track followed by rubbing alcohol on Qtips or paper towels. I believe it is having the effect of needing to clean the track less frequently...but I've been operating that layout less frequently also, so it's hard to say with certainty.

Galen

Ugh, This layout isn't fun anymore. I have decided that after I Get the layout operating smoothly, I will scrap it after a few ops sessions, This layout has taken alot longer than expected to get operational(due to laziness and track/wiring problems), And it has become more of a problem than it is worth.

Even with all of the problems I have had on this layout, It did teach me some valuable lessons that I will incorporate into future layouts, Hopefully saving me alot of trouble.

Sounds like you've got the right idea. When it stops being fun, walk away for a while. Then later do something for 'just 5 minutes', like cleaning the track or changing out wheelsets. If 5 minutes turns into an hour and it flies right by, great! If it feels like drudgery, walk away. Even the great modelers like John Allen had dry spells. But don't give up or tear it out until you have a new plan in mind. That way you'll still have this one to fuss with until you're ready - timewise, financially, etc. to launch the new venture. OR, be ready to work on small workbench projects until the next layout is up.

Glad there have been some good lessons learned, too. That's super-important. Fail Forward!

Galen

ocalicreek Wrote:Sounds like you've got the right idea. When it stops being fun, walk away for a while. Then later do something for 'just 5 minutes', like cleaning the track or changing out wheelsets. If 5 minutes turns into an hour and it flies right by, great! If it feels like drudgery, walk away. Even the great modelers like John Allen had dry spells. But don't give up or tear it out until you have a new plan in mind. That way you'll still have this one to fuss with until you're ready - timewise, financially, etc. to launch the new venture. OR, be ready to work on small workbench projects until the next layout is up.

Glad there have been some good lessons learned, too. That's super-important. Fail Forward!

Galen

I certainly just hat that sort of experience. I started off just trying to fix a crossover on my layout. Then it turned into removing my rail yard. Then it turned into removing everything off my layout so i could vacuum it (the first thorough cleaning its got since its been built.). Then i finally got back to fixing my crossover. If I had more track and time, I probably would have replaced much of the old sectional track with Flex track.

I've been grumbling about this layout for months now, but i think if I can rebuild all the track and wire it all up intelligently, I can get this thing running smoothly!

That said, maybe its time for you to rebuild. You may not need to take down the bench work, just re-do the track plan.

Green_Elite_Cab Wrote:That said, maybe its time for you to rebuild. You may not need to take down the bench work, just re-do the track plan.

That's what I was thinking, The only problem is I am going to have to go through track-planning again
And I am sure many of you remember how bad that was last time

Justinmiller171 Wrote:

Green_Elite_Cab Wrote:That said, maybe its time for you to rebuild. You may not need to take down the bench work, just re-do the track plan.

That's what I was thinking, The only problem is I am going to have to go through track-planning again
And I am sure many of you remember how bad that was last time

Well, i'm a fresh mind. I'm really notorious for just reading the "view new posts" and clicking what looks interesting. I'm happy i started just exploring the site some more. I get tired of just the usual stuff.

Personally, i already have my own idea about what you could do, based on the local freight tracks by me, though with a scenery change, and a little bending, it could fit in anywhere. I wish more railroad would make Zone Track Spot (ZTS) charts.

Basically, they display all customers and tracks, and label them. If customers have particular spots on a particular track, the third set of numbers (the "spot" in ZTS) will point them out. This is the ZTS chart for the Pemberton industrial track (though it no longer reaches Pemberton).

Here is the map of Mount Holly and Hainesport. This area would be easiest to model. Basically, the train heads east to Mount Holly, runs around itself, and then sets out cars all the way back to Pavonia yard, where it originated from. Powers is typically two double headed GPs back to back, so that there is always a cab "forward". Sometimes, the diesels are split, one on each end of the train, usually when Mt. Holly yard is down.



This is "west" (to the left) of the previous map. The only industry it is missing is Roosevelt paper, a large paper company that receives most of the traffic on the line (about 5-8 paper service boxcars). It is outside the industrial park, about a mile west.

additionally, Only tracks 234, 235, 791, 792, 795 , 798 and 799 are still active, but only Gallo Whine (795) is the same. Doolan Steel (791,792) may still be there, but its hard to tell since those tracks are often taken up by articulated trash container stack cars, and large gondolas full of construction debris (concrete and the like). The "trash" company even has its own trackmobile that is operated as part of the "Hainesport Industrial Railroad", Though i think the "HIRR" only exists withing the confines of the industrial park. The trackmobile apparently is only used to set cars out so when the local freight comes, they can be quickly taken away.

Rationalizing and removing all the extra tracks (though perhaps implying former rail service with "abandoned" tracks to nowhere) should give you a fun railroad when combined with the Mount Holly section.

Thanks GEC!

I would love to model Conrail, and I would love to model a prototype industrial area. I think if I modeled just Mount Holly it would fit into my space perfectly.

Since GEC mentioned it, here is some information about the Hainesport Industrial Railroad http://hainesportrailroad.com/ and a Bing view of that area http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=qnx16h8...orm=LMLTCC. If you follow the line down to the southeast and rotate the view, you can see their trackmobile. Funny thing, on their web site, they show a photo of a decidedly foreign 4 wheel locomotive rather than what appears to be a Rail King car mover in the aerial view.

Will say that the original trackage at Mount Holly as shown in the ZTS map, would probably make for a more interesting small operation. Current traffic in the industrial park doesn't look that interesting.

This may be a stupid question, but is Conrail still a railroad, I know it was bought by NS and CSX, but does is still function as its own railroad or is it a fallen flag?

Justinmiller171 Wrote:This may be a stupid question, but is Conrail still a railroad, I know it was bought by NS and CSX, but does is still function as its own railroad or is it a fallen flag?

No such thing as a stupid question when you're seeking information. Conrail was split between CSX and NS in 1997, with the acquisition approved in July 1198. More or less making it a fallen flag railroad; but there is still a Conrail http://www.conrail.com/ a switching company that operates in Detroit, MI, New Jersey and the Philadelphia, PA area. It's also known as Conrail Shared Assets. Some of the fellows that live in those areas can probably give you more details, in the mean time here's some historical information about Conrail: http://www.conrail.com/history.htm and a little more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conrail.

Those blue/white Conrail locomotives are slowly but surely being given the NS black/white and CSXT Blue/Yellow paint.

Thanks Ed! That's what I thought happened.

Justinmiller171 Wrote:Thanks GEC!

I would love to model Conrail, and I would love to model a prototype industrial area. I think if I modeled just Mount Holly it would fit into my space perfectly.

While i would definitely include the run around, I should point out there is not much operating interest in Mt. Holly. the team track is rarely used, and there are no industries in town. In fact, a recent local newspaper suggested that CSAO might move the run around to west of the Mt. Holly Bypass (as seen in the map), roughly around the area of Atlantic Wood. (Indeed, the Mt. Holly Yard was just VERY recently cut back so that it did not interfere with emergency vehicle activity on Madison Avenue, which is close to a local hospital).

One cool thing about Mt. Holly though, is that it has a 100 year old crane sitting there. It looks exactly like this one-

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Its always good to add some of the "old" stuff, even if its a rusty hulk. It always adds interest.

Another thing to point out is that Perry is no longer rail served (siding is long gone), but when it was active, it took in HUGE industrial tanks. The business is still there, but they truck everything in. the "OHC" on the map stood for overhead crane. You can bet some interesting flat car loads went by.

Here are some pictures i've taken over the years. I rarely go railfanning, though this line is almost a perfect opportunity to. It can be difficult to do the line justice, since my picture taking skills were non-existent when i took these photos (I was roughly 15/16, though some are more recent)

Back in May

2006, I spotted a Conrail Quality NS patched (currently full black) GP38-2 with a CSX GP40-2 in the Hainesport industrial park. In this view looking west from "Delaware Road", we can see CA-20 (as the train is called), wrapping up switching Gallo Wine. The old 60' "Beer Cars" were owned by both ATSF and Burlington Northern (and obviously now, BNSF). I can only assume this is the regional distributor for whine products from the west.



I cut around Park road to the intersection of that road and track 234, and snapped a few more pictures as the train departed the industrial park. At this time, the HIRR (and its waste facility) did not exist yet.



CSAO trackage is the perfect excuse to run any kind of Conrail, NS, or CSX 4 axle power together. While GP38-2 and GP40-2s are the majority seen on this line, GP15-1s are not uncommon. High-nosed GP38s tend to appear now and again (running long hood forward, classic NS style), as well as CSX B23-7s when they were still in the states (now in Brazil). In fact, NS based SD9Ms in Pavonia, and it wouldn't be a stretch to say an SD9 or two came down the line on a run or two.



this Conrail Geep has seen a lot of NS modifications. note the black door.



In recent years, Solid NS and CSX consists have been more common, but you're still more likely to find a mix than anything.



NS is not nice!



a Drive by shot of the train switching Roosevelt paper about a year ago. This picture upsets me. I've had a model of NS 5278 for years, and now that i see the real version, i see all the details that are wrong. The woe of being a rivet counter!



This video features CA20 coming back from Mount Holly. Atlantic Wood would be about where the tail end of the train is in the video, and it will cross a large trestle over the Rancocas Creek (which incidentally is kinda wide) before reaching "Perry" on the Mount Holly/Hainesport map. The really cool cars are the old bath-tub gondolas with the extensions on the top. This video was taken just after the HIRR came to be, so you see a lot more of the large gondolas.

Following the gondolas are 60' beer cars, and starting with the Waffle-sided car, is the cut of cars for Roosevelt paper. The 60' bulkhead flats were empties from Atlantic wood, which takes logs and converts them into pressure treated lumber, frequently shipping out Center-beam flats of lumber. Atlantic wood has a Back-hoe with a fork lift attachment, and simply stabs into the stack, lifting up 5-6 logs and then places them off to the side. You can see this operation in the link FCIN made with bing maps.

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A year later, A CSX lead pair of GP40-2s rush by. The trash flats were common at one time, but I haven't seen them on the train lately, (though i'm sure they're around). A similar pattern to above, though no traffic for Gallo Whine.

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Justinmiller171 Wrote:This may be a stupid question, but is Conrail still a railroad, I know it was bought by NS and CSX, but does is still function as its own railroad or is it a fallen flag?

Conrail is now currently "Conrail Shared Assets Operations" (CSAO), which essentially serves as a tie breaker between NS and CSX. In the locations FCIN pointed out, competition could not easily be had by awarding either CSX or Norfolk Southern full control of any of the lines. The idea is that Conrail Shared Assets operates as a terminal switching company, doing all the local freight work in these areas. Depending on which railroad the customer prefers (CSX or NS), cars will be picked up by CSAO, with profits split between NS and CSX, and then the car will continue on either CSX or NS.

As I understand it, CSAO trackage is slowly shrinking as CSX and NS decide which tracks they want and which they will concede to each other.

CSAO owns no locomotives, only track and perhaps some MoW equipment, and of course, the train crews. Power is always "leased" CSX or NS locomotives, often a mix of the two.