Wow...

When modeling scale scenes becomes an art form.

http://www.thomasdoyle.net/disfr_set.html

Andrew has asked me to pass this on to all the forums that I'm on. For those of
you who used this in the past, it suddenly vanished from the Fotopic site and,
despite multiple attempts to contact them over an extended period, he has been
unable to get any sensible reply. He has started to rebuild it at a new address
- some designs are on line, more - including new ones - will be added over the
next few days. This is the new address
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Shortliner(Jack) away up here in the Highlands

Want to hear MRC sound decoder?
I just installed 2 in 2 new Kato BNSF Swoosh SD70MAC's.
See how you like them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVNkU4woFM0
Mike

This will probably get locked and I will probably get banned but this is something that I feel needs being said.
Ever since I came to the gauge I never really felt welcome. This feeling became more evident when I was convinced to post progress pictures of my layout. Except for a few people,the response was luke warm. Why? Beats hell out of me.The only reasons I can come up with are these:
Some people don't really like small switching layouts. They consider them games or puzzles,neither of which fit my layout.
I don't have a large layout with large sweeping curves,mountains,towns,large motive power etc.
What I do have is what I wanted,had room for and could afford to build.
Also my layout follows no known prototype and neither do my buildings. They are of my own design.
There will be those that will say that I am either over reacting or crying about it. Well if that is how you feel then so be it.
I consider myself a good modeler and I am damn proud of my work and after thinking about for a long time I have come to the conclusion that I'm the only one that I have to please.
So don't worry,I won't be posting anymore.My pictures will be gone from the forum and as soon as an administrator removes my user name and password so will I.
Enjoy your layouts-I know I will.

I designed a pass thru siding in Atlas' Right Track Software, but my sectional track does not seem to fit well. I am using the recent Atlas right and left snap switches (the ones with no #'s) for the siding. When I design track layouts with RTS, it goes fine when I don't have switches in the design. What could I be doing wrong? Oh well, I could use some flex track instead if I couldn't pin point the problem.

I am getting E-mail notices to subscribed threads only sporadically. Sometimes I get a notice and most times I don't. I have checked my e-mail and they are not in the spam or junk folders. I received a notice to a thread reply yesterday. Checked the thread again today and there was three replies and no notices.
Thanks for the help.

Loren

Way back in the day, I completed a N&W CF caboose project (AMB model) that I had decided to put lighting in. Wouldn’t it be cool, I wondered in my outside voice, if I installed a function only DCC decoder so that I could control two individual lights in the caboose, turning them on as the brakeman or conductor boarded the caboose (in my imagination) and lit first one kerosene lamp, then wandered to the other end and lit the other? I certainly thought so!

(you can find the gory details of the complete build here:
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The end result looked something (well, exactly) like this:



There was one problem (and this is where the good Dr. “Lights? I don’t need lights – they just complicate things” Wayne starts snickering…). FLICKERING! Not every now and then; the “off” side of the flicker was mostly every “now”.

So when I started this,


I figured I’d address the issue. Being just knowledgeable enough about about electronics to cause myself problems, I decided the answer was CAPACITANCE. Something that would keep the lamps a-glowing across whatever issue was causing the flicker. Sound decoders use this to keep the sound alive if a current interruption is encountered. I figured the same idea would work for lights so I built this:



(BTW, I take no credit for the design. This exact circuit was designed by a gentleman on a yahoo DCC mailing list I’m on)

On board this mule is the TCS FL4 function decoder, with a 25 volt 470 microfarad capacitor, a 1/2 watt 100 ohm resistor and 1N4002 diode (the last two in parallel) between the striped negative lead and the blue common wire. The idea being that the capacitor would store a charge that could be dumped to the circuit when it went dead, with the diode controlling which way the current went, and the resistor slowing down the initial charge of the capacitor so that the system didn't see the sudden rush of current as a short. (this gives me a headache every time I think about it, so give me a few moments…). Ok, better. Importantly for later, the trucks were those from the caboose pictured above - I’m a tester – I needed at least one control.

With much anticipation, I put this sucker on the track and was elated to find that the flickering was… Wait… Still there? So I put ANOTHER capacitor in parallel with the first – the flicker was smoother, but the lights still flickered. Doh.

Time for the project to switch from a proof of concept /level of capacitance test for the new twins to trouble shooting a problem that wasn’t what I thought it was. Hmm.

More later!

Yeah, here's wishing you all a very Happy Easter. I hope you are able to spend the day with you family or other loved ones and that you have your fill of chocolate bunnies and jelly beans.

I finally set up a scene in which to Photograph the Mantua 2-6-6-2, as a 2-6-6-2T with tender, and some of the log cars.
Yes, the diorama is the O scale diorama, but it works well enough. First, the loco:    
Next, the reworked IHC Barnhart loader and a log flat, both flats are IHC, with the decks removed, and rails laid for the Barnhart:    
The next shot is a pair of the ERTL flats, converted to log flats:    
And Last, the Shinnecock Hills Lumber Company caboose:    

Hi guys , I got some items from a customer who wanted me to sell them for him.
Please take a look.
http://shop.ebay.com/merchant/fifer_W0QQ...ZQQ_sopZ12
Mike