In the last post, I spoke about having 97.235% of the track installed but I did not finish the wiring at the Kennedy and Sons Foundry spurs. I don’t believe I have posted about how I wired up the switch machines on the lower level. This post is probably old news for some but for others it might prove useful.

I use Tortoise Switch Machines on the lower level.  The upper level used a servo system. Both have their strengths and weaknesses.

Before I added the wiring, I planned out the fascia, where the track diagram, switches, and LED’s would go.  I used white 0.060” plastic sheet cut into strips for the all the lower fascia.  I don’t have to paint it and it brightens up the layout.  The track plan was penciled in.  Holes were drilled for the screws that attached the fascia to the side of the benchwork and where the switches and the LED’s were to go.  I used a 1/8” drill that was slightly under for the 3mm LED’s and ¼” bit for the switches.

I clamped the fascia to the side of the benchwork and used it as a template to drill holes in the front of the benchwork where the LED’s and switches would go.  I used a ¼” bit for the LED’s and 5/8” spade for the switches.  The red and black wires are for the DCC signal and the Grey and Purple wires are the power for the switch machines.

I wired up all the track using suitcase connectors to run feeds from the DCC bus to each rail.  Then I soldered some of the rail joiners so that there would be no dead spots, like the short pieces of rail isolated from the frog.

I use ¼” colored tape to show the routes.  Red is for sidings or sub main, blue is for industrial spurs or sidings.  Green is for the main.  I cut out the holes using a number 11 Exacto blade.

Tortoise machines have a printed circuit edge card that you can solder wire leads to control direction, route power to the frog and add LED’s to show direction.  In the past I found that it is difficult to solder these wires on and keep them from either breaking off or having the foil on the edge card heat to the point of it coming off.  Online, I found an edge card connector that I could solder the leads to and plug it into the edge card.  It worked well.  I don’t remember where I bought them but Barret Hill does have them that you can screw your leads into. They would have been easier but  I found out about those after I had purchased these.  The Tortoise instruction sheet gives these contacts numbers.  I devised a standard wiring system that used Grey on 1, Black on 2, Red on 3, Blue on 4 and Purple on 8. The purple and grey power the switch machine, the red and black are for the DCC signals and the blue is for the frog.

I wire up the LED’s beforehand.  That way they are ready to attach to the switches.  The switches are also wired using grey and purple with black wire used as the cross over.  Usually they are wired in series with the gray wire.

I used 0.060” square plates that have holes drilled out to attach the switch machines to the underside of the layout.  I spent a day making 30 of them just in case of failure or having to replace any.  On the left is the template and on the right one that is ready to use with a slot filed out.  These squares were glued to the underside of the Styrofoam using water based contact cement lining up the slot with the slot in the Styrofoam where the switch is on the top. I used ¼” number 4 sheet metal screws to attach the switch machine to the plate.  I have to admit that out of 24 switch machines, perhaps only a quarter lined up well the first time.  I would find this out once everything was installed and the switch motor could only close the points successfully one way.  Sometimes I could simply re-drill the holes and move the machine over but once or twice I actually had to scrape the plate off and remount or replace it.  Some did look kind of like Swiss cheese. Also, I substituted 0.032” piano wire for the 0.020” wire that they include.  I found that their wire was not stiff enough to move the points reliably.  This was due to the distance that the wire had to travel up to the hole in the throw bar.  Sometimes I also put a piece of 1/16” tubing on the wire to add more stiffness.  They all work successfully.

The fascia was mounted after everything worked.  I really like the LED’s showing the routing.  This is a walk around, follow your train layout so you have to be on location if you are to throw a turnout.  It is as if you are the brakeman having to sometimes stop the train to change the switch by hand instead of a central control panel.  In some ways, it’s more realistic but in some ways a bit of a pain to have to get exactly where you have to be before the train gets there if you don’t feel like stopping the train to make the route correct.  I may add more LED’s on the main yard panels but for now this is enough and “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”.  My three S Scale Workshop modules are stored under this section of the layout on carts.  That is the wetlands module peaking out.  They roll out easily when the have to be displayed at shows.

On my first test run, I used my Overland CNR S2 switcher and of course found that the points on the straight turnout needed adjusting.  FastTracks makes great fixtures but I find I usually need to tweak my turnouts once they are in place.  Out came the soldering gun and the offending point was corrected.  The scratch built curved turnout required adjustment as well once I tried to run my Simon Parent-built Ten Wheeler 1324 through, which by the way is an excellent loco.  Now, everything seems to run through there.  According to Ian Wilson, these spurs were no man’s land for anything but a Mogul or switchers because of the radius.  My Pacifics will take the radius but I am still happy with the results.

In a couple of weeks, I will be meeting with the curator of the Owen Sound rail museum to collect some data.  I am hopeful that I will have enough information to paint and detail the backdrop.  Then perhaps I can put in the turntable. Until then, I will work on other things that need doing.

 

I am back working on the layout and have built all but one of the switches that I need for Owen Sound.  I used FastTracks fixtures that I bought between 2001 and 2005.  These included number 6 Code 70 Switches, number 6 Code 70 Three-Way Switch and number 6 Code 70 Double Slip Switch.  I like building them in batches because I can set up the workbench for just that purpose and then return things to normal when done.

When I lived at another location I had a track plan for Owen Sound at that time that would use these types of switches.  So I bought the fixtures that I knew I would need.  The present track plan for Owen Sound required 6 right hand switches, 2 left hand switches, 2 Three-way Switches and 2 Double Slip Switches. 

I will also have to build a curved switch in place like I did in Wiarton.  Unfortunately, the as yet unknown radii will be tight but that is the way it was in real life.  Apparently the curve into William Kennedy & Sons would only take a Mogul, 10 wheeler or light diesel.

I have finished building them all but the curved one.  Altogether on the layout, there are over 30 switches that I have built using these fixtures. By doing so, the fixtures have more than paid themselves off considering what the cost would have been if I had purchased the switches or had them custom made. They took a lot of time at first but eventually I got the hang of it and enjoyed building them. They work well for American Models, NWSL, SHS and P64 wheelsets. I do test as I go along.

Now, I will position the switches according to the track plan, make adjustments, start laying out the roadbed and eventually add the track. 

Until Next Time

As time goes by, one forgets one’s past.  Or so it seems…

Yesterday I sold off the last of the early HO locomotives that I had from the 1970’s, 1974 to be exact.  It was my Van Hobbies Green Box CNR E-10-a Mogul thoroughly redone as number 86 which was the premier model that Simon Parent put out in S. Kudos to Simon.  I had a young buyer who paid me fairly for all the work I did including installing a LokSound V5 decoder which had CNR Mogul 89’s sound files downloaded to it.  It ran as good as my S scale marvel.  I should have videoed both on my test tracks but did not think of it at the time.  I did let the young owner operate my S scale version.  I don’t think there is a convert there. 

I bought that little Mogul from Keith’s Hobby Shop in 1974!  It cost $114 at the time.  Keith’s Hobby Shop was our local in Willowdale, Ontario which is no longer there.  Keith’s has moved to Whitby, Ontario.

Like early Van Hobbies locos, it was a poor runner and kind of a generic version of the E-10-a.  The tender was good for 81/91 and the loco good for anything else, like 80 because the running boards of 81/91 were raised to go over the air reservoirs.  After redoing the mechanism so it ran well (don’t ask unless you want to be bored), I modified the tender to 86 and re-detailed the loco to match.  It was finished in 1985.  I used what I learned from it to detail my S scale version correctly.  I measured 86 before the lagging was removed so I had a bit more information than what was available when the brilliant S scale version came out.  It was originally set up for PFM sound which has been obsolete since the Soundtraxx Tsunami arrived. A lot of time was put in to get it up to DCC standards.  The decoder barely fit in the tender.  I thought I could not sell if for the work I put into it but I was wrong.  The young buyer wanted to buy it on the spot for a good price because it was truly one of a kind in that it ran well and was accurate.

So, now it is gone.

Today, I realized that I owned that loco for 49 years! My friend Jim Martin quipped that I owned my HO version longer than the real railways did. It’s actually true. The real 86 was built in 1910 by the Canadian Locomotive Company, Kingston, Ontario and donated to London, Ontario in 1958. I beat them by a year! I wonder how many of us can make that claim? I would imagine most likely quite a few.

That is something isn’t it?  At the very least, it has a new life with a young owner who will enjoy it instead of sitting in a box.

I am trying to downsize by selling off the remainder my non-S scale models. There are not a lot left but enough to cause concern for my wife should she have to deal with them. Plus, I feel that I should try to downsize while any surplus is still worth something including some S.

Life goes on until it’s time to say goodbye.

Next…Switches, Switches and more Switches!

One of the great challenges in modeling railways is the wire fencing that went along the right of way.  I have seen various methods used and they were very successful.  One is creating a loom, weaving thread and dabbing glue on the joints.  Another is taking old fibre glass window screen and carefully cutting out some of the screening to come up with the openings of a fence.  I tried soldering fine jewelers’ wire on a fixture I had improvised and after about an hour and a half, came up with about nine inches.  I felt that these methods were way too time consuming and labour intensive so I decided to draw up fence sections in a Cad program and have them etched in 0.010” nickel silver.  I used a drawing of a GTR wire fence found in the Engineering Plans book that CNR put out about fifty years ago.  I think they put out a data sheet books as well but I was not able to obtain them.  The drawing had a Canadian and US version.  I used the Canadian one.

I also found a drawing for a wire farm fence gate in the same book.  I liked the one to be used in Ontario so I drew up that one.

Fortunately, the drawings were 3/8” to the foot so it was easy to measure and draw them up.  The etchings were done on 0.010” nickel silver sheet.  The ‘wire’ was drawn to a scale inch but once etched; it worked out to about 0.010” which is less than 3/4” of a scale inch wide.  It is acceptable to me because that is less than the widths of the other methods I have seen.  I could have used a thinner sheet and made the wire thinner but I believe that it would not be robust enough to handle.  Ten of the strips are 14 7/16” long and the other where the gate is 11 7/16” long.

Complete Frame with the Etched Fencing and Gate

The etchings are held in place on the frame with 1/32” tabs.  The fences are easily cut out using the Xuron Professional Photo-Etch Scissors.  I make certain to leave the tabs on the ends of the fence sections because the tabs are what are used to connect the strips together end to end.

I cut out one of the lengths to get an idea of what it would look like against the scenery.  It was too shiny so I decided to airbrush the rest of the frets with Floquil Cement paint which gave it a galvanized look.  Any flat light grey would work as well since Floquil paint is no longer available.  It dulled the finish down nicely.

A Fence Section

Dulled Down With Concrete Paint

The next step was to make the fence posts and attach them.  According to the drawing, the fence posts were 6” in diameter.  I discovered some short wooden skewers that were 6 scale inches in diameter so I set up my Chopper and made posts about 8 scale feet long.  Then I used Hunterline Driftwood stain to stain them.  The posts had to be spaced 20’ apart.  I made a fixture for spacing the fence posts and gluing the fence on top.

The Post Fixture

Before I glued the posts on, I soldered the ends of three sections together, using the left end tabs to connect to the un-tabbed right ends.  I used the fixture as a base to help and soldered them from behind using a pencil type soldering iron.  This made the fence groups about 42” long and was about as much as I could gingerly handle.

Fence Sections

Fence Sections Soldered Together to Form a Group

Next I glued on the posts.  I found that Gorilla Thick ACC worked the best.  I dabbed it on the post or fence and held the fence down on the post while the glue cured careful to keep fingers out of the way.  Sometimes the paint did wear off and I touched it up once installed on layout.

Fence Groups Waiting to be Planted by the East Tracks

Before I planted a posted fence group, I would place a new unposted group’s end next to the end of the one that was to be planted to find the place where the new group’s first post would go and installed the first post for the new group.  Using the fixture, I would install the rest of the posts as far along as I could.  This was done repeatedly for all groups.  That way I was sure that I could continue my 20’ spacing.

Planting the fence groups was a bit of a learning process.  Actually this has all been a learning process.  First I tried to use the fixture to measure out where holes would be drilled in the scenery base but it was not flexible enough.  So, I laid down the fence group (posts installed) and used the ends of the posts to locate where the holes had to go.  I drilled out the holes using a pin vice with a 3/32” drill.

Locating Where Post Holes Will Go

As each new group was installed, I soldered its ends to the preceding group, carefully leaning over where Owen Sound is going to be.  It was not too hard.  This has been done to join all the other groups.  If you look closely in the next picture, you will see where a piece of the fence is slightly bent away from the joint.  This is four columns to the left of the right post, fourth segment down.  That is where the joint is.

The Joints Soldered Together

I still have a bit more to go to finish off Park Head.  Those fence groups are done but I need to build more trees before planting those groups.

Fencing Along the Service Road, West Siding and Wiarton Main at Park Head

When I designed this method (and I am pretty sure I am not the first), I was not too certain if it would work.  Thus, I did not get a lot made and may have to get more done.  Unfortunately, this was etched 5 years ago and prices are sure to have gone up.  This stuff wasn’t cheap however it has worked well enough for me.  And I have kept my sanity for the most part.

The next steps will be the making and addition of telephone poles.  Also, adding weeds and shrubs between the fence and the track.  After that…Owen Sound can finally have its track laid!

Have you ever shuddered at the suggestion that it’s time to upgrade?  It usually evokes computer obsolescence in one’s mind.  There was a saying in the 1990’s that computers and their parts were obsolete 70 days after they were first released to the public.  I don’t know how true that is today but in model railroading, upgrading is not necessary as often or is simply up to the modeler’s discretion.

I finally found some time to get to two old workhorses that needed upgrading.  They were the first two models I had built in S Scale of the CNR K-3 Pacific class, K-3-b 5584 (2003) and K-3-a 5575 (2004).  I used American Models Pacific drives which had valve gear similar to Tyco in HO.  Eventually a kit developed around them that had better etchings and better details including accurate valve gear replacements.  5584 needed the original Tyco style valve gear replaced with Baker-Pilloid and 5575 needed its tender updated.  5575 had its valve gear upgraded from Tyco style to Walshaerts in 2005 when it returned from a photo shoot in Texas severely damaged.  It had most likely been dropped on its front end by Canada Customs when inspecting it for duty valuation or any security threat.  Although insured, the USPS would not pay out due to the fact that I had no purchase receipt showing its value.  But, enough said about that. 

The first true pilot model that used all the kits parts was CNR K-3-d 5611 (2005).  All the K-3’s I have built for myself ran on the Owen Sound/Wiarton subs.

Both locos were first equipped for DC PFM sound but 5575 did get an early silent DCC installation so it could run on the S Scale Workshop Modular layout.

During the repair and upgrade, 5575 received new valve gear, new cast resin cylinders and a new pilot.  The tender remained the same with the standard CNR wafer herald.  5575 had this herald for most of its life and any shots I saw of it in service had this herald.  Most of its life it was stationed in Lindsay, Ontario but it ended its career in Palmerston, making it a candidate for the Owen Sound sub.

CNR 5575 ended its life on the Palmerston storage track in tallow behind CNR E-10-a Mogul 81.  It then sported the roundel passenger logo.  I had lots of photos of it in that state.  I assumed that they put that logo on just before storage as CNR had a habit of doing that.  However, in 2011 I found a photo of it in steam on the Palmerston turntable, full coal load with the passenger roundel on it.  So, if my 5575 were to represent its time on the Owen Sound sub, it would need a new logo on the tender.  I decided this past summer to change the logo.  The old one was removed using a 99 proof Isopropyl alcohol on a Q-tip.  The tender sides were gently sprayed Scalecoat black where the old herald was, leaving the rear number plate and capacity numbers alone.

I decided to add the pieces of sheet metal on the front of the sides of the tender. 0.020 brass was used for this.  I am not certain, but I think they were put on a lot of open cab locos’ tenders as wind deflectors.  For a final touch an incandescent bulb was installed for the backup light.

The deflectors were hand painted black then everything over-sprayed with Floquil Flat Finish.  Before the tender was re-united with the loco, the loco received the customary cab curtains.

I then decided that it was high time for 5584 to get upgraded.  In its former shape, it would not negotiate the DCC layout as the cylinders would short out on the shorter wheelbase engine truck when negotiating a 42” radius.  American Models only insulates the centres of their drivers so their valve gear is live on both sides.  They cleverly insulate the valve gear using Delrin inserts everywhere.  To get around this challenge, I cast resin cylinders and used nylon screws and a plastic sleeve to keep both sides separate.  It works fine unless the brass brake shoes get in the way.  I may try to 3D print replacement brake hangers/shoes when I get better at 3D drawing.

Therefore, 5584 needed new valve gear, new cylinders, a new pilot and eventually new steps.  If you look closely in the photo, you will notice that the original stairs are now too short.  That is because the pilot that was on there was too high.  It was a severe modification of the AM USRA plastic pilot which could no longer be used.  It is still in good shape and looks CNR enough so I may have a future use for it.

I found too that the way I had mounted the engine truck did not work and that the axel spacing on the old engine truck was too close together to allow enough swing.  So, the kit version of the engine truck with longer wheelbase was added to the mix.

Because the pilot was now at the correct level, the stairs and front handrails had to be replaced.  The list just kept on going

Not everything is painted yet but 5584 is being broken in and has performed quite well.  A few adjustments need to be made before the stairs and handrails are painted.  Of course the cab curtains will be put on.

Yes, it’s true that these locos are 18 and 19 years old but now renewed.  When I told my grandkids, they could not imagine that they were younger.

Okay, I have done my upgrades for now.  Next, back to the layout.

Greetings!  It has been a while, hasn’t it?  I have done a lot since my last entry but not that much different from what I have already posted.  I did learn a few lessons along the way.  As they say, “Hindsight is 20 -20 vision.”  Ah, 20 – 20 vision, those were days long gone by.

When I moved the track to accommodate the upper level entry point of the helix, I decided to over sand the cork roadbed to make the track dip a bit here and there like what I saw on some videos of the branch in the 1950’s which I have seen lately. This caused some difficulty with my CNR Mikado S-3-a 3702 when it was running along the wall.  I thought that there were not enough track feeders and put more in.  This did not help but it was good to do anyway.

However, when I took a closer look, I discovered that the roof extension of the semi-vestibule cab would touch the top of the modified tender at one of those dips and short out. 

Having made this discovery, I finally decided to connect flashing LED’s to the circuit breakers and attach them to the fascia. This would show any shorts that would happen from now on. These circuit breakers have outputs for an LED and a buzzer.  There are 6 districts on the layout and they all have their own circuit breaker. The possibility of having multiple annoying sounds going off at an operating session made up mind to not install buzzers. The flashing LED’s instantly show a short and are kind of cool to look at.  However, trying to attach these to already installed circuit breakers under the layout turned out to be a pain, to say the least.  Hindsight!  I should have put them in when I was initially installing the circuit breakers.

I found some symbols on the Internet that are for Short Circuit, printed them out on large labels and added them to the panel with the LED poking its head through. So far, four are installed. Park Head and Owen Sound South need theirs done. Those circuit breakers are easy to get at because the Styrofoam is not glued down yet and I will do them before I install the track at Owen Sound South.

And the Mikado? I put some Kapton tape under the cab overhang and it seems to be working out well. But I am still thinking that one out.

The Scenery is coming along. If you look closely at the layout above the Short Circuit Display, you will see some green fuzzy. I have been flocking everything. I will get into that next installment.

This is very nice.

I would like to thank the NASG (National Association of S Gaugers) for bestowing their 2021 Josh Seltzer Award on me for this blog.  Josh Seltzer was an early promoter of S Scale.  He ran an S Scale business with his wife Barbara, redecorating and modifying American Flyer cars with Scale, Hi-Rail and Flyer options.  Sadly, he passed away in 2003 at the age of 52.  The award, which was created in his honour, is given in recognition of those who support and promote S-scale modeling via a web site on the World Wide Web or any form of electronic media.

I would also like to thank all the people who follow this blog for your support.

Here is a picture of the NASG Josh Seltzer award on my layout at Park Head with the Wiarton main and the north leg of the wye in the foreground.  The SD-40-2 diesel may seem out of place but it belonged to Josh Seltzer and is lettered for his private name model railroad, Zanesville and Lake Erie.  I purchased it indirectly from his estate.  When I bought it, I had planned on repainting it to CP Rail but now it will remain in Josh’s colours out of respect.  My grandson Everett likes the green diesel.  I can always consider it a lease loco which CN did do and still does from time to time.  It is really a nice paint job.  I am pretty sure Josh did it.

As an aside, I am operating this layout in different eras which is the reason for the classic diesel.  1950’s steam era still rules but every so often I will change out the equipment to add variety and operating interest.

Next: Where the layout is today.