The trouble began a few years ago, at the Syracuse show. I had just dropped a sizeable chunk of pocket change on a new NCE PowerCab, thus hurtling myself headlong into the world of Digital Command Control. With only two decoder-equipped locomotives in my entire fleet at that point, I had some tough choices to make. In order to get more decoders, I had to swear off buying any more locomotives for a while. It was easy at first, but then the GG-1 on the table winked at me. (more…)
N scale
Fits and Starts
The Bickles Foods factory exemplifies the fits-n-starts pace of progress on my projects. This particular structure is based upon an Art Curren article in the October 1985 Model Railroader, an HO scale kitbash of two Con-Cor (now Heljan) Superior Bakery kits, but I’m doing some things differently. I didn’t want to lower the main walls the way Curren did, and I wanted the rooflines a little less chaotic. These decisions, and some differences between the HO and N scale versions of the kit, left me with two short walls that couldn’t be fashioned from the kit parts. (more…)
Remembering Bill
My elementary school was housed in a 1903 building with a 1933 addition, by far the most prominent building in a town just large enough to warrant a solitary blinking-yellow traffic light. By the 1970s, when I was enrolled, the school had been merged with an adjacent district, and the building downgraded from K-12 to a K-6 elementary. There was no elevator to the second floor, the third floor had been deemed hazardous and was off-limits entirely, and there was considerable doubt about the building’s compliance with new fire codes. Another addition was constructed to the larger school while I attended 7th grade there, and the old school closed for good the following fall. It still stands today, but abandoned, and in an advanced state of decay.
What, another Arduino throttle already?
Ahh, you’ve noticed that I’ve been on a bit of a throttle jag lately. I just couldn’t help myself on this one. I saw the APDS-9960 RGB and Gesture Sensor in a recent SparkFun new-products announcement, and immediately knew what to do with it.
How To Build Chuck’s New Throttle
Would you like to build your own version of the automated, Arduino-based throttle I recently built for Chuck’s layout? Well, read on!
Introducing the Library Project
We toured the Central Library’s new Bausch & Lomb building on its opening day, back in 1997. Being the proud parents of a toddler, we naturally visited the new Children’s Center on the second floor. I noticed the glassed-in space under the stairs immediately. “Good place to put a railroad,” I thought. It took me seventeen years to turn that idle notion into reality, but here it is.
Chuck’s New Throttle: Installation
As you may recall, Chuck’s new throttle was essentially functional, but needed some detail work before installation in his layout. I’m smack in the middle of fall show season, so this is a particularly bad time to get things accomplished. The morning after the Mini Maker Faire, I dragged myself out of bed early, and proceeded to attach the remaining pieces.
Decoder Management for Dummies
I pop the shell off one of Dana’s Atlas SD-60Ms, remove the decoder, and clean the brush contacts, but the motor still doesn’t respond. “They ran great the last time I had ’em out,” he had told me, “but I can’t get ’em to move now. Can you take a look?”
If you’ve been into DCC for a while, you can probably guess where this is headed, but don’t shout out your answer just yet. Instead, let’s take this opportunity to explore JMRI—Java Model Railroad Interface. (more…)
Furniture Railroads 