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…)
I’ve been working on Susquehannock Industrial Park for over six years now, not counting a few additional years spent sketching designs, and a few decades idly thinking about the project. Hey, you can’t rush these things.
Let’s move on to something different: electronics. I’ve always tinkered in the electronics end of the hobby, but those efforts have intensified over the last few years, thanks to Arduino. This little device is helping me realize ideas I’ve been wanting to do for a very long time. At the moment, it’s helping me realize Chuck’s idea.
George’s N scale railroad still isn’t finished, but the clock was running out on my borrowed workbench, so I had to deliver what I had. George indicated that he was quite happy to accept delivery, so long as he could run trains on it.
Ever since the carpentry work was completed, I’ve been working on George’s layout in borrowed space, and I promised to vacate that space by the end of the month. The whole retaining-wall adventure took way more time than I had anticipated. The entire layout, in fact, has taken way more time. Now I’m on a push to make that time up.
By late summer, George’s railroad had progressed to the point of needing bridge abutments and retaining walls. Little further work on the scenery would be possible until this masonry work was complete. No problem, I said to myself, I’ve done this before. Piece of cake. (more…)
This blog opens as I’m deeply into the construction of an N scale railroad for George. Benchwork, track, wiring, and rough scenery are complete, and I’ve got ground cover on one end of the railroad. Right now I’m doing the masonry work—more on that in the next post. After that, it’s the remaining ground cover, trees, structures, and other finishing touches, before I deliver it to George’s living room.
