Thinking and Planning

Since I can't work on the layout this week, I have been spending some time trying to draw the layout in XTrakCAD. I am getting close and really I just want a reasonable representation to share electronically as well as to annotate with comments, like where are the electrical blocks (for isolating shorts in the DCC). I am hoping to complete this by the end of the week - it has only taken about 18 months!
Also, I am making some plans for the coming few weeks. I will have several free evenings - and possibly even a vacation day or two - to do some serious work ON the layout. I figure it will take 2 evenings to complete the track laying - one to glue down the cork roadbed and the other to lay the actual track. Then next step will be to create the gaps in the rails for the 5 separate power districts for isolating any shorts. I set up the following:

• Irwin Yard
• Mainline 1
• Mainline 2
• Herminie
• Penn Hills (not sure if this will be the name of the town yet)

With the track laid, the power districts set, I can them work down my list as far as possible before work interferes again.

1. Run the bus wires.
2. Build a shelf for the future DCS-200 Command Station under Irwin Yard
3. Build a shelf for hte DB-150 Booster under E. McKeesport
4. Feeders from all the mainline points
5. Feeders from all the yard spurs
6. Feeders from all the E. McKeesport spurs
7. Feeders from the remaining spurs on the peninsula
8. Rust any rail
9. Ballast the mainline
10. Ballast the yard
11. Ballast the spurs
12. Mockup the scene dividers

Of course, what is cool about all of this is I could do some things in parallel. Once I drop feeders for a particular section of track, I can rust the rail and ballast it. While this is a long list to complete when I only have 2, maybe 3, slow work weeks, I will have so much more done than today thanks to the plan.

Oh, and the Cincinnati NMRA Div 7 and Dayton NMRA Div 3 trains shows are coming up. Time to make more lists! 

Finally!

I needed 5 switches, 8 pieces of flextrack and 9 pieces of cork to finish the track laying phase of the layout. My normal mail order supplier did not have the switches and I wanted everything together so I would only pay one shipping & handling charge. I had to research several places before I found one that had all 3 items and were at least partially discounted from the retail price. I placed the order which was immediately confirmed and then later marked "Awaiting Shipment".
Then I waited two weeks. The website said shipping would take 3-4 days. My credit card was charged within 48 hours of the order. Finally, I sent an email (they do not have a phone to lower costs) asking what the delay was and when I could expect shipment.
The next day I received a shipment tracking number and the package is on the way. I really hope it is everything I am expecting. My typical work week is going to be significantly lighter soon, for about 2 weeks, and I would love to be able to complete the tracklaying and at least start the electrical. I have a general idea but need to work out some specifics before then.
Getting exciting!

Ran out of track

I was very busy this past weekend. I knew my extra free time from work during the previous week was coming to an end, and I had a vision of what I could complete before Monday. I completed the second mainline through the Irwin Yard and the entire West Yard which had not been started. I also finished the passing track in East McKeesport and laid the final section of track from East McKeesport to the Irwin Yard.
Then I ran out of track.
Specifically, I ran out of switches. Fortunately, I planned things carefully enough that the mainline is complete (except for a small section from East McKeesport to the far track along the wall and the peninsula. I placed some old Peco switches and determined that 5 left hand switches, 8 sections of flextrack and 9 sections of cork roadbed would complete the track laying phase.
Then I can start wiring!

Passing track and front mainline complete

West Yard (foreground) complete with a long RIP track

Yeah, but...

As with most activities, the more you do, the more you learn. Sometimes that learning is constructive. Other times ... well, it's just learning.

Soldering the rail joiners on my last layout provided solid, electric connections.

• Yeah, but it sure is a pain to unsolder all those connections to reuse the track for my new layout!

Keeping a list of lessons learned is a great idea for the next layout - things like sanding the cork and painting it a ballast color, painting rust on the rails before I place them on the layout, etc.

• Yeah, but it's only useful is you ACTUALLY remember to review the list before you begin building!

A detailed trackplan is great to get the maximum track or maximum operations from the layout area.

• Yeah, but its a good idea to check it BEFORE you lay the track and forget to place the critical crossover! 

N scale cork on top of a sheet of cork is the perfect transition from HO cork mainline to the yard and provides the illusion that yard roadbed is shallower than the mainline.

• Yeah, but the cork sheet is a bear to glue down with bubbles and ripples plus it takes 3 N scale strips for an HO wide trackbed, 3 times the gluing and 3 times the pins to hold it in place!

There is nothing like a shop vac to clean off the pieces of solder, cork roadbed crumbles and scraps of plastic from shaving roadbed ties.

• Yeah, but that sucker will vacuum up the pieces of rail, rail joiners, tack spikes and small tools I thought were safely laying far enough away!

Rare Opportunity

This week, I found myself with a rare opportunity - work slowed down a little to afford me some personal time AND motivation to use that time to work on the layout. So far I finished the second mainline through Irwin yard and am almost done laying cork for the west yard - about 1-1/2 tracks to go. I also finished the mainline cork in East McKeesport and I hope to lay track to complete the entire mainline which is really just the connector from Irwin Yard to East McKeesport.
I've also been giving some thoughts to the operations and I started to sketch a schematic (linear diagram) of the layout so I can figure out the train movements. Irwin Yard, East McKeesport and Herminie (the coal mine) have been set for some time but the other side of the peninsula from Herminie was going to be Irwin proper but I think I will make it a separate small town near where I grew up. More on that to come.
The layout is coming along nicely.

New or used

Earlier this year I was on a roll, laying cork and track pretty much as fast as I could. Then I hit a snag. I had been using (or re-using) Altas #4 switches from the last layout. I had a lot of success with these. I found them reliable and easy to add manual Caboose Industries ground throws which I prefer over switch machines. Then, I ran out. I calculated that I needed 11 more switches to complete the layout and 8 of those to complete the mainline with switches needed in both Irwin and McKeesport.
I pulled down the box of Peco and Shinohara (now Walthers) switches that I had. These came the layout I built in the basement of our first home. At the time, I had read these were excellent switches (and they are) and of course I was building the layout to last a lifetime. I had 2 or 3 of these on the last layout and was disappointed in their performance. Because they were not isolated frogs, they would short on my DCC layout. I read a couple of techniques to fix this but I could not get any to work. Fortunately, these switches were only on sidings so they had little impact on my operations.
The question I pondered ... for several weeks ... was whether or to use the Shinoharas or buy more Atlas. To compound the issue, I needed 3 left hand and 8 right hand switches and it seemed most suppliers only had right hand in stock. Strange but true.
I finally decided to stick with the same switch - Atlas Code 100 #4, for the reliability, consistency (the other switches are slightly larger even though they are #4 too) and DCC friendliness. Yes, it was a little expense to buy new switches when I had several leftovers but in the end, I think I will be happier.
Now I can finish the second mainline through Irwin, connect it to the mainline leading to Herminie and finish the West Yard.

Weekend Progress

Made some serious progress over the weekend. All the roadbed in the east yard is down and I only need to add 2 track sections. Started laying the cork in the west yard. Most important, finished the mainline all the way around back to the east end of the yard. Only need to install the first switch on the south track through the yard and a short connector and I will have a complete loop.
Need to start thinking seriously about how I plan to wire the layout.

West yard is the foreground, east yard in the background

East McKeesport - the two tracks along the wall will be hidden behind mountains