Journey of a thousand miles starts with a single chuff (redux)

Started by SteamGene, February 04, 2007, 06:45:57 PM

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Stephen D. Richards

Quote from: lanny on March 09, 2007, 06:54:14 PM
But surely Gene, your desiels are 'coal fired', right?

:-)

lanny nicolet

Gene, I know, your diesels are using fuel from the "Coal Liquification" plant, huh?       lol                 Stephen

SteamGene

Nah,
We'll have a tank up on stilts in South River Yard to allow the diesels to refuel via gravity.  Reminds me of the guy in the 1(8")/17 Arty in Korea who was topping off a ten ton ammo truck at night and wanted to see how much more gas he needed to add.  No flashlight, but he did have his Zippo.....
Gene
Chief Brass Hat
Virginia Tidewater and Piedmont Railroad
"Only coal fired steam locomotives"

Mike

Gene- If you're the steam C&O guy with the Grafton, VA, club, please contact me. I've found some drawings which might interest you.- Mike S.

SteamGene

Mike.
That's me.
Dass ist mir.
Yo, bro.
steamgene@cox.net

Gene
Chief Brass Hat
Virginia Tidewater and Piedmont Railroad
"Only coal fired steam locomotives"

Mike

Gene- I sent you an email. Not sure if it went through. Let me know.- Mike

Stephen D. Richards

Quote from: SteamGene on April 11, 2007, 09:06:06 PM
Nah,
We'll have a tank up on stilts in South River Yard to allow the diesels to refuel via gravity.  Reminds me of the guy in the 1(8")/17 Arty in Korea who was topping off a ten ton ammo truck at night and wanted to see how much more gas he needed to add.  No flashlight, but he did have his Zippo.....
Gene

Bet that lit up the night sky!  lol  I would venture a guess he didn't do that anymore either!      Stephen

SteamGene

Strangely enough he wasn't even hurt.  He was in a different battalion so I don't know if he had to pay for the truck and the 8" ammo on it.  It did light up the sky.  We saw it at a range of about five miles, I guess and thought the Air Force was dropping flares while looking for North Korean special operations troops trying to escape.
Gene
Chief Brass Hat
Virginia Tidewater and Piedmont Railroad
"Only coal fired steam locomotives"

Stephen D. Richards

Quote from: SteamGene on April 12, 2007, 08:10:08 AM
Strangely enough he wasn't even hurt.  He was in a different battalion so I don't know if he had to pay for the truck and the 8" ammo on it.  It did light up the sky.  We saw it at a range of about five miles, I guess and thought the Air Force was dropping flares while looking for North Korean special operations troops trying to escape.
Gene

Wow!  He didn't get hurt?  I would have thought the same thing....looking for infiltrators and the glow was flares!    Stephen

SteamGene

Question for the DCC guys.  I'm going to do four power districts:
1.  Staging yard
2.  east bound track to South River Yard/Leesboro
3.  South River Yard/Leesboro
4.  west bound track to staging yard

Each end of staging has a turnout to diverge exiting/entering track.
On the west is the track to Leesboro and the track to the reverse loop.
On the east is the track to Leesboro and the interchange track (which also goes to Leesboro) 

As a rule the maximum train length is 13 feet - locomotive, 20 40' cars and a caboose. 

Question:  Where should I end the staging yard and South River Yard power districts?  At the turnouts at the ends of the yard, or further on to allow the train to leave the yard before  leaving the yard power district?
Gene
Chief Brass Hat
Virginia Tidewater and Piedmont Railroad
"Only coal fired steam locomotives"

Mike

Gene- I'm not a DCC guy, but if you are switching the yard, you will need enough room in the district for the yard to hold a train on the switch lead for sorting the cars. At least that's the way we do it with the 1:1 "train sets". -Mike

ebtbob

Gene,

    I am not sure that this will help with your question about power districts,  but here is what I have on my HO railroad.  My main yard is one district.  At the west end,  the district ends where the yard ladder meets the main.    On the east end,  I have the same set up,  but there is about 5 feet of flex track between the last ladder switch and the switch connecting the yard to the mainline.
     Why did I do it this way.......just seemed like the thing to do,  most logical for me.   There is no better answer I can give ya.

Bob
Bob Rule, Jr.
Hatboro, Pa
In God We Trust
Not so much in Congress
GATSME MRRC - www.gatsme.org

SteamGene

Bob and others,
Here's what I've decided.  Each end of the staging yard has a switch.  On the east end one track is the mainline, the other represents another railroad (C&O) and an interchange track.  On the west end one is the mainline and the other the reverse loop.  On each end I've extended the power district on the mainline by one piece of flex track while on the interchange and reverse loop, it ends at the switch.  So the mainline becomes the yard drill track, if necessary. 
Chief Brass Hat
Virginia Tidewater and Piedmont Railroad
"Only coal fired steam locomotives"

SteamGene

Has anybody removed lettering from an Atlas plate girder bridge?  I just bought one lettered for Santa Fe and want to re-letter it for VT&P.
Gene
Chief Brass Hat
Virginia Tidewater and Piedmont Railroad
"Only coal fired steam locomotives"

Atlantic Central

Gene,

The real question with those new Atlas bridges is, are they painted and lettered, or just lettered on the black plastic?

If they are just lettered on the plastic, any common paint remover we use for stripping models should work. If they are painted, a light sanding on the lettering with 600 grit and a repaint may be easier.

Sheldon

SteamGene

Track work westbound now goes as far as the west switch at Bradyton, as the VT&P begins to climb the Blue Ridge.  Eastbound is on hold until the hidden reverse loop is done.  Work goes on with the reverse loop.
Gene
Chief Brass Hat
Virginia Tidewater and Piedmont Railroad
"Only coal fired steam locomotives"