June 2020 Journal

Trackwork

6/21/2020 - I installed the six Tortoise drives in sections U05-U06 after first prewiring them. I thought I was going to have to cut the 1x4 support piece, but then had a brainstorm -- all I had to do was to unfasten the support piece, slide it out of the way, and then resecure it after putting the Tortoises in. Easy peasy. I need to finish wiring the other four DPDT switches before I finish the installation. I think I will also cut fascia pieces so that I only have to cut a single hole through the fascia and 1x4 for the DPDT switch to be installed. 

Electronics / JMRI

6/1/2020 - As part of the JMRI installation, I soldered extension feeder wires to the six detection coils that need to be installed in the helix. Two of them will go into the new block 300 that I need to create, two will go into block 304, and two will go into block 305. This will bump the number of helix blocks up to 12 -- six in either direction. While this seems like a lot, it's really not. Each lap around the helix is 16-17 feet long, which is comparable to other blocks on the railroad. These blocks are longer since the trains will be running at "mainline speed" here, so having longer blocks works fine. 

6/7/2020 - I finished installing the feeders in the helix and getting them hooked up to the detection coils. I also took care of splitting what was block 301 into block 300 and 301. Block 300W and 300E now cover the track from the wall to the back of helix. After programming the Watchman board, it appeared in JMRI and I was able to add the remaining indicator tracks. 

In looking at the panel, there is a "temporary" link between block 204 (on the south wall) to blocks 305W/305E. In addition, on the lower deck, block 104 connects to block 300. This is only temporary until the peninsula is added onto the layout. At that point, there will likely be blocks 104-110 and 204-210, depending on how I lay out the track and blocks. 

Because there is a temporary link, I moved the indicator tracks for blocks 300-305 so that they connect with the turnout at the end of block 204. However, when I did that and started running trains through, it looked like the train was jumping from westbound to eastbound track. After I looked at the track, I realized that I actually had a right-hand switch and not a left-hand switch. Oops. Once I adjusted that and slid the tracks down, the train went where I thought it should be. 

Here's a snapshot of the new dispatcher panel as it stands now:

6/9/2020 - I did some work on cleaning up some kinks in the helix and adding the remaining feeders. After that, I tackled wiring up the microscopic DPDT switches for use with the Tortoises in the Glenwood (U5-U6) switching district. After a few failures, I figured out that I could bend the tabs out slightly to provide some extra space for the wires. I also soldered wires onto the 6 Tortoise drives that will be installed in this area. 

NMRA Achievement Program

6/5/2020 - After many hours of operating sessions, I finally got to the point of having more than enough hours for the Chief Dispatcher achievement. I had been putting off writing up all of the additional documentation on the layout, which is all documented here on the requirements document. 

While some of the NMRA requirements are focused on timetable-driven operations, going through the process did make me think about how the operations would work. A few things I learned/decided:

• The mileage I was originally planning was way more than was appropriate for my layout. Originally, I was looking at Minneapolis to Minot, which was around 450 miles. Instead, I adjusted the layout down to a much smaller portion of the CP mainline, about 240 miles. 
• For my branchline, I figured out that I could use the Twin Cities & Western railroad as the towns on that line. I have a pretty reasonable connection on the track schematic to connect the main to the branch, as well. 
• It made me think about the sequence of trains, especially now that I've gotten my car card system in place. 

I wrote up my documents and submitted them for review, so hopefully in a few weeks (or months), I'll have my second achievement certificate. 

May 2020 Journal

Trackwork

5/14/2020 - I finally came up with a design for the industrial/switching district in section L5. After ordering a few more turnouts, I laid the track and I'm happy with the overall design.

This photo shows where the industries can fit into this track arrangement.

Based on a suggestion from my friend Brad, the siding at the top will actually enter the building that's going into that space, plus there will be room on the outside for a few more car spots. The bottom track towards the left is primarily space for pulling cars out of the siding to the right, but once I get some power on the track, we'll see how many cars I can reasonably pull at once without having to move the cars to the left.

5/18/2020 - After the glue dried, I finished the section by adding feeders into all the track segments and between the various turnouts. I hadn't soldered in a while and the first joints showed, but I got the hang of it after a few bad connections. Once all the wiring was done and tested, I grabbed some cars from the main yard and put them into place. It looks like I'll be able to fit 19-20 cars in the district without losing the maneuverability to hit all the tracks. Here are some photos of the finished area.

Wiring/DCC

5/19/2020 - After getting the industrial district done, I went back to the helix room to diagnose my detection issue. The helix will have a total of 12 detection blocks, 6 in each direction, starting at 300W/300E and going up the helix to 305W/305E. When I last worked on this, I was getting what seemed like false readings on 302 that wouldn't go away. I went down some rabbit holes about whether the coils were too close, the wires were crossed, etc. After disconnecting the bus wires from the terminal strip, I had an engine continue running even when its bus wire was disconnected. I then proceeded to remove the other side's bus wires one by one and found that I had mixed up one pair of feeders. After making that fix, the detection started working properly again. 

I managed to get both sides of blocks 301, 302, 303 wired up with detection coils and got them connected to the Watchman board. In addition, I happened upon the Indicator Track feature in Panel Pro and replaced the somewhat awkward icons/lights with indicator tracks. The panel looks so much better doing this. I also got a reminder of JMRI's web server feature, which is also accessible from the mobile application. This made it a lot easier to test the detection since I didn't have to keep running out to the computer.

Unfortunately, I ran out of red 20 gauge wire and I'm running low on 3M suitcase connectors, so I'll have to wait a few days to restock my supplies. That's the first spool of 500 feet that I've run through, not sure if I'll need another one after the second spool, but we'll see. I get all my wire from Del City since you can order a variety of colors individually. 

The next steps are:

• Split block 301 into two blocks -- block 300 will cover the track from the entry to the helix room around to the back wall of the helix.
• Add feeders to block 300W and 300E and connect up the detectors to the Watchman board, which will finish out the 8 connections on that board. 
• Program another Watchman board to accommodate blocks 304-305W/E and future blocks that will go into the peninsula. This board will be installed in the upper deck section prior to entering the helix, since that puts it in easy reach of peninsula blocks when I get those built. 

5/25/2020 - I spent today working on wiring for the lower deck. First, I extended the RR-Cirkits Simple Serial Bus (SSB) from the boards under the main yard around the corner to the staging yards on the north wall. I then extended the Tortoise power bus, since the RR-Cirkits Motorman boards require secondary power from a power supply. I added 22 gauge wires to each of the six Tortoise drives at my work bench, since that's far simpler than trying to solder under the deck.

After that, I was able to get the lower deck's Motorman board programmed and throwing the turnout that was previously installed under the first turnout in the throat. I installed a few more Tortoise drives and got those connected to the Motorman board. I still haven't figured out a good way to install Tortoise drives with only one pair of hands, but being able to throw the turnouts via the Engine Driver app is far easier than running back and forth to the computer.

In JMRI, I added those turnouts to the panel and after swapping the two power wires on the Tortoise drives, got them in sync with the panel. Since I've got three of the 7 turnouts wired now, I could try out the Routes feature of JMRI. This lets me create a route, say IR105 for staging track 5, and trigger it from the control panel or an Engine Driver throttle. This is simpler than having to throw all the turnouts individually. I still need to figure out how to put a button of some sort on the panel to trigger the route, but the basic logic works nicely.

The next step here is to finish the remaining four turnouts and get them wired into the Motorman board. In JMRI, I'll add routes for all eight staging tracks. After that, I'll wire up the Tortoise drives on the upper deck, although I first need to rework the yard entry using the double crossover I found in Minnesota last year. 

5/27/2020 - I wired up two additional Tortoise drives in the lower staging yard this evening. I also created the other routes so that I have one route per track in the lower yard. For the upper yard, since there will be a double crossover at the entrance, I'll end up with two sets of routes: one set to reach all eight tracks from the inbound/westbound main and one set to reach the tracks from the outbound/eastbound main. 

5/28/2020 - I finished wiring the last Tortoise drives in the lower staging yard and tested out all the JMRI routes. It's nice to have that work done. 

5/30/2020 - I finished wiring up the remaining Tortoise drives at the "west" end of the main yard and got them all connected up to JMRI. I can now control the entire yard from the dispatcher panel. I am planning to do a "proof-of-concept" with the push buttons to control the crossovers locally, as well. The idea is that the yardmasters will be able to use these controls as needed, but they're also available for the dispatcher to use. 

The lower deck JMRI control panel now looks like this, for now:

5/31/2020 - I soldered feeder wires onto six detection coils to be installed in the helix. I also "discovered" that I had a staple gun in my toolbox and replaced all the unreliable duct tape with staples to secure all the feeder wires. This cleans up the wiring quite a bit and lets the detection coils stay securely in place. 

Operations

5/26/2020 - I've been working on software that ties into my train management/inventory system that was showing promise in terms of random train generation, but after thinking how much computer interaction there would be, the ongoing tracking of car numbers, etc. I decided to give that up and switch to the car order system that Dan Hinel, Hank Tenwolde, Mike Wolf, and others are using. In this system, you deal with the type of car and focus on the car spots on industry tracks. The system is self-repairing and simpler since you are only looking at car types, not car numbers. While I'll still have a database of all my cars and locomotives, the computer won't be needed for car/train management during a session. 

I went through my three industry districts and identified 55 car spots and chose various types of cars to fill those spots. After the car is picked up at the location after loading/unloading, those cars will be sent out on either eastbound or westbound manifest freight trains. This simulates the load leaving the layout going to some other location and helps rotate car usage. 

I then ran trains to all three districts to adjust the cars on each of the industry spots and brought the remaining cars back to the main yard. The next step is to rotate the cards -- setouts become pickups, holds remain holds for one "turn" -- and then run local trains to pick up the cars that need to be moved. After that, I'll run manifest trains in either direction to pick those cars up and then I'll have a corrected car cycle to continue with. It'll be more interesting as I build out the peninsula and the additional twelve switching districts I'm anticipating, but this system lets me start operating on my own without having to constantly refer back to the computer. It's ironic that as a software developer that I'm choosing a manual system over a computerized one, but I'm looking more at the ongoing maintenance and choosing a simpler system. 

NMRA Achievement - Model Railroad Author

My first NMRA Achievement arrived in the mail today, the Model Railroad Author achievement. The points came from a split between this blog and my articles in OpSIG's Dispatcher Office publication, which I edit. For more information about the requirements for this achievement, visit this site. 

September 2019 Journal

Operations

9/5/2019 - I had a few friends over tonight to run trains, and I was pleasantly surprised how well everything ran. There are a few known issues on the layout, but they actually didn't find any additional ones. We did find that a few of the locomotives need to have their couplers switched to longer shank versions so that their walkways don't hit each other, but that's easy to take care of. We also ran into the somewhat obvious problem that you can't run all the trains out of one staging yard without taking an equal number from the other.

I have a few more sessions planned for the next few weeks where we'll do some more switching of trains/cars and I hope to have some more of my punch list items (especially Tortoise installation) done prior. It's good to have these sessions to keep up a little bit of healthy pressure to make progress on that list. 

Trackwork

9/5/2019 - As part of my punch list cleanup, I fixed a nasty kink that developed on the upper level of my helix. All the trains were derailing on it prior to the fix. I drilled some track nail-sized holes in the flex track, used a SweepStick to align the track, and put a bunch of track nails through the plastic ties. This got the track back into alignment and the derailments were no more. 

DCC/Electronics

9/3/2019 - I did a little bit of work tonight reinstalling the Digitrax UR92 wireless panel temporarily on the upper deck, where it will get less interference with people standing next to it. I also pulled out one of the standard Digitrax UP5 panels and investigated all the extra connections on it. While I didn't install the "keep alive" wire to it, I did add the track power indicator wires and connected it to my bus. Now when the power is on, the center light turns on. It's an easy way to tell that power is on if all the engine sounds are turned off. 

9/4/2019 - I knocked a few items off my punch list tonight -- connecting block 101 to the Watchman detector board, and fixing a crossover turnout wire that had gotten dislodged. I also decided to start running LocoNet wires so that I could install the remaining UP5 panels strategically around the layout. While I expect most people to use wireless throttles, certain things still work better with wired throttles, like switching yards and consisting/etc. locomotives. I installed a total of 6 panels on the lower deck and cut the connector cables between them. It took a little while to remember how you had to cut the wires to the 6 pin connectors, but once I got rolling, I got all the panels installed and wired to the layout. When I get the fascia cut and installed, the panels will be reinstalled on the fascia in their permanent locations, but the wires are long enough to allow me to move things around.

9/8/2019 - I was working on adding a new Tortoise drive to the upper deck mainline. In the process, I had turned on the power for the lights/DCC/etc. While I was working, I started smelling something strange, like burning plastic. I tracked the smell back to my Digitrax DT400 throttle and immediately turned everything off. Over the next few days, I worked with Digitrax support to determine that the command station and other hardware were OK, but the throttle got smoked. In addition, the computer interface seems to have gone south. Luckily the command station tested out OK, as did the UP5s and my Digitrax wireless UR92 device. Digitrax has great support and said they'd repair the throttle for $25, as opposed to buying a new one for almost $200.

The downside is that until I get the computer interface working, I can't really operate since all the turnouts are JMRI controlled. Hopefully I'll be back up and running in the next few weeks.

9/24/2019 - Got an email back from Digitrax acknowledging receipt of my throttle, but notifying me that it would be 60 days to get it back. They are blaming last year's hurricane for the delay. At least my LocoBuffer-USB will be back quicker, at which point I can turn on and off the layout without the big throttle. I'm borrowing one for now, but a lot of my punch list items are related to programming and wiring components to my RR-Cirkits components.

Givens and Druthers

If you've never heard the term before, the "givens and druthers" are the rules that you have made for how your railroad will be built and operated. It also describes what you're planning to model and perhaps even how you're planning to build the layout.

Setting

The Northstar Subdivision (NS Sub) is modeling the Canadian Pacific and BNSF mainlines from the Minneapolis/St. Paul area up to the northwest into North Dakota. While these two railroads have separate mainlines in reality, I have "merged" the two lines into a single mainline. Besides CP and BNSF, the railroad also interchanges with the Union Pacific and Canadian National railroads, as it does in real life. Pool power from other railroads will also make an appearance on the NS Sub. 

That said, when I first learned about operating sessions at the Purdue Railroad Club, each operating session would change the layout locations into a different railroad. As the scenery will be generic Midwest scenery, there's no reason that the destinations along the railroad could not be another region of the country. For instance, we might run from Chicago to Iowa on the Union Pacific, or somewhere on another railroad. The only real requirement is that there is enough motive power for the railroad to be realistic. 

Train Types

There will be both freight and passenger trains on the railroad. Amtrak's Empire Builder will traverse the route to and from Seattle. We'll also take some liberty with reality and have VIA Rail trains going from the Twin Cities to Winnipeg, as well as a Canadian Pacific "heritage" train that can make the rounds as a fan trip. I will also be hosting some truly foreign engines, as I'm a fan of German Rail (Deutsche Bundesbahn) trains. We'll ignore the pesky fact that those trains are electric and chalk it up to hidden third rail. This will be another fan train owned by a museum somewhere along the line. Passenger trains will get priority on the NS Sub, unlike in real life. 

I'm also planning to add some passenger stations to the railroad, although I don't think I have space for a large passenger terminal. Passenger train crews will be required to make station stops during their journeys. 

Freight trains will be broken into three categories:

• Run-through trains with no switching -- intermodal and unit coal trains for starters. 
• Manifest freight trains that will switch cars only at yards.
• Local trains that will work industries. 

Manifest freight trains do not work industries. They drop and pick up cars at yards only. Locals are responsible for moving those cars to and from the industry tracks. There will be far more rail-served industries than likely exist in real life, but as this is primarily an operations-focused railroad, that's to be expected. Freight trains arriving at the main yard will need to take their power to get serviced, as the yard represents a major stop on each train's trip. 

There may also be "special" trains that inject variety into the operating session, such as work trains that block a particular part of the line. 

Standards

• Atlas code 83 track - concrete color for mainlines, wood color for all other track
• Mainline turnouts - #8, all other turnouts
• Minimum radius on visible track: 30"
• Maximum train length is governed by staging yard track lengths, but 11-12' is roughly the maximum length. 
• Mainline track blocks are all detected through JMRI and RR-Cirkits products. 
• Mainline turnouts will be controlled both from dispatcher's panel (via JMRI) and with lineside pushbutton controls. The pushbutton controls will be considered out of service during operating sessions if a dispatcher is present. 
• All mainline turnouts and turnouts that are out of easy reach will be powered using Tortoise drives. 
• Layout will eventually be signaled through JMRI and RR-Cirkits products.
• Wiring Standards - See this article
• Benchwork Construction - See this article 
• Visual indicators will be added to the layout to help identify the block divisions. 

DCC

• Digitrax DCC is the command system in use on the layout. 
• JMRI is also installed, allowing for Wi-Fi throttles. 
• Yard operators will have wired utility throttles (UT4) for responsiveness. 
• UT4D throttles are already available for operators to use. 
• Command throttles (DT400, DT500, etc.) should be restricted to avoid programming issues during an operating session. 

Motive Power

• Each locomotive will be assigned an engine card with instructions on how the DCC functions work. Engines that are consisted will have their cards clipped together with the addressable engine card on top. 
• In general, locomotives will be assigned in pairs for manifest freight trains. Locals may use single engines if they don't have to traverse the helix or if the train is less than 10 cars. 
• Engines will all have reversing headlights, which helps determine if the locomotive is answering to DCC commands. 
• Engines with sound will have their sound turned down so that an engineer walking along side can hear it, but so that it can't be heard across the room. 
• Engines should be muted when they are not in use, either through the appropriate command function or through a kill switch on the track. 

Signals

• While hooded signals are more modern, ensure that they are easily visible from the engineer's point of view. May need to angle them slightly out towards the aisle, or install "repeaters" on the fascia. 
• We are not following a particular prototype for signals. Most signals in the Midwest use the colors and not positions for their indicators. Some Canadian signals use a single multicolored light, but the specific signals used on the layout will be dictated by what models are available for purchase. 

August 2019 Construction Journal

Benchwork Construction

8/5/2019 - I glued down the cork on the last lap of plywood in the helix. I'll let it dry before adding the cork.

8/13/2019 - I got the track secured to the cork on the last lap of plywood. The next pieces will go across the connector to the wall. I also found that I'll need to continue the grade up to the wall so that trains can get underneath the last piece of plywood.

8/22/2019 - I got module L10 installed, which is the lower deck section that connects to the east wall yard sections. I had to add a backdrop to it and adjust the supports so that it fits nicely on the shelving brackets. I also cut wiring holes through the crosspieces and bolted it to section L9. I also found that the short sections I cut to finish the benchwork to the helix room are about an inch short, so I need to rebuild those.

8/25/2019 - I got the lower two modules in the main room and completed the benchwork in the helix. Once I got that done, I laid caulk and put down the roadbed. While there will be a peninsula extending from south wall prior to the helix room, I can always pull the track up at that point.

8/26/2019 - I added the mainline track extending from L9 into L10, and then prepped additional track pieces for the next round of tracklaying.

8/27/2019 - I finished the track connecting to the helix, plus finished the west-end yard lead. I was going to add a double crossover near the tunnel into the helix room, but once I laid it out, there was not going to be enough room. The track coming out of the tunnel will eventually be curving down the peninsula and there wouldn't have been enough room to fit both turnouts in. I will likely have some sort of switching district on the adjoining side of the peninsula and it can incorporate a pair of crossovers.

8/28/2019 - I added a set of feeders to the track on the south wall and was able to successfully run the two trains out of the helix back to the rest of the railroad. I also took a full-length freight train (16 cars, 1 engine) from the lower staging yard all the way up the helix. It only had one engine (Proto SD60) and did pretty well. I'm not sure if it was spinning its wheels or if I was getting some power dropout on one part of the loop, though. I'm planning to run dual engines to make it easier to turn power, but it's good to see that the 2% grade isn't too daunting. Once I get the peninsula underway, I'll rewire the feeders to enable detection on this block of track, but for now, it's fine to be able to run trains on.

8/31/2019 - I completed the plywood subroadbed around the layout, including the connectors to the helix. I also laid cork for track installation but ran short of cork roadbed.

DCC/Electronics

8/28/2019 - Since I figured out that I was going to need five sets of feeders for the helix, I replaced the two four-gang blocks with a single ten-gang block. I started by cutting jumper wires to connect each terminal to the next one, and the result was a bit of a mess.

I found some purpose-built terminal block jumpers and the result has a much cleaner (and probably more reliable) appearance.

September 1st, 2019 - Mainline Construction Completed

At long last, the connection between the upper and lower deck is complete and trains can traverse the entire mainline. I've decided to do a lot of finishing work on what's been completed prior to starting the peninsula, including:

• Powered turnouts in staging yard and on mainline, including fascia-mounted controls
• Fascia installed and painted
• Ground throws, where I'm not using PECO turnouts
• I'm also considering starting scenery, including ballasting track, lineside buildings, etc. 

The peninsula will add a lot more switching opportunities, but having this phase of the layout completed will let me start having shake-out operating sessions and make some needed fixes/improvements to what I've built so far. I have a very busy fall coming up, so I'd rather focus on what I've built so far, enjoying running trains, and perfecting the known bugs. Having additional people come run trains on it will also help shake out bugs, since every software developer knows that users find bugs far faster than you do. 

Construction Timeline

I went back through my Facebook posts to get an idea of how long it took to build the layout so far. Based on when I posted pictures, descriptions, etc. and allowing for some notable gaps in construction due to life events, it looks like it took about 14 months of construction over two and a half years. The false start in 2016 was preceded by basement painting and some family medical issues that took precedence. 

Phase 1: Test Phase

During phase 1 of construction, I did a lot of research into how to build the layout, how to construct the modules, and so on. I ended the phase by completing the first few modules and getting them (roughly) installed on the wall. This also let me confirm heights and viewlines.

Jul 16-20, 2016 - Initial lumber cut and first modules constructed
Apr 21, 2017 - May 11, 2017 - U1 installation

Phase 2: Outside Walls and Helix

I next built the sections to be installed on the north, east, and south walls of the basement, both upper and lower deck. I built the upper deck first and then built the lower deck.

Oct 2017 - U1-U3 completed
Nov 2017 - U4 (Sump room connector), U5-U8 construction
Dec 2017 - U5-U8 construction
Apr 2018 - L1-L3 construction
May 2018 - L5-L9 construction
Aug 2018 - L4 (Sump room connector) construction
Sep 2018 - L4 construction, L1-L3 track
Nov 2018 - L1-L3 track, L5-L9 track
Dec 2018 - L5-L9 track
Jan 2019 - engine facility
Jun 2019-Aug 2019 - helix and south wall benchwork
September 1, 2019 - Mainline construction completed, first trains run between staging yards

Phase 3: Peninsula

The final phase of construction will be to build a double-deck peninsula originating from the south wall, running parallel to the east wall. This peninsula will add a number of industries and switching districts to make operating sessions more interesting. However, I'm not planning to start building that until I've gotten a lot more of the work done to "finish" the phase 2 sections.

Current Layout Photos

I've been making a habit of taking pictures along the way during construction, since photos can often help explain how someone else can take from what I've done for their own layout. These photos show each of the sections of the layout, as they exist in September 2019. The sections are shown in order from east staging (lower deck) to west staging (upper deck).

L1-L3 - Lower Staging

U4, L4 - Utility room connector

L5 - Switching district TBD

U5-U6 - Interchange yard (left), Industry sidings (right)

L6 - Mainline and East Yard Lead

L6/L7 - East Yard Throat

L8 - East End of Yard

L9 - West End of Yard

L9 - Engine/Maintenance Facility, L10 - South Wall connector

L11, U11 - South Wall Connector

U11 - South Wall Connector

U12, L12 - Helix Connectors

L12 - Helix Connector

Helix (without upper level connector installed)