Back to trains!

I thought it was about time to get back to talking about important stuff....model trains! The topic of the day is Direct Command Control, or DCC.

DCC is cool because you can independantly control several locomotices on the same track. This means that if I want to recreate the model train wreck from the Adams Family show, I can.

The controller puts a steady voltage (around 14 volts) to the track, and lays a digital signal on top of that. Each locomotive has a decoder chip installed, which is programmed with an address. The chip, and hence the locomotive, will only respond to signals addressed to it.

The system I am using is a fairly simple and inexpensive controller, put out by Bachmann, called the EZ DCC controller.

This controller will control ten locos, including one analog (DC) engine. While this system isn't sufficient for a basement empire, it works very well for small layouts where you're only runnning a few trains at a time anyway. The EZ DCC controller costs about $100 retail, but is easily available for half that, especially from some of the EBay model railroad stores.

Bachmann also markets the decoders for the locos. They are available for about $20 each, and come with either a standard NMRA 8 pin plug or pigtail ends for soldering the connections yourself.

Of course, if you want to spend more money, and you will, there are other manufacturers and systems available. There have been plenty of reviews, so I won't bother doing it here, but will mention that Lenz, MRC, and others all make good products.

Don't forget that moving to DCC brings you into the realm of onboard sound! That will be a topic for another entry.

Just some pondering...

What to blog about when you don't know what to blog about? That question has been on my mind for the last several days. I need to get on some new model railroading projects, maybe document the process of scratch-building a structure or explain a scenery technique or something.

I want to try and stay away from politics, since it just makes me mad, and I don't want to be "that blogger".

Not wanting to be "that blogger" is the reason I don't delve into religion either, though I could certainly expound on some gospel topics at some length. Some one send me a comment if you want that...

I'd tell you about my work...but then I'd have to kill you. Let's just not go there. Besides, if I mentioned half the crazy stuff that goes on around here, no one would believe me.

I will say that it disappointed and saddened me to find out when called in for an interview that was part of an investigation by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) that they were as interested in what rumors and gossip I had heard as anything else. The guy actually accused me of being "shady" because I didn't want to share gossip and rumor!

I'm excited about an upcoming family reunion this summer. I haven't seen any of my cousins since I was a kid (I'm almost 50 now), so this will be interesting. We're all going to meet at my aunt and uncle's farm in Midway, Utah. A beautiful place, if memory serves me right. Midway is just down the road from Heber City, Utah, where I spent many summers as a kid. In Heber, you can find the Heber Creeper. Check out the link here.

And, here is a picture of the Heber Creeper in Provo Canyon.

I've come to the conclusion that I'd rather drive on a trip than fly. At this point, it's probably cheaper, and takes about the same amount of time. We're going to drive to Utah for the family reunion, and I've already worked out that it's a bit over 15 hours driving time. Call it a day and a half, with stops. We might even make the side trip to Chama New Mexico to see the Cumbres and Toltec Railroad. Here is a link to their site.

Enought rambling for now. Maybe I'll come up with something worthwhile to write about next time...but then, maybe I won't!

Scenery!

I've started on the scenery, and it looks like it'll work out well. I have a 70 pound bag of general purpose sand that I got at Home Depot, and I bought a quart of paint that pretty much matches. So my scenery will have a kind of reddish hue.



I painted the ground and then sprinkled sand over it. I'll vacuum up the extra later. You can see a wet area where I had to add some sand to cover where I put card under the track. The grey rock in the background will get painted to match everything else.

First Run at Matthew's Mine

I got the wiring done, and decided to run a train around. Here is the video I made to commemorate the occasion.



Now that everything is running, I can start to work on the scenery, which is always the fun part.

I stuck a few buildings and people on the layout, just to have them there, and you can see where I have been doodling out hills and valleys.

I'll be posting more pictures as the scenery work progresses.

A short vacation coming up

Tomorrow, I head to the Dallas area for the annual Plano Model Train Show. My first stop will be in Denton, Texas to visit a store named "The Favorite Spot". This place is Bachmann On30 mecca, and I am planning on picking up quite a few new pieces there. Saturday, I'll be spending most of the day at the train show, and am looking forward to seeing some friends and running some trains.

I'll have a report, and probably some pictures when I get back....

Happy New Year!

I haven't had much to write about for the last week or so, but since it is New Year's Eve, I thought I'd write a few lines to let you know what I'm up to (train-wise, anyway).

Yesterday Trish and I went to the Santa Fe depot and packed up the Christmas Village and trolley she had on display for the annual Chritmas show. Today, I start taking down the On30 logging layout I have had on display for the last year.

I have a plan for a small (less than 2X4 feet) urban trolley layout, perhaps built on Saturdays at the depot as a demonstration. We'll see how that works. I've already found the track, trolleys, and buildings in boxes at the depot, and just need to create a base. Perhaps as it's built, I can remember to take a few pictures to post.

Anyway, that's my plan...

Happy New Year!

Bliss

Side Dump cars - Part 2

Here is the painted car with the Davenport loco.



Here is a picture showing one of the repainted cars next to an unpainted car.

Side-Dump Ore Cars

I have a set of Bachmann's Side Dump Ore cars. They come three in a box, and are ready to run. Each car scales out to be about 10 feet long, and they look really good with a small loco, such as a Porter or Davenport.

I was looking at mine the other day, and realized that they really need to look a bit more weathered and used. Out came the paint, and so far, I have painted and weathered one car to look like it has old wood with rusty black ironwork. I'll try to post a picture of the stock and modified cars together later this afternoon.

On30 Model Railroading thoughts

I have been an avid model railroader since I was a little kid. I've done all the major scales, and enjoy concentrating on rural, broken-down rail lines, especially logging and mining lines in the 1930s and 40s.

My most recent project has been an On30 modular layout, which has been on display at our local railroad museum for the last year. I have also been working on the other display layouts at the museum.

Here are a couple of pictures of my Davenport loco pushing a string of side-dump cars through a grade crossing.