Saturday 15 September 2018

Layout Cab ride

Layout Cab ride from North Staging around the layout to South staging



(If you are reading this in a email and cant see the video. The please go to the blog via the link for the video - Blog Page

Layout Shakedown

First layout Shakedown session

This week I invited the guys over to come and have a look at the progress of the build and to give the layout a run..

Overall the layout ran well. We had a few throttle issues where the throttle would pick up a different loco number randomly and render the loco that was being operated uncontrollable. This was unusual as it had not happened on the previous layout with all the same control systems and the same number of DCC components on the Loconet. Once the number of throttles (all DT400 or DT402D's) was reduced, as at one point I think we had 6 all running, then the issue seemed to go away. Odd...

Anyway, here are a few pictures of the session.
It is rather cozy in the railroad room with 7 of us. It will be a bit different when there is more switching happening and not just run through trains with no dispatcher.








John seemed to like to disappear into the staging / helix area. 


Here is a time lapse Video



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Looking Nice

Fascia install

The D&H carpentry crew have been hard at work and have installed the fascia on the lower and upper sections of the layout.
The upper sections have been roughed in for now in terms of the height of the fascia as the scenery in the locations is not yet decided.

Here are a few pictures of the finished product.









Now the fascia is installed, it is time to make turnout control panels for the turnouts. At present they are all connected to DCC turnout drivers so they can all be switched from the throttle.

Once the turnout controls are installed, then a few hutches will be created to be used by the operators to store card cards etc while switching trains in the towns.