Signals on the JMRI Panel

Signal set up.

This weekend I got stuck into defining all the signal heads and then signal masts for the panel and linked them to the outputs on the various driver boards under the layout. With a careful bit of planning, this went with out a hitch.

Then I added the signals to the panels and defined the logical order or connections between the signals.

Then some virtual testing was completed.

The signals work as expected apart from a mine issue where the highest aspect is approach medium. I cant get them to go full clear. I suspect this is something to do with speeds set on the blocks or turnouts. I spent a fair bit of time looking for the issue but it has eluded me thus far. I will place a post on the JMRI Groups.io page to seek assistance from the guru's.

Here is the panel as it stands today.

If you look closely, the signals on the main through Whitehall, Port Henry and Coopersville all show a yellow over green (Approach medium). In my mind, they should show Green over red. (Clear).

The below shows 2 routes with trains leaving both ends of the layout and set up for a meet at Plattsburgh.

Will continue to fault find the issue and keep the page updated.

More to follow once I fix the issue.

Then I can start testing my existing signal masts and then start installing them on the layout.

JMRI Panel update

All bout routes.

A little while ago I updated the arrows on the panel to make them easier to select with a mouse when setting routes. Here is a screen capture of the revised panel.

I'm still yet to add the signals to the panel.

Note the green is the routes set. So in this diagram, a train from the North staging can proceed to the loop at Plattsburgh and a train from the South staging can proceed to # 2 track in Whitehall.

More recently I have been busy adding SMD resistors to new metal wheels and then installing them into my rolling stock. I did have about 1/2 the cars with resistors now all the rolling stock on the layout has them. Should make detection even more reliable than it was.. (And it was reliable before).

More to come.

Plattsburgh paper Mill

More kit bashing

Over this weekend I managed to spend some more time kit bashing the main paper mill building and build some of the tanks for the mill also.

As per the power station, this building was made from 2 Walters Superior Paper kits.

The building on the left is for large rolls of paper that is shipped directly into 50 ft box cars. The doors on the building are spaced for 50 ft cars but 40 ft can be spotted there is uncoupled. The building on the right is part of the main mill building and has a loading dock for cardboard products into 40 ft and 50 ft box cars.

There is a lot more to do on these buildings in terms of pipes to cover the joins, adding windows and doors to it.. But these are the basic structures.

Here is the end product.

The large white roller doors are a new addition to the building and the surrounds will be painted concrete white the long white strip will be painted a timber colour to protect the building from the box cars.

I will make a low relief boiler recovery house on the right of the mill next to the tanks. As I have used the Superior Paper boiler house for my power station I will look to make a modern (well at least for Mid 1970) looking boiler house.

Stay tuned for the next update.

Heavy duty crane revised

Some height changes to the heavy duty crane at Fair Haven plant.

After a delivery of Evergreen styrene stock was delivered today and based on a suggestion from Rod re the height of the crane gantry. I modified what I had already built by reducing the height of the crane.

Here is the updated version.

The crane is probably still a fair bit of overkill for the plant, but will see how it looks once things are painted and dulled down a bit.

Building construction continues

More MEK....

Progress continues on the construction of buildings and more kit bashing.

This weekend I made a start on a heavy duty over head crane for Ball Metal Containers in Fair Haven. Unfortunately I ran out of H beam. So onto the web to order more. Here is the structure as it is today with more work to go.
I used old Peco bridge beams, (upside down) for the top sections.

Then onto Port Henry Doors. (ignore the label on the top of the building).
This is made up of a Walters Railcar restoration building and a DPM building.

This fits into the rounded corner and will take bulk head flats with sized timber and boxcars with glass, and ship completed doors in boxcars.

Then onto an additional office building and design studio for Lay-Z-Boy chairs.
This is made from a Walthers Branch's Candy

Then onto a very large power station for the town of Plattsburgh and for the paper mill.
This is made from 2 Superior paper kits and parts for the tan building.
There is more to go on this. I need to replace the roof as the material I used is too soft and warps and is not your usual evergreen plastic so does not glue well.. I need to order a number of evergreen sheets to fix it. I also need add a covered unloading bay for the coal cars.

All buildings will be painted, get windows and a number of roof top bits and pieces once painted.

More covid-19 lock down fun next week.

Ball Metal Containers Factory

More Buildings

For my second set of buildings, I made a start on Ball Metal Containers. This was a on line customer in Saratoga Springs on the D&H. I have moved the factory to Fair Haven and made it a bit older than the current plant.

The idea being that it will receive steel in rolls, in gons and ship out in box cars tin cans for the on line General foods in Port Henry. It will also receive cardboard from the Plattsburgh paper mill.

I plan to add a large heavy duty crane out the front to handle the steel rolls.
I have the crane, but need to make the gantry..

Here is the building, complete with curved dock.

I also read the comments from my last post and modified the Corner stone modular building I made to hide some of the joins. (Thanks Jason).

Now to see if I have the necessary plastic to make the crane gantry.

Kit bashing

Time to get started on kit bashing

This weekend I entered uncharted territory and started to build buildings and kit bash others to fit into the spaces I have. I have never got a layout to this point, and never kit bashed any buildings.. So all new for me. I like large industries that look like they are the size they should be so I planned to elongate some buildings to fir into spaces.

Here are the 1st few attempts.. The freight house is basically out of the box, the other two are elongated.

The buildings are not yet complete as the windows and roof details have not been added. I stopped at this point to enable me to get the feel of the building and the size and to make it easier to paint. Then the last details can be added.

This will be General Foods. Will receive cardboard, glass bottles, and tin cans (all on line industries) and then ship out packaged food to off line destinations.

This building was a DPM trackside transfer building that I elongated and changed the platform.

The second set of buildings will be Lay-Z-Boy chair manufacturing.
They will receive timber (off line) cardboard (on line) and ship chairs (offline).

The right building is a Walthers Water Street Freight terminal. The left building is a Walters Cornerstone modular building that is 2 level at the front and 1 level at the rear..
Again they are not finished. They are shells to enable me to see how they fit and then to paint the parts later and finish assembly.

Now onto the next set of buildings in Port Henry. Port Henry doors..