A Few Simple Repairs

 Yesterday, for a brief shining instant, trains were running on the Nodaway Valley Railroad.

Yes, I finally got the final track wiring accomplished and then I ran some trains. I found a dead piece of track that needed feeders and a few turnouts that needed to be tuned up, but I was able to run a cleaning train around a few times.

I then broke out the Bachmann 4-8-4 locos. These are almost magical in their ability to find flaws in trackwork, and boy did they find them. A few of the issues were due to wheel guage, which was quickly fixed, but two (three) major issues were soon found to be a problem.

Due to my desire to have a turning Y for the narrow gauge, I created a stretch of dual gauge trackage approximately 5 feet long. This dual gauge trackage led eventually to the coal processing plant where it turned back into a standard gauge yard. Due to the placement, the main line was forced into a tighter curve, 12" where originally 15" was planned.

On the beginning of a hill.

So two model railroad no-no's in one short stretch of track.

I made the decision this morning to tear out the dual gauge and replace the Y with a narrow gauge turntable, which means I will have to purchase and modify another Peco N scale turntable for that end of the narrow gauge. This will allow me to broaden the standard gauge curve going into the coal plant (thus eliminating another future headache), which allows me to install the 15" curve on the main that I wanted in the first place.

Still on a hill, but at least the broader curve will be less of an issue.

In the process I will be eliminating a siding that I had installed for a joint train station for the standard and narrow gauge railroads, but I won't miss it. This gives me an additional opportunity to smooth the vertical transition more than it is, which eliminates another issue since the vertical transition was co-located with the beginning of the curve.

You can see why I had issues there.

While I'm at it, I am going to eliminate the two passing sidings on the hill. I had added them in as an afterthought, one on each incline, and the turnouts are problematic because of the vertical distance the throwbar actuator had to travel. 

The Northerns had problems with derailing their pony trucks on these turnouts, and since I don't really need them they can go away. This will also give me some room to put scenery on the wall next to the incline since there will only be one track instead of two.

I will re-test the mainline when these repairs are complete, and I'm expecting better results.

Starts and Stops

Thursday I was supposed to get a visit from the plumbers to do some major work. They had to beg off, so instead I tackled the wiring on the layout (which I was going to do regardless, since I wasn't going to irritate the professionals).

After eight hours of continuous labor, I was able to get blocks 1 through 4 and 6 through 11 wired from the track to what will become the control panel connector. In a real sense that means the main part of the standard gauge is done; all that is left is the mountain loop (block 12), the dual gauge section (blocks 5 and 14), and the coal washing plant yard (block 15).

The mountain loop is one continuous run with one siding (block 13). I will have to wire about three drops for the continuous section, but the drop for the siding is done. Two dual gauge turnouts have to be built and installed along with the rest of the dual gauge track before the coal plant standard gauge yard can be laid and wired. 

The common rail has continuity all the way around the standard gauge section, and the common rail for the coal plant yard will be wired into this continuous section. The common rail for the dual gauge section, however, will be wired through a switch so that it, along with the dual gauge approach block can be switched between standard and narrow gauge.

I haven't even begun to attempt the yard design. It occupies a blank section on my layout map labeled "Here Be Dragons" beyond the two turnouts that will lead to it. Whatever it ends up being, it will occupy a 28 inch by 8 foot section of bench work that has already been built. The narrow gauge portion at least has a solid plan, but it will have to wait until I complete the rest of the standard gauge section. Time will tell which of these sections (yard or narrow gauge) will be built first. 

One day I will take a picture of my doodles so that you can see what blocks are where and how they connect, but today is not that day.