A new layout!

[wiley209]

Great layout Wiley, what do you think of your Proto with the LL8 in it? I've been using DH165LO, but thought about trying the LL8.

So far it's pretty good. The headlights are the originals that came with the locomotive, and work really well with the decoder, so I don't have to replace any bulbs as the locomotive's instruction sheet described!

[Len]

I've used, and liked, both. The DH165L0 makes it easier to add sound with a "Sound Bug" unit, but I don't use a lot of sound units so it's not that big a deal to me. On the flip side, the TCS documentation is a lot easier to follow than most Digitrax instructions.

Len

[wiley209]

Been a while, but I have some updates to share over time...

I got a few new locomotives. First off is one from IHC:


It's their Premier series 2-8-0 Consolidation steam locomotive! If the body looks familiar, IHC reused TYCO's old 2-8-0/Chattanooga steam loco tooling, except it's obviously a much better runner, with a nice flywheel can motor, all-wheel drive, even the tender has electrical pick-up and a headlight on its back! I have since replaced the horn-hooks with knuckle couplers (an E-Z Mate coupler could fit easily into the tender's coupler pocket, but the front pilot required a small-hole coupler, but a Life-Like knuckle coupler did the trick nicely.


Walthers Trainline BNSF GP9M locomotive in the "Heritage I" paint scheme. I bought this at a train show in Wilmington, MA last March, and it even came with a decoder already installed! The previous owner even installed an LED headlight on the front.
As I said, one reason why the BNSF Railway is my line of choice for my model railroad is because, according to Wikipedia, its' assortment of locomotive colors make it one of the most colorful large railroads in North America.


Another Walthers locomotive, but this time it's an Amtrak F40PH in the "Phase III" paint scheme! I've always loved those locomotives in that paint scheme, as I used to see them a lot at South Station (I even remember seeing one pull an MBTA commuter train when I was younger!) It even has Operation Lifesaver markings, as I thought I wouldn't mind having a locomotive with them (I remember seeing an MBTA F40PH once with the Operation Lifesaver logo.)
I went with the Trainline version, for when I eventually install a DCC decoder in it, it's a relatively easy hardwire upgrade (compared to the old Bachmann Spectrum F40PHs!)
The Trainline F40PH is a little more upscale than their GP9M, with a reversing headlight and dual flywheels. There are even detail pieces you can apply (so far I put on the plow thingy, some truck details and the back railing.)

But now that I have more engines and a large layout, my trains seem to struggle a bit. I tried cleaning the track, and wheels on several locomotives, but it appears that the power for my E-Z Command unit may not be enough right now (just one amp.) SO, I ordered the E-Z Command 5-amp booster, since I figured I've had DCC for over a year now and am willing to upgrade it a bit more. (I might get a walk-around companion for it too, so I can have walk-around control and a second throttle.)

[wiley209]

Well, it turns out that the tracks need some more cleaning, hence the stalling, so I will do that. I still got the E-Z Command booster anyway, since I figured for a layout my size, one amp may not have been enough.

When I was doing a bit of maintenance (oiling and lubing) to my BNSF GP40, I was surprised by what I saw when I removed the shell:

It did not look much like the diagram that came with it. It even has flywheels! Maybe the DCC version is a little more upscale than the regular/train set version? I know my DCC Santa Fe FT doesn't have flywheels; maybe it's a little older than this GP40?

I also installed a decoder into my Amtrak F40PH, and it works pretty well.

With this consist, I can say if I were running a model train layout in the late 70s or early 80s, I probably would've gotten Bachmann's Amtrak F40PH and TYCO's Amtrak 72' passenger cars for it to pull (as I'm not too keen on TYCO's old Amtrak F9 or GG1, and Bachmann's Amtrak cars would be too big for the 18-radius curves.)


The Amtrak commuter train passing through the rail yard.

[wiley209]

Now that summer is over, I'm going back to my model train layout a bit more (I usually spend less time on it in the summer, and plus I've been helping out more with the model train museum's layout!)


Believe it or not, that TYCO Chattanooga GP20 is actually DCC-equipped, and has LED headlights and Kadee couplers! Normally I go for more prototypical locomotives for my layout, but I always thought that Chattanooga paint scheme looked cool. Definitely an interesting piece from what was once one of Bachmann's biggest rivals...


My current fleet of DCC-equipped locomotives. I may soon be getting an Amtrak Genesis locomotive of some sort (probably Athearn) and one of Walthers's brand-new Mainline Dash 8s.


An interesting kitbash I did; I took the body of a TYCO Santa Fe GP20 (1978 version), modified the inside a bit, and installed it on a 90s-style Mantua GP20 chassis. Not a bad runner so far, but the wheels may need a bit of cleaning (it's been a while since I ran it.)


There was a lot of Amtrak travel going on during the summer, with people going on long train trips and such.


Comparing my TYCO/Mantua Santa Fe GP20 and my Walthers Santa Fe GP9M, both in the red/silver "SuperFleet" colors.


A family camping near the woods on my layout. Hopefully they aren't woken up by passing trains (like when my family and I stayed at a hotel next to the railroad tracks in Old Orchard Beach, Maine!)


A freight train waiting for clearance on one of the switches.



A couple of rail yard shots.


As of yesterday, the kids are going back to school on my layout.


A "daytime" overview.



Some "dark" shots on my layout, showing the various lighted buildings and accessories, as well as the lighted Amtrak cars. I think some day I'll try some of those newer LED building light units by Bachmann.

I also got an E-Z Command walk-around companion for the layout as well; pretty neat stuff.

[wiley209]

Some more updates...



Sometimes you can't have too many rerailers!


This is the Amtrak train I currently run on my layout in most cases. The locomotive is a Walthers TrainLine F40PH in "Phase III" (with Operation Lifesaver markings) with a DCC decoder installed, and the cars are by TYCO. The first one is in a fictional blue-stripe paint scheme, and the other two are in "Phase I." I find them better for operating on a layout with 18" radius curves than Bachmann's Amtrak cars (the Amtrak cars by Athearn and Life-Like are also suitable for those curves.) At least they look cool being pulled by a more prototypical-looking Amtrak locomotive than what TYCO used to offer.




I've also been working on adding stripes and markings to my roads. They may not be totally realistic-looking, but it's an improvement over the blank roads. Most of the railroad crossing markings were done with a stencil I bought off walthers.com. (Next layout I do however, I might actually put some kind of material down for the roads instead of just painting on the plywood.)


Here's a sight you'd probably never see on the real railroads: a steam-powered freight train and a modern Amtrak diesel passenger train in the same area!


Another good use for the TYCO Pak on my control panel that I use for operating turnouts and action accessories is that I can hook up my Woodland Scenics Tidy Track Roto Wheel Cleaner to the DC terminals for cleaning my locomotives!


The Proto 2000 Santa Fe GP9 doing some yard work, moving a TYCO Santa Fe caboose.


Disaster occurs! Now normally a handcar can't cause a train wreck, but I based this off the early 90s Winnie-the-Pooh episode "The Good, The Bad and the Tigger," where at one point a speeding handcar collides with a runaway steam train, causing it to blow up!


My attempt at an auto-carrier train. Unfortunately, the Athearn auto-loader car has the problem where one of the coupler covers keeps falling off, messing up operation. So I am not running it right now. (I just linked the TYCO auto-loader to my main BNSF freight for now.)


Here's another locomotive I got recently. It's another Walthers Trainline Dash 8-40BW in Warbonnet colors, but it has the "Santa Fe" markings on the sides, small BNSF patches under the road numbers and the orange BNSF AC unit, LED headlights (no headlight on the rear yet), even a DCC decoder already installed! (I believe it's a TCS T1.) A real steal if you ask me 


One of my current freight train setups, with the Santa Fe warbonnet locomotive. Except for that and the Walthers caboose, the rest of the rolling stock is TYCO!


The train backs into the TYCO piggyback terminal to drop off one of the BN trailers...



The TYCO freight-unloading depot in action.


One BNSF freight waiting for the other to pass so it can pull onto the main line...

[Len]

If the coupler cover that keeps falling off is the metal type, with a hole over the mounting hole in the pocket, there is a simple fix. Use a #50 drill bit to drill through the post, tap the hole with a 2-56 tap, install the coupler and cover, then run a 2-56 screw in to hold it all together.

Len

[jbrock27]

What length screw Len?

[Joe323]

Wiley:

What type of track are you using and how is it fastened to the plywood?

[wiley209]

Wiley:

What type of track are you using and how is it fastened to the plywood?

I am using mostly Atlas Code-100 nickel-silver snap track, fastened to the plywood with track nails. Did it the old-school way! One of the two lighted bumpers is a TYCO Tru-Steel bumper, and the other is a Life-Like nickel-silver lighted bumper track (they started making nickel-silver Code-100 track early last year.)

[Joe323]

Thank you! Did you find it hard nailing the track directly into the plywood.  I ask because I am thinking  of doing the same thing on my new layout (The New Staten Island West coming in 2016) but using atlas code 83 track since I have newer equipment I was wondering if it would be a good idea to laminate some pink foam or homosote to the plywood bench work. My concern is that the softer material won't grip track nails sufficiently.

[Len]

What length screw Len?

1/8" - 3/16" should work fine.

Len

[Joe323]

One other question would that tyco unloader work with more modern 40' containers?

[jbrock27]

Thank you Len.

[wiley209]

One other question would that tyco unloader work with more modern 40' containers?

I don't think it would. The containers need to have kind of a ridge on the top for the crane to grab them. This only works with TYCO's post-1978 trailers.

Here's some more new stuff...


Doing some cleaning with my new Walthers Trainline track-cleaning boxcar.
I know Bachmann makes one, but I was tight on money at the time and opted for the Walthers one. I also noted Atlas makes one as well, and I saw that AHM, IHC and Life-Like had made them in the past, yet this is one thing TYCO never made!


Once again it's autumn on the layout. (Then again, it's ALWAYS autumn with the trees in that area!)


A yard worker shouts up to the locomotive crew...


Two of my trains in the dark. The Amtrak train especially looks neat...


My new traffic light setup! The hanging one is a Walthers Cornerstone 4-way traffic signal. I plan to get a Walthers traffic light controller to hook it up to soon, along with maybe an additional signal for one part of the intersection. The horizontal fire station signals are TYCO blinking traffic lights! (Maybe I'll even wire them up so they flash on and off like the real ones do.)


A slightly-longer double-header freight train!


Another configuration for my DCC BNSF Warbonnets. They're on the same address, so I can run double-header trains like this.


My TYCO Corner Drug Store is now illuminated! When I bought it back when I was building my current layout, there wasn't an opening in the bottom of the base, but the roof was removable. I didn't attempt to install interior lighting in it until today; I drilled a small hole in the base and into the table, stuck a Model Power peel-and-stick light onto the ceiling, ran the wire through the hole, wired it up to one of my "accessory" power packs (already powering some of the lights), and it was all set! It does make a difference, especially with the interior detailing.


A shot showing some of the illuminated buildings and accessories on my layout.