Hi .. I wish to thank everyone for putting up and helping me with my (now silly) prob with locating photos.. What I believe I was doing was that I happened to open 2-3 member's posts in 'shutterbug' which just happened to be the ones where their pix were no longer available (I assume due to the website crash in BB prior [is it ?] program ...'CN Nutbar' posts are an example. 
Today I am finding lots of pix. I was simply doing the old 'new member' dance and being impatient ...
I haven't as yes found any videos, only stills.. But I am sure I'll come upon them soon, too...

Thanks again for all the attention. I think I'll be OK now....M, Los Angeles

Hi all. i just became a member a few days ago !..I don't seem to understand what the steps are to view pix/vids. I go to a post which displays them. But nearly every time I click them, 'photo unavailable' comes up... I love seeing layouts and their trains. What steps am I seemingly missing to accomplish this ? Where do members' shots open up whether they be stills or YouTube vids..? Might it be because I'm still a hobo in the group ?
Thanks, Mark, Los Angeles

Using two SPDTs, what's the proper way to wire them so that that one yard (south) can be operated independently of the other yard (north) - and independently of the mainline direction center-off DPDT?  Note: The double reverse loop operations are controlled by a mainline direction DPDT and a reverse loop DPDT, an operation that functions flawlessly.  I realize I could probably use SPSTs for this, but SPDTs are what I have, so no need to mention them. My layout is DC.

As you can see from the attached PDF diagram (a single red line = one rail gapped; two red lines = both rails gapped), I've gapped one rail of each yard between the end of turnout #10 that leads directly into the yards and the end of the yards.  However, when I connected a wire from the center-off SPDT's center lug to the gapped rail in its respective yard and a wire from one end lug of a SPDT to the track power and flipped the SPDT switch, the loco moved in only one direction.  I had to flip the switch on the mainline direction DPDT to get the loco to move in either direction within the yard - an extraneous motion I want to eliminate so that I only need to flip each yard's SPDT switch. 

My objective: to make each yard either "dead" or "alive" and electrically separate from the other - and the mainline DPDT.    

Earlier, in addition to the above two-wire trial, I had also connected a third wire from the other end lug of the SPDT to the center, power supplying lug of the reverse loop's DPDT, which resulted only in a current spike and no movement of the loco.

Obviously, there's interference from the mainline DPDT.  How do I break free of it?

Thanks for your help!

Attached Files

  Great Northern Wiring Schematic (Sept., 2018).pdf (Size: 474.68 KB / Downloads: 1020)

In a recent post (SOME FREIGHT CAR MODIFICATIONS...), doctorwayne wrote:

"These TH&B flatcars were done before the Fowler cars, but the photos were somehow lost."

This reminded me that I had similar photos lost somewhere in my computer. Here are two photos of similar kits from Tichy Trains I have built some months ago into the CP livery.

   

   

I've had this weird jog in my fascia for a bit and I thought I might expand the layout a bit to smooth it out:


The current look was the result of a few other expansions, one to add the sawmill, another to add a larger station. I also didn't like the 1" fascia lip that was added between the two. So today I started to remove the fascia so I could add on to the layout.
 

It took about an hour to remove the fascia, disconnecting the wiring for the structure lights, the turntable and a few turnouts. Fortunately, most of my turnouts are manual operation.
I'm also considering changing out the fascia from the brown painted hardboard to something with some wood grain.


 And this is where I am now. When I first started I thought I'd just add a 4" strip (the green line) to the layout, but then I figured I may as well expand out the edge of the sawmill, making the new section 15 1/2 inches long on the sawmill side, 4 inches on the station side and 48" long. That way I'll have room for more structures and scenery.
I'll be cutting the plywood for the new section tomorrow at work.

WPMA-29 works Absecon Mills.

Bruce

   

Found this MOW truck running down Division Street.

Bruce

   

Just got an email from the owner of An Affair With Trains (AAWT), saying that they are going to close their store after the holidays, but still maintain their Internet presence. The store was one of just a few in Phoenix, and was really an overcrowded hole in the wall for years. The current owner purchased it, I'm not sure but maybe ten years ago. They moved to an industrial site in North Phoenix which I thought was a bit weird since they had the store in the back and you had to walk though offices to get to it. Well, I guess they though it wasn't the best either and finally moved to a shopping center a few miles to the west about a year ago. I used to go to the original place, but when they moved, I was probably there two, maybe three times and actually bought something once. I hadn't planned on going to their new place until I settle down, I'm not in the market for anything train related right now. I have a mental list that I'll pursue as soon as I can, but I guess that will be too late for stopping by AAWT.

Hello,
enjoy: https://youtu.be/19Epbvw27OI

Lutz

National Model Railroad Month
Roger Hensley

When I was growing up in the 1950s, it seemed as if the railroads were a part of daily life in the U.S. Trains were everywhere. In those days it was hard not to become interested in modeling them as a hobby.

Things are different today. In large parts of the country the railroads never receive the attention of the public in the way they did for most of the nation’s history. The local hobby shop has done a disappearing act as well over the past 20 years, and it’s very possible that the non-model railroading public could go through most of their daily existence without ever being exposed to railroads.

It is time to show the interested public what a great hobby we have. More and more, it’s up to us to give others the opportunity to see trains in action. For some people, this is setting up train tracks around the Christmas tree and hooking up engines, boxcars, and cabooses manufactured by Lionel, MTH (Mike’s Train House), Life Like or Bachmann. And for others with a basement, den or room, indulging in model train “play” is serious business all year round. It is such a huge pastime, that November has been designated National Model Railroad Month. Specialist stores, hobby clubs and magazines are devoted to this passion.

Obviously, we’re not talking about cheap plastic kid toys here, but true-to-scale models with lights, whistles, steam, and detailed scenery. There are several model Railroads in and around Anderson, and the Indianapolis area is full of them. They come in all sizes from very modest sized layouts to large expansive ones that have taken years to build. The Scenery can be astounding.  There could be railroad workers going about their business. There could be a cat in the rubbish, or a woman watering plants in a top floor window box, or maybe a wedding at the church, parking meters, and even drunks on the street. It’s all possible with model railroading. It doesn’t have to be an expensive hobby. I have been at it for more than 30 years and I have assembled a number of cars and locomotives without spending my kids inheritance (as if I had one).

After having been exposed to model railroading, the allure may be the trains or the scenery or both. Finding or creating the true-to-life trees, mountains, rivers, tunnels, people, stations, etcetera to surround a train track can be irresistible. In addition to our model railroads at home, we have built several model railroads at the Museum of Madison County History (the History Center) for our Christmas Exhibit. So, it you are interested, you may stop in and look them over on and M-W-F.

C U There!

15 W 11th Street, Anderson IN