Slow Progress

WELL, all, progress on the Onondaga Cutoff is always slower in the summertime, with plenty of other outside activities going on.  This post is overdue but I hope you'll find it informative; there will be another one shortly with some fresh 'action' photos of some of the recent train operations.

First, though, I have been spending any layout time on switch machines and track feeders.  Here is the underside of CP 280, the east end of Onondaga Yard.  Tortoise machines are all installed for the mainline switches on this interlocking.  My design guru, Jack, also worked with me to advise that the switches on the first track in the yard that lead to CP280 will ALSO need to be interlocked, and therefore will need machines.  That's $28 I didn't want to spend, but after thinking about it with Jack, that's the way it needs to be for operation.  The same will go for CP282, so another order for Tortoises will be forthcoming!  Anyway, here's a pic of the recently installed (and not yet wired) machines:

Once those were in, I began to install the machines for CP282, the other end of the yard.  282 is a 6-foot long monster of an interlocking, and so it was inevitable that some of the machine installations would be tight.  One thing that is nice about the Tortoise (can you tell I love these things??) is that it is reversable, so long as you reverse the wiring too.  This was a close call but it works perfectly with the machine turned backwards:

Also visible here are the mainline track bus wires, 12-gauge solid-core copper wire with 16-gauge feeders.  This little feeder setup gets much more complicated - this takes some time, but again, if done right I won't have to worry about stalled trains or 'dead' sections of track.  Here's a crappy, blurry photo of a major feeder junction on the back stretch.  You get the idea.  :-)

Action photos coming soon! 

Summer Heat

Summer has arrived in full force here in the Northeast, with August-like temperatures and humidity to boot.  That means less time inside and working on the railroad, but there is some news - namely that both mainlines are in-place and operational.  I can run two trains at once, but in the same direction and only with about 4 units total - the amount that my old MRC Tech II DC transformer can handle!  Because I wired for DCC, the mainlines are on the same power source, and so everything is on or off.

Also, CP 277 is fully installed and operational.  Just two more interlockings to wire!  At this rate, I think that a DCC system will be purchased later this summer, before yard tracks are installed.  The jury is still out on that one.  :-)

Photos to come soon include two trains at once, and shots of CP 277!

Track 1 In Place

Track 1 is now in place, and curing overnight.  Once the weights are removed, a full through route will be available on both main line tracks, and switch machine installtion and the wiring for track power and switch machine power and control will begin.

A few photos:  more locomotives are being upgraded.  It's nice to see some of these again, for the first time in several years!  This is a model I detailed and painted to represent Conrail's last SD40-2 as ordered from EMD.  6524 was the last as-delivered SD40-2 on the roster, and today is CSX 8868:

And an overview of the future engine facility at Onondaga Yard:

A Mainline Route is Open!

As mentioned in the last post, Track 2 is now complete, allowing for trains to run around the whole circuit of the main line! Here, Conrail C39-8 #6000 leads two other units and a train that represents Conrail's SEEL (Selkirk, NY to Elkhart, IN) upgrade crossing over from Track 1 to Track 2 at CP 277. The unit is a kitbash I did a few years after college:Here, the train comes west across the newly installed 9 Mile Creek through truss.

And a going-away shot of the same train at the bridge:

It's fun watch the train cross the bridge, with shadows from the truss moving over the rolling stock and locomotives!

The bridge was finished by painting it silver, and then weathering it with an airbrush and also hand-painted rust and grime. Then I applied a coat of dullcoat to take away any remaining shine. The bridge track was weathered separately, using a neat product by Floquil - weathering pens. These are paint pens that allow you to just weather rails or ties, which can then be oversprayed to create good-looking weathered track. An overall view:

And, a closer shot, showing some of the details and also the un-weathered, un-installed bridge track for Track 1. Yet to be installed are the code line conduits that will hang on the outside of the main truss, as well as the ribbon guard and guard rails on the track itself. The weathering really allows the rivet moldings and details to stand out:

I'm continuing to lay track, and at this point have only about 10 feet of Track 1 that remains to be put in, including over the bridge as you can see here. I hope to have that complete this week, and will then start to install switch machines, and finish mainline wiring.

In the mean time, I have been continuing to replace wheels on locomotives - a few images of that will be along soon.

Track 2...

...was completed over the weekend, just in time to run a few trains Sunday evening! This required that the bridge be painted and weathered. The final product turned out very well. Photos to come soon.

In testing, I tried a train of 30 cars and had no issue, and a train of 51 cars, which had a few issues for lighter cars at the front of the train. Once those cars were moved towards the rear of the train, I was able to run a 3-unit lashup with 51 cars with no issues at all. That is longer than most of my trains will be, but it's nice to know I can do it! The sound of that many metal wheels was neat!

I will be laying Track 1 around the remainder of the mainline, and upgrading locomotives as time allows. Next comes the full wiring of the main, and then the installation of switch machines and their wiring.

'The Light at the End of the Tunnel'

All interlocking switches are now in place - we're getting closer and closer to having the mainline track complete.

Here is a view of all mainline track at CP 280, east end of Onondaga Yard, looking east. Yard tracks to the left are not laid yet. I have placed them there there as space holders:

I built west from CP 280 and am now laying Track 2 around the final big curve towards the 9-Mile Creek bridge, and simultaneously I put in CP 277 and am working west towards the same location. But there won't be a 'golden spike' ceremony when east meets west - that will wait for the new control system, backdrop, and a small section of finished scenery to host the 'official' event.

Looking back west, with the mainline to the left and preliminary yard tracks to the right, and CP 280 in the foreground:

Working east around the big curve, I thought an overview would be helpful for you to see where things stand now. Track 2, the closer mainline track, is in place around the majority of the curve now, with staging below: On the other current 'end of track', working west, is CP 277, freshly laid in place as a basic universal crossover. This will allow trains to work around each other when the local is out on the line, or when a big freight is tying up a main track while working Onondaga Yard. Tracks to the left and right are staging leads and will not be visible once scenery is in place:
One of the things that having the mainline complete will allow is operating 6-axle power for the first time in years. In advance of that, I have started to change out all the old Athearn sintered iron wheelsets to nickel-plated brass wheels, made by Northwest Short Line. Here is Conrail SD50 6789 with her new shoes:
The track looks pretty toy-like, right? I put a bit of old ballast down to see how that looked. It's too white, and still, the track needs weathering. All those things in good time :-) For now, here's 6789 positioned westbound approaching CP 277 with some ballast down:

And, finally, a shot of 6789 again, this time positioned on the big, superelevated curve westbound coming into CP 280:Before long, it will be time to weather the 9-Mile Creek bridge and install the bridge track to complete the main line. Then I can run big trains while working on wiring, yard tracks, backdrop, and upgrading locomotives...but at least there will be trains running!

More Tracklaying...

This weekend, I finished installing the second-to-last interlocking for the main line. CP280 went in and cured overnight - tonight I will remove the weights, and begin laying track around the big turn 'east' from Onondaga Yard, around past the industries of Hampton and BPA, and across the 9-mile creek bridge. The truss for 9-mile Creek will be painted silver and heavily weathered to represent a mid-90's look of other ex-NYC through truss bridges in Central New York.

We can see here some other minor plan adjustments as the work continues - the proposed lengthening of the short line, as well as an angle to the engine yard, etc. Actual yard layout will be modified to use what track I have access to.

More photos will come soon as I near the completion of the main line!