CTC is now....C O M P L E T E

May 28, 2014, will always be remembered as an important date on the Onondaga Cutoff - the date that the CTC was completed on the main line of the railroad!  Thanks to immeasurable assistance from Nick and consulting from Jack, CP282 entered service today and the results are something I am pleased with.  Especially the long-awaited signal bridge for the westbound home signals at CP282:

Appropriately, the signal department installed black bags on the signal heads of the old manual signals so as not to confuse crews approaching CP282.  At a future operating session, a work train will be assembled to come out and remove the signals; until then, we can see past and present at the same time.  Scenery will improve the look of these locations, and now that the signals are installed and working, it's time to start scenery in earnest.

From now on, the Mohawk Dispatcher will be able to see and authorize all movements on main tracks on the entire railroad.  The signals here are all linked to each other and block detection via the computer, just as the rest have been, and so the main track on the entire railroad is now dispatcher controlled.

I must admit this is a milestone that ranks near the top of anything I have ever accomplished in this hobby - it is something I have dreamed of for more than 25 years.  Prototype operation of this railroad requires a working signal system, and now, we have it!

~RGDave

Ballast and Interlockings

As I continue to install some ballast along the main tracks of the Onondaga Cutoff, I am getting better at the painstaking process required when ballasting a turnout.  With small moving parts that are subject to very tight clearances, this process is difficult at best - care must be taken, as there is a good possibility that a turnout can be ruined!

Here we see some of the basic tools used in the process:  ballast, diluted white glue, isopropyl alcohol, water, and a soft brush.  While I use a large brush for most of the ballasting, the details inherent around a turnout - the frog, and points, specifically - require a smaller brush to ensure that all the granules of ballast are properly set between the ties and away from any moving parts.  This shot is at CP280, and I only ballasted the main tracks as part of this process.  But it still took me about 5 hours of work!  As we've discussed here before, every small step matters, and the persistence and patience are as much of a lesson as they are a tool.

Once the ballast is in place, I install tape over the moving end of the points to prevent glue from hitting those areas.  I also brace the points 'halfway' thrown so as to avoid gluing points shut.  The final preparation is to cover adjacent areas with paper towels, and then proceed to mist the entire freshly ballasted area with the alcohol.  Once it is wet, I dribble the diluted glue (with some alcohol mixed in already) over the areas, soaking the new ballast until you can see the white glue beginning to puddle up.  At that point, I use a damp cloth to wipe the rail heads down.  The next morning, it looks like this:

Once nice thing about the actual ballast installation process is that it yields an almost finished product right away - it's a major visual impact, and only requires a bit of weathering to become the finished piece.  Here with see the #1 crossover at CP280, ready for service.

Signal updates are forthcoming - I received word that the long-awaited final signal bridge shipped this morning.  Exciting progress coming soon!

~RGDave

A Bit of Ballast

Just a quick photo for you all of some track that has finally received ballast - this has been a long time coming, and is a first big step towards scenery construction:

This location is the curve between CP282 and CP280, with weathered Micro-Engineering flex track and HO scale ballast by Arizona Rock & Mineral Company.  As I get more experience I think this look will improve, and I think it will be an effective representation for the main line track.

The final signal bridge, also long awaited, is reported to be shipping this week.  Stay tuned!

~RGDave

Steady Progress

Operations on the Onondaga Cutoff continue to develop, and remain one of my favorite parts of the whole railroad hobby these days.  Interchange between different jobs and railroads is an integral part of that, and so we include not only Conrail jobs but also jobs of the NYS&W, and M&E, in each of our sessions.

Here, NYS&W job SY-1 moves light power through CP280, at the east end of Onondaga Yard.

 Weathering track ahead of ballast installation is a big process and as you can see above, is coming along well.  Much of the progress on a model railroad is just slow, steady persistence, working towards the end goal of a finished layout.  And, in that idea lies one of the more hidden attributes of our hobby:  coaching.  I say this in mind of how the process of building such a creation takes years, if not decades, to complete.  How many hobbies today demand such patience and persistence?   This layout is 'coaching' me to be more patient, to relax and enjoy the process.  For example, due to supplier issues, I am still awaiting the delivery of the final signal bridge, which in turn delays the process of installing the ones I have on hand.  It's frustrating, but on the other hand, there's lots to do to keep progress moving.

One bridge that we do have on hand now is the bridge to support the intermediate signals at MP 278.  Here's that bridge, ready for installation, complete with number plates I built using decals with the correct Conrail font:

I love how these turned out; Tim at Integrated Signal Systems did a masterful job with the soldering and included details that really make the bridge a special piece:  ladders, NYC-style targets, and different finials (the top cap on the masts) per the prototype.  This bridge will be lit the same day as all the remaining signals.

Slow, steady progress is how you get to the destination - and also how I enjoy the process.

~RGDave

Night Shots

The regularity of hosting operating sessions has, as I have written about before, led to a host of developments on the Onondaga Cutoff.  One of those has been the installation of a 'fast clock' which works with the DCC software to display a time that we use for operation.  In order to more effectively manage the compressed distances represented on a main line in modeling, we selected a ratio of 3:1 for the fast clock, so each real minute contains 3 'model' minutes.  This is the clock we use exclusively for operating sessions.

As a result, we have 'night' on the layout, and thanks to the installation of some lighting, we also have now the possibility of night shots.

Here we have Conrail B23-7 no. 1971 resting on the fuel pad at Onondaga Engine terminal under my models of fluorescent yard lights, ahead of this past weekend's operating session.  The engine house inside has my models of sodium-vapor shop lights, and I like the different hues they provide.  The room lighting that I installed years ago, halogen incandescent track lighting, is dimmable, which allows an approximation of dawn and dusk as well.  This is just a quick photo with the iPhone to illustrate what I think may become my favorite style of model photo!  

Modeling an around-the-clock freight operation adds a sense of place and mission to the Onondaga Cutoff.  That will only get better with more layout lighting and with scenery!

~RGDave

More Collaboration

In several blog entries over the last few years, I have mentioned a growing notion that the Onondaga Cutoff is becoming a community-oriented model railroad.  While it is located at my home, the contributions of several guys have been critical in bringing the operation to life, whether that be in signal design, signal construction, operation planning, and the addition of details to many scenes.  A big THANKS is in order for all that have pitched in!  The layout has really matured quite a bit in a few years.

Here's a photo of another recent collaborative process - Mark, a longtime friend and fellow operator and modeler who casts models of truck cabs out of resin, has built and supplied a Conrail knuckle-boom truck for the maintenance-of-way fleet on the Onondaga Cutoff, in exchange for airbrush-weathering services on some of the cars in his fleet.  Here the Car Department works on a bad-order hopper car, set off at Onondaga Yard:

We figured out a rough estimate for each service, and are simply trading services, each of us doing for the other what would take an entire learning process.  All I will do to this model is to add window glass and a painted interior.  While scratchbuilding trucks for the whole layout would be enjoyable, on a large layout there are tradeoffs to be made.  The time spent learning to produce a model like this was instead spend weathering models for Mark, plus weathering track and installing signal system components.  It's a win-win for us both.

Relying on collaboration - a 'little help from my friends' - is the only way a large layout like this will approach a finished state in any reasonable amount of time, and along the way, we're having a great time!

~RGDave  

Lights, Sound...

...and ACTION, I believe the saying goes!

As the signal process moves towards completion, I continue to squeeze in other projects as time allows.  One of the most recent was adding sound to another locomotive, which always adds a lot to the feel of the operating sessions.

Here's a video for your enjoyment, as I have just upgraded a second SD60I to have sound, bringing my total up to 8 units.  More will follow.  Both of the units featured here have SoundTraxx GN-1000 sound boards, with EMD 710 sounds.  This pair of units comes upgrade through CP-277, past some rudimentary scenery foundation.  They really sound excellent - make sure your speakers are turned up!

~RGDave