Scenery for the Short Line

With signal design underway and new wiring to follow on the OC, the only area where I can begin to install fascia board and scenery is on the M&E.  Fascia is being fabricated from 1/8" masonite hardboard, the same material as the backdrop, and will be installed before scenery so as to help define the land contour in front of the tracks.  A combination of foamboard and plaster castings, as well as some traditional paper mache, will be utilized as base scenery.

Here we see the Skaneateles Creek area on the M&E with newly-installed facia:

I love the look of model railroads with scenery and fascia - to me, it is a very 'finished' look and lends a professional feel to the look of the entire layout space.  I am eager to get the rest of the railroad to this state, too, but signal wiring must come first.

Foamboard will be stacked, glued, and shaped to represent cliffs, and then I have several ideas for how to model the distinctive Finger Lakes-area shale that is so prevalent in Central New York.  It exists in several shades of gray and dark purple, so it will be an adventure to replicate that look in HO scale!

~RGDave

Next Steps

Today, I have a a few action shots for you all, and a general discussion of the current progress on the Onondaga Cutoff.

First, though, the images.  Be sure to click on each for a full-size view: 

WAON-14 spots boxcars of scrap paper to be used for paperboard at the big Iroquois Paper facility east of Camillus, NY.

SEBU-7 sweeps around the curve and slams through the crossovers at CP280 with the Onondaga Engine Facility in the background.  Leading three other units is Conrail C39-8 #6000, recently upgraded with an LED headlight.

Now that the trackwork is in place and there are less and less issues with track leveling, alignment, and design, the Onondaga Cutoff is moving towards the next real challenge:  an operating signal system.

Ever since I was very young, I have been interested in signals on railroads, and in how they function.  It follows that to me, the crown jewel of a quality model railroad is a prototypical, working signal system.  From an operation as well as a photographical standpoint, nothing compares to watching a train on the layout 'knock down' the correct signal aspect for the move at hand!

Thanks to the efforts of several operators, namely Nick and Alex, I am formulating a plan and budget for the purchase of components that will be used to replicate block detection of trains which will work with computer-based CTC, including the operation of a working signal system.  While I am fully commited to Northcoast Engineering (NEC) components for the DCC system, I will be using an older Windows-based PC to run free software known as "Java Model Railroad Interface" or JMRI for signal control.  JMRI will work with a Digitrax signal system to drive signal heads and display aspects for operations based on block occupancy.  I will do my best to document the process for you here.

Since block detection and signal wiring will require extensive additional wiring work beneath the roadbed, I have elected to minimize progress on layout fascia and scenery until the signal system is installed.  It will be much easier to run new wire and make new connections before the fascia blocks easy access!  However, this approach means it will likely be more than a year before scenery begins in earnest on the main line.  However, since the M&E will not have signals, work on scenery there can begin sooner.  Plenty more to come as the winter wears on!

Into the New Year

A new year, and slow, steady progress on the Onondaga Cutoff continues! Best wishes for 2012 to all. Thanks to assistance from several regular operators, most of the backdrop is now installed, awaiting tape, spackle, and paint. It’s actually nice not to see the foundation walls, at least, behind the railroad.


One recent development on the OC is that through operations, a limitation has become clear. If you click on this ‘straight-line diagram’ of the railroad, which shows both original and new crossovers now at CP 294, it becomes clearer.

Though there are 5 tracks in staging, there was no way for a train in either direction on Track 1 in staging to come out of staging and cross over to Track 2 until that train reached an interlocking with turnouts that allow that move. For westbound trains, this is resolved at CP 277, where a universal crossover exists just for this purpose. This allows a dispatcher to route trains on either track in either direction, and at a nice distance from Onondaga Yard.

For eastbounds, however, there was no universal interlocking from staging all the way to CP 282, which is also the west entrance to Onondaga Yard. Trains leaving staging on Track 1 working east could not cross over to Track 2 until they were at 282. When a train is working the yard and fouling Track 1 at CP 282, then, Track 1 was essentially unavailable from CP 295 all the way to CP 280, more than half the railroad.

Therefore, it was necessary to build a crossover to enable trains leaving staging eastbound on Track 1 from CP 295 to cross over to Track 2. The existing geometry allowed me to install a new #8 right-hand crossover at CP 294, creating a new universal interlocking there – and eliminating a major bottleneck for the dispatcher.

However, the installation of that crossover meant cutting into existing track and roadbed, drilling new holes for Tortoise machine throw rods, mounting Tortoises – challenging tasks, especially after the fact. It took time to align the new turnouts with existing track, and with each other. This allowed me to locate the throw rod locations and drill the holes, and finally to install each component while ensuring the geometry worked out as intended. Finally, both turnouts had to have feeders installed for track power.


The next major development is a biggie: design and construction of a working, dispatcher-controlled signal system. Much more to come soon as this gets underway!

~RGDave

New Year's Wishes

My best wishes for you all during this New Year's weekend - may 2012 bring you happiness and peace!  It has been a banner year for the Onondaga Cutoff - the introduction of DCC, installation of the engine yard and short line, as well as all the on-line industrial sidings; the start of backdrop installation, and the beginning of the operation of the railroad.  It's a dream come true and I am very thankful for the progress and for the help of all those that have supported this project!

Stay tuned for plenty more coming in 2012!

~RGDave

Operational Improvements

Happy Holidays to all!  With Christmastime approaching, this is always a busy time of year, but the long evenings make for some time to work on the model railroad.  Recently, I have been making some improvements that have come to mind during the recent operating sessions.

One of the big decisions was to go ahead and install bi-color light-emitting diodes (LED) in all of the interlocking model boards to function as indicator lights for turnout position.  Due to my use of the stall-type switch machines, I was able to simply wire each LED in series with the switch motor, and the constant DC power that is applied will light each LED.  Since the machines move when the polarity of the DC source changes, it works well to make the LED green (normal) or red (reverse) in tandem with the points moving.

Here, we see the model boards at CP 282, the west end of Onondaga Yard, and at CP 274 below, the 'west end' of staging.  The cardboard, of course, is temporary, and will be upgraded to a permanent material after the full fascia board is in place.

This particular upgrade is evidence of my philosophy during construction - any upgrades made must minimize the possibility that any work will need to be done twice.  In this case, adding LED indicator lights was about 10 hours of work, but it is work that I do not need to do again, since the toggles and lights will simply be transferred to the permanent boards in the same configuration you see here.  In the mean time, the operation will be greatly improved, since operators now can easily see how the route is lined ahead, instead of having to always be checking switches.

Another upgrade underway is to tighten my tolerances for freight car standards.  Long trains and grades take a toll on freight cars and those that have high or low couplers cause issues during the sessions.  Further, the plastic knuckle couplers that come with most kits these days simply are not of high enough quality for a real operating layout like this - there is too much stress, and the plastic deforms.  Therefore, all my cars are going through the shop to install Kadee metal couplers, and to ensure that the coupler height is correct. 

As I have had time, I also have recently been setting new locomotives up for service.  Conrail's Albany Division was always a home for Dash-7 series GE locomotives in the 1990's, and so my railroad is no exception.  Over the last month I have made time to install TCS decoders in both of my new Atlas CR B23-7's, seen here at Onondaga Diesel:

These units were delivered to Conrail in the Spring of 1979, and both were looking rather worn by 1994.  And so my weathering reflects that.  The Dash-7's add a sense of place to the railroad and will spend most of their time in yard and local service.

Finally, a profile shot of 1987 for you:

Merry Christmas to all!

~RGDave

Autumn Progress

Well, the first two operating sessions are now on the books for the Onondaga Cutoff - both were great successes, and a lot of fun.  Ops sessions have taught me a lot about the railroad that I would not have realized myself, and so there are some things that need to be changed as we go forward.  Thankfully, though, they are minor, and the general design of the railroad works very well for heavy-duty mainline operation. 

More on that later.  There has also been some good construction progress on the railroad - first, the final benchwork, trackwork, and wiring of track was completed with the installation of the major online industry on the main line.  Iroquois Paper is now operational, with space-holder structures coming soon to represent the big paperboard plant.

The main line is off to the left, and you can see the lead, which comes into the runaround immediately.  The switching lead comes through the curved turnout in the foreground and runs out about 8 car lengths to allow for building the outbound turn from Onondaga Yard.  Likewise, an east lead does the same thing to allow the turn to switch the industrial tracks on the right.  Iroquois will receive loads of clay slurry, paper scraps, and coal (for the onsite power plant), and ship out loads of finished cardboard and paperboard.

Another big development is the installation of masonite backdrops, seen here at CP 282 - not much to say about it except that it dramatically makes the railroad seem longer, since you can no longer see across the room!

This will eventually be painted as distant horizon and sky, which will be a major improvement.  But for now, especially for operating sessions, it is a good view block and really helps to give the sense that the railroad goes somewhere.

Also visible above is a tool I installed to assist with operations after some suggestions that came during the firs operating session - a manual block system.  During the first session, crews had trouble seeing where interlockings started and stopped, and were unsure about where to stop trains when the dispatcher ordered different moves.  Therefore, I fabricated signal masts from leftover sprues, colored paper, and paint; now each interlocking is 'signaled' which allows the dispatcher, during ops sessions, to route trains by signal indication.  While fully manual, it does allow crews to easily identify the limits of an interlocking, and so far has been beneficial.

Another exciting process has been the set-up of some new power for the Onondaga Cutoff - among others, freshly delivered to the railroad is SD60I 5544, with a builder's date of 1994.  It and a sister will be among the newest power modeled on the railroad.

Here's a roster shot:

And a shot showing the locomotive leading train SEIN:

New power is something everyone can get excited about!  I like how the 'clean' paint on 5544 contrasts with the weathering on 6789 and my other Conrail power.

Now, we're entering the holiday season, which is a busy time for all - but as winter comes, the time spent on the model railroad will increase.  Plenty more to come soon!

Happy Thanksgiving!

~RGDave

A Success!

The first operating session on the Onondaga Cutoff was a success!  We ran trains from about 7 until about 11 p.m., accomplishing all the work I'd come up with for the crews to do, and having a lot of fun in the process.  One of the great things about the session was that I learned a lot about about the layout!

We ran with a crew of 6 - a dispatcher, two-man crews for the M&E and for the road local, and one-man crews for the road freights.  Based on feedback from the operators, we will likely post someone full-time in the yard to assist road freights for setting out next time.  There are also a few infrastructure issues I will work to address.  There was only one collision, a rear-ender that was a simple mistake and that we have now taken steps to prevent - from now on, every move needs an engineer for a full trip on the head end after turnouts are thrown to ensure proper routing.

From left to right, we have Scottie, John, Nick, Jack, me, and Mark.  I appreciate their help and enthusiasm!  One thing I realized very quickly is that this model railroad is a LOT more fun when there's an operating session, so we're already scheduled for the next one! 

Let me know if you might be in NJ anytime, with a few days notice there's a chance you can operate too.  It only gets better from here!

~RGDave