Trouble on the "New" Rutland!

I really thought I would have a train running yesterday but no! I had to add several more power leads as there were several dead spots in the track around several turnouts. Then I tried an old engine that does not have DCC capability but it just hummed. Not good for the engine or my mood. So I decided to try one of the DCC equipped engines, RS-3 #208. It worked like a charm after a few times around. Lots of hesitation from so many months in storage! After a bit it was running smoothly over the turnouts and the crossover of the Main into the shop area from the north end of the "yet to be built" yard (more on this later). So I'm thinking this is great - let's try the Mikado with sound. It too needed some time to get the oils flowing but was "chugging" right along with bell ringing and horn blowing! Then the problem occurred. There are two curved turnouts coming into town from the south off a curved section of track. The Mikado jumped the track (derailed in railroad vernacular) every time it entered the turnouts. Anyone out there with a thought I'm all ears. I think the radius (too tight) coming off the curve into the turnouts might be the problem. I also wonder if the front of the engine needs more weight as it did not derail when I put downward force on the smokestack. All in all very disappointing. The initial running of a train will be awhile later - like Amtrak. Trust me - you will know when it happens because there will be two new pics - one w/ diesel #208 and modern Rutland Railway cars and one with Mikado # "32" pulling a passenger train with Business Car #99 and a couple Rutland Railroad coaches and Rutland Railroad milk car #335.
In case you are wondering, the #"32" designation is my way of saying the item has not been decaled as Rutland 2-8-2 Mikado #32 yet. In my equipment inventory - the " " designation also includes the words "under construction".

More to follow in the future. Future installments will discuss not only the new layout but information about structures, rolling stock (train cars) and lots of other things I want to share.

Layout #3

This was the last layout. It had lots of track and turnouts (switches). It was a representation of Rutland Vt. on a 4X8 train table. It grew and the track plan changed many times over the years. It was really a hodge podge of material from numerous manufacturers. It had a sags at the 2 ft. and 6 ft. marks with a peak in the middle at 4 ft. Numerous turnouts were across the peak. It all worked when I powered it with DC but the peak and sags caused many short circuits in DCC. There were many loose connections under the layout, several different sizes of wire in use, and all kinds of shims to try to make it level and straight. It was kind of a redneck operation in retrospect.

Once I figure out how to attach pictures I'll share the 3rd layout with you and also "builder" photos of the "New" Rutland Railroad.

World of Mirth railroad carnival is in town and being unloaded down the ramps to the right of the first dozer.

The flat car is loaded with the Rutland's lifeblood - marble from the Vt. Marble Co. in Danby. It is headed for the finishing sheds in West Rutland.

The Yard with the Main curving to the left of the yard office (yellow building, left foreground). The Main is actually the fifth track from the right. The red building to the left behind the diesel fuel tank is the coach shed. Depot Park with the big elm trees in front of the station is to the left rear of the photo.

As I said lots of turnouts with numerous potential for short circuits!

This is my representation of downtown Rutland. The tall building is the Service Building. The building to the right is the Bardwell Hotel. The long buildings in the center are supposed to be the station. The new station is much closer to the original (well sort of).

The Beginning

Hello everyone-
Welcome to my blog about my model railroad.

About four years back, the owner of the model railroad store I frequent most often talked me into changing my layout from DC to DCC. For those uninitiated in these things - DC means the railroad is controlled by power blocks that are powered up so the trains can move around the layout. Usually you power only those blocks (sections of track) you are using at the moment - the Main (line) for instance. This is a good system but somewhat limiting in what is happening around the layout without miles of wiring. DCC is Digital Command Control. All track is always powered up because the actual engines have decoders in them that accept individual commands from the command center. Each engine is addressed in the command center. Control throttles allow the operator to dial up each engine and tell it what to do. You can have lots of engines (trains) moving at once! (you also can have lots of wrecks if you are not careful!)
Anyway- Gerry talked me into buying a Lenz 90 system for my layout - "it is the way to go" because not only is it more realistic but the engines can be wired with speakers and sound! All well and good (and somewhat expensive) but the store layout with all the sounds of steam and diesel engines is very convincing!
Being as how I am a dunce when it comes to electricity the whole thing stayed in the box for two years. Then I finally hooked it up because I had bought a beautiful Broadway Limited Mikado (a steam engine with the following wheel configuration: 2-8-2, two wheels on the leading truck, 8 driving wheels (the really big ones) and two wheels on the trailing truck that is under the cab of the engine) with sound. It was great fun making the layout come alive. I used the layout for about a year but was having major issues with short circuits caused by poor track connections among other things. (more on this to follow.) When DCC shorts out everything comes to a halt!
This was especially true on my layout - the Rutland Railroad in Rutland, Vermont circa October 1952. When I hooked up the DCC I had to power up the whole layout because I had used the "common rail" system to power the layout. This meant that everything was on or off with the DCC system because there were no gaps in the common rail to stop a short from effecting the whole layout. After a year of tinkering - trying to solve the shorting problems by replacing switches and soldering joints, etc. without any particular success I decided to start over from scratch. This blog is about this project (adventure!) that has begun and will continue for years!

More to follow soon.