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Thursday, July 28, 2005
First Operating Session!
This month, I ran my first serious operating session, with local (and very-well-known) operations gurus Byron and Seth present for the first run. Apart from a couple stalls and shorting switches, they had a great time. Woohoo! Much thanks to Apple's debugger summer intern who helped me prepare the layout the week before, and ran a couple trains during the operating session.
Friday, July 1, 2005
As of July, 2005: The layout's to the point where you can operate it without having to push locomotives every few minutes. In the last few weeks, I've been switching from manual Caboose ground throws to Tortoise switch machines to make it easier for others to operate the layout, and to avoid power problems at switches. I've also been doing a lot of cleanup work. The fascia's been painted and labelled, and a bit more scenery (such as the orchard between Campbell and Los Gatos) has been (temporarily) added.
Here's some photos of the layout, along with a close-up of one of the schematic track diagrams on the fascia.
Here's some photos of the layout, along with a close-up of one of the schematic track diagrams on the fascia.
Monday, November 1, 2004
* All track's been laid on both levels, and all wiring is in. The distance from the upper "Santa Cruz" staging to lower "San Jose" staging's around 120 feet, and it can easily take several minutes to run a train from end to end. The stub-ended staging yards with nearby reversing loops seem to be working well.
* I've put in and painted backdrops along most of the upper deck, and put in rough scenery around Wrights and the crossing of Los Gatos Creek.
* My big steps for the next few months will be to rework places where the track isn't quite right and put in more rough scenery.
* I finally realized the importance of templates to do consistent work. I created one for placing the screws that hold the masonite fascia to the front of the layout, and another for placing push-buttons and LEDs for the switch controls on the upper level. (All the frequently-used switches on the upper level will be motorized so they're reachable. All the lower level switches have manual switch stands, but the upper level's probably too high for many to reach. I also needed LEDs showing switch position when I realized I couldn't look down on the switches.
* The layout's been lifted two inches to clear our car's door. The new car deserved to be inside, but I'm glad we could fit both it and the layout in the garage at the same time.
* I've been building boxcars frantically. I had a fair amount of tank cars, refrigerator cars, and gondolas before I started this layout. As I've operated the layout on my own, I'm finding that there haven't been enough boxcars on the layout to imitate the heavy traffic that should be going to and from the canneries. That's mostly due to a lack of boxcars. I've been painting Accurail outside-braced boxcars and getting them out onto the railroad. (The boards on these have great wood-grain relief; a light gray wash makes the cars look like they've been out in the sun for years.) We also took a week off to rest out along the coast after some nasty work deadlines, and I spent most of the time alternately sitting in the sun reading or sitting at the kitchen table building Funaro and Camerlengo resin boxcar kits. Still more are needed, as Campbell and Los Gatos canneries aren't getting their fair share of cars.
* Our friend's son Jack (aged four) became the youngest operator on the layout as he switched boxcars around the Del Monte Plant. A month later, he was still telling his grandparents about getting to run the trains! I love DCC and the ability to just give a control to a four-year-old and let him run a train whereever he likes!
* Our friends Barbara and Lydia also got to run trains from San Jose up to Los Gatos, turn locomotives on the Vasona Junction wye, and arrange a meet at Campbell. They were annoyed they weren't allowed to play with trains when they were young.
* I still haven't had any real operating sessions with other than random guests or a friend from work. One obvious problem I've seen is that the entrance to the "U" is really narrow, and is also a common place to want to be when switching Los Gatos and Campbell. I guess those layout design rules about making sure there's space for two people to pass is true!
Here's a photo of the Wrights area. The right hand side of the picture is Los Gatos Creek; the railroad crosses the creek on a timber trestle, passes some of the remaining buildings in Wrights, then dives into the tunnel under the summit of the Santa Cruz mountains. There wasn't much left in Wrights by 1932; photos in Bruce Macgregor's third book on the railroad show a general store with some Model A's in front, a couple other sheds, and a dark and stormy feeling. I can't tell if the photo was foreshadowing the closing of the line, or if it was merely taken in winter.
The lower deck shows the bare roadbed at Campbell. The orange refrigerator car is spotted on the siding where the Hyde cannery will be.
This second photo (from a couple months ago) shows the Glenwood area on the upper shelf and Auzerias street / Del Monte cannery area on the lower shelf. Since this photo was taken, fascia has been added to the upper deck making it all look a tiny bit neater.
This photo doesn't really show how close together the decks are; in almost all cases, I've only got twelve inches at most between the lower deck and bottom of the upper deck. I'm not happy with this because it'll be harder to create scenery and switch cars, but I'm willing to suffer a bit. I'm feeling pretty confident that this layout has just the right amount of track and distance for me, and I'm willing to suffer a bit to have that sense of "going somewhere."
* I've put in and painted backdrops along most of the upper deck, and put in rough scenery around Wrights and the crossing of Los Gatos Creek.
* My big steps for the next few months will be to rework places where the track isn't quite right and put in more rough scenery.
* I finally realized the importance of templates to do consistent work. I created one for placing the screws that hold the masonite fascia to the front of the layout, and another for placing push-buttons and LEDs for the switch controls on the upper level. (All the frequently-used switches on the upper level will be motorized so they're reachable. All the lower level switches have manual switch stands, but the upper level's probably too high for many to reach. I also needed LEDs showing switch position when I realized I couldn't look down on the switches.
* The layout's been lifted two inches to clear our car's door. The new car deserved to be inside, but I'm glad we could fit both it and the layout in the garage at the same time.
* I've been building boxcars frantically. I had a fair amount of tank cars, refrigerator cars, and gondolas before I started this layout. As I've operated the layout on my own, I'm finding that there haven't been enough boxcars on the layout to imitate the heavy traffic that should be going to and from the canneries. That's mostly due to a lack of boxcars. I've been painting Accurail outside-braced boxcars and getting them out onto the railroad. (The boards on these have great wood-grain relief; a light gray wash makes the cars look like they've been out in the sun for years.) We also took a week off to rest out along the coast after some nasty work deadlines, and I spent most of the time alternately sitting in the sun reading or sitting at the kitchen table building Funaro and Camerlengo resin boxcar kits. Still more are needed, as Campbell and Los Gatos canneries aren't getting their fair share of cars.
* Our friend's son Jack (aged four) became the youngest operator on the layout as he switched boxcars around the Del Monte Plant. A month later, he was still telling his grandparents about getting to run the trains! I love DCC and the ability to just give a control to a four-year-old and let him run a train whereever he likes!
* Our friends Barbara and Lydia also got to run trains from San Jose up to Los Gatos, turn locomotives on the Vasona Junction wye, and arrange a meet at Campbell. They were annoyed they weren't allowed to play with trains when they were young.
* I still haven't had any real operating sessions with other than random guests or a friend from work. One obvious problem I've seen is that the entrance to the "U" is really narrow, and is also a common place to want to be when switching Los Gatos and Campbell. I guess those layout design rules about making sure there's space for two people to pass is true!
Here's a photo of the Wrights area. The right hand side of the picture is Los Gatos Creek; the railroad crosses the creek on a timber trestle, passes some of the remaining buildings in Wrights, then dives into the tunnel under the summit of the Santa Cruz mountains. There wasn't much left in Wrights by 1932; photos in Bruce Macgregor's third book on the railroad show a general store with some Model A's in front, a couple other sheds, and a dark and stormy feeling. I can't tell if the photo was foreshadowing the closing of the line, or if it was merely taken in winter.
The lower deck shows the bare roadbed at Campbell. The orange refrigerator car is spotted on the siding where the Hyde cannery will be.
This second photo (from a couple months ago) shows the Glenwood area on the upper shelf and Auzerias street / Del Monte cannery area on the lower shelf. Since this photo was taken, fascia has been added to the upper deck making it all look a tiny bit neater.
This photo doesn't really show how close together the decks are; in almost all cases, I've only got twelve inches at most between the lower deck and bottom of the upper deck. I'm not happy with this because it'll be harder to create scenery and switch cars, but I'm willing to suffer a bit. I'm feeling pretty confident that this layout has just the right amount of track and distance for me, and I'm willing to suffer a bit to have that sense of "going somewhere."
Thursday, April 1, 2004
• Track's been laid for all of the lower level. One siding is missing and some tracks still need to be spiked down permanently. Operation is possible to Los Gatos and back.
• Rough scenery and fascia panels are in progress.
• Track on the upper level is in through Wrights, but still needs some work before trains can climb the hill without problems.
• Roadbed is in through Glenwood; once the return loop on the Sunset Park spur is wired, it'll be easier to run trains up the hill without having to back them down the helix.
Here's a photo along the Auzerias St. section. The tracks to the left on the lower level are the Del Monte Cannery. At the bottom of the picture, the San Carlos Street overpass will cross the tracks. At the far end of the photo, the tracks curve off to Campbell on the other side of the backdrop. The upper level benchwork will be Glenwood.
• Rough scenery and fascia panels are in progress.
• Track on the upper level is in through Wrights, but still needs some work before trains can climb the hill without problems.
• Roadbed is in through Glenwood; once the return loop on the Sunset Park spur is wired, it'll be easier to run trains up the hill without having to back them down the helix.
Here's a photo along the Auzerias St. section. The tracks to the left on the lower level are the Del Monte Cannery. At the bottom of the picture, the San Carlos Street overpass will cross the tracks. At the far end of the photo, the tracks curve off to Campbell on the other side of the backdrop. The upper level benchwork will be Glenwood.
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