From the pictures it appears you are using LGB turnouts. Stupid me purchased Aristo’s …Haven’t installed them yet but from what I have read you did everything correct( you have seem to researched this quite well before building) and for that I say kudo’s to you. I soldered all the joints with the Aristo clamps installed and I’m very pleased . I did use a diffrent style railclamp at my turns though and after a summer of running, found them to come loose,causing slight connectivity issues…minor problem though. Will be intrested to see what happens with your clamps over time with DCC. Haven’t jumped to that yet($$$) just running a Crest supply w/ rheostat and one power feed to all right now.
However with my post in power in sound your probably rolling your eyes at me right now…LOL
Perhaps I need to spend less time with trial and error and more time reading here! I hate reading,I’m so A.D.D it’s not even funny!
Dave
John and Ric,
Sure the control stations/handhelds can address any of the NMRA-DCC decoders, the fun starts when you want to program some of those decoders (high-end ones) with a relatively dumb control. Then you find out that certain of the CVs are just plain out of reach. I get a big grin on my face every time someone writes “I can program it but it just doesn’t retain what I program”. Well, welcome to the wonderful world of DCC. 
But that doesn’t really belong in the track and trestles forum. 
David Russell said:Dave :)
From the pictures it appears you are using LGB turnouts. Stupid me purchased Aristo's ..Haven't installed them yet but from what I have read you did everything correct( you have seem to researched this quite well before building) and for that I say kudo's to you. I soldered all the joints with the Aristo clamps installed and I'm very pleased . I did use a diffrent style railclamp at my turns though and after a summer of running, found them to come loose,causing slight connectivity issues..minor problem though. Will be intrested to see what happens with your clamps over time with DCC. Haven't jumped to that yet($$$) just running a Crest supply w/ rheostat and one power feed to all right now. However with my post in power in sound your probably rolling your eyes at me right now...LOL Perhaps I need to spend less time with trial and error and more time reading here! I hate reading,I'm so A.D.D it's not even funny! Dave
You need to do selective and specific reading. Can’t absorb everything at once, I haven’t met anyone yet who can. (No, I haven’t met Superman )
Hans-Joerg Mueller said:David Russell said:Dave :)
From the pictures it appears you are using LGB turnouts. Stupid me purchased Aristo's ..Haven't installed them yet but from what I have read you did everything correct( you have seem to researched this quite well before building) and for that I say kudo's to you. I soldered all the joints with the Aristo clamps installed and I'm very pleased . I did use a diffrent style railclamp at my turns though and after a summer of running, found them to come loose,causing slight connectivity issues..minor problem though. Will be intrested to see what happens with your clamps over time with DCC. Haven't jumped to that yet($$$) just running a Crest supply w/ rheostat and one power feed to all right now. However with my post in power in sound your probably rolling your eyes at me right now...LOL Perhaps I need to spend less time with trial and error and more time reading here! I hate reading,I'm so A.D.D it's not even funny! DaveYou need to do selective and specific reading. Can’t absorb everything at once, I haven’t met anyone yet who can. (No, I haven’t met Superman
Thanks for following with me Hans! I’ll get this yet if I die trying!!
LOL
Now back to John’s thread so I don’t get condemned as a thread Jiller:;
John,
Your trestle and crib work look fantastic. Thank you for tolerating a question on your power source. Looks like you’ve got things well under control.
David Russell said:Yes David I am using LGB turnouts as I was told they hold up better. My intention is to have them controlled by DCC but I have not yet got to that point. Hoping it will work but really don't know. I also don't know how well the Hillman rail clamps will hold up over time. In a year or two I will tell you if I made a mistake by not using solder. Incidentally I am going to cover the turnouts over the winter because some people have said they should not be exposed to snow and ice which we sometimes get.
From the pictures it appears you are using LGB turnouts. Stupid me purchased Aristo's ..Haven't installed them yet but from what I have read you did everything correct( you have seem to researched this quite well before building) and for that I say kudo's to you. I soldered all the joints with the Aristo clamps installed and I'm very pleased . I did use a diffrent style railclamp at my turns though and after a summer of running, found them to come loose,causing slight connectivity issues..minor problem though. Will be intrested to see what happens with your clamps over time with DCC. Haven't jumped to that yet($$$) just running a Crest supply w/ rheostat and one power feed to all right now. However with my post in power in sound your probably rolling your eyes at me right now...LOL Perhaps I need to spend less time with trial and error and more time reading here! I hate reading,I'm so A.D.D it's not even funny! Dave
We are now up to date on where I am right now. It has been almost a year since I started on my railway. It has taken longer than I thought but at least I can now run multiple trains on two loops. Next spring I will add some sidings and hopefully get the turnouts to work with DCC. Of course the “garden” has not even been started. My wife promised to help with that as I don’t have a green thumb. Over the Winter I will try to build some structures so that it can look like a realistic layout. These are the last few pictures for this year. BRIDGE OVER DRY WASH
BACK TRESTLE UPGRADE
Fantastic progress in such a short time. You’ve got the ‘build a nice railroad’ gene!
John, your RR is a ripper!
Are the two pieces of blue conduit coming out of your shed anything to do with power? If so (since you’re using DCC), I’m curious as to their purpose.
I’ve been in Oz since '71, Perth since '75. Arrived in Jan, met Kay in Mar, married in Oct, and here we are four kids and two grand-kids later! Know LI pretty well (had a friend who worked in Manhasset) and went back to work there 2000 - 2003 (Roslyn, Garden City), when the US dollar was buying around $2 Australian.
Our soil is sandy, but it contains a fairly high clay content which makes it excellent for compaction. It looks like you might have the same mix. East Queens clay would’ve been more problematic; its elasticity would have done nothing for track stability. My guess is the same frost movement problems that pertain in other parts of the US would apply in east Queens.
I use Hillman clamps and find them OK - just don’t get a rush of blood to the head when you’re tightening them! I also use a couple of their track expanders, something you probably won’t need to do.
As far as I’m concerned John can wave his weiner around here at will! What the heck do I know I’m a newbie also!:lol: I will be intrested to see how the rail clamps work out with the DCC in a year or so?
Amazing progress!
Dave Healy said:
John, your RR is a ripper!Are the two pieces of blue conduit coming out of your shed anything to do with power? If so (since you’re using DCC), I’m curious as to their purpose.
I’ve been in Oz since '71, Perth since '75. Arrived in Jan, met Kay in Mar, married in Oct, and here we are four kids and two grand-kids later! Know LI pretty well (had a friend who worked in Manhasset) and went back to work there 2000 - 2003 (Roslyn, Garden City), when the US dollar was buying around $2 Australian.
Our soil is sandy, but it contains a fairly high clay content which makes it excellent for compaction. It looks like you might have the same mix. East Queens clay would’ve been more problematic; its elasticity would have done nothing for track stability. My guess is the same frost movement problems that pertain in other parts of the US would apply in east Queens.
I use Hillman clamps and find them OK - just don’t get a rush of blood to the head when you’re tightening them! I also use a couple of their track expanders, something you probably won’t need to do.
Dave
The blue conduit is just plastic tubing. The #10 wires are inside. The wires are made for direct burial so the plastic tube only goes a few feet. Didn’t want someone to trip over wires coming out of shed.
Dave Healy said:Dave,
Are the two pieces of blue conduit coming out of your shed anything to do with power? If so (since you're using DCC), I'm curious as to their purpose.
DCCers quite often run a two wire DCC bus along the track and quite often also a DC or AC bus for whatever is required along the line. The “two wires to the track. Finished!” is for those who like to do remedial work.
Hans-Joerg Mueller said:Dave Healy said:Dave,
Are the two pieces of blue conduit coming out of your shed anything to do with power? If so (since you're using DCC), I'm curious as to their purpose.DCCers quite often run a two wire DCC bus along the track and quite often also a DC or AC bus for whatever is required along the line. The “two wires to the track. Finished!” is for those who like to do remedial work.
Hans, educate me.
I have never used anything else but track power. Since our layout is small, a heavy-gauge pair to the track from a 20 amp Bridgewerks works fine. We also run two pairs for a nominal 24v (switches, etc.) and a 6v pair for a dead-man button used by my young grandsons to run the trains. Ergo, I’m on your wavelength when you say “a DC or AC bus for whatever is required along the line”.
What I don’t understand is why John or anyone else would want a DCC bus. I thought the whole idea of DCC is to dispense with wires! What am I missing?
Dave Healy said:Hans-Joerg Mueller said:Dave Healy said:Dave,
Are the two pieces of blue conduit coming out of your shed anything to do with power? If so (since you're using DCC), I'm curious as to their purpose.DCCers quite often run a two wire DCC bus along the track and quite often also a DC or AC bus for whatever is required along the line. The “two wires to the track. Finished!” is for those who like to do remedial work.
Hans, educate me.I have never used anything else but track power. Since our layout is small, a heavy-gauge pair to the track from a 20 amp Bridgewerks works fine. We also run two pairs for a nominal 24v (switches, etc.) and a 6v pair for a dead-man button used by my young grandsons to run the trains. Ergo, I’m on your wavelength when you say “a DC or AC bus for whatever is required along the line”.
What I don’t understand is why John or anyone else would want a DCC bus. I thought the whole idea of DCC is to dispense with wires! What am I missing?
Dave
I don’t know what Hans feels about DCC but for me the whole idea is to be able to run multiple locos on the same track at different speeds and not worry about what block they are in. You do not need to break your layout into blocks at all if you don’t want to. The throttle controls the loco not a section of track.
John
Thanks, John - that helps.
Over nearly 32 years, Kay and I have concluded that my brain functions serially, whereas hers runs in parallel. For me, multi-tasking ends up being multi-trashing, whereas doing many things simultaneously and well comes naturally to my good lady.
The thought of the damage I’d do running multiple consists on the same track is mind-boggling. DCC would mean “Damage Control Constantly”. My hat’s off to you, and anyone else, good enough to manage it.
I would never consider trying to run more than two locomotives on the same 400 ft of track by myself. Howsome-ever, if ever I took a bath and invited some of my friends over to run their locomotives on my track, the idea of DCC or battery control has merit. That is the only reason that I would even think of planning for it.
AHA! Another reason it’ll never happen here! I never take baths . . . .
It has been about a year since I posted about my railroads progress. In the Spring I was very pleased with the way the railroad survived the winter. I did a minimal amount of rebalasting, ran my LGB Track cleaning Loco and started running trains. Over the winter I had built two structures, astation and a switch tower.
Nice!! Is that scratch-built?