Rix "Guthrie Grain" kit

I've been working on an N scale Rix "Guthrie Grain" kit for the past little while. I added a 3rd tank to the kit and plan to add more.



Additionally, I've been adding small details such as a light on the tower to light the work space below and reinforcing wires on the feed pipes. I will be adding more tanks, truck scales and unloading for rail and truck traffic, shelters for unloading, office building, fences, etc. as time permits.

Testing Before the Convention

We had a session this past Saturday to test Lawrence's layout plan for the convention in May. It was a success!

Plan by Lawrence V.

Photo by Simon B.

As you can see, we expanded one of the loops to include four of the 1x4 foot modules, showing how flexible they can be.

Loop Modules

Over the winter, we built the loop modules, which will allow us to have continuously running trains at shows. A switching layout is fine for me but the public likes to see trains running in circles, so that's what we do. :-)

Photo by Simon B.

These are actually two modules, each built in two pieces to allow expansion. The modules feature DCC auto-reverse units to handle the polarity problem you get when building a reverse loop. In the photo, they're connected directly together but that's because we wanted to test them after finishing the wiring. They worked flawlessly the first time! :-)

We have operated the loops semi-successfully at one show in March but had problems with the auto-reverse units picking up moisture due to the hot-and-cold cycle of going from the house, to the car, to the show; the result was that they did not work.

Since that time, the auto-reverse units have been dried out and are working flawlessly once again. However, for extra insurance, we've added a bypass switch underneath to "remove" the auto-reverse units and also a DPDT toggle switch on top to handle manual polarity switching. In a test last Saturday, we had no auto-reversing problems.

Module Roster

Well, it's been a month since my last confession... I've been busy. We had modules to get ready for the Saint John Society of Model Railroaders annual show on March 1. Now that the show is over with, we can concentrate on... the NEXT show, which would be the Maritime Federation of Model Railroaders convention in Amherst on May 16-17. (To be fair, there are other shows in between but we're not showing modules for those.)

Anywho, I thought I'd add a list of modules our little group has, just for fun. Check it out on my web page:

Module Roster

One thing that's missing from this list is our "Wish List", which is getting very odd, indeed. Items like crossovers that service an independent "railway" on adjoining modules, for one... :-)

-mike

Whittle Wooden Train

I was at the big train show in West Springfield, MA last weekend and, along with my N scale purchases, I found a nice Thomas-compatible CN locomotive for my youngest, who just turned 3. He's in love with it, even taking it to bed at night and insisting that the train get a good night kiss as well! :-)

Whittle Wooden Train

N Scale Atlas GP-7 Decoder Install

Here's another decoder install. My Atlas GP-7 is Canadian National #1721.

As I said before, my decoder brand of choice is TCS, with their “goof-proof” warranty and their “dithering” function for ulta-low speed crawl. Again, I am using a TCS M3 decoder, which has motor control and 3 functions for things such as lights. I only used two of the functions but the third is there in case I want to put a strobe light on the roof... Which would be insane, but I've done it before. Remind me to post a movie of my N scale SW8 in action. :-)

Atlas GP-7 Decoder Install

N Scale Atlas RS-3 Decoder Install

My Atlas RS-3 is Canadian National #1812 and is a very nice running locomotive on DC. However, I’m running DCC so I needed it more functional.

My decoder brand of choice is TCS, with their “goof-proof” warranty and their “dithering” function for ulta-low speed crawl. In this instance I happened to have on-hand a TCS M3 decoder, which has motor control and 3 functions for things such as lights. I’d only be needing two of the functions but the third is there in case I want to put a strobe light on the roof.

Atlas RS-3 Decoder Install