What's New on the PRR Panhandle Division?

[G3750]

Updated 8/13/2012:

I did get a little work done last night, changing and fixing the logo. I've decided to avoid the problems associated with trying to print white decals on clear decal paper and use a Standard Slag logo based on one I found on the internet. I think it will look good on the red side of the shovel's cab. See below.

SS Logo v07W.jpg (78.73 KiB) Viewed 4723 times

Here are two photos of my electrical work.

This photo shows the Eastern Power Distribution Panel (yes, there is a Western one) which sends juice to Districts 2, 3, 6, and 8. Weirton Junction, which includes Standard Slag, is Power District #6. The terminal strips all have light bulbs (but they're not magic ) that indicate current is flowing to that district.

Eastern Distribution PanelW.jpg (129.68 KiB) Viewed 4883 times

This photo shows the Eastern Distribution Panel as well as the 4 position terminal strip supplying current to the Standard Slag dump track and the Caboose track. That is at the top of the photo. Disconnecting 4 spade connectors and a pinch-type 6-wire connector and I can pull the hatch.

EasternPanel&WeirtonJunctionWiringW.jpg (106.3 KiB) Viewed 4720 times

George

[G3750]

This is an update on the real PRR Panhandle and the Weirton area:

Last weekend (8/18-19) I was back in Weirton to visit my folks. As is customary, my father and I took a tour of the town, noting what had changed. As in the photographs posted earlier in this thread, pieces of the steel mill continue to be torn down and nature relentlessly reclaims what is rightfully hers.

I continue to be amazed by how much more of the valley is visible, no longer eclipsed by towering steel mills. The set of US Geologic Survey maps of the area that I purchased back in the 1970's is proving extremely valuable.

What I noticed this trip:

• The Weirton passenger station that used to sit nearly directly under Crawford's Crossing is gone. I don't know when it dissappeared, but a fellow wrote to me inquiring about it. I looked for it, took some photos, but was unable to find it. I think it belongs to the ages.
• More pieces of the Open Hearth and structures west of it appear to be gone. We're looking at a lot of brown fields.
• The Fort Steuben suspension bridge has been completely removed. I guess this happened in the spring. I stood at the edge of the approach road and stared across the river. Not so much as a bridge pier or hint of its existence remains. Like it never even happened.
• It was difficult to find the exact location of now-removed Weirton Junction interlocking tower. I will have to pinpoint that using track plans.

I will post about my latest modeling project (related to the Weirton area) in some detail later as a separate thread.

George

[rogruth]

George,

I have a cousin who lives in Steubenville.She bemoaned the passing of the Ft.Steuben bridge not because she used it much anymore but because it had always been part of the scene.On down the Ohio River at my hometown,Bellaire,the Interstate Bridge was also recently removed.I do not have confirmation but its removal had been scheduled for some time.I would feel as my cousin does if I ever was to visit the area again[very unlikely] because it had always been there.When I was a kid I would ride my bike across the river to visit the B&O roundhouse and yards at Benwood.The B&O crossed the river here to Bellaire on the second oldest railroad bridge across the Ohio.The Stuebenville bridge you are modeling was first by about a year.
My cousin also tells me that several of the mills have a little activity but there is NO steel making,I guess,in the valley.

I do get nostalgic at times and think how it was.The upper Ohio River valley was a hive of activity with mills,mines and various forms of manufacture all served by the railroads.Times have changed.

[G3750]

Roger,

It's ironic to think that the much older Market Street Bridge survived its much newer Fort Steuben Bridge rival. I can vaguely remember riding in the car with my parents and stopping at the toll booth to pay for the crossing. Like your cousin, I always thought of that bridge as part of the scenery. Except for the approach road, not a trace remains.

As for steelmaking, only finishing activities are taking place at Weirton Steel, sorry Arcelor Mittal. The Weirton Area Museum published a book called The Final Days of Weirton Steel that details the last gasps of the employee-owned venture. It corroborates a lot of the bad management, greed, and poor judgment described in Smith's book, but goes more into activities below the board level of the company. It's not pretty and it seems to indicate the end did not have to come.

George

[G3750]

Updated 9/1/2012:

Finally got the decals on the power shovel.

Final-Shovel 001W.jpg (98.45 KiB) Viewed 4585 times

Final-Shovel 004W.jpg (99.68 KiB) Viewed 4582 times

Tell me what you think.

George

[rogruth]

That looks great to me.Remember that I have no idea what was in use at Weirton at the time you are modeling.
I am one of those close enough is good enough modelers.You are modeling a specific place and correctness might be more important to you than to me.
My layout is freelanced and depicts three different areas and three different eras.To make it worse it doesn't bother me to mix things.I have run trains that had cars that were O-27,6464 and scale size in the same train.I have also run trains of all O-27,6464 and scale.This also then brings up vehicles,housing,clothing styles,etc.I think how you treat this stuff is up to you.SO---That looks great to me.

[G3750]

Thanks Roger. I think it turned out OK. The decals turned out to be the most problematic aspect of the whole thing, but all things considered, it is pretty good. A little weathering will help when I get to it.

As for what you're running - it's always up to you. As you said, you have to make yourself happy. At Christmas, the old Marx #666 (54 years old and counting) pulls most of my tin plate stuff around the tree past the Manger, the gifts, and (usually) the cats.

Next, I hope to finish the wiring and scenery on the Standard Slag access hatch.

George

[G3750]

Updated 9/3/2012:

I completed the wiring for the access hatch. The DZ-2500P (pushbutton) is now in the fascia and wired to a Euro-style terminal strip. The other end of the terminal strip takes power from the switch bus and connects to a 6-wire quick disconnect plug that mates up with the wires from the access hatch.

George

[NightTrainLane]

Updated 8/13/2012:

Here are two photos of my electrical work.

This photo shows the Eastern Power Distribution Panel (yes, there is a Western one) which sends juice to Districts 2, 3, 6, and 8. Weirton Junction, which includes Standard Slag, is Power District #6. The terminal strips all have light bulbs (but they're not magic ) that indicate current is flowing to that district.



George

This is impressive and well done to my eye. Much better than the rats nests I usually end up with.

[G3750]

Updated 8/13/2012:


This is impressive and well done to my eye. Much better than the rats nests I usually end up with.

You are too kind. I'm very a bit OCD regarding electrical work. I've screwed up enough times and it's really hard to find a short-circuit due to mis-wiring - hence the extra care.

It really does pay dividends later.

George

[G3750]

Updated 8/13/2012:


This is impressive and well done to my eye. Much better than the rats nests I usually end up with.

You are too kind. I'm very a bit OCD regarding electrical work. I've screwed up enough times and it's really hard to find a short-circuit due to mis-wiring - hence the extra care.

It really does pay dividends later.

George

From my experiences wiring a layout several times, here are some lessons learned:

• Whether you are running conventional or command control (TMCC, Legacy, DCS, whatever), consider using power districts. A power district is a segment of track that is electrically isolated from the rest of the layout and powered by its own source. The PRR Panhandle has 8 power districts. In theory (and if I had lots of money to burn), I could have a transformer or transformer tap for each. In practice, I use 2 PowerHouse 180w bricks to power the whole thing. The Eastern distribution panel, consisting of Power Districts 2, 3, 6, 8 is powered by one 180w brick. The Western panel (districts 1, 4, 5, 7) uses the other 180w PowerHouse. My mainline (districts 1, 2, 3, 4) is split between the two PowerHouses.
  
• Make a wiring plan and stick to it. Update it every time you make a change.
  
• Color code the wires and label them.

The sanity you save may be your own.

George

[G3750]

Updated 10/26/2012:

My plans (hardcopy) of the Weirton Junction (WC) tower arrived today from the PRRT&HS archives in Lewistown!!

They will be used to construct the tower in O scale, then HO for the Weirton Area Museum layout, and then donated to the Museum itself.

George

[G3750]

Updated 1/25/2013:

Not much has happened in the last few months as you can tell. However, I am making some progress. I made a huge list of items that needed to get done and then worked on a project that wasn't on the list!

OK, the progress::

• I created a list of lighting needs (bulbs, LEDs, other accessories) and their potential draws for the Eastern and Western sides of the layout, respectively.
• I found two power supplies from old computers and researched how to use them to power the lights.
• I am currently laying out a board with both power supplies, fuses, and terminal strips to create 3.3VDC, 5VDC, and 12VDC taps for each layout side.
• I am in the process of re-organizing my transformer cart to accomodate the board and layout manual (documentation).

George

[gtfan]

Are you using PC power supplies that have a separate AC power switch? If you use "newer" ones, the green wire, when tied to ground (black) will power on the supply. You can then power on all your supplies with just one SPST button or switch.

For anyone else that wants to use PC supplies, orange is 3.3v, black is 5v and yellow is 12v. On older supplies, the 5v bus had the highest current capacity. For later supplies it is usually the 3.3v since the PWM circuit on the computer main board converts 3.3 volts to the 2.5v and 1.5v RAM and CPU core voltages.

[tintin75]

Lookin and sounding good! Like the re-use of the PC power supplies!