What's New on the PRR Panhandle 2.0?

[G3750]

Saw these pictures on OGR. What a fabulous workshop.
https://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/topic/sel ... 6933225072

Thank you!

George

[G3750]

Updated 9/25/2023:

• Ironed out a process for attaching large walls to the Open Hearth. This is on the pouring side's external wall. It's been a bit tedious, but I now have a way to do this that works and is fairly reproducible. That's important when you're talking about 12 panels.
• All those wall panels have been cut to size and painted w/ flat black - inside and out.
• Figured out my approach to making the roof for the main building removable. Most of the portion over the pouring extension will be fixed in place.
• I started painting the roof sections. Just the pouring side (including the extension) will take 15 of the Plastruct 91512 roof pieces. Six of those are painted; the rest are destined for the paint booth tomorrow.

George

[G3750]

Updated 10/8/2023:

This update is a bit of mixed bag - some good and some so-so news.

• As reported in its own thread, the Open Hearth scored 112 out of 125 possible points. That's very good and I am happy at having earned a Merit Award for the building.
• I am less than satisfied with the main building roof. I built it in sections and they have shown a tendency to warp at the edges. I am thinking about how best to fix that and have come up with a plan to redo the roof, and perhaps the ventilator roof as well. As it stands, I think the exterior detracts from the model. I hope to be able to reuse the Plastruct 91512 roof panels. A total replacement would be a very expensive fix.
• The Strip Steel mill and the area around it have gotten another look and a more detailed plan. I have changed the size positions of some of the pipe bridges. A large pipe bridge will go between the Strip Steel and the Open Hearth and provide large pipes (blast furnace fuel gas) to the OH. It will be mated to the Strip Steel building, which will be removable (opening beneath it). Below is the new track plan. In it, I simplified the area between Switches 18 & 19, confirmed the size of the Strip Steel building (31.75" wide x 25" long with 5 bays instead of the 7); it's shape has been retained (the gable between bays 2 and 3).
• I started thinking about what materials would be needed for the Strip Steel. I already have enough of the Tichy 20-pane industrial windows, but sheet styrene and roofing materials will be needed.
  

George

[G3750]

Updated 10/14/2023:

I have plenty of things to report over the past few days. As noted above, options 1 & 2 were applied and seem to have made the roof of the Open Hearth look a little better. Given that I have plenty of work on my plate, that may satisfy me (for the moment). My friend Price arrived yesterday (we're headed to York next week) to assist in a major benchwork construction effort. In preparation for that:

• The final opening in the divider between Weirton Steel & Staging was cut. The Empties / Loads track is now (finally) connected to the southern entry to Staging. That involved the installation of 2 block breaks (insulating center rails), as well as track feeders 8.18 and 8.19 (both in power district . Switch No. 19 was also fastened down. Beyond the divider, the Staging operator will be able to swap loaded hoppers and ore jennies for empty ones. Upon exiting the backdrop (reversing direction), trains moving loaded torpedo ladles and slag cars will proceed towards the Open Hearth and Standard Slag, respectively.
• In preparation for the bench work construction, the Open Hearth was moved to a table farther away from the effort and covered with a drop cloth. The finished areas of the layout, i.e. the immediate bridge area and its approaches, were covered with drop cloths. Any trains not on the bridge were moved to the Staging Area for safe-keeping.
• Also moved lumber out from under the layout to make it more accessible. The 2x2's were also measured, marked, and sorted for ease of use.
• Earlier in the week, I created Visio plans of each of the tables (8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14) showing the components. A corresponding list of components for each table was also made.

George

[G3750]

Updated 10/25/2023:

We have lots to report:

• Tables 8, 10, 11, 12, 13 & 14 have been completed and installed on the layout (about 70% at this stage). The Weirton peninsula is now in place with some minor adjustments for Standard Slag to come. The access hatch has been cut with installation of the lift mechanism still to be completed. All the bench work is very sturdy and capable of supporting a 225 lbs.+ individual. It went up quickly and was very economical with respect to wood.
• The Open Hearth was moved to its permanent location on the layout. I still need to re-install the cranes, side walls, and roof sections.
• Over the past few months, I noticed that the train room was a bit dim. Others noticed as well (so it isn't my eyesight). As a result, I placed an order that will effectively double the number of track lights in the room. I also ordered spare LED 4100K bulbs (because we all know that LED bulbs never seem to make it to their quoted lifespan).

On the immediate To-Do list:

• Deep clean the train room. We created (and removed) a lot of sawdust, but there are a number of crevices and corners that need cleaning.
• Get all the tools back into their places in the workshop.
• Figure out what Sawmax and saber saw blades need to be replaced - we wore out a few.
• Remove all the plastic drop-clothes from the backdrop and bridge.
• Repair the bridge railings damaged by the drop-clothes falling (where the tape let go). Fortunately, there are only a few spots in need.
• Install a power strip under the Weirton Steel yard which will be controlled from the single layout ON/OFF switch. This will supply power to the Open Hearth.
• Store the York purchases (1 building, 2 building kits, 1 baggage car) in their respective bins under the layout.
• Inventory the remaining 2x2s (used for table frames and legs) and determine how many will be needed for the Steubenville bench work.

All the above must be done before we can start laying track on the new bench work.

George

[G3750]

Updated 11/9/2024:

After a year of not posting, I have decided to revive this thread. I am back!

In this album you'll find a great deal of new content and progress. Since the last post, the following has been accomplished:

• Roadbed and track has been laid extending the mainline throughout the peninsula.
• Weirton Junction Yard has been installed. This is a three spur yard with run-around ladder as well as the dump track for Standard Slag.
• Weirton Steel Yard has been installed. This includes a track for loads / empties as well as spurs for the Open Hearth, Blooming Mill, and Strip Steel.
• The Open Hearth's wiring has been revisited and a new more powerful power supply has been installed. Because of a problem with the stacks' smoke unit, it has been removed. The unit failed, nearly causing a fire.
• Tortoise switch machines (19 in all) were installed (under table) in all parts of the layout except the Staging Area.
• The concept of switch towers as an operating method has been finalized. There will be 4 towers: Staging Area (SA), Weirton Steel Yard (WSX), Weirton Junction (WC), and Steubenville (QN).
• A control panel for Weirton Steel Yard (WSX) tower was created and mounted to the fascia. It consists of LEDs and DPDT toggle switches operating 17 turnouts controlling access to the steel mill.
• A control panel for Weirton Junction (WC) tower was created and mounted to the fascia. It consists of LEDs and DPDT toggle switches operating 6 turnouts controlling Weirton Junction Yard and Standard Slag.

The link below provides some photos of progress.
https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B1rGKQPy6IUbtW

George

[robert.]

I was wondering if you gave up on us pr fell ill. Nice to see you’re still having fun.

[healey36]

Thanks for the pics, George...always helpful in “seeing” progress.

I see the fan-driven vent in the wall above the furnace building...how does that affect the vapor/smoke as it leaves the stack(s)? Does it dissipate much more quickly but still have a good visual effect?

Paul R.

[G3750]

Thanks for the pics, George...always helpful in “seeing” progress.

I see the fan-driven vent in the wall above the furnace building...how does that affect the vapor/smoke as it leaves the stack(s)? Does it dissipate much more quickly but still have a good visual effect?

Paul R.

The fan draws the smoke from the stacks through the divider. Behind it is a movable curved duct that connects the divider to the basement window. When in place and operational, it vents smoke out the window. I described this device in an article for OST called "Handling Big Smoke".

George

[G3750]

I was wondering if you gave up on us pr fell ill. Nice to see you’re still having fun.

Thanks Robert! Posting photos here is a bit more difficult because of the board's limit on uploads. I am forced by Apple iCloud to use an incantation that only shows a link. However, that disadvantage is outweighed by the much higher signal-to-noise ratio I get on MTJ. I almost always get higher quality, more useful responses to my questions here.

George

[healey36]

Interesting...I'll look for the article.

I have a small fan in the basement that I run to vent the room whenever I use smoking equipment on the layout, especially when there are kids down there. Last thing I want to do is involuntarily asphyxiate anyone with mineral oil vapor. However, when I run that fan, it creates a draft powerful enough to disperse the smoke nearly immediately after leaving the stack...kind of a buzz-kill for the smoke effect. I was just curious if you have had a similar experience.

[G3750]

Interesting...I'll look for the article.

I have a small fan in the basement that I run to vent the room whenever I use smoking equipment on the layout, especially when there are kids down there. Last thing I want to do is involuntarily asphyxiate anyone with mineral oil vapor. However, when I run that fan, it creates a draft powerful enough to disperse the smoke nearly immediately after leaving the stack...kind of a buzz-kill for the smoke effect. I was just curious if you have had a similar experience.

Actually, due to the proximity of the fan to the stacks, the effect worked pretty well. The smoke would drift towards the fan without dispersing rapidly. It looked just like my childhood memory. Unfortunately, I have pulled that smoke generator out of the mill.

Here's the whole story. In July 2023, the mill won the Dean Freytag Award (photography) at the Steel Mill Modelers Special Interest Group (SMMSIG) annual meeting. A month later, my brother-in-law and I hoisted that beast from the floor onto the layout and into its planned location (that sucker was really heavy). I plugged it and then noticed some bizarre electrical behavior - one stack's blinking LEDs wouldn't work, other strings of LEDs went totally dark, the smoke unit was pushing smoke out the stacks, and all LEDs started blinking when the smoke generator was activated. WTF was going on? After talking with an electrician friend who is also a model railroader, the truth was discovered. The collective wattage of all devices in the Open Hearth (~80 LEDs, 2 MTH smoke units, 1 HarborModels smoke generator) vastly exceeded the limit (75% of rated value) of the power supply. The mill was under-powered! Needless to say, this was not what I expected.

I ordered a new, higher wattage commercial power supply and mounted it in the mill. I also removed the HarborModels smoke generator and examined it closely. The wires supplying the fan were broken. I reconnected them and re-installed them in the building. I was standing next to the mill after powering it up. The smoke generator was pumping out smoke when I heard a "pop". I looked down into the generator and saw flame shoot up into the tube leading to the stacks. I cut the power and held my breath while flame died down.

Turns out that the board has a very narrow voltage range. It's sold without a voltage regulator board (available as an option). I thought I solved that issue with a regulated, commercial power supply. For whatever reason, the resistor in the unit failed. A major fire endangering the mill, the layout, and perhaps even the house was narrowly averted.

At this point, I'm considering replacing the unit with a UL listed smoke machine used in theatrical settings. I just have decided which one and how it will be hooked up.

George

[healey36]

I recall you mentioning here or elsewhere that you'd had an overheating/flame-out incident on the pike. That's a warning for me, as I don't do a good job of considering how much of a load I put on some of these bricks I'm using. Might be time to go back and inventory/tally the draw on each circuit, making sure I'm not at or over the rated wattage.

A smoke machine used commercially would seem more than adequate for what you're doing. You have to think that might be way more powerful than the run-of-the-mill Seuthe or MTH unit.

[G3750]

I recall you mentioning here or elsewhere that you'd had an overheating/flame-out incident on the pike. That's a warning for me, as I don't do a good job of considering how much of a load I put on some of these bricks I'm using. Might be time to go back and inventory/tally the draw on each circuit, making sure I'm not at or over the rated wattage.

A smoke machine used commercially would seem more than adequate for what you're doing. You have to think that might be way more powerful than the run-of-the-mill Seuthe or MTH unit.

The smoke generator was much more powerful. It was designed to operate in ship models. It could probably simulate the laying down of a smokescreen ala World War II destroyers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ub9p_45Jr-Q

As a kid, I was fascinated by the sight of those stacks belching various colors of thick billowing smoke (God knows what horrible chemicals were in that smoke). That's what I'm looking to recreate, SAFELY.

By the way, if a power supply is rated at 100 watts, it's safe constant load is 75% of that.

George

[G3750]

Hi Everyone!

Been a while since I posted. This is the pipe bridge I recently constructed. It's loosely attached to the Open Hearth.

IMG_0358.JPEG (1.28 MiB) Viewed 11880 times

And here's a better look at the Open Hearth. It measures 37" wide x 38" high x 72" long.

IMG_0488.JPEG (1.58 MiB) Viewed 11880 times

And I'm pleased to report it made the cover (no, not The Rolling Stone ) of the Steel Mill Modelers Journal.

IMG_0399a.JPEG (2.33 MiB) Viewed 11880 times

George