What's New on the PRR Panhandle Division?

[G3750]

Updated 10/23/2016:

Figured I'd wire up some MTH Floodlight towers using my 12VDC bus. Did the first one and this is what I got...

Floodlights_001_.JPG (45.37 KiB) Viewed 3884 times

I'm seeing 9.6 V at the bridge piers (they have Evans Design U3TR slow red blinking LEDs on them as navigational aids). I might have to go to a nearby 12VAC bus (same one that first the smokestacks at the Open Hearth).

Here's a view of both floodlight towers.

Floodlights_002_.JPG (50.04 KiB) Viewed 3884 times

Dang!

George

[jlong]

Are the bulbs wired in series?

[G3750]

Are the bulbs wired in series?

I don't think so. Here's how they are connected to the bus (this is my quick, crude rendering of a terminal strip).

Bus.jpg (27.77 KiB) Viewed 3872 times

The bridge LEDs are ahead of this and also connected in this manner.

George

[J. S. Bach]

I suspect that the bulbs may be rated at more than twelve volts, maybe fifteen to eighteen. A twelve volt bulb operating at almost ten volts should be much brighter.

[G3750]

Updated 10/24/2016:

Lamp issue fixed. I was putting 9.6-9.7 volts through the MTH Floodlights. Although they are rated for 7-16 volts (AC or DC), obviously 9.6 produces a very dim light.

I took my 12 VAC feed (from a PowerChief 120F) to my Open Hearth smokestacks and ran an extension to one of the floodlights. Turns out to be 13 VAC at the accessory.

But at least the tower lights up. It's somewhat brighter than before, but not overpowering.

Floods_001_.JPG (45.51 KiB) Viewed 3856 times

And yes, that Pennsy signal in the background has lost its mind. Should be indicating "STOP", not "ALL CLEAR".

George

[G3750]

Updated 10/25/2016:

Got both MTH Floodlight towers hooked up to the 12VAC accessory bus. The view is looking "north" with the Open Hearth on the immediate right.

Floods_003_.JPG (50.41 KiB) Viewed 3845 times

George

[healey36]

The backdrop looks awesome...excellent scaling of the colors.

Healey

[G3750]

The backdrop looks awesome...excellent scaling of the colors.

Healey

Thank you. The artist really did a superb job. I can't wait to see her work when she gets an entire, unbroken wall to work with.

George

[Steamfan77]

You're making some nice progress George. I think whenever you have a string of success, you develop some positive momentum. Well done, keep it up.

Andy

[G3750]

You're making some nice progress George. I think whenever you have a string of success, you develop some positive momentum. Well done, keep it up.

Andy

Thanks Andy! I think you're right. Success begets success and I've been moving forward.

It's this **** working for a living that gets in the way of real progress.

George

[G3750]

Updated 10/26/2016:

There's this little side project that has caught my attention. At York last week I discovered a Corgi bus that looks a lot like the old Pittsburgh & Weirton (P & W) buses I rode as a child. I'm planning to have it painted in that color scheme.

P & W GM TDH 4509 Old Style Bus.jpg (2.14 MiB) Viewed 3820 times

Note: You can still buy this calendar from the Weirton Area Museum and Cultural Center.

Here's a shot of 5 buses in Steubenville in the 1950's.

1950 Steubenville.jpg (113.81 KiB) Viewed 3820 times

George

[MurphOnMillerAve]

I love that view of downtown Steubenville because it shows how such areas used to be, with copious vehicular and pedestrian traffic. Imagine crafting a layout scene like that and NOT getting criticized for having TOO MUCH in the scene. Real is real, however, IF a person has the memory for such places. Nice. Nice. NICE!
Thanks!
Murph

[rogruth]

That photo is so typical of towns in the Ohio Valley during that time period.
Look at the traffic, the pedestrians, the businesses.
Every town in the area was like that. These were booming times even with,
if I recall, a recession after the war.
The smaller towns away from the valley that were not suburbs were very quiet.
Above are just memories. I was in high school in 1950. Rode a bicycle everywhere
when possible.
I would NOT want to return to those days but wish the valley still had today the life
it had then. At that time almost anybody who wanted to work could find a job in
the area. Today there are no jobs. Very sad.

Sorry for the above but when I see a picture of the area at that time nostalgia
beats me in the head and heart. It was once a good place to live.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

I love that view of downtown Steubenville because it shows how such areas used to be, with copious vehicular and pedestrian traffic. Imagine crafting a layout scene like that and NOT getting criticized for having TOO MUCH in the scene. Real is real........

There's not too much there and there wouldn't be on a layout either - how far do you think that the depth of that photo runs? 1/4 mile? 1000 feet? What's that distance in O scale? Figure about 30 feet in you basement. All that across 30 feet won't look like there's too much in a scene. The problem is that way too many modelers try to make that scene fit in 3 feet - then it is too much. Ad you compress that down, you have to thin it out.

[MurphOnMillerAve]

When the steel mills died, there was no recovering or returning to times and prosperity. IMO.