What's New on the PRR Panhandle Division?

[jlong]

Neil,

I understand.I guess I sort of lump together MTH and its supporters as one.

Roger, I really wanted DCS to be successful. And when I purchased it, I believed it was vastly superior to TMCC (based on the features and the hype). What I learned through bitter experience was very disappointing. And what made it worse was the fan-boy behavior. I understand being a champion for a product or a concept; what I and others experienced went well beyond the boundaries of fairness and good taste.

Since that time, I've come to learn of MTH's shady business practices and that has influenced me not to purchase any of the products at all.

George

That's the problem, George. You know too much about computers. You know overkill and frills when you see them. You're wise to the BS that wanna be computer experts toss at us as though we were born yesterday. Sadly, the non computer inclined are fooled into thinking the Barwees are inclined with computer engineering. Kind of sad how people are taken advantage of.

[Roy]

Well Roy, it is true that I believe in the KISS principle. It's just that I believe in proven technology...I like the idea of cables (at least for these switches) and I have considered them. There's a company called BluePoint, I think, that makes cable activated throws. At times, this has more appeal than I would expect.

George, the computers, software, etc. are just needless complication which have already made your train operations a living hell. I can understand you not feeling comfortable with straight-up cables, and I know you like certain train operating features of command control. So, how about conventional control of the switches? That takes out one layer of complication, and you must've had previous experience with straight electric switch control.

[G3750]

Well Roy, it is true that I believe in the KISS principle. It's just that I believe in proven technology...I like the idea of cables (at least for these switches) and I have considered them. There's a company called BluePoint, I think, that makes cable activated throws. At times, this has more appeal than I would expect.

George, the computers, software, etc. are just needless complication which have already made your train operations a living hell. I can understand you not feeling comfortable with straight-up cables, and I know you like certain train operating features of command control. So, how about conventional control of the switches? That takes out one layer of complication, and you must've had previous experience with straight electric switch control.

I wouldn't go so far as to say "a living hell" - particularly in reference to TMCC. DCS is another matter. The 15 original switch machines on the layout have been functioning well since late 2007. And the technology involved is trailing edge, definitely tried and true. Problems are almost certainly manufacturing related (cheap Chinese corner cutting).

Conventional control of certain switches is a possibility, but I haven't exhausted all my TMCC technical options yet. I plan to cut the buss in two (haven't been able to get to that). I am still puzzling over how best to do that and keep the rework to a minimum. I don't want to totally rewire 2 busses, nor do I want to jerry-rig something that will bite me later.

George

[jlong]

George, I replaced the choke cable in my 69 chev and it broke after 3 years. It too was made in China.

[G3750]

George, I replaced the choke cable in my 69 chev and it broke after 3 years. It too was made in China.

ROFLMAO.

Wasn't a Nova by any chance was it? Or a Vega?

George

[jlong]

George, I replaced the choke cable in my 69 chev and it broke after 3 years. It too was made in China.

ROFLMAO.

Wasn't a Nova by any chance was it? Or a Vega?

George

No, C-10 truck. I didn't think they made Vegas in 69. My dad had a 69 GTO and the nylon timing gear broke one day when he smoked the tires....LOL. The engineer at Pontiac got fired because of those gears and got a job at MPC.

[G3750]

Updated 12/22/2013:

While we didn't make a lot of progress electrically, we did have 65 degree weather here in Central PA. And that means I was able to open the garage doors and do some serious painting.

These are all the components for the Crawford's Crossing highway overpass. I used a Krylon Fusion #4291 Khaki to achieve a concrete color.

Painting_01_.JPG (80.91 KiB) Viewed 4098 times

The next two shots show the bridge floor with the track supports on them (not in their correct positions).

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Painting_03_.JPG (71.21 KiB) Viewed 4096 times

I used a combination paint and primer on the bridge floor and two cans of Walmart Color Place spray paint (flat black) on the supports.

At least something got done today.

George

[G3750]

George, I replaced the choke cable in my 69 chev and it broke after 3 years. It too was made in China.

ROFLMAO.

Wasn't a Nova by any chance was it? Or a Vega?

George

No, C-10 truck. I didn't think they made Vegas in 69. My dad had a 69 GTO and the nylon timing gear broke one day when he smoked the tires....LOL. The engineer at Pontiac got fired because of those gears and got a job at MPC.

I didn't see this till today. ROFLMAO. I guess if it was a choice between paper or plastic he made the right decision.

Yeah you see some of these engineering decisions and you have to shake your head. I inherited a terrific automobile in 2005 - a 2000 Audi A6 2.7T sedan (twin turbo). New, this car was about $32,000+. Left outside one February night, the plastic piece that connects the shifter handle to the transmission internals shatters in the cold. $700 later... I mean, really?

George

[jlong]

Ya know George, I just fired up an LTI GN F3 set from 1992 that I nabbed off ebay and they took right off. The early Railsounds are superior to PS-1 sounds. These engines are as robust as it gets when it comes to modern era. Pure magnetraction. No rubber weenie wheels. The paint is crisp major eye candy and makes first generation MTH look like blobs of play dough. I just shake my head wondering WTF did MTH save us from??????

Nice work on the overpass BTW. Some good advice there on concrete paint. Looks authentic.

[G3750]

Ya know George, I just fired up an LTI GN F3 set from 1992 that I nabbed off ebay and they took right off. The early Railsounds are superior to PS-1 sounds. These engines are as robust as it gets when it comes to modern era. Pure magnetraction. No rubber weenie wheels. The paint is crisp major eye candy and makes first generation MTH look like blobs of play dough. I just shake my head wondering WTF did MTH save us from??????

I can't speak for early Railsounds, but MTH has never had decent sounds. My Railsounds 4.0 in my Williams K4s is excellent. The M1a is thunderous!

Nice work on the overpass BTW. Some good advice there on concrete paint. Looks authentic.

Thank you. Concrete is tough to model as it is made up of many different colors, not a uniform shade. Depending upon the age of the concrete you are trying to model it can vary from light gray to sand to any shade in between.

George

[G3750]

Updated 12/27/2013:

Got back yesterday from a wonderful Christmas visit with my parents, sister, brother-in-law and their kids in Erie, PA. We left Tuesday and got back yesterday. Didn't do any model railroading during the trip, but did get some thinking and planning done regarding the highway overpass at Crawford's Crossing (see photo below).

1957_Crawfords_Crossing.jpg (77.22 KiB) Viewed 3978 times

That's not a great photo of the overpass, it is too far away and much of it is hidden by the pipe bridge next to it and the mill power line towers. I'm planning to simulate the look with Crow River highway overpass components. This photo shows the rough placement of the highway between the mill buildings.

2011-01-05_006W.jpg (92.9 KiB) Viewed 3978 times

What I had been struggling with was how to add sidewalks, telephone poles, and the Crow River railings and joint components and have it all hang together. Plus the highway must be 4 lane and the overpass must descend from a level height of 6" (between the mills) to the module floor into downtown North Weirton. (NOTE: The drawing doesn't show the upright bridge supports and wooden block necessary to achieve a 6" clearance.). I solved that puzzle during the trip.

Overpass Drawing v002.jpg (52.34 KiB) Viewed 3979 times

A triangular support will be used to ease the descent. Disguised screws will be attached through the sidewalk into the support. The roadbed will then be bent downward to mate with the module floor. Screws will be inserted from the underside of the module floor into the supports to anchor them and achieve the downward slope.

I'm cutting a number of wooden components (sidewalks, underlying masonite) tonight. Hopefully, I'll get to paint and scribe the sidewalks this weekend.

And the DZ-2001 buss work is still to be done. That is also this weekend.

George

[rogruth]

Looks like progress.
I remember that area with the downhill four lane highway.
Is that US 22?

[G3750]

Looks like progress.
I remember that area with the downhill four lane highway.
Is that US 22?

Roger, it used to be US 22. About 30 years ago, a bypass was constructed that parallels part of the old PRR Panhandle. The new highway runs along the base of McKim's Ridge less than 100 yards from the old roadbed in places. Steubenville resisted the bypass for a long time. Eventually they relented and BOTH downtowns were hit pretty hard.

George

[G3750]

Roger,

Here's a view of the overpass from downtown Weirton (south of North Weirton). I think the photo is from the 1990s or later (certainly post 1968).

MainStreet_05_.JPG (50.92 KiB) Viewed 3937 times

Main Street proceeds past the POV (that is towards the viewer) into the downtown area, down hill and west towards the Ohio River some 3 miles away. This view is looking north towards North Weirton.

George

[rogruth]

I don't remember when I was there last.