Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Progress Report 12.08.10

Progress has been slow lately.  I ran a solo op session to test out equipment, learn all the jobs, etc.  It was quite informative and of course fun.  We'll mark that up as field research.

I still have a few problem areas that bother me.  The yard ladder at Davenport and the crossover at West Davenport are the worst offenders.  I'm considering replacing with handlaid turnouts in these areas.  It would be an investment, but considering the traffic volume, I think it would be well worth it.  I could possibly use the turnouts for the Davenport engine shop area.

Majority of the remaining turnouts operate well.  Only a few need minor tweaking. 

Tonight, I wired up the Davenport Industrial Park.  I had dropped feeders here, but failed to connect them to the bus.  David realized this when switching for the first time.

I loaded buckshot into the coal hoppers, two Atlas 2-Bay covered hoppers and the woodchip hoppers.  The other BLMA and Exactrail covered hoppers are pretty close to the proper weight.  I checked a few of the 50' box cars, but they too are pretty close to the proper weight.  The 40' cars feel too light though.  I will need to get some stick on weights for those.  It will be interesting to see how the weight affects future train performance.  Specifically, I'm curious as to how it could affect power requirements eastbound on the ovalix.

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