Progress Report 03.23.11

Success!!  I'm happy to report that both the Ex-New Jersey Central SD35s are operational now.  Whew!  That was a wild one to repair. 

Lately, I have been knee deep in CV settings, BEMF and other trivial settings on the locomotive decoders.  I'm working through the fleet to swap out couplers, verify and change various settings as required.  The great thing is that I'm learning a lot in the process.

I'm hoping to start on plaster cloth Friday.

Progress Report 03.21.11

Pulled the two Atlas ex-NJ Central SD35s back out of their case.  I had thrown up my arms in disgust back in January.  They locos seemed to be demon possessed.

I worked on one of the locomotives for well over an hour.  Finally, I got the 2511 functioning normally.  It required a factory reset of the decoder, altering the start up, midrange and shutdown voltage, adding solder to the DCC board to provide a more secure connection and removing warped trucks.  Whew!  What an ordeal!  I'm very happy to report that the #2511 is road-worthy now.

I worked on its sister unit #2504 but wasn't quite as lucky.  These units have been a royal pain in the butt.  

Progress Report 03.20.11

I can't really say there has been much progress since the last report, but thought I should check in.  I have added a few more cardboard strips for scenery.  Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to break out the plaster cloth yet.  I'm hoping this week.


I have spent more time on my friend's L&HR layout.  Last weekend I spent Saturday soldering feeder wires.  Now, I'm working on making custom RJ12 cables for his Digitrax Loconet.  I'm looking forward to operating on his layout.  It is progressing quite well!