Friday, October 29, 2010
Progress Report 10.29.10
Installed a total of 7 more slide switches today including three more difficult ones. Drilled the holes and soldered feeder wires to 20 more slide switches that are now ready for installation.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Progress Report 10.28.10
Purchased some new drill bits today. Installed eight more slide switches. Completely destroyed the throw bar on one of the turnouts for the crossover in Blue Island. That switch will have to be replaced unless I can find a work around. I'm not happy about that at all.
I really hate slide switch installation! :-(
I really hate slide switch installation! :-(
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Progress Report 10.27.10
Well, Stella got her groove back. I worked on slide switches tonight installing nine slide switches.
Slide Switch Progress Report
Rock Island West & East end installed
Bureau West End (East End will have a tortoise)
Bureau Industrial Trackage
Stockdale West & East end installed
Stockdale Industrial Trackage
Joliet CB&Q Storage Track
Joliet CB&Q Junction
Joliet West & East end installed
Joliet Grain Co
Remaining main/siding turnouts requiring slide switch installation (before op session)
Davenport - 2x Industrial Leads
Davenport Yard Ladder - 9x Yard Ladder
Rock Island - 1x Industrial Lead
Joliet - 3x Industrial Leads
Blue Island - 3x Siding, Crossover
Blue Island - 4x Industrial Leads
Both Staging Yards
The sad news is that my one super small drill bit broke tonight. This will severely hamper progress until replaced. I can't drill the holes in the throw bar nor can I drill the holes in additional slide switches.
Slide Switch Progress Report
Rock Island West & East end installed
Bureau West End (East End will have a tortoise)
Bureau Industrial Trackage
Stockdale West & East end installed
Stockdale Industrial Trackage
Joliet CB&Q Storage Track
Joliet CB&Q Junction
Joliet West & East end installed
Joliet Grain Co
Remaining main/siding turnouts requiring slide switch installation (before op session)
Davenport - 2x Industrial Leads
Davenport Yard Ladder - 9x Yard Ladder
Rock Island - 1x Industrial Lead
Joliet - 3x Industrial Leads
Blue Island - 3x Siding, Crossover
Blue Island - 4x Industrial Leads
Both Staging Yards
The sad news is that my one super small drill bit broke tonight. This will severely hamper progress until replaced. I can't drill the holes in the throw bar nor can I drill the holes in additional slide switches.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Progress Report 10.20.10
I really loathe slide switch installation. They can be highly temperamental. I managed to get another one installed tonight. What a pain in the butt!! Maybe one day I will have the process down, but for now, I wrestle with each one. I could lay the CNW branchline, but I'm forcing myself to continue the slide switch installations as I need those for the op session.
Slide Switch Progress Report
Rock Island West & East end installed
Stockdale West & East end installed
Joliet West & East end installed
Remaining main/siding turnouts requiring slide switch installation (before op session)
Davenport - 2x Industrial Leads
Davenport Yard Ladder - 9x Yard Ladder
Rock Island - 1x Industrial Lead
Bureau - 2x Industrial Leads
Stockdale - 3x Industrial Leads
Joliet - 3x Industrial Leads
Joliet - 2x CB&Q Trackage
Blue Island - 3x Siding, Crossover
Blue Island - 4x Industrial Leads
Both Staging Yards
Slide Switch Progress Report
Rock Island West & East end installed
Stockdale West & East end installed
Joliet West & East end installed
Remaining main/siding turnouts requiring slide switch installation (before op session)
Davenport - 2x Industrial Leads
Davenport Yard Ladder - 9x Yard Ladder
Rock Island - 1x Industrial Lead
Bureau - 2x Industrial Leads
Stockdale - 3x Industrial Leads
Joliet - 3x Industrial Leads
Joliet - 2x CB&Q Trackage
Blue Island - 3x Siding, Crossover
Blue Island - 4x Industrial Leads
Both Staging Yards
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Progress Report 10.08.10 to 10.19.10
Sorry for the lack of reports lately. We have been busy with family, the girls' birthday plus all four family members sick.
Installed the seven throttle jacks and tested.
The room and layout itself have been thoroughly cleaned and organized. All cars were matched with car cards and waybills and placed on the layout ready for the operating session.
Installed the waybill boxes for both staging yards.
Installed another slide switch tonight at West Stockdale, IL.
The track definitely needs to be cleaned, but everything is coming together nicely for the inaugural op session.
Installed the seven throttle jacks and tested.
The room and layout itself have been thoroughly cleaned and organized. All cars were matched with car cards and waybills and placed on the layout ready for the operating session.
Installed the waybill boxes for both staging yards.
Installed another slide switch tonight at West Stockdale, IL.
The track definitely needs to be cleaned, but everything is coming together nicely for the inaugural op session.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Progress Report 10.07.10
Tonight, crews kicked it up a notch.
Drilled and completed pulling the throttle bus wire. Completed pulling the track bus wire on the upper level over by Stockdale and the ovalix. Found some extra lumber that almost fit the profile for the Chicago & Northwestern branch line. Trimmed the lumber and installed the benchwork for all of the CNW branch. Soldered the feeders to the bus wire in Stockdale, Bureau, CB&Q line, and the single track between Stockdale and Joliet. Also soldered all feeders in the Rock Island industrial area and a pair down by the Mississippi River. All feeders are installed for Phase I. Repaired the bridge where a barge (aka a clumsy oaf) hit a couple of weeks ago.
The track has been shaped and in place (not glued, nor roadbed installed) for the CNW branchline. Engineering has been conducting tests on the temporary track and are pleased with the alignment.
Tomorrow I plan on drilling the holes for the frog wires on the turnouts. Everything has been removed from the layout for a pending thorough cleaning.
Drilled and completed pulling the throttle bus wire. Completed pulling the track bus wire on the upper level over by Stockdale and the ovalix. Found some extra lumber that almost fit the profile for the Chicago & Northwestern branch line. Trimmed the lumber and installed the benchwork for all of the CNW branch. Soldered the feeders to the bus wire in Stockdale, Bureau, CB&Q line, and the single track between Stockdale and Joliet. Also soldered all feeders in the Rock Island industrial area and a pair down by the Mississippi River. All feeders are installed for Phase I. Repaired the bridge where a barge (aka a clumsy oaf) hit a couple of weeks ago.
The track has been shaped and in place (not glued, nor roadbed installed) for the CNW branchline. Engineering has been conducting tests on the temporary track and are pleased with the alignment.
Tomorrow I plan on drilling the holes for the frog wires on the turnouts. Everything has been removed from the layout for a pending thorough cleaning.
Progress Report 10.06.10
Progress has been extremely slow lately...
In my brief windows of opportunity to work on the layout, the remaining feeders for the CB&Q line, Stockdale and Bureau have been soldered to the rails. The CB&Q line and Stockdale still need to be soldered to the bus. Speaking of bus, that needs to be pulled for the upper level between the peninsula and ovalix.
This evening, I cut the openings for the seven NCE throttle jack panels in the benchwork. Those have been ordered. It should be a quick install once they arrive. I do need to drill a few more holes over near Bureau for the throttle jack bus wire.
Paperwork! Paperwork! Paperwork!
Building a layout is only half the battle. Creating an operating plan, creating paperwork and implementing is a hobby within itself. I'm happy to report as of this evening that all car cards and waybills have been created, matched and sorted by location/train. The car cards now only need to be matched with the physical equipment and placed on the layout.
I used Excel to keep a tally of car locations for their inaugural run. This was my attempt to keep everything balanced to prevent major traffic disruptions. In the future, the system will work on its own with ebb and flow traffic patterns.
I'm very excited as the layout is starting to breathe some life. With my Excel report, I'm able to visualize how the first operating session will go. It will be interesting to see how reality plays out. The locals are pretty heavy with 9-17 cars to set out. Stockdale is the monster for sure. Operating with two general freight trains in each direction separated by early morning and late afternoon schedules helps greatly. The second section freights will leave staging light, but will pickup at Davenport and Burr Oak Yards terminating as heavy trains. These trains will transport much of the freight picked up by the locals from earlier in the day.
44 days until the ROCK comes alive!!
In my brief windows of opportunity to work on the layout, the remaining feeders for the CB&Q line, Stockdale and Bureau have been soldered to the rails. The CB&Q line and Stockdale still need to be soldered to the bus. Speaking of bus, that needs to be pulled for the upper level between the peninsula and ovalix.
This evening, I cut the openings for the seven NCE throttle jack panels in the benchwork. Those have been ordered. It should be a quick install once they arrive. I do need to drill a few more holes over near Bureau for the throttle jack bus wire.
Paperwork! Paperwork! Paperwork!
Building a layout is only half the battle. Creating an operating plan, creating paperwork and implementing is a hobby within itself. I'm happy to report as of this evening that all car cards and waybills have been created, matched and sorted by location/train. The car cards now only need to be matched with the physical equipment and placed on the layout.
I used Excel to keep a tally of car locations for their inaugural run. This was my attempt to keep everything balanced to prevent major traffic disruptions. In the future, the system will work on its own with ebb and flow traffic patterns.
I'm very excited as the layout is starting to breathe some life. With my Excel report, I'm able to visualize how the first operating session will go. It will be interesting to see how reality plays out. The locals are pretty heavy with 9-17 cars to set out. Stockdale is the monster for sure. Operating with two general freight trains in each direction separated by early morning and late afternoon schedules helps greatly. The second section freights will leave staging light, but will pickup at Davenport and Burr Oak Yards terminating as heavy trains. These trains will transport much of the freight picked up by the locals from earlier in the day.
44 days until the ROCK comes alive!!
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