CABOOSE TRACK ACTIVATED

Preparing for the next operating session, I have been tackling a number of “little” tasks that were postponed for lack of time or higher priorities.  Such has been the fate of my caboose track in the Eugene Yard complex.  The caboose track is just off the RR-East switch lead, with switches close to the layout edge.  Therein lay the problem leading to delay.  These switches use Blue Point manual throw switch machines, just as many within the yard complex. 

The Blue Point throw arm is 7/8 inch below the underside of the subroadbed.  My standard throw rod mount through the fascia is 1-1/2 inch below the subroadbed to provide for an inset knob on the layout face.  This leads to a very difficult mechanical function unless the throw rod can be attached to a lower point on the switch machine.  My prior attempts at mounting close-to-layout switch machines involved a switch machine throw bar bracket that lowered the mounting point.  These have not been completely successful.

Former offset throw rod bracket on Blue Point switch machine mounted near layout edge.  Brass bracket mounts to Blue Point throw bar at top.  Throw rod through the fascia attaches at bottom of bracket.

My former offset mounting bracket was a case of me getting too complicated—because I could.  Sometimes it is a curse to have well-developed modeling and small parts fabrication skills.  This was one of those times.

After thinking about this for a long time, the idea light bulb finally lit!  All I needed was an offset of the entire switch machine further below the subroadbed.  My Intro to Mechanical Engineering professor’s words are now ringing in my ears:  “The SIMPLEST solution usually is the BEST solution!”  Color my face red and my forehead properly smacked by hand palm.  All I needed to do was mount a spacer block for the switch machine, dropping the throw bar to my standard layout fascia throw rod mount location.

New Blue Point mount with the machine moved further from the subroadbed with a spacer block.

With this roadblock cleared, I could mount switch machines for the switches at either end of the caboose track.  The track switches have been on the layout for most of a year.  Now they are ready for service.  While I was at it, I mounted the switch machines for the Oregon Electric Interchange track, further along the switch lead.  That also prompted wiring said O.E. Interchange track and the switches.  Now I just need to add some waybills for transfers to and from the Oregon Electric (BN).

SP 2732 switches the caboose track.

THROTTLE MAINTENANCE

One issue that can develop with North Coast Engineering’s (NCE) engineer throttles with potentiometers (Cab04P and Cab06P) is that the potentiometer shank can develop a wobble.  The throttle knob is fairly large (a good thing!) so it is possible to put the wrong torque (not the potentiometer rotation—rather more of a side-to side forcing) on the shank.  Alas, one of my throttles developed this malady.  The solution is two-fold:  replace the damaged potentiometer and add support for the throttle knob.

The first step is to acquire a replacement potentiometer.  The NCE website lists replacement parts with this potentiometer listed: NCE Part 524-507  http://www.ncedcc.com/ - !online-store/c1n1m/!/Replacement-potentiometer-for-Engineer-Cabs-Cab04-5-6-limit-2/p/40150682

This is a “free” replacement (limit 2), but that is good really only if you have other work going on at NCE.  Another alternative is to go to the “Parts and Pieces Depot” on the NCE webpage and then look at the DigiKey parts list.  Listed there is:

potentiometer for engineer cabs  - cab04 /06   Digikey 987-1276-ND

manufacturer part number  P090S-04F20BR10K

http://www.digikey.com/product-search/en?KeyWords=987-1276-nd&WT.z_header=search_go

I used this option and ordered several potentiometers, as I can see that over time I may need to replace more potentiometers.  The parts are fairly cheap so order a small batch!

With the replacement potentiometer in hand, I then opened up the throttle.  With this, I could de-solder the bad potentiometer and replace it.

 Throttle opened up for access to the potentiometer, sticking up from the printed circuit board.

Upon reassembly, the second task could be addressed—adding support for the throttle knob.  I cut a couple of thick felt circles wider than the knob.  I punched a hole in the center using a simple punch made from sharpened brass tubing.  The felt disks were then fit over the potentiometer shank, followed by NCE’s rubber disk that fits inside the knob.  The knob was attached with an Allen wrench.  A quick check showed the throttle was ready for service!

 Reassembled throttle awaiting felt disks for knob support.

 Knob attached, batteries installed, and throttle checked.  Good to go!

CAR CARDS AND SLOTS IN USE

A current discussion among layout designers concerns holding and sorting slots for car cards used to direct freight car movements on model railroads.  I described my basic car card slots in a post two years ago.  http://espeecascades.blogspot.com/2014/05/car-card-boxes.html  Since that time, I have put my railroad into full operations and done a fair bit of labeling.  Further, I just introduced new computer-printed waybills and the “Spot Card” concept.  http://espeecascades.blogspot.com/2016/05/improved-car-movement-documents.html  Given the current on-line discussion, a refreshed visit to this topic is in order.

As I previously noted, I build my car card boxes with a nominal 1x3 MDF molding for the front piece.  Most of my boxes use nominal ½ x 2 wood strip for spacer-separators.  Though this might seem wide by some, I have found the extra thickness of the spacer makes for easier handling of the cards by my fat fingers and better visual separation of the groups of cards in the slots.  I use 1/8 hardboard as a backing.  This is a bit shorter than the height of the cards, providing for a finger-hold for the car cards in the slots.

A key reason for the thick front piece is to provide a horizontal surface for slot labels.  I got this idea from Rob Spangler in descriptions of his WP 8^th Sub layout on the Model Railroad Hobbyist Forum.  The horizontal labels are easily viewed from the normal operator standing position.

Car Card slot boxes on fascia shelves at Eugene Yard.

Yard track car card box with slots for each track. 

In the picture above, the yardmaster has begun assembling blocks of cars on three classification tracks for three of the locals that originate at Eugene.  Slot file separators are available for the yardmaster to identify the use of each track and groups of car cards associated with the blocks of cars on those tracks. 

The yardmaster also has a stack of “Spot Cards” for each of those locals.  The spot cards are used to control the number of cars sent out to each industry spur.  A high proportion of the traffic on my railroad is for empties delivered to industries for outbound loading.  One can think of the spot cards as a form of the station agent’s call for empties.  This reinforces the waybills, which also represent industry demand.  Each day, the car clerk (usually me during staging) collects up the spot cards from the cars at industries that are to be picked up.  These are added to the spot card stack at Eugene.  All the yardmaster needs to know is that if a car is billed for an industry and has a spot card, there will be space at that industry and the car can be sent out on the next local serving that station.

Inbound loads might arrive on any mainline freight arriving at Eugene.  The yard needs to pull those cards into the classification yard and add them to the car block for the appropriate local.  There is more variability in dealing with these inbound cars, so the spot cards help control what goes out on the locals.  The result is the use of Eugene for excess traffic—the “off-spot” cars.  Since my waybill deck is quite new, I have not had time to balance the traffic contained therein, so it is quite easy to overload a few of the industry spurs.  The spot cards help control this flow.

Example cars with car cards containing both waybill and spot card.  These cars are ready to go out to Oakridge on the next Oakridge Turn.

Cars at Springfield ready for pick up.  The spot cards have been removed and the waybills cycled toward the next destination.

As the photos show, I use a car card slot for each track, spur or industry.  That last case provides three separate card slots for the three industries along one spur at Eugene.  My other industry spurs get a single slot each, even when one industry has a couple of tracks, such as Western Lumber at Westfir.

Car Card slots at Westfir.  Western Lumber has two tracks.  The front track serves the wood chip loader and the plywood warehouse.  The back track serves the lumber loading.  A spare slot has been provided for a possible future use.

My car card slot boxes rest on the 1x4 shelves at the base of the layout fascia.  For some layouts, the shelf extension into the aisle might be an issue.  I have been careful placing the fascia shelves to minimize their impact on human traffic flow.  The railroad was designed with fairly wide aisles, though I did compromise down to a standard three feet wide aisle minimum around much of the mainline.  The Eugene-Springfield area has a very generous aisle that squeezes down to six-feet wide at the Springfield turn-back loop, but broadens to eight feet wide at the blind end near the Willamette River crossing at RR-West Eugene (RR-East Springfield).  I carefully thought through the human traffic around the rest of the railroad.  So far, this seems to work acceptably, though there are occasions when operators must pass each other.  Aisle width is an important element of layout design.  Projections into that aisle, such as my operator shelves and card card boxes, must be considered as part of that overall design.  It is not all track!