This was a bit of work to get this synchronized, but it’s getting easier. New York Central and Santa Fe freights on the two top loops. This is pretty much what I had in mind when I started this adventure:
Two Full Freight Runs On Top Level
of course there was a bit of trial and error involved - as shown below:
Frank, you have done it again…Looks great.
Dennis
Ha! One car too many! Great video, I hope no cabeese were injurred in the making of this motion picture?
No cabeese were injured. However, the guy who was sweeping the floor ain’t ever going to be the same:
Nice FRANK, how do you keep em apart? From not hitting each other TMCC? or the BURNS activator?
laz57
Frank…Very nice conventional action. I see that the two levels share the same reverse loops. Now, I understand what you were talking about, concerning your wiring blocks. Great looking layout !!!
Chuck
Kinda like watching synchronized swimming…just don’t leave the room to fix a sandwich.
Certainly glad that no trains were harmed in the making of this video; or else Pammy and those folks from PETT (People for the Ethical Treatment of Trains) would be picketing outside your front door…
All I could think when the caboose got clipped was…
WHOA! WHOA!! WHOA!!! WWWWWWHHHHHOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!
Poor Amish guy… Frank you need to take it easy on him! Hopefully he wasn’t your carpenter or construction is going to be taking a huge hit!!!
Brent
Beautiful videos as always, I love your layout design, and my stomach dropped when that caboose fell off the cliff. All I could think was how much that just cost! Glad to hear that it wasn’t harmed in the making of the film.[;)]
Caboose my eye! He rammed that caboose with a 2343! Is that any way to treat that locomotive?!
Jim
Thanks for the compliments folks.
Luckily, I have a vast supply of $5 and $10 cabesse.
Frank,
I have been waiting a very long time for that video!
Now spill the beans on the track isolation solution! I didn’t see your trains slow down, did I?
Wes
not nearly as long as I have - I had to start with this:
and yes, that IS a pizza box lid holding up the track in the corner.
There are four blocks - the top level, the lower level and one for each loop. It’s a little tricky getting them synced, and there is a flaw in the system where they briefly are both powered on the same block. But for the most part, the theory works - I just need to see if I can clean up the execution.
Well let me know when you finalize, and if you can, shoot a video of just one train going through the block and waiting. i would like to see that.
thanks!
Wes
Boy, that looks great. It is fun to see this take shape. I appreciated being able to see the backdrop in all its glory - I like your transitions. I hope someday you can give us a slow pan across the layout like Marty did.
Frank, I thoroughly enjoyed your video. Your Santa Fe crew should be brought up in front of the FRA for drug testing for running that red signal. [:D]
Since I have similar loops, I have an emergency power off button. During the Christmas season, Home Depot or Loews sell a remote control on/off switch that you can use for your outdoor lights. The remote control is fairly small, about the size of a remote control for your car. I have used the remote many times when the “kids” are running the trains. I actually wear the switch on a lanyard around my neck. One click and the whole layout goes dark.
Ha ha Frank - that is great! BTW - what hit the floor first? SInce the video abruptly stops as the caboose falls - I can only assume you dropped a $400 video cam to save the caboose - priorities - right!
Looks great!
I think you use that emergency killswitch for more than just kids…
Wes
Did I need to hit the kill switch when you ran the trains? I had to hit is six or seven times when the Chief was running the trains. [:D]
Frank, the image of that caboose getting clipped by the Santa Fe reminds me of the scene in “Emperor of the North” when they are Highballing out of the yard. I really enjoyed it.
Dennis