Newest additions to the locomotive fleet...

In one of my previous posts I made mention about expanding the railroads that would be operating on the layout.

Today I unpacked some of my new additions...  Three Lehigh Valley locomotives.

Two are Proto2000 GP38-2's 320 & 323 and 310 is a Atlas Silver Series GP38-2.  These will all eventually get LokSound - Select Direct with Sound added to them.

Jas...

More Programming of JMRI - Signal Logic...

So for those wondering about what has been happening with the signal installation, not much actually...

Today is the first day in some months that I have done anything with the signals, I have begun hopefully the last push towards the end.  Programming today of the last of the logic and the last couple of signal bridges, masts & dwarfs onto the JMRI Panel that will run the layout.

For those wondering what it takes here are a couple of screen shots of the various windows open that I use when programming the logic...

JMRI Panel Pro - Edit Mode...

JMRI Panel Pro - Signal Logic Programming windows (Signal Mast Pairs)...

JMRI Panel Pro - Signal Masts Table window...

JMRI Panel Pro - Signal Heads

Excel Spreadsheets - Digitrax SE8C Board #'s, Drive #'s & LT #'s for Signal Heads...

Sometimes I will break out a spare monitor so that I can have the various screens spread over both.  It looks like a massive headache but in fact once you have done a few the process is quite easy as JMRI does all the work for you...

Jas.

Research costs you more money...

Whilst we are still in the midst of school holidays there hasn't been any time down in the layout to continue on with either the signal install and/or anything else on the layout.

So to get my fix and to keep the interest going I have been researching the Hershey Chocolate Factory, namely how it will operate and some of the inwards & outwards goods that can be generated.

One of the interesting things I found out was that the Hershey Factory had its own fleet of 50' Insulated box cars in the era that I am modelling.

So in order to represent these on the layout I had to find some suitable substitutes that would be close to the prototype and easy enough to adapt if needed.  My search started out with undecorated models, unfortunately most of these are non-existent and have been discontinued.

I did eventually find substitutes for both the riveted & outside braced NACC 50' box cars pictured above.

Atlas makes the riveted version in a BN/FGE version that once the decals are removed and sprayed would be a great substitute for the prototype.

And Athearn makes a version of the outside braced in JCL that again once the decals are removed and resprayed it will make a great substitute.

In the mean time until I can get to making the changes the cars will be used as is.

So the moral of the story is, when you research your layout more in-depth its quite possibly going to cost you more money...