The Illinois Central mainline has been completed.\u00a0 I.C. trains can now roll from the west staging yard, through Willis, and into the east staging track.\u00a0 The passing siding at Willis remains under construction.<\/p>\n
The aforementioned siding will utilize code 70 rail (the mainline uses code 83), and is partially installed.\u00a0 The interchange track with the Louisiana Central branches off of the passing siding and therein lies the hold up.\u00a0 I’m using Shinohara track and switches for the layout.\u00a0 Most of my code 83 switches are the newer “DCC Friendly” variety.\u00a0 However Shinohara has never upgraded their code 70 products to this same standard.\u00a0 The problem is that the two point rails are always at the same electrical potential, therefore it is easy to short the track if a wheel happens to bridge the gap between the stock rail and the open point.\u00a0 With regular DC powered layouts, this generally doesn’t present much of a problem.\u00a0 With DCC layouts however, things are a bit different.\u00a0 Within milliseconds of a short, the electronic circuit breaker will shut down the district it serves.\u00a0 If you are using sound decoders in your engines, this results in the decoder resetting and “starting over”.\u00a0 Very irritating, indeed!<\/p>\n
To correct this deficiency, one must rebuild the points such that they are isolated from each other.\u00a0 In addition, you must isolate the frog.\u00a0 The latter is simple; merely cut gaps around the frog.\u00a0 However, the former is quite a chore.\u00a0 I’ve read about a couple methods to perform the necessary modifications, but haven’t actually done one yet.\u00a0 Since I need this code 70 switch installed in order to complete the I.C. trackage, the day of reckoning has come.<\/p>\n
I’m also ready to push the sub-roadbed (tabletop in this instance) into the Louisiana Central’s Willis yard area.\u00a0 The plywood and Homasote have already been cut out.\u00a0 I only have to build the risers and then install everything.\u00a0 Once I get the L.C. mainline through Willis, I’ll be free to install quite a large chunk of the L.C. mainline beyond Willis…all the way to Maynard, the next town down the line.<\/p>\n
Since I want the entire Louisiana Central mainline installed over the course of this, the second year of construction, I’d best get cracking!<\/p>\n
-Jack<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Illinois Central mainline has been completed.\u00a0 I.C. trains can now roll from the west staging yard, through Willis, and into the east staging track.\u00a0 The passing siding at Willis remains under construction. The aforementioned siding will utilize code 70 … Continue reading