Foreign Power during Op sessions : another reason "to not to..."

Dear Charlie,

Another reason I can think of that stops me allowing "foreign power" or equipment on the layout (unless by prior arrangement), is the "home road"'s policy RE wheel/rail cleaning and rail treatments.

My layouts personally thrive on graphite, and any equipment that lives on "wet rail" is strictly verboten.
Obviously, it's bad form to expect to run "dirty wheeled" equipment anytime, even when the foreign power is invited/expected. (As you enter the Host's house, you'd wipe your shoes at the door, yes?).

Just something that came to mind...

Happy Modelling,
Aim to Improve,
Prof Klyzlr

Entry Quarantine

Sounds like an entry quarantine area would be a good idea then, a place where road power is checked and cleaned both before and after the session.  granted, we usually don't plan these ares when we design our layouts, but it sounds like space - even if just a 2x8 of space, it'd be space well invested!

DCC Question for your new writter

I would like to know what bus with 2-bus module system do I connect a switching industry to?  Do I create a 3rd bus network for industries and staging with different module sections?

Getting down to bus-ness ...

Hi GD,

Let me paraphrase your question to see if I'm understanding you correctly...

Firstly, it sounds like you're talking about a layout that uses DCC that uses two boosters to power the tracks. Each booster drives it's own bus. The busses are connected to different parts of the layout (blocks). For example if your layout has 6 towns on it booster #1 might be driving towns A, B, and C, while booster #2 drives towns D, E, and F.

You seem to be asking which of these two boosters you should use to power the tracks at a new industry.

If this isn't correct can you help clarify what you're looking for?

If this is correct then, I'd suggest powering the industry complex from the same booster that drives the mainline and siding (if there is a siding), or yard area, that the industry attaches to. My feeling is that minimizing the number of times trains cross between booster districts is a good thing.

If your layout is large, then a separate booster for staging areas might be a good idea. If you can measure booster output current (Tony's Train exchange sells a device called the RR ampmeter that will give you digital voltage and curent readouts), it might be worthwhile to measure the current being driven by each booster. Measure the 'at rest' current and the 'layout is a hoppin' current. If one booster seems lightly used, perhaps it should be driving staging.

However, unless your layout is large with lots of sound equipped locos pulling long heavy trains up steep grades, you probably don't need to add another booster (assuming you have two 5 amp boosters).

But like everything else involving electrical stuff, your mileage may vary.

Best regards,

Charlie

Organizing sheet and strip material

Benny,

Do you have a Walmart or Target web page or product number for the deep well containers?

I received an email from a reader who couldn't find them.

Charlie

!!~

Sheesh, I didn't even notice that was in there!!

I have a couple pictures to support this...

Here you can see where I made the cut on the package.  I tapped the package until the plastic was seated firmly in the bottom and then snipped the packages all to the same length.  If one found a box about an inch longer, this would not be necessary.

The box on the left is all strip styrene, the box on the right is shapes [tubes, rod, angle, I beams, H column, channel] and at that moment my random Plastruct pieces.

This is before I put them in order.  However, I think it's clear that once you get them placed in the box, they stay in order very well!

The boxes I have here from Walmart are from Plano and under the product line Prolatch.  The model number I use for Evergreen is 2-3730.  You'll lose about 1/2" of each strip using this box, or whatever stick up through the top of the package above the number, but it's not too bad.  Overall I find the end effect to be extremely worth it but then, I have roughly 100 packets of styrene to keep track of!

Now looking through Walmart's site, I'm having the same difficulty finding them.  So I went to Google with Plano and the model number [3730 is what i use for Evergreen] and I found a couple avenues that will provide them.  I found them in the Sporting Goods section of Walmart, with the rest of the tackle boxes - the Super Walmarts usually have them

Here's one, for instance:

http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage-P3730.html  They have a pretty good selection of these boxes!!

I wish everybody luck finding them!

Plano Organizer

Thanks Benny for all the detailed info & pictures.  Much appreciated.  I'll try a Super WMT next as my local didn't have any.

Ken

I know it's Harbor Freight, but...

Some of these boxes work really well for our kind of stuff.

Here's a smattering.

http://www.harborfreight.com/24-divider-storage-container-94458.html

http://www.harborfreight.com/18-divider-storage-container-94456.html

http://www.harborfreight.com/15-bin-portable-parts-storage-case-93929.html

http://www.harborfreight.com/multi-compartment-utility-box-40528.html

If you're on their email list for coupons, all the better.

Clear boxes are GREAT!

In any size, i have yet to find a bad clear box.  My largest clear boxes are the ones in my tip - they're equally good for holding up to TWO unassembled locomotive projects for those who tinker around.

I used the very smallest clear boxes [less than 2 cubic inches] to hold parts like couplers or screws or part groupings like the trucks and screws that come from Blackstone.  The older I get, the less I like losing parts for projects and then FINDING parts for projects years after I stop looking for them!

the evergreen styrene box was a very happy day - I had been trying to figure something out for the past two years, because I was losing more project time to resorting the styrene pile than I was actually building stuff.  NO bueno.  and then I no longer knew which packs I needed to repurchase in anticipation for projects - I keep a pretty through index on hand for fast projects planning purposes. Very NO bueno!!

I've been happy thus far.

Organized? Who is this guy?

Since I’ve finally gotten fed up with not being able to find anything I’ve promised myself that I will be better organized.  As a result I’m using a combination of the plastic boxes and a spreadsheet to contain the items and being able to find things….what a concept!

Here’s how it works:  I purchased a number of the plastic boxes of various sizes and labeled them “A”, “B”, “C”, etc.  I then labeled the compartments of each box “1”, “2”, “3”, etc..  As I add items to the boxes I enter their location (Example: B-7) into a spreadsheet I’ve created.  The spreadsheet has columns for “Item”, “Description”, Part Number”, “Notes”,"Location" etc.  I’ve also labeled the shelves and storage locations.’

Now, when I need to find something I just refer to my spreadsheet.  Let’s say I want to find my Fire Hydrants.  I search my spreadsheet for “Fire Hydrants” and the search results display “B-7, SU-B12, S3” which is Box B, compartment 7, Shelf Unit Basement 12, Shelf 3”.  Talk about going from one extreme to another!  - no organization to “out of my mind”?  Seriously, it doesn’t take long to enter the location into the spreadsheet and the ease of finding something is worth it!  My plan is to expand this idea to all my "stuff" (not just model railroad stuff).

Now if I can just find my mind that I've lost..........

Rick

You went there!

Rick, I hadn't even thought about going THAT far... but that's a GREAT idea!!!  But now this inventory of parts... oye vey!!!

Thanks, Benny

Benny,

I'm glad you like my organization idea.  I've got a life time of bad habits I'm trying to change and being disorganized is one of them.

Rick