I was finally getting around to installing all my FastTracks turnouts on my North Streetsville module and hit a small technical snag.

This is my last blog posting for this worked example of using JMRI Operations to create the switch lists for Lance Mindheim’s bakery switching layout.

In this blog entry, I correct some mistakes and then start to take a look at schedules and custom loads.

My previous blog postings on this are: part 1, part 2 and part 3.

As always, I am indebted to the folks at JMRI for producing such a great, free program. You can find the JMRI web site here.

-david-

This is part 3 in a multi-part series documenting my progress in using the Operations functionality of JRMI.

Part 1 is available here.

Part 2 is available here.

JMRI is available free of charge here.

Author's Note

This is the second installment of my blog about learning to use JMRI Operations to create the manifests to operate Lance Mindheim’s bakery turn. If you have not read the first part, I encourage you to do so here.

In this posting, I want to expand on the previous work by adding more car types to the mix. The bakery is capable of handling 1 grain hopper, 4 tank cars and 5 box cars.

I also want to apologize to the Moderators for forgetting about the small first post rule. Thanks for fixing it.

In a recent posting on this forum, rclanger suggested that a column on using JMRI would be a good addition to MRH. I replied that I would really like to see some worked examples of using JMRI operations.

Over the holiday period, I decided to dig into JMRI operations a lot more and that I would post my discoveries along the way as my own ‘worked example’. So, bear with me folks, this is really me going through a learning curve and documenting it along the way!

Thanks to everyone who commented on my last set of track plans, I think I have managed to get closer to what I want to build. The main difference from my previous track planning efforts is that I went back to the prototype to see what I could learn from it.

I have been mulling over my track plans for the last month or so and have come to the point where I would like to solicit opinions from the MRH community at large.

To quickly set the stage:

•  I have a shelf area that is eight feet wide and fourteen inches deep (243 by 35 cm).
• I will be using DCC.
• I will be using a 'pick' to uncouple the cars.

Druthers:

Well, it's been a while since my last update. I have been distracted by work for the last little while but things are calming down again.

I have spent what little free time I have converting two engines to DCC and learning (playing with) my NCE system. After converting my Kato C44-9W (a simple drop-in replacement), I decided to convert my Altas GP35.

This was not a drop-in replacement and also required some machining of the frame to make the decoder fit. Fortunately, my handy Dremel tool took care of that. In all, it took about an hour to convert.

Work has started on my shelf-based switching model. I was originally inspired by the "Summer Shelf Shunting Project” by M.C. Fujiwara (which was, in turn, based on Byron Henderson’s “Alameda Belt Line”).

I was all set to start when my wife said “I think you should make it bigger.”

“How much bigger were you thinking?” I asked.

“You should make it a show piece” she replied.