This project started innocently enough, add DCC sound to an Athearn RTR CF7. I failed to explore the unexplained feelings of foreboding as I removed the loco from the packaging: static grass laid flat and Super Trees shed their ground foam foliage. Passengers in the station fell off the benches.

Read below for the rest of the story ...

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Hi All

I am looking at modeling a location in the Mid North of South Australia, its a three way junction, from Broken Hill, to Adelaide and Port Augusta, called Crystal Brook.

I am after suggestions for ways to control the points and signals combined. 

Over the past three weeks I having busy programming the logic for the layouts signal system into JMRI - Panel Pro and testing it out on the already installed signals on the layout.

As we all know, life has a way of changing plans quickly.  I'm almost 5 years into my switch to HO and I'm pretty much where I was after 18 months - with a 2x10 modular switching layout.  Along the way, I've tried various ideas, did a modeling contest and got some great ideas, then negotiated a change to my space.  And then negotiated more.  And another time.  I think my space is finally settled.  Time to get to work.

Hello to all!

I would like to present to our community an DCC mobile decoder. Decoder schematic is based on Geoff Bunza DCC decoders and programing on his sketches. His work inspire me to create something unusual - decoder for train carts. This decoder is programmable over cheap USBtiny programmer with Arduino IDE. So anytime someone who want make some changes to sketch will be able to do it.

Decoder running cold - NO HEAT :)

Two Seaboard Central SD40-2 locomotives take a break in South Yard at Griffin, GA after working the Macon Turn shuttling cars to and from the NS Interchange.

More photos in the comments section.

Tim Garland

This update comes on the heels of a disaster we had last week in the basement.  We had a sewage backup and it put all model railroad activities to a halt.  Repairs and clean up occupied most of my modeling time. 

I’m going to have to rip out my workbench and replace it since it is no longer sanitary.  So all model building and dcc work has stopped.  To get even more “down in the dumps,”  I also had to remove my module set up station and moved my modules to the garage.

I was messing around with Vallejo steel airbrush paint a few days back and thought I would try to fix something that always bugs me: hopper cars with painted interiors, particularly ore cars and ballast cars. Pretty much as soon as they are loaded for the first time the paint is gone from the interior of these cars.