Mark Lestico's new signal bridges

After a lot of thought, angst and pressure Mark

Updated JMRI panel

Still more changes to come.  Big thanks to Mark Lestico for his help designing this panel...and the 15 or so before it!  LOL.

This is a test message testing photos and use of phone for blogging...it works great! Expect to see more photos on a regular basis!

Testing 123

JMRI Panel Updated

Last week Mark Lestico and I updated the JMRI panel to reflect the current track configuration and making corrections to the panel.  I also added most of the turnout control to the panel.

I have a lot more to do but tentatively planning an ops shakedown for January 14th.  Interested?  Lemme know.

More Progress

This past Tuesday I planned to get all the BNSF staging installed. However, things take longer than they "are supposed to" so that didn't get completed.  I did get the cork installed and one throat installed.  This weekend I will get the other throat installed.  I'd like to say I will get Tortoises installed on 7 turnouts too but due to timeing don't expect I will get that far.  But let's see what happens!  Once this area is complete, I need to finish up some track connections at Goshen, intall a reverser for the Y there, and a few other track/electrical gremlins that cropped up.  If all that goes well, we should be able to run trains "flawlessly" with all new turnout controls by mid to end of November!  Yaaaaa!!!

Lots of Progress!

Accomplished lots of progress since the last post.  The majority of the DS64 installation is done except for a few turnouts, which need the Tortoise's installed due to inacessable locations.

I started the installation of the BNSF staging cut-off and have the subroadbed and cork down and cut through the back board where the track will traverse.  Tomorrow I will start and hopefully complete the track installation there.  Then the next step will be to install the Tortoises for those 4 turnouts and I hope to have those done by the end of the month.

The control panels for Fresno are 99% complete.  Just a couple more turnouts to install, again due to inacessable locations.

I'd say, that's a lot of progress!  Onward!

DS64 Update

Continuing from my last post, of course the gremlins crept in...and right off the bat too!  Installing two switches and 4 LED's, the LED brightness was compromised (for some reason!), so I went to RS and bought 4 green-only LED's and installed them that way, the LED being lit for the route selected vs a bi-color LED.  I like the look better anyway!  By the time I got all that purchased, figured out and done, half the day was over!  Is it just me or is time going fast for you too?

Now that the Loop turnouts and LED's were complete it was time to turn to the two control panels at Fresno.  This went much smoother, however, due to time, I was only able to complete 1/2 of one panel.  It went quickly so I figure I can get both panels complete if I just spend 1 more whole day doing just that.  This weekend...hmmm.