Video part 2

And some faq's and comments on part 1:

Most questions can be answered by saying, "it's not finished".  Really, I'm not blowing you off!  But of course, there is no scenery yet, many solder joints in the wiring are not yet insulated, and the trains are still shiny and new looking - this will all change in time.

Is the locomotive we're following spinning up the grade?  Is this the longest train that particular loco can pull?  Yes, and right now, yes.  The grade in part 1 is the steepest on the layout, though it is not excessive.  I will be applying a traction compound to the drive wheels of all of the locos, and they will both not spin, and be able to pull more cars, up this grade.  The traction compound, by the way, is called Bull Frog Snot.

Yes, all of the sound in the videos, with the exception of my narration, is coming from each locomotive.

No, there is no smoke or steam.  At least one manufacturer, MTH, offers smoke on their locos - but that tends to gum things up eventually - what goes up, must come down.  And if you know me, you know that I smoke - but not in my home.  So if I don't smoke inside, I don't want my trains doing it, either!

Other than all that, I am pleased with this effort for a first video.  I know now that I need to use better lighting, and learned a lot in the process.  Hopefully, future videos will be a bit better, but I'm not trying to be a pro - it is what it is...

Here's part 2 - again, click on the YouTube logo, and watch it full screen there.  This one is 1080p HD - if you can get YouTube on your TV, it will look awwwwe-some!

One year later

OK, 13 months, but who's counting?  To mark the occasion, my first video.

Best to click the YouTube logo, then watch it full screen there.  If your connection is fast enough, it's best resolution is 720p HD.

Continuing fascia work

Continuing work on the fascia board, refining the contours at the top, and adding openings for access doors and control panels.

With DCC control, I have the option to control just about everything on the railroad from a hand-held device (transmitter).  Each device to be controlled this way would have to have a decoder (receiver), and an address.  These are called "stationary decoders".  I'm choosing to control just the locomotives themselves with the hand-held, so I'll call it a throttle.  Each locomotive contains a "mobile decoder" with a unique address - I set this to the one- to- four digit number printed on the loco's cab.  Control of switches for turnouts, lighting and other functions will be done from separate control panels around the fascia.

Below is the panel for lower staging, showing a schematic view of the track in that area, and appropriate controls to route trains in and out.  (I'm not thrilled with the graphics on the panel, and I'll be working on that - but you get the idea.)

Also seen both above and below are the throttle plug-in panels.  You can unplug a throttle from a panel - the loco will continue running on the last commands it had received - and re-plug at another location, to re-aquire control of the loco.  That way, you can walk around and be near the train as it moves around the layout, and also be near to the control panel associated with that area.

Below, the fascia is cut to just above the water level at what will be the fishing harbor scene.  The "water" will be just about 3/16" - 1/4" deep over the plywood base, but will appear much deeper (if I get it right!).  The resin fishing boat hulls are from kits I'll be building - they are called "waterline" hulls, since they are made to sit on the water's surface, as opposed to some other types of boat models that have a complete hull all the way to the bottom - which would look right when displayed on a stand.

Finally, a sneak peek at the (almost) finished fascia, as it will appear in my next posting - which will be a video tour of the layout!  I've completed the filming, and am now in post-production - lots to learn - video editing software is all new to me!  But interesting and fun, all part of the many different things the hobby can involve.