The Adirondack Line  

Progress Report

Last updated: 10 May 2000

10 May 2000

Wow - its the new millennium!!!!  OK, there has been a real lapse of reporting progress, but I have made some.  I will be posting new photographs when I can get them developed and scanned in. I have been busy laying the 4 track serial staging on level 1and this is now complete. I have been testing it to be 'bullet proof'' as it will be eventually hidden under Utica Yard.    Herkimer now has all the tracks laid ,so I am now out in the visible area of the layout with real ballasted roadbed at last. Switch machines are now installed on all the laid track, awaiting electrical connections.

Another activity has been building the rest of the 9 Easy DCC AD4 switch machine circuits from their kits. This is a good cost way to get your switches automated as one gets 4 drivers per circuit card at around $20, and as they are to the NMRA DCC specification, can be run with any conforming system.

What has taken a fair bit of time, is that I like to close all gapped rails with a styrene insert. This ensures that the gap is always a gap (!), and also means that there is no opportunity for derailments due to track joints - I find this really improves cars staying on the track - kinda essential!!  All the switches that have been made DCC ready by gapping the switch rails near the frog are treated in the same way with styrene. 

I do this with ACC thick glue on the styrene inserted in the rail joint, and wow - have discovered the ACC accelerator which cures the ACC glue instantly it is applied - no more waiting for the ACC to go off. Once dry - sand styrene to required profile.  Have found that by 'borrowing' my wife's fingernail emery boards which are flexible, these are better than a normal jewellers 'stiff' file.

Have spent a bit of time with the paperwork - sorting out the DCC addresses for the block detection and switch control - sounds it should not take much time, but.....

Also, have just been running trains over the track with my grandson Tom,  (age 11) to see 'what bounces off where'!!

18 June 1999

Summer / vacation etc has started to get in the way, so not much more progress has been made todate.  I have been doing the mundane tasks of soldering rail joints on the lower staging yard, working out the actual installation of switch machines etc, when the weather forces me into the train room.

10 April 1999

The lower staging yard trackwork is now complete (see photos) and I am working now to start to install track for the lower return loop

The DCC power supply is completed. This is in a metal container holding 7 x 15v transformers delivering 1 x 10A, and the rest at 5A

The plan is to install this power source and continue the installation of the DCC power wiring.   Once this is in place, I can wire the lower staging yard.

The first of the EasyDCC AD4 accessory decoder kits have been assembled and tested satisfactorily with a Tortoise switch machine

10th February 1999

Since the last photos were taken in July 1998, benchwork has progressed.  The lower staging area and the return loop track support, as far as the entrance to Herkimer, has been completed and screwed down. The track support for Herkimer area and the upper level track from Herkimer to Utica has been cut and positioned in place. Not yet screwed down.

The whole of the lower staging area has been covered with sheet 1/8" cork and glued down with white glue.  The switches in this area have been made DCC Friendly and positioned into place - not yet glued.

Positions for Tortoise switch machines have been identified and marked, with the cork removed in a small channel in selected areas to allow the 1/8" copper tube to be laid for the switch machine connections to the tie bars.

The DCC booster wiring has been run under the lower staging area.

On the drawing board, I have been working out the locations of the detection tracks for levels 1 & 2 and identifying where the DS54 / AD4 / DB8 circuits will be located.

Research into UK supplier catalogues have found 12v / 6amp transformers for the DCC power supplies.   The 3M Scotchlok IDC connectors have arrived from Mouser.

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