Finally, I can run trains from the East Staging onto the Willow Junction side of the layout. Why has this taken me so long? Well, I convinced myself it was going to be hard, so I kept doing other things. Also, I was trying to improve my technique, which meant combining what I had previously thought of as two separate processes, laying track and wiring, into one. By soldering the feeders under the rails, it hides the soldered joint, which is a scenic improvement, and by powering the frogs, the layout should operate smoothly. This forced me out of my comfort level forcing me to push myself into improving my skills. I know, one does not learn by avoidance, but through practice. I had a few bumps along the road, but what follows is a description of my process.
First of all, I chose to have the DCC system fully installed and ready to go before laying the track and wiring it. The good: I was able to identify a loose solder joint to one of the isolated frogs during the installation process, rather than later. I didn't have to tear up finished work. The bad: lots of rabbit holes and work to be completed before track could be started! The ugly: I did not understand that the "Frog Juicer" works on electrical "draw." In testing as I went, I convinced myself that something was wrong when the frog "polarity" did not change when the points were changed. The board does not make that change until it detects the "short" in the current draw from a locomotive going through the point. I spent a lot of time and frustration trying to troubleshoot a problem that was not a problem.
Feeder wire and track ready for tinning on the engine spur. |
Photo of draft wiring diagram with approximate feeder locations marked. |
Before I can paint the track, I still need to scrub rail joints with denatured alcohol and fit in missing ties. But, I now have a small switching area in which I can run trains as I move on with a bit more confidence to install the track on the rest of the railroad.
No comments:
Post a Comment