Great switching layout Steve! One tip though, always stretch after making a hook if you are going to shove. If you cross drawbars and shove you will go on the ground!
That switching layout looks to be a lot of fun! Who needs a big layout to have switching operations when you make it interesting with a smaller size. Cheers from Delmar, Delaware
So with the N scale cards I simply can’t read the car numbers and even road names on many of them very easily. Whenever I change my prescription on my progressive lenses I can read them for a few months but then I can’t again as my eyes transition at this age, so I have to use the pictures. I might use computer generated switch lists if I could read the lettering on the cars without having to carry around a big magnifying glass.
I really like your layout and especially like the use of blank cards and that is not just having the cars in a certain order but staged at a specific spots and that certain cars must remain at their original assigned spot at the end of the session. Makes it more challenging and fun. I combined your layout with the Inglebrook and added a 2-car spur with a run-around between the two. That way I can just do either yours or the Inglebrook or combine the two into one session. If I'm starting with the Inglebrook (which is 5 cars) I randomly select 2 of the 5 cars to be dropped off at the spur which leaves 3 cars arriving for your layout. If starting with yours, I pick up the 2 cars from the spur which then gives me the starting 5 for Inglebrook. I once spent a day continuously running back and forth between the two. Made for a long but interesting (and sometime perplexing) session.
Looking great, Steve. I’m sure when you finish with the different industries it’ll look very realistic. I enjoyed watching your opp session and thanks. Ron
Love this idea. I watched your build series on this layout, and I am rounding up parts as we speak. I am going with traditional DC because I personally enjoy the KATO control pack when switching. Merry Christmas !! Love your videos 👊
I’m really like the Kato pack too and will use it on my HO switching layout a lot. Sometimes I still prefer running in DC because it runs a bit smoother as a locomotive can coast across a small section of dirty track in DC but you get a sound cutout or have the decoder reset in DCC which is annoying. Having keep alive capacitors helps and I need to try putting them in my small switch engines.
Nice! BTW, is that an Atlas S-2 you're running? I bought one last year; it seems to be really good at finding dirty spots on my layout! But when I have clean track for her to run on, she runs really nice. I'm particularly impressed with how slowly this loco can crawl. Mine is also in SP livery; I grew up in southern California and saw Southern Pacific almost everywhere growing up. I'll be keeping an eye out for further progress on this layout.
Yes, it is an Atlas S2 I believe. Ive been wanting to see if I can put a keep alive capacitor in there to help with the sound cut outs and occasional stalling if things aren’t perfectly clean.
Fun little video! Sound equipped locomotives don’t like any specks of dirt on the tracks do they? BTW, may I ask where you got the metal uncoupling tool from? Cheers from Melbourne Australia 🇦🇺
I loved watching this session. It was kind of hard to tell but does that little SP switcher have sound in it? I thought I hear it when it gets close to the side of the layout that you were standing on. If so that's even cooler! lol. I'm still looking forward to your testing with those keepalives you mentioned in another video. I'm thinking about putting together a little layout similar to this one and wanted to use DCC but not without some kind of keepalive because I continually become frustrated with sound stutters and would rather use DC to avoid that. Good thing is that the wiring doesn't change much so I could go ahead and build the layout.
It is like this, but a smaller version. What works great are really small screw drivers on a handle that is long enough to be comfortable. www.micromark.com/Uncoupling-Tool-for-HO-and-On30-Scale-Trains?gclid=CjwKCAjw5pShBhB_EiwAvmnNVx6r6zZCqrHftVnYKOPUZk7VPpH1zKjF9fASP3436azJWN2qoYEO_BoCzzoQAvD_BwE
That is just protective foam so you don’t break the railings on the loco. I didn’t bother taking it off since I was going to pack the locomotive away again right afterwards.
