Report No.20

More work done this weekend. Ballasted the turntable yard and filled in the pit. Made roundhouse doors.

Report No.19

Hi,

Made a short video of the Jamestown yard today to show how it is looking.

Ran the No.8 yesterday and the No.10 today.

Here are a few photos of the roundhouse and machine shop first.

Report No.18

Hope you are well in this trying time, we are healthy and safe for now.

Early March I decided to just move and make the Tuttletown loop where the track ended at Patterson Mine.

Then I added Tuttletown siding.

I had also been working on the turntable table. With the loop at one end and turntable at the other, I will be able to run trains smokebox first, both East to Tuttletown and West back to Jamestown. No more having to run the engine around the train.

I am now working on the Machine Shop and Roundhouse. They are made with the same Sturdyboard foam board from Dollar Tree I made the Freight Deopt out of.

As it looks today. They are condensed to fit the end of the table. Roofs will be black, its some leftover sand textured paint.

MY LOCO SOUND

Mid January I ordered two MYLOCOSOUND cards for engines No.8 and 10.
I bought them from G scale graphics.
Ordering was easy and quickly shipped.
They were $79.00 each. I also ordered one remote programmer too.
I installed one in No.8 first and wired it to control the chuff/exhaust from the throttle power. This way I can adjust the chuff speed with the remote programmer. The alternative was to wire into the cylinder switches, but that would give only half the chuffs per wheel revolution.
I set up it so the air pump, water injector and safety valves popping off run automatically.
I have not wired in the bell and whistle controls, I need to order a relay for the receiver for that to work.
As of right now, I have not done No.10 yet. I will as soon as I'm done with the Jamestown turntable.
I am really happy with the added realism MYLOCOSOUND contributes to the operation fun.
Here are three videos I made to hear the MYLOCOSOUND in action.

Sounds No.8 makes.

Making up Train 22 East January 1, 2020.

Train 22 East Leaving Jamestown.

Report No.17

We had some good rain the last two weeks of November.
When not in use, I remove all equipment and structures.
I've been keeping the whole Jamestown yard covered with plastic.
Some work done October to December.

Finished the Jamestown watertank, (1897-1939).

The tank, deck and roof are made from Dollar Tree Readi-board. Redwood frame is from a 15+ year old redwood tree we grew, that did not last the drought. While cutting the redwood, the table saw tried to cut off the tip of my right thumb. Three stitches and two months later it's fully healed, minus about 15% off the left side.

Put the windows in the Freight Depot.

Got all the wood cut and started the Jamestown and Angels turntables.

Redwood is from an old picnic table that finally fell apart after 35 years of use.

12-15-19 Train 21 west leaving Zach Jct. after dropping hopper at Patterson Mine.

Same train at Woods Creek.

Report No.16

I was off for vacation last week. We went to Moneterey and Pacific Grove. When we got back I got some things done.

Covered water drain between outer track and rock wall.

Finished Freight Depot roof.

Checked fit of Turntable table before taking to basement to work on.

On Tuesday I hiked the ex-Monterey Branch,(pulled 1978), from Lover's Point, (near site of the long gone Pacific Grove Depot), to Asilomar station site, 1.6 miles. The trail is not as well used as the trail back through Monterey. I went around the moble home park where the PG station was till it was burned in 1964. At Asilomar station site is this recreation built in 2005 of the passenger shelter built by the SP, 1911-1964.  Asilomar passenger shelter is at Sinex Ave and Crocker Ave, just west of Pacific Grove. The 1960 map below is in the lobby of Borgs Motel, my starting point. I took 17 Mile Drive north then Jewell back to the motel.
Nice easy hike, though you have to watch out in the golf course for golfers Ting off next to you, I just waited till they were done. One T they waited for me to pass next to them. Other parts feels like your walking in peoples back yards.

I liked it so much, that I had to make one for the hot summers at Omega Siding. I did leave out the interior wind break walls. Will make the roof sign next.

Train 22 East 10/5/19. Naked Ladies still going strong.

Fall colors at the entrance to Table Mountain cut.

Report No.15

They are back.
In the original Report No.8, Oct. 24, 2018 I informed about the Naked Lady plants.
 I added update photos today to that post to show the plant cycle in the garden.

Here is a short video from last Saturday 8-24-19 of Train 22 West going through this years crop of flowers that just shot up last couple weeks. All of the green leaves have been gone since end of July.

Finally got the last of the battens on the Freight Depot last week and paint on the track side last night.
Have not decided on final color yet.
The computer program has those cars at the Freight Depot today, I didn't stage them.
Still running 2-3 trains a weekend. I keep the Jamestown yard covered to keep rain of tree stuff off it. I usually uncover it Friday evening and set out cars.
I'll have to do a post on the car tags and magnets to mark where each car comes from and returns. Makes it easy setting out cars.

Report No.14

Worked from Zach Jct. towards Tuttletown. Added in Patterson Mine spur.
Since Tuttletown will be a loop, Patterson Mine will be passed twice each day.

Zach Jct towards Patterson Mine.

Patterson Mine spur on right.

Also started on Mormon Creek trestle between Zach Jct and Patterson Mine.

Report No.13

Made a little progress to Zach Junction towards Tuttletown.

Leaving Marble Spur going towards Zach Jct.

Zach Jct.

Installed a rock wall behind the Jamestown Yard and am working on one below Zach Junction to where Patterson Mine will be.

New rock wall and temporary birdhouse watertank.

Also added the car stop bunker in the Jamestown Yard.

Equipment Vinyl Lettering

I bought a Brother Scan N Cut 2 Model CM350, (SnC) in early January for making vinyl lettering.
After getting used to the menu usage and small screen, it works great now. There are a lot of youtube videos to help get you started. Most are for cutting fabric, though work using the same menus.
The lettering style I have been using from the SnC look very much like Railroad Roman.
There is an updated work program for your PC called Brother CanvasWorkspace. You connect the SnC to your PC via USB A to B cable and transfer files back and forth. The SnC does also have an extra USB port for a thumb drive that I use for storing files since the memory of the SnC can only hold about 50 files.
Like the SnC, the Workspace menu takes some getting used to and is limited also on project manipulation.
I have been using it for all files now.
For better flexibility there is program called Inkscape that you can make anything. Good videos on how to learn to use it is here, ttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLydh2cGCHIMbQWegaGMLsFXYGQSx1SPTm
I have not used it yet.
You can take almost any graphic file and use an online converter to change it to an SGV file, then import it to the Workspace for modifying it, then it changes it to the SnC file type, fcm, when exported to your PC or SnC.
The best thing the SnC has other cutters don't have is a scanner. You can scan an picture or drawing and change its size and shape for cutting out. The most useful use of the scanner is to scan the work mat to reuse previously cut vinyl sheets and move your project to an unused scrap on it. Less wasted material.
So far I have cut letters down to 1/8 inch with out  any problems. Though it is harder to weed out the material around the letters the smaller they get.
I have been using it for two months an see no blade dulling yet. But bought an extra on Amazon for $9.00 Model: CABLDP1
One tip I found, is to use painters tape to hold two sides of your vinyl sheet to the sticky mat better.
You can get 12x12 inch vinyl sheets in a lot of colors at Michaels or Hobby Lobby for about $2.00 each. Or 4 foot rolls at most all craft stores for about $8.00.
Michaels has matt,(dull coat), white and black sheets. Look better than glossy.
Here is what I have used it for.

Also relettered all the locomotives.