Appalachian Southern

I hope everyone likes the new colors of the website. I have been working to get that done over the past few days.

I am not sure where all the time has gone since my last post. Just trying to get all the materials ready for my wiring panel has taken some time. I am centrally locating as many of my DCC components as possible to minimize the rats nest of wiring that tends to develop under a layout. This centralized panel gives ready access to DCC bus power, 12 volt DC for power supplies, and 120VAC for other needs.  All of my power districts will be centally managed here on this panel. All of the DS64 tortoise controlers will also be mounted here. As the layout grows, the panel will grow to accomodate the needed devices. I have about five additional feet in which the panel can grow.

In the photos below you can see the red and black terminal strips which distribute the DCC bus lines to the layout. The blue and black terminal blocks house the 12 volt DC power for the AX lines on the DS64 units.  The wiring channels have lids that will cover up all the wiring when I am done. This is the same way I used to wire machines, and it works good for the layout.  This wiring channel is 1″ square, but I likely should have purchased 1″ x 2″ to accommodate all of the wiring. This is going to be a tight fit for the amount of wires that will call these channels home.

The first locomotive will be running in  a few minutes! I am excited!  Oops, can’t run anything without some LocoNet cables. I guess I will go and make those!

DCC Central Control Panel

DS64s Mounted to the Control Panel

8 Conductor CAT3 Cable to the Remote Tortoise Machines

DCC Bus Line Distribution Terminal Blocks

Shelf Holds Power Supply and DCS200 Next to the Control Panel

My goal for the summer is to read more books.  Here is what I am reading and have read so far this summer.

Today, the work continues on the AutoCad drawings for the BB&T building, here in Florence, SC.  As the drawings progress, I am gettting excited about the building process.  Once I complete the rear elevation, I should be able to order the materials that will be required for construction. 

This N scale model is going to be huge. From the scale drawings, it will be just under 12″ wide!

BB&T Building in Florence, SC

Front Elevation

Left Elevation

Revised Right Elevation

This week I have been working on installing the tortoise switch machines and installing the drops from the track to the DCC bus lines. Each rail  gets its own feeder to the DCC bus lines. The isolated frog of each switch also gets one drop so the tortoise can control the polarity to the turnout frog. This will allow the motive power to crawl slowly through the turnouts.  All is going well so far.

Tomorrow I will start mounting the two Digitrax DS64 units that will be required to add DCC control to these six turnouts.  At that point I can also add my 12v DC power runs to each DS64 and wire up the Tortoise switch machines.  I use DIN rail mounted terminal blocks with jumper bus bars to tie the rail drops into the bus lines.   Here are couple of pictures of the progress so far.

Wiring Drops to the DCC Bus Lines

In the following picture you can see the wiring drops from each turnout’s isolated frog.

Six Tortoise Switch Machines Installed

For my second scratch building project, I have selected the BB&T building in Florence, SC, my hometown. This building in N scale will be about 9″ x 7″  from  the initial work on the elevation drawings. Quite a large building, but I have plenty of room on the layout to accommodate a building of this size. The first step, I have learned, is to create a set of elevation drawings for the building in AutoCad. I have completed the right side elevation drawings at this point. Please excuse the fact that they are labeled incorrectly in the drawing below.

The best way to scale the photos was to count the actual bricks in the building. Knowing the size of standard bricks and their mortar joints, it is pretty simple to derive the dimensions of the building and windows.  The soldier course of bricks above and below the windows really adds a touch of flair to this building.  While I still have more work to do on the elvevation drawings,  here is where I am currently with the progress.

Below you will find a few of the photos I took of the building to produce the elevation drawings, and the right side elevation drawings of the building.  The brick detail is left out for clarity, except what is found between the first floor windows.  I am completing the drawings in full scale and will then scale them to .00625 of actual for N scale.  We will see how this works out in the coming days.

Have a good afternoon.

BB&T Building in Florence, SC

BB&T Building in Florence, SC

Left Side Rear of the BB&T Building in Florence, SC

Left Front BB&T Building in Florence, SC

BB&T AutoCad Right Elevation Florence, SC