Easton & Potomac

E&P Ceases Operations

2019-11-12T13:04:00.001-05:00

E&P management announced today that due to the health of the superintendent the E&P will terminate operations.

At the time of the announcement no further operating dates were given.

E&P October Session Cancelled

2019-09-26T12:40:00.003-04:00

The October session on the E&P has been cancelled.

The November session should be posted the first week of November.

See you then.

September E&P Sessino Cancelled

2019-09-07T18:27:00.002-04:00

The September 21st session on the E&P has been cancelled.

I came down with some lung infection about three weeks ago. While everything seems to be heading in the right direction, I'm still too weak to hold the session.

The October session probably will also be cancelled. But that decision will have to wait.

Regardless, I hope to hold the November session.

Keep your fingers crossed!

Roundhouse Works Overtime

2019-08-04T17:07:00.001-04:00

Today the roundhouse crew took on the task of getting consolidation #43 converted to an LED for its headlight.

With that accomplished they took a look at the Camelback assigned to the pig trains.

It looked like it would not be too hard of a task to replace the existing bulb with an LED. So that task was started. Soon it was decided to replace the existing decoder with a new Tsunami 2 decoder and a CurrentKeeper. (It is hard to beat the Tsunami 2!)

The hardest part of the task was running the headlight wires back to the tender. (The bulb was hard wired to the chassis and always on.)

Engine #30 has now joined the ranks of the upgraded engines with a Tsunami 2 and LED headlight.

The decapods are still waiting to get their headlights converted to LEDs.

They may have to wait.

#42 Joins #44

2019-08-03T15:05:00.003-04:00

#42 joined #44 with its installation of an LED into the headlight assembly.

This makes two of the three consolidations converted to LEDs in the headlight assembly.

I hope to get the last consolidation (#43) converted tomorrow.

Then it will be on the more difficult conversions of the decapods.

#44 Gets a new decoder

2019-07-29T15:13:00.001-04:00

Today engine 44 received its Tsunami 2 decoder along with a CurrentKeeper.

I also installed an LED into the headlight assembly making the headlight much brighter. (Before the headlight was located inside the boiler and the light was passed to the headlight assembly via clear plastic.) To move the LED to the headlight assembly I had to dissemble the engine removing the boiler from the running gear. I then had to remove the existing LED from the split boiler weight. Next came drilling out the headlight assembly and smoke box front. Then painting the inside of the headlight assembly silver and gluing the new LED to the back of the headlight assembly. Next was painting the back of the LED black. Then the LED leads were cut to length and wires attached. Then the headlight assembly was reinstalled on the smoke box. Lastly the wires attached to the new LED were soldered to the existing headlight wires and the boiler assembly reinstalled on the running gear.

Engine 44 is now ready to resume its duties on 110 and the Thorny Point Extra.

It will be interesting to see if this decoder overheats like the older Bachmann Tsunami did during the last session.

Hope not. Especially after all the work to move the headlight.

E&P Survives Window Replacement

2019-07-26T10:24:00.001-04:00

Yesterday we had all 23 of our windows replaced. Two of these are in the layout room and not accessible from inside. So I was somewhat concerned about damage to the layout.

The crew showed up at 10:00 am and started on the replacement process. They took a one hour lunch break and were done by 5:00 pm with all 23 windows.

The two windows in the train room went without too many issues. One was reluctant to come out but that was about the only issue.

Luckily the layout did not seem to sustain any damage. Some flocking from the upper level fell on the lower level. But that seemed to be about it.

But the next OPS session will be the determination of that.

165th Session Instructions

2019-07-22T16:32:00.005-04:00

The session instructions for the 165th session have been posted to www.easton-and-potomac.com.

50 and 51

2019-07-22T16:14:00.001-04:00

Based on the issues we had with the decapod assigned to the N&W interchange the boiler pressure was increased on both by 50%.

A test run of the N&W interchange with the current consist indicated it could make it to the top of the mountain and on to Stanley. But a good engineer will be needed to keep it from stalling at the top just before Swift Run.

Also E&P management authorized spending for an additional two tsunami 2s to upgrade engine 44 and 32. As soon as these parts come in these upgrades will be performed. They should be done in time for the next session.

164th E&P Session

2019-07-21T15:02:00.001-04:00

The 164th session was run on the E&P yesterday, Saturday July 20th.

Photos from that session along with an updated seniority list have been posted to www.easton-and-potomac.com.

Roundhouse Work

2019-06-29T15:59:00.001-04:00

The last couple of days have been dedicated to investigating what is required to convert the Bachmann consolidations and decapods from lamps to LEDs.

I have a consolidation that is being used for parts and that looked like a good place to start. After a couple of hours of work I settled on a process. It shouldn't be too bad. But it will not be trivial.

Next I moved on the decapod. I have a decapod that is missing a few parts so it was the guinea pig for this process. The first step was figuring out how to get the boiler off the running gear. After about an hour it was determine you needed to remove two screws from the bottom of the engine and then remove the fireman's side running board. Then the boiler will lift from the rear after a fair amount of force. The room for installing an LED in the decapod is much tighter than the consolidation. But I did come up with a solution. The decapod conversion will be much more difficult than the consolidation many because of the disassembly and reassembly process.

(Decapod disassembled and the LED being wired up before installation.)

Roundhouse Update

2019-06-25T15:26:00.004-04:00

Consolidation 42 has finished its roundhouse upgrades and is now ready to resume its duties in passenger service.

Consolidation 42 received the same upgrades as decapods 50 and 51 receiving a new Tsunami 2 decoder, a Current Keeper and a sugar cube speaker.

Roundhouse Report

2019-06-20T18:10:00.000-04:00

E&P management was so impressed with the upgrades made to decapods 50 and 51 that they have authorized additional funding to upgrade consolidation 42 which is currently assigned to passenger service.

Consolidation 42 currently has an old technology DSD-B280LC decoder with a KA4 KeepAlive. It will get the new Tsunami2 decoder along with a Current Keeper and sugar cube speaker.

The parts have been ordered and all upgrades should be completed before the next session currently scheduled for July 20th.

Of course management will expect passenger service on time performance to improve with these upgrades to engine 42.

Maintenance Update

2019-06-19T15:40:00.002-04:00

During the last session one of the engineers had issues with engine #51. It was dropping off their throttle and when I went to look at it, among other issues, it seemed all of the function keys had been re-mapped.

So engine #51 was the priority for maintenance.

Into the work shop it went on onto the test track. And of course everything worked as expected. No issues with acquisition. No issues with function key mappings. Normal situation. Doesn't work during a session but works fine after the session.

There were some other issues with the decapods. The max voltage I had set was too low for the helix. While the engines made it up the helix they were VERY slow and stalled at the top. So I made changes to the top voltage by increasing it 50% to help improve pulling power up the helix.

I also had a complaint from multiple attendees that the volume on the decapods needed increasing. So I increased the master volume by 10% for the hard of hearing engineers among us.

Now engine #51 is ready for the next session!

On to engine #50.

163rd Session

2019-06-16T13:02:00.002-04:00

The 163rd session was held yesterday (Saturday June 15th).

Photos from that session have been posted to www.easton-and-potomac.com along with an updated seniority list.

New Helix Monitoring System

2019-06-11T12:12:00.001-04:00

I had hoped to be able to show the entire helix with one fish eye camera. However that did not give a good enough view of the tracks. So a second camera was purchased and now the two cameras are installed back to back. This gives 50% coverage of the helix with a good view of the tracks.

I may experiment with camera placement further after the June session. But what is shown below will have to do for now.

Below is what the dispatcher will see on the helix monitoring system who's display will be in the dispatcher's office. If an engineer is concerned about his train in the helix he will notify the operator who will contact the dispatcher for a status.

(Composite view of the two cameras.)

The system can handle two more cameras but at $60 a piece I don't think they will appear.
Trying different placements for the current two cameras may results in better coverage. But that will have to wait until after the June session.

(Single view of camera one which covers the lower entrance to the helix.)

(Single view of camera two which covers the upper entrance to the helix.)

You can just see engine #51 on the upper track at the far left.

Helix Monitor

2019-06-09T12:39:00.001-04:00

Once again, today, I was able to get the CEO to go under the helix and assist with determining camera placement for the helix monitor. After testing several different locations it was determined that a second camera is needed. That has been placed on order and everything should be installed in time for the next OPS session scheduled for June 15th.

Additionally some minor maintenance needs to be completed before the session. But that should not be a problem.

Earlier this week I finished making all of the coal loads. That only took about ten years to complete. But they do look better than the blank painted hard board blocks I was using.

Everything is looking like a GO for June 15th!

E&P Goes High Tech

2019-05-21T11:22:00.000-04:00

Disregarding my experience with technology (don't upgrade unless absolutely necessary) and ignoring my grandfather's advice, "the more stuff you have the more problems you have", E&P management has added and upgraded the technology supporting operations.

This process started with the installation of two Tsunami2 decoders in engines 50 and 51. So far that seems to be a good upgrade. But then again it goes against the rule "If it ain't broke don't fix it.". So Murphy is most likely waiting in the wings for the next OPS session. Engine 51 seems to be OK but 50 needs a slight adjustment to its starting voltage.

The second in this process was to replace the broken helix monitoring system. This doesn't break the "If it ain't broke don't fix it rule." but it does add quite a bit of new technology to the process. It will also add a function to the dispatcher's role. While the new process is working, the camera position needs adjusting. Hope to have that done before the next OPS session. This is another area for Murphy to strike at the next OPS session.

The third in this process was the addition of smart phone support. I have been against this for quite a while. But recent issues with Digitrax radio control and the apparent quality of the smart phone access has made me a convert. While this has been tested, Murphy probably is once again waiting in the wings for the next OPS session to show his colors.

So in addition to hopefully providing a better operation experience on the E&P I have also provided a FERTILE field for Murphy!

The next OPS session should be interesting!

Crew Shortage Cancels Another Session

2019-05-19T12:15:00.000-04:00

Once again a crew shortage resulted in the cancellation of an E&P session. This time the May session had to be cancelled. This is the second session in a row and hopefully the last for some time.

On the good news side it has given my inflamed knee more time to recover so maybe it will be ready for the June session.

Engine 51

2019-05-03T14:18:00.001-04:00

Engine 51 has joined the ranks of engine 50 with a new Tsunami2 decoder, a CurentKeeper and a sugar cube speaker.

The true test will be the next OPS session to see just how well (or not) these engines perform.

If they perform well then #30 will most likely get this upgrade.

The rest of the frequently used fleet already has Tsunamis (the older version) and Keepalives installed.

I have to say that the chuff sync of the Tsunami2 seems to be pretty good. I set the rate at speed step one and it appears to stay in sync up the speed range. Much better than the old DSD-B210LC or installing a cam.

Engine 50 (Finally)

2019-05-01T17:35:00.000-04:00

Today my knee finally felt like going back up stairs.

So up stairs I went and started to work on converting engine #50 from an old DSD-DB210LC decoder to a new Tsunami2 decoder with a current keeper and a sugar cube speaker. While doing this conversion I also removed the factory installed Bachmann boards which meant I would be wiring the new decoder directly to the loco.

All went well and the new Tsunami2 with its current keeper and sugar cube speaker have been installed. Tomorrow I hope to get the CVs set and #50 back on the layout. Then it will be on to engine #51 for the same conversion.

The new Tsunami2 with the sugar cube speaker wired up.
The current keeper had not yet been installed at the time of this photo.

Engine Upgrades

2019-03-24T16:26:00.000-04:00

Yesterday (Saturday) equipment arrived to upgrade engines #50 and #51.

These Decapods have been in service for fourteen and a half years with the same DSD-B210LC Soundtraxx decoders. Technology has improved (or so I'm told) over these fourteen plus years and I have not been satisfied with these engines since upgrading some of the Consolidations last year with newer decoders.

So an order was placed for two Tsunami2 TSU-1100 decoders, two 810140 CurrentKeepers and two 810154 sugar cube speakers.

These arrived yesterday and hopefully I will get these engines upgraded sometime this week.

If all goes well (and it seldom does) these two Decapods should be the stars of the next show, either good or bad!

Keep tune for developments.

Per Diem Windfall

2019-03-18T21:54:00.003-04:00

Since E&P management received a per diem windfall from the last session they decided to go on a spending spree.

Among other purchases two Tsunami2 decoders, two Current Keepers and two sugar cube speakers were purchased to upgrade the two decapods.

Hopefully these upgrades along with all the other purchases will be in place for the next session.

162nd E&P Session

2019-03-18T14:42:00.000-04:00

The 162nd E&P OPS session was held on Saturday March 16th.

It was an intense session that started off with a few problems. But in spite of the initial problems the session went well and a lot of cars were moved which caused dispatcher Jerry to set a record of 35 train orders.

Photos from the session have been posted to www.easton-and-potomac.com.

If At First You Don't Succeed...

2019-03-14T16:53:00.000-04:00

...wait a day.

Yesterday, Wednesday, I went back into the workshop and reprogrammed the voltage CV settings for engine 51.

Tuesday I had done this and it was doing strange things on the NCE system and took off like a jack rabbit on the layout.

This time it behaved on both systems.

Murphy must be at someone else's house now. Hope he stays there for a while.