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@georgiasunbelt finally got some lighting done so thought I'd put it to use :)

@@TheClosetBranch I use JMRI Operations Pro for all of my train building. It has a list of all my cars and locations, as well as what cars are serviced by each location, then builds the trains based on that information.

Thank you very much for the information. 🥰👍👍

@@SpringfieldAndWestern they are Atlas B23-7s, with XL Systems (formerly MRC) 1812 boards. The boards are a bit limited as far as features go, but they are reasonably priced, especially for sound, and I feel they are better than Digitrax.

@@PacificEnterpriseNetwork Ah thanks, I thought so. I feel these do have a little bit tinny (?) sound to it, but otherwise they seem ok. I recently looked into adding sound to my tiny little operation but I´m very undecided at the moment. I would probably try XL Systems if I could get them for like 50 Euros here in Germany, but I could only order them from the U.S. and with shipping, taxes and customs you are already close to 100 Euros and for that amount I could just as well buy a ESU sound decoder. Problem with ESU: Somebody needs to load the sound to it for you if you don´t have a programmer yourself and then you still need to solder the lights to the board and I´m really terrible with all things electronics. Sure, people will offer this as a service but then it will be even more expensive. But at the same time I don´t think I can convince my wife I need a factory fresh sound engine for 250 Euros or more... 😅

@SpringfieldAndWestern i believe you can order ESU decoders with the sound already loaded on them directly from ESU. I totally recommend getting sound- DCC and sound is what brought me back to the hobby after about a 15 year hiatus. I agree the sound quality with XL Systems could be a little better, but for the price it has been hard to pass up. I do think my next locomotive will be a Broadway Limited with the Paragon 4 decoder, I have heard nothing but good things about them. I know they're a bit pricey, but when you add up the costs of a locomotive, a DCC/sound board and a keep alive, the price doesn't seem so bad.

@SpringfieldAndWestern also, if you take your time and practice, soldering on these tiny boards doesn't have to be so scary. I added my own keep alive to the board in my SD24, and it wasn't as hard as I thought. I plan to add them to these locomotives as well.

@@PacificEnterpriseNetwork cool to hear, I will need to continue to check out all of my options. Being in Germany does make things a little bit harder, still. Yesterday I saw an amazing offer for a new Atlas with sound in an American shop, but as soon as you add shipping costs and all the other fees, the advantage over paying the regular price locally in Germany was gone. We'll see what the future holds, looking forward to your next engine!

@danielarens8072 thanks, its a $3 weathering powder kit from hobby lobby.

Thank you!

That's a great idea, I'd never considered that.

Yeah eventually. I want to first finish the scenery, since that's how they got messed up. The main thing holding me up on the expansion now, is that everyone locally seems to be out of rail joiners, I ended up ordering some which are coming in soon.

Thank you!

Welcome aboard!

The metal weight in the PENX one is literally just weight. The "load" in the BN gondola is actually a piece of my layout that I use as a load :) I've also been known to use bolts or anything else I have laying around for a "loaded" gon.

Thank you! I know it's slow progress, but I'm having fun doing it.

Thank you for the input! I ended up soldering the joints, which somehow caused even more headaches because now I'm getting shorts as the wheels cross over the frogs. I think the wheels are somehow touching both rails at the "point", because it seems to only happen when a metal wheel hits that exact spot. So now I'm in the process of cutting gaps just past the frogs and making more power drops. Once I get it running smoothly again, I can focus back on scenery, ballasting, etc. I am thinking about switching to CRC contact cleaner for my tracks, I've been using PB blaster on a rag which does seem to work, I just need to be more vigilant about actually doing it, I tend to get lax on maintenance then it bites me in the butt.

@@PacificEnterpriseNetwork CRC QD works good on the Peco Switches. No residual leftover. On the frogs sometimes they come a little tight from the factory. I run an NMRA Metal gauge through both directions to open up the plastic frogs a touch. Using the Points Nubs on the Gauge to make sure they aren’t pinched to tight for wheels. Clear the grooves lightly. Some of them you can barely slide the Gauge through. 😉

@doublediamondrailroad5949 I am going to try putting some paint on the rails at the tightest point, I read an old forum post about the exact issue I'm having, and that fixed it. I might end up having to replace one of the turnouts also, I accidentally touched the frog with my soldering iron and now it's causing derailments. I'm trying to file the frog back into shape but it doesn't seem to be working so far.

@@MiltonRobinson-s1d thank you for subscribing!

@rad5.8fox7 thanks man, appreciate it!

It's really easy to catch train fever!

Thanks 👍

@@nyg21bd I didn't even think of that. Thanks!

Thank you!

Thanks!

It's the biggest industry, with 3 car drops. I actually would like to include some sort of scrap outbound as well. On my old layout it had 3 separate spurs as well.

A few of them I made myself, most of them were bought.