Week 7 construction progress report

This week I completed the last of the trackwork on the layout, including staging.  After running an operating session, involving a five car freight train and the short two car passenger train I came to the conclusion that the layout staging tracks are a bit too short.  I built a removable 1 foot staging extension, which allows the freight train to add three to four more cars, and the passenger train to add two cars.  This allows for a good amount of switching activity on the layout, and an operating session can keep me busy for an hour and a half.  Between the cars already positioned on the layout and the incoming freight train a total of 20 freight cars were on the layout.

1ft staging extension

The next step was to start installing ground throws.  For the turnouts where I plan to use the frog juicer to power the frog I'm using a basic Caboose Industries 222S ground throw.  For the ones where I need the ground throw to route power I'm using the Caboose Industries 224S.  The first ground throw was attached to the foam with two track nails.  After a little bit of use it already has a wobble to it.  I think I will pull it up and reinstall it using glue in addition to the nails.

Caboose Industries 222S ground throw

I installed my first n-scale sound decoder.  I put a MRC 1957, which is a drop-in decoder, into a Kato F3. While this thing is billed as being drop-in, there is still a bit of work involved in getting it installed.  Having come from ho-scale I feel like this decoder sounds mediocre, probably due to the tiny 13mm speaker.  Not sure that spending $70 on sound is worth it.

Kato F3 opened up.  Note the various front coupler parts on the left.  Those parts are not fun to re-install.

The wheel pickup tabs had to be insulated with kaptop tape where the motor contacts used to touch them.

MRC 1957 sound decoder installed in Kato F3.  This is before the holding clip goes back on top of the motor tabs.  Note the tiny 13mm speaker built into the decoder.  It may explain the PC-speaker-esque sound quality.

The below pictures show the current state of the layout.

Right side of Citrusville.  The foundation of the Co-Op shed is seen at the left.  The Del Monte cannery is at the top right.  The foundation of the freight house can be seen at the far right.

Middle of Citrusville. Hughes Aircraft can be seen at the left.  The Co-op shed can be seen at the left.

Left side of Citrusville.  The Sunkist packing house is seen at the left hiding the two staging tracks behind it.  Sunkist has four loading doors spaced for 40ft reefers.  During operating sessions one of the empty staging tracks is used as an off-stage ice house track.

In the coming week I hope to install the rest of the ground throws, and to start ballasting and scenicking the layout once those materials arrive.  I hope to fit a few citrus trees in the space between the Sunkist track and the main line running in front of Hughes Aircraft.  I'm planning on attempting to build some orange and lemon trees using the CMRS method.