Putting the track gang to work!

I was able to find a little time to work on the layout this week. The main accomplishment is getting the road bed laid up to the top of the raised tier. Now to fill and sand it, then I can start to lay track on the outer loop. Just means that I have to deal with the bridge piers soon.

Accomplishing this little bit does fuel the fire. After a long delay, I'm making progress again! 

U33C Blues, part 2

Sent the U33C back to the retailer/service center for service or replacement. We'll see how this turns out.

U33C update

A couple of folks asked if I had oiled the U33C. Yep, I sure did! I don't think that is the problem. You can see it (and hear it!) yourself here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCXuFVgCoks

Micromark comes through!

Got a shipping from micromark today - and it was 100% correct. I needed a replacement hand throw for one that I broke and got some nifty brass screws to aid in installation. In 10 minutes I had the switch repaired and ready to go.

I've got the U33C blues...

Recieved my brand new U33C S Gauge locomotive today. Its very pretty, has really bright lights and a great sound systems....and it runs like a DOG!

If the motor and drive system is supposed to sound like a dull drill bit boring through 3/4" of wood, then mission accomplished! Its embarrassing, the Lionel would ship something that is this shoddy. Guess I'll be spending some time on the phone sorting out the repair process with the manufacturer.

On a related note, I had to nag California Roadbed for the shipment that they billed me for a month ago, but managed to not ship to me. Can't decide if most of the manufacturers in this hobby are customer service challenged, or if I'm being targeted for special abuse.

Happy New Years everyone!

The Blue Wire, or the red wire?

Been a while since I've posted! I've made good progress. The first loop has its permanent wiring in place. Good power feed all around the layout now.

I've moved on to laying roadbed and track for the outer loop. Ran out of Roadbed, so waiting for the next shipment of the Californa Roadbed companies Homabed to finish the north end of the loop. Ran into a small problem on one section. I found that the subsuface and the roadbed didn't mesh well. The result was a 'curb' on the roadbed where it transitioned from flat to a grade.Soooo...we grabbed the Zona saw and the putty knife and pried the defective roadbed out of the way and added about 10" of slope starter from Woodland Scenics. Its looking much better and prototypical.

Choo Choo!

Big news today!
I've got the first loop of track installed AND I've successfully run a locomotive all the way around the layout.
That is the good news.

The bad news;

Its power with temporary wiring.
There are still two more loops to go
Lots of landscaping to do!

Soooo...the good news is that I run a train around the track.

It might be time to install an ad hoc control panel and run the permanent wiring.