Done with the Crossing Signal

I know what your thinking, "crossing signals? What crossing signals?I don't see any crossing signals!" Well, you're right. I didn't get anywhere close completing the project, but I am done with it!

These NJ International signals were installed on my previous layout.  I tried putting them in this time last year. But I ran into a problem with the resistors. They simply would not stay sodered to the wires! After some frustration, I threw them in a drawer and forgot about them until today.

I dug the signals out, fired up my soldering iron and managed to get the resistors soldered back on. After a bench test, I set about installing them. Needless to say, on the first attempt at running the wires through the layout, a resistor came off. A bit annoyed, I calmly brought it back to the work bench and soldered it back on. Then I reinforced it with masking tape. It went in fine.

The trouble started when I tried installing signal number two. I tried running the wire and resistor came off. Okay, now I was getting pissed. I pulled the signal out and went under the table to retrieve the wires still stuck in the hole. I grabbed them and yanked. Then I realized I'd yanked the wrong wires. That was it; I blew a 50-amp fuse. I yanked the signal out of the layout, which I had just yanked common wire out of, and threw it across the room. I know, a very childish thing to do.

So yeah, total cluster @#$%.  But the sort of good news is, the common wire appears to be soldered to the signal itself, so it may very well be fixable. Maybe someday I'll be feeling sufficiently masochistic to try again. 

Finished With the Turf in Johnstown

This post's title pretty much sums it up; I finished the landscaping along the end of the peninsula. I brushed the area with a coat of matte medium, applied a line of cinder ballast along the outside edge of the layout. The I added a base layer of green fine turf, then patches of yellow fine turf and "burnt grass" course turf. I wet it all with 70% alcohol and droppered on more matte medium, which cooperated by drying.

With the turf done, I went ahead and added a few more high-voltage transmission towers. Intitially I planned to terminate them at the substation behind Water Street Frieght Terminal. But I really do love the look of the towers; they fit rather well with the industrial theme of the area.

I also decided to rethink the the whole drainage ditch next to supierior paper. I've seen many stormwater catch basins (or "sumps" as we called them on Long Island) in my area and most of them just have a pipe the empties into it and a tall intake structure.

Vis-

 

So yeah, I think just the basin itself is sufficient. That poject is nearly done. I planted a few more sprigs of Woodland Scenic field grass and all that remains is a few more details and pouring the water.