Welcome to Hearterville

Well, not a whole lot of progress, but I have now started setting up the town. Here are pictures.


Still more houses to set up, build the mountain.

I've decided to forgo the lights in the houses at least for this year, as I am unable to locate the lights that would go in them. I do need to get the street lights in place, and hooked up, and set up the park as well. I have a bunch of houses that I'm not sure where they actually belong as well.

Anyway, I'll keep updating as there is progress.

Amos

Derailed...

Ok, last night I got just a little bit of time to work on things. Put a second layer of cotton sheeting on the platform, to cover over the planks that could still be seen through the single layer. Then put the track back on the whole platform.

Figured I would put in the de-coupler link and see if it worked, which required putting one of the other cars on the track with the engine, and running it around a few times. Well, first of.. found that the engine was bumping one of the tunnel frameworks, so I had to adjust that to keep it from hitting . Then, after that, put the car on and ran it around a couple of times, but kept derailing when entering the tunnel, and I couldn't see why from where I was. So, I slowed down the train and "ran" ahead of it to see what was going on. Well, the car was so long that on the corner, it was hitting the side of the entrance to the tunnel, which was causing it to derail. So, adjusted that end of the tunnel as well. I think I shouldn't have to make any adjustments for other cars, as I believe this is one of the longest cars I have.

Anyway, back to the decoupler. After a couple of tries, it did not work, neither of them did, so I'm either hooking it up wrong, or they are bad. I'll try more later, but for this year, just won't have that feature available on the track.

And that is the latest update. I might have a video to post later. I set up my old web cam and installed the software on my pc and took a video of the engine running down the tunnel. I'll have to post it somewhere, not sure where.

Amos

Instructions..

Ok, I decided to post the instructions, so everyone can see what I'm working on interpreting, as I'm going about this setup. (I'll also put a notation next to where I'm at in the setup.) Where I'm at, I think I need to be combining a couple of steps into one step, as when I went to lay out some of the cotton I noticed holes for lights etc. So, that is where I'm at.

I'm also not quite sure with step 8 what supports are being talked about. Anyway, that is all for now.

1. Left Front + Right Front Trusses
2. Boards 1-8 are marked left-Right i.e. 6-L-B 6th Left Back Marked special angles for screws. 32 wood screws.
3. Sheets lay sheet with holes on right first (two sheets are enough to cover the platform excess to hang over back
4. Track Use only track that is steel; brass track in curve has short in it somewhere, lay track so prongs are going clockwise to platform, or right to left. Put track together do not tack down. Place tunnel over rear track to center track, then tack down in the rear only. Tack tunnel in place, remove remaining track that is not tacked down in sections.
5. Place cotton on rest of platform. Place track in again.
>>6. Cardboard along outside edge use either staples or masking tape.
7. Insert outlets for light in houses underneath platform and through the sheets and cotton. (Outlets come apart).
8. Attach back support of mountain to the side of tunnel – support along side sits on platform back support extends to very edge of platform staple accordingly.
9. Place pillows, moving blankets inflatable pillows. Put sheet over all this and adjust accordingly.
10. Place cotton on mountain lengthwise, then add as usual (whatever usual is)
11. Lights for houses (4 stings for mountain start at rear of church proceed along mountain bring lights down in zigzag fashion onto platform.
12. Station goes on left side of platform on inside of track by the left switch.
13. Beacon. Place on top of mountain
14. Water tower. Goes on inside of tack near tunnel entrance.
15. Windmill. Goes on outside of track, on edge of platform near tunnel entrance.
16. Houses. Layer out, cover wired add fences to houses
17. Mirrors down for lake, cover edged with cotton.
18. Park light. Test before setting up. (See instructions for testing and replacing parts. Special piece of cotton for park covering, take track off for placing.
19. Place trees on platform starting with mountain, then town, then park. (Mountain town and park trees are buried in order of use in the box.
20. Put lights to each house, add other little items, cars, street signs, benches, fire hydrants, fire boxes, etc.
21. Train station outside of track on the right corner
22. Add bridge boats to lake.
23. Track signal, place over right switch.
24. Get trains out cars battery for the whistle in engine. Test by turning upside down.
25. Connect all electrical equipment. Refer to other instructions.


Instructions for replacement parts.
Park lights:
Test on transformer (little)
3 out together, wire broken or off
2 lit one out, burned out.
To replace “Pea lights” is the part to ask for when buying replacements. Insert pea light wire down through post, connect one wire to black or red wire, where applicable. Attach remaining wire to nearest pea light. EXCEPTION, is when a middle pea light is out, attach one wire to each side of out pea light to other pea light to other pea lights. Remove extra insulation if needed then test again. Glue down, set in place and center.


Testing Track:
Outside tracks should have continuity; middle should not have continuity with either outside track.
Switch pieces: ????

Hook ups.

Park lights and water tower freight station hooked up on small transformer. One wire to transformer doesn’t matter which wire to which terminal.
Dispatcher train station. The fine green wires are attached to track coupler (attach couple to middle and outside track). If they come loose the wires are attached under the base of the train station a-1, e-2. Microphone wires are hooked up as follows
Gold color wire a+f to mike
White wire C to mike
Red wire D to mike
Power hook up
Pure white wires F to H (on large transformer) Squeeze coils together E to U (on large transformer) The letters are indicated which hook up placement.

Operating Signal Bridge A. fine green wire goes 1-1; 2-2. Lead wires are under terminal for first member designation. Right leg (facing it) attach to large track coupler for second number.
Crossover 1-1; 2-2 to complete circuit second set of fine green wires: Number 3 on track coupler to C on transformer, wire Red and White. On right leg of terminal Red + White wire from 3 to A on transformer. Place large track couple under double ties on track. Control switch wire is placed under switch near terminal bridge – Small terminal attached 1-2-0 Beacon: attach white wires to B-C on transformer.

Amos

Update.. but no update..

All right, not much to update on, but I promised pictures yesterday of the wiring mess with the lights and here they are. But first I'll fill you in on the activities that I did do. First after Karissa went down for her nap I went through all the Lionel cars and compiled a list of what I have "inherited." After that it was getting a little late to really dive into setting anything up, so I took a box of HO scale stuff that came with the O27 items, and went through it to see what all was there for that scale.

Long and short of it, there are bits missing from the HO equipment that means I can't just get it all running on what was there. And after the research I did yesterday, I found that most (if not all) HO scale equipment isn't really collectible, so no big deal that it isn't all there. Well, that got me thinking, I have a small (circle) HO set from when I was younger, and I'm not sure how much of it is there or not. Well, I'm pretty sure if I took what I have in this box, along with what I have from my own childhood, I should be able to come up with a workable track. Couple that with the portability of the HO scale, I'm thinking of starting a family tradition and taking the train equipment with me to Christmas family gatherings to set up with the nieces, nephews and other children (young or old).

Anyway, enough on those random ramblings, here are the pics..

This is a closer picture of the switch array with tangle of wire coming out of it.

Here is a view of the inside of the array box. This will be fun to figure out..
And here is my final picture for the day. I was wanting to "name" the town, and couldn't think of what would work best. Well last night I was going through all the boxes to inventory (list below) all the Lionel parts I have, and I found these:
Needless to say, the name of the town has been decided on. (Just happens the one on the top right was made the year I was born as well, and happens to be the only one dated.)

Anyway, here is the list of Lionel parts I have.

2032 ERIE ALCO AA Engine

460 Piggyback Loader

6-5121 Left Hand Remote control switch

6-5122 Right Hand Remote control switch

6357 (built 9-47) SP Caboose

6465 Tank Car (Sonoco variant)

6456 (built 1-48) Lehigh Valley Hopper

6656 Stock Car (With Livestock)

3470 Target Launcher

6019 Remote Control Uncoupling Track

6-5149 Remote Control Uncoupling Track

6805 Atomic Waste Car

3545 TV Car

6414-11 Evans Auto Loader (with 4 cars)

3540 Operating Radar Car

465 Dispatching Station

450 Signal Bridge

2314 Operating Searchlight Tower

1033 Transformer

494 Rotating Beacon

Amos

Coming together, but....

I don't think I'll have it all together for Christmas.

Last night I put the track together, added the switch tracks and got it all working. Some of this stuff is really sophisticated for being how old it is. Basically, I don't have to control both track switches, just the one. The other "detects" where the train is coming from, and automatically switches to accept the train as it approaches. However, if I wanted to back the train into the sub-loop I would have to be able to control both of the switches. We'll see, I think I'll just work with the one for now.

Anyway, last night I decided to not fully build up the mountain. Partially due to not really understanding the directions, and partially from lack of time/workspace. This thing takes up a LOT of room, and is hard to work around.

So, I fastened (after searching forever for the tacks) the track through the tunnel area, then tacked the tunnel pieces in place (though not very well, but they will stay). Then took the track appart and started laying down the cotton "snow." Then found that the one sheet of cotton has holes in it for the strips of lights. So, I pulled them out ad plugged them in to see if I could figure things out a little. Though at this point I lost motivation for the evening. But the lights did come on, or, at least half of them did.

I'll have to take a closer picture of the control box for the lights, and then you might see why I lost motivation. Basically it is 4 rows of 7 columns of push button switches, which turn on and off different sections of lights. So, I need to figure out which switches control which lights, and for the switches that seem to not control anything, if it is due to "pea lights" being out, or what is going on. But that is for another evening (ie tonight if Karissa is content watching daddy work and not wanting to be held)



Also, as I was looking for the track tacks I went through just about every box. Noticed (unless they are burried under the houses) that I don't have any of the cars, and didn't notice any people.

Do have quite a few Lionel pieces that I should inventory and take pictures of to share here. I'm not sure I'll use all of them, As I'm not sure where I will put all the bits.

Oh, well, enough for now. I'll hopefully get a chance to get things moved further along tonight..

Amos

Figuring things out.

Ok, I finally got some more time on Saturday to do some more work. Managed to get the platform secured (didn't have it screwed down before).

Anyway, got the platform all screwed down now, read over the instructions and it states that the platform could be covered by two sheets of the material, but it just did not happen. I'm thinking the instructions are either just that old, or there were normal bed sheets that aren't in any of the stuff that I have now. Anyway, so I took some of the cotton sheeting stuff that came in a box and have the platform pretty much covered.

Next step was to place the track, then secure the tunnel, and rear section of track before adding more of the cotton and rest of the track. I hooked up the track with a set of track switches, creating a double loop. I wasn't sure of the condition of the switches, as the wire for controlling is VERY dry rotted, plus there were plastic connecting pieces in some of the track lines, that I was unsure of how/why they would do that.

Well, once I had the track all set up, curiosity got the better of me and I decided to find the hook-ups and power it and make sure that the train would work before spending a whole lot of time. Long story short.. No juice. Disconnect the transformer from the track and put the trusty multi-meter on, ok, we've got the expected voltages. Ok, the instructions did make mention that the previous owner though that some of the tracks may be shorted out. So, out comes the trusty multi-meter again. Pulled the track entirely appart, and tested every piece of track except the switch pieces, as I'm not sure how to test them. Track pieces test fine. Ok what now.

Put the track back together, but only a simple loop this time.. Reconnect the transformer, and put the train on... Turn the speed controll to full.. Train lights up and sounds like it's trying to move. OK.. it hasn't been run in a couple of years.. So, I help it around the track once.. Still seems to be struggling. Well, I had used the lower voltages off of the transformer, so I switch it to the higher voltages.. Try again.. Still seems to be struggling a little bit.. Let's let it run a few times around.. Getting better... WooHoo.. Go grab a battery to put in so that the train's horn will work. Run it some more.. Ok, we're good to go. I have a few extra track switches, new in the boxes, so I should be able to get it all working the way I had had it.

At this point I didn't have time to do any more testing/playing. So I went and helped Jodi finish getting ready for a party. Well, shortly before people got there, I went down and grabbed an instruction sheet for the track switches. Anyway, I think I now figured out why they have the plastic connection bits. It is to keep the current running to the train in the proper flow, so the train doesn't derail.

Time will tell as I haven't had a chance since Saturday to do any more work.

Anyway, here is a picture as I left it sitting. Note the trusty multi-meter. :-)

Also note the second train engine, I don't believe it is working at all, though I didn't have it on the known working track.

Instructions...

Well, I now have the written directions. I am hoping that they will make more and more sense as I put it all together. There are a few ref erences like "as usual" or some such comments like that, which will take some interpretation.

Wiring references are somewhat obscure as well, however I have a feeling that they will start to make sense as I start putting the bits together.

At this point I'm good to resume setting things up. However, in the basement it is really going to be tight, as you can see in the picture, but this is what I have to work with, so we'll make it work.

Amos