Author: Steve

Had a good train day today. Got the big loop straightened out so both
trains are running flawlessly. There is still a significant difference in
the traction between the two types of track, but I made the north track so
level, the engine has to run on it. I did add some information to the equation. The engine wheels were
slipping, so I picked it up and turned it around. It runs through the same
stretch in reverse without slipping. Part of the issue is the track. Part
of it is the locomotive itself. These locomotives have logged a lot of
miles each. I think they’re getting a little worn out. So one train is
being pulled by an engine in the normal configuration. The other train is
being pulled by an engine in reverse. I think it’s going to work for the
remainder of this season. Next season, I’ll see about adding a new, stronger electric locomotive. Tomorrow I’m planning the first steam-up of the Christmas season.

Now I have a train mystery. There are two different manufacturers of G scale track. As far as I know,
they are identical, except that Aristo track has little tiny screws to
secure all the joints, and LGB track does not. I prefer the Aristo track,
because then I don’t have to ballast the entire loop, just the part that
needs support. So I have two loops of track, one entirely LGB, and one entirely Aristo.
The LGB track is locked into place with ballast. As long as the weather is warm and dry, the trains run identically. As it
gets colder and damp, the train on the Aristo track slips and loses traction
on the corners, while the identical locomotive on the LGB loop continues to
run smoothly. I’ve eliminated all the variables I can think of. It is not
the locomotive. It is not the cars. There is no difference in grade, or
curve radius. It is a mystery. I can only think of two possibilities I haven’t been able
to eliminate. It could have something to do with track gauge, and it only
shows up in the corners, when the track is a little more slippery. Or there
is some difference in the chemical composition of the track between the two
manufacturers, and one is slightly more slippery under these conditions than
the other. I made a tool to measure the gauge of the track, and the
difference between the two is only about a millimeter. Doesn’t seem like
enough to cause this problem. One track catches moisture and the train
slips, and the other doesn’t? I tried calling the train store, and speaking with their best G scale man,
but he had never encountered this problem. ????

So far so good. We stuffed fifty or a hundred people into our yard for the
parade of lights yard party. Our yard has been a big hit this year. We measure success by the number of
candy canes Judy gives away to people who stop to look. She reports we’re
seventeen dozen into it so far this year. It looks like last year’s record
of forty-five dozen candy canes is in jeopardy. The home tour couldn’t have gone better. We had a steady four hour flow of
people through our house. Always steady. Never too many. It is a surprise
to me how interested people were in our little old house. They all seemed
to think it was charming because it was old and had small rooms. For her birthday, Sunday, Judy requested that she sit on the couch all day
and have me bring her things. Mission accomplished. The office Christmas party is next Sunday. We’ll try to keep the house
decorated and together until then. We get a small room at Karen’s in the
Country for our party and the buffet dinner. Then we all migrate to our
house for lights, trains, and dessert (also provided by Karen). My birthday, Christmas, then off on our big trip to the Texas coast, by way
of Louisiana this year. We’ll get to explore the entire coastal bend. All
we need to do is get a few more things taken care of here so we’ll be ready
to go right after Christmas…..

Busy week. Friday is the parade of lights. We always host an open yard after the
parade, and stuff as many people in our yard as we can to enjoy the lights,
trains, cider, cookies, and Christmas music. People have to park all down
the street past our house to get to the parade, so after we just kind of
scoop them in as they’re trying to get back to their cars. Saturday is the parade of historic homes. We’re told there could be several
hundred people passing through our house between ten and two. Sunday is Judy’s birthday. I have to be nice to her the entire day.

It was a good train day. The Louisville Express Line is complete. Not all
the track ballast is down, but the roughest spots are covered. Memo to yard
train builders: put the barrels of track ballast from last year in the sun
a few days before you want to use it. It was a nice fifty degrees warm
today, but I spent the day chipping out frozen gravel from the barrels of
ballast behind the spruce tree, and carrying it by the bucket into the front
yard to pour on the track so it would thaw out, so I could use it. The Colorado Southern Line, on the south, is about three quarters done. I
change the track layout a little each year, and this year I need one more
piece to make it work. I’ll buy a six inch straight and a three inch
straight. I have a four inch gap. I’ll just have to see which piece looks
the least forced. Pictures of the Louisville Express in action.