TMRC

The Dispatcher's Log

206 entries, going back to 1997

2025

16 Apr 2025
Campus Preview Weekend 2025 Open House
We will be hosting open hours in the clubroom (N52-118) for the campus preview weekend from 6:30-8:30pm on Saturday, April 19th. We welcome admitted students to …
12 Feb 2025
Spring 2025 Regular Meeting Schedule
Our regularly scheduled meetings for the Spring 2025 Semester will be on Wednesdays at 6:30pm in the club room (N52-118). Feel free to drop in if you’re …
31 Jan 2025
First Meeting Spring 2025
Our first meeting of the Spring 2025 Semester will be this Wednesday, February 5th at 6:30pm in the club room (N52-118). This is a great opportunity to get to …

2024

12 Sep 2024
First Meeting Fall 2024
Our first meeting of the Fall 2024 Semester will be this Friday, September 13th at 8pm in the club room (N52-118). This is a great opportunity to get to know …
1 Jul 2024
System 4 Circuit Boards Arrive
The new circuit boards and the corresponding parts for System 4 have arrived! Help is needed assembling them so feel free to stop by the club room and help out …

2018

31 Mar 2018
Monthly Update March 2018
March 25 John P persuaded John T and Chris to try some hand-laid track on the upper level.

2017

30 Nov 2017
Monthly Update November 2017
November 4 More Progress on the upper level. A lovely new turnout!
31 Oct 2017
Monthly Update October 2017
October 28 This shows the state of Progress on the upper level. The metal blocks clamped to the plywood serve to damp the effect of nailing down roadbed.
31 May 2017
Monthly Update May 2017
May 27 The fans that cool the electronics for the Tetris game had been making an ominous rumbling sound for a long time. Examination showed that they were …

2016

30 Nov 2016
Monthly Update November 2016
November 9 We received a message from the daughter of former member Eric Bott, who made the Coca-Bubblie sign back in his student days around 1970. It’s …
30 Sep 2016
Monthly Update September 2016
September 03 Prajwal has deserted the chalets and glaciers of Switzerland for a few weeks, and of course the first thing he did at TMRC was get his European …
31 Aug 2016
Monthly Update August 2016
August 31 This is the dollar bill acceptor from the Coke(R) machine, with a note saying “Coins only”. Time for a fix! Here’s its replacement, …
29 Feb 2016
Monthly Update February 2016
February 13 Some belated credit for David Lambeth of the West Coast Shops. He made these gorgeous silos for the chemical plant. He also made a section of …

2015

30 Nov 2015
Monthly Update November 2015
November 21Yes, we do remember how to do a Progress Report! The Saturday before Thanksgiving is usually Open House day--and it was reasonably succesful. John T …
31 Aug 2015
Monthly Update August 2015
August 28 Alex assembled a storage tank for the chemical plant. A calamity occurred when John P attempted to add new tracks to the layout file. The computer …
30 Jun 2015
Monthly Update June 2015
June 3 A new block card and O the horror, it has a cold solder joint. Survey work on the upper level. Build track first, then measure it to make an accurate …

2014

31 Dec 2014
Monthly Update December 2014
December 6 Howard’s skills with repair of intricate mechanisms were called upon to fix this grabber which someone left in the clubroom, but he said it …
30 Nov 2014
Monthly Update November 2014
November 12 After years of annoyance, John P decided to remove the “Magnetic Storm” uncoupler from Gifford City. Here’s the worksite ater the …
31 Oct 2014
Monthly Update October 2014
October 31We didn’t get around to any Progress Report in October, so we’ll tell a big lie about the date on this one: maybe it should really be Nov …
30 Sep 2014
Monthly Update September 2014
September 03 A praying mantis was observed in the hallway.
31 Aug 2014
Monthly Update August 2014
August 07 We have been generously given some second-hand models, which Alex has volunteered to evaluate and sell on eBay. Here he is attempting to get a loco …
31 Jul 2014
Monthly Update July 2014
July 02 The next block card (and the final one, using the present circuit boards) is under construction.
30 Jun 2014
Monthly Update June 2014
June 04 Luis has finished his tower, allowing for a few fixups. And is that paint job adequate?
31 May 2014
Monthly Update May 2014
May 28 There’s now a 3-way turnout in the paper mill area on the upper level.
30 Apr 2014
Monthly Update April 2014
April 16 Dillon thought that the workbench needed a new coat of paint, and he enlisted new member Natasha to help apply it.
31 Mar 2014
Monthly Update March 2014
March 01 John P got the new shelves started--after several trips to the big-box hardware stores in search of suitable anchors and fasteners. Already the clutter …
28 Feb 2014
Monthly Update February 2014
February 01 The Operating Session that we planned didn’t turn out as expected. A fair number of people took it as an invitation to come as spectators.
31 Jan 2014
Monthly Update January 2014
January 11 An attempt at creating a transition rail from code 70 down to code 55, by crushing the rail. This doesn’t look pretty, but there is hope for …

2013

31 Dec 2013
Monthly Update December 2013
December 14 New ties for new track! A review of the likely operation of the paper mill showed how much we need a lead/engine escape track. That’s …
30 Nov 2013
Monthly Update November 2013
November 3We had a journalism student from BU come over and take some pictures a while back - here are the results! All photo credits to Poncie Rutsch …
31 Oct 2013
Monthly Update October 2013
October 2 Dillon has been laying ties in the paper mill area on the upper level.
30 Sep 2013
Monthly Update September 2013
September 4 For the first time in living memory--we’re getting the floor cleaned and waxed. But there’s work to be done…
31 Aug 2013
Monthly Update August 2013
August 17 Somebody asked how we do occupancy detection. It’s easy--a 38K resistor on one wheelset of each car, attached with conductive epoxy. If you look …
31 Jul 2013
Monthly Update July 2013
July 24 Veteran member Richard Greenblatt and new member Prajwal Mohanmurthy are working together on trying to understand the System software.
30 Jun 2013
Monthly Update June 2013
June 05 For no particular reason, signals at Berkmannville.
31 May 2013
Monthly Update May 2013
May 01 A photographer stopped by to take some amazing pictures of the layout. All Credit goes to Bruce Horwitz Photography. Reproduced with permission. …
30 Apr 2013
Monthly Update April 2013
April 21 Yet more progress on the upper level--ties are down!
31 Mar 2013
Monthly Update March 2013
March 21 More progress on the upper level--tracks for the Cental Vermont loop branching off the helix.
28 Feb 2013
Monthly Update February 2013
February 13 The last Progress Report showed the start of conversion of the diamond crossings on Section 14 of the helix to use movable frogs. This shows the …
31 Jan 2013
Monthly Update January 2013
January 2 We have purchased a new power supply especially for under-layout lighting. With 8 Amps output capacity! (A single string of 8 LEDs draws 320mA.)

2012

31 Dec 2012
Monthly Update December 2012
December 1 Alex constructed a small building and installed it in F-Yard.
30 Nov 2012
Monthly Update November 2012
November 14 Alex and John P have installed the LED light bars (seen in previous reports) in Berkmannville.
31 Oct 2012
Monthly Update October 2012
October 3 Progress today was on Section 14 of the helix, again--see February and March of this year. With trains now able to climb the helix, it’s time to …
30 Sep 2012
Monthly Update September 2012
September 15 No progress reports, but much Progress! David Lambeth visited and helped out with Activities Midway. He put new member Alex to work planting …
31 Aug 2012
Monthly Update August 2012
August 8 John M continues to work on a new crossing signal for the Activities Midway. He’s making it about 50% of the size of the old one, so here …
31 Jul 2012
Monthly Update July 2012
July 18 A few recently purchased items. The DeWalt drill is back in action, after suffering the simultaneous meltdown of the battery and charger. And now we …
30 Jun 2012
Monthly Update June 2012
June 13 Trimming plywood for the next section of Level 2.
31 May 2012
Monthly Update May 2012
May 9 This shows Progress occurring across WIndsor St, in the former parking lot (much missed by car owners).
30 Apr 2012
Monthly Update April 2012
April 4 The next phase of Level 2 construction required the production of sawdust, which took place out in the hallway in order to make cleanup easier. This is …
31 Mar 2012
Monthly Update March 2012
March 3 Very little happened tonight. Here is Eliza’s TV truck with a functional electronic package. You can see it in action at our Youtube page
29 Feb 2012
Monthly Update February 2012
February 1 We start with some pictures for our far-flung members, to show certain features of benchwork as an aid to layout design. Here’s a hole.
31 Jan 2012
Monthly Update January 2012
January 4 This shows the proposed new benchwork construction method for the upper levels. It combines slotted angle with UnistrutTM channel. Apart from the use …

2011

31 Dec 2011
Monthly Update December 2011
December 3 Oh my, such Progress! For the first time in many years--a new section of helix was made and installed. No track yet. Note the ultra-long nut-runner. …
30 Nov 2011
Monthly Update November 2011
November 5 This is the “minimally invasive” design with the two routes kept to minimum width, and as far back as possible.
31 Oct 2011
Monthly Update October 2011
October 1 Eliza is adding a blinking red roof beacon to her TV broadcast truck. With actual electronics!
30 Sep 2011
Monthly Update September 2011
September 7 Under construction-- a timber grade crossing at the chemical factory. Not paved like the one shown earlier because it’s too difficult through …
30 Jun 2011
Monthly Update June 2011
June 15 One of the switch machines at the chemical factory is operated by a hobby servo. There’s a video of it available at this address. The turnout is …
31 May 2011
Monthly Update May 2011
May 14 Switch machines have now been installed at the chemical factory (they are mostly in better focus). .
30 Apr 2011
Monthly Update April 2011
April 1 Here is the exhibit at the Compton Gallery, featuring our train. The MIT Museum staff added some mid-1960s pictures to the background--that’s …
31 Mar 2011
Monthly Update March 2011
March 2 Eliza and Mike worked on a new communication project.
28 Feb 2011
Monthly Update February 2011
February 5No pictures unfortunately, but the evening opened with visits by veteran members Pete Samson and George Mitchell. Governor Stunes shows new member …
31 Jan 2011
Monthly Update January 2011
January 26 Virtual progress! We’re planning the upper levels of the layout with the help of Google Sketchup. Here’s the triple-track ramp that rises …

2010

31 Dec 2010
Monthly Update December 2010
December 11 Something new from the Operation Committee. We’ve made up special slips which can be inserted in car-order pockets, to tell operators to hold …
30 Nov 2010
Monthly Update November 2010
November 3 In preparation for Saturday’s Operating Session, trains and car cards have been arranged.
31 Oct 2010
Monthly Update October 2010
October 27 Trackwork in the chemical plant area now includes complete turnouts.
30 Sep 2010
Monthly Update September 2010
September 8 Following a summer of torpor, TMRC has once again become the hive of activity that’s its usual state. Here’s Progress on the trackwork …
31 Jul 2010
Monthly Update July 2010
July 7 Alex has decided that maybe a hobby servo would be better for his project than a stepper.
30 Jun 2010
Monthly Update June 2010
June 5 Ties are down in the chemical plant area, and John P is attempting to making them look weathered and neglected, by painting them gray before staining …
31 May 2010
Monthly Update May 2010
May 3 The Operating Session took place as planned, and we generally agreed that it was a success. Here are Bill and Alex dealing with paperwork.
30 Apr 2010
Monthly Update April 2010
April 3 We saw some nice-looking industrial buildings at the South Shore Model RR Club a couple of weeks ago, which turned out to be the “Radical …
31 Mar 2010
Monthly Update March 2010
March 3 Today we arrived to find a note saying “Machine broken” on the Coke(R) machine. The trouble proved to be a broken coin chute, which had …
28 Feb 2010
Monthly Update February 2010
February 20 Eat your veggies. Thanks to Alex and his friends for importing the vegetables from Germany. Somehow they got past the fruit-sniffing dog at the …
31 Jan 2010
Monthly Update January 2010
January 2TMRC now owns a steam locomotive, our first in who knows how long (except BITCo #1/2, which seems to have wandered away). It’s the Bachmann …

2009

31 Dec 2009
Monthly Update December 2009
December 9 A simple attempt to use the Club’s venerable Pink Elephant to clean up some loose scenic material led to a teardown of the said Elephant, and …
30 Nov 2009
Monthly Update November 2009
November 25We had an excellent Open House on the 21st, and maybe someone will post pictures from it. And there’s Progress! New member Alex Keck worked on …
30 Sep 2009
Monthly Update September 2009
September 23 In order to prevent the points of this turnout from occurring on a bridge, a gantlet section was installed. This is based on a prototype in Bellows …
31 Jul 2009
Monthly Update July 2009
July 15 Michael’s latest in freight car assembly. This time it’s an Intermountain cylindrical covered hopper kit. The “Chesapeake” is …
30 Jun 2009
Monthly Update June 2009
June 13 First progress report for almost two months! It’s shocking. Michael Stunes has been assembling a couple of Red Caboose brand freight cars. He says …
30 Apr 2009
Monthly Update April 2009
April 1 John M worked on the steel warehouse in East Berkmannville.
31 Mar 2009
Monthly Update March 2009
March 7 A new doohickey for a Tortoise(TM) switch machine! To replace one that, um, unfortunately became lost.
28 Feb 2009
Monthly Update February 2009
February 4 Alas, on Saturday we said goodbye to David Lambeth, who is off to California. He said, “This isn’t the first time I’ve left MIT, …
31 Jan 2009
Monthly Update January 2009
January 10We were supposed to have an operating session and a club meeting tonight, but we were so busy with other projects we did neither. Our visitors from …

2008

31 Dec 2008
Monthly Update December 2008
December 06Running some trains on the nice, clean, post-open house track.
30 Nov 2008
Monthly Update November 2008
November 15 Tonight was clean-up night at TMRC in preparation for next Saturday’s open house. The club room is cleaner than it’s ever been, we …
31 Oct 2008
Monthly Update October 2008
October 4 We agreed to open the club to a group of alumni attending a party at the Museum. The party was held to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Smoot …
30 Sep 2008
Monthly Update September 2008
September 17 David Lambeth has renovated the old “High Rise” section of Digital Widgets, with white LEDs undreamt of when Rodger Doxsey first made …
30 Jun 2008
Monthly Update June 2008
June 21 How did we manage to make so much Progress on the shortest night of the year? David Lambeth assembled a vast number of new storage cassettes for spare …
30 Apr 2008
Monthly Update April 2008
April 5 Testing locos in preparation for the Open House on the 26th. April 19 Plenty of progress but a paucity of pictures to prove it. For most of the night …
31 Mar 2008
Monthly Update March 2008
March 6 David L made a mockup of the proposed helix between the 2nd and 3rd levels. It dominates the scene at Middle Heights. James and Hugh dropped in. We …
29 Feb 2008
Monthly Update February 2008
February 16The theme for this week is PROGRESS. There was much Progress in East Berkmannville, pressed ahead by Adam, Quentin and David L. “Gentlemen, …
31 Jan 2008
Monthly Update January 2008
January 5 Progress for tonight was WEEDS. A lovely new patch of WEEDS has appeared between the main line and the bulk transfer siding across from F-Yard. Also, …

2007

31 Dec 2007
Monthly Update December 2007
December 15 [[pictures]](/old/progress/reports/2007/12/../../../imagese221.tcl?year=2007&month=12&day=15) Although we haven’t posted progress …
30 Nov 2007
Monthly Update November 2007
November 03The first of the new cab drivers (i.e. the boards which interface the walkaround cabs to the communication bus) is complete and installed. It …
31 Oct 2007
Monthly Update October 2007
October 07Adam spent much of the evening building better black holes. The picture shows (from left) Adam admiring his handiwork, Hugh queietly surveying tthe …
30 Sep 2007
Monthly Update September 2007
September 9We planned an operating session, tested cab interface boards, tried unsuccessfully to find a partially completed building, had two separate groups of …
31 Aug 2007
Monthly Update August 2007
August 18 Not much to report, but there isn’t much occurring on these hot summer days. The tracklaying crew has extended the siding in Middle Heights to …
31 Jul 2007
Monthly Update July 2007
July 11John Purbrick has built a mechanical kludge which he humbly states is “rather complicated” even by his standards. He installed it in the …
30 Jun 2007
Monthly Update June 2007
June 3Our humble web pages has been selected as the Webmasters’s Choice for June 2007 by the National Model Railroad Association. Welcome to everyone who …
31 May 2007
Monthly Update May 2007
May 12John McNamara and David Backus purchased a heroic amount of soda for the machine, which is now filled again. Adam worked on pouring water into the river …
30 Apr 2007
Monthly Update April 2007
April 7 [[pictures]](/old/progress/reports/2007/4/../../../imagesa4d9.tcl?year=2007&month=4&day=7) The big news for the evening is the great progress …
31 Mar 2007
Monthly Update March 2007
March 10 Tom finished installing the last of the plastic fence that surrounds the layout. These removable panels serve to keep trains on the layout in the event …
28 Feb 2007
Monthly Update February 2007
February 3 We had a very successful and well attended operating session tonight. According to Adam, who organized the event, 97 moves were completed, with only …

2006

31 Dec 2006
Monthly Update December 2006
December 2David Backus worked on a new and improved test track, with integrated power supply and meters for both volts and amps. This will be of use when …
30 Nov 2006
Monthly Update November 2006
November 4 [[pictures]](/old/progress/reports/2006/11/../../../imagesc2a1.tcl?year=2006&month=11&day=4) This morning and afternoon 12 TMRC members went …
31 Oct 2006
Monthly Update October 2006
October 14John Purbrick installed a pair of trees near a siding he has been working on for quite a while. With the installation of these trees, salvaged from …
30 Sep 2006
Monthly Update September 2006
September 1TMRC participated in the Activities Midway today. This is a chance to recruit new student members, something that is always important. Davids Lambeth …
31 Aug 2006
Monthly Update August 2006
August 2Anthony Rizos stopped by to discuss plans for promoting the club to incoming students. Tom and John McNamara went on a soda buying trip as we were sold …
31 Jul 2006
Monthly Update July 2006
July 26The system was bad tonight. Specifically, when power was turned on, all the block cards set all their blocks to full power, resulting in some degree of …
30 Jun 2006
Monthly Update June 2006
June 10The club hosted numerous visitors today. Some were here for alumni weekend (classes of ‘61, ‘66, ‘76 were spotted in the room), some …
31 May 2006
Monthly Update May 2006
May 6The open house was held, and things went pretty well, with just a couple of exceptions. A circuit breaker tripped twice causing a loss of 12 V power to …
30 Apr 2006
Monthly Update April 2006
April 8Tom and JP tried to determine the cause of and solution to a curious problem with the IMP. Under certain circumstances (which seem to be repeatable) the …
31 Mar 2006
Monthly Update March 2006
March 1 Andy showed up and painted some cars, including some N-scale equipment. John Shriver had some pizza, relocated one trolley pole in front of the …
28 Feb 2006
Monthly Update February 2006
February 1 There’s a new signal in Middle Heights. The background to this picture would have been clubroom clutter, but one of the members just bought …
31 Jan 2006
Monthly Update January 2006
January 7John Purbrick has installed some white LEDs in the building he has been working on in Middle Heights. The LEDs are unfortunately quite a bit bluer than …

2005

31 Dec 2005
Monthly Update December 2005
December 9TMRC was honored to be host to a delegation from the Rochester Institute of Technology Model Railroad Club, who were visiting Boston to photograph …
30 Nov 2005
Monthly Update November 2005
November 05 The system has a persistently intermittent failure mode, which has popped up every month or so over the last year, in which some of the cards on the …
31 Oct 2005
Monthly Update October 2005
October 15 A new verison of the System 3 user interface, SCab, has been installed on the computers in the club room. SCab 2 has been enhanced with improved …
30 Sep 2005
Monthly Update September 2005
September 2 On September 2nd, TMRC joined other campus activities at the annual Activities Midway. We brought our full-size crossing flasher (complete with …
31 Aug 2005
Monthly Update August 2005
August 30 Trackwork in the freight yard continues. Switches 176 and 167B, plus a diamond crossing, make up this outside single slip. It’s an uncommon …
31 Jul 2005
Monthly Update July 2005
July 30 We have an operating switchstand, designed around a helical cam operated from a Tortoise switch machine. Go to the Videos page to see an animated …
30 Jun 2005
Monthly Update June 2005
June 30 [[pictures]](/old/progress/reports/2005/6/../../../imagesd44a.tcl?year=2005&month=6&day=30)The management would like to remind everyone, …
30 Apr 2005
Monthly Update April 2005
April 30 Tomasz Mloduchowski has been rewriting the turntable controller to work with System3. In this photo he and James Knight are consulting on the task at …
31 Mar 2005
Monthly Update March 2005
March 31 We are making good progress constructing a Diesel service facility between the freight yard tracks and the old roundhouse.
28 Feb 2005
Monthly Update February 2005
February 28 This touch screen controls the west end of the new freight yard. It operates on an N-X (eNtrance-eXit) principle wherein the operator presses the …
31 Jan 2005
Monthly Update January 2005
January 31 In these photos, Adam Madlinger’s model of the Acela crosses the stone arch bridge that David Lambeth built in December. John McNamara and …

2004

31 Dec 2004
Monthly Update December 2004
December 31 At long last, a freight operating session was held. Planned by Malcolm Laughlin and set up by David Lambeth, the operating session ran remarkably …
30 Nov 2004
Monthly Update November 2004
November 30 The weekend before Thanksgiving, we held our annual Fall Open House. We did very well with visitors in the afternoon, but the evennig was a little …
31 Oct 2004
Monthly Update October 2004
October 31 Do we have a new freight yard? We have a new freight yard, just in time for the fall Open House on November 20th, with 6 tracks out of 7 operational, …
30 Sep 2004
Monthly Update September 2004
September 30 Hugh Robinson is working on a scheme to calculate the location of a train within a block based on integration of the velocity feedback information …
31 Aug 2004
Monthly Update August 2004
August 31 More signals by John Purbrick. Dissatisfied with the first scratchbuilt model (see April), he bought some photo-etched ladders and platforms and made …
31 Jul 2004
Monthly Update July 2004
July 31 We now have what we think is a pretty nice control and display system, with software by James Knight and Tom O’Reilly. Occupied blocks show up as …
30 Jun 2004
Monthly Update June 2004
June 30 The Gifford City station scene and the 105th Street industrial area are now completely separate scenes, thanks to the view block buildings constructed …
31 May 2004
Monthly Update May 2004
May 31 At the beginning of this month, we held our Annual Spring Open House. The room was packed with visitors from opening to closing! System3 functioned well …
30 Apr 2004
Monthly Update April 2004
April 30 Although our control system was designed from the beginning to drive signals, we haven’t been diligent about building and installing them. John …
31 Mar 2004
Monthly Update March 2004
March 31 Throughout this year, work has been proceeding apace on the freight yard. The design includes a team track, or in modern terms “transloading …
29 Feb 2004
Monthly Update February 2004
February 29 In this photo, David Lambeth and Genya Zaytman are adding scenic touches to “city hall hill.” David is adding a coat of the thinned …
31 Jan 2004
Monthly Update January 2004
January 31 Using foam core and wood putty, David Lambeth built a hill to give the city hall a more commanding position over the streets of Gifford City. The …

2003

30 Nov 2003
Monthly Update November 2003
November 3During the past few weeks, most of our attention has been focused on completing the main line section that bypasses the freight yard. This hand-built …
31 Oct 2003
Monthly Update October 2003
October 11Here’s what’s going on at TMRC as of this past Wednesday night: John Purbrick is working on the analog clock that is built into the …
30 Sep 2003
Monthly Update September 2003
September 3The past few weeks were all about getting ready for the Activities Midway and the start of term. As reported below, on Aug 24th the loop was …
31 Aug 2003
Monthly Update August 2003
August 9More progress on the main line construction from Berkmanville to the Gifford City Freight Yard. John Purbrick laid some track and did some switch …
31 Jul 2003
Monthly Update July 2003
July 5Today I (James Knight) arrived late today so I’m not sure what happened before 10pm. When I got here, Malcolm Laughlin was working on attaching …
30 Jun 2003
Monthly Update June 2003
June 25Okay, so we haven’t had any progress reports in a long time…oops. Anyways…what’s been going on recently? Lesse, there’s a …
31 May 2003
Monthly Update May 2003
May 21In addition to Ken Terrell’s tests of a 28-car Talgo train, Genya Zaytman ran six trains simultaneously (see attached picture). Running six trains …
31 Mar 2003
Monthly Update March 2003
March 31****Old cabs, new features Well I finally got around to adding the rest of the necessary features to control Trains. The changes are generic for all …
28 Feb 2003
Monthly Update February 2003
February 9In recent weeks, John Purbrick created a computer-plotted version of Malcolm Laughlin’s pencil-drawn design for the new layout addition. …
31 Jan 2003
Monthly Update January 2003
January 4Scenario: 1. After dinner on Saturday, discussion of track elevations reveals that conduit from central post to tower will require track to be a …

2002

30 Jun 2002
Monthly Update June 2002
June 12While System3 performed well at the recent Alumni Open House, there are still enhancements to be made. James Knight and Tom O’Reilly worked on …
31 May 2002
Monthly Update May 2002
May 26 [[pictures]](/old/progress/reports/2002/5/../../../images1a5a.tcl?year=2002&month=5&day=26) For all the System 2 nostalgia buffs out there, Tom …
30 Apr 2002
Monthly Update April 2002
April 10John Shriver completed the paving on the 100th Street bridge, with the exception of sanding. John Purbrick worked on helix construction, with special …
31 Mar 2002
Monthly Update March 2002
March 6John Shriver began the construction of tracks that will branch off the downtown Gifford City trolley loop and proceed toward the viewer over the …
28 Feb 2002
Monthly Update February 2002
February 2System 3 Progress Report So, today, after everyone else had left, I ran four trains around in a loop, all at the same time. How did I manage? Jeff was …
31 Jan 2002
Monthly Update January 2002
January 9Work continued in the Berkmannville area, as Roger Neumann worked on the layout skirting and John Purbrick worked on extending the scenic backdrop. A …

2001

31 Dec 2001
Monthly Update December 2001
December 12Ed Drozd tested three new Club locomotives. These are KATO units and run very, very well. The only complaint is that their headlights (white LEDs) …
30 Nov 2001
Monthly Update November 2001
November 7 [[pictures]](/old/progress/reports/2001/11/../../../imagesbd1e.tcl?year=2001&month=11&day=7)Much of this evening’s activity was …
31 Oct 2001
Monthly Update October 2001
October 3Malcolm Laughlin has completed the installation of the plywood for the East end of Berkmannville; John Purbrick and Bill cut out the piece last …
30 Sep 2001
Monthly Update September 2001
September 5Andy Miller worked on the retaining wall behind the Bassex House hotel in preparation for paving the alley. John Shriver finished the guardrails in …
31 Aug 2001
Monthly Update August 2001
August 1Andy Miller worked on building foundations in the Gifford City area. This was done in preparation for the installation of sidewalks and subsequent …
31 Jul 2001
Monthly Update July 2001
July 11A quiet night. Mal Laughlin continued his work on the TMRC freight cars, examining and inventorying them. He has created a long string of bad-order cars …
30 Jun 2001
Monthly Update June 2001
June 2Alvar and Jeff wired all the S-Yard blocks to the “Layout Feeder Panel #5” (LF5), located in the BK helix area. There are a total of 13 blocks …
31 May 2001
Monthly Update May 2001
May 2Tonight was a quiet night. John Purbrick ran a train around to test the system. Ed Drozd worked on a CO2 tank for CocaBubblie, Alvar Saenz-Otero paid a …
30 Apr 2001
Monthly Update April 2001
April 4Most of tonight’s activities were System3-related. Alvar Saenz-Otero arrived with some electronic goodies from DigiKey that included parts for …
31 Mar 2001
Monthly Update March 2001
March 3James brought in a fancy tripod and took literally hundreds of pictures in order to come up with an incredible panorama of the whole room! You can see …
28 Feb 2001
Monthly Update February 2001
February 7Malcolm Laughlin installed roadbed under two more switches in Berkmanville. Stefano Curtarolo weathered the area around the signal tower, including …
31 Jan 2001
Monthly Update January 2001
January 3Ben FrantzDale visited from his undergraduate work at Harvey Mudd College in California, accompanied by his friend Molly. Suffering an attack of …

2000

31 Dec 2000
Monthly Update December 2000
December 2We had another great Open House! We were happy to welcome kids from 3 to over 80! Now we are off to study for finals, and then we’ll do lots of …
30 Nov 2000
Monthly Update November 2000
November 11Sorry for the lack of updates, we’ve been working on the layout until too late at night and I’ve been too tired to write the reports. …
31 Oct 2000
Monthly Update October 2000
October 4Starting next week we will change our standard work sessions from Tuesdays to Wednesdays to better fit our academic schedules. The times remain the …
30 Sep 2000
Monthly Update September 2000
September 5Andy Miller continued his work on the railings for the REA/Amtrak Package Express parking lot. He also painted some cars and ran some trains. On the …
31 Aug 2000
Monthly Update August 2000
August 1John Purbrick added yet more track to the staging yard. He and Jeff discussed electrical issues concerning the yard, and Jeff began work on hooking up …
31 Jul 2000
Monthly Update July 2000
July 11Ed Drozd worked on the foundation of the building next to Coca-Bubblie. I (JEM) believe this building was originally built by Ed Sproles and called …
30 Jun 2000
Monthly Update June 2000
June 6John McNamara has received a roundhouse stall kit that provides suffcient parts for finishing the roundhouse roof, complete with smoke stacks, which he …
31 May 2000
Monthly Update May 2000
May 6Phase II continued its expansion. The first walls of the turning loop of Staging went up with lots of work by Alvar, Ben, Ed, and Bill. This section is …
30 Apr 2000
Monthly Update April 2000
April 4John Purbrick continued his work on the warehouse siding, installing very fine scale L-shaped pieces of wood that will model flange-way guards when the …
31 Mar 2000
Monthly Update March 2000
March 7Ed Drozd has completed the doors for the truck loading docks on the Coca-Bubblie building and worked on the loading dock itself, which will be complete …
29 Feb 2000
Monthly Update February 2000
February 1Ed Drozd continued his work in the Coca-Bubblie area by building a stone retaining wall that will protect Bubblie workers’ cars from errant TNP …
31 Jan 2000
Monthly Update January 2000
January 4Ed Drozd worked on the Coca-Bubblie building. He moved one of the support posts to more closely align with its support pad and painted the supporting …

1999

31 Dec 1999
Monthly Update December 1999
December 7Now that the Coca-Bubblie building has stairs and an elevator shaft that permit workers to pass from floor to floor, Ed Drozd is adding floors and …
30 Nov 1999
Monthly Update November 1999
November 2Ed Drozd did more work on the parking area around the Coca-Bubblie plant and built a new base for the building. James Knight refilled the Coke …
31 Oct 1999
Monthly Update October 1999
October 2Today Dick began to extend the siding for the factory next to the river and for the carbarn. On that subject, between Dick, Bill, and Alvar, we agreed …
30 Sep 1999
Monthly Update September 1999
September 4Andy began the design of the vertical lift bridge that crosses the east side of the large river in Gifford City. Bill continued his work. Alvar got …
31 Aug 1999
Monthly Update August 1999
August 3John McNamara and Alan Kotok worked on a paper that describes TMRC’s historic “System 2” (the relay control system that currently …
31 Jul 1999
Monthly Update July 1999
July 3Andy painted several pieces of equipment. Bill did interior work on the vegetable oil facility at the east end of Gifford City. Alvar worked a lot on the …
30 Jun 1999
Monthly Update June 1999
June 12Alvar began to work on the new crossover switch out of the west end of P-yard. This new switch is a curved crossover which was previously deemed …
31 May 1999
Monthly Update May 1999
May 1****Open House Day! Today was the first New TMRC Open House , and we had approximately 70 visitors throughout the day. We had people of every age show up; …
30 Apr 1999
Monthly Update April 1999
April 3John Shriver layed down the lattice stock into the carbarn. In order to accomplish that he began by shimming the lattice stock with one WECO card at one …
31 Mar 1999
Monthly Update March 1999
March 10Andy installed a concrete abutment for the “WPA Bridge” and did alot more painting. John painted the loading platform for the produce …
28 Feb 1999
Monthly Update February 1999
February 3John McNamara did some painting experiments in preparation for painting the new sections of the roundhouse rear wall. He discovered that Floquil makes …
31 Jan 1999
Monthly Update January 1999
January 6Andy Miller continued work on a highway bridge that he is building near one end of P-yard. He added pavement (complete with double yellow line) and …

1998

31 Dec 1998
Monthly Update December 1998
December 2Andy Miller painted some more of the “50th Anniversary” cars that the Club intends to sell. They look really sharp! John McNamara …
30 Nov 1998
Monthly Update November 1998
November 4Jeff, James, and Alvar worked on wiring design and documentation for the control of switches. The layout switches are now fully documented, making the …
31 Oct 1998
Monthly Update October 1998
October 7“Tuesday Night Work Sessions” have become “Wednesday Night Work Sessions” in deference to the problem set scheduling of two of …
30 Sep 1998
Monthly Update September 1998
September 22Jeff installed a replacement version of the doorbell that historically rang when FOO was pushed. Four new “feather-touch” push buttons …
31 Aug 1998
Monthly Update August 1998
August 1Bill Onorato and John Shriver sketched ‘version 1.0’ of the trolley route from the East side of Gifford City (old city loop) to the Gifford …
31 Jul 1998
Monthly Update July 1998
July 4****Happy 4th of July to all! Due to the holiday, attendance was pretty low; only Jeff and Alvar showed up. Jeff continued to wire the ROM, and now …
30 Jun 1998
Monthly Update June 1998
June 2Jeff and John P worked on the installation of track feeders for each block. Alvar, Jeff, and James worked on the support structure for the tower desktop …
31 May 1998
Monthly Update May 1998
May 5Ishak and John M continued work on converting the P-yard switches to Tortoise machines. Andy Miller did some more work on the new P-yard platforms. Jeff …
30 Apr 1998
Monthly Update April 1998
April 4Work continued on Gifford city. The last of the platform extensions were build by Andy Miller, and the street layout is now under way. Meanwhile Jeff …
31 Mar 1998
Monthly Update March 1998
March 3As a result of much work last weekend by Alvar, Jeff Birkner, James Knight, Alan Kotok, Tim McNerney, John McNamara, John Purbrick and others, plus work …
28 Feb 1998
Monthly Update February 1998
February 3As trains leave P-yard heading for the lower loop around the tower (see last week’s photo), they will pass over a two track bridge over a river, …
31 Jan 1998
Monthly Update January 1998
January 13John Purbrick demonstrated the switch-throwing capabilities of his electronic control system (“System 3”) using a roll of 100 feet of …

1997

31 Dec 1997
Monthly Update December 1997
December 2Tim McNerney worked on track at the West end of P-yard while John Purbrick added more ballast and worked on track in the 105th street area a few feet …
30 Nov 1997
Monthly Update November 1997
November 4 This evening’s major project was discussion of a tower. For those not familiar with the layout as it stands, the following piece of ASCII-art …
31 Oct 1997
Monthly Update October 1997
October 7 More ties were cut, installed, sanded, stained, and ballasted. Rail installation on the new P-yard loop began. October 14 James Knight and John …
30 Sep 1997
Monthly Update September 1997
September 2Jeff and Jonathan completed the wiring of track feeders between The System and the new terminal board (which will provide the ability of The System …
31 Aug 1997
Monthly Update August 1997
August 12This is the first posting of the progress report! Using the construction standards developed by Alvar and Joe, and the resulting construction plan …