Re-wiring the Layout

Just a very short update this week.  During the week the Ammeters that I purchased from overseas turned up.  So Saturday I went over to Jaycar to pick up some wire and some DPDT switches for the control panel.  I jumpered my 4 x NCE EB1 circuit breakers together and installed them under the layout and then prewired the bypass switches up to the Ammeters that will be installed in each section.  I had previously purchased some 30Amp bridge rectifiers.  I then spent some time cutting the required holes in the layout facia for the 4 panel mount ammeters and the 4 bypass switches to cut the meters out of the circuit, when required.

This afternoon I put the ammeters in the panel and put them into the circuit after the NCE EB1's.  I have started cutting isolation points into the layout between power districts.  I started laying the power bus in the second section (my Murwillunbah Branch) which did not have a bus installed previously.  The power was previously only conducted just through the track and everything ran well.  I'm only half way through installing the bus and the relevant droppers from the track. 

Hopefully next weekend I will finish installing the power bus for the Branch, followed by installing the required droppers every 6 feet or so.  Then I can turn my attention to cutting in the ammeter for the first section, which is Grafton Yard through to Cassino (actually just past it - just short of Cassino Meatworks Siding).  This section already has a power bus installed, so I will just need to run the power bus via the new NCE EB1 and review the number of droppers that I have.  I think I will need to install quite a few more than there currently is. 

The next step after this will be to install bus terminators for each of the first two sections. 

It looks like my 73 Class locos will not be around until September or October, according to an email response I received from Auscision.  That is not an issue, it just means that I might re-arrange my spending priorities in the mean time.  I also see that Eureka Ron's BSV's are about to hit the water on the 9th July - Woo Hoo!  Also Tuesday Nighters this week.