So I got my first DCC locomotive in at the same time I got my DCC starter kit - the DigiTrax Zephyr Express.  I connected it to my test track easily enough - it only took about 10 minutes.  I just used the defaults for everything right now since I've only got the one locomotive.

I then hooked everything up to my loop and added some rolling stock to see what happens.  I've heard bad things about n-scale sound but this didn't sound bad - it was a little thin but pretty good for all that.

I've attached a couple of videos here...

So today I ordered a DCC starter kit and a DCC locomotive.  Hopefully in a few weeks I'll be set up for running DCC.

I set up a medium sized oval of the new UniTrack and used the Terminal UniJoiner to enable power to the track.  I spliced the Terminal Adapter Cord in with the Bachmann extension wire so that I can get the Bachmann controller to power the track.  Looks like it worked.

I did it this way so that I could still use the controller with EZ Track if I still wanted to later.

So...  I only have a Bachmann DC controller as of right now.  My plan is to get the track first (at least enough to make a good start) and then to look into a DCC controller and locomotive.  That means I need to a way to connect my Bachmann DC controller to the Unitrack in the meantime.  I didn't think about this at first.

Anyhow, I think I can do this with a Terminal UniJoiner (24-818) and a Terminal Adapter Cord (24-843).  I think I'll need to modify the connector on the Bachmann controller so, just in case I make mistakes I got an extension wire (44498) to work with and that way I won't mess up my original Bachmann connector.

We'll soon see...

Just made my first purchase toward my first step on my first layout.  Yeah - it'll be awhile.

Going with Kato Unitrack Nickel Silver Rail.  First purchase:

4 - 20-000: Straight - 9 3/4" (248mm)
1 - 20-010: Straight - 7 5/16" (186mm)
1 - 20-020: Straight - 4 7/8" (124mm)
2 - 20-030: Straight - 2 1/2" (64mm)
1 - 20-092: Mixed Strt - 4x 1 5/16" 4x 1 1/2" (4x 33mm 4x 45mm)
1 - 20-121: 15° curve - 12 3/8" radius (315mm)
1 - 20-130: 30° curve - 13 3/4" radius (348mm)
1 - 20-132: 45° curve - 13 3/4" radius (348mm)
2 - 20-160: 15° curve - 19" radius (481mm)

I thought about signing up for the KickStarter deal.  But after some thought, I realized that he writes faster than I read and that there will be plenty of books to read without these.  So, I'll skip this...

He's still one of my favorite authors currently, even so.

I had a couple of gift cards to Barnes & Nobel so I got the first three books of the Revelation Space series (The Inhibitor Trilogy) by Alastair Reynolds.  Hope they're as good as I've heard.  It'll be awhile before I can get to them even skipping a few on my TBR.

I just moved my database provider.  The old one only allows a 300MB maximum sized database while the new one allow 4GB.  Just an "FYI"...

OK.  So I've heard about these books for awhile and have been pondering reading them.  Then I saw a video on YouTube (this one) about how they were the scariest science fiction books around.  Maybe they are or maybe they aren't but that made up my mind to get them (also I had some credits on amazon.com so I got them for "free").  Anyhow, they are now in my conventional book TBR - number five in the order behind The King's Buccaneer.

I just got a couple of black 71" bookshelves from Target.  They were only $35.00 each so hopefully they will be sturdy enough to hold some books.  They appear to be, anyhow.

So a couple of days ago I read "The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether" by Edgar Allan Poe.  I've heard of the story, and even liked the The Alan Parsons Project song by the name, but I'd never read it.  A few years ago I watched Stonehurst Asylum and liked the twist ending it had.  I'd never seen the trailer for it or I might have known...  Anyhow, that movie is loosly based on this story.

Read or Listen here

A first blog entry...

I will use this to record thoughts and update progress on books I'm reading.

Or just to "talk" about book related stuff in general.