With our November/December operations session in the books, SVL tucks itself in for two months of operations shutdown. Being a operating layout we try to keep our mainline open from February to the start of December so members and visitors alike can run trains without interruption. During this shutdown period we take much needed time to work on track and do projects that otherwise take the mainline down for days at a time.

This year some projects up on deck are adding detection to the helix so Dispatch can see where trains are at when queuing up. We also have a few turnouts that have failed either mechanically or electrically that need to be troubleshot and replaced. Kaos Junction being the worst offender.

Another project up on deck is replacing the core hardware for our CabCam POV cameras and upgrading to a new software that runs more efficiently. Stock levels of hardware may make this a unrealistic task.

To continue the theme of software upgrades we need to streamline our roster and get all active locomotives onto the list to make ops go a bit smoother. This is key to our remote operations.

As SVL sleeps we will still be having our weekly meetings at 7:30 PM on Fridays for working on the layout. Please drop us a line as SVL@Siliconvalleylines.com if you would like to attend.

We will see you next year for operations on Friday January 28th at 7PM.