Now that the garden railroad has its first function loop of track installed, I need to formalize the installation of the track power and control system.
I want to require very little equipment to have to be taken into the house after a train operation session. So, all of the equipment needs to be protected from the rain and from theft.
I am using the LGB MTS system for track power and control, and none of the parts of this system (except the trains and track) are weather-proof. So my plan is to install the transformer, control box and associated wiring into the garage that adjoins the outdoor railroad. This way when the garage is closed, the system is secure and dry.
I will run the power wires from the LGB system in the garage through a small hole that I will drill in the wall of the garage (I am very lucky that my wife doesn’t get nervous when I say things like this!) to permanently attach the power wires to the outdoor track. The transformer in the garage will be permanently plugged-in to an elecrical outlet in the garage via a powerstrip with a switch on it so that the railroad can be easily turned on and off.
I will then run telephone cord from the LGB MTS box in the garage through the hole in the garage-siding, underground out to a fence post near the seating area in front of the garden railroad (phone cord is what LGB uses to attach their handset controls to the base station). I will mount a standard phone jack in a weather proof outlet box on the post. This way, all the train operator needs to do is unplug the handset from the phone jack on the fence and carry it inside at the end of the day. Everything else stays outside and is dry and secure.
This is the “plan” anyway. Maybe this weekend I will install everything listed above.
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About mattsanf
Matt Sanfilippo is the Chief Partnership Officer (CPO) for the College of Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and Co-Director of its Engineering Research Accelerator. In this role, Matt coordinates and enables strategic and sponsored research opportunities across the college, and stewards the development of proposals for major research opportunities along strategic themes. Additionally, he enables collaboration among the college's research institute/center executive directors, and industrial and government relations personnel in the pursuit of opportunities with industry, federal and state governments. Before becoming CPO for the College, Matt was the Senior Executive Director for Research Initiatives, the Executive Director of CMU's SII (Smart Infrastructure Institute) and ICES (Institute for Complex Engineered Systems), and Associate Director of PITA (Pennsylvania Infrastructure Technology Alliance) and RAMP (Research for Advanced Manufacturing in Pennsylvania).
Before CMU, Matt was Managing Director of Applied Technology for Michael Baker Corporation, an engineering and energy services firm. Matt managed Baker's technology division including Geographic Information System (GIS), software and web development, multimedia, virtual reality, visualization, Global Positioning System (GPS), mapping and surveying services. Before joining Baker, Matt was an Innovation Director for Redleaf Group, a Venture Capital/Operating Company focused on information security, supply chain and mobility solutions. While at Redleaf, Matt managed technical due diligence for seed-stage investments and coordinated relationships between Redleaf and their partner companies. Prior to Redleaf, Matt was CIO of GZA GeoEnvironmental Technologies, an infrastructure engineering firm, and operations manager for their Internet start-up that focused on web-technologies for health and safety and manufacturing metrics.
Matt is on the board of Larson Design Group (LDG), past Chairman of the Board for the Pittsburgh Botanic Garden, current board member of the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation (PHLF), current Vice President of the Sewickley Heights Gun Club (SHGC) and former member of the Information Sciences and Technology Advisory Board for the Pennsylvania State University Beaver. Matt is also former Vice President of the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Association of Internet Professionals and former Vice President of the Board of Trustees for Baker Combined Charity of Pennsylvania.
A Learning Adventure in the Workshop 