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Project #0754
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Project #0755 Getting WM ' PORT Panel Working

I got this panel in a trade with a fellow collector. It came from a small interlocking located either in Williamsport Maryland or near it. The interlocking is on a Western Maryland System Map from the 1950's. This panel has been modified many times by the railroad. It is my guess that there was only originally 3 levers. One for signal 941, another for signal 929, and the last one for signal 928. After scraping off some of the paint I was able to expose another track that crossed the road. I also think that the tower was not on the original panel and that the TO signals and tower were added much later on. The left arrow was TO CUMBERLAND and the right arrow was TO HAGERSTOWN. The project is to restore it to how I think it was setup before the changes in the 1960's. I installed the new lever to the far left and installed a 2 way lever for the control of the crossing to the far right. The signal levers are just wired into the PLC and control the lights above the lever plates. I will later have a laser cut track panel and new lever plates made. The project is currently completed and has a Allen Bradley MicroLogix Brick PLC installed and is running WMPORT_1.RSS (revision 1.1).

Thanks to Stephen Phillips who sent in the photo below of the panel when it was on display in 1992 at Western Maryland Railway station in Cumberland which is the headquarters of the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad.



Panel as I
got it

Scrapped of paint to
expose WM'PORT

Track painted
over

Scrapped off paint to
expose track

Replaced lamps

Track panel made
by Ranken

Old levers and
wires

Removing levers

Old stick on
panels

New levers installed

Lamps and levers
installed

Soldering wires

PLC installed

Finished wiring

PLC and lighting
transformer installed

Power cable installed

All signals stop

Progam running