More steps forward... completed the "south" hardboard cutout for the doubletrack on the incline. I also spaced out and am ready to start laying the roadbed/prewiring on the mainline. I'll need to shim a tad for the incline between sections and cut the hardboard as well so it's fully separatable.
Hold my beer... ya'll watch this!
No plans to finish the walls... this is in a utility area. There will be a backdrop around a good portion of the layout.
I like your progress. Just out of curiosity (and maybe I missed it), are you going to finish the walls? And how would that impact the layout?
I'm building a studwall in my basement to section off a layout room and as much as I dislike the thought of dragging drywall home, I don't think I've got a reasonable or cheaper alternative. DW really dislikes paneling.
My big curved Shinohara turnout came in today, so I measured for the new feed to the staging area. Since I have a number of extra turnouts thanks to efficiencies found during the measuring of the layout, I've got some left for building about a 10 foot long staging area.
Here is the turnout and new feed to staging (which fits great!) and you can see how I curved the inclines underneath the hardboard as well.
Tonights update:
I solved the issue of the parallel WS inclines not matching up by reducing that to a single incline and overlaying a traced and cut 1/8" hardboard to it.
I cut the hardboard overlay tonight, which worked perfect! It will be shimmed and actually end up providing an easement into the incline as well. Here is the test with the grades obviously not attached to the curves and the tracing paper still on the cutout:
Next up will be the "south" double tracked grade to get it's hardboard overlay cut.
Thanks for the compliments, J. Rob! It's definitely getting much closer.
I purchased a Walthers Shinohara # 8 R curved turnout to establish the feed to the "staging" section that will be where that smaller turnout is now. I've got plenty of wood left over to make it, and I believe it can serve a good purpose, particularly with the leftover turnouts that I have from the streamlining of the layout.
Fantastic job on your layout. Photos are good as well. This thread looks like a great new article or series in MR. How to design and build a model railroad via the internet. The work on the layout is really rolling along. I just went back and looked at some of the original posts and I am really impressed how the discussion led to refinements and their implementation in what is going to be a really nice model railroad. I can almost hear the trains running now.
The plans for being able to relocate the layout in the future if it becomes necessary are excellent as well. I am enjoying the thread a great deal and feel like I have already visited your layout thanks to your photography and well written posts.
Thanks for sharing.
J. Rob
So here we are, the completed track plan on the base level of the foamboard! I actually cut out a number of turnouts from the design... and I've added the possibility of a feeder off to a staging area. It appears that a Peco #5 turnout very closely approximates a 30" radius curve.
I've made a few refinements to make things run smoother as I saw how they applied on the large scale, which you may notice if referencing the original drawing. Here it is!
The mainline through town looking north:
Same vantage point, looking west:
The yard (the cement plant was a bit mis-aligned when I dropped it on the layout for the demo pictures- whoops!):
North out of town heading toward the mountains and quarry- you can see the proposed spur to a staging area where the turnout is located:
And the view of the quarry/mine and single track area through the mountains:
Now comes the tedious process of attaching the grade, and then pre-wiring.
Two other ways of drawing a radius are making a full size template which can provide you with 2 radius per template. I would recommend Masonite or a similar type of material. another way is to sacrifice a yard stick or straight piece of thin wood and drill some holes for your different radii. A push pin or finishing nail could be used for your center point.
Each have some advantages the templates can be used in places that it would be difficult to swing a compass due to the center point being off the layout, and the compass will let you make many more different radii and is easier to make.
I'll look into the ceiling stuff.. I've been paying very close attention to any collection of particles on the layout, and it is extremely minimal.
After experimenting with a couple different methods tonight, I got the north mainline entry/exit curves drawn tonight:
The outer 30" curve isnt quite as pretty as I was refining my methods... the pen on a string was not pretty and the original dotting method was just ok. I ended up refining the dot method to little short lines all the way around, which worked out great as you can see on the inner 2 tracks. 2-3/16" spacing maintained all the way around!
Hi Denny,
I like what I see, you are doing some very careful planning that will really pay off for you.
The one thing I see that I would really address before you get along too far, and that is your ceiling.
You have fiberglass insulation up there that is atrocious for collecting dust and small pieces of the fiber breaking off and dropping down. If you can't afford to do anything else with it at least drape it with plastic vapor barrier and tape the seams. That will be a major help in keeping your layout clean.
Just an old modelers opinion.
Johnboy out....................................
from Saskatchewan, in the Great White North..
We have met the enemy, and he is us............ (Pogo)
I'll be sure to do that, J. Rob! One step at a time!
I started drawing out the complex areas on the east side of the layout tonight. I set the mainline track separation at 2-3/16 inches, and the yard separation is at 2 inches even. The radius for the mainline outer curve entering the and exiting the main straightaway is set at 30 inches with the road bed 3/4 of an inch away from the edge. The inner track is a little tighter on the curve at 25-5/8 inches, but it doesn't have to worry about separation from other cars.
I got the straight away set up all the way to the 90 degree points for the curve exit and entry, and I also set the centerline for the 3 main yard tracks (verifying very importantly that I had more than enough room to fit a double stack 5-car unit on the "intermodal" track ,which i've easily got).
Now for pictures!
Here, you can see the straight away (solid lines are the centerlines, dashed are the WS road bed edges) taken to the 90 degree points, turnouts in the yard in their respective places (some approximate), structures in generic place for reference, and flex track centered over the yard centerlines testing the separation and look.
I stopped short of attempting to draw the curves tonight- I'm trying to keep very strict tolerances, and haven't really come up with a quicker way that is accurate enough to draw the curves to the tolerances i need for the entry and exit into the town.
Anyone have any input for how to do it efficiently and accurately? The most accurate method I thought of was doing dots every half inch slowly rotating the yard stick around and then connecting them, although that would be quite tedious.
edit: I almost forgot, you can see my wife's HO scale mini-cooper driving through town.
Once you get to the operating stage we need video so we can all enjoy the fine work you are doing. I am going to be sitting at my computed desk finishing a box car kit I started yesterday. With looking at a move and a new house in the hopefully near future building a layout seems so far away. I am really enjoying yours, thanks for sharing.
cudaken Denny, why 4 inches of foam board? Boy that will make for some real deep gullies! I only have 2 inches for the base on my layout. Now the section that has the mine on it, it is 7 inches of foam. For making the holes on the deeper section I found a 10 inch long drill bite at Home Depot. I go as you are planing from the underside of the layout. After I get the rails wired and fill the hole with a little caulk then add ground cover. Looking forward to seeing some more pictures as well. Cuda Ken
Denny, why 4 inches of foam board? Boy that will make for some real deep gullies! I only have 2 inches for the base on my layout. Now the section that has the mine on it, it is 7 inches of foam.
For making the holes on the deeper section I found a 10 inch long drill bite at Home Depot. I go as you are planing from the underside of the layout. After I get the rails wired and fill the hole with a little caulk then add ground cover.
Looking forward to seeing some more pictures as well.
Cuda Ken
It is going to be some pretty rugged mountainous terrain with a deep ravine including a trestle. The 4 inches of foam board gives me more options with vertical planning, and it left even more additional left over foam for buildings hills!
What you describe for drilling is exactly what I was thinking. Thanks for that.
After a year and 5 months of very very paced building, I finally finished the bench work tonight with gluing on the last 3 pieces of foam board! Some structures migrated their way back to the layout in celebration as well as the 3% grade.
I hate Rust
Great work Denny. I've enjoyed reading about your layout progress. I can't wait until you start laying track and doing the scenery.
Continue to keep up posted on progress
Cheers,
Daryl
Doc, I have not engineered that yet... likely some thin cut foam. The woodland scenics incline is so smooth, I'm certainly considering not even bothering with the effort.
I've been attaching the foamboard to the layout last night and tonight. I can almost taste running trains!
Here is tonight's progress... 3 foam cutouts to go and it'll be a wrap! You can see the paint cans I was using to weigh down the section so it remains flush.
A technique question: Is using a long drill bit the best bet for sending the wiring from underneath up through the plywood and foam to the track?
Thanks, yall!
-Denny
80ktsClamp
As you are using 3 % grades, what are you doing for vertical easements?
Co-owner of the proposed CT River Valley RR (HO scale) http://home.comcast.net/~docinct/CTRiverValleyRR/
Good to see the progress your making on the layout can't wait to see more.
I haven't... really the only section where that would be beneficial would be the flat yard/town area. The rest of the layout is going to be hills!
Great to see some progress on your layout. I remember this thread from a long time ago.
Have you thought about painting the pink foam before laying track?
That's what I did with my extension room layout. I painted the surface with dirt colored latex paint. It's easier to do it now before you have the track down.
Michael
CEO- Mile-HI-RailroadPrototype: D&RGW Moffat Line 1989
J.Rob I was thinking it has been a while since I saw one of your posts and low and behold more progress followed with great photography. From the looks of the job you did sealing the wood on your bench work you may be tempted to include a crawl under the layout as part of any layout tours you do for guests. Now not to add extra work to your project but some type of ceiling to keep dirt and dust as well as insulation particles from falling on your layout is probably a good idea. after bolting all of that together is it possible to slide it on that nicely finished floor? That way if you were really in the mood to get some trains rolling you could scoot it around a bit and then finish your ceiling. Great job on your part so far I am wishing it was me.
I was thinking it has been a while since I saw one of your posts and low and behold more progress followed with great photography. From the looks of the job you did sealing the wood on your bench work you may be tempted to include a crawl under the layout as part of any layout tours you do for guests.
Now not to add extra work to your project but some type of ceiling to keep dirt and dust as well as insulation particles from falling on your layout is probably a good idea. after bolting all of that together is it possible to slide it on that nicely finished floor? That way if you were really in the mood to get some trains rolling you could scoot it around a bit and then finish your ceiling.
Great job on your part so far I am wishing it was me.
Thanks, J.Rob! I haven't engineered any method for sliding the whole layout in once piece. All that over engineered woodwork and fastening is pretty heavy. I explored the option of ceiling stuff, and decided against it. I actually left the test layout up for over a month to check accumulation of dust/debris, and there wasn't even a trace. Go figure, eh? I guess with it being a relatively new house and only my wife and I in the house there isn't a much to shake down.
I'm super super looking forward to the next step of drawing the rest layout on the foam board and getting to laying the track... in fact that is the portion I'm probably the most excited about other than getting trains moving.
Newly decided is on the southwest area of the layout there will be a serious gorge and some sort of a trestle bridge...
Thanks for the complement, and the suggestions. The room will have a suspended ceiling in place in the not too distant future, long before I even finish laying rail. Just waiting for an investment to come due
The layout is actually fastened directly to the wall studs so nothing is going to move short of an earthquake. Stay tuned, I seem to be on a roll of late mostly because spring is still a ways away here in Alberta, Canada
CDN Dennis
Modeling the HO scale something or other RR in the shadow of the Canadian Rockies Alberta, Canada
Well, I finally installed the lighting in the utility room and a couple outlets, so I could continue on with the layout! See lighting below during the final joinup of the sections today:
I'll likely add in some more later now that I've learned that it's not all that a difficult task.
While I had the test fit up, I made sure to mark key placement on the main yard area foam board to make sure I could replicate the spacing that I liked so much:
The top picture was taken today while I was doing the final bolting of the layout together, which went very well. Below is one of the main section joints which had a 3rd bolt added right after this. It is incredible how rock solid everything is now! You can see my nice sealing done on the wood as well.
I'll be using foam board sealant to attach the foam boards to the layout after a thorough cleaning and will be able to finish marking the track and then start laying it!
NorthCoast RR looking good. I have the same amount of space avaliable, actually 10x13, and I like your track plan alot. Your benchwork looks good. I like what you got going there. How is that water heater holding up??? Being in earthquake country, that would not pass muster around here...you would be better off stacking some wood blocking under it than using that 'stand'
looking good. I have the same amount of space avaliable, actually 10x13, and I like your track plan alot. Your benchwork looks good. I like what you got going there.
How is that water heater holding up??? Being in earthquake country, that would not pass muster around here...you would be better off stacking some wood blocking under it than using that 'stand'
Thanks! It really lit a fire under me finally seeing some structures and trains placed on the layout. It wasn't particularly inspiring walking downstairs and seeing a big pink irregular donut with nothing else on it. :)
While the water heater stand looks very flimsy, you'd be amazed how solid it is! I checked it in a lot of detail after that was brought up on here and I was quite impressed.
Speaking of earthquakes, I actually felt the east coast earthquake a few months back. I happened to be sitting on the couch when it hit- it sounded like a wind gust hit the house, but I looked outside and it was calm. Then I felt a very slight wiggling for about 30 seconds.
I thought to myself "I'll be danged if that wasn't an earthquake... well if it was one I'll see it on the news shortly." Turned on the news and low and behold 10 minutes later it popped up.
So it has been quite a while! I've figured out what I am going to do with the basement and have sealed all the wood sections of the layout.
I decided tonight to do a full test fit of the spacing of the main yard and town area... it went absolutely fantastic. The steel crane likely won't be part of the final layout, but it required a double track which is what I will be using for the "south" town spur.
You can also see the 3% grade that will be used for the climb through the mountains.
Behold the pictures:
The yard/town throat and spread:
The town exit up to the quarry and through the mountains.
Upcoming- installation of lighting, final base assembly and hopefully some trains running!
80ktsClamp It has been a few months- thanks to work, music, and just life in general, there has been limited progress. I'm working on getting the last of the bench work sealed and then will be attaching the foamular overlays. From there wiring the room and attaching the sections will be next, then finally we will be ready to lay the track and get things up and running.
It has been a few months- thanks to work, music, and just life in general, there has been limited progress. I'm working on getting the last of the bench work sealed and then will be attaching the foamular overlays.
From there wiring the room and attaching the sections will be next, then finally we will be ready to lay the track and get things up and running.
Great to see you back on the site. As I get older I find I am more concerned about the well being of others due to all of the rough things that life can throw at someone, be it illness, accident or economic disaster to just name a few. I am a ways from starting on my layout for various reasons so I am really enjoying your postings regarding yours. I guess that makes me a vicarious model railroader for now, other than some car kits I have been building. Glad everything is ok and that you will be dropping some more posts on line for us.
Hello 80ktsClamp good to hear from you looking forward to seeing the progress on your layout