I added the extra mainline with the thought process of adding a passenger operation to the operations already described by MRR. It also adds a longer run to staging. I also like the dynamic of trains passing each other going the opposite direction.
Mick,
I am modeling the Pennsylvania Railroad coal operations and I do look longingly at some of the Passenger stuff available while I sit there with my coal wagons and switchers So if thats what you want, go for it.
If you watch the Videos, David did the cookie cutter before test fitting any track. I do however have the feeling that he could do this in his sleep. It was my first time doing cookie cutter. The only real tricky bit is the inside loop coming out from under green hill, curving up past the mine to the bridge. If you mess up anywhere else you can adjust the layout pretty easily to compensate.Test fitting track before cutting this area is a good idea. If you look at my photos posted today, it highlights that area. I probably should have cut that area about 1/2 inch wider. I think your strategy will alleviate any issues. The good part about it is that once you finish the cookie cutter you get a great feeling of accomplishment. The bad part is that you end up covering it up and no one knows.... Good luck.
Cheers,
Steve
@ Roger and Steve...thanks! Can you both post a few photos of your truck dump areas again please?
While I'm here, just a few more photos of progress. Front "hillside" alongside mainline finally finished with puffballs. In another photo, you'll notice some puffball "bushes" I planted along the edge of the table at the end of the branch. Another shows an updated overall view of Hitop (mine area), which is finished save for a Walther's utility pole line, and a few more vehicles. Finally, in one photo here you'll see where I tore out the plaster cloth "wall" alongside the mainline where creek area is, and as MR did, pieced in what was left of my flex rocks. Next up is to Sculptamold these and paint...
@ Steve: You're doing the Pennsy, while I'm doing the NYC/PC, mainly the Penn Central......:)
Sure would love to get my hands on some of those Pennsy "yellow ball" hoppers you have!
Airborne, Heres a few photos of the dumps. I still haven't built the coal chutes yet. The scenery around them is about 2/3 done. I've been working on other stuff at present and will get back to these soon. I used the kits. What you can see is you basically build a wall to rest the front part on, then carve an insert in the foam at the back to fit the back part. Once I had this done I did basic scenery with sculptamold, glued the dumps in then used additional sculptamold to make the horizontal pilings at the rear look like they were imbedded in the hill.
Thanks much Steve!
I'll be starting on this soon, after I finish the last bit of ballast on the branch. Had to wait on another two bags of ballast that were back ordered. I may also finish the puffballs on the front of the mountain first as well. then of course, I need to build the diesel fuel facility, and put in the chain link fence for my chemical plant! Well, perhaps it won't be too soon.....:)
MikeB16,
There are a few people who post on this forum who seem to have a passion and competence in track planning. They may miss your post in this thread as its primarily about the Virginian build experience. If you are looking for input, comments , suggestions on your modified plan, from a track planning perspective, I would suggest starting a new thread so they see it. If its primarily about the Virginian based components, then this is the right place.
Dear Steve,
Thank you for the advice. I essentially want to build the Virginian because I really like the look, function and expandability of it. The modifications to the MR plan orientate around the fact that I want to use Code 100 track and build on the 9x5 base that I already have. As I said before I added the extra mainline so that I could also run my passenger trains which are much happier on curves greater than 22". The advice I am after is not just about the plan but the build in general. I have picked up some great tips reading through the thread but would be particularly interested in where people have seen the need to deviate from what MR have covered in the articles and videos.
i have just finished stripping down my old layout and have laid down the 4x8, drawn my grid and am now test fitting track. My plan to reuse some of my switches from my old layout in 'Rogers Yard' has already fallen through as I was not happy with the arrangement so I am now going with the MR setup.
i am about to go away for a few days but hope to finalise the track arrangement and do my cuts by the end of next weekend. I have also start on some of the structures and will post about them when I get back.
Thanks agin for the advice so far.
Regards,
Mick
Airborne,
Here are some additional pics of my truck dump hill.
This first shot shows it from behind. It's just a flat piece of foam supported by foam legs. Then plaster cloth forms the hillsides.
This next shot shows the where the truck dump will attach to the hill. I made two notches in the foam to seat the truck dump supports. These will be permanently attached once final painting and weathering/aging of dumps and texturing of scenery is complete. Also shows the concrete footers (made of foam) were made to the correct height so that the dump will clear the cars.
Finally just another shot of the truck dumps.
Hope this helps.
Roger
My Layout Pics
Thanks Roger! Yes it does help....:)
Hopefully this attempt at another video was deleted. Will try to post one soon of the layout in operation!
i am not sure what you mean by the cuts.From memory I let the turnouts dictate the center lines for the yard and they came in right at about 2". I am away at present so can't measure. It was somewhat difficult to transfer the track plan exactly as he did so much cutting. If I was doing it again I would test fit my track till I was happy and not worry if I was an inch or so off from the plan. You can adjust the scenery to compensate. It looks like you are making great progress.
steve
Mick:
I wouldn't do anything less than 2" centers....
In hindsight I would have eliminated that elevated "lip" along the front edge of the layout, and set all of the front at 0" elevation..
Progress the past few days. In these you'll see the remainder of the branch ballasted down the track centers, plus the mountain completed with puffball trees, and finally, the reworked creek area with Sculptamold applied and drying:
Looking good!
No sir, I didn't serve in the 101st. I've always used that moniker/screen name to honor my father who did serve in the 101's 326th Airborne Engineer Battalion in WWII, in a glider borne company. I do have friends who have served in the 101st, and a friend in Australia who just got deployed to Afghanistan I believe. Don't recall his outfit though....
Understood on the cuts now. 1.5" from the centerline is fine. I think my problem was that on the rise to the bridge I was trying to give enough space for the mainline and think I cut it about the width of the cork roadbed. That was probably only about 1.3 - 1.4. As such I drop off directly from the edge of the cork whereas a little lip would have been better. I'll be home a a couple of days and will measure and update this post if my memory is failing...
cheers,
airborne101 Mick, Looking good! No sir, I didn't serve in the 101st. I've always used that moniker/screen name to honor my father who did serve in the 101's 326th Airborne Engineer Battalion in WWII, in a glider borne company. I do have friends who have served in the 101st, and a friend in Australia who just got deployed to Afghanistan I believe. Don't recall his outfit though....
Dear Airborne,
Your father was part of a great generation that served their country with distinction. Thank you for continuing to honour his, and a prestigious unit's, memory. Tell your Aussie mate to look after himself and come home safe. I was over there in '07/'08 so have some understanding of the challenges he will face.
sjhenry Mick, Understood on the cuts now. 1.5" from the centerline is fine. I think my problem was that on the rise to the bridge I was trying to give enough space for the mainline and think I cut it about the width of the cork roadbed. That was probably only about 1.3 - 1.4. As such I drop off directly from the edge of the cork whereas a little lip would have been better. I'll be home a a couple of days and will measure and update this post if my memory is failing... cheers, Steve
Thanks Steve,
I am not using Cork Roadbed for this layout except in the yard. I am using a foam equivalent so will measure that to ensure I have some leeway between that and the edge of the cut.
I returned home and have measured. My yard tracks are exactly 2 inches on center. My cut is 1.5 inches at the smallest area going up to the bridge. Thats 1.5 inches absolute (.75 inches on the centerline). That was probably my mis-reading of the original instructions and also based on the area I had to work with between the branch line and the main line. If i remember correctly I had a bit of trouble figuring out the placement of the 18" radius curve at the river end when I was laying this out and probably didn't leave enough space between the branch and the mainline. It worked out fine but was tight. If you look at some of Airborne's pictures you will see his incline to the bridge area is quite a bit wider than mine. So... 1.5 on center is definitely wide enough.
Thanks,
sjhenry So... 1.5 on center is definitely wide enough.
So... 1.5 on center is definitely wide enough.
Very much appreciated. That adds to my confidence when I get the jigsaw out this weekend.
Thanks much Mick for the compliments!
I've told my friend Phil in Australia to keep his head down for sure, and to come home safe as well. He was a police officer before enlisting, so he's used to a bit of danger I guess. Thank you for your service to your country also!
Three photos again of recent progress. First photo shows the reworked rock in the creek area completed with paint. Still needs a weathering wash however. The last two photos are updated "aerial" views....
Looking good with the layout and thank you for your appreciation. How are you planning to tackle the river? The same way as David Popp or another technique?
Have just cut my benchwork and am test fitting my risers using a "Gradient Level" app on my iPhone as I would like to keep them around 2% or less if possible.
I have also been working on my structures. I am planning to use all of the Maywood Station including the base as I am running a double mainline with passenger operations. Here is a photo of my weathered brickwork for the station.
I did this by firstly laying down a Humbrol 'Brick' base coat with my airbrush. Once that was dry I went over it with Tamiya Weathering Master 'Snow' to get the mortar effect, let that partially dry then went over that with Tamiya Weathering Master 'Rust', waited until that partially dried and then rubbed it down reasonably vigorously with a dry clean cloth to blend it all in. I must say that I am pretty happy with the result.
Mick, Your brickwork looks great. You asked Airborne about the river. I plan on doing mine as a white water river. The New River in West Virginia is famous for it's white water rafting,and after all, this river runs next to the New River Mining Company, so it must be the New River.
You're at that exciting point where you finally get to start laying track and running trains. I finally placed my order for some of the scenery materials so hopefully will soon start on that phase. I'll then be participating more here, posting pictures and asking questions.
Good luck with your layout and keep up the good work.
Airborne, Looking good...
Mick, I like the brickwork as well. By the paints you are using I assume you have done model planes etc. Is that correct.
I did manage to finish another small area. The macro on my camera is not working too well, but here goes.
@Mick: Bench work looks good, and I like the brickwork also! No, as I've already applied Sculptamold to the creek bank, and painted it the same color I painted all the plywood to seal it (with a latex house paint tinted with Polly Scale Earth), I plan to just paint the creek with my mix of mud and brown paint with some gloss medium I just picked up yesterday. I had three screw holes in the creek I had to fill with smooth it the other day, now today I need to first fill a gap on the outside curve where it will meet the fascia with some wood putty, also tan color. When we cut the curve out for the creek itself, two "nicks" were taken out of it. One I was able to sand down to eliminate, the other I'll have to fill with putty before finishing the creek itself. Once the creek is painted and dried, I plan to then place puffballs cut in half (as MR did) along the base of the bank, with probably two gaps down to the creek. The top part of the creek bank will then be filled with cinders which the puffballs will help hold in place....
@Steve: Thanks much again for the compliments! I like that rendition of "Joe's Cabin", especially with the clothes line and laundry as I did between my company houses. A nice touch is also the barn/garage with the Mail Pouch sign.....:) Finally, those individual trees do really make the whole scene stand out...
MikeB16 Dear Airborne, Looking good with the layout and thank you for your appreciation. How are you planning to tackle the river? The same way as David Popp or another technique? Have just cut my benchwork and am test fitting my risers using a "Gradient Level" app on my iPhone as I would like to keep them around 2% or less if possible. I have also been working on my structures. I am planning to use all of the Maywood Station including the base as I am running a double mainline with passenger operations. Here is a photo of my weathered brickwork for the station. I did this by firstly laying down a Humbrol 'Brick' base coat with my airbrush. Once that was dry I went over it with Tamiya Weathering Master 'Snow' to get the mortar effect, let that partially dry then went over that with Tamiya Weathering Master 'Rust', waited until that partially dried and then rubbed it down reasonably vigorously with a dry clean cloth to blend it all in. I must say that I am pretty happy with the result. Regards, Mick
you did a beautiful job on that brick!
Dear All, Thank you for your compliments but you all played a part with your posts and advice!
@Roger, Your River sounds great. I am still debating what to do with mine so you have definitely got me thinking. I have done some ‘water’ work before, here is a waterfall I did on one of my other layouts,
but I have not done rapids yet…could be a nice challenge! Looking forward to seeing your scenery progress pics!
@ Steve, Great photo and great work! Yes I did quite a bit of model aircraft building in my younger days, mostly plastic 1/72 kits, including a diorama of a ‘Battle of Britain’ airfield on a ping-pong table…unfortunately I have no surviving photos of that. I have carted my tools and paints around for 15 odd years until I decided to get back into it and decided that I liked the dynamic nature of model railroading over the static nature of model aircraft…plus model trains are somewhat contained to a layout whereas model aircraft which tend to spread which makes my wife mildly more happy with it.
@Airborne, Thanks for the reply. I usually use Woodland Scenics ‘Realistic Water’ instead of gloss medium and sealing the area is very important otherwise it all leaches out. The preparation you describe is very important and something I sometimes forget in my enthusiasm to finish a scene.
@ Matthew, Thanks for the compliment!