Meadow's Lumber - HO Refurbish & ReNewal

[mcfunkeymonkey]

Apologies for not keeping up with the updates.

Our target was to finish the layout by summer so Dwight could run trains with his 4 grandkids.  His cancer was in remission.  Things were looking good.

But Dwight passed away on Tuesday (probably a heart attack or stroke).

While I say "client" here in the forums, Dwight was really a friend: much of my time working on the layout included lovely conversations about trains, modeling, kids, wine, farming, politics, vineyards, and everything else under the sun, and he was always generous about sharing some bottles of the excellent wine (http://www.rockwallwines.com/ https://www.rosenblumcellars.com/home ) crafted from the East Contra Costa County vineyards he nurtured and managed.

I'm not sure what's going to happen to the layout (not going to talk with the family until after the service and after they've had a chance to mourn and start to put things in order), but I thought I'd at least share everything layout-building-wise that's happened in the past few months, and hope it'll help others build their layouts.

So back to March...

I thought I'd both seal the creekbed and create a bumpy texture by using some DAP vinyl spackle, but BAD IDEA!



Looks like spackle, appears quality texture, but it's harder than diamond: impossible to shape, takes paint like stainless steel and basically way more trouble than it's worth.

Wish I had just lightweight spackled it, even diluted with some water/paint.

[Live & Learn!]

On the Logging Camp side, I added all the cleats for future fascia, and added more foam [see squares] when carving revealed a too-low ridgeline:



On the original section, Dwight had tried to recreate the jumpy-bumpty logging lines by making the track bump and jump everywhere (not so good for brass geared steam), so I ripped out most the track and smooth down the base with spackle:



Well, it will be smooth after I sand it.

While that dried, I made a whole crumble-full of castings, both rubber- and foil-:



Later sanded smooth and painted:



The dark grey is under the turnout points so little/no ballast is needed.

We needed a large rockwall near the lumber mill, so lots of rocks were necessary.



Not so impressed with foil.
Good for way background rocks & if broken up, but "un-natural" (even when I tried to shape & caress the foil into uni-directional lengths).

But gives lots of easy&cheap options, so spread 'em out and start to see how they fit:



And at the creek scene I scratched some bridge decks and started to see how they'd fit:



Dwight had a bunch of real rocks he wanted worked into the scenes, so there it is (location moved right later).

That vinyl spackle was a real PITA to work with: super hard, cracked (so didn't seal the riverbed), and didn't take paint well, so I'd recommend against it.  Lightweight spackle with a touch of craft paint still seems the way to go (more on that later).

[cont.]

[mcfunkeymonkey]

What's more exciting than watching paint dry?
How about caulk cure pink foam?

While I build up levels of foam on the far logging area, I start to flesh out the town / yard with the track and turnouts that have come in:



A drop-down bridge will connect the two sides when continuous running is needed.

Then more layers of foam, and more 2"x2" cleats along the edge for the future fascia:



You can see the WS risers the client had on hand that went under the pink foam to support the transition.

The WS risers have a lot of space and wobble on them, but used as a Dave Foxx under-cover rising-action maneuver they work alrighty.

As for the 2"x2" cleats: they're just woodglued and clamped in place until I come back the next day, then slice off a section of the cut-out foam and caulked on top [see far left].

Also started building up the logging camp area on the opposite side:



Just a few tracks for the logging camp and out to the log loader.

And more build up:



And more:



Scenic divider between logging and woodmill:



Realize it will be rubbed down to 2/3rds it's height, but the trees will help create the separation of scene.

Started in on shaping the creek scene:





Finally figured out I could T-pin a bag to the foam in front so I could dump the foam chunks and curls in there and not in the vacuum (which is running the whole time I'm carving and forming).

According to the sweat: as good as a gym!



The scene comes towards you as a stream flowing under the trestle out into a wide river bay where barges and boats stop for fare.
Coal dump to barge on wood trestle coming in from front right a few inches up, main curves over low trestle, with WPA concrete ford for autos in front.

[304live]

its looking great...

[mcfunkeymonkey]

mlehman

 I really like how you saved foam and helped adhesive cure quicker by leaving the space underneath. That's a good tip to keep in mind. I also like how the WS foam risers worked here. I really couldn't see much point to them myself, but they do serve the purpose here well. 

Thanks, Mike.

The WS foam risers are very wobbly and a poor surface for track if laid directly on them.
Even with cork on top there's just too much wobble and instability.

As spacers under a firmer surface, however, their constant grade comes in handy.

I'd probably never go out and buy them (you can cut small sections of pink foam to do same) but since client had them hanging around... why not?

 

Today:
The Home Depot that had plenty of 2" pink foam all of a sudden had stacks of 1"  
Which realistically doesn't add up (by a 1/16th or two) but single wide flat surface is better than many chunks of leftover 2" foam, so there it is:



The foam on top of the weights is not to add heft but to represent the mountain that will act as viewblock between logging scene (left) and town (right).
I could have caulked in the layers of pink foam for the mountain, but I wanted the logging scene track surface to be true and flat, thus the 1/4" MDF under the tractor weights to ensure smoothness.

Also started installing the 2"x2" cleats with woodglue for the fascia:



Cleats are 3 1/2" tall, and will get a 1/2" cap of foam to hide them even with the top surface.
(The squares of pink foam next to the cleats are the future chopped and topped sections)

As the Peco C83 flex and some turnouts have come in, started playing around with track layouts:





This will be the larger interchange town, and client already has a bunch o' buildings he wants to use, so we'll incorporate those while maintaining a decent through passenger depot (roundy round will be over lift-up) and freight / display yard.

The big lumber mill will be down 1" on a log pond.
Theoretically, the loggers up high could just roll logs down into the pond, but we'll use geared steam to haul them down one way, then another to get to the sawblade  

[mlehman]

M.C.

Great work

I really like how you saved foam and helped adhesive cure quicker by leaving the space underneath. That's a good tip to keep in mind. I also like how the WS foam risers worked here. I really couldn't see much point to them myself, but they do serve the purpose here well.

[mcfunkeymonkey]

After the crazyness of the holidays I've been back at it, but not much photo-worthy progress to report.
So here's the last couple weeks:

Finished bottom benchwork:



Was originally thinking about doing cookie-cutter on left side up to logging area, but client has lots of ply, pink foam and old WS risers (as well as a penchant to use heavy sand / cement for scenery) so that makes it easy, in 2" vertical increments.

Woodglued cleats along the edge (inside and out) in addition to the stringers to provide placement for the future 1/4" MDF fascia:




Need two 2" layers--mainly so I can dig down a bit for the logging landing at the bend--so the big town and yard along the peninsula needs only supports for the top 2" layer:





And to make sure everything stays solid and even while curing:



Some benefits of having small spacers / risers under the main layer of foam is that the caulk cures faster (few days instead of week or two), and you use less foam (save for mountains).

All the weights make sure nothing moves or tilts while curing, insuring a nice flat surface for tracklaying later.

Basic shape for monster "We're #1" foam finger to cheer on my Golden State Warriors?



Maybe later, but first to 1) fit in car and 2) provide long continuous piece to build "cookie cutter" foam riser:



Needed to get from 2" up to 4", so placing the wobbly WS risers under the firm foam worked great (thanks Dave Foxx for fab idea!)

Here's the grade cross-section with weights as it cures:



And the same technique to bring the rear track up to the logging level:



The track is the main curving from the "done" layout up (down left) to the main town & interchange yard.
It'll curve on a low trestle over an inlet / stream with a large river bay at front, and then go into tunnel which will be under the logging scene on the opposite side of the aisle.

Which is the big flat space on the far left, or would be if I didn't run out of foam and caulk (at the same time, amazing enough):



The low area front right is the log pond and where the lumber mill will go.
Between pond and logging at far left will be big mountain scenic separator.

After this weekend (I'll be at the Bay Area LD/OPS SIG Meet) the foam should be cured enough to start laying out track shapes and turnout positions, especially for the logging area (need to know where to build up the mountain / viewblock more) and for the big" yard/town/interchange.

Usually I like to plan first and lay track according to that, but I'm having fun working back-and-forth with benchwork, track, scene and track to figure out what actually looks & works best for the space.

Just happy it's 70F and not -10F!

[mcfunkeymonkey]

Things are moseying along.

Fortunately, the backdrop is a thick vinylish material and pulled off without ripping:



Unfortunately, I totally forgot to build support for the backdrop before securing all the tables together (needed to keep it out off the walls), so there was a little bit of contortionesque aerobic exercise to build that behind everything:



[But what is most of model railroading but solving problems you create yourself  ] 

The good news is that the measurements came out spot on, so joists, ply and a layer of foam came up exactly to track height:



The upper track to the logging scene takes another 2" sheet and some 1/2" layers, though I'll probably just raise the ply with risers.

So backdrop reset and reglued into place:



Now joists installed and all ready to secure the ply for both the base level and, with risers, for the elevated logging scene on the far side of layout:



Hope to get all that done this weekend / Monday so I can caulk down the foam and let that be curing over the Christmas week.

Thanks for looking, and Happy Holidays.

["JaBear"]

Oh dear, gettilng to the uncool Dad stage , Don't worry Dads are still  if money is required and besides it dosn't last for ever. (perhaps wishful thinking on my behalf) 

Keep up the good work, Cheers, the Bear.

[mcfunkeymonkey]

My daughter says I look dasai (lame / uncool) in my Tobi Trousers.
I told her she wouldn't know "cool" if it bit her on the oshiri.

But dang if those pants aren't awesome for the benchwork: with all the chop- & table-sawing I did, all the dust stayed outta me shoes and socks and disappeared with a shake of the billowing pant bottom.
So no complaining from the missus about dust and dirt when I walk in the door.
(Or later when she looks in the dirty clothes hamper and screams about sawdust touching her clothes )
So there.

Those pants there: That's cool.

Installed the adj. feet on the legs, only to find that the LAST one started splitting the 1"x3", so I re-inforced with a scrap of 2"x2":



Then set one 4' table in place and realized that I had measured from the edge of the layout (brown) instead of the counter (grey) which was the same height as the table, making it 1.5" too long:



Anything past the light switches is too long.

So that table become the "vertical" support next to the long 12' tables and I built the last table at 45 1/2" long to fit the space (need to leave room for the 1/4" fascia and more human error).

That's right: I don't plan everything out to a "T" before I build.
So it goes.

And it goes ok.

Got all the tables done and hoping friend will take a look after he gets back from Thanksgiving vacation (a day or two ago) and ok's the footprint.





[Back-left table is the new one, and is glue drying]

To me it's a little narrow, aisle-wise in the middle (where the folding table and stepladder is), but it's his space, and it'll be him and a grandkid or two.
If two are using the big yard (new long tables) then one can be inside and another outside.

Otherwise maybe I can get him to move the truck over one more foot to open up another 6" inside.

Next steps:
Joists, ply (at specific heights), pink foam, then track!
Also gotta get started designing the drop-down connnecting bridge.

Thanks for looking!

[mcfunkeymonkey]

mlehman

Mmmmm. Fresh wood.

 

I love the smell of fresh benchwork in the morning...  :)

 

 

Day after American Thanksgiving, got some shelves done:



And installed on the 3 of 4 tables made:



Shelves are glued & screwed into place.
Tomorrow will pick up some adjustable feet, install, and then I'll be able to measure out the exact distance for the connecting table (the "vertical" as opposed to the 4' and 12' "horizontal" in the plan).

Client has a bin with an appropriate message:



So nice to use the table- and chop-saw client has on location insted of clamping guides to temp table and using circular saw

Zoom zoom!

BTW, years ago I brought back some japanese construction worker pants ("Tobi Trousers"), and they've finally come in handy.
Not to be confused with MC Hammer pants, these are heavy-duty denims cut so that a slim section zipped up around the ankles and tucks into the boot (or the Chuck Taylor, in my case), and then the pants themselves balloon around the top of the boot:





Personally, I look nowhere near as hot as the first figure nor as badass as the dudes in the second, but DANG if those pants not only kept the avalaches of sawdust out of my shoes and socks (and easy to brush off) but the baggieness helped keep me cool while doing heavy cutting, lifting, gluing and screwing in a warm garage, then keep me warm walking out into the winter chill.

[you can buy your own at Toraichi: https://www.pinterest.com/toraichishop/pins/]

So three cheers for kick-a$$ pants.

And benchwork :)

Thanks for looking.

[mlehman]

Mmmmm. Fresh wood.

[mcfunkeymonkey]

Alrighty: Phase II benchwork is on the way!

Client decided for a slightly narrower silhouette (keeping the main interchange town even with the mountain town on the far side) so we lost a 1' and a nice angle on the main town, down to something like this:



The trackwork is all being reshuffled right now, but the benchwork will be a "go".
Most likely will build benchwork and then finalize trackplan as we work our way around into Interchange Town.
Also waiting for specific structures to show up so we can work a trackplan that fits them in.

Will work out ok in the end, but would have been nice to have the slight curve out to include the psychic-space of the intruding interchange.
Farmers like them rows neat!

So started building the benchwork, with lots of 1"x2"s on top of 1"x3"s to create L-girders for table-tops:



And 1"x2"s on sides of 1"x3"s to create legs:



And stacks of legs curing while cured "L-girders" get assembled into box-tops:



Woodglue and wood are the greatest bond for MRR benchwork, the screws only holding planks in place.
Past benchwork I've used 1/4" bolts for legs and braces, but this benchwork will never be moved (might be bumped a bit, and will carry a bit of weight if client decides to step in with cement and sand, so needs to be ridgid) and when all 4 tables are bolted together... not going nowhere.

Decided on 18"-wide tables to allow for some "fudge factor"--stringer joists create the actual footprint--and still hoping at some point that client will realize an extra foot "out" would make a better layout 

So here's one of two main 6'-long tables:



The clamped horizontal braces are there acting as temp shelves to ensure square legs when diagonal braced--later will build and insert slim shelves of 1"x2"s capped with 1/4" oak ply that will add space and stability.

And will all diagonal braces in place:



Spacers of leftover 1"x3" (about 2" wide) were used for the diagonal 1"x2" braces.
Everything glued and screwed.

1"x3" cross joists will allow for cookie-cutter elevation of the 1/4" ply for the logging section (or perhaps it'll all be pink foam like the mining side).
The two 6' sections will be offset by 6" or so to fit in the long peninsula footprint, with a hearty section of 3/4" birch at the end to anchor the 30" drop-down swing bridge that will allow for continuous running.

Thanks for looking.

[mcfunkeymonkey]

Thanks!

The Peco C83 Electrofrog turnouts are about $30 each (small wyes a little less and long curved a little more) and the Peco switchmotors about $11.

I'll reiterate that you really don't need the switchmachines--the points are sprung and you need only your finger to throw it--unless, perhaps, you have a turnout in a hard-to-reach space (but if you can't reach a section of track anyway....).  But the client wants them because he likes toggles and he likes his young grandkids to use toggles :)

Might be able to get them cheaper, but both client and I like to go through our Local Hobby Shop (Just Trains in Concord, CA) as much as we are able.

Hope this helps.

[Kyle]

Great job, it looks amazing!!!

By the way, how much do the peco switch motors cost?  And how much did the turnouts cost?

[mcfunkeymonkey]

So (or HO) it seems :)

Another week, a bunch more trees flocked, another layer of water poured:



The stream behind the trackage--dry before the project--is almost ready for some selective shore dirt & rocks, some more layers, and some movement over the surface.

The client had already started a small section of stream at the front with layers of WS Water Effects, white paint, and more Water Effects.
Very clear and the paint looked good in places, like paint in others, and didn't really fit with the "dirtier" (muddy green) water I was pouring elsewhere as base.
As the first step to start blending the two sections, I poured a thin layer of tinted Magic Water over the "rapids" the client had already done:



Helped tone down the whites and give a slightlier murky-green tint.
A few more thin layers should help.
(No hurry here).

The client intentionally made the original trackage uneven to mimic the Sierra Nevada logging railroads of photos old.
Fine for photos but not so great for finicky brass geared steam.
Instead of ripping out all of his work, I think I can "massage" the rails into smooth surfaces by soaking the ballast (70% iso seems to work wonders), removing some risers, and re-setting through re-ballasting certain sections of track.

The following section can be seen in the above photo (leftside of second turnout) and was a noticable bump:





Will probably use N-scale cork to shim and then replace the ties I removed.
A significant weight (like The Band song) will keep everything in place and smoothed out while things cure.
Worse comes to worse: will have to rip out all of client's original trackwork, redo subroadbed and relay track.
[I'm not getting paid by the hour, so whatever works to get the trains running smooth--though always good to include as much original work as possible!]

More significant: With the early grape harvest done last week, the massive shelves on the side of the layout:



Were finally moved:



and so we could start laying out the space for Phase II:





That outline got slimmed down a little: client decided he wanted everything flush on the "outside" of the layout (1925 Model-T Truck side), so that reduced the total distance a foot from 9' to 8'.
Back to the drawing board: the logging area far left will be a bit smaller, the Interchange Town is a lot smaller (and more horizontal) and things depend on the size of the Sierra West SawMill (30 sq"? 36 sq"?) that needs to fit in somewhere.

No matter there should be some good movement between sections (Interchange to Sierra Town back up to Logging or Mine).
Dude just got a Rivorossi Climax DCC Sounded up as well, so soon I'm going to have to build the Better-Than-Scratch early 1900's car kits he has stockpiled just to even out the loco-to-rolling-stock ration.
(Good thing they're they're the same as the Republic Locomotive Works N/Nn3 kits I have but easier on the eyes & fine motor skillz!)

So design benchwork, then off to hardware store for lumber and Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more; Or close the wall up with our HO dead.

[304live]

great thread! You are doing a great job so far it seems...

[oregon shay]

M.C.and Mike,

Thanks for the great tips and instructions on building some sweet-looking turntables.  Building one of these would be justification enough to add an extension to my benchwork to accommodate it.

Wilton.

[mlehman]

That's another nice looking TT, M.C.

mcfunkeymonkey

The main issue is to get the rail and the washers under the TT deck ends even, as that's what keeps the deck rails on the same level as the approaching rails.
The audio jack just allows pivot and electricity: doesn't have enough strength to maintain an even deck all by itself.

I think that's a good rule to go by. You should include the washers for good support. I do want to note that I used a new 1/4" phono plug that Radio Shack has that has a big fat base about 1/2" in diameter. It may be too big to use for N scale, but does work for HOn3. I was surprised at how strong it was once assembled but before I added the washers on the outer ring, so this might be a part to look for when gathering materials. I didn't save the part # but there's two in a pack for $4.99.

[mcfunkeymonkey]

I did it pretty much the same way Mike did.

Used my fingers to bend the rail into a circle that was "close enough" and then soldered it to PC board ties I'd attached to a printed template I created in Word.
Like Mikes, mine should have more ties underneath, but I was too lazy.

I think I did a better job on the TT I built for my "Effett Yard" Free-moN module (you can see more steps on that thread):

Cheap & effective.

The main issue is to get the rail and the washers under the TT deck ends even, as that's what keeps the deck rails on the same level as the approaching rails.
The audio jack just allows pivot and electricity: doesn't have enough strength to maintain an even deck all by itself.

Hope this helps.

[mlehman]

No problem.

They're cheap, too. I have about $20 in this one and that leaves me with an extra phono plug and jack so I can build another one.

[oregon shay]

Mike,

Thanks for the explanation.  I was wondering how to avoid twisting the rail while shaping the loop.  I like the clean look of an Armstrong type, and the turntables that you and M.C. built are mighty nice.

Wilton.

[mlehman]

Wilton,

By hand for me, being careful to keep the base of the rail in the same plane. Laying it on a countertop or sheet of glass will help if you're not confident enough to freehand it. This is with nickel-silver rail, which is surprisingly flexible. The outside circle wasn't too bad, the inner one was tight. Just carefully keep working it smaller and smaller as you run it through your hands. Get it just a little tighter than the needed circle, then let it spring back. I then held the ends carefully in place to solder the ends together.

Now keep in mind they look good. They aren't actually "operating rails" with this design, as the center pivot formed by the 1/4" phono plug connector actually does most of the locating and rotating. There's nothing that rides on the inner rail. The outer rail has washers, instead of wheels, but these just glide on top of the rail and don't engage the rail like a wheel would. The "wheels" are just for looks on mine and are actually cut from plastic wheels and glued on to look like it has wheels on the rail.

If you need an operating rail circle, I'd cut a plywood circle form the proper size, then cut a groove in it, take extra long rail and form it around that for a more consistent bend. You may be able to freehand and then adjust, just that having a form will gauge how consistent your finished circle needs to be.

EDIT: A little more. M.C. said he used a printed template, so he could tell you more about that. I used a compass and drew the lines when laying out my base before I drilled the center hole. Then I subdivided it into 16 segments and glued my PC ties to the base. I then went around the base, soldering the rail down as indicated by the drawn circle the PC ties bisected. I used a couple of spikes, but mostly glued the inner rail down, since it is totally cosmetic and has no mechanical force applied to it.

I also suspect that proper engineering would probably have more ties under my ring rails, but it is what it is.

[oregon shay]

M.C.,

What a timely and interesting read your work on this remodel has been.  With my latest design in the track just finished/final planning of the scenery contours phase, your posts are a source of great inspiration.  For being an HO novice, your obvious N scale skills seem to be serving you well - very impressive work.  Thanks for sharing.

A question for you and Mike L. - how do you guys bend and shape rail into such perfect circles for use in your very fine looking turntables?

Wilton.

[mlehman]

Appreciate the comments, M.C.

I'll get it dirty eventually. Don't have enough of Purgatory built yet to start weathering much. I want it to all look like the same dirt, so once it's pretty complete I'll hit all of it.

I'll also confess to being weathering-impaired, although I've been doing some lately and building my confidence.

[mcfunkeymonkey]

Looks great, Mike!

Good job on the decking and the rubble below!

Just need some weathering on the metal siding to give it a real lived-in appearance :)

Long live the "FingerStrong" Turntables!

[mlehman]

MC,

Great update.

Well, I did take that turntable inspiration and do something with it...

[mcfunkeymonkey]

Thanks for the feedback, fellows!
Will definitely be using the Electrofrog turnouts on the "Phase II" section that I'm starting soon.
As an N Scaler, I'm always amazed that HO locos, with their exponentially-larger wheelbase, have just as many (or more?) stalling and shorting problems over frogs than me wee little N-scale bairns :)

As for the turntable: it's very easy to scratch-build one for a single-track in-out with no engine house on the opposite side.
It takes a LOT of skill and precision to scratch one with multiple tracks all around the TT.

Unless you're a die-hard scratcher, it's probably worth it, time vs money-wise, to just get a nice indexed one.

Or build on top of an Atlas TT.

Just food for thought.

 

As for the last week:

Very early grape harvest this year (client grows wine grapes), so client's workers will be moving the shelves and cleaning out the space for the "Phase Two" section of the layout:



Layout will wrap around the left, occupy the table space and then connect to the wing I've just finished on the right via swing bridge.
Something like this:



But just in benchwork shape, not track arrangement (client wants a wye, but not as a lift-up section to the opposite wall, and the mainline will come through the runaround in the center of the original section (next to the woodmill) instead of the bottom track / reverse loop)

While waiting for the space to expand, I've been making & installing more trees, pouring more Magic Water, and starting on refurbishing the original track.

What I thought was cement-&-sand was actually whiteglue-&-sand, so I tried soaking areas around track with iso alcohol and POOF! they lifted right off!
[Here's a warped and damaged turnout that needs replacing: just soaked and lifted!  D'oh!]



Wish I had thought of that at the beginning so I didn't spend so much time chiseling track out of sharp rock with scraped knuckles!

Was able to easily remove a good section of warped track that will become the main branchline from the Phase II main town:



And as soon as the shelves are moved behind it, I can swing the backboard back against the wall (will become the backboard for the extension of Phase II) and prep the place to have this track wrap around a center aisle.

While at first I thought I'd have to rip out and relay most of the original track, with this "wet reset" method I've also been able to soak, scrape and reattach other track in the original section to help even out the rails and ensure smooth running.
[Was about to take picts yesterday when I got a call to pick up me dad at the airport an hour away, so next week!]

With the trees, been slowly spay-painting (dark brown/grey), hair-spraying, and groundfoaming the weeks the client's already collected.
Been installing in front of the polyfiber background-fill in fits and spurts between other projects:







You can see the flat-car bridge installed over the creek, and some of the "dead tree" weeds client provided for variety.

For the water features I've been layering thin pours of Magic Water: given that I don't know the integrity of the creek bed, I wanted to slowly layer the Magic Water in and let it's natural seepage to seek out and fill any holes.
After 2-3 thin pours (tinted with Floquil dark green and grimy), it's here:



And seems very well sealed, with a few small pools.
Just before leaving to pick up me dad yesterday I poured a bit thicker layer, so we'll see how it looks on Monday.
Now I'm wondering if I just should have sprayed a layer of "Flex Seal" http://www.getflexseal.com/ first and that would have saved a couple of Magic Water pours that just seeped into the sand (though the tinting did help set up the dark base).

Anybody try using "Flex Seal" yet to secure their water features before a pour?
Just curious.

Also thinking about "No-Ox" to help insure better running (layout is out in big garage-type room, though relatively climate-controlled, and in California).
Guess I'm thinking get all the construction done first, clean everything up, then work on steps to ensure smooth running (chemical / cleaning-wise).

Any/all thoughts appreciated.

Thanks for looking.
And happy weekend!

[hon30critter]

M.C.:

Thank you for a very detailed, informative and entertaining thread!

Too bad about the brass engines being so finicky - very disappointing for both you and your client I'm sure.

I'm looking forward to following your continued work.

Dave

[mlehman]

M.C.,

Fantastic work and a great read. The turntable build couldn't be better timed. I've either gotta build one or hack a Peco 6" N scale one to HOn3. I love my Grand Central Gems pines, too, just need to get more.

[DGX GP 38]

M.C.

Great thread...thanks for posting and sharing! I always enjoy your work...love the attention to detail. 

I really liked the section on turnouts, wiring and controls. Will be most helpful as I begin laying out a yard and couple of passing sidings.

Every now and then, the "Effett" method seems to work well for me...glad to know that even the pros go with it too  :-)