It looks like you have a big project ahead of yourself. But I'm sorry if you get offended, but looking at your track, it's hard to believe that all your engines run perfectly well. It looks to me that your track is not completey done. What about the missing ties? You have incomplete branches to your switches.What happens after ballasting? It seems more work has to go into your trackwork. I'm in that group that thinks the track has to be completely done and engines are happy in every direction before I can concentrate on scenery
Joe C
dominic c It looks like you have a big project ahead of yourself. But I'm sorry if you get offended, but looking at your track, it's hard to believe that all your engines run perfectly well. It looks to me that your track is not completey done. What about the missing ties? You have incomplete branches to your switches.What happens after ballasting? It seems more work has to go into your trackwork. I'm in that group that thinks the track has to be completely done and engines are happy in every direction before I can concentrate on scenery Joe C
Joe I never get offeneded so no worries. The main line has been tested extensively for hours and hours and adjusted as needed. I've tested with very small steamers to fairly larger steamers, I had thought steamers would be the bearer of bad track but it was one specific deisel that really showed a couple bad switches that I had to fix. The missing ties will be trimmed down and slid under the rails and in place as I go. I tend not to ballast for at least a year after track has been in place. Scenery is done from the back to front obviously and the area I'm in must be completed before the bridges can be left in place. Branch lines and industry spurs come last as I try to figure out where specifically the structures will go. For me this is a very large layout and because I'm not retired and work 4 and 4 I don't go full steam ahead like many folks as well in the summer months we ride motorcycles.
Lynn
Present Layout progress
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/11/p/290127/3372174.aspx#3372174
I've been plugging along in one particular corner and outward from it as it is a deep corner and as we all know we need to build from back to front. Bridges are removed and my vision of a small town on the hill is perhaps starting to get some where.
Transformed the gorge using ground goop, poly fiber, and a bunch of sticks twigs and ground up leaves oh ya and ground foam.Can even see the river bottom again. I'll be fixing up the waterfalls real soon.
I've been working on the little community in the corner, we all know we have to work back to front. I think I will need to make some fences and work on a better game plan for parking area. I also tried my hand at making a new water form for the waterfalls. Took a few days but it did cure clear. I had made up 3 strips so I'll have to peel off another strip and tuck it under the upper level strip and try my hand at some white dry brushing.
double post
Some more progress made.
Rear hill pretty much complete.
Worked on a few more areas, can't put upper bridges back until the areas are finished being mucked up.
Hi Lynn
Just checked out the thread. WOW Man! Its coming along very nicely. You got a lot of real estate. Nice work keep the pics coming.
Mario
FW&RR ry
mobilman44 Hi, May I offer a suggestion............ I have a window similar to the one in the pics. I replaced the white mini blinds with light blue ones, and painted in the backdrop to blend into the window ledge, etc. It proved to be a good thing to do, and you might want to consider it.
Hi,
May I offer a suggestion............
I have a window similar to the one in the pics. I replaced the white mini blinds with light blue ones, and painted in the backdrop to blend into the window ledge, etc.
It proved to be a good thing to do, and you might want to consider it.
P.S. Hope you have given some thought as to how to replace/repair the furnace and water heater.
God's Best & Happy Rails to You!
Bing (RIPRR The Route of the Buzzards)
The future: Dead Rail Society
Now no offence but some of you methods seem a bit odd but your outcome is spectacular!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks everyone for the comments. I'll be doing an update on progress in next couple of days.
Here's a bit of an update of where I've been and where I'm heading.First off the scenery is mostly done in the rear upper bridge areas so I was able to reinstall the bridges clean the track and run trains again. I then moved onto another leg of the layout and mounted the dioramma and river and will begin with the curved trestle scene which will have a waterfall dropping off the river and down to a pool, the river will flow through the trestle bents. The trestle will be about 2.5 feet across with the longest bent being about 13 inches long.You can see where I added wood where need for joining scenery using 1x4s or whatever was suitable. I also added ( probably overbuilt) a 2 teir upper and lower for the trestle bents and water down lower, of course I can't do much in this area until trestle is ready to install, suggestion accepted. So for now I have a very sturdy work area. This is the jig I made up for building the bents for the jv models 2016 curved trestle. I've did 4 bents so far, not complete but there are 4. And the strip wood stained. Although I really didn't realize the 2016 kit was meant to have one bent missing to widen the bent distance for a rail or I guess river this is what I plan to do. My instruction don't include the portion where there a gap to be built in I will have to figure that part out.
I then moved onto another leg of the layout and mounted the dioramma and river and will begin with the curved trestle scene which will have a waterfall dropping off the river and down to a pool, the river will flow through the trestle bents. The trestle will be about 2.5 feet across with the longest bent being about 13 inches long.You can see where I added wood where need for joining scenery using 1x4s or whatever was suitable. I also added ( probably overbuilt) a 2 teir upper and lower for the trestle bents and water down lower, of course I can't do much in this area until trestle is ready to install, suggestion accepted. So for now I have a very sturdy work area. This is the jig I made up for building the bents for the jv models 2016 curved trestle. I've did 4 bents so far, not complete but there are 4. And the strip wood stained. Although I really didn't realize the 2016 kit was meant to have one bent missing to widen the bent distance for a rail or I guess river this is what I plan to do. My instruction don't include the portion where there a gap to be built in I will have to figure that part out.
I also added ( probably overbuilt) a 2 teir upper and lower for the trestle bents and water down lower, of course I can't do much in this area until trestle is ready to install, suggestion accepted. So for now I have a very sturdy work area. This is the jig I made up for building the bents for the jv models 2016 curved trestle. I've did 4 bents so far, not complete but there are 4. And the strip wood stained. Although I really didn't realize the 2016 kit was meant to have one bent missing to widen the bent distance for a rail or I guess river this is what I plan to do. My instruction don't include the portion where there a gap to be built in I will have to figure that part out.
This is the jig I made up for building the bents for the jv models 2016 curved trestle. I've did 4 bents so far, not complete but there are 4. And the strip wood stained. Although I really didn't realize the 2016 kit was meant to have one bent missing to widen the bent distance for a rail or I guess river this is what I plan to do. My instruction don't include the portion where there a gap to be built in I will have to figure that part out.
I'm still working on getting the bents spacing figured out, I've got it down to 2- 2.5 inches apart for the most part. May have to make somemore and perhaps shorten a couple of the longest ones. I find this process is like structure positioning, you have to keep repositioning until it feels right.
I also received a supply of ME bridge flex track in the mail. I think it may be time to finish up the bents and start on the stringers.
Bents are all made up all 19 of them or actually 20 as one will be built in above the river. I used a couple sections of construction paper to trace the rail heads for the stringers to be glued together on. Bents hanging where they be posions for the trestle.
I used a couple sections of construction paper to trace the rail heads for the stringers to be glued together on. Bents hanging where they be posions for the trestle.
Bents hanging where they be posions for the trestle.
wickman
I see an issue with the stringers, but it may be too late to correct. It appears you cut the pieces for the inside of the curve the same length as those for the outside. As a result, the joints for the inside stringers will not fall atop a bent like the outside ones will. I didn't mention the need for the the two lengths in my advice on the other thread, so to the extent I may have sowed confusion on the point - my bad. I was figuring the kit instructions and/or plans would have shown the joints.
Rob Spangler
wp8thsub wickman I see an issue with the stringers, but it may be too late to correct. It appears you cut the pieces for the inside of the curve the same length as those for the outside. As a result, the joints for the inside stringers will not fall atop a bent like the outside ones will. I didn't mention the need for the the two lengths in my advice on the other thread, so to the extent I may have sowed confusion on the point - my bad. I was figuring the kit instructions and/or plans would have shown the joints.
Thanks Rob I see what you mean I think. So your saying when I centre the bents on the seams of the stringers the outside bent caps will line up as obviously I will be trying to line up every 2 inches which is the length of each stringer where as the outside bent will sit on a seam and the inside of the bent will not sit on the seam? Hopefully this doesn't cause any issues as long as the track rail is over the inside\outside rail and the bent caps line up ok. Unfortuneatly it was last nite at 3am when I set the rail on the stringers permanently so no adjustments can be made.
wickmanSo your saying when I centre the bents on the seams of the stringers the outside bent caps will line up as obviously I will be trying to line up every 2 inches which is the length of each stringer where as the outside bent will sit on a seam and the inside of the bent will not sit on the seam? Hopefully this doesn't cause any issues as long as the track rail is over the inside\outside rail and the bent caps line up ok. Unfortuneatly it was last nite at 3am when I set the rail on the stringers permanently so no adjustments can be made.
Yup that's it. This is an aesthetic issue for an HO scale trestle more than a structural one. Hopefully it will be hard to notice once you have everything installed.
If its just aesthetics issue I can handle that, Im real good at hiding stuff.
Any advice once I go to install the bents? Perhaps start in the middle or end ? Glue one bent checking for straightness then the next and the supports maybe?
wickmanAny advice once I go to install the bents? Perhaps start in the middle or end ? Glue one bent checking for straightness then the next and the supports maybe?
Assuming the kit instructions don't suggest a sequence, that sounds reasonable. Pick a spot and work from there.
Thanks Rob kinda sounded good to me as well and the instructions really don't say much.
Trial fit for bent over river, this won't work need to do some trimming.I hate math. Rail was attched to stringers using pliobond and weighted down, left it for 48 hours.
Rail was attched to stringers using pliobond and weighted down, left it for 48 hours.
And the fun begins
Lynn:
Thank you for sharing all of the trestle construction details. I have a similar project in my future. This has been very educational.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
hon30critter Lynn: Thank you for sharing all of the trestle construction details. I have a similar project in my future. This has been very educational. Dave
Your quite welcome Dave, its my pleasure and has also been very educational for myself.
Moving right along with the trestle, four days off so I should be able to finish this off I hope.
Just have to finish off supports.
Very impressive!
Don't drop it when you turn it right side up!
hon30critter Very impressive! Don't drop it when you turn it right side up! Dave
Thanks Dave. Funny thing when carried it upstairs to work on in our spare room it darn near slipped right out of my hands. Its getting some weight to it. Should be able to finish it tomorrow depending whether I decide to put my self through the torture of adding nbws or not. Also need to decide if I'm putting cross braces.