Dave If I can offer my worth about long straight rock faces, there is a way to add some variation to them. To do that, add some moderate hills and valleys that run perpendicular to the tracks, and then make cuts through the high spots and add bridges over the low spots so the track is not running through unrealistically even terrain. Dave
If I can offer my worth about long straight rock faces, there is a way to add some variation to them. To do that, add some moderate hills and valleys that run perpendicular to the tracks, and then make cuts through the high spots and add bridges over the low spots so the track is not running through unrealistically even terrain.
Dave
Exactly what I had in mind.
Chip
Building the Rock Ridge Railroad with the slowest construction crew west of the Pecos.
hon30critterTo do that, add some moderate hills and valleys that run perpendicular to the tracks, and then make cuts through the high spots and add bridges over the low spots so the track is not running through unrealistically even terrain.
That's a good idea -- I hadn't thought of doing that.
Even though this is about Chip's layout, I'm fairly new to all this, and I'm taking notes for my own layout.
York1 John
JohnEven though this is about Chip's layout, I'm fairly new to all this, and I'm taking notes for my own layout.
I'm always taking notes.
Truth be told, electrical work and trackwork are a lot like work for my liking. Now I do take satisfaction in doing it well, and I'm slowly getting better at soldering, but both electric and trackwork and benchwork for that matter, are about getting it done so I can get on to the processes that I enjoy doing, and of course, running trains.
I like decorating and creating scenes--especially when it adds to train operations, and other fun.
Today was an electric day. Actually it was supposed to be a couple days ago, but I got stalled for reasons I'll go into in a bit.
The turntable was looming. I had to set it into place and wire it so that I could put the plywood back on and run track into the town of Rock Ridge. It may be months before I build the final pit turntable, but the time to install the Atlas turntable that will power it is now.
While I was procrastinating, I noticed that my power supplies/ control drawer was stuck. I figured I better lift the plywood and fix it now, because I'm just going to add layer after layer on top of it from here on out.
Here's what it looks like.
And here's what it's supposed to do.
It rolls on drawer hardware. A couple of the wires were catching and blocking the movement.
What you see is a Bachmann EZ Track transformer, a Zephyr, and a program track. Transformer is supplying about 5-6v to the turntable and the 12vac to the LEDs.
What?
I guess two years ago I must have been young and stupid, because you'd think I'd know that I should be running 12v dc. LEDs (light emmiting diodes) are diodes and you can't run alternating current both ways through a diode.You only get light half the time.
So I spent the day refining and redefining how I wanted my accessories set up. Basically, I want to seal it and be done with it. I have it set up so that any additional wiring can be done from the edge of the layout. The reason it was delayed is I had to order a 12v dc power supply and pick-up a couple switches while I'm at it.
The first thing was wiring the turntable.
Of course, before I did that, I had to get it at the right height, get the center in the right spot and at the same time make sure its level every which way 'til Tuesday.
Then I wired it to a mom--that's a momentary switch and not someone's mother. I also wired the first piece of track to the bus--the turntable "bridge."
I made a mini-control panel.
This is temporary until I get facia. The switch on the left turns on structure lights, the center turns the turntable, and the one on the right turns on the street lights and a couple buildings that use grain of something lights. See, I found a use for the AC power.
This thing.
This is a board I mounted on the frame. You'll notice two busses (12vdc) with resistors mounted between them. Now when I install a structure, I can run two wires through one of the holes and solder them to the busses. Everything is right in front of you. It's currently prewired for 30 LEDs but I can expand to 30 more.
For those of you that noticed the two PCB strips on the small control panel, those are for connecting the streelights when they are installed.
All-in-all, I'm glad it's done. I can go back to running track tomorrow.
"Bok, Bok, Bee-ok."
That's right. I'm a big chicken.
I got 2/3 of my 29 foot main on the roadbed and I was looking at my caulking gun all ready to go. But I couldn't do it. I have to get this part of the layout perfect before I can cover it up with the mountain grade and the upper levels.
Most of the main will be in a cave, or uh, tunnel--but it's going to be huge like Carlsbad Caverns. I can stick my mitts in there to rerail a car, but I don't want to have to fix trackwork in a hole.
To complicate matters, I am untested with Fast Tracks turnouts. Oh, I got 14 installed on a layout 15 years ago, but had to tear the layout down before I mounted the switch machines. I have those turnouts and 16 more ready for their debut.
So there's that.
The idea of gluing it down before I get a chance to fiddle with it is asking for trouble. And I want to test all my locos on it--all of which have been sitting for 15 years.
And three of those are on the bench.
I have to install a decoder in a DCC ready 2-6-0 that doesn't have room for a decoder. I'll have to rewire it. And just for laughs and giggles, the assembler's idea of color coding is, "if it's a wire, it's black."
Then I have to get a decoder and LEDs into my Climax A.
And I have to install replacement sideframes on my Shay.
I just couldn't glue the track down.
I thought I could nail it down with 1 1/2" 18 ga brads. That would put 1/4 inch into the plywood. I tried buying some, but all the stores just sell the coalated brads for nail guns. If I want something 1 1/2 long you pound, it's a 6d nail, and that's almost as fat as a tie.
Come to think of it, I have some 18 ga brad strips left over from when I reworked the lattice on my deck.
Technically, I could shoot the track down...
SpaceMouseTechnically, I could shoot the track down...
Hi Chip,
I would be concerned about the brad nails bending the ties if they go in too far. If the center of the ties gets bent down, that pulls the rails closer together and throws off the track spacing. Another possibility is that the brads will break the center of the ties and push the rails further apart.
I would do a test with some spare track and roadbed, and with your NMRA Track Gauge handy, to see what happens. You might be fine.
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
DaveI would do a test with some spare track and roadbed, and with your NMRA Track Gauge handy, to see what happens. You might be fine.
As our friends at Oxford would say, "Not bloody likely."
Into foam you can use pushpins and hold the track in place and still be able to run across it, without anything permanently in place. Not those kind witht he big plastic knobs on the end, but t-pins like these:
https://www.staples.com/Staples-10819-CC-Nickel-Plated-T-Pin-100-Pack/product_436448
Put in either outside of the rail or midway between the center and inside of the rail, they are low enough to clear the underside of most locos, and the T head holds down the tie. I have been able to run trains over them with no problem, and then use them to hold the track in place after applying the caulk.
Don't be chicken. Just do it. It'll be fine. Though I don't think I'd start in the hardest to access place first.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
rrinkerInto foam you can use pushpins and hold the track in place and still be able to run across it, without anything permanently in place. Not those kind witht he big plastic knobs on the end, but t-pins like these:
I have some T-pins, but they are too long and won't penetrate the plywood. (I'm using 1" foam.) I have some 7/8" brads with heads I'm going to try.
The reason I'm doing the underground stuff first, is that a lot is affected in terms of landscape which affects where bridges are located, etc. Nothing is hard to reach now. But it will be when I put the second layer on.
She caught The Katy,
left me a mule to ride.
I'm singing and doing a happy dance because for the first time in 15 years, I have a roundy rounder. The trains make it all the way around the main and are still on the track when they get back.
I came close once before. I started a layout based on my then home town of Indiana, PA. The trains had a branch line operating the the middle of downtown. I got the track laid, but not good enough to run trains.
Now I just hijacked someone's post and told this story, so if you heard it already scroll down the pictures till you see something new.
I built a layout that fairly accurately represented the local area in 1950. The PRR had a branchline that serviced our area. My layout looked like this:
You'll notice, I loosely modeled it after Sanborn Maps...
and aerial photos.
Notice a pattern?
I went to the library and online and I looked for photos and artcles from the time period.
This is the train station which is along the bottom of the little mini-yard.
And this is Jimmy Stewart's dad's Hardware Store which is right at the yard's mouth.
Of course, Jimmy Stewart was gone long before I got there.
But he's still a big deal in Indiana, PA. There's a statue and a Jimmy Stewart Museum and everything. In fact, Indiana bases their entire tourest trade on Jimmy Stewart.
Now I'm not crass enough to say that anyone who even knows who Jimmy Stewart is, is either dead or has one foot in the grave. All I know is that I don't know of a single person who has " 42. Visiting the Jimmy Stewart Museum" on thier bucket list.
Anyway, you want to hear why I didn't get my trains running, right?
My wife and I had a disagreement.
I wanted to spend my sort of forced retirement after 2008, spending our money and building a layout. She wanted to be able to get paintings in and out of her storage racks, so she could make money in her on-going art business.
I even explained that if she tipped her paintings up and a little to the side she could get them out without scraping them if she was careful.
The upshot is I'm still married.
And the reason I'm building my layout today is that she felt bad about making take the layout apart all this time , and she sacrificed her "pouring table" which was about 6 x 6 foot where she layed her canvasses out and created her base layer, to make space so I could build another layout.
(Did I just hear some of you ladies say "Ahhhhh"?)
Okay, okay, you came here to hear about my progress on my layout.
The star of the show was this guy.
You may remember a while back when I was testing whether or not my geared steam could handle a 3% grade for layout planning, I ran my other locos as well, just to see how they would do. I'd never run this little 0-6-0 before and I wondered how it would do.
It as the worst puller of the bunch. He huffed and puffed and did manage to get a car up the grade.
In short, I had low expectations of Lil Huffy, as I began to think of him. I got him to switch the yard, but to do so, he'd have to be able to pull at least 10 cars. At least, that is what I was thinking in my head.
If you count around the curve, you can just make out the cuppola of the Gorre and Daphitid cabbose, coming in at number 10.
Now I should point out two things here.
1) It's not the Gorre and Daphitid you're mistakenly thinking of. It's owned by the very real G&D Ranch which in turn is owned by Al Gorre and Ben Daphitid.
2) I couldn't test Lil Huffy with more than 10 cars, because that's all I have built.
Tomorrow will be the big test. That's right the devil's own railroad car is coming out. Because if God wanted a passenger car longer than 54 feet, he would have built it in someplace sensible like Johnstown.
I'm somewhat trepidatious. For laughs and giggles I tried rolling it on the 2.25 grade turn you see above Lil Huffy. It didn't like the 16.5 inch radius turn and kept popping of the rails.
Granted, there's no reason why a luxury passenger car would want to go up to logging camp, so the test was moot.
But tomorrow, we're going t see how he likes a level 19-inch radius turn.
Great progress Chip!
Thanks Dave.
I got a chance to put the 55 foot coaches behind a 2-6-0 and drag them around the track. They seemed to do okay but there was a hick-up in that the couplers on the passenger units were of varying heights and they had problems coupling, and they decoupled every time the engine hesitated for any reason.
Then it occured to me that I got those passenger cars since my last layout and I've never run them. More importantly, I've never installed Kaydees.
As luck would have it, once I was at show where someone was dumping their Kaydee inventory and selling them for rediculously cheap--Needless to say I have a bunch of different kinds of couplers, and mounting systems. As well as a bunch of magnets I'm not going to use.
If you happen to know which Kaydee goes on these MDC old-time 55' passenger cars, it would probably save me a bunch of time trying to find out. I have to fix them before I can continue testing the track for flaws.
https://www.kadee.com/hocc.htm
Every brand of locomotive and rolling stock they ever provided a suggested coupler for. One level up, you can pick the scale, if looking for something other than HO.
rrinkerEvery brand of locomotive and rolling stock they ever provided a suggested coupler for.
Perfect. Turns out it's just #5.
Turns out I just needed to replace 3 knuckle springs.
Talk about instant karma...
...just this morning I kidded Sheldon that I had the attention span of a knuckle spring.
Good Enough!
Every model railroader has a point where the work they're doing is good enough to move on. And it varies greatly. Some modelers may be content to staple some track to the floor, crack a Bud, and watch Jupiter chase his tail. For others, good enough might be taking a photo of their layout and taking a photo of the corresponding prototype, showing it to the Yard Master and the yard master guessing wrong 90% of the time.
I'm somewhere inbetween.
And I'm ready to be at the good enough point, so i can move on to something other than track work.
Today is the second day of trouble-shooting the recently installed main. I hooked up a 2-6-0 to three 50" passenger cars and started looking for problems to solve. Careful what you look for, is all I gotta say.
There have been two perplexing problems.
The first is that one of my 2-6-0s is picking an open-side point. At least I think that's what's happening. None of the other locomotives make so much as peep rolling through the turnout. The 2-6-0 makes a click like it ran into a rail wall.
Every piece of rolling stock goes through just fine.
I took out my HO gauge and measured the pilot. Perfect. I measured the rails. Perfect. The loco shouldn't be able to touch the point let alone jump over it and take the scenic route.
So when I got done trying to figure that one out, I switched to another 2-6-0 and dragged the 3 passenger cars on my journey.
All three cars jumped the rail in the middle of a turn, nowhere near a solder joint or rail joiner. I've been pulling those cars all morning with the other 2-6-0 working on the picking problem and they never came off once--going in either direction.
I watched the passenger cars and as they got near the jump point. They'd raise up the right front wheels and drop them outside the track. I looked for something that they ran over, but found nothing.
What I figured was happening is the truck, or rather the extension the coupler was mounted on, was hitting the chassis in the turn and that was pulling the far side up. What was wierd is this is the largest radius turn on the layout and the passenger cars were doing fine on the others.
So I figured there were two approaches I could take. I could change the track, or I could change the car. The coupler was designed to be constrained, but I easily could have taken out an eighth of an inch off the chassis and increased the coupler's range of motion greatly. Of course that increased the likelihood that the car bodies would bump corners.
Or I could change the track. ME flex track bends, but only a little at a time and once you get it where you want it, that's where it stays.
Atlas flex track bends but then bends back when you release it. This can be good when laying track because it seeks the easiest path to get where you want to go, and that easiest path includes the best natural easements.
So what I did was pull up all the track nails and let Atlas pick a better trail. The pliers show where they derailed.
And it worked. The passenger trains stopped hopping rails. I tested 5 times.
And they started derailing at the next turnout, something that they hadn't done before.
Anyway, I now have to move the roadbed under the track. I'm hoping the caulk will be forgiving.
Once I get the derails settled for everything that runs on the track, I'll start checking the hops. You know, when the wheel bounces but stays on the track.
Then hopefully, it will be good enough to lay the staging tracks and start testing them.
Did I tell you how much I like track WORK?
On my third day of track tuning the main--all 29 feet and 5 turnouts of it.
And...with a little filing and a little grinding, I've tuned the track so that all my engines and all my rolling stock can go backwards and forwards in both directions--except for SP 1600 (undecorated and pre-lettered) who will pick the opposite point about every tenth time.
The problem is the point is so sharp that it split between the top and bottom rails. If the loco hits it right, it takes the scenic route (into the scenery.)
I know what I have to do. I have to pull the turnout and build and install a new point. But I spent the afternoon telling myself that only one out of 10 times isn't bad.
But I'll do it first thing in the morning before the coffee kicks in and I can mount a plausible argument against it.
If it works and tests okay, I'll lay the roadbed for staging and the first third of the grade up the mountain--all of which are in a tunnel. Then I can scenic and cover the tunnel, and only then can I work on the exposed paers of the layout.
Tunnel stuff affects how the scenery lays out which affects the location of features such as bridges and tressles.
But I won't leave you high and dry today.
SP 1600 easily negociates the formerly dastardly Happy Curve, dragging a load of Liliputians from San Francisco to Rock Ridge, Eureka and whistle-stops in between.
Hi Chip. An interesting piece of modeling.
Regarding an engine always coming off the rail at a certain section?
I had one locomotive that would alwayderail on arriving at a turnout after a curve. Every other loco, carriage or truck was okay. I could find no answer.
Try a wider radius on the curve a colleague said. I doubted it, but made the curve a bigger radius anyway. Success. I do not know why, but who cares.
Happy modeling.
David
To the world you are someone. To someone you are the world
I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought
SpaceMouseI know what I have to do. I have to pull the turnout and build and install a new point.
Overmod SpaceMouse I know what I have to do. I have to pull the turnout and build and install a new point.
SpaceMouse I know what I have to do. I have to pull the turnout and build and install a new point.
NorthBritTry a wider radius on the curve a colleague said. I doubted it, but made the curve a bigger radius anyway. Success. I do not know why, but who cares.
The turnout (point) has another turnout in front of it off the turn, so it effectively on a straight.
But thanks for the suggestion.
SpaceMouseI know what I have to do. I have to pull the turnout and build and install a new point. But I spent the afternoon telling myself that only one out of 10 times isn't bad.
I have been there. After all that work I try to convince myself it "isn't that bad" and I can leave it.
Pulling it out and fixing it is the right thing to do.
You will never regret fixing it right.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Overmod SpaceMouse I know what I have to do. I have to pull the turnout and build and install a new point. Would soldering a small blob of hard solder to the damaged point and judiciously filing it not fix the issue without more drastic fabricating?
Would soldering a small blob of hard solder to the damaged point and judiciously filing it not fix the issue without more drastic fabricating?
To which side would you apply said blob? On the stock rail side - the point won't close fuilly. To the center - you will end up with a finely filed point of soft solder which will not withstand much use before deforming.
Replacement is the way to go. It theoretically could be done in place, with the help of some 3 point track gauges. Can't exactly drop it back in the assembly fixture, once the wood ties are in place to fill in between all the PCB ties used to located the rail. If it's the curved side, pre-bend it using the fixture. If it's the straight side, you lucked out.
RandyTo which side would you apply said blob? On the stock rail side - the point won't close fuilly. To the center - you will end up with a finely filed point of soft solder which will not withstand much use before deforming.
Luckily, the split was low near the bottom rail, so no filing of solder was needed near the top rail point. So far it is working. SP 1600 rolls through without so much as a hop.
BTW: It is the curved point.
Not saying it is the problem/solution, but here in the UK we avoid curved points. They cause modelers no end of challenges and are ditched within weeks of buying.
David Not saying it is the problem/solution, but here in the UK we avoid curved points. They cause modelers no end of challenges and are ditched within weeks of buying. David
We're having an across the pond linguistic anomaly.
What you call points, we call turnouts.
In the US, "points" are the two rails of the turnout that move. One is curved, the other is straight. I don't know what you call them.
SpaceMouseDavid What you call points, we call turnouts. In the US, "points" are the two rails of the turnout that move. One is curved, the other is straight. I don't know what you call them.
Ah! Sorry! I forgot.
Our Points = your turnouts
Our Point Blades = Your points.
I'll try not to forget.
NorthBritOur Point Blades = Your points.
Blades! That's right.
Of course, it doesn't help that for the last two days I chose life over layout. But sometimes there are things you gotta do because having food depends on it, and other things you gotta do because you couldn't figure a way out of it.
The thing is, what you expect to get done and what actually gets done are different. In fact, the difference is an order of magnitude.
Today I fixed what our Brit friends would call a curved blade. Then I installed the roadbed and sub-roadbed for the part of grade that will be in a tunnel.
That's it. What? You expected something more?
I did.
I thought I get the above done, and lay the cork sheeting in the staging yard and the classification yard, and get the foam installed in the town part of the layout.
It's like LOL out loud.
Here's a progress shot.
Coos Bay Lumber #1, and soon to be Rock Ridge Lumber #2, is anxiously waiting for a chance to show everyone what he can do.
Once the track is in place, old CB#1 is all I have to test the track. My Climax doesn't have a decoder. My Shay has problems with its sideframe assemblies. I haven't assembled any log cars yet, and the ore cars, I haven't even ordered. So the Heisler is it.
Turns out I layed 18 feet of sub-roadbed and roadbed. I predict it will clear the tunnel at about 15 feet. But I can't really tell until the top layer is in place.
Tomorrow, I'll keep on keeping on.
SpaceMouseTomorrow, I'll keep on keeping on.
Absolutely Chip!
So far you have done pretty good! Keep it up, and don't feel guilty if you take a couple of days off!
Believe it or not, I'm okay with not getting everything done at once. I do want everything done so I can run the layout the way it was meant to be run, but I don't mind too terribly much doing the work.