You'd get a YES vote from me. Layout room prep is just as much part of the overall process as things like laying track and scenery.
No doubt it does. There are some before and after photos on TB that are very inspirational. Might even inspire me to clean up this mess!
I took a break from working on the 4-4-0 to fix an area of my fathers layout which has been haunted from the beginning by the dreadful switch back. Rewind 10 years and you'll find a layout construction article by none other than... Mark Watson in MRR magazine. It was an N scale layout in a room the size of ours. Add in the name of the guy who first built it and we thought it was almost destiny. So my father and I chose published Mark Watson's design for the young Mark Watson's layout. Come back to present day and the young Mark Watson has gained considerable layout design knowledge. Had I been given the choice today, no way in hot places would I have chosen that design. Our goal was round running with operational interest. Ever since our layout was built, we've never "operated" other than turning trains on and letting them go. Why? Just too darned many impractical elements requiring too darned may excessive locomotive moves to get anywhere other than in circles on the main line. Today, a major flaw in the original plan was corrected. Here is a before shot of the industrial district. In the entire time I've operated this layout, I think only once have I switched a car to that back yard properly. In 10 years, we've never stored anything except equipment we no longer run (you cant tell because of the image quality, but that's our beloved Challenger sitting on track 4 right now. That damned MRC decoder has died..AGAIN. Now we have to send it in for the FOURTH time!). A 4 track yard instantly became a complete RIP track because of a single switch-back. Here is what I did today to give the yard new life. Now we can access all 4 tracks directly from the mainline without requiring extra locomotive moves. This will greatly increase our operational activity as well as increase the layout capacity for moving rolling stock. I encourage everyone to take a look at your own layout and see if you have any "RIP tracks" that could be given new life with a simple layout re-design.
Don't Make It So Complicated (If You Don't Have To!) We just had a big board meeting of the minds at our club for track design changes. One of the members wanted to add a double slip to the passenger area. After going over all operational possibilities for about 45 minutes, we decided to add a simple siding to "solve" the problem. No need to create complicated track work if you don't need it. Same kind of thing.
Good track update to get the layout running ' up to speed '. Is that the Arkansas & Missouri track plan on the table there ? If it is- I attempted to build that layout years ago. It had to be dismantled when I sold the house and bought the one I'm in now across the street.
Yep, that's the one. We gave it some special touches, such as a double main line and some more curvy track for the trains to snake through. But back then we had no resource like TrainBoard for us to have known better about the industrial districts. But nonetheless, ten years of round running has been just as fun.
I had to, and am doing a total re-do of trackage and design on my Dunton RR. (See the thread in NG to get pics and layout - though it has been modified.) So I am ripping up almost all the track, replacing the bedding with ply and homasote. I did not like the foam. As a reminder, the area is 8x24, On30. Learning as I go to check each section with ALL of my locos to look for any issues and it is paying off. I have a climax that derails if you blow on it on a curve. Actually my curves are a little tight for it, which is part of the reason to modify and increase the radii from 18 up to 22 minimum except for a few branches that will have real tight stuff where the climax will not be taken. I guess I should mention this is all hand laid code 83 rail. Jack
Finally have drawn up my layout plan... The left switch that goes up, is going to go up quickly -- i haven't drawn in the grades yet either, however -- the area where things cross, the track leading to the yard is about 2 inches high, and right after the cross opposite the yard its a 2% down to the passing track/switching area... Beyond the yard, right as it starts the full 180 curve it is a 1.5% down going to a 2% down on the back straight. The narrow area in the middle top is actually a book shelf, thus the reason that the track seems to almost go 'off' the bench work... its curving around it, and utilizing it to break up the scene a good bit. Any comments or questions i'm all ears -- it is actually unitrack, and the geometries actually seem to work -- min radius is 13+ Thanks!
I have been on a couple days off ( and a couple more to go ) so I have been into the basement quite a bit more - and my son has even helped me out after school. ( Suddenly he seems very interested in what I am doing..maybe he's growing up ) As I mentioned in my last official 'party' post..the ballasting went well but every little flaw sticks out in stark reality. What I thought was dead nuts straight, has its moments. So I got to work. Greened up around this building which is in it's early weathering stages from a year ago. My son took great pride in drilling the holes, planting the evergreens and parking the cars. Filled in the area between the fasia and mainline in this area with a newspaper/glue/water treatment. Tried to get a little contour going (which really isn't visible at this angle).
And to finish this bit of progress off.. As you can see, it is slowly coming together and taking shape. Unfortunately I am shooting my photos under flourescent lights so the photos get a little washed out as I don't like using a flash. All in all - I think I have accomplished more so far this year than I did all last year. My layout is almost 1/3 "completed...
GGNM Update #2 On New Year's Eve, I managed to score some free components for the GGNM, heavy steel conveyor belt supports that will provide a sturdy base, and I've modified the design to take advantage of them. I've completed all of the basic benchwork, and am pausing while the design of the bridge percolates in my mind. I hope to get back to it this weekend, although there's another pair of projects in the ol' workshop that may take priority.
More progress on the 4-4-0. New pistons! The old part was a plastic thing that held the pilot truck and showed off as the pistons. I decided to re-build this part as well. I made the new piece out of brass plate and tubing. The new pistons are slightly larger than the plastic version which as you can see are too small to support the back and forth distance the drive rods move. Best of all, like the new nose, this brass piece adds weight. You can also see I attached the new handrail to this side as well as those two rods from boiler nose to frame.
The backdrops come from a company called 'Sceniking' here in Ontario Canada. http://www.sceniking.com/ The background I purchased made a scene 8" tall and 110" long and (with tax ) was about $30 CDN. It fit into the all around scheme of things. I'm sure I could have taken photos etc myself, but I am not that computer savvy to actually produce the end result. The illusion of something bigger is what I am looking at. The actual model buildings on the layout give it the 3D feel. Having this layout well on it's way to further completion gets me ready for the larger layout waiting in the recess of my cranium.
Another good week of progress from everyone! For myself, I haven't had much time this last week to devote to trains (or anything), I'm going through rough times with my girlfriend. So this stuff was done last weekend, just now getting it posted. I hope to have some free time on Saturday morning to get the 2nd tunnel's liners installed and get the track in the tunnel ballasted. And if I'm fast, I'll get the rest of the cardboard strips put in on the hill and covered with tape. Then its on to the plaster! Mike
Real Progress -- Running Trains! I temporarily installed my kitbashed bridge today, enabling me to run trains continuously on the main line of my Cheshire Rail layout for the first time. It's certainly a nice psychological boost to see trains running! Here's a poor video of the first run. [nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUMbrXQPwP0"]YouTube- Broadcast Yourself.[/nomedia] And here are a couple photos of the bridge. The bridge will have supports under the spans when it is permanently installed, but it's strong enough to carry a train without them. I have made it fairly easy to remove when I want to work on the layout, but for now, it's fun to see trains crossing it, even if all of the surrounding scenery is pink and blue. - Jeff
Spent a few hours cutting the baseboards and laying out a track configuration for Coon Rapids on the layout yesterday... View to 'west', to Bayard at bottom and curves to left and on to Templeton at top View in opposite direction and the schematic (options in red) The feed mill is a large structure, possibly too large!
I agree - progress is good ! Gats; I think the feed mill that size will still work. It is large but it forces the viewer to look around the mill structure to the cannery behind from different angles rather than straight on. The mills location is well thought out that it doesn't impede any switches, but uncoupling cars may be an issue at the cannery.Depending on the reach around the mill. Jdetray - Good to see trains running again. What kind of bridge supports are you contemplating ? Is there enough room to squeeze something between the mainlines on an angle parallel to the track ?. Pastoolio - "The hills are alive" - great job !
N-Scale Bridge My current plan is to use supports that go across the tracks, rather than parallel to them. The following photos show what I've done so far. Nothing is permanent yet. Now that I look at them in photos, the supports may not be prototypically robust enough. Maybe I should use larger cross section H-beams and I-beams so that they will appear as if they could actually support the bridge. What do you think? I'm also looking for ideas of how to simulate the concrete footings for the supports. What's a good modeling material for that? - Jeff
