Red Rock Northern HO scale layout

jasonboche Mar 3, 2016

  1. jasonboche

    jasonboche TrainBoard Member

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    Elevation changes in Granite Creek permanently in place with risers. I placed some temporary track and cars to highlight the 3% grade and hidden staging along the backdrop. Coming down the grade will be 90' and 70' through girder bridges. The subroadbed spans will eventually be cut out. I've never worked with bridges or elevations before so I'm moving pretty cautiously with all my measurements and cuts.


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  2. jasonboche

    jasonboche TrainBoard Member

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    The subroadbed mainline at 4" elevation through Summit is in. A few centerflow hoppers sit on the track showing the tight clearance below. During planning I already knew my tallest car, a high cube box car, wouldn't make it through. Trade offs. The original track plan called for even tighter clearance with the layout limited to early era rolling stock but that I refuse so I raised the upper level by 1/2" so my more modern cars could squeeze through plus I'm also using 3/4" 7 ply subroadbed which chews into my clearance.


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  3. jasonboche

    jasonboche TrainBoard Member

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    I did some soldering of feeders tonight so that I can permanently attach the upper mainline to the layout and the wall tomorrow.

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    I got another leg of the upper mainline subroadbed cut to size and up on risers. Once I get to soldering the feeders below it, it will be permanently attached to the layout and wall. The Masonite mock up demonstrates how the original author of the track plan allows access to the hidden staging behind it. The Masonite will look like a retaining wall of some sort with bricks or rocks or lumber attached to the front side. It merely leans up against the subroadbed above it so that it can be pulled away to get access to the hidden staging of needed.

    I'd characterize progress as steady but slow. I may get some roadbed down around the mainline but I won't have the double loop mainline operational for another week or two. I've got to get some feeder wiring installed while I have access to the track. Every section of track gets feeders including 2 pair for each turnout so it takes a while. Haste during this process could lead to shorts or poor and obvious appearance since of feeders after painting and ballasting of track.


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  4. jasonboche

    jasonboche TrainBoard Member

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    Power test

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  5. jasonboche

    jasonboche TrainBoard Member

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    Minor setback but not a big deal. I didn't gap the rail joints when I built the yard and it was bothering me. A lot easier to fix now than later when ballast is in. So I tore it out and filled some torn up plywood with spakel. The DAP caulk dries very hard after time so I couldn't pry up the track without destroying it. It even pulled up some of the plywood when I tore it out.

    It's too bad both Atlas flex rail don't slide like they used to or this would have been a 10 minute fix.


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  6. RGW

    RGW TrainBoard Member

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    Just curious, but wouldn't you have been able to just cut gaps with a razor saw or Dremel cutting disk and left everything in place?
     
  7. jhn_plsn

    jhn_plsn TrainBoard Supporter

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    I have not seen the entire thread so I may be a bit misinformed.

    The last photo shows all the turnouts and the controls along the edge of the layout. I have to give you some huge kudos for that. I hope this helps keep the uncoupling close to the front edge which will help keep those reaching hands and arms from damaging any structures or scenery.

    Also, it is implied that your daughter seems to be on the same page as you on how the layout should operate.
     
  8. jasonboche

    jasonboche TrainBoard Member

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    I did think about that but if I make the cuts where the rail joiners are, I'd have to cut through the rail joiners. Are you proposing I could have cut the rail somewhere else. I wouldn't be able to fit a rail joiner in the spot where I cut. My concern was lateral rail movement where the cut is with no rail joiner. Do you think that is a non issue? Don't worry about telling me I wasted my time and track. I more than enough track to finish the layout. I can use this knowledge going forward.

    I didn't design it like that for that reason so I can't take too much credit. I'm glad to hear some positive reinforcement that something on my layout looks right. :) My kids love going into the train room and throwing those turnouts. They will probably be worn out before my layout is operational :) At a minimum before I start running trains in the yard, I have to check the status of all the turnouts because more than likely the kids have been in the train room and them all thrown in a nonsensical manner. :)

    While both kids aren't quite as engaged in the layout as I am at all times, I'm glad they take a fairly high level of interest in it. That was part of the goal of this layout - to involve my kids and spend some time with them in a unique way. Sometimes they like coming down to the club with me and operating on our large HO scale layout.
     
  9. RGW

    RGW TrainBoard Member

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    We've cut gaps in the RGW several times, if you're worried about rail movement you can place styrene strip in the gap with CA glue and file to rail profile.
     
  10. jasonboche

    jasonboche TrainBoard Member

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    The gaps are for rail expansion, not electrical isolation. Maybe I'm misunderstanding your solution but wouldn't putting styrene in the gaps defeat the purpose of rail expansion gaps?
     
  11. RGW

    RGW TrainBoard Member

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    Interesting, I have over 1600 lin feet of mainline and have never experienced any rail expansion issues with atlas track. Have you had a problem with this on another layout?
     
  12. jasonboche

    jasonboche TrainBoard Member

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    I think it's more my own paranoia than anything. I wouldn't say I've had large problems with it. On my previous layout in a different house I would occasionally see a few kinks develop here and there during the midwest season/humidity swings but I ran a dehumidifier 24x7 through the summer to try to keep it under control. I also paint my benchwork to help provide some humidity seal.
     
  13. jhn_plsn

    jhn_plsn TrainBoard Supporter

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    My garage layout seemed to have a new expansion related track issue for the first five years. I simply cut additional expansion gaps. I also found my turnouts were being squeezed by this expansion so even more gaps were added. Besides some yard trackage everything was Peco code 80 and the out of gage issue in turnouts went away with the added gaps. That said I found it difficult to find many of these gaps many years later so I strike it up as me not allowing enough originally.

    My next garage layout gets painted or sealed benchwork.

    It seems temperature and humidity is just bad news for trackwork. I have some modules built with foam bases and wooden frames that seem to suffer expansion issues. Turnouts that were flawless have become tight on the gage and need to be corrected.

    It's just part of the maintenance in my opinion. Makes me rethink my dream layout.
     
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  14. jasonboche

    jasonboche TrainBoard Member

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    I put the yard back in yesterday and wired it tonight.


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  15. James Fitch

    James Fitch TrainBoard Member

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    I sure did. I lived in Bloomington Indiana while I was in graduate school and built a 16x19' hollow L shaped layout in my garage. It was all Atlas code 100 and boy did I have expansion contraction issues. In the winter the track, pulled apart and I had soldered all the joints - but many up them broke and pulled apart. You could see the tension where it had stretched between each of the track nails - I used Atlas track nails to secure it down. In summer it expanded.

    There was a lot of environmental swings in that garage - high humidity and high heat in the summer and frigid cold and very dry air in the winter. My current layout is built in a basement in northern Virginia and it's much more environmentally controlled - dehumidifier running all summer to keep humidity down to about 50% and temp varies much less from about 60 to 75 (rather than below freezing to 95 like in the garage). I haven't noticed any expansion contraction problems in the basement so far - construction is the same, 1/2 inch OSB sub road bed, painted half inch homasote or cork for roadbed.
     
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  16. PRRFAN

    PRRFAN TrainBoard Member

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    Hello Jim

    I'm a late comer to this thread and I hope my comments aren’t out of place. Your comments about a layout in a garage are of interest to me. I’ve just finished building a small layout room in the back of my garage here in upstate NY.


    I’ve been told that heating and allow the room to cool when not in use, can cause moisture problems. Did you experience this? Thx.


    Carl
     
  17. jasonboche

    jasonboche TrainBoard Member

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    The first of two subroadbed spans for the duck under is permanently in with splice plates and risers on each side. I can now lay roadbed and track across the first span. This will allow me to pull trains out of the yard finally while climbing the ruling grade and making the first of two laps around the twice around mainline.

    The remaining span is seen in the picture but not cut out yet to be installed. I must first plan the last bit of mainline where it will meet. It's a series of curves along with an eventual trestle so I must plan perfectly for the track ends to meet without kinking a curve.

    Back to the duck under. Yeah I know. It's a duck under for now so I can make progress. I'm still relatively young so I can handle it. I plan to convert it to a lift out later on. I think there's too much going on in that span to make a drop down or swing out.

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  18. jasonboche

    jasonboche TrainBoard Member

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    In the last week I've gotten roadbed and track laid around the perimeter of the train room to support the elevated mainline loop.

    I've also started thinking about industries that I can fit in. As an example I've placed a mine and some uncovered hoppers in one spot. The focus of this layout is mainly operations with car cards and waybills. I plan on interchange with fictional railroads as well as my club layout served by hidden staging.


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  19. jasonboche

    jasonboche TrainBoard Member

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    Hey.... Red Rock Northern model railroad update 6-27-17. Made some progress. Recorded with my iPhone so quality is not the best.

     
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  20. jasonboche

    jasonboche TrainBoard Member

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    My children are working on the backdrop today. Lots getting done lately. Maybe more of an update tonight.

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