Free-moN: At Home & On The Road

MC Fujiwara Dec 3, 2012

  1. nscalestation

    nscalestation TrainBoard Supporter

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  2. MC Fujiwara

    MC Fujiwara TrainBoard Member

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    Should be a great show (the rain will drive 'em in!)

    Alrighty, to build the custom kinda-curved asymmetrical wye turnouts I coated the top of some reclaimed flex with black ink (not sharpie):

    [​IMG]

    Turned the flex over, lined up one route at a time, then pressed the rails down onto the cardstock to create the template:

    [​IMG]

    Sprayed with adhesive and then attached PC board ties:

    [​IMG]

    (There's two inches of straight at the start of all the insert tracks, and that's where the throwbar is, as well as the start of the curves in either direction)

    I prefer to build turnouts at my workbench, so first installed the stock rails:

    [​IMG]

    And then went back to visually check things were at least in the realm of okie-dokie-ness:

    [​IMG]

    I say "installed" but really I soldered the stock rails to only 3-5 PC board ties so I could adjust as I built.

    Frog and Points and Daaaaable-Check:

    [​IMG]

    Guard rails and throwbar and Tripppppppple-Check:

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    As the PC board ties are a wee bit thinner than the GapMasters and the Atlas plastic ties, I've found CA'ing 0.010 styrene under the ties brings everything up to level. Don't need a whole sheet, just a few strips under the sections of PC board ties.

    The great thing is to make the mirror-image turnout for the other side I can just repeat the ink-&-press-rails-on-paper trick with the turnout I just built.
    At least, theoretically.
    We'll find out today!

    Thanks for looking.
     
  3. RBrodzinsky

    RBrodzinsky November 18, 2022 Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter In Memoriam

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    Gaps! Get them in before you go too much further.
     
  4. MC Fujiwara

    MC Fujiwara TrainBoard Member

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    Gapping the PC board ties will happen after I build the other turnout so I can do them together.

    Iso cuts for the frog happen after I install the turnouts so no slight wiggle or shift closes the cut (Dedeco discs are really thin).
     
  5. MC Fujiwara

    MC Fujiwara TrainBoard Member

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    Installed the wye and slip switch (slightly carved out space around the switch so the lips sit flush):

    [​IMG]

    No need to wire up the wye slip switch as the PSX auto reverser will take care it, but I did install wire and cut a whole for the frog just in case we wanted to adjust later.

    Wiring up the frog while installing the turnouts and slip switch involves a little do-se-doe: wiring red & black wires to switch, solder green frog wire to turnout, install turnout, thread green back up to switch, wire green on switch, install switch.

    [​IMG]

    For the track crossing the section gap I installed two pairs of GapMasters using Gorilla Glue tacked with CA for quick hold:

    [​IMG]

    Then used the regular Dremel cutting disc to gap:

    [​IMG]

    Installed the flex and cut the iso gaps in the turnouts:

    [​IMG]

    Used music wire to hook up the slide switches and (my favorite job!) slid replacement ties under everything:

    [​IMG]

    My fancy masking job:

    [​IMG]

    Spray bomb!

    [​IMG]

    Really wanted to get some basic scenery on it, but it was late and I still needed to wire the who kit n' kaboodle up.

    Did I get it done before the show?
    Stay tuned to the next exciting episode of Free-moN: At Home And On the Road!

    [cont.]
     
  6. MC Fujiwara

    MC Fujiwara TrainBoard Member

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    Tah-dah!

    [​IMG]

    No scenery, but it works!
    Adds another foot to Effett Yard, too.

    The Toy & Model Train Expo http://www.trainexpo.org/ is in the huge Santa Clara Convention Center (free parking! yeah!).
    We have a largest layout yet!

    Nils resurrected the Bridge O' Wonder:

    [​IMG]

    Now silver, and repaired from the Deep Impact where the errant Flung Shoe took it out

    And made more progress on his industrial module with structures and LEDs:

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    He even cut a cool little periscope with mirrors to see into the freighthouse:

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Still needs to detail the interior, but a nifty idea to peak inside!

    Rick added a fun playground to the CalTrains module, including a small play train as well:

    [​IMG]

    Good layout setup with nice balance of passing sidings, industries, and scenes that flow from one to another:

    [​IMG]

    Tomorrow the show ends at 2, so we'll have a couple hours to actually run a private party and attempt to put some various ops options into play.
    Video shoot tomorrow morning!

    (If any TB dudes are at the show, please come up and introduce yourself! Even if we've met before: I'm terrible with names and faces :eek: )
     
  7. HemiAdda2d

    HemiAdda2d Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Love the periscope--helps a lot to see if you have the car/loco in far enough or too far.....
    You do great work. I love your turnout builds, you make it look so easy!
     
  8. MC Fujiwara

    MC Fujiwara TrainBoard Member

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    Thanks!
    And I'll pass on to Nils your kind words about the periscope.
    Now he really needs to detail the interior!
    Though he's already got the LEDs installed:

    [​IMG]

    Learned a lot about LEDs this weekend, so I'll probably try my hand at them sooner or later.

    I also finished editing and uploading the video of the layout at the show.
    I follow my "Reefer Madness" train down and back both legs of the layout, with shots on both sides.
    Largest layout we've had, I think, with a few new modules and lots of added details (check out the childrens' playground on Rick B's CalTrain Station module: there's even a play train!)

    [video=youtube_share;U9Zq1u7LpBI]http://youtu.be/U9Zq1u7LpBI[/video]

    Thanks for looking.
     
  9. James Norris

    James Norris TrainBoard Supporter

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    As awesome as ever, thanks for sharing.

    -James
     
  10. Ryan Wilkerson

    Ryan Wilkerson TrainBoard Member

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    MC,
    Thanks for putting together another layout video. Last night my sons went to your Youtube videos because we weren't able to attend the show due to Little League. We instead decided to put our efforts into building the second module. Track and wiring will be done this week.
    They were looking forward to your video and checked this morning before school. A few minutes ago they returned from school and the first thing said was "Did MC post THE video?!" They are now watching it in the living room on the TV :)

    The periscope is a great idea, the LEDs look nice too. The Bridge O Wonder looks good in silver. Sounds like there is a painful story there.
     
  11. dottney

    dottney TrainBoard Member

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    Marvelous video. The transitions from scene to scene were great. Excellent scenery. What locomotive is pulling the train?
    dave
     
  12. MC Fujiwara

    MC Fujiwara TrainBoard Member

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    As it took all morning to finish editing and uploading, I'm glad they didn't stay home from school staring at the screen while waiting :)

    That's a Bachmann 2-10-2 at the head of the Reefer Madness run.
    Awesome loco. Room for a sound decoder & speaker in the tender, too, though I haven't gotten around to installing it yet.
    Or swap out the enormous "Hulk Fist" couplers for Z's.
     
  13. Grey One

    Grey One TrainBoard Supporter

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    WOW - That is incredibly impressive. I sooooo have dreamed of a scene like the 'gorge'. Oh well, I'll be happy with what I can have. :)
     
  14. Grey One

    Grey One TrainBoard Supporter

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    Er, I mean, This one. Oh, all of them. This entire thread is just plain impressive.
     
  15. steamghost

    steamghost TrainBoard Member

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    Hey MC, are you guys running at the Coast Division meet in SF later this month?
     
  16. MC Fujiwara

    MC Fujiwara TrainBoard Member

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    Not that I know.

    Maybe a few of us might show up at the Coast Division meet in June at the amazing rock-wall atrium in the San Leandro Boy Scout headquarters, but otherwise probably not until the GTE show at Santa Clara County Fairgrounds in September.
     
  17. MC Fujiwara

    MC Fujiwara TrainBoard Member

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    Looks like we missed everything this year :(
    Until now!

    Very groovy show today!
    GTE at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, CA.
    Seems like we were just here yesteryear!
    Oh, wait, we were!


    Dust. Wind. Dude.


    Many fewer modules this round, and only one loop, so it was a point-to-loop (with a wye-to-point in the middle):


    [​IMG]

    The rest of the layout curved behind the camera from right to left, included the Shoofly, Mark's Town, Lockhart and the Staging Yard O' Necessity.

    Nils has made some nifty additions to his industrial module, which we placed off the center / locus Effett Yard.
    But nobody can see and appreciate his rockin' building & styrene work! or the little periscope to view the trackage inside the large industry!

    So tomorrow we will move it to the mainline and replace it at the wye with a simple tail extension:


    [​IMG]

    Recognize that?
    Me neither!
    It's two, 3' Ikea preformed shelves (I added the bracing, track and wiring) that can act as simple clamp-on tail tracks OR a 6' runaround that I made over 2 years ago and have NEVER used in operation until now!


    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    So the audience will enjoy a scene flowing from Steve's Lockhart, TX into Nils Industrial module:


    [​IMG]


    [​IMG]


    [that's Scott working the Industrial module: his fingers are so fast,
    he can rerail
    N scale
    with a fingernail.]

    and then the Staging Yard O' Necessity will be tucked back into the workspace.

    Here's Nils & David F. (railnerd) basking in the glow of both neon beer signage & Rick B's amazing Silicon Valley Cal Train Station module:


    [​IMG]

    So fun times for all!
    Hope to get some video footage tomorrow.
    Thanks for looking.
     
  18. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Was the reduced participation due to less space available for your group? Or something else?
     
  19. RBrodzinsky

    RBrodzinsky November 18, 2022 Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter In Memoriam

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    Just a couple of personal commitments for folks this weekend, and lack of sufficient transport space for their stuff. We also cover such a wide geographic area, when the conflicts became known, was difficult to even coordinate. We look forward to fuller participation at the next show.
     
  20. YoHo

    YoHo TrainBoard Supporter

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    On that note, I'll say that that setup is far better than what made it to IRF.

    Rick's Silicon Valley Cal Train Station was

    tthe only module of note that I saw. And it did look fabulous in person. But there was a lot of disappointment by members of our club. Silicon Valley FreemoN has a reputation and I've talked you guys up besides and what came was not as great as you guys do. Granted the available space was small and I'm sure Roseville is about as far as you travel, but it was still disappointing to me.

    I'm going to the IRF post fair meeting first week of Dec. I'll be interested to see what the committee felt. They held off the local On30 modular club for this and they'd been trying to get you guys out for a couple years now so it was a big deal to the organizers. Alas, having been a member of a modular club in the past. I know all the issues on that side as well, so I don't want to sound like I don't get the issues, but as a show organizer who knows that Sacramento has few N scale clubs...

    Also, from our point of view, this was the best attended IRF since prior to the recession and as I just said, Not a lot of support for N-scale up in Sac-Town. Our club is the only N scale club in the area I know of. So this was a show that could have used you guys in greater force is what I'm saying.
     

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