LAYOUT PARTY 2023-2024 Sixteenth Annual International Winter Layout Party

So will you build ALL the bench work at once? And NOT a walk around the Room, but walk around part of the basement as you can run trains in the middle? Can't wait to see the build, hope it is soon

 

Great questions-1) Yes, because benchwork is my least favorite part of the hobby. I don’t hate it-just like literally every other piece more. I’ve already got two HCDs up on the walls (at a lower height!) from a few months ago, but I paused to re-work the track plan. But I think the next step will be to install the remaining shelves/adjust the old ones and make sure I’m happy with the new height. Hopefully that’s next weekend. Then the following weekend build the big peninsula.

2) Yes-the left, top, and right sides are along the walls. The center, 48” at its widest will have access to both sides. The entryway is along the left side about two feet down from the stub end yard, so I can’t go further without risking collision at the corner. Later on, when my kids are grown and don’t need basement space down there, I could extend further towards the bottom of the diagram quite aways, but at this point I don’t know exactly how much space I will get eventually without crowding my wife and the rest of the room and furniture. At a minimum I think I could get a few 8-10’ staging tracks, more scenery (would like to do more open space), and/or enough space for a helix to bring trains down to a staging level. But that’s a project to figure out years from now.


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After paint, comes matte Modge Podge mixed with water and more paint, all to bind down the grout:





Next up - ground foam and static grass, along with gravel on the side of the building and a ton of detailing. And trees. Can't have a place called "Wizard in the Woods" with no trees.

 

It's only been a couple of days since my last update but I've been getting more done so here we go.

Added some striping to the road using some Builders In Scale tape products. A friend had given me a box of engine service accessories including a tall brass fuel tank. I've been working on the base for this tank and planning the arrangement of fuel stands and sanding towers.




With the back part at this end of the layout about done I have started on the propane dealer that will be in the foreground. Started by cutting out a base from .040 sheet styrene and arranging how the various parts from the Walthers Central Gas & Supply kit. Using the base as a guide, I made borders around it from .040 x .060 strips. These were attached to the layout with E6000 adhesive. The scenery will later be built up around the border.






The work on the propane dealer scene itself can be done at the work bench. I've done a lot of my buildings this way with great results. On a home layout the scene can be just set into the spot when finished, held down with magnets if need be. On a module I include some method of bolting the scene in place.

 

Retaining Walls...
Needed two retaining walls to use at one end of the coal mine's maintenance building so went to work with Fusion 360 ….........



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Love Fusion 360 and feel very lucky that they let us non-commercial people use it free.




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I won't glue the walls to the building until they are painted and the building is painted and weathered. There are also chutes and other buildings that are over the track that haven't been attached yet to the main complex that are printed but not painted and weather yet. I'll leave the maintenance building to the left and the main complex to the right above separate to get to the tracks easier if needed. They fit well together without gluing them and both lift off easily.



The retaining walls were printed with an AnyCubic M3 but I could of printed them with the Ender 3 which was used for the buildings and roofs.

At this point I'll take a day or two off from the foam work and work on designing and printing some very low and short bridges to be used where creeks and dry washes go under the tracks in this area of the layout by the mine and on the nearby mainline.

A link to this whole build ( HERE ).

Sumner

 

That looks GREAT!

Gary

 

Hello everyone,

There has been some progress on the GD&R.

I decided to put a park in this area.


As of this morning, I'm not finished with the area. I have a few things on order and the workbench.



Gary

 

Dave, thanks for the photos. Your roads look great. Card stock and foam core work well.

 

So I am changing my Layout Party from building the EveModels ( just not in the mood, although I am building plastic models ), to installing my shelves, adjusting the lighting, and just general layout stuff when I feel like it. Getting ready to install the last two shelves tonight. At least I am enjoying doing this



Last two to install!

 

Continuing on the Propane dealer. Have the base painted a light gray, this will be covered with N scale ballast to simulate the gravel at the prototype. Some details have been added to the tanks and I am still working with the pipe layout. A magnet is going to be inside of the small pump house that will help hold down this scene to the flat head screw that has been installed in the deck. Some Gold Medal Models chain link fence has been ordered that will secure the perimeter of this facility.



I had used the large office / storage building from this kit for the SP operations office during last year's party. There was no room in this spot for it and the prototype actually has a modular trailer type structure for an office so I am scratch building one to resemble what I am seeing in a street view photo. Right now it's all white styrene, it should look better when painted. This is going to be on its own .040 thick base to the right of the base with the tanks and pump buildings.

 

Done with the shelves except hiding the lighting cables, which I will take care of very soon. Man, this worked out so well, and I love it Glad I went with 5 instead of 10, and the Lionel sign fits perfectly in that spot between the two shelves. Just added random train items to see how it would look. Me likes it a lot. And have to erase the pencil lines I'll post a picture with the layout back in place later.

 

The propane dealer scene is coming together nice Brad. That trailer/office you are adding is going to make a great addition to that kit.

Those shelves did turn out great in2tech! Nice work!

All your roads and crossing are really nice Dave. What did you use for the guard rails? Is that a kit item or scratch built?

 

Picking up where I last left off here with the removal of the fascia on one side(Did post some of this in my N scale layout thread), we have made a bit of progress.

Got section 1 of the new fascia attached and started adding the accessories.


A closer look at the cup holder, throttle pocket, Digitrax UP7 panel and some Kato switch controllers. There will be a raised panel that goes below those that will be removable. It serves to give extra support, make wire access easy, and I think it will add to the overall look


Dave asked many post back about why the replacement and the thicker than normal fascia material. Well, I could blame it on a lot of things but basically the reality was bad planning for attach points on my part when building the layout. It really didn't take long for the thin material to sag and bow. It's a climate controlled lower humidity environment yet its almost like it swelled. It did this under it's own weight. Unlike the new design, there were no accessories mounted in this area yet here how it looked a few weeks ago.


Now look at this! Can you guess how much this helped my borderline OCD


I installed the new switch holders


And a closer look with the first switch installed. While I didn't do them exactly the same, the concept and inspiration came from what Michael H. did on his HO RGW layout to recess his switches (Its a great layout and you should check out his HO thread on it if you haven't already).


I did make more progress on wiring the switches in but guess I didn't take a pic of that yet so moving on to the other side of the layout. This is where I was when the layout party started on the front of the layout. As you can see, at that time, this is where all the controls were. With all the changes, things will be/are more split between front and back.


The front side will still be a little more crowded since the power pack and DCC command station will remain on this side but as of yesterday, that section of fascia has been un wired and removed! It also had a bow but not as bad as the other side.


Getting this section replaced will be a big milestone as the ends will be super easy compared to the rest.

I got the Digitrax notebook done and redid the NSE book as well.


Then I made these temporary panels to go on the fascia until at some point down the road, I decide what I really want for the track diagrams. Have ideas but a long way from actioning.


That's all the news since last Friday. It's Saturday morning but today won't see any layout time but hopefully tomorrow will be a good layout workday and next weeks update will continue to show progress.

 

Good morning everyone!!!!

Snowy, windy and cold here in Lester, Ohio this morning -- thankfully im INSIDE!

Ive had a number of projects on the burners this week, which is ok, Class work for my computer science class that I am taking, Programming work, building a Linux server, Working on a couple of Architectural Visualization projects in Blender, etc etc, etc. However, the good news is I was able to carve out some time to work on my layout as well. This week it was mostly working on car liveries. the way that the system works is that you create a master car, and then you can create multiple liveries for it. the liveries themselves are not real hard after you get the first one done, and in a lot of cases, its just adapting a livery that someone else has made, in my case, just adding the big numbers so I can see them (stupid old eyes)

I edit each livery file (which is a png) in gimp to add the numbers, and then save it, over in Rolling line, it gets applied to the model, stashed in a drawer, and then finally entered into JMRI


These 86 foot box cars are shown with an open door, thats controllable on the layout, so when running, they will be properly closed

 

Bridges/Culverts & Roadbed...

Been working with Fusion 360 to design some bridges and culverts that can be used where tracks cross small streams or in my case a dry wash, which are numerous in the west.



I see a lot of short girder bridges across dry washes here in Utah. Hard to see but the resin printer was able to print the rivets on the bridge also.



The bridge is wide enough plus just a bit to place cork roadbed on it and ballast it. If you already have the road bed in place there are also print files where the bridge can be printed as two sides. Then dig out under the roadbed a ways from each side and insert them as is shown with one of the culverts below.



Since concrete culverts are also numerous in the west I designed two sizes to use (10 ft and 13 ft wide at the mouth (13 ft above).



I marked where the foam needed to be dug out and ...



….. cut it out with an X-Acto knife and a hot wire foam knife.



I haven't added water to the paver sand at this point to set it up (it has its own adhesive) as the culvert still needs to be painted. The other culvert on the far side will be installed the same way. Having only one side of the culvert printed allows you to use culverts with different retaining wall angles on each side and to also cross one or multiple tracks.



In the area above I'll probably use the 10 foot wide culverts. Three different options for each size can be printed. One has both the retaining walls at the same angle and the other two angle the retaining walls off to either the left or the right depending on the direction the waterway approaches the culvert or leaves it.



I'll also put up bridge files for a single span and two span girder bridge along with only one side of the single and double span girder. Use the single sides if you want to install under existing roadbed or if there is more than one track.



Spent a little time and added roadbed to the upper level above. One track coming off the bridge (left) proceeds through the tunnel to the left and around the other side of the backdrop where there will be a sawmill. Past the sawmill the track will come back through the tunnel to the right and back to the bridge and cross it and after crossing leave the first track and go to the far side of the layout. So some imagination is needed to see that the high bridge is actually two separate bridges with one being further along the main.



The scene above will also represent a summit with a siding where helper engines could be left for the next train going down if that is the case.

Next a rasp will be used to flatten the cork and knock down the shoulders. Then Spackle will be applied and the roadbed sanded (will take about 30-45 minutes to do that). More on using the rasp and spackling ( HERE ). Then I'll add the rock and other landscape main features in front of and behind the track to the backdrop.

I will post a link to the print files when they are up.

A link to this whole build ( HERE ).

Sumner

 

Layout back in it's place. I can't believe how much of a difference this makes for my layout with the lighting and shelves Already have future plans of work to do, now that I can actually SEE This turned out way better then my original idea in my head. Don't you love it, when ideas actually work out? Now I can just grab a locomotive off the shelf I want to run, with out having to look through drawers to find which one I want. Of course I only have a few to choose from but I like it that way.