My buddy and I have built a 14' by 18' double track loop on his screened in back porch to use more or less as a test track. It was built somewhat modular in expectation of moving it someday. To keep from impeding access, it is on boards on the floor with steps over it. Wood screwed together with two coats of exterior paint for sealing. Been there two years now with no problems from warpage or expansion/contraction. Dirty rail has been the worst problem but the getting up and down at our ages is getting more difficult. We have the idea of moving it out into the yard on posts about 4' high. This we think would largely eliminate the physical strain of cleaning track and putting equipment on the rails. He has a 10'X12' shed out there which could house a storage yard and the power supply. Figure on connecting a spur through a wall with a mailbox size door. Plan on covering the track with roof guttering on the tangents and flexible drain tubing split lenghtways on the curves. Also thinking of taking a Proto2000 E-unit and rigging it for battery power to haul a rail cleaning car. I figure a couple of gondolas full of rechargable 9V cells in parallel would be about right. We have already in place such precautions as having full lenght buss wires soldered to every section of rail. Is there anyone with experience in such an undertaking that would like to add suggestions from their own operations? Obviously scenery will be minimal to non-existant, so it's constructional durability in which we are most interested. Thanks, Chuck
Chuck, I have heard of this being done several years ago. We need to know a little more about your layout so we don't stear you into extra work though. You mention a mail box sized door, that would clear a G size train or any smaller size. You mention a Proto 2000 engine. That could be HO or N, I don't know if they make a G size or not. 0-27 Lionel three rail works on 18 volts. You mention hooking up several nine volt batteries in series, so that would be in multiples of nine volts. Like 9,18,27 etc. volts. Ho and N would run on 9 volts, but would burn out on 18 volts. We need to know about weather too. Sheltered in under the roof of the back porch, is far better than out in the hot sun and in winter when ice forms. Salt spray is really bad. Tell us what gauge trains you have had the two year success with, what part of the country (assuming U.S.A.) you are in, near sea shore, desert, swamp, etc. At least plan on having a tarp to cover the rails with outside. I'll tell you more when we know more. Others will also have advice. "At your age, you say", do you feel it will be easier to duck under, or step over the layout? Now that I'm 70 I find either one is not too easy. Talk to us Chuck, we'll help if we can. ------------------ Watash
Thanks for the reply. We run HO, although I suppose other small scales would face similar problems. As mentioned, we plan on covering the tracks when not in use; guttering for the tangents and flexible drain pipe on curves. We have 48" to 54" in mind as a good height to make track maintenance and re-railing fairly easy. I was wanting a bit higher but my friend isn't six foot tall like I am. The loco I mentioned modifying for battery power is intended just for pulling a track cleaning car. I just figured that we didn't need full speed for this service and that nine volts would be enough. The P2K E-units have excellect tractive effort, and with the diode board bypassed, would have plenty of speed at 9V. I don't have a voltmeter on our power supply, but we seldom run full throttle. Every operating session starts with track cleaning, so simplifying this is a priority. We are located in coastal North Carolina, so our winters are mild by northern standards. Frequent cold snaps with below freezing temps, but seldom any deep freezes likely to cause frost heaves. Hurricanes are likely. We are unsettled on how to hold the track covers in place. I favor something like bungee cords across them although I know the sun will ruin them quickly. My friend favors putting a threaded stud between the two tracks to hold the covers down with a wing nut. This I can see has advantages, but will require a hole in the gutter that could leak rainwater, not to mention snagging sleeves. Somewhere there is some idea better than either. For the tangents, a hinged cover something like a piano keyboard might work. Have no idea how to do that for the curves. The curves are 36" radius on the outside centerline, with a 12" easement each way of the tangent point. On the outside of the shed, he suggested something like a covered bridge to shelter the passageway, with a drop hatch inside to secure the opening. Any improvement ideas yet? Thanks again, Chuck
OK Chuck. The outside layout I knew about, they started out like you describe, setting things over the rails. They even tried using duct tape to seal joints. Then they went to a tarp. High wind blew it off, blew it up and pulled nails out of the posts, then ripped it into several pieces. They finally made a light weight flat roof with tar paper, and asphalt shingles that fit out over the layout edges all around. It was hinged to the side of their garage. A boat winch was mounted to a corner of the garage and ropes and pulleys were run to the corners of this roof, so it could be raised when they wanted to operate. They made the two end pieces three feet longer to reach from the edge of the layout to the garage, which gave them three feet between the garage and layout. The sides of this roof were made from aluminum and hung down below the layout's bottom, to insure that water would drop off on the ground. They had two 2x4's with track that lead into the garage that they put a piece of folded aluminum down over. Holes were punched along both edges at each end and long aluminum gutter nails were stuck through. Since these nails were below the 2x4, the wind couldn't blow them off, and again, rain dropped off below the 2x4's. The track cleaning car sounds like a winner to me. It can clean track while no power is on the track. Good idea. Can you set turnouts so the cleaner can go round and get most of the track? You get the thin aluminum at a place that sells siding for houses, and comes in rolls about 24" wide. One side is already painted, so looks good. You can form it over a 2x4 by hammering with a block to prevent dents, then punch or drill holes and pop-rivet it together. You can use thin walled electrical conduit for frameing structure, and pop-rivet to it also. Remember to set the garage side about 8 to 12" higher than the outer edge, so water will drain off. If you use the sheet aluminum, start from the outer edge, drape it over the sides, fastening to the conduit frames as you work back toward the garage uphill. Over lap each sheet so water will run off of one down onto the next lower sheet. No leaks that way, and don't have to shingle it. It is light so use snap hooks, (Suit case latches) to hold it down for high wind. Can get these at hardware store. Now all you need is some easy chairs, engineer's caps, and an old Hamilton pocket watch! Ha. I still have mine, 1927! You could have room under the roof for some houses if you plan ahead, and want such things. Maybe that will help give you some thoughts, or get you started. I suggest pushing the cleaner car, the engine wheels stay clean for good operation too. ------------------ Watash [This message has been edited by watash (edited 17 October 2000).]
Chuck, here is an end view of how the framework would look, and how the cable and pulleys would be arranged to wind up on the boat winch. If you need help e-mail me off line, and I can mail you a drawing set to scale. ------------------ Watash [This message has been edited by watash (edited 19 October 2000).]
Hi, I discussed your suggestion with my friend. He was real adverse to shading the grass in the center of the layout. Said he didn't want a big bare spot under it. I suggested putting pine straw mulch a couple of feet wide under the layout to make a soft spot for accidents to land. He was agreeable to that, but liked the idea of putting a low retainer fence along the track even better. Not that we've ever had a spill-off of equipment, but know it could happen someday. Thanks for the input, you help create ideas for us to discuss. Regards, Chuck
Chuck, maybe you would consider hinging a gutter shaped cover along the sides, where it would open back and catch any thing before it went to the grass. If your layout is like a rectangular donut, you could fold two along the sides inside, and the two along the ends outside. That way, the shade would be no more than the width of the boards your track is now on. Fold the inside one up first to close, then fold the ends over and make them over lap the side ones for rain and snow. Still use a latch to prevent wind from blowing them up. Lots of ways to skin this cat. You could even have all four covers fold outboard and hang down out of the way. ------------------ Watash [This message has been edited by watash (edited 21 October 2000).]
Chuck, the frame (end view) shown above, is only the supporting 'arm' that is hinged to the side of your shed. As shown, it allows three feet clearence between the shed and layout, when the cover is raised. You would want to have a hook or latch on each end to support it when raised. Give it some thought, and the same latch might be used when it is down, to prevent wind from blowing it up. Visualize it down. If you cover the tracks with an 'upside down' gutter all around, but mounted to this frame, then it is always there, wont blow away, and gives no more shadow than the track boards do, so far as hurting the grass. See? No bungee cords. The nylon rope will last a couple of years or so, or could even be aircraft (steel) cable, this cover isn't heavy, just bulky. ------------------ Watash
