Having two layouts certainly helps. I have a 7' by 7' room ready for a N scale layout. But for the life of me I can't decide on a track plan. So, tonight, after 2 hours of drawing, I laid some road on my 4' by 8' HO Woodland Scenic layout. If nothing else, it's great practice and this layout has been great for learning & experimenting.
It's been two days since I started on the new layout. The older benchwork was comprised of 1.5x5 foot modules,each on legs. I'm going to remove the legs and mount them to the walls. The walls have strips of 1x3's spaced one foot apart. Two of the walls have the lower deck attached so far. I changed the plan from "around the room" with a duckunder to a "G" shaped layout (no duckunder) because with the original plan (one level), the benchwork was high so ducking under was no big deal. Now since I had to lower the bottom deck, ducking under would be a pain in the......well you get the point. I'll try to make sense on the track plan here, the tracks will start from the staging yard and enter a yard(lower deck). The other end of the yard is a town with 3-4 industries. Then the tracks follow around the room and enters the "nolix"(mountain) which is at the end of the "G", a kind of a peninsula. On the top level the tracks follow around the room the opposite direction of the lower level(going to "end" above the lower deck yard. Hidden behind that part of the layout is a closet area and there will be either a regular helix doubled up as a staging yard or have reverse loops at both levels The top level will be mainly rural but will have a paper mill,plastic pellet facility. and a coal mine. I may add a steel mill on the lower deck(which is mostly urban) for a place for the coal trains to deliver coal to. The town on the lower deck will have a printing company to accept paper rolls from the paper mill and a bottleing company for the pellets from covered hoppers. The other industries is still up in the air for now. Anyways, I have 2 weeks off for vacation so maybe I'll make some good progress.
OK, my local train pusher had my four turnouts in stock today so I'll be able to go forward with my previously stated plans!
Well it's the end of week #2 for me and progress has been made. I have completed rebuilding the basement steps adding new treads, risers and skirt boards which are are glued and screwed together. I have framed out and sheetrocked the stairwell walls as well as a partition wall for my water filter and electrical service box. Just today, I was able to get the first coat of spackle on. Perhaps I will be ready for paint by the end of next week. In retrospect, all of this should have been done before I started construction of my layout. What a mess of the basement I am making. I'll have allot of clean-up to do before I can get to start back on working on the layout. It's amazing how the addition of a few walls really closes up an otherwise wide open basement. [ 29. September 2002, 19:28: Message edited by: zuckie ]
Well my entire progress for this week has been to almost take a roll of film with a few progress photos from a month ago in to be developed but I didn't even do that. Several of my other interests have been keeping me busy. Hopefully I'll feel more into it in the coming week.
Now has no #1 week passed, and I have been occupied with laying road surface in the Cold Spring area and adding a few new lamps in buildings (actually yellow LEDs driven by 9 volts through 330 Ohms resistors). I have also made 11 street light poles from kits. Last night I have sorted out about 30 pictures taken a while ago, and intend to extend my Gallery 1 with a second page at my web site. So far so good
Well, I didn't hit my stretch goal of ballasting but I did finish laying all the roadbed and track! I still have to wire the rails and weather the track but I'm pleased with the progress! I have to add that this thread inspired me to get out of my chair!
I am still working on my backdrop masonite in preparation to take the backdrops I have purchased from Faller. I too am happy as I have done more in the last two weeks, than in the last three months of summer. Getting the hardboard up and ready is more work than installing the Faller backdrops. The faller back drops will take about three hours to install. But the backdrop masonite will be much longer. By the way, I used a small 5 inch circular saw with plywood blade to cut the masonite (hard board) and what a problem that was. The saw could hardly handle it. I was very surprised. What do others use for their masonite cuts?
Masonite cut. Rick, Maybe I´m lucky because I normally use whole standard masonite sheet 8´by 4´. Then I let the timber store split the sheet in two 8´by 2´. If I have to shorten or connect two lengths of masonite, I slide them over each other (only a short distance) and then cut both with an ordinary hand saw. That works for me.
Helge, I never do manual labour that a power tool can do....lol. I made ten strips approximately three inches wide by 8 feet. My circular saw was smoking.
I use my table saw. It cuts through masonite like butter. About your issue, are you sure that the blade is sharp? A dull blade will smoke and burn any kind of material.
Well my progress has been making a hill on the corner of the layout using pink foam board, and a hot wire cutter. Progress is slow, but steady. I have been checking the clearances and fitting the pieces of the foam together like a jigsaw puzzle. Next week, I hope to finish the contours of the hill and glue it in place. Then comes the plaster cloth and rock molds. As for my other items on my "to do list", I will get to them someday .
3rd week: I got some more lumber and hardware to build the new benchwork, and i'm thinking of re-doing the track with the new Atlas c55.
Last night I finished wiring all the track. The trains run wonderfully, even my most finicky loco runs smooth! Next step, weathering the track! Ridgerunner, I just visited your web page. I really like your layout! Also, that NS GP-50 looks awesome! Beautiful model! [ 02. October 2002, 16:19: Message edited by: espeeman ]
Espee, I am envious, I look forward to the day I can say all my wiring is done. You must be really enjoying the layout now. I visited your web site and like it, you have put a lot of work into your layout. [ 03. October 2002, 04:28: Message edited by: rsn48 ]
Thanks man, I need to post the latest idea of a trackplan. It's changed a tad bit... again. I just plain fell in love with that Geep, and had to have it... even tho I paid wayy too much for it.
Hi Rick, Yeah, the layout has made it over the hump! From here on out I'll get to do the fun stuff - operation & scenery building. Whose web site did you visit?
LOL... I guess not yours... thought I had, but I visit about 5 a day so sometimes the forgetfullness sets in.
Rick, You've been living in the beauty of Vancouver too long! Fresh air, lots of trees! You should visit smoggy Los Angeles...clear out your head! Just kidding
Hi all, I'm a bit late in joining the discussion but I thoroughly enjoyed the Lonely Hearts Club Band thread earlier this year so I thought I could maybe add a little and get my layout going a bit. For reference you can take a look at my trackplan: Santa Fe's Santa Juanita - Orange Valley district Over the summer I build the benchwork (steel frame table with wooden modular sections on top) and lately I have been laying the track, which is almost done. Only part where track is still needed is the fiddle yard (on the left of the trackplan) but that also needs some sort of locking mechanism. And I have made a small start with the wiring, dropping wires through the board. Now I just need to solder a bit more wires to the track and add a small control panel so I can start riding some trains on it. But first I have to finish making a website for my club, the Contactgroup NMRA Netherlands... not much done, and it needs to be put on the web before next weekend... I'll keep you all posted. Kind regards, Wilbert [ 03. October 2002, 22:31: Message edited by: Wilbert Vossen ]
