It Has Begun! Or The Beginning of the Beginning of the End.

sd90ns Aug 26, 2021

  1. sd90ns

    sd90ns TrainBoard Member

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    Well I finally took the plunge and began tearing down my layout.
    I started by removing all of the various and sundry vehicles, lots and lots of vehicles.
    Yeee Gods I had no idea just how many of those things I had until I started to remove them.
    Just the GHQ and Period Miniatures seemed to take forever . . . and then there were the Classic Metal Works.
    Don't get me started on the Classic Metal Works.

    Along the way I began removing some of the structures and details, mostly so I could gain access to; wait for it YET MORE VEHICLES!!!
    I've been using a mix of Isopropyl alcohol and water to dissolve my liver . . . no wait, that's the other alcohol mix, the Isopropyl is for dissolving the glue holding much of this stuff to the layout and after a couple of hours work I can safely say that there's a good chance I'll die of old age befor . . . let's not dwell on the negative here.

    But seriously folks, this is going to take a while as I have a tendency to breakdown and cry as I watch 15+ years of work being slowly and painfully reduced to a collection of "Model Railroad Stuff".

    I can't wait for the point I take a circular saw to the benchwork so as to cut it into small enough bits to fit in the dumpster.
     
  2. Traindork

    Traindork TrainBoard Member

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    Are you done modeling? Are you rebuilding?
     
    Doug Gosha likes this.
  3. HemiAdda2d

    HemiAdda2d Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Uhm, sounds sad to me, but is the alcohol bath doing any damage to the vehicles?
     
  4. Hardcoaler

    Hardcoaler TrainBoard Member

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    I hope that this isn't a permanent exit for you from model railroading.

    I went through this same effort on my N Scale layout in January 2018, but the railroad was 30 years old and I was ready for a fresh start. I took care to preserve all that I could. Fast forward 3-1/2 years and I'm only beginning to build benchwork for a new road. Life has thrown me some curves; it's good to be back in the hobby.

    2018-02-27 002 DS&N At Curb - for upload.jpg
     
  5. bremner

    bremner Staff Member

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    I get it, I look at Play Desnuda and part of me wants to rip it apart and rebuild it with hand laid track
     
  6. sd90ns

    sd90ns TrainBoard Member

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    Well the GHQ and PM vehicles have metal wheels so the I.A. solution doesn't have any effect, it doesn't even appear to remove any of the paint.
    The plastic stuff was never glued down so no problem with them.

    As for rebuilding; if and that's a big if, I ever decide to rebuild it will be a much simpler layout and I'll be using entirely new track, probably a mix of Kato Uni-Trak and Atlas flex and various crossing angles with maybe a couple of Peco Y's and a Shinohara 3-way switch or two.
    Sad isn't it that no single company makes a truly comprehensive line of track componentry. Shinohara was probably the closest and they're out of business.

     
  7. sd90ns

    sd90ns TrainBoard Member

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    [​IMG]

    Hate to burst your bubble, but I don't think the mailman is going to take that stuff and if he does, the postage is going to be murder.
     
  8. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    :(:(:(:(:( It has been 25+ years since my last layout. Since then, just a few odd modules. Life happened, but I have given up by any means. I keep my toes in the water. Am slowly assembling the rolling stock and power for my desired little of empire. Have about 2/3 of the module bases on hand now, slowly assembling them. Have built a few structures or have kits at hand.

    Keep that dream alive!!! :D
     
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  9. sd90ns

    sd90ns TrainBoard Member

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    So I have begun to remove structures from the layout and if I thought removing vehicles was bad . . .
    The thing with structures is that there are so many different sizes.
    I have itty-bitty structures, tiny structures, small structures, medium structures and then they go to large, X-large, XX-large there's just no end to it.
    Each structure gets bagged* so that if any parts fall off they are contained and not left to rattle around in a box and possibly get lost.
    So far I've cleared off Port Eureka, most of Walther's Industrial Park and about half each of Petrolia and Main St. Eureka.

    You might think that that's a lot and in the grand scheme of things I suppose it is, the layout sure looks "Barren" and yet . . .there's so much more to do before I begin pulling out the control panels, cutting and removing all the wiring and cable controls for some of the switches** and tearing off the more substantial scenery, such as the quarry and the single "Mountain" I have.

    Oh, and then there's "High Eureka Business Zone" much to do there before I can start with the true demolition of the benchwork.
    For anybody who has performed this action; did you use a circular or reciprocating saw?
    I can see advantages and disadvantages to both.

    *I'm using the soft, flimsy, produce bags found in grocery stores for most of the structures with plastic grocery bags for the larger.
    ** Many of my switches are controlled by "Hump Yard Purveyance" controllers, a great product that appears to be no longer available.
     
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  10. sd90ns

    sd90ns TrainBoard Member

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    Without starting a new topic; does anybody make a template for drawing/planning a layout using Kato Unitrack?

    Rapido used to have one for their sectional track but I haven't seen one for Kato Unitrack and it seems as if it would be a "No-Brainer".
     
  11. Martin Station

    Martin Station TrainBoard Member

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    sd90ns, This guy has one: Brian Page Model Trains on YouTube, you might want to check it out, he is in the process of planning a new layout using Kato UniTrack and has some kind of program that let's him use all the different pieces of Kato track and switches. Looks like a click and paste thing. I believe it's called Anyrail.
    Ralph
     
  12. Shortround

    Shortround TrainBoard Member

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    I have Anyrail and don't see Kato Unitrack listed there.
     
  13. Martin Station

    Martin Station TrainBoard Member

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    Shortround, I went back and checked the video and it says Anyrail and he is using Kato track. You might take a look at his YouTube channel and see. Up until then I had not heard of Anyrail but it looks like a pretty good thing.
    Thanks, Ralph
     
  14. Hardcoaler

    Hardcoaler TrainBoard Member

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    NorsemanJack, mtntrainman and ogre427 like this.
  15. BigJake

    BigJake TrainBoard Member

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    I use XTrackCAD ($free), and it has a Kato Unitrack library. The only N Unitrack pieces of which I am aware that it does not have are the 19R15 and 17R15 bridges. I use a ground level 19R15 piece instead of the former, but can't do anything for the latter...

    But I think I'm a release or two behind, too.
     
  16. OleSmokey

    OleSmokey TrainBoard Member

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    I used SCARM to rebuild my new layout. Works pretty good!
     
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  17. freddy_fo

    freddy_fo TrainBoard Member

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    Anyrail 6 should have it. That is what I have installed and it shows kato unitrack.
     
  18. Shortround

    Shortround TrainBoard Member

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    I installed Anyrail in May and it doesn't have Kato. XTrackCad does.
    I may look at SCARM but I think the issue for me is 10 in an older machine and Spectrum.
    Maybe time to invest some thing in short supply.
     
  19. Grey One

    Grey One TrainBoard Supporter

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    I use MS Paint and Kato track. It took me a while to learn the ins and outs but in the end it gets the message accross.
     
  20. freddy_fo

    freddy_fo TrainBoard Member

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    Did you purchase a license or are you using the trial version?
     

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