2019-2020 Twelfth Annual International Winter Layout Party

ppuinn Dec 12, 2019

  1. HemiAdda2d

    HemiAdda2d Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Gary,
    I'm going to watch your progress with great interest. I'm currently living in Minot, and have a lot of modern day photos of the BNSF and CP through town. A great place to see old school pics of the place you are modeling is on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/groups/438426319504140/?ref=group_header
    Do you intend to do Gassman Coulee? Even in N scale, a full scale version the iconic trestle is over 10' long. The Railroad Museum of Minot has an N scale model of it, no compression, and it's huge. I have loads of pics of that trestle.

    I'm not participating in the party this year again, just no time to work on the layout.

     
  2. Gary Helriegel

    Gary Helriegel TrainBoard Member

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    I'm definitely doing Gassman Coulee- I probably won't do it full scale, but I plan to dedicate at least one full 4' or 6' module to it. Not sure if I'll be doing the Soo interchange, but plans are for Minot and westward, with a couple points where I can bring on cars from branchlines or towns since I'm planning it for operation. Upside of doing singletrack modules is that I can always add more in between locations if I want. Not expecting to get that far as part of the layout party, but it's definitely in the plans. That trestle is one of the things that sold me on starting in Minot. I've seen some railfan videos from the current Empire Builder, and have been staring at 1957 aerial photos and Google Maps for a while, but do you have any thoughts on interesting sites/towns/etc to include once I move past my current plans?
     
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  3. HemiAdda2d

    HemiAdda2d Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    To avoid completely hijacking this thread, I'll take this discussion to your layout thread.
     
  4. RailMix

    RailMix TrainBoard Member

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    All the structures and track (other than the elevated track) on this side of the city area are now placed and recorded on the drawing. Closest to the camera on the left is Green River Water and Power, which will receive coal by rail on a regular basis as well as the occasional delivery of equipment. Further beyond is the Huron Central enginehouse. (The turntable is located mostly on the next section to the left.) When I am finished, I will roll up the drawing and save it until I have built the benchwork.
    IMG_1053.jpg
    Right now, it's time to clear off my improvised workbench and start building structures. Next after that will be developing the farm scene (behind the camera in this photo), which will sit on a foam access hatch in somewhat hilly terrain, requiring some scenery to be built, but by then it may be warm enough to go out and build some benchwork.
     
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  5. ppuinn

    ppuinn Staff Member

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    Made some progress on the 2-sided scrap metal loads.
    Painted some plastic sheet (corrugated sheet metal.
    Chopped it into large and small pieces. Chopped up some failed 3D print scraps for large and small scrap pieces.

    First half of the load formed in the gon (celophane keeping the glue from attaching the scrap to the bottom of the gon). Large 3D Scrap side drying in the 2 gons on the left. The large scrap was dry in the gon on the right, so I pulled it out, flipped it over and glued small scrap in it. The glue will dry clearer and I'll touch up anything that needs it.
     
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  6. ppuinn

    ppuinn Staff Member

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    Two-sided scrap loads--Large/long girders that need to be sheared on one side, and small/short girders already sheared on the other side.

    At the start of the AM shift, the engineer/operator working the I.Bork & Son Scrap Yard locomotive, pulls 7 empties from the various scrap processing tracks and moves them to the shredded automobiles track where he stops each car under the shredded metal loader and inserts a shredded metal load into the empty gon and pushes the 7 loaded gons onto the outbound track. He then pulls 7 gons with loads of small scrap from the 6 processing areas (shearer track, the #2 scrap and appliance sheet metal sorting track, the crushed cast track, the baling and bundling track, and the heavy plate track, pauses briefly to weigh each car at the scale shed, and puts the 7 cars on the outbound track.

    The P&PU engineer/operator running the AM shift Scrap Transfer Job brings 14 gons with large scrap loads from the P&PU East Peoria Yard and drops them off at I. Bork & Sons Scrap Processing Yard inbound track, and picks up the 7 gons with shredded automobile scrap loads and 7 gons with small/processed scrap loads from the outbound scrap yard track and takes them to the Keystone Steel and Wire Mill. He then picks up 7 gons with wire coil loads and 7 gons with billet loads from KSW to the P&PU East Peoria Yard where they will be sent out, 2 or 3 at a time, in trains to 12 regional cities. When trains finish their runs to the 12 regional cities, their engineers/operators will remove the billet and coil loads and replace them with scrap metal loads that have their large scrap metal sides showing on top.

    KSW AM shift engineers/operators will take 7 gons with billet loads and 7 cars with wire coil loads to the KSW North Yard outbound track, 7 empty gons from the Charging Yard to the Billet Storage loading track and 7 empty gons to the coil loading track, 14 gons with small scrap loads from the Marshallng Yard to the Charging Yard, and (after the Scrap Transfer Job is run) 14 gons with small scrap loads from the North Yard to the Marshaling Yard. After completing all car movements for their shift, the operators stage the cars they have moved for the afternoon shift engineers/ operators by removing scrap loads from 14 gons in the charging yard, inserting billets in 7 gons at the billet Storage loading track, and coils into 7 gons at the wire coil loading track.

    After the P&PU AM Scrap Transfer Job drops off 14 loads of large scrap at the Scrap Yard, the AM shift Scrap Yard engineer/operator brings in 14 cars (maximum of 4 cars at one time) from the inbound track, weighs them at the scale shed, and sets them out on the appropriate scrap processing track (long pipes and girders to the shearer track, mixed scrap and appliances to the #2 scrap sorting track, large cast to the cast crushing track, borings and turnings, scrap wire, and appliance sheet metal scrap at the baling and bundling track, and large plate scrap on the plate cutting track. After setting out 14 cars, the scrap yard engineer/operator will stage the scrap yard for the afternoon shift by removing large loads from 7 gons and flipping 7 loads of large scrap over to their small scrap load side.
     
    Last edited: Jan 5, 2020
  7. ppuinn

    ppuinn Staff Member

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    The gray scrap is made from raft and supports left over from some marionette parts my son-in-law 3D printed for my wife for Christmas. The blue spaghetti mess is from a 3D print fail on my new printer yesterday. I'll probably paint it and use it for scrap pipes.

    I painted wedding veil toile orange to simulate an orange plastic net to keep corrugated sheet metal scrap from blowing out of the gondola when traveling at speed, but I'm not happy with how I've tried to secure the netting to the load. I tried floral wire, but that was WAY TOO thick, and a single unpainted strand from stranded telephone wire was the right size for N-scale cable, but was hard to see against the orange toile...I'll paint it with a black magic marker and see how that looks. Or, maybe try a gray strand from some speaker wire.
     
  8. nscalestation

    nscalestation TrainBoard Supporter

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    In this past week I got a little bit done here and there on the layout. A couple more rock castings, filling in some more land forms, etc. The biggest thing accomplished was not on the layout at all but finishing a painting project inside the house that has been going on since late October so hopefully that frees up more time on the layout.

    I have been working on this gap with bridge abutments and land forms. Originally the track in the front was going to just be a fill but after realizing that the view of the rear bridge would be mostly blocked I decided to add a gap and a steel trestle to open up the view.

    2019TBLP12.jpg


    Just to the left of the last view the layout passes by a window. I don't want to completely block this window out so am trying to build a lift out back drop section.

    2019TBLP10.jpg


    So over this weekend I started that by building this shallow box. This window catches some sun in the summer and I have used a piece of insulation board that fits right into the window frame to block this out. The depth of the box matches the window frame depth so the insulation board will be inside of it and will also be part of the backdrop.

    2019TBLP11.jpg


    And there was a nice spot for a Digitrax throttle panel in the fascia of this new section so today I cut the hole for it. Most likely I will put my second IR receiver in this spot which will give me one at each end of the layout.

    2019TBLP09.jpg
     
  9. BNSF FAN

    BNSF FAN TrainBoard Supporter

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    Another week down and a little more progress. The recycle drop off is up and running. Like everything, it can use some more detail but works for now.
    ecycle nyd.JPG

    Over the course of the week, put down some additional ground cover, worked on some streets, started work on a bridge, and did a little wiring. Also finished the shelf project in the closet so that one is completely off the to-do list. Posted a lot of updates in my N scale JPT Sub thread so won't duplicate a lot of pictures here. Hope everyone had a great week and as Wayne and Garth said, PARTY ON!!!!
     
  10. TrainzLuvr

    TrainzLuvr TrainBoard Member

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    I apologize I missed the past Thursday post...it was dry weather so I took the chance to cut more wood (and I thought I was done?!?)

    Lately, I've been feeling my time is better used by actually building than making blog updates, so I have to now catch up to all the back posts...

    Anyway, couple of photos of the progress as of last night (Sunday). Taking a break today just to cool down a bit.

    [​IMG]
    Staging entry/exit into the layout room, finally connected. I'm thinking that the portion over the support column could be a bridge scene of some sort.


    [​IMG]
    Overall progress...still trying to figure out the build order so I don't cram myself into the corner (I am in the corner shooting this photo :) ).
    You won't be able to actually see the opposite corner, or the other peninsula, once the dominos on the closer peninsula are installed.
     
  11. RailMix

    RailMix TrainBoard Member

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    Visited the JPT Sub thread. Well worth the visit. A great deal of progress and looks excellent. Slow down there. We've got two months to go. Looks like you may run out of layout.:LOL:
     
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  12. BNSF FAN

    BNSF FAN TrainBoard Supporter

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    Thank you Tom!!! No need to worry, for a small layout, I have plenty to keep me busy for a quite some time.
     
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  13. VinceP

    VinceP TrainBoard Member

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    Still here dang doctor appointments are keeping me at bay.

    Will get to the lumber store one of these days Aaaaaaaargh
     
  14. Joe Lovett

    Joe Lovett TrainBoard Member

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    Vince, I noticed that you live in Everett Washington and was wondering if you work for Boeing aircraft? I worked for Boeing 24 years in Tulsa.

    Joe
     
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  15. VinceP

    VinceP TrainBoard Member

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    Worked there 4 years 4 years to many man I'm scared to fly on a Boeing product.

    See of the stuff I've seen
     
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  16. Gary Helriegel

    Gary Helriegel TrainBoard Member

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    Finally, actual progress! Got a sheet of 3/4" plywood cut down into strips the right size, and have got the lengths worked out so that I can piece together the first very weirdly shaped module. Mocked it up in Inkscape using actual dimensions to make sure everything fits. Also got my rolling stock separated into 'compatible' couplers and 'everything else'. Moving on from here it's mostly squares, but this also gives me the right lengths to get those diagonal corners. Hoping to have time to assemble this weekend either before or after I drop by Train Expo Colorado. Then I get to figure out how to get giant sheets of foam home.

     
    Last edited: Jan 8, 2020
  17. TrainzLuvr

    TrainzLuvr TrainBoard Member

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    That's some beautiful looking plywood, what kind is it and how much does the 4x8 sheet go for?
     
  18. RailMix

    RailMix TrainBoard Member

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    The benchwork looks good. Nice progress. Going to be interesting to see what the track plan looks like.
     
  19. Grey One

    Grey One TrainBoard Supporter

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    Been both busy and not so much. Layout wise:
    I got two ovals of trains running just for Christmas. Those are down now and plans for the Phase 1 track are now fairly firm:
    https://www.trainboard.com/highball...nd-grandure-bullet-train-layout.128279/page-3
    I still need to come up with an inexpensive method to support the elevated bullet train track. Yes, I will use the 'K-cups' for hidden areas and will explore using corrugated cardboard for some more visible locations. The intention is to make it appear credible but different.
    Photos of existing may surface in a couple of weeks.
    I also did up a 'Paper City' which is more of a practic / proof of concept effort.
     
  20. Gary Helriegel

    Gary Helriegel TrainBoard Member

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    Oak from Lowes, and around $55. I figured the extra $20 was worth not having the sheet warped in at least 4 directions like the cheaper stuff (I checked 6 sheets of that before I gave up- plywood with a lot of patches does not play nice with the climate here). Should get at least 2-3 more 4' modules out of it in addition to the weird yard shape.
     

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