It may look very professional, but I can assure you it was very cheap, lol. Designed in XTrackCAD, then exported to Microsoft Paint and colored in. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
"Designed in XTrackCAD, then exported to Microsoft Paint and colored in." Doh!!! (Dave does a Homer Simpson forehead smack!) I've used both of those dozens of times, but never together...Thanks for sharing this great idea!
So here's my first update. The control panel I had already started for the east end loop of my layout is finished and temporarily mounted on a scrap of hard board in the spot that it will be permanently installed on the fascia. There are 18 wires that run from this panel and these were routed so as to not interfere with the helix track right behind the panel. I am using a Digitrax DS-64 to set up the routes. Using all 4 outputs and 5 inputs. This is the 3rd one I have in this layout and keeping good notes on how to do the programming really helped. I had made a board with LED's to show the status of the outputs and this also really helps when testing the results on the work bench. Red means thrown and yellow means aligned. The DS-64 is mounted on the back of a short plywood wall that I put in at the top of the helix for this purpose. Over the past few days all of the connections have been made to the panel and the Tortoise motors. Now working on the connections for the LED's on the panel to the contacts on the motors.
Beautiful Control Panel, Brad! I've used DS64s for setting routes on my layout, too, but your typed documentation and wiring labels are WAAY nicer looking than my nearly illegible pencil scratches! Well done!
Thanks Dave. They seem to be rock solid once they are programmed correctly. When I was working I had many electronics systems that I had to program and some were quite particular and it would take me some time to learn to do it correctly. Just about everything is programmable these days. Sometimes I would not be asked to make any changes for months or years so it was not something that you build the experience on quickly. So that first time I would get it right I made really good notes so next time I was ready and could do the job more quickly. I have a version of my DS-64 notes on my DCC blog if anyone is interested. http://n-scale-dcc.blogspot.com/2016/07/programming-routes-on-digtrax-ds64.html
I got my layout build up to the point of just before the Layout Party so will post some of the pictures and description that I'd doing on the layout since the beginning of the 'Party' going on here. I'll condense it and keep the more detailed info on the build page though. So let's start.... Hidden Coal & Staging Tracks Pt. 1 Next step isn't fully defined at this point. I'd like to get the hidden track down going to the coal mine and for the hidden staging area so that I could run trains on it to make sure it is as bullet proof as possible. I'll still be able to get to it in the future but not as easy as now. It would also be best if I put down at least one perimeter track around the whole lower level of the layout so I can runt to and from the coal mine and hidden staging. Other alternative would be running as far as possible and then backing the train. Don't like this option for a number of reason. The other logical step now would be to finish painting the backdrops with clouds, distant mountains and such. To paint them is either going to be a long reach or working by sitting on the layout as I've done at times. Problem is I need to build some of the scenery such as canyon walls and mountains that sits on the upper level and against the back drop. It could be removable at this point. I just need it there to be able to paint in the distant mountains. Plan now, I think, is to get the hidden track down, a perimeter track around the whole layout with some of it placed at the edge and not in a ways where it will ultimately be. I should be able to work over/around the perimeter track after getting it in and work on the upper level scenery and painting the backdrops. The main area that won't work well on is the tracks to and from the coal mine that are right where I need to sit to work on the scenery and painting of the end backdrop/divider on the side that faces the coal mine. The mine doesn't have to be there for this testing, only the tracks, so think I can make a platform out of some plywood I have that would sit a couple inches over those tracks for me to sit on and would be easily removable. I removed the upper level over the stating area to get better access to the location of the hidden tracks to/from the coal mine and for staging were in view. The tracks shown above are the ones that I'll build a work platform to sit over them while I work on the backdrop shown in the image. I'll probably try and finish that upper level and backdrop now. I'll lay the track and turnouts there. Wire them and try and finish the scenery there along with painting the backdrop with clouds and distant mountains. While I'm doing that I should be able to run trains over most of the track that will be place above. To this point none of the 1 inch foam board has be glued down. I got all the pieces in place where I wanted them and then pulled one at a time back out and vacuumed the underside of it and the area where it was going. I used Liquid Nails next as an adhesive. When I did my test layout ( HERE ) I used weight to hold the foam board down while the adhesive set up but went a different route here and plan on using it to hold the foam down while attaching it to the rest of the layout. I've got lots of scrap plywood around so took pieces and drilled two or three holes in them large enough that the 2 inch grabber screws wouldn't grab in them. Put them on the foam and screwed through the foam and into the plywood base. It is easy to apply a lot of pressure to the foam this way and I didn't get carried away. I like it as plywood can be positioned at the joint where two piece of foam meet and you are pulling them down together so they will be exactly the same height when the adhesive sets up. I need code 70 turnouts for the hidden track areas so started making them. I'm using ME code 55 for the visible areas but couldn't find enough of it for the hidden areas during COVID so bought some code 70 I found. I cut my own PCB ties as I find them easy to make, very inexpensive and can cut some any time I need them. You can find more about purchasing the material and how to cut and use it along with videos ( HERE ). The ties twist when you cut them but are easy to straighten. Check at the bottom of the page ( HERE ) for the method and a video of how to do that. I like the flexibility of being able to make these ties extra long if you need them for a unique situation like what I ran into building a double crossover and a custom curved turnout to straight turnout recently. If you came into the build here you can find the main index for the build ( HERE ) on my site and ( HERE ) on this site. Sumner
Summer, I hope you code 70 rail works better for you in the fast tracks jigs then code 80 did for me. I am also using code 55 in the visible areas and using code 80 in the staging yards and the helix's. It seemed logical to me that if the rail fit into the jig it should work and I built 16 code 80 turnouts for the two staging yards in 2014 but was never quite happy with them. In 2020 I rebuilt the bigger staging yard using Peco turnouts and that is working fine. Saying nothing against Fast Tracks, I have 25 code 55 turnouts on the layout done with the same jig and those have been really great.
I have the jig and use it for code 55 but I'm building the 70's on paper templates. Maybe adds 30-40 minutes to the build so I'm OK with that. Finished one about an hour ago and did another a month or so ago. I've got the frogs made for 5 more right now but I think I need another 7 or so and a custom cross-over from a curved turnout (18" to 15" radius to a straight #6 LH). It is similar to one I made recently. I think I tried the 70 in the jig and didn't like the fit but can't remember for sure. The base of the code 70 seems to be a little wider than code 55 but haven't checked it with a mic.. Thanks for the input on it though, Sumner
Hidden Coal & Staging Tracks Pt. 2 I needed to fill in a couple areas of the track surface that are under the foam board. They are areas next to the hidden track from the coal complex that the train with the empty cars uses to proceed back to the hidden staging. I have access areas next to that track that are wide enough for me to see up into and also wide enough that I could reach up to retrieve a derailed car or to clean track. I'll also be able to lift the landscape off above the hidden track if I need to do something in that area where I really need to get to the track. I made a template and cut a piece of 1/2” plywood to fill part of the area next to the hidden track and retrieved a couple of the risers I had made when I build the bench-work and track surface. Two risers were put into place and the filler piece attached from below. If you are considering building a layout or adding to one take the time to see the approach I'm using with risers ( HERE ). Risers are normally used to raise sections of track above the base layout. Usually one builds bench-work and attaches the track surface directly to the bench-work. Later that bench-work can be in the way of adding switch machines or other items that attach to the bottom of the track surface. By raising all of the track surface with risers, even if it is all flat, can overcome that problem. The risers are only attached to the track surface from below. If you ever find one in the way unscrew it from the bench-work and the underside of the track surface and move it out of the way and reattach it. Simple and effective. In my case it has already been a big help as I've move along with the layout and have had a clearance problem under it. The problem has been solved by moving the riser. Again give this approach some thought. It is easy to do and gives one a lot of flexibility down the road. I need to build the turnouts for this section and I wanted two crossovers back to back from the outer main line to the one next to it. The track wasn't long enough to build the two crossovers back to back in the straight section there. I could of built another double crossover to fit in the space but this will be easier and faster to build. I'll use two straight #6 RH turnouts just to the right of the picture above on the straight section and will build the cross over above that will be a curved-straight crossover. I needed a templates so started with what is shown above and finished with one shown two images below. I've been working on the staging area on the layout part of the day and building turnouts the rest of the day so will get to this soon and look forward to it. If you came into the build here you can find the main index for the build ( HERE ). Sumner
Sumner, On a previous layout, my experience making scenery on easily-removed foam sheets to hide tracks on a lower section was...educational. On one side of the lower track, there were risers supporting the upper level, Tortoises suspended from the upper level, and feeder wires and signal wires dropping down from the upper level, all roughly an inch away from the end of the ties on one side of the lower track. On the other side of the lower track, I glued down 3 inches of foam to match the height of the surface of the upper level and provide level support for the foam sheet that would hide the lower track. The glued down foam, like the risers and Tortoises on the other side, was about 1 inch away from the ends of the ties of the N-scale track. The ties of N-scale track are about 5/8" long...meaning I had constructed a 2-foot long trough that was 3 inches deep, less than 3 inches wide and held up the easily-removed upper level scenery beautifully. Unfortunately, the trough was too narrow for me to clean/maintain the lower level track until I carved back the foam 2 to 3 inches all along the length of the trough. One end of my trough was 6" from the aisle and the other was 9" away from the aisle. Looking at the pictures, I think portions of your lower level track may be farther away from the aisle. Is it also more than 3 inches deep? You've probably already thought about this, but in case you haven't, you may want to mock up some edges to test how wide a trough you need for comfortable track cleaning and maintenance. Or, if you are using risers to support the foam sheet holding the track-hiding scenery, you may want to test where risers can be positioned to minimize interference with lower level track maintenance. I also found that I needed to have: 1. everything on the removable foam sheet firmly secured to the foam so it wouldn't fall off when I tilted it; 2. a place (NOT scenery or a building) to grab/lift the removable foam sheet without damaging the trees or buildings that were secured to it, and 3. some place relatively close that I could set the removable foam sheet down onto--and leave it there for however long it took me to finish work on the lower level (It's best not to put it on the floor...says The Voice of Experience.)
Thanks for the input. When you mention 'the aisle' are you talking about the distance to the edge of the layout? The hidden staging yard tracks are pretty easy to access with them open to and right at the side of the layout and there is 9-10 inches of clearance over them. The hidden tracks to and from the coal mine complex are a little harder to get to as they snake to and from the coal mine. It is easy to get under the layout as it is very open. Right now I have a minimum of a 6 inch opening along the sides of those tracks to put my hand up in. and will have a 6 inch or more space directly above the track and enough room on the other side of the track (about 3 inches there) to be able to remove equipment if there was a derailment. I wouldn't try and re-rail it. I'll also be able to run my hand fairly easily along all of that track to clean it (also plan on using NoOx on the layout). The only thing that will be on those tracks will be a loaded and unloaded coal trains always going in the same direction so not a lot of different equipment. Where the trains appear/disappear in the coal mine complex itself I'm hoping I can make that building fairly easy to lift off if necessary. I can remove a roof easily on one side and I hope a parking area on the other to get to equipment so having to lift the whole structure off would not have to happen unless there was a major problem. Thanks again for the input, always makes me have to take a look at things from a different angle. Sumner
Well I got all of the green route LED's wired to the various Tortoise motor contacts on the east end loop but noticed that they were flickering a bit. A couple of trains I had running started to pick at a turnout in the staging yard that had not had a problem before and then one of the turnouts at the double crossover in Weso would not work at all. Something was amiss for sure, but what ? Before I could get to the bottom of what was going on, all DC accessory power went out. When I started the layout 8 years ago I had used one of those small 12 volt DC power adapters to run the yard. As the layout grew, I had added more and more loads onto this DC bus and this most recent addition of turnouts and LED's seem to be too much and blew out the source. This was confirmed with my voltmeter. I connected the bench power supply to the layout's DC bus and found out that it was drawing almost 1 amp in a standby state and as much as 1.5 amps when various turnouts were moving. That little adapter was really being stressed. Time to upgrade the power source. I put in an old laptop power supply that I had that is rated at 4 amps. Everything is working fine now so it's onward to the next project, which I think will be to work with the serial staging idea on that east end loop.
Alright, I think I want to join my first Winter Layout Party? But I have to warn you, It might be difficult for me to keep up during the entire time. But I will attempt it anyway. I'll provide some details later. So am I a week late, two weeks late...? I am already confused
I've got more detail on the following on my build thread on here but I'll try and post the highlights of the last few day here in 'the party. also'. I removed the wood clamps with the two screws from the last piece of foam board I laid down and now the foam from the end of the layout to where the wood clamps are is all glued down. I'm liking the wood clamps with the screws and will continue to use them. I feel they do a better and faster job of holding the foam board down while the adhesive sets up. I also..... .... finished the curved-straight crossover to about 90% done (on the left above) and will finish it later when I cut some of the electrical isolation cuts in some of the others I've also finished. I also made a template for another crossover that will be constructed using two #6 RH turnout templates. I could of made another double crossover for this area to accomplish what these two individual crossovers do but after doing the other feel these might be more bullet proof (not complete confidence in my build skills and the double with the crossing in the middle of it was hard to build). Above is the start of the second crossover and almost finished it today, probably an other hour or so will accomplish that. Also started laying a little cork but want to be finished with the turnouts for this area before I try getting it all down. Been looking at Thunder Mesa videos for ideas on ..... .... making canyon country scenery out of foam board and painting it. I blended some different colors of acrylic paint I had and got to what I though I wanted for a base color for the red rock that is in the 4 Corners ares, Monument Valley to the south of us and Canyonlands to the north of us. Not sure about it until I can put it on a larger area. Also need to have it look OK to me under the shop lights and not natural lighting. Amazing how they can match a tiny bit of a paint chip. I'll continue working on all these individual projects plus trying to get buss wiring down for this area so I can test track as I lay it. Never know for sure what I'll work on for the day until I usually get started. If you came into the build here you can find the main index for the build ( HERE ). Sumner
So the plan is to strip it down to the black foam top, remove all the track and roadbed, replace the O Scale size nails in the roadbed and use the tons of N Scale nails I have, possible replace some sectional track with flex track, draw out where I want my roads, street lights, new traffic lights, etc... for placement. As well as try and figure out placement of buildings and houses, tidy up the wiring underneath, yeah right, and finally at some point possibly add some scenery to the layout. If I actually use some of the WS road system I have as well as some of that mountain making paper ( that stuff you dip in water and form with paper and stuff ), forget the name, it would be a miracle And add some kind of fascia would truly be a miracle! So trains won't fall off! So exactly WHEN do I report back in?
We're supposed to be sharing weekly updates, so here's what I have accomplished in the last week: JACK Things have been nuts around here, I have barely had a day off all month with my counterpart gone most days with medical issues leaving me to handle all the orders and such, and with it being the holidays what little personal time I have has been filled up with family and church and such, so I ain't done nuffin' all week long. Wanted to, but no time. Today is the finish line, though! I'll spend the day with the fam, come home with a food coma and clean up all the wrapping paper and clutter everywhere, and then I have several stretches of time off starting in January. Today and tomorrow are the first two days in a row I've had off since before Thanksgiving (bruh!) so might get some tinkering done if I'm not mindlessly vegging for decompression's sake. This is my starting point, at least. I have progress pics of both in my build thread, but these are the bones of my two projects. My station just needs all the finishing details, which - admittedly - are a bit insane and will be super tedious, but at least I have everything I need to finish it already and don't have to design anything for it. The only thing I have done on the other is the section of curved roof. Oddly enough, that took several tries to find a way to pull off! There is a ton of work yet to do with that one, and I may have to redo parts if something doesn't jive. I also still need to order some mats for it. Lots to get to. Merry Christmas everyone, be safe if you're traveling and enjoy your day, however you choose to spend it.
In2Tech asked: “So exactly WHEN do I report back in?” Welcome to the Party! Folks are encouraged to post on their progress at least once a week, but if you want to, you may post more frequently, especially if you’ve finished a goal and want to share it before jumping into the next goal, or if you need feedback/help with troubleshooting. The primary purpose of the Layout Party is to get some work done on your layout, and posting about your progress is a very strong motivator. Layout Parties are also for fun, so when Life Happens and you fall off the Layout work wagon, don’t beat yourself up, just pick yourself up and line out your plan for getting back on the layout work wagon by describing what you will work on next week. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Continuing on with a little more about ... .... the rock-work I'm trying to come up with shown above ... I'd like to have the lower level tracks go through a ridge similar to Comb Ridge about 10 miles west of our house and shown above. Of course it is going to be scaled down considerably as trying to duplicate the 700 foot high ridge above would end up with it being about 54 inches high on the layout so I'll have to compress it. You do find much smaller ridges like this, often call Hogbacks, along the front range north and south of Denver and some by Gallup, New Mexico and other places in the country where there has also been an uplift usually along a fault line. To see if I thought this was going to be possible I spent an hour or so just mocking in what I hope will work out. If I can do this I think I'm going to like it as it will act like a mini-divider and setup a scene on this side where I can have the edge of a small town by the tracks and... ….. on the other side will be the tracks going to and from the coal mine complex and the main line going further west. Also the coal mines in eastern Utah area are in the Blackhawk formation that is younger and above the Navajo sandstone and other formations that make up Comb Ridge. Since the Navajo is dipping down it is somewhat realistic that the coal mine can be a ways away in the higher Blackhawk formation that contains coal in the area to the north (actually about 150 miles in real life). Lots of work ahead. I'll pull the mock-up off the layout and continue with getting roadbed and track down but glad I did this as it changes the track plan somewhat in this area. If you came into the build here you can find the main index for the build ( HERE ). Sumner
