I was going to trim the ties after I laid the rail (the pc board rails line up pretty well). The main issue is that the pc board rails are about 1/2 the size, hight-wise, than the wood ties, so when you lay all the ties down first, the rails rest on the wood & float over the pc. Next one I'll try all wood & spiking, like you were kind enough to show on yr thread. Thanks again for all yr work, Mike! Cheers! --Mark
Been laying out track, mainly the yard. Working with Atlas flextrack & Fastracks templates. Here's how it looks so far: Now realizing that the "extra" carlength I got in the yard by moving from anyrail to reality might need to disappear so that the yard lead (where the 44tonner is) equals the greatest length of yard track. Darn that measuring tape! But worth it for clean pull of cuts, I imagine. Still pondering cork roadbed & flat on foam for this city layout. Might have the double "main" on cork but sanded down down down & rest of industry sidings & yard direct on foam. Fun to see actual locos & cars on the table though. Cheers! --Mark
Nice work Mark. what area are you going to do your city in? East coast, west coast, Pacific NW? whatever you do I'm sure will be great.
Been laying out flextrack & turnout templates on the foam. Yesterday played with the yard, & realized it was 4" too far over to the right (which lost 1 car length on the yard lead). Today shifted things around & layed out rest of turnouts, so now have a groovy idea how it'll all work. There's some shifting (& there probably will be more) but its nice to see "real" track getting down rather than a CAD drawing. The TT will be lowered & pitted, eventually. Not all track is laid out cause I ran out, but all only "straight" sidings & runarounds are missing right now, so the flex is put to good use. Hmmm... a wee bit fuzzy. Here's a video overview: http://s637.photobucket.com/albums/uu99/mclitton/?action=view¤t=MOV05123.flv (still working on embedding videos) I gotta say: I love t-pins & foam! Can play around, test out different set-ups, & know there's a bit of wiggle room (especially using caulk). Much more fun than the nails in the plywood mock-ups Dad & I were doing 15-20 years ago. TSJ909: This is "The City" of a literary hodgepodge, so I'm not set on modeling a specific area, though I do love the pacific northwest (seattle, port townsend, portland, etc). Many 1900s wooden industries remain long into the century next to the brick & concrete of later, which creates a groovy mood I like. That way, the era shifts with the engines I use (though leaning more towards 1920s-30, I'm having fun with my 44tonner & NW2). Plus, I have a lot of family up there, so know it well, & have a "feel" to guide me. I have imagineered the "scenes" of the layout, but know they'll shift & change as the work evolves. Next step: make some turnouts (#4.5, mostly) & see how they fit, then it's on to cork & yardage! Also need to carve out the harbour & lowered road, but want the track to fit fab before carving. AnyRail is groovy, but having the actual track down & physical is great! Will be working hard to have smooth rail joinings. Any advice appreciated! Cheers! --Mark
I laid out all the track, using fasttrack #4.5 templates in place of the actual turnouts that I'll start building tomorrow when the jig comes in the mail (with 35+ turnouts on this layout, & the fact that I'm a newbie, it just makes sense to use a jig. I'll make my own / start spiking as I gain more experience). Started laying down cork roadbed for the "double main" until I realized, um, wait do I really need it? Its urban. This is not a mainline through a city. Do I really want to deal with all the ups & downs to yards & sidings, as well as the extra up for when city streets go over it? Why do I need it? Seems like I was using it because I've always used it in all my projects since a kid. So I ripped it out. Thank goodness for caulk! It just pulled up, with a wee bit of foam scarring where I was to vigorous in my pulling, but nothing I can't lay track right over again. You can see some here, in the middle: It was sad to rip up the only section of operational track (16" on far right side of layout: see previous video links), but I'd rather do the layout right. I also decided to get rid of the double crossover on the far left where the main routes leave to the D&BS mainline / removable staging that I'll be building this week. I didn't see how it was necessary for operations, & building & wiring looked a bit daunting. A single crossover (2 turnouts) works fine when I imagineered operations. Unless I'm overlooking something (very good possibility). I also punched a big hole in my layout: I used a long, non-serated bread knife around the Atlas turntable: I wanted to keep the cut-out circle as close to original as possible to use later when shaping the concrete pit walls. I had foolishly caulked down the pink foam everywhere, not thinking ahead & putting no caulk under the area where the TT was going to go. So I hacked out the rectangle space for the motor, then slid a bendy putty knife under the circle. Then I pulled up. POP! Out came the foam intact! Then I drilled some holes around the parimeter of the 1/2" ply underneath it & used a jigsaw to cut it out. I had a 5" x 12" piece of plywood I was going to use as the base below, held up by bolts like Mr. Beasley showed in his photo essay. http://cs.trains.com/trccs/forums/t/99558.aspx?PageIndex=1 (You can see the holes I drilled) But that was too close to the TT & track, so I'll do it right & put a 12" x 12" piece under after I cut it tomorrow. So, as soon as the jig is up, I'm in the tracklaying business! I was going to lay the track & turnouts, then spray the tracks a dark grey or black (wipe tops of course), & then laytex paint the rest of the pinkland a greyish brown. Also, once the track is pretty much set, I can cut out the space for the harbor on the left & fuel station / road in the middle/right. Let's hope things "turnout" tomorrow! Cheers! --Mark
Mark, your progress looks great! So... isn't changing from double track to single track going to mess up your trackplan, and how you have things laid out with the squares on the foam? Or are you just going to "wing it"? Mike
There's still a "double main" through the layout. I just replaced a double crossover with a single. You can see the templates marking the spot in the 1st photo. It doesn't mess up the track layout, & I'm pretty sure it doesn't mess up operations. If it does, then, thanks to the miracle of caulk, I can just remove that section & put a double in. Don't think I'm going to get to ballasting & all that for another couple weeks / month. Heck, gotta build 30+ turnouts & lay & wire the track first! :we2-jimlad:
Did you scroll up? Or start from page one? Otherwise, might be a prob on yr end: I see the picts just fine. Turnout jig came today! Soon as I come back from the gym it'll be time to turnout the turnouts! wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
It's not pretty, but it's mine! My first turnout: It works! I just got a more extended-point soldering tip, which should help make cleaner connections. Only 35+ more to go!
Mark, looks good, now throw it out and start another! :tb-wink: Trust me, once you get 35+ into it, you'll start looking at those first ones and will want to redo them, since by 35 you'll be wwwaaayyyy better at making them.:tb-biggrin: -Mike
And then there were two! The latest (#2) is on the top. Definately felt more comfortable making it. Also got the points to "default" diverging (which is, I think, the way it's supposed to: less stress, right?) Still having solder issues & I think it might be the flux I use. Radio Shack's "Non-Spill Paste Rosin Soldering Flux". It doesn't really flow very well kind of glumpy applying. Is there any non-acid flux that flows a bit better? The good news is that trucks roll smoothly through both, so at least that's happening. Yes, Mike, I know these are destined for the turnout tomb. Sigh. But at least I'm learning. More practice tomorrow! Cheers! --Mark
Mark, look at that 2nd one! Wow, much better!! Looks like you are getting the hang of this pretty fast! Take a look at your first one, along the straight route stock rail. Notice how long the closure rail parallels it before it curves away. Now look at your second one. The closure rail is quite a bit shorter in that regard, and the curve starts alot closer to the point. Excellent job! :thumbs_up::thumbs_up:
Attempt #3! Followed Tim Warris' advice & kept the iron hot so the solder spread out a bit more. I'm still getting the hang of that, while also holding the rails down with point tool & fingers. The fingers burn a bit quicker than the point tool Filed the stock rails a bit more, though I think I got to go further. I'm just using a triangle file by hand. I can get a good angle, but I think I need to file more into the stock rails for a more flush fit. Also looking into different types of flux. On Tim's suggestion, I got some H&N #30 Supersafe flux on the way. The radio shack stuff is goopy & seems to burn / not spread like I'd like. But, another turnout that works! Trucks roll through it great, with no hangups. Made a special task out of keeping the frog point down & flush this time & it worked great. It might seem as if the through point rail is very close to the diverging stock rail, but trucks run through fine. Well, each turnout turns out with a better turnout! Cheers! --Mark
And we have a winner! #4 is pretty well done! On #3, I'd set the points too short, & they only covered about 3/4 of the throwbar pcboard. These extend out past, & sit flush with the stockrails. The solder might look a bit lumpy in the photo, but it's lying pretty flat, & should disappear when painted. Trucks run through very smoothly! Lessons learned: --Keep iron hot & hold a bit longer than you think so it totally liquifies & flattens --radio shack flux is ok & does the job, but I'm looking forward to the liquid H&N Supersafe so I can control the destination a bit finer --get the right tools for the job! I've been using some older files on loan from the high school's crafts room, & they're a bit dull. I went out & bought an 8 1/2" bass-tard (type of file, not someone who doesn't know their father) & a 5 1/2" double that bends, & both are sharp & do the job right! --confidence & experience: who would have thought that sorta knowing what yr doing would pay off? On to #5! so I can build a single crossover & start laying track. Also have to figure out how to connect up my caboose handthrows to the throwbar. I'm thinking drill small hole in throwbar, then use a clipped railspike to join through the pinhole. Here's to all that turnouts well! Cheers! --Mark
Summer School is over (as of 1:30 today), so I have one week before the family gets back from Japan. If they came back right now, they'd find this: While this building & combination of projects might appeal to you & me, I can say with 100% authority that the "mess" will not be appreciated by the better half (especially after an 11 hour flight / 18 hour journey with two small kids). So time to kick it into gear! Been spending most of the last week building turnouts & developing solder skills (see workbench). (The paint can is holding down a section of foam that wasn't attached so well, so I squirted a bit of caulk under it & squish!) But since I need to have the messy stuff done before the fam gets back, I started carving out the harbour, & marking up the fascia for cutting. I'll be carving out the lowered road in the "L" of layout soon (that's why the fascia is removed). That small middle panel will be cut later to match the drop from topleft to bottom right. Also will build the detachable staging tracks (both ends) so I can drill the peg holes & match everything up. Basically, I'm trying to make 2 turnouts a day. Practiced with an early attempt on my test foam module: But that's another thread. So I have seven days to see how much I can get done on the this thing! My goal is to have at least a short section of track laid & wired up so my kids (& the ceo of the D&BS) can see some "results". At the same time, I do not want slipshod track. Thus, the test diorama. Of course, some of that time will be devoted to CLEANING UP the apt. before everyone gets back, so let the sawdust, foam & vapours fly now! Will update this weekend. Cheers! --Mark
After spending a bit of time making & figuring out how to install & operate turnouts: http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/showthread.php?p=612145#post612145 I'm getting ready to lay some track & get a wee-bit of movement on the layout! My main motivation: the wife & kids come back on Thursday so: 1. I have to have all messy stuff done & cleaned up by then (that includes the entire apartment, the two cars, bathrooms, etc.) 2. I want to have at least a small section operationable. If people come home & see only a large construction project: it'll turn into an albatross around a neck (mine). But if a loco can move even a wee bit, then rainbows will blossom & flowers will shower the sky! So I started hacking away at the foam to create the harbour & float ramp: And I've created a new "office / workshop" for myself: Can you guess where it is? Let's just say I'm "flush" with happiness. It even comes with its own "fume hood" ! Next couple days will be exciting! (It's like a movie trailer: "Will he get a train moving before the wife & kids get home? An International Action Adventure!") Alrighty, onward & upward! Cheers! --Mark
