I like the JB hunt container. It looks familiar to me(wink wink). I dont see alot of jb containers on layouts, but as far as Harrisburg is concerned more than half the trains are JB Hunt. Btw last night i saw a Kansas city southern loco with NS in Harrisburg. Joe
I'm enjoying what I have been able to get done. This stuff I'm showing has been completed for a while, I just haven't posted it. I have a lot of ideas I'd like to incorporate into my design, but I'm taking it slow to make the actual progress. I'm learning with this layout that quick progress will not result in good results. Because the staging level will be covered, but accessible, I'm trying to ensure smooth operation. I may have to realign some things as I go, thus the slow progress. I have run an assortment of different cars/locos on the track I have laid. I'm happy to be able to run trains with few derailments or problems, except when I forget to throw a switch that I'm working near. But those are just nuisance issues, not actual maintenance problems. A future project will develop LED turnout indication that will make it easier to see the route set by turnout.
Kinda funny, Joe--I was just perusing a popular railroad photo site and I came across a pic of an NS intermodal with a gray KCS unit. Wonder if it's the same one?
It was a black red and yellow scheme. I like that paint scheme. In my world they may just run with chessie, or atleast be a through freight.
A few more pics. Some of this is more recent work. This will start to show where I'll be going with my construction. The first shows a view of the staging level from in front of my desk. I have been using these cars to test my tracks. The second is another view from a higher elevation. The overall view shows my recent progress of the added risers to support the main operational level. I will build another open box grid. The third shows the transition from the helix to the staging level. Tip for others: don't place turnouts under track sections that can't easily be moved. This is one area that I would redo if starting this over. The last is showing the Peco switch motors I'll be using to throw the staging turnouts. The small panel has two momentary pushbuttons that will be connected to a Digitrax DS64. Each staging switch will also have two LEDs (a green and red) to show routing, by way of a Peco PL13 attached to each switch motor. This will be an area that will require research, and a whole lot of patience. Thankful for sources of info I've already found. More to come......
Thanks everybody for the interest. I'm enjoying being part of show and tell class. Here are a few more progress pics. I'm working through many different parts of an ever growing puzzle. I'm finding I have to plan more parts of the construction in order to complete an earlier step. For instance: I need to build the main level benchwork to be able to route the wires for the switch motors to attach them to the benchwork. But if I build the benchwork I won't have easy access for other things I may need to do. A puzzle. I'll figure it out. I will be operating with Digitrax DCC. I have purchased and inherited 3 boosters/command stations. I enjoy the ability to expand the Loconet as needed. My previous layout attempts were smaller in scope, so I only needed 1 booster/c.s. With this current layout being larger and planned for walk around capability I needed to install fascia panels for following trains. My throttles are not CURRENTLY equipped with radio/ infrared. I installed 3 UP-3 Loconet panels. After I makes the location, I taped the area to prevent damaging the painted fascia board. I then drilled multiple holes along the marking to cut out the area. A rasp and some sanding finished the process. More to come.....
When I built the lower level, I decided I wanted things to have a finished look before proceeding too far ahead in construction. With my method of attaching vertical boards to support the benchwork to the walls, I chose to cover the L brackets with 1/8" Masonite hardboard backdrop. Each bracket is 10" x 10". I will construct an open grid wood frame for the upper level along the wall and around the corner above my desk. I hung old Christmas rope lights for some added illumination.
In all the activity of regular life, I've been able to make some progress on the layout. This past weekend I completed the benchwork and track foam for the helix. I had to wait for a shipment of supplies to arrive before I could complete this task. Our LHS closed a couple years ago and its different to have to order stuff that I need. A couple coats of paint, lines drawn for foam, and a smearing of DAP caulk got the foam laid in position. I need to solder some track to what I have laid already, then I should be able to run something from lower level to upper. I'm satisfied so far, but adjustments will need to be made. I'm glad I chose the threaded rod for construction of my helix. A few turns on a couple nuts will have things set at the right slope. Once I have the helix adjusted to its desired level I can move forward with building the top benchwork frame to support the main track level. I also started laying out a yard on the lower level. I decided to incorporate a visible, active staging yard. The schematic of connected points in my planning, mostly in my head, has things running smoothly. Man, I hope it works out like I want. Anyway, I laid track down on the board to be able to visualize if it would operate smoothly. I tried to keep Craig Bisgeier's "10 Commandments of Model Railroad Yard Design" in mind as I moved switches and track around. The main line is the center track. Where I'm holding the camera to where it goes behind the helix is roughly 8 feet length. There is another 4 feet behind the camera that I will use for engine servicing and other aspects, like a DCC programming track. I value your collective opinions in the "flow" and operability of what I have there. If it's helpful, I can draw this same schematic out on paper and post a pic. Feel free to offer suggestions or drawings. The switches are Peco longs from mainline and crossovers and Peco mediums for spurs and sidings. Thanks in advance. More to come, like learning how to program and wire Digitrax DS64s for Peco switch motors and wiring a board to hold electrical components. And wiring pushbutton switches on panels for inputs to the DS64s.
Thanks Tony. Okay, I am starting to hate yard design. After my previous post, and rereading "10 Commandments...." a couple more times, I decided my first trial at laying out a workable yard won't operate smoothly. I am going back to the drawing board. I have also pulled out my copy of "The Model Railroader's Guide to Freight Yards" by Andy Sperandeo. I'll read through it a few times to try to come up with a workable plan. The drawing board....literally. I haven't been able to keep my 3rdPlanIt plan very current, so pencil and paper once again came in handy. Here's what I'm currently working with: My mainline comes in from the left behind/ under my helix. I figure I will keep to a stub yard with the classification tracks being to the right. I want the main to curve around above the desk. Maybe I'll work in some industries against the background on the left. Overall dimensions 12'10"x 12" with 54" x6" above the desk, roughly 13" radius curved transition. Any ideas?
After reading through "Model Railroader's Guide to Freight Yards" I have a better idea of what I want my yard to look like and how I want it to operate. I will start moving track pieces around to get my design process moving. I'll hopefully have some pics of my proposed design in the near future. Moving on to other things: before starting benchwork for my upper level I put in lower level backdrop to "finish" the peninsula. I use whatever material will be easy to fit and give the right look for the scene. For my lower level I decided to use heavy card stock/ poster board. I bought two sheets of black front-white back at a local big box craft place. I cut these into 8" wide strips. I attached them to the already installed supports, and on overlapping areas with hook-and-loop fasteners. Using this method will allow me to easier remove in case of maintenance needs behind. More to come. Stayed tuned.
I've been doing a little yard planning. I got my tabletop completely built(previous yard plan pics did not have table completed) and prepped for track. That involves laying down the base and covering it with Dap® DryDex Spackle. Once that was dry, I gave it a thorough sanding, then two coats of my base color paint.(S-W #7523 Burnished Brandy). After the paint dried over night, I pulled out my track pieces again and started laying out a yard again. (plan not to scale, but accurate in track geometry. Main continues to the bottom(#1) track.) This diagram has the left side tracks labeled incorrectly. Top-most spur is "Caboose", middle is "Switch Lead", lowest is "R.I.P". (as a flat surface, the desk get used as a catch-all. I am trying to get myself out of that habit) I think this design will work well, giving me a destination for trains from the upper level of the layout. I will lay the track and get it running before I start further expansion of the upper level. This will give me the opportunity to build trains and tweak the design if it doesn't operate smoothly. I would appreciate any tips/suggestions in improving flow and function. More to come. Time to go lay some track.
I have already made a couple of significant changes to the plan as drawn, shown in the previous post. Besides the stated correction of the track labels in the diagram, I have moved the right-hand crossover (from "Main" to right side "Switch Lead") to the right of the double ladder turnouts. I have added a left hand crossover where the RH is shown. This will allow me to move locomotives from "Engine" to any track in either yard more directly. And the two crossovers will provide me with a runaround for easier access to whichever end of a car I need to push/pull. A new, clean drawing is in order. I may also be able to update my 3rdPlanIt plan to show these details. Stay tuned.
It has been WAY TOO LONG since I last did an update!! Life happens. Mine probably hasn't been any more hectic than any of yours', I guess I just let mine keep me from giving attention to things I enjoy doing. Thanks for your patience if you follow this build. I have made some physical progress on the layout, but recently I have made a few additions. I decided to incorporate detection with JMRI, and later signalling to the layout. Because I had already built much, and have track laid, I have been focusing on accurately planning for a Digitrax PM42 and BDL168(s). This has required a drawing of my track plan so I can plan while at work. I have realized that I am a paper & pencil "artist". I do enjoy 3rdPlanIt renderings, but I need accurate measurements to have that be correct. (I'll add layout drawing after I post this. Can't seem to find the 'attach photo' option right now) I have finished all benchwork for the lower level. I have all track laid for the staging area, and all but the reverse loop(blob) laid in 'Outlier Yard'. Track feeders have been soldered, manual turnout stands (Caboose Industries 206S) have been installed. I did have buss lines run and connected, but with the addition of detection/ signalling the wiring will need to be changed. I was able to enjoy running trains back and forth as far as the upper helix loop. I have been focused on proper wiring of the PM42 and BDL168 lately. Soldering and panel design/ construction had been my recent task. (Photo of panel) This has all been very time consuming, but I can look forward to when it is connected so I can enjoy operating it. More to come. Sent from my XT1058 using Tapatalk
Okay, I got all my photos uploaded from my phone to my computer. Hopefully this will work well enough to show you a few things. I need to upload a different pic, but this shows the design. Outlier Yard. Looking from just to the right of the helix. Outlier Yard. Looking towards the helix Digitrax PM42 (top) and BDL168 (bottom). I hate wiring!! I had to teach myself how to keep it neat so I have wires all over the place. I have also created a drawing of the wiring panel to match it as the wires are installed. More to come. Enjoy! Critiques are welcome. The addition of the PM42 and BDL168 have added a lot of complexity to an otherwise simple wiring job.
I had to find a name for the first major piece of my layout that I had running. Because my railroad is a freelance/ proto-lance affair, I needed a name that would fit with the surroundings of the layout. Lower staging is a through yard, designed for continuous operation of the upper level. The addition of the yard along the wall came as an afterthought. I hated to see 14' of wall space go to waste. It will be separate from the upper level. It will serve as a place to build trains, but it will also be the 'base of operations' for a switching/ industial area later to come in building of another peninsula. I named it "Outlier Yard" in honor of a sister of mine. She did a continuous through hike of the ENTIRE ~2,200 miles, northbound from Georgia to Maine. She used the moniker "Outlier" as her trail name. I stole it from her to use on my railroad.
