Expansion to the Whistlestop RR


KB02

KB02

Well-Known Member
Well it's been long enough for my empire to remain stagnant. Time for an expansion.

The Western wall of the basement bar is the next stretch to cover. BUT, since that is also the wall the seems to have the most water intrusion, I was skeptical of building there. But then I thought that if I built it modular style, I could just move the whole section if I needed to. So that became the plan. This expansion is simply going to be a staging yard for now, but may turn into a town or industry in the future. I'm building it out of a 2x4 frame with foam top.

Starting with the runners. It's an 8' 2x4 with a 1x1 section cut out to hold the foam:


A shortened section of 2x4 caps off the ends making it only about a foot wide. Used a jig to french in the screws to keep it clean looking:


The 1x1 section cut out of the runner was used to make a ladder type configuration for the base. Mainly to help with strength as I am only using 1" foam.


Foam in place:


Legs in place (with adjustable feet to help with leveling):


AND...
well... at this point I should confess that I broke the most sacred of bench work building rules... I didn't bring my wood inside and let it acclimate to the area where is it going to be before I started building. I ended up with a pretty warped tabletop when it was all together. And it's not like it was a simple, easy to correct warp either. At only 1 foot wide, there ended up being about a 3/4" difference in height from one side to the other. I installed a cross bar on the bottom of the legs to try and hold it straight. I've got the height difference down to about 1/8". I'm happy enough with that to keep moving on the project.

Drilled a couple of 1/4" holes to hold some locating dowels:



And then put it all in place:


The photo makes the warp looks worse. The benchwork on the left is actually slanted towards the wall (intentional design), and the new section is slanted slight away from the wall (the UN-intended effect). With custom, hand built, turn outs on the right and bottom of the curve, trains will be able to enter from either direction.

Well, that's where it's at for now. I'm gearing up for a trip to Springfield, MA for the train show in a couple weeks. Anyone else headed that way?
 
This is amazing ! I was just now going to post a question as to whether we do or don't need the 1/2" ply under the foam board (especially if it's a narrow section or shelf layout ) !! I start scrolling and bang, here it is !!! I am close to building an L shape switching layout and have been thinking how nice it'd be if ply isn't necessary..!
Nice benchwork KB...Mark
 
You’re welcome. And Thank you.

yeah, as long as you have it supported, you should be fine.
 
MHinLA said:
This is amazing ! I was just now going to post a question as to whether we do or don't need the 1/2" ply under the foam board (especially if it's a narrow section or shelf layout ) !! I start scrolling and bang, here it is !!! I am close to building an L shape switching layout and have been thinking how nice it'd be if ply isn't necessary..!
Click to expand...
I do not use plywood under the 2" foam. Haven't since, ummm 1997 or so. No problems even on the modular layouts.
 
KB02 said:
Starting with the runners. It's an 8' 2x4 with a 1x1 section cut out to hold the foam:
Click to expand...
That is an interesting construction method that I've not seen before. I do the opposite. I start with a 1x4 and then fasten a 1x1 runner to create the shelf for the foam.
 
I opted for 2x instead of 1x construction due to price. A 2x4 is half the price of a 1x4 even though it is literally twice the amount of lumber. Due to the warping, I think I would have been better off going the extra expense.
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I got the power wires set to go:

Simple butt connectors, but easy to do. No need to over-engineer it.

Then I got my basic track work laid out:


I've got another #8 left that I had planned to put in. I may not not seeing it actually on the boards. According to SCARM, it will all fit. BUT, I've got a problem to sort out first. The #8 turnouts are kits I got off ebay for a great deal. Just needed assembly. The closer rails are a little bit too tight. They're all in gauge according to my NMRA gauge, but even the least pickiest of my rolling stock weren't happy. (If it will roll through an Atlas Snap Switch but complain at a #8, something's wrong.)

Anyway, the transition from one section to the other came out well.
 
Very very nice and clean benchwork construction! These pocket holes sure work nicely! Thanks for posting!
 
KB02 said:
The #8 turnouts are kits I got off ebay for a great deal. Just needed assembly. The closer rails are a little bit too tight. They're all in gauge according to my NMRA gauge, but even the least pickiest of my rolling stock weren't happy. (If it will roll through an Atlas Snap Switch but complain at a #8, something's wrong.)
Click to expand...

And what's the number 1 rule if you're having trouble with a particular car at turns and the like? Why, Check the gauge, of course!
I feel like an idiot. 4 out of the six axles on this particular car were all too narrow. Fixed that issue and things tended to work better.
 
KB02 said:
I opted for 2x instead of 1x construction due to price. A 2x4 is half the price of a 1x4 even though it is literally twice the amount of lumber. Due to the warping, I think I would have been better off going the extra expense.
Click to expand...
I also use #1 lumber rather than construction grade stuff. That really reduces the warping factor.

I've got another #8 left that I had planned to put in.
Click to expand...
Just another general question. Why are you going with #8 turnouts? Seems on a smaller layout they just use up tons of space.
 
Iron Horseman said:
Just another general question. Why are you going with #8 turnouts? Seems on a smaller layout they just use up tons of space.
Click to expand...
Mainly because... well... I have them.

This extension will mainly be a staging yard for now until I am able to afford to build the next expansion; though it may be turned into an industry area one day (no layout is ever really done, is it?). As I am starting to get into scratch building more, turnouts may not be as much of a problem. But for now, I'm just going with what I have (though a completely scratch built #6 is in the future for another section - no kit, no modified track, but totally from plain rail and blueprints).

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The question now is how do I bridge the gap across the open corner? My plan is to fit a "drop in" section with a cute little trestle. Just to continue the modular design - in case I need t move this section for any reason. I've been looking up drop in/lift out/lift up sections but nothing really pops for covering a 90 degree corner. Just bridges and the like. This will require a bit more thought...
 
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KB02 said:
Mainly because... well... I have them.
Click to expand...
Can't get a much better reason than that.

(though a completely scratch built #6 is in the future for another section - no kit, no modified track, but totally from plain rail and blueprints)
Click to expand...
I think you will find that easier than it sounds. I was intimidated with hand built turnouts for a decade or so. After I built one I am almost ashamed that I had been afraid to try for so long.
 
Got the inspiration and the time to get back at it. Time to bridge that gap:


As it still needs to be removable in case I need to get to that wall, I'm going lift-out style - With magnets! (can you tell I have been watching Ken Patterson videos?)
The walls will be made out of 1/4" ply. I started with some 1/2" ply, though, creating a small shelf for things to rest on along the new extension:



Stick out only 1/4". Then I cut a strip of the 1/4" just as wide as a 2x4 and screwed it to the back of the wall. This will be the support it needs to slide onto and along that wall.
Untitled by Robert Martin, on Flickr

Then, while the boards were clamped in place, I drilled a started hole for where the magnets will be; this way the magnet locations will much closer to exact. Then I used a router bit on my rotary tool to carve out the space for the magnets.


Following Ken Patterson's advice, I stacked the magnets to ensure proper alignment and then did a test fit.


For the other wall, I am using just one centered magnet, but two 1/4" dowels as locator pins. This way I can simply slide the whole unit into place.

After everything was good to go, I mixed up some 2 ton epoxy and, while keeping magnets separated by wax paper, glued them into place. With the two walls clamped down, I then screwed them together, just to ensure that putting them together didn't take them away from the alignment I had set up (turns out my corner wasn't exactly 90 degrees). I also screwed the walls to the baseboards while the glue dried to make sure they stayed in place.


The glue states 30 minutes work time, followed by 30 minutes drying time. I gave it all about a hour and a half before going back to the layout. a couple of quick little tugs and I got this:


A couple of quick ins and outs to make sure it worked and then I pulled it out so the glue could finish curing (8-12 hours according to the packaging).
Now I just need a floor and then I can drop in some foam to form terrain.

Why did I make the walls so tall you might ask? Here's a hint at the next phase:
 
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FWIW, don't know if its a moot point or not, but I would have spanned the joint, with a small section of Atlas track (3", 6", etc), as I've found over time that track at the edge or joint, can get banged up, and using a section of 'snap track' is easily replaceable.
 
otiscnj said:
FWIW, don't know if its a moot point or not, but I would have spanned the joint, with a small section of Atlas track (3", 6", etc), as I've found over time that track at the edge or joint, can get banged up, and using a section of 'snap track' is easily replaceable.
Click to expand...

That is an excellent point and one that I probably should have considered at the time. Chalk it up to hindsight on this one, I guess.

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Well, with the corner piece built and sliding into and out of place easily enough, it's time to build the terrain. Started with some pink foam:


Then carved it down with a wire rasp on the end of my cordless drill:

...that made an awful mess. I tried holding the shop vac hose right against the working side of the rasp, but it was no use.

Then the plaster:


With the basic shape set, I marked out where the tracks will curve and built my abutments.


You can see the first of 4 bents that will be there as well. The bridge is coming along nicely, but I keep getting ahead of myself and having to backtrack and take things apart. Slow progress, but progress none the less.
 
What is it with model Railroaders and trestles?

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The first trestle I built was just kind of slapped together with a "yeah, that looks cool" kind of philosophy. I figured this one could be done a bit closer to prototype.

Started with the stringers:


As the bridge will span a curve, I built a jig to hold the pieces as the glue dried. Then, it was time to place on the ties:



and added the sides to hide the uneven ties (a few needed a little bit of carving down).

Then I built a jig for the bents and started getting them ready:



That's when I realized two things: 1.) I had gotten ahead of myself with the bents. The nice, full length bents were not going to just drop into gully, but rather had to be cut to specific lengths an set specifically into the walls of the gully. And 2.) My posts really end up being super picture heavy.

Anyway, after a few nights of cutting and setting, I finally had the bridge complete. After connecting the track and cutting off the plastic ties, it was time to glue the rails onto the bridge:


And here's what it looks like:


Next steps will be to secure the tracks off the bridge on the extension side and then I can cut the tracks so it will be easily removable. Then I'll paint up the rocks and start in with the decorations. Fascia will finish off the look eventually. AT least thats the plan.
 
Time to dull down the white (and the picture count):


The black wash came out way too dark, in retrospect, but it is drying a bit lighter. Once I get some dirt, grass, trees and shrubs in there, though, it should look just fine.
 
Skipping a few steps pictorially... I got the tracks all secured and then cut. I did my best to keep the tracks held in place throughout the process, but they ended up shifting a little bit on one side which has caused me a great deal of annoyance in getting them re-aligned after everything was glued and ballasted down. I should have remembered the little screw trick for connecting modular sections, but I've got it figured out for now.

Then I needed to get power figured out. I used some brass and copper sheets to make contact pads and wired them accordingly:


Then, after several test runs with finicky equipment (both rolling stock and locos), I was ready for the finishing touches of grass, trees and shrubs:




Now all I need to do is some fascia work to clean up the edges and it's done.

What do you think?
 
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