Introduction, Grandfathers legacy build


Berkshire Brian

Berkshire Brian

Still learning
Introduction, Grandfathers legacy build Updated 1/23/11

Hello fellow model railroaders,

I am new to the forum and so far I like what i see. I want to take this time to introduce myself and my railroad the "Berkshire Valley Route".

Back story:
When I was a kid I loved trains, I used to watch shows about them, look at pictures, and dream of operating one. When my grandfather started building his model railroad I was more then excited. He used a layout from a book for his railroad, it was a large "cookie-cutter" design called the "Berkshire Valley Route". It featured a large rail yard and a dual out-and-back (i think thats what its called) style figure 8 route.

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Sadly, after spending a year of building it, he got it all powered up and ready to run and then he passed away from a major heart attack. He barely got to enjoy his railroad at all. Not only was i crushed by loosing one of my role models, but the train set would have to be dismantled shortly after his demise. My grandmother knew how much i loved the trains so she packed them up for me (cars, track, controllers and all) and set them aside.

So fast forward 14 years to now. I am 24 years old and have space to now re-create the railroad my grandfather never got to enjoy. I started back in september building from his original plans and notes. I built the cookie-cutter table in 2 days with little error. I almost shed a tear when I saw the table from my childhood. It was exactly how i remembered it and now it was back. My girlfriend is helping me with the scenery when i get to that point, but i intened to stick as close as possible to how his train was when he passed. I do not know what my grandfather had in mind for scenery, theme, or era... So i will do my own take and use influences he gave me.

I plan to dedicate a building in the railroad to him, he liked many things, I may do a diner and call it "dave's diner" or something.

All the engines and cars he left me are New York central lines cars and engines. There are alot of various freight cars as well. I think i may do a 30-40's mountain era scene.


I cant wait to get deeper into it, share my layout with everyone and even learn from the veterans on here.
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Pictures below:

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Brian, your grandfather would be proud of you!!! Your off to a great start, keep us posted of your progress!!
 
I think you've got a great start, there.

I build my trains to enjoy them, but I'm also know that my children are interested in them as well. It means so much to me that I have them to pass the trains on to. I don't think they'll care about getting an XBox 360 passed on to them at that point, but the trains will be something that they can truly enjoy.

Keep us updated.

timothy dineen
 
Update: 1/23/11

Hi guys,

I got around to working on the railroad this weekend, and I have made more progress.

I started with wiring, I got about 75% of the railroad pre-wired and I actually got enough of it done to make the yard power up for the first time. The 4 engines i have (various ages) were having difficulties getting good electrical connection with the track. After soldering each of the rail joiners to the tracks and cleaning up some older sections of track (corrosion) I managed to get my newer engines moving at a good pace.

I came to realize a big part of my problem could be attributed to the "gunk" of corrosion that has built up on the wheels of the engines. It seems after a quick filing of one of the engine's wheels, the engine actually moved better along the track. I want to clean all of the engines wheels so that they get good electrical connections as they move. Does anyone recommend a good way of cleaning them?

Picture of wheels: You can see in the picture how they are a bit discolored.
DSCN0831.jpg


Some of my wiring:
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I also went ahead and started laying down new track and roadbed. I am getting better at cutting and making the turn-outs. And removing roadbed that is already glued down is no easy task! I had to rip up a good 12" section of roadbed to reposition it and create an nice even looking radius.

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I think my biggest hurdle right now is figuring out the large bridges that span the valley area. In the layout book it says to use Atlas Girder plate bridges with piers. I have them, but they dont exactly "work" with my layout for whatever reason. One side of the bridge section is too tall to meet one side of the valley.... the other side of the bridge is too short to meet the other side of the valley. I am contemplating building my own bridge from scratch. What do you guys think is a good route to go?

Here is picture of where my bridge is supposed to go, its almost a 3ft span. In the diagram you can see where the other type of bridge is supposed to be.

Bridgelocation2.jpg



More updates to come!
 
Brian that looks like it's really coming along!
I remember that plan, I always thought it would be cool to do.
I'll second what Jerome said.
 
For cleaning locomotive wheels, I disassemble the locomotive (good idea, considering yours have sat for 10 years) and clean the wheelsets with a bright boy. While you have everything disassembled, clean out all of the old lubricant and re-lube with a light amount of plastic compatible grease. Labelle lubricants are the best. Try your local hobby shop for both of these items, if not, they are easily acquired online.

Once you have removed the heavy gunk, you can keep them clean by occasionally running one end of the locomotive over a paper towel with a bit of ronsonol lighter fluid, keeping the other end on the track for power.

You might also consider rewiring your locomotives for DCC while you are at it, you do not necessarily have to go full out and buy all of the decoders now but if you decide to join a club later that uses DCC you will save yourself a bit of headache. Decoders are about $20 apiece anyway, and are usually still compatible with DC. DCC will enable you to operate a bit more easily, it reduces the block circuitry necessary for multiple cabs.
 
Thats guys for the ideas, and tips!

I figured i would have to disassemble the engines. I have 4 engines total. The two NYC engines were made in 1996. The Conrail and Rock Island engines I have were my uncles and I believe they are from the 1970's. So they definitely need to be refurbished

New York Central Diesel EMD E8A
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New York Central Fairbanks-Morse H10-44
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Conrail (very similar to this one)
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Rock Island Diesel GE U30C
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Cleaning wheels...first, go to the drugstore and get a bottle of Isopropyl Alcohol. Then, set up a piece of straight track that is connected to a power supply (or connect the power directly to the motor in the locomotive). Get some paper towel, lightly coat it with the alcohol, and lay it on the track, and run the engine for a few minutes over it. It will loosen up the gunk and clean your wheels.

timothy dineen
 
Brian you are doing a great job. If I can add my 2 cents worth it would be regarding the era you mentioned in your first post. The picture of the trains themselves shows some diesel locomotives that would be more appropriate from the early 40's through the 60's. Perhaps you have some steam engines that are not shown and that is why you stated 30's and 40's. If that is the case you are ok with the diesels except for maybe the U33 engine. Even that isn't a problem. Many in the hobby have items that really don't fit our theme for one reason or another but we just like them and run them when we want. My RR is late 50's to mid 60's and I have some engines that weren't around until 1990. I also like trolley cars and have several even though I don't have 1 inch of street rail anyplace or 1 inch of overhead wire either. Then again if I had painted the Mona Lisa she would be a blonde with a moustache and tattoos.

Keep up the good work Brian!
 
NH Mike said:
Then again if I had painted the Mona Lisa she would be a blonde with a moustache and tattoos.

Keep up the good work Brian!
Click to expand...

Haha, thanks for the tip. Yea 40's and 50's were my rough estimate for the trains I have. I have yet to do my homework on their full history.

Actually out in western Massachusetts in the Berkshires there is actually a Berkshire railroad museum that has a fully functioning 1920's train that goes on a 90 minute ride through the woods and local towns. My girlfriend and I are planning on going out this spring/summer to do some sight seeing and research for the model railroad. We want the railroad to take cues from the area and maybe even replicate some of the real life scenery. Im very excited because I have never been able to ride trains other then the MBTA. We plan to stay a weekend and just take lots of pictures and enjoy the countryside.

Again, thanks for the tips and compliments guys!
 
I think that you are doing a great job also. That said I found what might be a problem with some of your trackwork. You are using nails to hold the track. That can bend ties and change track gauge if the nails are driven too deep. There are 2 examples in this picture where the nails might be too deep because the ties look to be bent. Track gauge too tight can be a problem that causes derailments of some cars but not others.

Trains3.jpg


Many of us use latex caulk to hold the track and cork. Put down a small bead then spread it thin with a putty knife. Pin the track down or weight it until the caulk dries. There are a number of articles on the internet explaining this method.
 
IowaFarmBoy said:
I think that you are doing a great job also. That said I found what might be a problem with some of your trackwork. You are using nails to hold the track. That can bend ties and change track gauge if the nails are driven too deep. There are 2 examples in this picture where the nails might be too deep because the ties look to be bent. Track gauge too tight can be a problem that causes derailments of some cars but not others.

Trains3.jpg


Many of us use latex caulk to hold the track and cork. Put down a small bead then spread it thin with a putty knife. Pin the track down or weight it until the caulk dries. There are a number of articles on the internet explaining this method.
Click to expand...


I noticed that too. I have been trying to find a way to avoid bending the ties but its a bit tricky. I have only nailed down the yard section. I could pull out all those nails and try the method you described.

I will experiment and see how things go.

Thanks for the tip!
 
Yep I second the using latex caulk for gluing down the track. And if for some reason you have to pull it up, it's easy to remove with a putty knife.

The stuff I've been using is gray colored DAP Acryillic Latex from Home Depot.

What I do is when laying down track, I use 2" drywall screws on the outside rails. This helps keep the track in place, specially on curves. Give it a good 24hrs drying time.
 
Make sure it is latex ADHESIVE caulk. I failed to use the adhesive stuff at first and constantly had problems with my track popping loose.
 
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