The Union Pacific Soggy Bottoms Subdivision (HO scale)


I got the benchwork for the north blob completed, I'll install it later.
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The blue 1 x 3 is just sitting there, it's not fastened to the benchwork.
It wasn't until after I had finished this that I realized that the benchwork extends 3-1/2" too far out from the back wall. :oops:
The pencil mark on this girder is roughly in line (in the pic) with the line on the floor that marks how far out the door swings when it is opened.
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I know some will say "Well, just don't open the door all the way and you won't hit the benchwork."
Sooner or later, the door would clobber the benchwork! I can either cut 3-1/2" from the end of the girders, or cut 3-1/2" from the end of the joists on the back wall. Since there will be a yard, a raised track running over a bridge, and an interchange track back there I'll probably just trim the end of the girder on the front. I'll be the sole operator, so losing 3-1/2" from the open area in the center of the layout won't be a big deal. I think I know where I made my mathematical boo-boo. Oh well. Ya lives, ya learns!
 
The north blob is installed and leveled (at least as leveled as it's gonna get!). :)

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I trimmed the ends of both blobs, and now I don't need to worry about clobbering the layout with the door!
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I installed 1 x 4's on the ends of the girders, both to give a more finished look as well as to protect the ends. This one split on me! Even after I drilled pilot holes! Oh, well.
I also found the wheel stops I've been looking for, so now I can finish up the RustEze shipping/receiving building. I found them in my plastic tote of scenery supplies, right on top of everything else. I know I've checked that tote at least twice! :confused:
I must be getting old.
 
The wife had surgery yesterday. She's home recovering now, but I won't be using power tools for a few days, so construction on the layout is temporarily halted.
I found a good picture of what I'm guessing are the prototypes for the Tomar Industries #803 wheel stops. I found it here:
http://mopacmike.com/ties/?p=2284
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They are painted yellow, and that seems to be the most common color, so that's what color I painted mine.
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I'm only going to give them 1 coat of paint, I don't want them looking too new and shiny. I'll give these a while to dry, then CA them to the rails.
 
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Thanks, Patrick! She's doing well, she's up and around. She can climb stairs and do normal things. No lifting over 15 lbs. for about a month, and no driving until next week. I have to go back to work next Tuesday, but she should be pretty much back to normal by then. She won't go back to work until October most likely.
Work continues on the RustEze building. The wheel stops are installed on the the tracks and the tracks are CA'd to the floor. I had to notch the side pieces for the wheels stops. That didn't come out as well as it could have. :oops:
In the center of the tracks there will be a couple of styrene spacers. These will keep the center section from falling down between the tie plates, and also keep it level with the top of the track. The spacers have been CA'd to both track pieces. The styrene strips are just sitting there. I won't glue them down until they've been painted. I want to get the other strips ready and then paint all 6 at once. I need to clean out the paint booth first. It's amazing how stuff just seems to find it's way all over everywhere! :rolleyes:
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I got the the styrene strips painted and installed.
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I test fitted two cars inside the building. This is when I discovered I should have set the wheel stops 1 tie back farther than I did. :oops:
The 40 foot car in the foreground fits perfectly, but the 50 footer in the rear is a tight fit. They roll just great, though!
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The 50 footer still fits inside the building, even with the door closed. The door will be cut and modeled in the open position, however.
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Not much room to spare, though!
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The next job is going to be cutting angle stock and installing it long the concrete edges to protect the edges. I also need to install some angle stock along the outside corners of the building to disguise the less than perfect joints. Still have a ways to go, but it's getting there!
 
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I've been working on the angle stock to go in and on the corner joints. I originally thought about using some .060" angle from Evergreen, but when I looked at the package at the hobby shop, I decided to use 3/32" from Plastruct instead. The .060" angle was just too small for me to be able to work with for what I want to do. So this may be a bit oversize for scale, so be it!
I'm using my small miter box and a razor saw to cut the angle. I put the angle stock on a square dowel to hold it steady, then make light passes with the razor saw to cut it. It works pretty well like that.
This is the angle stock I'm using:
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There are 8 strips in the package, and I should be able to get all the angle stock I need from this package. :)
Here's the miter box and razor saw I'm using. I think the miter box is a Revell product, IIRC. The square wooden dowel in the background is what I'm using to hold the angle stock steady as I cut it. The worst part is remembering which direction to make the 45 degree cuts in!
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I have cut all the angle stock for the inside joints along the bottom, and painted the ones for the left side bay. They are drying right now. I used Testors flat steel enamel for the paint. All the indoor angle stock will be painted flat steel. The outside corners of the building will be painted flat aluminum.
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I'm still trying to decide what to do for guardrails around the pits. Maybe I'll decide that later when after I decide who the workers are going to be. I still like the idea of populating the place with Minions, but noone makes them in HO scale. :(
I have some chain to use as a barrier across the guardrail opening opposite the boxcar doors. I also have an idea as to how I'm going to make the plate the forklift will use to get into the boxcars.
Slowly but surely this is getting done!
 
All the angle stock is cut, painted, and installed! I airbrushed the roof with Testors Light Ghost Gray acrylic, and spray painted the roof details with some silver metallic RustOleum spray paint. Management decided that having the roll up doors yellow was a good safety feature, so they remained the color they were out of the box.
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There were 6 outdoor lights included in the kit, but I only installed the three on the front of the building. I will hold off installing any lights or entry doors until I know how this is going to be situated on the layout and where the main building will sit in relation to this one.
A pic of the roof. Some of the paint got rubbed off of one of the square vents. I may touch it up or I may leave it as is, we'll see.
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A view of the interior.
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There are still some little details that need to be added, but for now I'm calling this one done. This was a fun project, though it did have some less than humorous moments. But, hey, all our projects have those , don't they??!!
 
That turned out really nice! When you say installed the lights, are you going to use functional lighting, or are they decoration?
 
Thanks, Mike! I enjoyed it. The lights are not functional, they are basically just wedges of plastic. I'm not planning to make them functional. Although I could.........
 
I got another small section of benchwork built. This is the piece that runs from the south blob to the lift gate. The lift gate will be 24" long and probably 12" wide. It could go 18" wide, I haven't quite decided yet. I still need to cut and install the gussets for the side braces. The joists are just sitting there, they haven't been attached yet. This section is fastened to the blob with 2 x 2 x 3-1/2" cleats.
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A closeup of the cleats. This makes a much stronger joint than screwing into the end of the girder web.
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I also got to playing around with the track plan. I realized that I really don't need such a 'sophisticated' yard for the amount of industrial traffic this layout will have. I will be the sole operator, and keeping the inner loop clear at all times during industrial switching doesn't mean beans to me! If a train wants to go roundy-round, it can do it on the outer loop! The main industries will be the RustEze plant, the meat packing plant, the stockyards, and a scrap yard. These will be switched as trailing point sidings. There will be a couple of facing point sidings and a couple of trailing point sidings on the narrow side of the layout. I haven't decided what they will be yet.
The double crossover and the river scene will be making the transition from the old layout to the new. The double crossover will allow a train to circle on the outer loop while the industries are switched, or it can be set to allow the train to circle the inner loop, cross over to the outer loop where it will make a circuit, then cross back to the inner loop, then back to the outer loop, etc. ad naseum. This is for when I just want to watch a reaaaaaaly long train run!
I'm sure there will be some changes and refinements to the layout, there always are, but I'm liking this design.
The diagonal track to the right of the icing platform is there to allow the switch engine easier access to the reefers when they come in on a train. The train will pull onto the A/D track, the engine will uncouple from the reefers, then the switcher will take them onto the drill track and back them into the icing platform.
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The place where I work is doing inventory today, and since I'm not on the mandatory list and I did NOT volunteer to help, I had the day off! :)
I got some wood onto the benchwork. The south 5 x 7 blob is framed and ready for the plywood.
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The short extension is where the liftgate will attach. I had been wondering how I was going to turn a 4 x 8 sheet of plywood into a 5 x 7 piece, when I discovered that I can get a 5 x 8 sheet special order from Menards. They're kind of pricey, but I would have one less joint to worry about. Actually, they would be a bit less than 7 feet long, because I need to deduct the width of the hardboard I plan to use as a backdrop and the width of the backdrop uprights. I would just have the sheets cut at Menards. Might have to order those in a few weeks.
I may put a joist at the very end of the table to support the edge of the plywood. That would probably be a good thing to do. Maybe tomorrow I'll frame up the north blob.
I also paid a visit to Randy's Roundhouse and bought two packages of Woodland Scenics 2% risers and inclines. One to go up, and one to go down. ("And one more going nowhere, just for show!" Tevye, The Fiddler on the Roof.) This will be the first layout I've built with grade changes, because it's the first time I've had enough room to do that!
 
I am going to install a single Tortoise switch machine under my double crossover (http://www.modelrailroadforums.com/...ms-division-ho-scale.26206/page-6#post-341675) following Melvin Perry's lead in the link provided in the above post.
I purchased a piece of .220" acrylic sheet from Menards. I used my bandsaw to cut a piece 26" x 6". I marked the center-line lengthwise down the sheet. I am leaving the protective film on until I get everything attached for the final time. I used some green painters tape and taped the crossover in place, aligning it with the center-line.
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I marked the location of the tabs for the frog wires and the throw-bar hole when the throw-bar is centered. Using the drill press, I drilled a hole for the frog wires and a 3/8" hole for the throw-bar wire.
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I taped the crossover back into place, and using a Woodland Scenics foam nail to hold the throw-bar centered, I marked and drilled the hole for the bell-crank pivot. I did this for all 4 throw-bars. The holes were then tapped for a 4-40 screw. This pic shows the holes drilled and tapped.
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I don't remember just which tap I needed, but I had to buy this set to get it.
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https://www.menards.com/main/tools/...-c-10160.htm?tid=-8896624379325428037&ipos=14

I'm glad I did because I've used it a whole lot since then! It doesn't include 2-56, but I already had that size.
Just waiting on some hardware, and I'll continue this.
 
My 4-40 nylon screws finally got here. These will be used in one of the holes on the arm of a bell-crank to hole the wire which will move the turnout throw-bar. A hole will be drilled down the middle of the screw into which the wire will be inserted. Drilling a hole down the middle of a nylon bolt sounds like a precision undertaking! I made a drilling jig to assist the process. I spent a few dollars at Menards yesterday and picked up a 1/4" x 2" x 36" piece of poplar. I cut a piece the width of my drill press table.
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I drilled and tapped the hole for the 4-40 screw.
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Tapping wood may be a new process for some here, but it's commonly done in the RC aircraft hobby. A secret is to use thin CA and let it penetrate the threads in the wood along with the surrounding wood.
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The screw will be cut flush with the top of the board before drilling.
"Captain, I've just had an apostrophe!"
"I think you mean an epiphany." "Hook"
I may remake this. I have plenty of poplar left over. If I screw two pieces together, then drill a hole the diameter of the wire through both pieces, when I unscrew the pieces, the bottom hole can be used as a pilot hole. I can slowly enlarge that hole until it is the proper size, then tap it. Then I will glue and screw the two pieces back together again. The top hole will be centered over the tapped hole. When a screw, cut down to 1/4" long, is screwed into the bottom hole, the top hole will serve as a guide to drill a hole right down the middle of the screw!
Looks like I have a bit of woodworking to do!
 
I moved the extension from the south blob to the north blob, and finally got around to building a framework to support the river scene. At this point, it's just secured to the frame with a few screws. I still need to pour the Enviro-Tex Lite for the water and put the German 2 man submarine in.
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The two inch thick pink foam is a stand-in for the 1/2" plywood, 1" thick foam, and 1/2" Homasote I plan to use for the table top. The plywood for rigidity and strength, the foam in case I later decide to add any below grade features, and the Homasote because it holds track nails very well, but still allows for removal if needed. Except for the track that will be on the grades, I plan to use track nails to secure the track. Why? Having both glued and used track nails to secure track, I honestly prefer track nails. It also makes changes to the track plan easier.
Here's a pic showing how the track in this area will be laid:
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(Yes, there will be a safety strip installed along the edge.)
Another shot:
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The track will come around a radius onto the double crossover, and through a rerailer. The inside track will have a #6 left turnout installed as you see here. This turnout will allow cars to be backed into an industrial area. The outer track will continue through the river scene and on around the outer loop, which will have a 2% grade made of Woodland Scenics foam risers.
I've been wanting to do something with this area for a while.
 
I don't have to be back to work until January 6th ( :D ) so I hope to get some progress done on this layout, and maybe catch up on few other projects (double crossover comes to mind). The outside yard work is as done as it's going to get, although I do need to cut up some tree limbs and get them to the landfill, might do that Thursday.
On the layout I finished mounting the uprights for the backdrop. Some of them have a bit of a lean, but I think that's because they're pulling the joists over to one side a bit. I plan to nail some 1 x 2's across the tops to even them up.
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The 2 x 2 uprights are on 48" centers, starting at the far left edge of the far left joist, so the first 2 x 2 and the second 2 x 2 are not on 48" centers from each other. This is so the tempered hardboard will extend to the edge of the joist, but end at the center of the second 2 x 2.
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I'm actually rather surprised that they all came out properly!
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This is the second to last 2 x 2. The last 2 x 2 is going to be next to the wall, the hardboard will have to be cut to fit.
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Now I just need to decide what I want to do for a backdrop. Money's tight (just spent $420 for a new control board for the furnace! :( ), but my artistic skills are pretty much limited to stick figures and painting black cats at midnight. I'll figger it out, though!
 
All the angle stock is cut, painted, and installed! I airbrushed the roof with Testors Light Ghost Gray acrylic, and spray painted the roof details with some silver metallic RustOleum spray paint. Management decided that having the roll up doors yellow was a good safety feature, so they remained the color they were out of the box.
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There were 6 outdoor lights included in the kit, but I only installed the three on the front of the building. I will hold off installing any lights or entry doors until I know how this is going to be situated on the layout and where the main building will sit in relation to this one.
A pic of the roof. Some of the paint got rubbed off of one of the square vents. I may touch it up or I may leave it as is, we'll see.
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A view of the interior.
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There are still some little details that need to be added, but for now I'm calling this one done. This was a fun project, though it did have some less than humorous moments. But, hey, all our projects have those , don't they??!!
Really nice work!
 
Has it really been over two months since I updated anything to this? I guess it has. :oops:
I got the framing for the backdrop completed and installed 2 x 4 panels of 1/4" hardboard. The hardboard is secured on both sides and the top. I installed 1 x 2's along the top of the framing. I taped the seams using self adhesive EZ Tape, a product I've not used before. The first coat of drywall compound has been applied, and it has dried. It is ready to be sanded.
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Somehow, I managed to get a bit off-kilter when putting the panels on. No big deal, though, that gap at the bottom will be covered when the table to and subroadbed are installed. My plan was to sand the seams and put on the first skim coat today, until......
(Continued in next post.)
 



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