Help Me Plan My Layout

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beiland

Well-Known Member
Bob, your planning tool is SUPERB. I very much like this idea gjohnston has brought up of getting the lower level going relatively quickly, but also laying the foundation for the upper level in advance.
I hope I can get your help planning my soon to start planning for my dbl-deck plan to be built in my dedicated hand-house shed under the carport of my home in FL. (12x16 shed). I'll start a separate subject thread on it soon.
Brian
Finally got that shed of mine located under the carport, insulated it, and putting electrical in now. I've started a subject thread on my project here:
http://www.modelrailroadforums.com/forum/showthread.php?40307-Help-Please-design-a-dbl-deck-layout-in-its-own-Hand-House-shed


Wondering if you are still dappling in that track planning program?
Your presentations on this subject thread were superb, particularly the 3d aspects.
 

beiland

Well-Known Member
Are many of your elevated lines utilizing just a plain foam subroadbed?...that is the way it appears in the photos?

Brian
Sorry to ask the question a second time, but to me it appears there are sections where the track is laid onto a 'blue' subroadbed. with cork roadbed just below that. I see other sections where it is obvious the subroadbed is plywood (and in wood color). Now I do have to admit to being slightly colorblind, but I think I definitely see blue material under some of the track work??
 

beiland

Well-Known Member
There is another compliment I must pay you. You have NOT overbuilt the your bench work. When I have looked at many layouts in the past I see then built with a heavy construction of 2x4's, etc,.... like they needed to support an army. Yours is just right.

And what a good informative subject thread as well. I was just reading back thru a few pages of it.
 
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gjohnston

Slow Learner
Anything new?

I have not been working on the layout over the summer. But before the summer break I did install my Z21 operating system, retro fitted 2 locos with decoders which converted them to DCC running, and changed out about 100 freight cars from plastic wheels with new steel wheels. I have also installed two auto reversers for the reversing sections of track. Then I did put in a circuit breaker that services all of the track as well. I will get back to the layout when the weather turns cold and wet up here. The new wheels have made a huge difference reducing the rolling resistance of the freight cars. They also do not bottom out on the crossover section of the layout, which had been the cause of derailment problems.

Sorry to ask the question a second time, but to me it appears there are sections where the track is laid onto a 'blue' subroadbed. with cork roadbed just below that. I see other sections where it is obvious the subroadbed is plywood (and in wood color). Now I do have to admit to being slightly colorblind, but I think I definitely see blue material under some of the track work??

The blue or gray roadbed is painted plywood, on top of that is cork, on top of the cork are my tracks. There are no tracks laid directly on the plywood. But not all of my tracks are laid yet. I still have to add the loco round house area, the staging yard, and the town area. Those areas don't even have the plywood subroadbed yet.

There is another compliment I must pay you. You have NOT overbuilt the your bench work. When I have looked at many layouts in the past I see then built with a heavy construction of 2x4's, etc,.... like they needed to support an army. Yours is just right.

And what a good informative subject thread as well. I was just reading back thru a few pages of it.

Thanks for your interest and complements. I am looking forward to getting back to the layout in a few weeks or so. :)
 

new guy

Active Member
Overbuilding is not just a point of pride in workmanship. THINGS happen around a layout...Better safe than sorry, trains are expensive nowadays and they won't be getting cheaper.
 

beiland

Well-Known Member
Ah ha...blue painted plywood rather than blue foam. I knew i had lost some of my eyesight, but was hoping I had not gone total color blind....ha...ha
 

gjohnston

Slow Learner
I have been back in the basement working on the locos and cars. I traded out the horn hook couplers for some Kadee Whisker couplers, and traded out the rest of my plastic wheels for Intermountain metal wheels. It took a while to get the coupler heights just right, but they are running smooth now. Those metal wheels make the biggest difference. I can just about double the number of cars the locos will pull.

Then I put together some rail road over passes. I was going for a girder bridge look. I know the real thing is made in straight sections, but I cheated and went with a curved section. I would like to pick up some kind of steel looking supports with some kind of abutments.

The painted black bridge was very difficult to photograph as I couldn't get the ribs to show up. They just fade into the background. But the unpainted bridge shows the ribs plainly.

Edit: Tried to get a better pic of the bridge painted black.

black Bridge.jpg




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gjohnston

Slow Learner
Update:
I have been working on the locomotive yard. I have a few more tracks to lay around the turntable. But I have the turntable in as well as the roundhouse, machine shop, water tower, coaling station, sanding stations, diesel fueling station, and ash pit and tower.

Question: I and going to need to scenic the ground to cover the cork sheeting. What are some good ways to do that?
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gjohnston

Slow Learner
It has been a while since I have logged in and updated my progress. Here are some recent pics.
 

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gjohnston

Slow Learner
More pics.
 

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gjohnston

Slow Learner
Just started putting the first layer of "gravel" in my loco and freight yard. I used the fines screened out of a bag of Quick Crete pre-mixed cement. First I removed all of the buildings and structures that were not permanently affixed to to layout. Then I masked the tracks and other structures that could not be removed. I laid down a thick layer of white glue thinned with water to make it spread easier and sprinkled on the "gravel". When it dries I will go over it again with another coat of "gravel" to cover any light spots. Then I want to apply some Wodland Scenics fine ballast cinders on top. This will give the gravel a darker coal and oil stained look. The subsequent coats of "gravel" and cinders will be set in place with a 4 to 1 ratio of white glue and water applied with a turkey baster.

Note: The darker gravel next to the roundhouse is a different color than the other gravel as it is still wet.

Any other ideas on how I can finish off the gravel to make it look like a transition era rail yard?

Thanks,
Greg

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logandsawman

Well-Known Member
Hi Greg,

Interesting idea using the cement fines as a ground cover. Keep in mind that those fines contain the silica dust which can cause some serious breathing issues. While fracking, we always wore masks when working around it.

I would guess some sealer of some sort spritzed over the top of it may reduce any hazard from transfer to your hands or airborne particles.

hope this helps, Dave
 

gjohnston

Slow Learner
Hi Greg,

Interesting idea using the cement fines as a ground cover. Keep in mind that those fines contain the silica dust which can cause some serious breathing issues. While fracking, we always wore masks when working around it.

I would guess some sealer of some sort spritzed over the top of it may reduce any hazard from transfer to your hands or airborne particles.

hope this helps, Dave

Thanks Dave. I will make sure I seal up the concrete. Had I known there was a hazard I would not have used it.
 

gjohnston

Slow Learner
I finished installing the gravel in my loco and freight yards. I made sure to seal all of the cement. I ended up using 4 cans of cheap hairspray, and totally saturated the cement with it. It didn't kick up the dust, and did a good job of penetrating and permeating the fines. It dried solid.

Pros to this project:
  1. It was very cheap less than$25.00 for the Quick Crete and hair spray.
  2. It turned out great.
Cons:
  1. The cement dust is unhealthy to breath.
  2. The layout smells like a beauty shop, but that will dissipate in time.
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otiscnj

Well-Known Member
Hey Greg,

It looks like you've made some progress. I've got two main questions. Are you thinking about adding any more tracks to the roundhouse area? Either as sidings or radial tracks off the turntalbe? From those kinds of places I've been to over the years, most railroads tried to fit as much as possible into as small a space as possible. Maybe something like adding a diesel house, or car shed/shop building? Entirely up to you-just offering some ideas.

the other question I had was about the other peninsula, where there appear to be a bunch of passenger cars 'parked.' Is that going to be a large town or city, with a large passenger station? Just wondering.

Keep those photos coming!

Carl "Otis"
 

gjohnston

Slow Learner
HI Carl,
Thanks for the roundhouse suggestions. For now that section is complete, but it will probably never be finished. Adding more infrastructure is always a possibility.

The peninsula with the passenger cars is a staging area. I may add another track there. I have room for it. I don't have a vision for how it will look finished yet. Maybe some flat city building in the background against the wall.

I do have another area of the layout that is almost empty. It will have a main street, some row houses, a ball field, a church or two, a school, a gas station etc. I don't have it even laid out yet as I have been focusing on other areas of the layout.
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Right now I am in the process of replacing the bridge over the yard with combination of a truss bridge and a steel viaduct. I have some of the viaducts built. They are placed on top of the rails now to get an idea of how I will trim the ends to fit the curve.
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I want to put in some crossing signals and gates that operate via inferred sensors and tortious switch machines for the gates crossings.

Thanks for the questions and suggestions.

Greg
 

flyboy2610

Loveably weird
I believe you're the first person I've seen to use cement for ground cover. Interesting idea. I used Struct-O-Lite, which is a base coat plaster, along the vertical walls of the incline/declines. Gave a nice texture.
 




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