# N-Noob's mistakes



## N-Noob (May 10, 2015)

It started innocently enough... probably similar to a lot of you. My mother was downsizing and gave me a box of old train junk from her basement. My dad played with the trains when I was a kid. We weren't supposed to touch them... but somehow all the Atlas solenoid motors got melted. 

Anyway... I wanted to see if any of it worked, so I set up a circle on a card table. Nothing worked, and I determined that the transformer was dead using my multimeter. Went to the hobby store and bought the cheapest one I could find - again, just wanting to see if any of the stuff in the box worked. This was mistake no. 1. That first hit of crack that has led to this obsession.

Some of the stuff worked, but nothing very well. 40 years of storage of stuff that was probably broken 40 years ago. Mistake 2 - back to the hobby store to buy a new locomotive. Soon, the card table wasn't a satisfactory base. I had to replace a storm door, so - ta da - nice large piece of cardboard. Soon, even this wasn't enough. 

Space is limited, so I planned for the base to sit on sawhorses, and hang from the garage rafters when it needs to be out of the way. For that reason, I wanted to make it as light as possible. I went with a 1/4" plywood framed with 1x2's, using a router to form a slot to hold the plywood. 










I later learned that turnout motors like the tortoise are huge, and more space is needed under the board so things like that don't stick out farther than the framing. Call that mistake 3. I returned the tortoises in favor of servos. I've also now read about using rigid foam for the base, which anyone learning from my mistakes should investigate further.

Here's a couple shots of the layout so far... I put it together using the analogue transformer (see mistake 1, above), but with DCC in mind. I've just recently made the switch, after buying and installing some mobile decoders (see mistake thread Loco stops working).





















I'm using the ESU ECoS II command station which is very cool. Also using ESU switch pilot for servos on most of the turnouts. The four on the innermost track are Atlas solenoids purchased during the cardboard base stage (mistake 4). 

Still hooking things up and tweaking the problem spots. I'm not sure if the obsession will last long enough to make scenery like some of the amazing layouts I've seen here. Mistake #5 was not planning ahead and leaving much room for scenery. The plan is to at least cover up the electronics which are forced to the top side due to mistake 3 above.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

You have been a member since May?
Didn't you read anything here!?

Don't worry you are not alone, I bet we all have made some kind of mistake with the RR.
I know I did and still do.

The thing is that you learn from mistakes , well you're supposed to.

You should have picked brains here, it might have saved you some aggravation. And money.
That is what the forum is for.

And think positive, someone here is probably learning from your mistakes right now.


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## N-Noob (May 10, 2015)

big ed said:


> Didn't you read anything here!?


I just looked at the pictures of the incredible stuff others have created. Why would I read when I know what I'm doing? :hah::dunno: Yeah... others can learn from N-Noob's hubris.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

N-Noob said:


> I just looked at the pictures of the incredible stuff others have created. Why would I read when I know what I'm doing? :hah::dunno: Yeah... others can learn from N-Noob's hubris.


Did you see the threads about hoisting the layouts up to the ceiling when not in use?

Here is one, there are more.

http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=25819&highlight=raising+layout

There are other ways to move the layout when not in use, such as folding to the wall, sort of like a hideaway bed.
There is another about just tilting it on it's base so it stands upright out of the way you can just wheel it around.

We do have more threads on the saving space subject.


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

Nothing wrong with making mistakes. We've all been down
that road...and after decades of trying, I'm still not home free.

Very interesting layout, but as the resident reverse
loop detective, I see one
in that figure 8. Did I miss mention of it in the thread?

Since you are DCC that should not be a problem with a
reverse loop controller.

Don


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## N-Noob (May 10, 2015)

Good eye, DonR. And, remarkably, the reverse loop was intentional, not on my list of mistakes.

I'd like to give a unsolicited endorsement of Tam Valley's Hex Frog Juicer. It provides power to the 4 frogs on the double crossover, and handles the reverse loop. Very easy to install, and fit perfectly with my needs.


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## N-Noob (May 10, 2015)

I ended up replacing all the Atlas turnouts with Peco versions. They are not exactly identical, so it required some tweaking.

Discovered another mistake when installing servos. One lined up directly over a support beam. 









I don't feel too bad about this, as I've seen some of the really talented people here had similar issues.

Learning as I go and have starting adding color, and soon "water." This corner is meant to resemble an ore dock on Lake Superior. My "prototype" (I am not aiming for scale realism, just flavor) can be seen here. 










I put Easy Peasy lights in the passenger cars. I give another unsolicited endorsement of this product. Not expensive and very easy to install and operate. One tip - put some electrical tape on the back side of the board opposite the LEDs to avoid light bleeding through the roof of the car.


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## Fire21 (Mar 9, 2014)

N-Noob said:


> I put Easy Peasy lights in the passenger cars. I give another unsolicited endorsement of this product. Not expensive and very easy to install and operate. One tip - put some electrical tape on the side opposite the LED to avoid light bleeding through the roof of the car.


How long do the batteries last? Where's the on/off switch?


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## N-Noob (May 10, 2015)

The manufacturer says the batteries will last about a year, depending on amount of usage. I've only had them on for a few hours, so can't confirm or deny.

The lights switch on and off using a supplied "magic wand" - which is a small magnet on the end of a plastic stick. Pass the magnet about a half inch over the car and it switches. Pretty elegant solution, in my opinion.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I like the magnet control, I've used that type of control for programming switches on several small O-gauge locomotives. I just put a reed switch inside the plastic shell and use a small magnet outside to trip the switch when I need it closed. I store the magnet on a frame screw so I'll have it the next time reprogramming is needed.

The neat part about the magnet is there's no switch showing anywhere, and you don't have to make holes, just a spot of CA adhesive holds the reed switch in place.


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## N-Noob (May 10, 2015)

"Finished" the corner representing Lake Superior and ore dock. Noob's mistakes included testing to see if the water was dry by touching it. It wasn't - even though I waited 24 hours. Also, some glue from under the ore dock must have softened and oozed out when the "water" was applied - it was a real mess trying to clean that up. All in all, turned out OK.










You can see in the bottom right corner where I tried to make waves. My technique failed, so I decided that it will just be an uncharacteristically calm day on Gichigami.

Next up was covering up the electronics that ended up above the board due to earlier mistake in making the board too shallow. I decided that electricity needs to be part of the theme, and I've always admired Nikola Tesla, so set out to build Wardenclyffe. 











Lots of learning on this - my first attempt at a structure. The building is balsa. The tower is styrene. The smoke is cotton from a q-tip which I accidentally discovered while trying to get some paint down the chimney. As Bob Ross used to say, there are no mistakes, just happy accidents.



















It lifts off to allow access to the electronics.










I'm going with "happy accidents" for now, since I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out despite its warts. Learned a lot on this building. Still need to finish off some of the margins (and figure out what to do with the sidewalk to nowhere), and then decide what area of the board to do next. Probably should get the pulley system in place, since winter is approaching quickly, and I will need to hang this from the rafters soon. That seems more like work than play, though.


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## Magic (Jan 28, 2014)

Looking very good. Your water looks fine in the pics, better than mine also with a fingerprint in it.

Magic


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## RonthePirate (Sep 9, 2015)

Wow, that water looks pretty real, N-Noob. Nice job.
Sounds like your mistake list is dwindling.

Gotta say: I think you're the only guy here with Lake Superior AND Wardenclyffe on a layout!

Kudos and good luck!


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## N-Noob (May 10, 2015)

I made a passenger loading platform to solve the 'sidewalk to nowhere' mistake. Given the curve on the track, the passengers will need to make a good leap to the train. Some might not make it. Others might choose the stairs to ground level and walk across the tracks back home.










I filled in around the margins and added trees, some water in the ditch and vehicles to the scene. 











On to the next phase...


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## N-Noob (May 10, 2015)

With snow in the forecast, it was time to put the garage into winter-mode. Spent the weekend re-arranging things, cleaning and installing the train board lift...

Look ma, no legs....










I used a system put together by Thule for those automobile rooftop containers. I had come up the same design idea, but found the ready-made Thule system when I started searching for parts to build it.










Trains run just fine with the board suspended...











....but it will swing with any touching of it. I'm letting it rest on the car in storage that took the space previously devoted to trains, with most of the weight still on the lift. The box from Thule came in handy for this.











Not ideal ... but have to make space to use the garage for the actual parking of vehicles for the winter. Where are my priorities?!?


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## thysell (Jun 8, 2013)

I used the same lift. Add some short stubby legs to the table that when raised up will clear the garage door when open. When down bolt on legs of the desired length to make the table stable. Great looking layout.

http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=19680&page=7


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## N-Noob (May 10, 2015)

I know everyone has their favorite track cleaning method. When my layout was on saw horses, I used my dad's little stone (from 40+ years ago) or a rag dipped in denatured alcohol. With the addition of scenery and putting the board on the lift, these methods are not optimal.

I bought the CMX track cleaning car and painted it black (originally unpainted brass).










The CMX car works very well for me. Run it around the track 2-3 times and everything gets peak performance. I'm using denatured alcohol in the car.

So... why is this included among Noob's mistakes? Well, it's not the CMX. But the CMX is top heavy and a bit wobbly. It finds all the spots where there is a dip in one rail or the rails aren't flat. It toppled over in a couple of spots, so I had to do a little track repair.... So, it not only cleans, but points out the problem areas. What a bargain...:laugh:


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

N-Noob said:


> Not ideal ... but have to make space to use the garage for the actual parking of vehicles for the winter. Where are my priorities?!?


Vehicles in the garage?
Is this something new, my 2 car garage never sees any 4 wheeled vehicles in it overnight.:smokin:

Looking good Noob, I like the ore dock and lake.
I like the hoisting thing too.:smilie_daumenpos:


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