# New Shed layout



## Steve Rothstein (Jan 1, 2021)

Well, today was a kind of sad day and kind of exciting day at the same time. We dismantled (mostly) out first layout and started working on the new shed layout. The first two photos show what is left of the old layout. The rest are shots showing the build of the new layout.

The table is completely done with the half inch foam laid for a base. We pieced together the outer loop we will use, but it is definitely not how it will be built. It took almost all of the straight track we had, including all the small sections we had accumulated and not used. It was real fun trying to build a section a couple of feet long using nothing bigger than the 64 mm leftover sections. We will be buying more of the longer straight sections to replace those but this showed how the layout will fit on the surface.

I estimate that it will be a month or more until I can run trains again, but I won't be surprised if it is much longer than that. This exercise showed I forgot one major part of the planning: a spot for the main control station to be. My current plan is to mount the command station out of sight under the shelf and use hand held throttles for running the trains.


----------



## Gramps (Feb 28, 2016)

Nice start, I'm looking forward to seeing your progress.


----------



## Roy Merritt (10 mo ago)

You, my friend, are a steely eyed model railroader. Taking down your first layout and starting a second is a true sign you've got the right stuff!


----------



## Mannix (10 mo ago)

You have some nice stuff here:


----------



## Steve Rothstein (Jan 1, 2021)

Mannix said:


> You have some nice stuff here:


Believe it or not, those were originally my first son's and he passed them on to his brother, Chris, who is working on the layout with me. That is where his interest in trains started, though they went to his younger brother and then back to him for his daughters. His other layout is a Lego city with a commuter train around it.


----------



## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

Are you saving the foam scraps?
You can put some of them to use somewhere.


----------



## Steve Rothstein (Jan 1, 2021)

Big Ed said:


> Are you saving the foam scraps?
> You can put some of them to use somewhere.


Yes, we will be making the mountains out of the scraps. We also have two new 4x8 one inch foam sheets to use. One will go back on the old plywood base for a small HO layout.


----------



## Jscullans (Jul 8, 2019)

I’m interested to see your layout completed. Looks to be a good start


----------



## Steve Rothstein (Jan 1, 2021)

Time for a status update. Here are some photos of the current layout, with a lot of work to go still. I need to order some more track and more switches for the turnouts, then run a proper bus and power feeds. But we hit a milestone today by having one loop complete and wired for enough power to get a test run in.


----------



## Magic (Jan 28, 2014)

Always good to get the first trains running.  

Magic


----------



## Longvallon (9 mo ago)

Is there a track plan somewhere ? Thanks.


----------



## Gramps (Feb 28, 2016)

Thanks for the update, I enjoy following this thread.


----------



## afboundguy (Jan 10, 2021)

Wish I had a shed big enough to do this! That or more room in the basement 😁


----------



## SF Gal (11 mo ago)

Curious on the size of the shed and do you plan on heating and cooling the interior?
Get pretty warm and humid down there in Texas in the summer and lately, frost and snow has been occuring...enough weather varibles to really play havoc with expansion and contraction, dissimilar metal crossion, and plastic fatague brittleness. 
I like the whole idea of a hobby shed, you could even have a spur out the window and run the tracks around the outside of the shed should you have the gumption to do so! Subscribed to see your progress! Thanks for sharing, neato!


----------



## Steve Rothstein (Jan 1, 2021)

@SF Gal, The shed is 8 x 16 and was built as a playhouse for my granddaughters. It is completely insulated and has a window already. We are discussing a portable A/C unit for it because it certainly does get hot down there. I doubt we will worry too much about heating it in the winter, since that only lasts about two weeks in San Antonio.

@Old Bandit, I do not have a track plan ready for it yet. As with most things, I laid it out in SCARM and then we started building it and making changes as we went. The track plan we started with is in this thread: New layout design. I have it about halfway updated to what we actually did in it but not completely yet. I will post it in this thread as soon as I get it done. This gives you the basic idea of what we are going with though.


----------



## Longvallon (9 mo ago)

Steve Rothstein said:


> @Old Bandit, I do not have a track plan ready for it yet. As with most things, I laid it out in SCARM and then we started building it and making changes as we went. The track plan we started with is in this thread: New layout design. I have it about halfway updated to what we actually did in it but not completely yet. I will post it in this thread as soon as I get it done. This gives you the basic idea of what we are going with though.


OK. Thanks a lot for your reply.


----------



## Steve Rothstein (Jan 1, 2021)

Here is my latest video update on the new layout. 

YouTube Video Layout update

We have the track laid and wired, and we are running trains on it. We Have the new trolley loop laid but not yet powered. We are starting to wire the switches for the turnouts and came up with a user interface question - do we wire one control panel or put the switches around the layout close to the turnouts they control? It is not a big layout, but I find that I like walking to various points to see the trains. If I have one control panel, I need to keep coming back to it to change turnout routes. If I put the switches by the turnouts, it seems like it would be easier to control things as I walk around.

And yes, I know that part of my walking around right now is that I am manually setting the turnouts as I need them. Also, I am still working on the track itself, so running trains often makes me move to fix derailments and such. Will I want to move as much once the track is stable and the turnouts are wired?


----------



## Magic (Jan 28, 2014)

I have many of my turnout controls located near the turnouts.
I like moving around when running trains and it also keeps me more involved.
It can be a hassle sometimes but I enjoy it.

One big control panel just doesn't cut it for me.

Magic


----------



## Steve Rothstein (Jan 1, 2021)

Magic said:


> I have many of my turnout controls located near the turnouts.
> I like moving around when running trains and it also keeps me more involved.
> It can be a hassle sometimes but I enjoy it.
> 
> ...


Thanks, Magic. That is how I am leaning and I think my son is starting to agree.


----------



## Steve Rothstein (Jan 1, 2021)

Sorry for taking so long for an update on this layout. In addition to the slight distraction of setting up my granddaughter's layout, we ran into a couple small problems we are working on. The switches will be built into the fascia right by the turnout they control. The decision was simple but it does require rethinking how we are doing the fascia now.

The bigger problem we are having is in the track itself. The trains go around (mostly) but the couplers disconnect at some spots. We have decided (hopefully correctly) the problem is probably caused by the grade changes being too abrupt. We are still just using the track laid out with the Woodland Scenics risers. We chose the 2% grade, which is the slightest they make. I am trying to figure how to make an easement to lessen the change, but using Unitrack makes it harder. The grade change is pretty much going to happen at the joint on the track no matter what. I think I can shave some of the foam riser at each end, so there are two 1% changes on the ends of a piece of track, instead of one 2% change. We are also looking at smoothing (filing down at the junctions) the tracks themselves to ease the transition between tracks. 

We will get it figured out and make more progress as we can.


----------



## Conductorkev (Nov 5, 2021)

Steve Rothstein said:


> Sorry for taking so long for an update on this layout. In addition to the slight distraction of setting up my granddaughter's layout, we ran into a couple small problems we are working on. The switches will be built into the fascia right by the turnout they control. The decision was simple but it does require rethinking how we are doing the fascia now.
> 
> The bigger problem we are having is in the track itself. The trains go around (mostly) but the couplers disconnect at some spots. We have decided (hopefully correctly) the problem is probably caused by the grade changes being too abrupt. We are still just using the track laid out with the Woodland Scenics risers. We chose the 2% grade, which is the slightest they make. I am trying to figure how to make an easement to lessen the change, but using Unitrack makes it harder. The grade change is pretty much going to happen at the joint on the track no matter what. I think I can shave some of the foam riser at each end, so there are two 1% changes on the ends of a piece of track, instead of one 2% change. We are also looking at smoothing (filing down at the junctions) the tracks themselves to ease the transition between tracks.
> 
> We will get it figured out and make more progress as we can.


I've used ws risers and they work. Questions are they only uncoppoling at the transition or are there other places.
The cars that this problem happening to do they have the same couplers? 
If so make sure the heights of them are the same.


----------



## Lemonhawk (Sep 24, 2013)

Get a piece of flex track and place the center of the flex track at the place where the incline starts. The flex track will show what you need as an easement to transition from level to x% grade. You can then fill in the void between your base and the bottom of the flex track with what ever (plaster, drywall compound, carved foam ... Its the sag of flex track that gives you an nice vertical easement, you don't really need to use the flex track, just use its sag to show what you need to fill in to get a proper easement. You might put a little weight on each end of the flex to get it to match the endpoint grades. 

Another thing to check is to get a Kadee height gauge and make sure all your couplers are set correctly.


----------



## Steve Rothstein (Jan 1, 2021)

Conductorkev said:


> I've used ws risers and they work. Questions are they only uncoppoling at the transition or are there other places.
> The cars that this problem happening to do they have the same couplers?
> If so make sure the heights of them are the same.


So far, the uncoupling is only at the beginning and end of the slope on one side of the rise. A big part of the problem with the couplers is the mix of Kato and MTL couplers, which are at slightly different heights. We just picked up the height gauge to fix that part. A separate but similar problem is the Kato Bethgon Coal porters. They have a weird coupler design that works very well to keep the gondolas connected but it pops loose from the Kato locomotive easily on the grades. The couplers are designed to be lifted over the regular coupler and dropped into place, not just pushed together to make the knuckles work. There is too much (IMO) vertical flex in these couplers.


----------



## Steve Rothstein (Jan 1, 2021)

Lemonhawk said:


> Get a piece of flex track and place the center of the flex track at the place where the incline starts. The flex track will show what you need as an easement to transition from level to x% grade. You can then fill in the void between your base and the bottom of the flex track with what ever (plaster, drywall compound, carved foam ... Its the sag of flex track that gives you an nice vertical easement, you don't really need to use the flex track, just use its sag to show what you need to fill in to get a proper easement. You might put a little weight on each end of the flex to get it to match the endpoint grades.
> 
> Another thing to check is to get a Kadee height gauge and make sure all your couplers are set correctly.


Thanks, I had not thought about a section of flex track for it. That might work easier that my fix on the grade with Unitrack.


----------



## Christiaη (2 mo ago)




----------



## Steve Rothstein (Jan 1, 2021)

Thanks, @Christiaη. I solved the problems with the incline and decoupling by removing the cross over and keeping both tracks straight. I am still looking at putting more power in so I can run run enough locomotives. I am not sure if it is just more drops or if I need a booster, but I ordered a booster to be safe. My son has started on some of the scenery, beginning at the foot of the 30" side, putting a lake and park into the inside of the loop section.

It is coming along slowly but surely.


----------



## Steve Rothstein (Jan 1, 2021)

I thought I had posted this a few days ago, but I don't see it now. I apologize if I did post it and you see a double post.

I upgraded to a new Digitrax Evox set and it solved all of the control problems we had. It does put out 5 amps instead of the 3 amps that the Zephyr uses, but it also allows for 100 trains in its memory instead of the 20 that the Zephyr does.With the control problems solved, I have a few more drops to add to the track (like wiring my trolley loop), but my son has started on the scenery now also. We have started the park and lake (I think the water should be more green but my son likes the blue and he does the scenery so...). Note the oil well in the park because this is Texas after all (and yes, my town has wells in the park, shopping center parking lots, downtown, and almost anywhere you can think of).


----------



## BigGRacing (Sep 25, 2020)

Looking great Steve, thanks for the pics!


----------



## JeffHurl (Apr 22, 2021)

I started having that same problem, but only with a Kato locomotive. I think my Kato coupler needs to be swapped for a better MTL one.


----------



## Steve Rothstein (Jan 1, 2021)

JeffHurl said:


> I started having that same problem, but only with a Kato locomotive. I think my Kato coupler needs to be swapped for a better MTL one.


My son wanted to go the other way. He replaced any of the truck mounted couplers we had on other brands with Kato trucks and couplers.Now he has to swap out the body mounted couplers, which is not quite as easy a task.

I did buy him a coupler height gauge because I honestly think more of the problem was differing heights than anything else.


----------

