# Lionel/HO Layout/Test Track



## spoil9 (Dec 24, 2008)

My parents (more my dad) wanted a little layout to run some trains on so we built this in the back room. It contains both Lionel and HO loops and a couple sidings. The goal is to try different modeling techniques and see which we like better/ looks better. (Of course I'll post lots of pictures of our tests) and also to test locos to get them working again. 

The going unofficial name is the CCW RR, AKA the Coffee, Cacti, and Windsor RR and is based in Arizona. I'll do another post to explain the background to the names if anyone is interested.

The current plan for the HO is to test a tourtis switch machine, under table Atlas snap switch, a servo controlled switch (which will also operate a fence gate across the tracks) and finally a Caboose Industries manual switch.
Also plan on trying my hand at some automation and different scratch building techniques for buildings. There is going to be a mountain in the back corner that covers both loops of track where I plan on testing different pine tree building methods (string and wire vs. air filter and wood stick methods).
Going to test using scale ballast and sand as ballast.
Lastly, for the moment, I'm going to research setting up the HO so it can be switched between DC and DCC.
And of course I just want a place to run my trains as well, and try my hand at the car card system.

Current plan for the Lionel is to test wood ties and ties using black weather stripping. Also want to build a couple different bump stops using the wood ties. I'm sure theres more but I'm leaving the Lionel stuff up to my dad as I don't own any operational Lionel stuff any more.

That's all I can think of at the moment but will try to update this thread as long as I'm not back in the hospital. I'm still recovering from a long hospital stay so my work on the layout will be limited for the foreseeable near future.

For now, I've only got the one picture as most layouts start out the same way. This was taken while my dad and I were placing the Lionel loop down.


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## spoil9 (Dec 24, 2008)

Didn't get a lot done last night. Neither my dad nor myself were feeling very well so all we did was finish laying the rest of the Lionel loop and started marking holes for the screws with 4d nails. I'd take a pic but it would look almost the same as the first one I posted.

I did go on line and downloaded some pictures for inspiration on a custom loading dock I'm going to build. Because there will be such a large overhang coming from the side of the building I'm just going to make the building out of cardboard and printed paper. This is for the siding that is against the wall so there's only enough room for a background pic and a small dock.


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## spoil9 (Dec 24, 2008)

Slowly working on the mountain. Rain out of Elemers glue yesterday with slowed me down. Otherwise I'm only doing a couple layers a day because it's rough sitting on top of the layout for extended periods of time. And with the mess the styrofoam makes, I'm limited to where I can actually assembly this thing.
Also removed all the Lionel track and will soon start drilling holes for power feeds and gluing down the two different types of fake ties to the cork.
Picked up more glue and some forrest green yarn last night. Going to use the yarn to make pine trees.


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## spoil9 (Dec 24, 2008)

I'm having issues transferring pics from my phone to my laptop so they'll have to come later. But I've finished gluing the foam together for the mountain and have started shaping it to look like an Arizona mountain.

Also my dad is working on a loading dock for the Lionel side of the layout. Making it out of balsa wood and will stain it to look like wood.


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## spoil9 (Dec 24, 2008)

Still having issues transferring pics from my phone to my laptop. Laptop won't show my phone as a USB device like it used to, and if I email the photo to myself I only get a blank file. I'm going to have to mess with my security settings as I use firefox with adblock, scriptstop, and blockup blocker add-ons and I'm assuming one of them is stopping the download/connection from/to my phone. 

I did get this one pic to email properly. It's the current status of the O gauge wooden loading dock that my dad is making. Sorry about the super large picture.


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## spoil9 (Dec 24, 2008)

Finally stained the frame for the O gauge loading dock but ran out of wood for the top planks. Gotta hit up the local hobby shop tomorrow to get more wood.

As far as the layout itself, we've been trying different colors and mixing colors to see what we like to paint the rails with. So far the best one is using an old Floquil rail brown paint pen but of course we can't get more of them so that's out. I like mixing flat black with rustoleum primer but we're going to see what our local hobby shop has before we make a final decision.


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## spoil9 (Dec 24, 2008)

The stained frame of the loading dock we're scratching building. The planks on top show the two different color stains we're using for the planks to show some are older, some have been replaced.










The current status of the corner mountain. The paper towel tube is where a Lionel search beacon is going to be located. 









For future reference, the above pics where reduced by 75% of their original size. The original pics where just huge.


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## spoil9 (Dec 24, 2008)

Finally got my phone to connect to my laptop again so i got lots of pictures to upload today!
First post I'll go over our testing of different colors for painting rail.
Second post will be an update about the mountain dry creek bed we're doing.


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## spoil9 (Dec 24, 2008)

Below are sample pieces of Lionel rail that we (mostly I) painted so we could see what looked like real rail and what didn't. We didn't want to use a spray gun and couldn't really find many samples in spray can form so everything ended up being hand painted from the bottle. Every sample was straight from the bottle (except for the two rails painted with mixed paints) so no thinner was used.

First sample we did was using a flat black enamel from Rustoleum. This came out too dull and not realistic looking to us.








The second sample was using a primer from Rustoleum. That came out too red for us.








The third sample was something my dad picked up from Micro Mark catalog. MicroLux Rail Brown, all we could do was laugh because no matter how much we shook the bottle or mixed it, the sample dried green. Almost an olive drab green. We're wondering if maybe we just got unlucky and got a mislabeled paint but regardless we're not going to risk another sample. So we passed on this one as well.








Next was Model Master Burnt Umber from our local hobby shop. My dad liked the color but I found it a pain to work with as the brush wouldn't lay on a good layer of paint. But I agree that the color is nice. This made the semi-finals.








Another Model Master sample was their Rust color. My dad also liked this sample but thought that it just didn't look realistic to have all our track painted rust. I thought it looked a little orange in color. So we decided to skip this one as well.








Now I had an idea of mixing the Rustoleum printer with the flat black and trying that. We both really liked how it turned out except that it is just a little too shiny. It's hard to tell in the picture but all the track would need a coat of dull coat for this to work so we decided the extra step wasn't worth the cost savings.








Lastly I heard of using cheap paint from WalMart from a facebook post. We had to make a trip there for something else anyways so decided to pick up a sample and try it. I mixed 5 drops of the burnt umber and 3 drops of the black and painted the rail. It turned out really well in our opinion so this also made the semi-finals.








So it came down to using the mix of cheap paint from WalMart vs the Burnt Umber from Model Master and we decided to go with the mix of cheap paint from WalMart simply because each 2oz bottle is only $0.97 and the Model Master paint was $3.00 for a 1/2oz bottle. So we went the cheaper way. We went back to WalMart couple days later to pick up more paint just in case they for some reason stop carrying it. On our second trip we found a flat black to mix with the Burnt Umber so we're going with that in place of the gloss black as pictured. 

Now it's just taking the time to hand paint 30ft of Lionel track and 30ft of HO Atlas track. Approx track length.


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## spoil9 (Dec 24, 2008)

Before we can lay track we needed to cut the hole in the plywood top for our dry creek bed, so that's what I did today.

Here is what I could do with the jig saw. There is a brace in the way and I couldn't get the power tool any closer to the wall so the rest will have to be hand cut/ chiseled out. The brace is going to be cut down about a 1/4" and a 1/4" piece of plywood will be glued/screwed to the underside of the layout top to be used as the river bed floor.








This is how it's going to look with the Lionel and HO bridges in place.







I may attach a piece of cardstock painted black to the inside of the mountain to better seperate the Lionel from the HO side when looking in but to be honest neither of us are too worried about. We're more doing this to have fun and experiment with different modeling techniques.


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## spoil9 (Dec 24, 2008)

Update on the dry river bed from yesterday. Installed a piece of 1/8" plywood for the "floor" of the dry bed. At the end where it "starts" at the mountain, we went a 2nd layer deeper since it would be a water fall coming from the mountain that hits that area so we assumed the pressure of falling water would dig away a little more earth than just running water would. 
We put a coat of sealer/primer on the new plywood yesterday as well but that was just after this picture was taken and loaded onto my laptop so I didn't feel like taking another picture and loading it. Today after my webinar I'm going to put a quick coat of "sand" over the primer as a base coat prior to laying thin gravel, rocks, weeds, etc. But all that will come much later.
After the coat of "sand" it's time to start laying the Lionel track and painting the HO track. Think I'm just going to do a quick spray of Rustoleum primer from a 90 degree angle to the rails and call it good enough.
But enough talk, here's a couple pics.


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## spoil9 (Dec 24, 2008)

I filled in the edges with drywall compound. Need to sand down the rough edges and fix a couple areas where the compound cracked as it dried. No pictures to post as it really doesn't look that different from the above pictures.
After sanding I'll put on another coat of sand colored paint, then start with filling the base and sides with a mixture of sand and "buff" colored ballast. Soon as I'm done with that I can lay the bridges down and start laying track down.
Then comes wiring which reminds me that i need to design my control station to allow for switching the HO between DC and DCC and room for a Lionel transformer, Tech II power pack and a DCC power supply/controller.
(My parents stuff all runs DC and I'm switching all my stuff to DCC which is why we want the option to switch between the two)


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## golfermd (Apr 19, 2013)

Looking good, Will. What did you use to put the depression in the 1/8" plywood? Or did you just cut a hole and another piece of plywood under the cut?

Dan


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## spoil9 (Dec 24, 2008)

Thanx. Yeah, i just cut another hole and placed a piece of plywood under that to make the depresson. Nothing fancy.


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## spoil9 (Dec 24, 2008)

Sorry for the delay in updates. Both my dad and I have gotten side tracked with other projects now that the weather is a little nicer outside. But the good news is that we have a lovely garden started now lol.

So here is an updated view of the whole layout...









Here is an updated view of the dry river bed...









Here is a updated view of the O gauge loading dock that we were building...







(He started the frame and I kind of took over when it came to staining wood and gluing on the planks)
Still have to glue gravel and weeds to the black base but we're pushing that off till later so we can focus on laying track.

No plans to jump back on the layout build anytime this week that I know of. Next step is to glue some weeds into the river bed and to finish that scene. Once it's finished we can lay the bridges down and then start laying track, running power lines, etc...


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