# Lakeshore Southern Railway



## WIrailfan

Hello from Wisconsin! Here's where I'm going to document the progress on my return to model trains! The Lakeshore Southern Railway is set in a fictitious suburb of Milwaukee, WI. Time period has yet to be decided. It will be HO scale using Atlas code 100 flex track and Peco Insulfrog turnouts. I originally had just a 4X8 bench from a previous layout my dad built when I was a kid in the early 80's. I realized I had room for a lot more so I built a second 4X8 table to make an 8X12 L shaped layout! Here's some pics of the bench build and DCC wiring, and one of the track plan I'm going with  































































































































Since those pics were taken I finished the wiring, got the OSB back on and glued the foams down (used Liquid Nails.....worked great!). Last night I started drawing out the layout using my homemade trammel  I have my Woodland Scenics foam roadbed coiled up the opposite way so it'll be flat when I start gluing it down. Hopefully in a day or so. Here's some pics of how she sits now....





































Till next time


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## Gramps

Good luck and keep us updated.


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## WIrailfan

Gramps said:


> Good luck and keep us updated.


Thanks Gramps will do!


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## WIrailfan

More pics added


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## Lemonhawk

Instead of making jumper wires, you might try these shorting bars
http://www.frys.com/product/6010078?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

Then you could put the drops on either side of the barrier strips. Might even be cheaper that 2 terminals and the wire!


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## flyboy2610

Lemonhawk said:


> Instead of making jumper wires, you might try these shorting bars
> http://www.frys.com/product/6010078?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG
> 
> Then you could put the drops on either side of the barrier strips. Might even be cheaper that 2 terminals and the wire!


What I did is to strip all the insulation off a piece of 18 gauge wire and then loop it around the screws on the upper side of the terminal strip. Serves the same purpose and I already had the wire on hand.
That is an interesting layout, and looks like a lot of fun. One thing I see that causes some concern, though, is the two industrial spurs on the left hand side of the layout. Those appear to be facing point spurs, and what that means is that the locomotive will be pushing the cars onto the spurs moving in a forward direction, rather than backing the cars onto the spurs as will be the case on the other spur, and the yard on the right hand side of the layout. The problem comes when it is time to retrieve the cars off those two spurs. The locomotive will approach the cars in a forward direction, couple on to them, and pull them backwards off the spurs and on to the yard lead. Now the problem shows up: How do you get the locomotive back in FRONT of the car? The only way to do this is to push the car out onto the mainline, uncouple, and then run the locomotive in reverse all the way around the layout until it is back in front of the car. If you are okay with doing this, then no problem. Otherwise you might want to try and work some type of run around track into the yard lead.
A run around track is a short length of track with turnouts at either end, and the turnouts are connected with a short length of track. Then you can spot the car on the 1st short length of track, back through the turnout, then go forward through the turnout, over the second short length of track and past the car. You then go through the second turnout, throw the switch, back through the turnout you just went through, and couple onto the other end of the car. 
Here's a Wiki article with a diagram that explains what I mean:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headshunt


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## WIrailfan

Lemonhawk said:


> Instead of making jumper wires, you might try these shorting bars
> http://www.frys.com/product/6010078?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG
> 
> Then you could put the drops on either side of the barrier strips. Might even be cheaper that 2 terminals and the wire!


Thanks for the suggestion.....that definitely would have saved making ALL those jumpers lol.......but the wiring is all done and under the foam now! Wished I'd seen those before!


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## Lemonhawk

There is always a next time WIrailfan. For a more elegant and much more expensive connection method look at Anderson Power Pole connectors. These are really great for connecting power on modular units, and its a connector that is sex-less so the connection works no matter which end of your module you want to connect up!


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## raleets

Lemonhawk said:


> Instead of making jumper wires, you might try these shorting bars
> http://www.frys.com/product/6010078?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG
> 
> Then you could put the drops on either side of the barrier strips. Might even be cheaper that 2 terminals and the wire!


Dang! Where have those suckers been hiding?? Sure wish I'd have known about them around five years ago.....would've saved me a ton of time/work in wiring. hwell:
Bob


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## WIrailfan

flyboy2610 said:


> What I did is to strip all the insulation off a piece of 18 gauge wire and then loop it around the screws on the upper side of the terminal strip. Serves the same purpose and I already had the wire on hand.
> That is an interesting layout, and looks like a lot of fun. One thing I see that causes some concern, though, is the two industrial spurs on the left hand side of the layout. Those appear to be facing point spurs, and what that means is that the locomotive will be pushing the cars onto the spurs moving in a forward direction, rather than backing the cars onto the spurs as will be the case on the other spur, and the yard on the right hand side of the layout. The problem comes when it is time to retrieve the cars off those two spurs. The locomotive will approach the cars in a forward direction, couple on to them, and pull them backwards off the spurs and on to the yard lead. Now the problem shows up: How do you get the locomotive back in FRONT of the car? The only way to do this is to push the car out onto the mainline, uncouple, and then run the locomotive in reverse all the way around the layout until it is back in front of the car. If you are okay with doing this, then no problem. Otherwise you might want to try and work some type of run around track into the yard lead.
> A run around track is a short length of track with turnouts at either end, and the turnouts are connected with a short length of track. Then you can spot the car on the 1st short length of track, back through the turnout, then go forward through the turnout, over the second short length of track and past the car. You then go through the second turnout, throw the switch, back through the turnout you just went through, and couple onto the other end of the car.
> Here's a Wiki article with a diagram that explains what I mean:
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headshunt


That's a unique way to do it flyboy.....wouldn't have thought of that :thumbsup: And that's an interesting point you brought up.........I guess I'm ok with going all the way around for now haha!! I didn't design the layout (couldn't figure out the track planners) although I'm open to suggestions to fix it! I'll give that link a look too! Thanks for the suggestions :smilie_daumenpos:


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## WIrailfan

Lemonhawk said:


> There is always a next time WIrailfan. For a more elegant and much more expensive connection method look at Anderson Power Pole connectors. These are really great for connecting power on modular units, and its a connector that is sex-less so the connection works no matter which end of your module you want to connect up!


Yeah that's true! And haha I've actually got a bag with about 40 pairs of those Power Pole connectors........but there from back when they were sold under the Sermos name. I used them for battery connections on my RC cars, but have since switched to a better one :thumbsup:


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## WIrailfan

*More progress pics!!*

Finally got to start gluing down the foam roadbed yesterday. Was easier than I had thought it'd be :thumbsup: Here's how it sits now 





































Till tonight hopefully


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## flyboy2610

WIrailfan said:


> Finally got to start gluing down the foam roadbed yesterday. Was easier than I had thought it'd be :thumbsup: Here's how it sits now


That;s how I glue mine down.


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## WIrailfan

flyboy2610 said:


> That;s how I glue mine down.


What using the pins? Seems to work great


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## WIrailfan

*more pics!*

Got the roadbed for the long north wall section done last night.......was hoping for a bit more time :thumbsdown:


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## DaveCo

It sure is starting to come together. Looks so clean!


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## WIrailfan

DaveCo said:


> It sure is starting to come together. Looks so clean!


Thanks Dave :thumbsup: And yes I've been trying to keep things as neat as possible!


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## WIrailfan

Last night got the mainline loop fully drawn out and laid a bit more roadbed.


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## Mr.Buchholz

The wiring alone is worth the price of admission! Nice job!

-J.


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## flyboy2610

flyboy2610 said:


> That;s how I glue mine down.





WIrailfan said:


> What using the pins? Seems to work great :thumbsup:


Yes, split down the middle, butted up to the center line, and pinned till dry. Works great.


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## WIrailfan

Mr.Buchholz said:


> The wiring alone is worth the price of admission! Nice job!
> 
> -J.


Thanks Mr. B :thumbsup: I spent nearly two weeks on the wiring alone! Every circuit was tested with my multimeter before putting the OSB back on!


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## WIrailfan

flyboy2610 said:


> Yes, split down the middle, butted up to the center line, and pinned till dry. Works great.


Yup I found out about that technique on this site! Even though it's also on the back of the box :laugh:


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## WIrailfan

Last night I got the "outside" curves roadbed laid down last night......was a real challenge with how far away from the table edge it is  But it turned out great :thumbsup: 




























I'm hoping to get the last curve done tonight :smilie_daumenpos:


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## santafewillie

It's kind of late now, but it looks like you're awfully close to the edge of the table. 
Willie


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## WIrailfan

santafewillie said:


> It's kind of late now, but it looks like you're awfully close to the edge of the table.
> Willie


Haha yeah I'm aware of that. I'm gonna put some pieces of plexiglass or lexan in those few spots to hopefully prevent anything from taking a big tumble


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## WIrailfan

Got the last section of the mainlines roadbed done last night.......now it's time to tackle the sidings in the middle :smilie_daumenpos:


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## WIrailfan

*More progress pics!!*

I know it's been a while but here's some pics of the past weeks progress!! Missed out on a few working days cause I was too busy around the house :thumbsdown: I'm hoping to start laying track on the mainline soon......but the more threads I read the more confused I seem to get lol :laugh: Getting the curves right has me pretty worried  Never fear cause I'm working on an idea to simplify laying them.....stay tuned :smilie_daumenpos:


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## WIrailfan

*Update time!!!!*

I'm back guys and I have good news.......I'VE FINISHED LAYING TRACK ON THE MAINLINE  :smilie_daumenpos:  I was kinda slacking on posting pics over the past week.....but since I've had a week off from work (vacation time) I've been able to make HUGE progress on the layout!! Here''s a bunch of pics covering the laying of all the track....with a couple feeder pics for good measure :thumbsup:

The first track I ever laid......figured I'd start with a curve :laugh:




























Next I dove right into my first turnout.....learned a few lessons on this one....





































Then on to the next curve.....










And the long straight section on the north end......










Somehow I never took a pic of the East curve.....but whatever 

Had to take a break from track laying to get the roadbed for the other siding started....had to be down before the second turnout could go in :thumbsup:




























Then I tackled the "inside" curve.....wasn't actually as hard as gluing that roadbed down :laugh:










That just left this short section of track left...



















Got that glued down last night :smilie_daumenpos:










I've got a few more pics to take........hopefully tonight 

Till next time.....

Dan


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## Lemonhawk

I like the boxes of chicken broth to hold things down, work standing up or on their side. Looks like your going to be eating salad for quite some time! So far it looks very clean and neat, nice job!


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## Magic

Well they used to have the Pacific Fruit Express now it looks like it's going to be the Salad Bowl Express.

Good looking track work there, keep us posted.

Magic


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## WIrailfan

Lemonhawk said:


> I like the boxes of chicken broth to hold things down, work standing up or on their side. Looks like your going to be eating salad for quite some time! So far it looks very clean and neat, nice job!


I would have liked to have stuff in boxes to use too......but all I've got is one box of pancake mix :laugh: Gonna need WAYY more than one! Were good on Thousand Island for a good long while :laugh: And thanks Lemonhawk I'm learning a lot as I go :thumbsup:


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## WIrailfan

Magic said:


> Well they used to have the Pacific Fruit Express now it looks like it's going to be the Salad Bowl Express.
> 
> Good looking track work there, keep us posted.
> 
> Magic


Haha good one Magic :smilie_daumenpos: I should re-name my thread now :laugh: Thanks!!! And you can bet I will......I'm posting an update now!


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## WIrailfan

Well it's that time again..........update time :thumbsup: 

That last section of mainline turned out great........now it's time to focus on the sidings!! My engineer agrees.......I think he's trying to tell me something in these next few shots :laugh:




























Got more track laid on the west siding....



















In these next two pics the salad dressing is marking where my feeders are located 



















Tonight I started on the west sidings first turnout. Got the roadbed glued down and the track pieces soldered to the turnout....gonna glue it down tomorrow night :thumbsup:



















Till next time


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## WIrailfan

Ok guys I've got all the trackwork laid down now.......been running trains for a week or so now, everything works great :thumbsup: I've got a TON of pics to post, and I'm gonna try to get that done this weekend :smilie_daumenpos: Can't wait to get started on structures/scenery


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## norgale

Very nice work WI. I had a lot of trouble with that kind of roadbed but you make it look like a piece of cake. Your right about getting the track work right. If the tracks are wrong then the whole thing goes wrong too. Hope to see more on how you hook up your wiring. Pictures are great and I'm trying to learn about DCC for when I do my next layout. Pete


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## bluenavigator

WIrailfan said:


> In these next two pics the salad dressing is marking where my feeders are located


Just wonder if if you plan to hook up that spur on the left side of the pix into the mainline? Just two more turnouts, to make it easier for both sides' accesses for locos to run into and out.

It seems that flyboy2610 asked about this problem in post #6.

Just hope that you are able to do that before set up the scenery.


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## bluenavigator

Here's what I would suggest for connecting two turnouts.


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## norgale

There's not that much of a problem guys as that lead goes to a yard. However the idea to connect these two tracks is valid in that sooner or later WI will want to run an extra train just to make things interesting and there is no siding for two trains to pass each other. With this suggested connection in place there will then be a nice long passing siding so yes, this makes a lot of sense to me. I would give this some serious consideration WI. It ok to have this connection and never use it but it's there if you need it. Easier to do it now than later.


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## WIrailfan

Ok it's partial update time :smilie_daumenpos:

In my last pic I had got the roadbed for a turnout down......well I got that finished, but with an unseen mistake 




























I realized I had made the east facing track too long to fit the turnout for the mine run-around! I'm using Elmers glue so out came the water 



















Got that turnout trial fitted in the right spot :thumbsup:










Now came a minor emergency......got 2.5 inches of rain in two hours (at 3am) and the main drain pipe to the street clogged up  So the basement flooded.....the water got SUPER close to my layout.....but fortunately no damage :thumbsup:




























After a day or two of flood cleanup......I was able to start on that turnouts roadbed...



















Got the feeders and the track for the short curve soldered up, and glued it down...




























Trying out the new track 










Now I started on (and finished) the track leading to the south sidings Y turnout...










Started on the roadbed for the Y.....was kind of a challenge at first!




























Got that glued down and finished the roadbed for the sidings...




























Got the Y with sidings soldered on glued down...




























Got started on the northwest facing siding (for the Dairy)



















Soldered the track to the turnout...










And got the track glued down :thumbsup:










I've got a bunch more pics but I'm out of time right now.......till next time 

Dan


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## MtRR75

Just a suggestion -- perhaps too late.

I do not solder my turnouts to the adjacent track. I solder everything except the turnouts. Turnouts are more likely to have issues than track, and leaving them unsoldered makes it easier to remove them, if necessary.

After I have fitted the turnout and track exactly where I want them, I use brand-new rail joiners that fit snugly to make the final attachment. So far I have had no problems with power on the turnouts. If I ever do, I will just add a drop wire or two as needed.


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## WIrailfan

Ok here's the rest of my update :smilie_daumenpos: 

The east side of the layout is going to be the New River Mining Company and it needs 3 sidings with a 2.5" spacing......so I started with the first (longest) one...



















Loosely laid the second switch and siding to locate all the remaining roadbed...




























Got the second turnout and siding glued down...





































Started work on the third turnout and (shortest) siding...



















Got it glued down...



















That just left the run around connecting the mine sidings, first I cut the piece of track to get an idea where the roadbed needed to be....










Got the track pinned in place......then cut up scrap roadbed into small pieces to plot out the curve...



















Pulled up the track leaving just the roadbed pieces.....now in the required curve...and connected the center score marks with a ballpoint pen...










Then pulled the foam and connected the dashes.....now I have my curve :thumbsup:










Laid down the final straight section of roadbed...










Started on my carefully drawn curve...




























Got the final piece of track cut, fitted and glued down...




























And here it's done...










That completes the trackwork per my plan.....now it's time to focus on the scenery/structures  



















Till next time


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## WIrailfan

norgale said:


> Very nice work WI. I had a lot of trouble with that kind of roadbed but you make it look like a piece of cake. Your right about getting the track work right. If the tracks are wrong then the whole thing goes wrong too. Hope to see more on how you hook up your wiring. Pictures are great and I'm trying to learn about DCC for when I do my next layout. Pete


Thanks Pete :smilie_daumenpos: Yeah there's definitely a technique to that roadbed.....but it seems I picked it up pretty fast! My wiring is all done now....is there anything specific you want to see pics of? I can take more pics that's no problem


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## WIrailfan

bluenavigator said:


> Just wonder if if you plan to hook up that spur on the left side of the pix into the mainline? Just two more turnouts, to make it easier for both sides' accesses for locos to run into and out.
> 
> It seems that flyboy2610 asked about this problem in post #6.
> 
> Just hope that you are able to do that before set up the scenery.


I wasn't planning on connecting that....as that would be a reverse loop and I'm unsure as how to wire those yet  You do make a good point about access though. Does it still look possible with how the track is now?


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## WIrailfan

MtRR75 said:


> Just a suggestion -- perhaps too late.
> 
> I do not solder my turnouts to the adjacent track. I solder everything except the turnouts. Turnouts are more likely to have issues than track, and leaving them unsoldered makes it easier to remove them, if necessary.
> 
> After I have fitted the turnout and track exactly where I want them, I use brand-new rail joiners that fit snugly to make the final attachment. So far I have had no problems with power on the turnouts. If I ever do, I will just add a drop wire or two as needed.


Yeah your too late.....I have track soldered to every turnout on the layout :laugh: I guess I was just too worried about relying on the rail joiners......so I powered every turnout. Except the wye because it didn't have anywhere to put jumpers on the bottom :dunno:


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## Magic

That's some very nice track work. :smilie_daumenpos: :smilie_daumenpos: Good technique as well.

Have a big bowl of salad with plenty of dressing, you've earned it. 

Magic


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## bluenavigator

WIrailfan said:


> I wasn't planning on connecting that....as that would be a reverse loop and I'm unsure as how to wire those yet  You do make a good point about access though. Does it still look possible with how the track is now?


Yes, it is still possible to set it up and it will not be a reverse loop at all as the polarity will not be reversed at all.


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## jlc41

Very nice track work. I am looking forward to see your structures / industries placement.


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## MtRR75

WIrailfan said:


> That completes the trackwork per my plan.....now it's time to focus on the scenery/structures


Congratulations. Now you can celebrate with a large salad with LOTS of 1000 island dressing.

You also win the prize for the most pictures in a single post (at least that I have seen). I'm surprised that you had the time to install track while taking all of those pictures.


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## WIrailfan

Magic said:


> That's some very nice track work. :smilie_daumenpos: :smilie_daumenpos: Good technique as well.
> 
> Have a big bowl of salad with plenty of dressing, you've earned it.
> 
> Magic


Thanks a lot Magic :thumbsup: Considering this is the first layout I've ever had a hand in building......I think I did pretty good! Mother always said I was a fast learner  And the funny part is I don't eat salads :laugh:


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## WIrailfan

bluenavigator said:


> Yes, it is still possible to set it up and it will not be a reverse loop at all as the polarity will not be reversed at all.


I've been thinking about this all day......and I eventually realized your absolutely right :smilie_daumenpos: (Don't know why I thought is was reverse) I might give it a go! With the Elmers glue pulling up track is a breeze


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## WIrailfan

jlc41 said:


> Very nice track work. I am looking forward to see your structures / industries placement.


Thanks a lot jlc :thumbsup: And haha so am I.....I really trying to first figure out where to put a road.....cause my mom want's to see crossing gates in action SOON


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## WIrailfan

MtRR75 said:


> Congratulations. Now you can celebrate with a large salad with LOTS of 1000 island dressing.
> 
> You also win the prize for the most pictures in a single post (at least that I have seen). I'm surprised that you had the time to install track while taking all of those pictures.


Thanks for the kind words Mt :smilie_daumenpos: And haha yeah I did end up with a LOT of pics......and believe it or not there's at least 2 dozen I forgot to take


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## WIrailfan

Just a note to anyone looking at my thread.....my latest updates are on pages 4 and 5. They were kinda big


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## WIrailfan

Ok it's update time again :thumbsup:

I took both bluenavigator and norgale's advice and connected my siding back to the mainline. This of course meant I had to cut into my flawless trackwork :laugh: Here's how I did it....

I started with the sidings turnout. Due to space I couldn't put it right at the end....the turnout went about an inch into the curve. Fortunately there was ample space a bit further up the track, and the railjoiners to the left turnout weren't soldered! Here's where the turnout is going...










After very carefully marking where to cut, I cut the track, then applied water to the cut section to loosen the glue...










Then removed the track...










Cleaned off all the old glue...










And did a trial fit of the turnout...the two ties were removed for railjoiner clearance...they will be replaced...










Soldered feeders and drilled the holes for them through the table...










And glued it in place.....one turnout down :smilie_daumenpos:



















The next night I started on the mainlines turnout.......used water and carefully cut the track like before....and removed all the old glue...










I got amazingly lucky on the accuracy of my cuts after filing them  



















Soldered feeders to the turnout...










Drilled them through the table and glued the turnout down...



















Now I had to connect the two turnouts.........so I messed with a few pieces of flex till I got one cut and filed just right...










Laid down the short sections of roadbed that were straight...



















Using my patented technique with short pieces of roadbed.....I plotted out the roadbeds curve...




























Glued down the curved roadbed...



















Another day gone by I finally pulled the pins...










And glued the track down...



















And the finished product 



















Now I'm gonna start on the mining company.....cause I need to get my road located :thumbsup:

Till next time 

Dan


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## bluenavigator

Nice job! It will work great! Can't wait to see the roads being down.


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## WIrailfan

bluenavigator said:


> Nice job! It will work great! Can't wait to see the roads being down.


Thanks man! :thumbsup: I got started on the Mining company a few nights ago. I need to get those roads located so I can start work on my grade crossing


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## jlc41

Hurry up the suspense is killing me lol. BTW, I learned something on your turn outs, and that is to solder the jumpers rail to moving rail. Thank you.


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## WIrailfan

jlc41 said:


> Hurry up the suspense is killing me lol. BTW, I learned something on your turn outs, and that is to solder the jumpers rail to moving rail. Thank you.


Haha ok I'll keep that in mind :smilie_daumenpos: And yes I saw that somewhere on here.....adding jumpers to the turnouts......so I figured why not just make the jumpers feeders too :thumbsup:


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## WIrailfan

Ok small update time! Been working on the mining company.....man it's been ages since I've constructed a plastic model haha :laugh: Here's a few pics of the progress so far......I'm thinking of ways of detailing it a bit as I go along :thumbsup:





































Till next time


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## RonthePirate

I learned a long time ago, blue tape and plastic just don't stay together for long.
Sad fact of life. Plastic is made from petroleum products, which dissolve the adhesive in the tape.

Interesting building. All above ground. 
I see in the second to the last pic the hoppers are all lined up, ready for their payload.
Lookin' good there!


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## WIrailfan

RonthePirate said:


> I learned a long time ago, blue tape and plastic just don't stay together for long.
> Sad fact of life. Plastic is made from petroleum products, which dissolve the adhesive in the tape.
> 
> Interesting building. All above ground.
> I see in the second to the last pic the hoppers are all lined up, ready for their payload.
> Lookin' good there!


Yeah the blue tape was only on there for about an hour.....just to keep the building sides tight together while the glue sets :thumbsup:

And there's a LOT more to the building than what's in the pics.....it gets a LOT bigger and taller once it's all together 
Yes the hoppers are ready to go haha......they look awesome sitting under the building. Probably should have taken a pic of that!


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## Gramps

I have also used the blue tape to keep the sides together and it stayed on over night. Are you happy with the Elmer's Glue All? It's not one of the glues that anyone has ever suggested using.


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## WIrailfan

Gramps said:


> I have also used the blue tape to keep the sides together and it stayed on over night. Are you happy with the Elmer's Glue All? It's not one of the glues that anyone has ever suggested using.


Yeah the tape I used was still on there really good after an hour or so! And no I'm not using the Elmer's on the building........just for weight to hold stuff down :thumbsup: I'm using this glue from Walthers.......it works awesome


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## Gramps

WIrailfan said:


> Yeah the tape I used was still on there really good after an hour or so! And no I'm not using the Elmer's on the building........just for weight to hold stuff down :thumbsup: I'm using this glue from Walthers.......it works awesome


The Testors makes sense. I was thinking that you had a secret glue mix of Glue-all and Thousand Island dressing.


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## WIrailfan

Gramps said:


> The Testors makes sense. I was thinking that you had a secret glue mix of Glue-all and Thousand Island dressing.


Haha no I don't think that would work too well, or smell that good after a while :laugh:


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## WIrailfan

Ok it's update time :smilie_daumenpos:

Made more progress on the mining company......here's a few pics of it coming together...




























Prior to gluing the sections together I placed everything over the tracks to get a feel for how it was going to look :thumbsup:



















Started gluing the sections together...




























Started and finished the Dairy which will be west of the mining company......and placed the buildings so I could start work on my road...




























Now I finally have the location of the grade crossing finalized.....I can start work on the signals (which will eventually have working gates) but for now I'll just work on the lights  My Azatrax order came in with my signal controller and gates.....can't wait to get started on that!!










Till next time


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## Gramps

WOW that structure is impressive!


----------



## WIrailfan

Gramps said:


> WOW that structure is impressive!


Yes it really is :thumbsup: It's actually not quite done as there's some stairways to get to the second floor that I haven't yet added! I also haven't posted a pic of it (almost) completed. 

Also I've been making progress on the detection system for the grade crossing as well. I'm gonna try and get some pics up tonight :smilie_daumenpos:


----------



## Lemonhawk

Back in grade school we use to eat the paste. That Thousand Island mixture would have tasted a lot better!


----------



## jlc41

Very nice I am looking forward to seeing more as you go along. Nice work.


----------



## WIrailfan

Lemonhawk said:


> Back in grade school we use to eat the paste. That Thousand Island mixture would have tasted a lot better!


I approve of eating the paste......did the same as a kid  And yes as far as flavor the 1000 island is a sure winner :laugh:


----------



## WIrailfan

jlc41 said:


> Very nice I am looking forward to seeing more as you go along. Nice work.


Thanks jlc :thumbsup: I'm about to update now!


----------



## WIrailfan

Ok guys it's update time :smilie_daumenpos:

Here's a few pics of the completed mining company (except for the walkways for the second story) 



















Started on the signal controller installation, starting with the far right infrared sensor...










Installed the far left sensor...










Installed the left crossing sensor...










Then the right side.....and temporarily installed the first gate...










Got down to connecting all the sensors and lights to the Azatrax board........probably gonna neaten up the wires a bit at some point...










But it does work :thumbsup: Its so fun just watching the lights flash as trains go by  










I'm gonna try and get a video posted of it in action soon. And I've still gotta get both the structures totally finished!

Till next time 

Dan


----------



## jlc41

Progress, a wonderful thing, looking good. I like the mining co and the signals. Why are the detectors set diagonally??


----------



## Lemonhawk

You can always disguise the sensors by putting mock ups of relay control system panels that were always nearby the real gates. Great project! something I've always wanted but have yet to find the time. There are experiments with just using a vertical pointing sensor hidden beneath the track, I think using an arduino computer to process the response. Jlc41 the angle prevents false triggers as gaps between the cars go past the senors.


----------



## jlc41

Lemonhawk, makes perfect sense now that you explained the off set. I would like to do a crossing also. When and if I do an expansion I will definitely have at lest one.


----------



## WIrailfan

jlc41 said:


> Progress, a wonderful thing, looking good. I like the mining co and the signals. Why are the detectors set diagonally??


Thanks man! And it seems your question about the sensors has already been answered :thumbsup:


----------



## WIrailfan

Lemonhawk said:


> You can always disguise the sensors by putting mock ups of relay control system panels that were always nearby the real gates. Great project! something I've always wanted but have yet to find the time. There are experiments with just using a vertical pointing sensor hidden beneath the track, I think using an arduino computer to process the response.


That's what I was planning on doing.....just gotta find somewhere to get them! I haven't done any searching around yet. I knew I wanted working signals from the start of the layout build. But when I got the controller I was kinda overwhelmed at first, but I just took it real slow and installing it all turned out to be easier than I thought


----------



## WIrailfan

*I'm still alive!*

Well it's been about 4 months and I'm back! Haven't made much progress on the layout....save for gluing a about two dozen ties back in place. MAN does that make it look better though.....not having all the ugly gaps in the ties every 36" Still not totally done with the ties. Got a new WaltersProto SD45 in the Wisconsin Central paint scheme (love this loco!) and a bunch of cars in an effort to make my trains a bit more "mixed freight" :smilie_daumenpos: I'm also going to be expanding my benchwork to include a second mainline 2.5 inches outside of the existing one......except on the inside of the "L" this will remain open so I can still access all of the table. I'm over 6 foot and the bench is 41" off the floor. I'm gonna try to edit a pic of my layout to further illustrate the grand plan in my head :laugh:

Here's a few pics of the new additions :thumbsup:





































Till next time  

Dan


----------



## Magic

Nice to see you back working on the ol' layout.

I agree, filling in the missing ties makes a much bigger difference than I thought it would.

Looks like you really diversify the rolling stock. Good job.

Magic


----------



## time warp

jlc41 said:


> Lemonhawk, makes perfect sense now that you explained the off set. I would like to do a crossing also. When and if I do an expansion I will definitely have at lest one.


 I have 2 sets of crossing flashers on my layout, one is a Dallee electronics current sensing unit with model power crossbucks and the other is an IHC with optical sensors. The Dallee setup works flawlessly and even works in the dark of course. The other can be a little hit and miss and runs continuously when the lights are off. I know part of the problem could be remedied with a local light source over the photocells, but there is inconsistency with normal triggering either way. I much prefer the current sensing method.


----------



## DonR

Do you have the conductive paint to permit
your train cars to trip the current sensing 
detector?

Don


----------



## time warp

DonR said:


> Do you have the conductive paint to permit
> your train cars to trip the current sensing
> detector?
> 
> Don


 My trains are short enough that the initial trigger from the locomotive is sufficient, plus the duration is adjustable so I haven't needed an end of train detection. I have tried longer trains with lighted cars and the duration of the signal was longer. So no, I don't really require the conductive paint.


----------



## jlc41

TW, I went to the Dallee site, I don't see prices?? Did you get it from a dealer or off the net???


----------



## DonR

Yes, the detector 'saw' the current draw of your
lighted cars and held the signal. 

I like that type of train detection but at present
I don't have any working crossing signals.
I'm still paying crossing guards.

Don


----------



## time warp

jlc41 said:


> TW, I went to the Dallee site, I don't see prices?? Did you get it from a dealer or off the net???


I got it from my dealer, Shultz's in Dayton, OH.


----------



## WIrailfan

Magic said:


> Nice to see you back working on the ol' layout.
> 
> I agree, filling in the missing ties makes a much bigger difference than I thought it would.
> 
> Looks like you really diversify the rolling stock. Good job.
> 
> Magic


Thanks Magic  I was just blown away by the difference it made! Really motivated me to keep doing it :laugh: And I'm still not done. 

I just got freight cars I always see on trains around here (except the Alberta one......I just liked the blue lol).....I do a bit of trainspotting in my spare time :thumbsup: There's still a bunch more I want to buy......gotta get some intermodal cars amongst others!


----------



## WIrailfan

I'm gonna try to get my plan for my expansion posted tomorrow (no more time tonight) My goal is to be able to run two trains at once, which shouldn't be a problem with what I've got planned


----------



## WIrailfan

Ok here's my proposed expansion. Basically adding a 2X4 around 3 sides will give me plenty of room.......and the new line will be farther from the edge than the existing one is now :thumbsup: Some sort of benchwork will connect the gap........the big black dot is a pole that obviously cant be moved. The inside will remain open for access. The blue line is existing additions from the original plan in black. 4 turnouts on the long edge will enable trains to switch from the inner and outer loops. 

One question I have is.......what radius will the outer loop end up being with a 2.5 inch spacing. The existing loop has a 22" radius. I keep confusing myself trying to figure it out :laugh:


----------



## norgale

To find your radius measure out from the center of the R22 to the center of the new track. Add that to the 22 and that's your radius.
Looks pretty neat and you'll have a much longer run on the new track. You'll need guard rails along this new track too.


----------



## Mark VerMurlen

WIrailfan said:


> One question I have is.......what radius will the outer loop end up being with a 2.5 inch spacing. The existing loop has a 22" radius. I keep confusing myself trying to figure it out


The outside radius will be 24.5 inches. You simply add the spacing you want between the tracks to the radius of the inner track.

Mark


----------



## WIrailfan

norgale said:


> To find your radius measure out from the center of the R22 to the center of the new track. Add that to the 22 and that's your radius.
> Looks pretty neat and you'll have a much longer run on the new track. You'll need guard rails along this new track too.


That's what I thought it was gonna be.....just wanted to be sure :thumbsup: And yes it's going to be a much longer run than I have right now, looking forward to that! One problem I'm finding is there doesn't seem to be any track tools available in a 24.5" radius. I used these to lay the existing track.....they worked awesome!! I'd like to do it that way again. So I may have to make the outer loop a 26" radius as that's the next size available.....there is no 25" one.


----------



## time warp

Funny, they never are big enough! Keep us posted on the progress, looking forward to seeing it!


----------



## WIrailfan

Mark VerMurlen said:


> The outside radius will be 24.5 inches. You simply add the spacing you want between the tracks to the radius of the inner track.
> 
> Mark


Thanks Mark :thumbsup: I didn't think it'd be that easy!


----------



## WIrailfan

time warp said:


> Funny, they never are big enough! Keep us posted on the progress, looking forward to seeing it!


Nope they never are!! Honestly I was thinking expansion pretty much right when I was done laying track back in July :laugh: 

Anyone got an idea what materials I should use for the new benchwork that bridges the gap? Its going to have two curves of a yet unknown radius and those will be tricky to cut.


----------



## MtRR75

Inner track radius (22) + distance between track centers (2.5) = outer track radius (24.5).

You will have to use flex track for the outer track in order to maintain a constant 24.5" radius.


----------



## WIrailfan

MtRR75 said:


> Inner track radius (22) + distance between track centers (2.5) = outer track radius (24.5).
> 
> You will have to use flex track for the outer track in order to maintain a constant 24.5" radius.


Yup thanks MtR :smilie_daumenpos: 

As far as the flex track that's no problem......I used flex for the existing 22" curves :thumbsup: However I have decided to go with a 25" radius on the new outer loop!


----------



## WIrailfan

Ok general progress update! Have decided on a 25" radius for the new track, at least the parts that will be next to the inner loop.......I'm gonna need to have the new benchwork partially completed to figure out the curves for that section. I'm compiling a Walters order for the necessary turnouts and track tools. I've also completed the stairs on the mining company, and have some new intermodal cars and containers that are looking really cool on the layout  Pics of both of those coming tomorrow


----------



## WIrailfan

Ok it's update time!! :smilie_daumenpos:

Completed the staircases on the mining company. Placing those fiddly little railings was fun :laugh: Especially the one right next to the wall in the first pic! 



















For Christmas I got 2 of the prebuilt buildings from Menards......the Menards hobby shop and American power and light. The hobby shop has been great.....although I'm considering removing the base. The power and light has been another story  The lights on the first one lasted 15 minutes till they failed miserably.......sent it back and they sent me the O scale one  I sent that back and they sent me an HO scale one...............that doesn't work at all! Now I'm waiting on their reply. They've paid for all the return shipping so it hasn't cost me anything but still :dunno:










I'm really liking my new intermodal rolling stock! They will be used primarily on the new outer loop, cause they look kinda ridiculous going through my 22" curves :laugh: They JUST clear one of the detectors for the crossing 




























I'm going to Lowes this afternoon to get some 2X4s, foam board and possibly some plywood for the new benchwork, thinkin OSB wont cut that cleanly :thumbsup:

Till next time 

Dan


----------



## Magic

That's a pretty good looking mining company.
I looked at Menards buildings and they seem OK but they don't have anything that goes 
with my layout but that Hobby shop looks good, some nice details there.

Keep us posted.

Magic


----------



## WIrailfan

Magic said:


> That's a pretty good looking mining company.
> I looked at Menards buildings and they seem OK but they don't have anything that goes
> with my layout but that Hobby shop looks good, some nice details there.
> 
> Keep us posted.
> 
> Magic


Thanks Magic :thumbsup: I'm wishing I'd painted the insides of the walls....cause I'd love to put some sort of light in it so some of the windows are lit up!

A few of the other Menards buildings are interesting to me......but their quality seems to be hit or miss. This makes me hesitant to buy more of them. I do like the detailing on the hobby shop, but I'm thinking of using a sharpie to block out the Menards part of the sign :laugh:

And will do!


----------



## Nikola

Nice, meticulous work.

Your locos remind me of that Johnny Cash song: "My Name Is Soo <sic>".


----------



## WIrailfan

Nikola said:


> Nice, meticulous work.
> 
> Your locos remind me of that Johnny Cash song: "My Name Is Soo <sic>".


Thanks Nikola! That's my goal in this :thumbsup: And yes my father has passed his love of the Soo Line down to me. He used to take me trainspotting when I was very young. Seeing a SOO loco was the goal


----------



## WIrailfan

*Update!*

I've made GREAT progress on my layout expansion! Just got done uploading 32 pics.......will hopefully get them posted this afternoon :thumbsup:


----------



## WIrailfan

*Pics!!*

Here's the pics of my progress!! 

Starting with the southernmost end got the first 2X4 mounted, realized right away it was gonna be a more than a pain getting them mounted LEVEL 










Cut the first piece of foam using my circular saw......other than the fog like green dust that got everywhere it worked great! 










First section complete! 










Started on the long western end, got the 2X4's mounted. 










Glued down the first piece of foam. 










And the second. 



















Started on the first 2X4 on the northern end. 










And the second 2X4. 










Got the first piece of foam glued in place!










Cut the second piece. 



















Glued it down and cut the small third section. 










Mounted the 2X4 on the eastern edge. 










Now for a minor disaster  In some of the pics you can see a pair of knives on the layout.......I was using the 8" bread to trim the final piece of foam (cutting towards myself like an idiot) when it slipped out of the foam and right into my left pointer finger......HARD!!! Was bleeding like a stuck pig and left a trail all over the basement trying to find an open roll of paper towels :appl: Fortunately I got it stopped but that was after I nearly passed out! I'll spare you guys the pics I took  

After last Mondays adventure I CAREFULLY trimmed and glued down the final piece of foam on Tuesday :thumbsup:



















Started drawing the lines for the roadbed...




























Started laying the roadbed down!














































Started playing around with ideas on how I'm going to do the benchwork to connect the new outer loop. It looks like I'm going to start with a 4' by 2' rectangle. There's going to be more than one track on the new part......perhaps a passing siding and a small yard if I have room. But trying to plan track when there's no bench is kinda hard :laugh:










Till next time 

Dan


----------



## Magic

Looking good but where in the world did you find 2x4s straight enough to do this?

Magic


----------



## Lemonhawk

And I though that you were putting the extra length on so the trains did not go right next to the edge of the table and thus were protected from falls -- then the last pictures show you just adding more track! You do need some protection, Took about 2 years before a new cat finally made me take some protective measures. Mainly I added some foam, but in one spot I used 1/2 pipe with pipe insulation on it as a sort of handrail and protection. I just don't like using clear plastic.


----------



## jlc41

Lemonhawk, interesting solution to guard against falls.


----------



## Nikola

Lemonhawk said:


> And I though that you were putting the extra length on so the trains did not go right next to the edge of the table and thus were protected from falls -- then the last pictures show you just adding more track! You do need some protection, Took about 2 years before a new cat finally made me take some protective measures. Mainly I added some foam, but in one spot I used 1/2 pipe with pipe insulation on it as a sort of handrail and protection. I just don't like using clear plastic.


Light poplar crown molding can work. It angles outwards and is smooth inside for scenery and/or paint, and the outside makes it look homeworthy and can be painted to match the room's trim.


----------



## jlc41

WIrailfan, see that right there, what you'r doing makes me want to add to my expansion expansion. It never ends but it sure is a lot of fun.


----------



## WIrailfan

Magic said:


> Looking good but where in the world did you find 2x4s straight enough to do this?
> 
> Magic


Thanks Magic! And as far as the 2X4s I got lucky basically.....dug through the piles at Home Depot and Lowes and came up with some pretty straight ones. I say pretty straight cause none of them were perfect. I found out that if the wood isn't level just put it low and you can compensate with more Liquid Nails to level out the foam!


----------



## WIrailfan

Lemonhawk said:


> And I though that you were putting the extra length on so the trains did not go right next to the edge of the table and thus were protected from falls -- then the last pictures show you just adding more track! You do need some protection, Took about 2 years before a new cat finally made me take some protective measures. Mainly I added some foam, but in one spot I used 1/2 pipe with pipe insulation on it as a sort of handrail and protection. I just don't like using clear plastic.


Haha no the expansion wasn't for fall protection.....rather a want to be able to run two trains at once. I don't have a cat or kids and there's no way the dog could get up there, but I do see your point. Can honestly say in one year I only lost a train once. It happened because the fan (it was summer and hot) blew a piece of paper onto the track when I was upstairs......somehow the loco stayed running but I lost all but one car. Minor damage to a few


----------



## WIrailfan

jlc41 said:


> WIrailfan, see that right there, what you're doing makes me want to add to my expansion. It never ends but it sure is a lot of fun.


I'm already planning the next expansion :laugh: But seriously I knew it was coming for a while now! As it turns out I just love laying roadbed and track. I'm also planning a bridge on the new section :thumbsup:


----------



## jlc41

WIrailfan, I understand completely. I too am thinking about adding a harbor to my yet to be completed expansion. It seems I like modeling as much as running trains. I get caught up in the details.


----------



## WIrailfan

jlc41 said:


> WIrailfan, I understand completely. I too am thinking about adding a harbor to my yet to be completed expansion. It seems I like modeling as much as running trains. I get caught up in the details.


Is any expansion ever completed? Kinda seems like a rhetorical question! I can see a point in my future where there's trains taking up half the basement......but all stemming from my original L shaped table :laugh: 

As far as expansion progress I've got the two new turnouts for the interchange added into the existing main line......just have to connect the new feeders. Gotta run to Walthers to get some 6" sectional track as well! Pics coming soon


----------



## WIrailfan

Update time!! :smilie_daumenpos:

I figured I'd start with the two turnouts for the crossover that had to be added into my existing trackwork. Starting with the eastern one I made the cut and watered down the glue to soften it.










Removed the track and cleaned up old glue. 










Soldered feeders to the new turnout (Peco insulfrog large radius)....drilled the feeder holes and melted clearance for moving parts. 










And glued it down :thumbsup:










Now I repeated the process for the western one...





































Now it was time to start on the 25" radius curves....starting with the southern one like I did a year ago......man has it been that long already 




























After playing around with track for a bit I found a 14" section of straight track made it so the next section of flex (2 pieces soldered together) would make it all the way around the next corner.......so I got that made and glued down. 



















Got the next curve glued down. 










This picture is the culmination of 2 days of fiddling with track......found that a 6" piece of sectional track was a PERFECT fit between the turnouts. Of course I didn't have any sectional track so had to run to Walthers for a 4 pack.......them being 10 minutes away certainly has it's benefits :thumbsup: 










Glued down the track from the curve to the turnout....and the turnout itself (but with an unseen flaw)



















After everything had dried I realized the turnout was not perfectly centered on the roadbed.....not sure how I didn't notice it the night before  Played around with more track and it just wasn't gonna work  So out came the water again...



















Got it glued back down.....in the right spot this time :appl:



















This little piece of track took a while to make.....ended up using the remaining 6" sections after trimming one and soldering them together...










Test fitted the eastern part of the crossover....and marked the inverted roadbed for trimming. 










Glued down the roadbed...










Got the eastern part glued down......in the bottom of the first pic you can just see all the feeders I connected the next day. 



















Wasting no time I got the final curve glued down...




























Now I have all the track on the existing bench done.......gonna go to Lowes on Wednesday to get materials for the first bench section. I'm not planning on using the foam on the new sections of bench......still working on how I'm gonna join them together at the same level....one with foam and one without :sly:

Till next time 

Dan


----------



## norgale

Build the new sections to the foam level.


----------



## MtRR75

WIrailfan said:


> Now I have all the track on the existing bench done.......gonna go to Lowes on Wednesday to get materials for the first bench section. I'm not planning on using the foam on the new sections of bench......still working on how I'm gonna join them together at the same level....one with foam and one without.


Here are my suggestions.

(1) Put screw-in adjustable feet on the new section

(2) Design the new section so that both section have vertical 1x4 sides at the same height close to the top.

(3) Clamp the 1x4 sides of the two sections together from below.

(4) Fiddle with the adjustable feet and clamps until you have the surfaces of the two sections flush with each other and level.

(5) When you are sure that everything lines up and is level, drill holes through the two 1x4 sides and connect them with carriage bolts.

(6) Then remove the clamps and recheck the surface for flush and level.


----------



## Magic

Very nice track work. You're moving right along.
Good to see that I'm not the only one to get turnouts or track off center. 
"How in the world did I miss that?"

Magic


----------



## WIrailfan

MtRR75 said:


> Here are my suggestions.
> 
> (1) Put screw-in adjustable feet on the new section
> 
> (2) Design the new section so that both section have vertical 1x4 sides at the same height close to the top.
> 
> (3) Clamp the 1x4 sides of the two sections together from below.
> 
> (4) Fiddle with the adjustable feet and clamps until you have the surfaces of the two sections flush with each other and level.
> 
> (5) When you are sure that everything lines up and is level, drill holes through the two 1x4 sides and connect them with carriage bolts.
> 
> (6) Then remove the clamps and recheck the surface for flush and level.


These are good ideas.......will definitely be using some if not all of them :thumbsup: Thanks!


----------



## WIrailfan

Magic said:


> Very nice track work. You're moving right along.
> Good to see that I'm not the only one to get turnouts or track off center.
> "How in the world did I miss that?"
> 
> Magic


Thanks Magic :smilie_daumenpos: I'm not letting anything go with my track work.....it's either perfection or it get's ripped up! I don't have to worry about derails if I leave the room for a few minutes, although I still do :laugh: And yes I couldn't believe it when I saw where the turnout ended up.....I think I was too obsessed with getting the straight track perfectly straight!


----------



## Mr.Buchholz

Trackage looks pretty good. Lucky you had all those canned goods to weigh the track down for gluing!

-J.


----------



## WIrailfan

Mr.Buchholz said:


> Trackage looks pretty good. Lucky you had all those canned goods to weigh the track down for gluing!
> 
> -J.


Thanks Mr. B :thumbsup: And yes we certainly have no shortage of cans :laugh:


----------



## WIrailfan

Update time! :thumbsup:

So I decided that a pair of 2' by 4' benches would connect the gap. So I started working on the first one........found some nice precut pieces for the top. 




























Started and finished the second one!



















Finalized the placement and levelness (is that a word) after a LOT of crawling around on the floor 



















Built the piece that will be mounted lower, creating the gap the bridge will span :thumbsup:



















Picked out a bridge to build.....chose this one cause there's one a few miles from my house that's absolutely identical to it. It's been standing since 1910 :appl: 




























Decided to fix some trackwork that didn't turn out right. The first 25" curve I laid down........as you can see it's FAR from level and nearly a quarter inch higher than the adjacent track :dunno:










After a LOT of shaving foam I ended up with this...














































Got the turnout laid down and completed the trackwork up to the west end of the bridge. There was days of work in this small section 



















Started on the roadbed on the new bench sections.....it's a bit different gluing it to wood rather than foam....had to tap the pins in with a hammer 





































And got the track laid down!










Now I haven't got pics of the latest progress yet....but lets just say trains are traversing the bridge now :smilie_daumenpos: Really cool to watch! Right now the bridge isn't glued down and neither are a few key pieces of track. I'm considering painting the bridge before gluing it in place. But I need to get an airbrush first!

Till next time! 

Dan


----------



## FTWingRiders

Wow, very nice addition to the layout, and your attention to detail is enviable! Can't wait to see the bridge with trains running! I didn't see an answer, so forgive me if it's been discussed, but why did you switch from foam to wood for the base? 

Love the pictures!


----------



## Magic

Very nice progress WI. You're moving right along.
Track work is looking great and the bridge will be cool.

Just need a few steaks and a pretty good dinner is in the works as well.
Make mine German chocolate for desert.

Magic

Magic


----------



## jlc41

Oh yeah looking good. I like the bridge. Looking forward to see the trains run.


----------



## WIrailfan

FTWingRiders said:


> Wow, very nice addition to the layout, and your attention to detail is enviable! Can't wait to see the bridge with trains running! I didn't see an answer, so forgive me if it's been discussed, but why did you switch from foam to wood for the base?
> 
> Love the pictures!


Thanks for the kind words FT :thumbsup: I have a few videos already....just gotta make a youtube account as I can't remember the login info for my old one  And yes I do love taking pictures! As far as the lack of foam I guess I wanted a little variety!


----------



## WIrailfan

Magic said:


> Very nice progress WI. You're moving right along.
> Track work is looking great and the bridge will be cool.
> 
> Just need a few steaks and a pretty good dinner is in the works as well.
> Make mine German chocolate for desert.
> 
> Magic





jlc41 said:


> Oh yeah looking good. I like the bridge. Looking forward to see the trains run.


Thanks for the compliments guys  And Magic I do love German chocolate cake :smokin:


----------



## WIrailfan

Mini update time!!

Here's a few pics of how the layout looks now. You can also see the trains I'm currently running  One question......can the double tracks on the new section stay at a 2.25 inch spacing through the curve...or will the cars hit each other being that close? 























































Till next time 

Dan


----------



## jlc41

WIrailfan, mockup your curves to make sure you are ok on the clearance. I had to move a curve after I put my Derick car on the layout. The over hang was more than my other cars. Lesson learned.


----------



## WIrailfan

jlc41 said:


> WIrailfan, mockup your curves to make sure you are ok on the clearance. I had to move a curve after I put my Derick car on the layout. The over hang was more than my other cars. Lesson learned.


Haha I was afraid of that :laugh: I was thinking if it does work that would make the inside curve an impossible 22.75'' radius :dunno: Might just have to make it straight 22" just so I can actually lay the track!


----------



## WIrailfan

Update! 

Here's a quick video of the Lakeshore Southern in action


----------



## jlc41

Looks really good, I like it. I noticed your crossing signals flashing but the gates stayed up. Is that because they are not hooked up?


----------



## WIrailfan

jlc41 said:


> Looks really good, I like it. I noticed your crossing signals flashing but the gates stayed up. Is that because they are not hooked up?


Thanks jlc! Yes the gates aren't hooked up yet. I plan on using servos to move them.....but I haven't yet found a way to secure the brass bases to the foam :dunno: That's one of the reasons the new section has no foam


----------



## jlc41

Can you use double sided stick tape???


----------



## WIrailfan

jlc41 said:


> Can you use double sided stick tape???


I don't think so, the actual amount of the base that sits on the foam is incredibly small. I was thinking of somehow making the brass tube that goes through the middle longer (by sliding a bigger piece over and soldering it) so it'll reach the osb....then threading the tube and use 2 nuts to secure it to the wood. That way they'd be removable without causing damage. Of course that's WAYY easier said than done though :laugh:


----------



## WIrailfan

Small update today :thumbsup: 

Completed the bracing on the bridge....it is now complete!










And I've decided on where I'm going to start the scenery :appl: This open area between the mining company and the main will be a rather tall densely forested hill. Tall enough to block view of the main. Maybe even a tunnel


----------



## Mr.Buchholz

Looking good so far. Only thing I'm wondering is why so many terminal blocks? 

Just curious.....

-J.


----------



## WIrailfan

Mr.Buchholz said:


> Looking good so far. Only thing I'm wondering is why so many terminal blocks?
> 
> Just curious.....
> 
> -J.


Thanks Mr. B :thumbsup: 

As far as the large number of terminal blocks, in my extensive research I did prior to starting this layout I came to the conclusion that every piece of track should have a feeder. I also read that all turnouts should be powered. Obviously this resulted in a LOT of feeders. Didn't really seem too excessive till I got it mostly done and realized there's probably more wire than wood by weight :laugh: I even just added another terminal block under the new section cause I thought it'd be better than some feeders that are 6' long. At least I won't ever have a dead spot :smilie_daumenpos:


----------



## WIrailfan

Update time! 

Got the line for the new sections inner curve drawn out, and started on the roadbed... 



















Straight roadbed done......now for the 23" curve...




























Got the short piece of flex leading to the engine house's turnout done...










Laid down the turnout for the engine house siding (not sure why I only took one pic) 










Using my roadbed section method I plotted the curve leading to the engine house...



















Back to the main....with the roadbed done soldered the flex and laid down the passing sidings track...



















Passing siding completed.......the sections of track close to the bridge aren't glued down for now!



















Back to the siding.....curved roadbed up to 3 way turnout is done!










Got the 3 way turnout (Peco medium radius) for the engine house wired up and glued down...














































I've gotta take some more pics of the engine house progress.....maybe later on tonight 

Till next time 

Dan


----------



## Mark VerMurlen

Looks great! Always gratifying to get several feet of track laid down.

Mark


----------



## time warp

Very neat work, looks very nice.:thumbsup:


----------



## Magic

Nice looking track work Dan.
That's going to be a nice layout.

Magic


----------



## WIrailfan

Mark VerMurlen said:


> Looks great! Always gratifying to get several feet of track laid down.
> 
> Mark





time warp said:


> Very neat work, looks very nice.:thumbsup:





Magic said:


> Nice looking track work Dan.
> That's going to be a nice layout.
> 
> Magic


Thanks a lot guys!!  Working on an update now!


----------



## WIrailfan

Update time 

Finally got around to updating my layouts lighting. Went from this...



















To this :thumbsup:



















Got working on mounting the diesel houses tall base to the layout.....it needed to be set into the table 7mm to be level with the roadbed! Cutting out the hole made a LOT of sawdust :laugh:























































Mounted the base in the new hole.....the screwheads will be hidden later :thumbsup: Test fitted the roadbed to the center bay.










Completed the track to the center bay...



















Plotted and glued down the northern bays track...





































Started on the southern bays track...



















Trackwork completed for now.....till the western end gets connected...










Started gluing the walls together......they are not glued to the base and will remain removable as a unit. 










I have more pics of the walls to upload to my new Imgur account....as there's no point in using my photobucket anymore :thumbsdown: Maybe later tonight


----------



## bluenavigator

Is it your desire to have every track to be leveled, not being raised or lowered, correct? 

Other than that, it's good to see your progress!


----------



## jlc41

Very nice neat work, I like it. My one concern is the spacing between your paralell curved tracks. Hopefully you took into account for your longest cars passing each other. Don't ask me why I mention it, but after I had my tracks glued and ballasted. I bought a crane car and tender. Unawear of the swing the boom on the crane would have going around the curve ... well you get the picture. Had to respace the cured tracks. Lesson learned.


----------



## Mark VerMurlen

Looks great! Nice job on doing the routering to get the look you're wanting. Looking forward to seeing more.

Mark


----------



## WIrailfan

bluenavigator said:


> Is it your desire to have every track to be leveled, not being raised or lowered, correct?
> 
> Other than that, it's good to see your progress!


Well I guess that is my goal lol! The tracks would have had to rose that 7mm in only 16". Which wouldn't have worked at all, especially cause I plan on running short trains through the building (I know not very prototypical :laugh 

And thanks


----------



## WIrailfan

jlc41 said:


> Very nice neat work, I like it. My one concern is the spacing between your paralell curved tracks. Hopefully you took into account for your longest cars passing each other. Don't ask me why I mention it, but after I had my tracks glued and ballasted. I bought a crane car and tender. Unawear of the swing the boom on the crane would have going around the curve ... well you get the picture. Had to respace the cured tracks. Lesson learned.


Thanks jlc :thumbsup: No need to worry about the parallel tracks......I tested the curve with trains and all is good (before gluing anything down).....had about a half inch of clearance! Now if I get some longer cars there may not be able to be a train on the passing siding. But for now I'm good


----------



## WIrailfan

Mark VerMurlen said:


> Looks great! Nice job on doing the routering to get the look you're wanting. Looking forward to seeing more.
> 
> Mark


Thanks Mark!! I've got more pics I'm gonna try and get posted tonight :thumbsup:


----------



## jlc41

WIrailfan, I kind of figured that you would have checked, but I wanted to let you know about my problem. All's good then.


----------



## WIrailfan

jlc41 said:


> WIrailfan, I kind of figured that you would have checked, but I wanted to let you know about my problem. All's good then.


No problem! You actually reminded me to check back in post 131. But you can never be too sure :thumbsup:


----------



## WIrailfan

Minor update time! 

Got the diesel house completed. Really happy with how it turned out as well. Next step will be painting inside the walls in preparation for led lighting :thumbsup: I love how the windows only let you see through when viewed straight on! 




























Tonight I'm gonna get the wood cut for the piece to fill in this gap......will have to run to Lowe's for additional supplies  










Till next time... 

Dan


----------



## time warp

Nice progress. :thumbsup:


----------



## jlc41

I like the diesel house and the ability to see in. Keep the pics coming.


----------



## WIrailfan

Update time! :thumbsup:

Well I got the wood cut and filled the big gap......now I could start on connecting the engine house back to the main...














































Decided on using a wye to split the track....it just wasn't gonna line up with a turnout. This meant I had to re-think a large section of my inner loop, and eliminate the crossings present location!  
































































The new track plan meant the short siding that was here had to go......and because I soldered the siding to the turnout I had to replace it to do it any different  Oh well! It also meant that siding could be replaced by a much needed yard :smilie_daumenpos:










Used another 3 way turnout (I love these things lol) to start the yard tracks...























































Got the first yard track laid down!










During the yard construction I heard reports from the crew of a huge furry creature sighted near the engine house..........further investigation revealed a staggering sight........










My beagle Bella was CONVINCED there was something edible on my layouit.....so she had to see for herself :laugh::laugh::laugh:

On a more serious note I kinda slacked on taking pics of the rest of the progress....but picture similar rows of canned beans :laugh: Here's how the yard looks as of tonight 










And since I eliminated that whole "inside" 22" curve from the inner loop I re-located the crossing....the sensors are all in place and working again.....just waiting on the signals to be in stock at Walthers :thumbsup: Was also able to mount the controller in a much more accessible and visible location! 



















One problem I'm having is I want to start on scenery.....but I cant decide on where or how to start....any help would be appreciated guys!!

Till next time 

Dan


----------



## Magic

Some outstanding track work there. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Like the new changes. :smokin:

Bella must be a vegetarian. :dunno:

Magic


----------



## bluenavigator

WIrailfan said:


> Update time! :thumbsup:
> 
> Well I got the wood cut and filled the big gap......now I could start on connecting the engine house back to the main...


On this pix, are there first two outside tracks supposed to connected to the bridge, correct?

In that case, it does not make sense to have that bridge, along with the turnout going to the engine shop... just saying.

Other than that, great idea to add yard and crossover, inside the center of the whole layout, from side to side. I didn't see that coming!


----------



## WIrailfan

Magic said:


> Some outstanding track work there. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
> Like the new changes. :smokin:
> 
> Bella must be a vegetarian. :dunno:
> 
> Magic


Haha thanks Magic :thumbsup: And she definitely likes beans :laugh:


----------



## WIrailfan

bluenavigator said:


> On this pix, are there first two outside tracks supposed to connected to the bridge, correct?
> 
> In that case, it does not make sense to have that bridge, along with the turnout going to the engine shop... just saying.
> 
> Other than that, great idea to add yard and crossover, inside the center of the whole layout, from side to side. I didn't see that coming!


Yeah those tracks are for the bridge. I realized it didn't much sense but I couldn't pass up the opportunity of having a crossover at both ends of the layout :thumbsup: And yes when I saw a track across the middle would work........I got excited


----------



## WIrailfan

Update time!

Finished up work on the yard....now I finally have a place to store some cars :thumbsup:



















The completed yard! 










Started on a new building........the Sunrise Feed Mill. Somehow a road is going to connect these businesses. 



















Started working on installing the signals for the crossing, got the first one in...










Got the second signal installed, work is now done topside!



















Now I had a nightmare of a time wiring the leds in the first iteration of my crossing. I was soldering the connections and the INSANELY small wires kept breaking......it's a miracle I eventually got them all to stay together. But almost half of the leds didn't work....likely cause the wires were broken again  This time I was gong to avoid all those headaches by crimping all the connections. Started by cutting apart a LOT of 18/22 crimp connectors. 










To put together little resistor assemblies like this for each led...










Got the white return wires (no resistors needed) connected. The crimping is working MUCH better :appl: 










Got the red wires (RH leds) connected with the resistors...










Got the LH leds yellow wires and resistors connected....










So now the crossing is done (except the road part) and yes ALL THE LIGHTS WORK!!!!!!  Here's a video of them in action  






*EDIT: If the video has an error refresh the page and click on the title* :thumbsup:

Till next time!

Dan


----------



## flyboy2610

Nicely done!


----------



## Mark VerMurlen

Looks great! I'm going to have to figure out how to deal with the tiny wires from signals soon myself. This gives me another option to try that I hadn't thought about.

Mark


----------



## time warp

What brand is your crossing flasher set up? Mine is made by Dallee. A good way to secure those tiny wire splices is to twist them together and apply liquid tape. It works pretty good.


----------



## WIrailfan

flyboy2610 said:


> Nicely done!


Thanks! :thumbsup:


----------



## WIrailfan

Mark VerMurlen said:


> Looks great! I'm going to have to figure out how to deal with the tiny wires from signals soon myself. This gives me another option to try that I hadn't thought about.
> 
> Mark


Thanks Mark! The crimping was SO much easier than soldering I highly recommend it. It seemed the point where the solder stopped wicking into the tiny wires is where they'd always break when trying to wrap them up in electrical tape. And this way if I ever needed to change it just squeezing the crimp the other way will release the wires :thumbsup:


----------



## WIrailfan

time warp said:


> What brand is your crossing flasher set up? Mine is made by Dallee. A good way to secure those tiny wire splices is to twist them together and apply liquid tape. It works pretty good.


It's an Azatrax MRX3 controller. I've been quite impressed with it's performance thus far :thumbsup: Good thought on the liquid tape, I'm considering another crossing down the road so I may get a chance to try that!


----------



## WIrailfan

Man it's been a while since I've updated.....I've got lots of pics to post....hopefully tonight! :thumbsup:


----------



## WIrailfan

Well the update will have to wait.....just noticed I can *FINALLY* edit all my posts on this forum :smokin: All my pics on here are on photobucket. My account is still working till 12/31/17 (cause I paid in May....before the ridiculousness started) and I wasn't happy all my pics were gonna die. (I know the admin was fixing pics for users but I've posted a LOT of pics lol) I've got through page 2 re-hosting the pics on Imgur and re-posting them......hopefully I can get this all done in 9 days and still get things done on my layout :thumbsup:


----------



## bluenavigator

I am not sure how photobucket work... Often times, I noticed that they tend to show something like that the bandwidth ran out, leaving no photo showing. 

That's why I have my own web hosting service for one year price. I think that it runs about 25 bucks or less.


----------



## WIrailfan

bluenavigator said:


> I am not sure how photobucket work... Often times, I noticed that they tend to show something like that the bandwidth ran out, leaving no photo showing.
> 
> That's why I have my own web hosting service for one year price. I think that it runs about 25 bucks or less.


Honestly I had no problem with photobucket for more than a decade.....I've got thousands of pics on there.....but I'm not paying $400 to access them. It used to be like $40 a year :thumbsdown: Imgur is free


----------



## WIrailfan

Got pics halfway through page 4 re-hosted! I may actually be able to get this done  No layout progress tonight though :thumbsdown:


----------



## WIrailfan

Still plugging away at pic re-hosting.....I'm finished through pg 15 now  Definitely gonna get this done :thumbsup:


----------



## WIrailfan

Ok now that I'm done re-hosting all 350 or so pics in this thread.....I can post my update 

I've decided the area surrounding the engine house will be a parking lot type area.......that the tracks leading to the house will be set into. I'm using styrene to raise the surface up to being just below the rails. Used eighth inch styrene to take a big swing at it lol! There was definitely a learning curve to cutting curves in the plastic! Started by making paper templates which were then used to trace a pattern onto the styrene.














































Made the next big template and cut the styrene......yes I did miss taking a lot of the earlier pics lol...



















Put a layer of .020 styrene next......didn't take any pics of that however :laugh:

On top of the .020 went 2 layers of .060......the first cut to the same sizes as the .125 layer, the second cut to extend right to the ties...




























Then went 3 layers of .010 styrene (only half of this is done....waiting on more plastic).....no pics of this either....there was just a lot of trial and error in getting the heights just right. It likely could have been done with less styrene but that would've required actual planning haha! 

Made a lot of progress on the remaining layers of .060 over the holiday :thumbsup: 




























The final layer is .040 and goes right up to the rails.....these pieces will be painted at some point (getting an airbrush is next on my list) Here's how it sits now these last two pics were taken tonight.......the first shows how it all lines up with the track (and the wood pieces I'll be modifying to be a continuous strip between the rails) and the second is a good look at all the layers involved! 



















Till next time 

Dan


----------



## Magic

Looking good, lots o' work but looking good.

Magic


----------



## bluenavigator

Can't wait to see how the parking lot looks like.


----------



## Nikola

Nice job! 

I wonder if you could have just poured self-levelling grout (or whateve it is called) into the area.


----------



## WIrailfan

Magic said:


> Looking good, lots o' work but looking good.
> 
> Magic


Thanks Magic :thumbsup:



bluenavigator said:


> Can't wait to see how the parking lot looks like.


Neither can I :laugh: I saw somewhere on here there's good tutorials on creating realistic concrete with styrene......anyone know where?


----------



## WIrailfan

Nikola said:


> Nice job!
> 
> I wonder if you could have just poured self-levelling grout (or whatever it is called) into the area.


I definitely could have been done that way.....probably would have been messier. I just got an issue of MR and they cover embedding tracks in pavement using Woodland Scenics Smooth-it. Wished I'd seen that before I started with the styrene :laugh:


----------



## bluenavigator

WIrailfan said:


> I definitely could have been done that way.....probably would have been messier. I just got an issue of MR and they cover embedding tracks in pavement using Woodland Scenics Smooth-it. Wished I'd seen that before I started with the styrene :laugh:


Me, too! Just got it in the mail. Haven't read it yet. New dishwasher kept me busy with the installation. It was completed. Now I can move on to model railroad! Read on!


----------



## WIrailfan

It's update time!!

I decided to extend the parking lot to the other side of the three way turnout....it looked ridiculous being on only one side :laugh: I'm quite happy with how it turned out around the switch.......I wasn't looking forward to making those pieces lol :laugh: The styrene is now complete except for painting the top pieces.....but it's gonna have to get a bit warmer here before I can start that. Rather than posting another 40 or so pics here's how it looks now.




























Also spent a lot of time thinking about the excessive number of feeders my layout ended up with. Mr. B asked about it in post 139....and it was always in the back of my mind. So a few weeks ago I decided to count how many pairs of feeders I had.......after several counts I settled on 26.....which is a LOT for a layout this size  So in about half an hour I ripped out ALL the wiring and about half the feeders.....I'm down to 15 now. Part of the problem was I'd moved the controller to a different spot.....so it was no longer where all the terminal block wiring ended. I eliminated SO many pairs of feeders I actually did away with 2 whole terminal blocks  To rewire it I just started at the furthest terminal block from the controller and ran short 14 ga jumpers from block to block.....ending at the controller. I'm probably using 10% of the wire I was before! Layout seems to work better too  Here's some pics of the piles of removed wire....





































I'm going to Lowes today for supplies to start some rolling hills.....this layout needs some scenery soon haha! That's going to be a whole new learning curve 

Till next time...

Dan


----------



## Magic

That engine house is looking great with the extended parking.

Magic


----------



## WIrailfan

Magic said:


> That engine house is looking great with the extended parking.
> 
> Magic


Thanks Magic!! I've been looking for good how to on making the styrene look like concrete....know of any good ones?


----------



## rwslater

The engine facility is coming along very nicely. That there was a lot of wire.

Robert


----------



## WIrailfan

rwslater said:


> The engine facility is coming along very nicely. That there was a lot of wire.
> 
> Robert


Thanks a lot Robert! :smilie_daumenpos: And haha yes it certainly was! I could probably get rid of a few more feeder pairs and not affect operations. Maybe another day!


----------



## WIrailfan

I've made good progress on my hills, I've got a few glued down. Gonna try and get some pics up tonight :thumbsup:


----------



## bluenavigator

Good to hear that. Eager to hear more news and view new photos.


----------



## Magic

WIrailfan said:


> Thanks Magic!! I've been looking for good how to on making the styrene look like concrete....know of any good ones?


The short answer is nope. 
Try as I may I haven't found a color that I like for concrete. 
One of the things holding up progress on my RR.
I just bought a quart of "concrete colored paint" that missed by a mile when I got it home.

Magic


----------



## jackpresley

Just read through all 19 pages of this thread. I know we all appreciate you going back and fixing all of those photos -- what a pain that must have been.

Gave me a lot of motivation not to wait on building until I have designed the perfect plan. (Which is never gonna happen.) Obviously it is not impossible to change it up without destroying everything and starting over.

Looking forward to the next update.


----------



## MichaelE

I didn't think mine would ever get to the point where I would love it 100%, but after starting the build I do love it. It is everything I want in a Euro railroad. Fast passenger service, long straight sections, gentle curves, and tri/level operation with a mountain line.

Plenty of ideas for mountain passes, tunnels, and overpasses. None of that has been decided yet and I'm playing that by ear as the build progresses.

It really is everything I wanted in a layout that I've been wanting for decades.


----------



## WIrailfan

Magic said:


> The short answer is nope.
> Try as I may I haven't found a color that I like for concrete.
> One of the things holding up progress on my RR.
> I just bought a quart of "concrete colored paint" that missed by a mile when I got it home.
> 
> Magic


Ok then! I'm gonna have to do some experimenting


----------



## WIrailfan

jackpresley said:


> Just read through all 19 pages of this thread. I know we all appreciate you going back and fixing all of those photos -- what a pain that must have been.
> 
> Gave me a lot of motivation not to wait on building until I have designed the perfect plan. (Which is never gonna happen.) Obviously it is not impossible to change it up without destroying everything and starting over.
> 
> Looking forward to the next update.


Thanks Jack!! It really was a pain......took almost a week working on it a few hours a night. I had to do it though...cause :ttiwwop: :laugh:

I say just come up with a plan and go with it. I had a track plan printed on a single piece of paper and that's all I had lol (you can see it in a lot of my older pics) You'll learn more by adapting your plan as you go anyway! Two years ago I never thought my layout would look like it does now.


----------



## WIrailfan

MichaelE said:


> I didn't think mine would ever get to the point where I would love it 100%, but after starting the build I do love it. It is everything I want in a Euro railroad. Fast passenger service, long straight sections, gentle curves, and tri/level operation with a mountain line.
> 
> Plenty of ideas for mountain passes, tunnels, and overpasses. None of that has been decided yet and I'm playing that by ear as the build progresses.
> 
> It really is everything I wanted in a layout that I've been wanting for decades.


I don't love mine 100% I really wish I'd have spent more time on my benchwork to allow for elevation changes.


----------



## WIrailfan

Ok it's update time 

I'm starting on my hills now......YES finally some real scenery! I found this youtube video.....



 and his method seemed to be something I could do. So I got the 1" thickness of the foam I used back in 2016, a hot wire foam cutter and started cutting! I started in the northeast corner...





































Did the same thing in the opposite corner (missed a few pics on this one)...



















Figured I'd try a hill not on the edge of the table on this end....the end result will appear as it the railway made a right of way through the hill! 





































Started on another larger hill next to the last one....haven't decided how high this one will be yet...










Here's how it looks as of tonight.......just glued the top layer of the center hill a few hours ago :thumbsup: 



















I've already decided on the next phase of my build....this corner will have a hill/mountain large enough to necessitate a tunnel......which will be open from the back for access. Anyone know of a source for double track tunnel portals with a 3" spacing? 










Till next time...

Dan


----------



## WIrailfan

It's that time again :smilie_daumenpos:

Started on working the foam into actual hills rather than the unrealistic terraced look! Using this little guy it was pretty easy....albeit messy lol. 










Basically picked a spot at the bottom and started sanding......till I was three layers up. I think there's gonna be one more layer so the hill doesn't have such a flat top. I'm going to smooth the whole hill a bit more with some sandpaper held in my hand......as it's still a bit rough! 


















































































I'm also considering upgrading my DCC controller to an NCE Power Pro. Now I'm wishing I'd just went with that from the start. 

Till next time!

Dan


----------



## MichaelE

That's what I'll be buying. Nice job with the foam.


----------



## jackpresley

WIrailfan said:


> It's that time again :smilie_daumenpos:
> 
> :
> 
> I'm also considering upgrading my DCC controller to an NCE Power Pro. Now I'm wishing I'd just went with that from the start.
> 
> Till next time!
> 
> Dan


Love the update Dan. Nice.

Why specifically the NCE Power Pro, and what do you have now? (I'm single throttle DCS-51 Zephyr and don't want to screw it up when I move up! Even while testing, I really need another throttle.)


----------



## Gramps

Very nice work, it's really coming along.


----------



## rwslater

The hills are coming out great. I just love my little rasp that I use on my foum mountains.

Robert


----------



## MichaelE

That must have made a hell of a mess, especially if conditions were dry or very dry. That stuff will stick to anything with the slightest amount of electrical charge.


----------



## WIrailfan

MichaelE said:


> That's what I'll be buying. Nice job with the foam.





Gramps said:


> Very nice work, it's really coming along.



Thanks guys!


----------



## WIrailfan

rwslater said:


> The hills are coming out great. I just love my little rasp that I use on my foum mountains.
> 
> Robert


Thanks Robert! It's funny I bought a bunch of little things to shape the foam......but this is the only one I'm using :laugh:


----------



## WIrailfan

MichaelE said:


> That must have made a hell of a mess, especially if conditions were dry or very dry. That stuff will stick to anything with the slightest amount of electrical charge.


It's not that bad really........my basement is about 50% humidity but still it was easy to clean up :thumbsup:


----------



## WIrailfan

It's update time!! 

Continued working on the foam in the southwest corner.
Smoothed the "corner" hill like the opposite one, then started on the hills inside the tracks. I included pre-vacuuming pics this time to show how much mess was made from shaping each hill. 














































Mid shaping pic of the hill between the tracks...






































I'm going to be painting the ground either brown or green......haven't decided yet lol. 

Till next time...

Dan


----------



## jackpresley

Nice rounding. Very smooth.


----------



## WIrailfan

jackpresley said:


> Nice rounding. Very smooth.


Thanks Jack :thumbsup:


----------



## WIrailfan

It's update time!!

Since I first started this layout I knew I wanted some sort of abandoned track included in it, well I finally decided on where there was room! The southern siding had a more eastern branch as some time in the past. I used a piece of peco flex and took about half the ties off, and moved the rest so most were no longer straight (this took nearly an hour lol) and got it glued down. I like how the ties continue for a bit after the uneven ends of the rails  It also has another cool feature I discovered...… Some pics of the process....














































Added another hill on the south side of the mining company, same layered foam technique as before...




























Now I got serious and dove straight into ground cover  Started with the smallest hill and painted it brown.....then sprinkled on the turf (and messed up by starting with coarse not fine) For a first attempt I think it turned out OK. 





































Now I started on the roads for the western buildings. Got them all sketched out with a marker, then used the foam tape from a Woodland Scenics roadbuilding kit to mark the lines...























































Got some fine turf so I did another hill....and added a little to the first one I did to try and cover my mistake. Not sure I like the result yet but here's how it sits now...























































Tonight I got the second part of the roads foam tape done.....but ran out of time to get the pavement poured :thumbsdown: This is what I used for the roads......just dumped the paint right in :thumbsup:



















Till next time  

Dan


----------



## jlc41

Looking good, I like it. I like the first hill better before you added more green.


----------



## sid

jlc41 said:


> Looking good, I like it. I like the first hill better before you added more green.


same here it looked better to me with out the extra green. or maybe just a little put on. i like how its all turning out looks good.


----------



## WIrailfan

jlc41 said:


> Looking good, I like it. I like the first hill better before you added more green.





sid said:


> same here it looked better to me with out the extra green. or maybe just a little put on. i like how its all turning out looks good.


Thanks guys! 

I think I'm gonna just sand that first hill bare......paint it brown again and start with the fine turf like the second one. My first attempt looked more desert southwest.....which isn't what I was aiming for lol! One question, when I start adding the fine turf to the wet paint should I be trying to completely cover the brown in one coat? That's what I did on the second hill and I seem to have ended up with a layer on top that's set with the scenic cement but there's still loose turf under it because it's so deep.


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## WIrailfan

Also it's weird that this forum isn't resizing my pics anymore......they never used to show up so stupid big :dunno:


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## jlc41

WIrailfan, That's what I liked about the first hill it look more real to me not like a golf course.


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## WIrailfan

jlc41 said:


> WIrailfan, That's what I liked about the first hill it look more real to me not like a golf course.


How would you get rid of the golf course look? That's not the look I'm after either haha!


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## bluenavigator

WIrailfan said:


> How would you get rid of the golf course look? That's not the look I'm after either haha!


Time to putt it off! :laugh::laugh:


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## jlc41

Well I would do what you did the first time, more roughage and splotchy brown showing.


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## WIrailfan

bluenavigator said:


> Time to putt it off! :laugh::laugh:


:laugh::thumbsup:


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## WIrailfan

jlc41 said:


> Well I would do what you did the first time, more roughage and splotchy brown showing.


I see what you mean. After a lot of looking at what I've done so far I think the brown is too light. That's why it looked like Arizona not Wisconsin haha! Hopefully Ace hardware can just shoot some black into it I don't want even more paint 

I've also made good progress on my road and abandoned crossing while thinking about my hills. Pics coming hopefully tomorrow :thumbsup:


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## WIrailfan

Ok so tomorrow turned into 3 months :laugh: That wasn't really the plan! I've been working on the layout every day and there's much to be posted. I've finished 2 more buildings, expanded the benchwork again adding more track, and totally re-did the ground cover on my hills.....even adding trees this time. And I'm actually satisfied with how it all looks  I'm on vacation from work this week so hopefully tonight for the new pics!


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## bluenavigator

Felt ya! Same here, too busy with other things. Now Winter is coming, everyone shall be more busy on the model railroad. Just got back to my layout and started to work on them now since I am staying inside. It is getting colder and colder down here. Expect light freeze in the area.


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## WIrailfan

bluenavigator said:


> Felt ya! Same here, too busy with other things. Now Winter is coming, everyone shall be more busy on the model railroad. Just got back to my layout and started to work on them now since I am staying inside. It is getting colder and colder down here. Expect light freeze in the area.


Yes winter is time for trains!! Were expecting 3-6 inches of snow on Sunday :smilie_daumenneg: Looking forward to seeing your progress!


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## WIrailfan

Ok finally posting an update for the first time in half a year :laugh: Just using current pics don't have time for hundreds of progress pics lol! 


Made lots more progress on my abandoned crossing and roads. Also added a new paved area with two new buildings. 




















Made big progress on the ground cover (started over for a third time) I like how it looks right now.....but it still needs more! Also I've been very busy with my streetlights 















































New railcar shop on bench addition!



















Also made a backdrop that partially blocks view of the yard, and divides the layout into scenes better. Its held in with pencils in the foam and is totally removable for access. 










If anyone wants closer pics of anything....or how I did it.....just ask. I've got in progress pics of everything


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## Magic

Looks like you're making some good progress and it looks mighty fine.
Like the lights.

Magic


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## Gramps

:thumbsup: Nice work, keep posting.


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## Stumpy

Looking good!

I like the idea of the backdrop/divider.


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## WIrailfan

Magic said:


> Looks like you're making some good progress and it looks mighty fine.
> Like the lights.
> 
> Magic



Thanks Magic  I just wish the quality control was a bit better on the lights......I've got just as many that don't work right as ones that do :thumbsdown:


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## WIrailfan

Gramps said:


> :thumbsup: Nice work, keep posting.



Thanks! And I'm about to post another update


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## WIrailfan

Stumpy said:


> Looking good!
> 
> I like the idea of the backdrop/divider.


Thanks! :thumbsup: I got the idea for it when I was at Trainfest a few weeks back!


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## WIrailfan

Ok here's a few more pics of my progress! 

Added a few more trees to the dairy...











Started on another larger hill next to the mining company, using 2" foam for more height...










































































Made the second layer of the hill last night...










Here's the other side of the backdrop....this area will eventually be the downtown district...



















Till next time...

Dan


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## Nikola

I love it - and that abandoned siding is the coolest!


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## flyboy2610

Looks good! I like building hills with foam. I need to get back to it...


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## WIrailfan

Nikola said:


> I love it - and that abandoned siding is the coolest!


Wow thanks a lot! I should've weathered the rails a bit before I glued it down but I love how it looks regardless.


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## WIrailfan

flyboy2610 said:


> Looks good! I like building hills with foam. I need to get back to it...


It is strangely satisfying :thumbsup: My earlier hills look pretty small compared to my newest one though!


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## WIrailfan

I've been busy over the holidays, so here's my latest update :thumbsup:

Finished the appliance repair company across from the auto shop, still want to paint the base so it better matches the pavement though...











Back when I did the ground cover on the eastern end of the layout, I somehow forgot part of this building when masking their locations. I finally scraped the cover from that area and replaced the left section...…..looks better now!!





















Started on the ground cover for the newest hill, adding bushes in addition to the trees I've been using. The area left bare around the mining company will eventually be a gravel parking lot. 






























Finally in the picture of the assembled (rail) car shop there's a rather weathered siding on one side of the building. I wanted to replicate this...….but with track that isn't on roadbed like the rest of the layout. After weeks of thinking about how to do the required change in grade, I made a ramp out of strips of .20 styrene. This track will eventually be embedded in the ground cover like my abandoned siding is  




















Till next time...


Dan


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## Nikola

WIrailfan said:


> I've been busy over the holidays, so here's my latest update :thumbsup:
> 
> Finished the appliance repair company across from the auto shop, still want to paint the base so it better matches the pavement though...
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The subtle changes in elevation so that everything is flat, but it's not, IMHO adds a lot of interest and realism. Nice.


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## Magic

Some nice progress, looking good.
The hills came out nice.

Magic


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## WIrailfan

Nikola said:


> The subtle changes in elevation so that everything is flat, but it's not, IMHO adds a lot of interest and realism. Nice.



Thanks Nikola! I'm trying to eliminate as much of the flatness as I can


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## WIrailfan

Magic said:


> Some nice progress, looking good.
> The hills came out nice.
> 
> Magic



Much appreciated Magic :thumbsup: My previous hills don't look as good to me anymore. It'd be a TON of work but I dream of re-doing them lol!


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## WIrailfan

*Mini update*

Well it's been 4 months and I have a lot of progress to post. This past winter was very cold....made progress slow cause of extremely long drying times for most everything. It got down to 43 degrees in the basement in late January  Still got a lot done since my last full update, including.....


- extending the road on the east end to include a grade crossing that crosses over the inner and outer loops.


- installing a second crossing controller with 8 sensors for the new crossing (using reflective sensing to eliminate the ugly and unconcealable white plastic tubes) 


- switched my first crossing (post 158) to reflective sensing for the same benefit as above


- decided on a more realistic color for my roads......in the midst of painting them now


- and perhaps the biggest one.....the northeast corner of the layout is now a tunnel, which will be the base of a large mountain! 



Pics will be coming soon


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## jlc41

Looking really good, I like it.


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## WIrailfan

jlc41 said:


> Looking really good, I like it.


Thanks jlc :thumbsup:


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## WIrailfan

Ok it's full update time! 

I extended the road on the western edge to include a grade crossing across both loops. 
























































Obviously this new crossing would need working signals, using Azatrax components it was a fun little project! I used reflective sensing so I didn't need to use those ugly plastic tubes like before (I deemed this too complicated a few years ago lol). Everything works now just waiting on getting the actual signals.....it seems Tomar picked a perfect time to close their doors :thumbsdown:


























































Switched my first crossing to reflective sensing as well, LOVE seeing the layout without those dang tubes haha!!







































Changed the road color from gray to an actual concrete color, took two coats as you could still see the brush strokes with just one. 





































Now for the tunnel. I've been pressured by everyone (family/friends) to include a tunnel on the layout. Finally made it happen, now the challenge is gonna be how to make it look realistic lol! Just started playing around with cut pieces of foam...…..I'll let the pics do the talking :laugh:
































































Decided to paint all the inside surfaces of the tunnel, didn't want to see green foam from any angle! The floor is brown and the walls gray. This had to be done before gluing the roof on. 




















And finally glued the roof on.....this is a big step! 
























































Till next time!


Dan


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## Hobbytronics

:smilie_daumenpos:


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## Stumpy

Very nice. Like how you've done the tunnel.


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## WIrailfan

Stumpy said:


> Very nice. Like how you've done the tunnel.



Thanks Stumpy! I'm pleased with how it turned out as well. The foamboard adhesive took a long time to fully cure, it being 52 degrees in the basement (started the gluing on 3/17) wasn't helping lol :laugh: But now it's fully cured and rock solid


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## WIrailfan

I've got a roll of Woodland Scenics Shaper Sheet and plaster to start blending the tunnel into the layout. Never done anything with plaster before so this aught to be fun! Eventually there will be more foam on top of the tunnel. Maybe even a snow capped peak 


Till next time...


Dan


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## WIrailfan

Update time!!

Haven't really done much to the layout lately other than running trains, and I can't seem to stop buying loco's/rolling stock even though I don't have room on the layout for them :laugh: 

But back in August I did make an attempt at using the shaper sheet to form the hillside. It turned out ok, I haven't poured on the plaster yet because I'm not sure how I'm gonna do the tunnel entrances. Been stuck on that for a while actually  Here's some pics of where I'm at.....














































I'm also still working on planning my downtown area, what is now the big green expanse in this pic 










Till next time!

Dan


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## WIrailfan

Small update today!

Haven't done any scenery as it's too cold in the basement this time of year. It's not to cold to fix the random shorting happening at my 12 Peco turnouts that are on the main. Seems to be worse when the humidity is lower (less then 50%). Have got the nail polish applied as recommended in this thread. Hopefully it works as good for me as it has for others! 

In this pic you can actually see the pitting caused by the repeated shorting, this turnout was one of the worst...


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## WIrailfan

Made some progress over the past few months! Finally got flashing signals installed on the western crossing after almost a year. They are actually the ones from my original (and now removed) crossing (post 73).....except now all the lights work! Also I completed something I've wanted since 2016 but never thought was possible on a layout as small as mine.......block signaling.....at least on both mains. A LOT of time and $ spent but it's SO worth it!! Used over 100 feet of 26ga wire  There's 8 signals, 7 of them are installed. Here's a few teaser pics (I have lots more)...…...


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## Magic

The block signals look great, nice addition.
Progress being made always a good sign, keep it up.
Things coming along nicely.

Magic


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## MichaelE

WIrailfan said:


> Small update today!
> 
> Haven't done any scenery as it's too cold in the basement this time of year. It's not to cold to fix the random shorting happening at my 12 Peco turnouts that are on the main. Seems to be worse when the humidity is lower (less then 50%). Have got the nail polish applied as recommended in this thread. Hopefully it works as good for me as it has for others!
> 
> In this pic you can actually see the pitting caused by the repeated shorting, this turnout was one of the worst...



I had the same problem with a Peco #8 turnout and a TRIX Br.187 locomotive. Apparently, the wheel tread is wider on these wheels than my other brands of locomotives and shorted at the frog every time. I first used gaffer's tape and then switched to the nail polish trick. 

This doesn't happen on the #6 turnouts; I think it's because of the divergence angle.


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## WIrailfan

Magic said:


> The block signals look great, nice addition.
> Progress being made always a good sign, keep it up.
> Things coming along nicely.
> 
> Magic


Thanks Magic!! Like I've seen many say on here getting block signals working is extremely satisfying


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## WIrailfan

MichaelE said:


> I had the same problem with a Peco #8 turnout and a TRIX Br.187 locomotive. Apparently, the wheel tread is wider on these wheels than my other brands of locomotives and shorted at the frog every time. I first used gaffer's tape and then switched to the nail polish trick.
> 
> This doesn't happen on the #6 turnouts; I think it's because of the divergence angle.


Yes I remember your posts. My turnouts are all code 100, so they are small, medium and large radius not numbered, but it seemed to happen on them all. Also I saw cars do it as well as loco's. The nail polish has worked like a charm though! I liked lemonhawk's suggestion of gluing on a small and very thin piece of styrene.....but I can't figure out how to sand such a small area down effectively


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## WIrailfan

Here's a couple videos of the signals in action. And pics of the other 5 signal locations! Enjoy 



http://imgur.com/QATA7ja




http://imgur.com/QHyDgTZ




















That little bump out in the foam on the right of this pic is where the outer loops signal will be, haven't installed it yet so I can access the inside easier. 




















Till next time...

Dan


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## Mark VerMurlen

Looks great! Congrats!


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## MichaelE

The grade crossing signals look great. The flash rate and afterglow is perfect.


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## WIrailfan

MichaelE said:


> The grade crossing signals look great. The flash rate and afterglow is perfect.


Thanks Micheal! They are using an Axatrax controller and the signals are from Tomar. Here's a better video from when I first got them installed.... I desperately want to get the gates hooked up but the benchwork isn't exactly ideal below this area. 



http://imgur.com/rD8njYm


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## Lemonhawk

Are the lights LED's? If so, its a great emulation!


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## WIrailfan

Lemonhawk said:


> Are the lights LED's? If so, its a great emulation!


Thanks Lemonhawk! And yes they are LED's.


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## WIrailfan

Yup I'm still alive! Over the summer I decided to downsize my yard so I'd have more room for the planned downtown. Couldn't really stage trains in it anyway. Took the yard from 5 tracks briefly to 3, then ultimately to 2. Which nearly doubled the downtown's available space  Then I stumbled on Walthers "background" series of buildings........I could incorporate a few of these into one side of the backdrop, along with a new track! The larger gap between the second and third buildings will eventually be a road going into the backdrop. Here's a few pics of how it looks right now......





































One area I spent a few days on. Using some new plants too. In the spring I'm going to attempt ballasting this area 










Till next time!

Dan


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## norgale

WIrailfan said:


> Yup I'm still alive! Didn't get taken out by covid  Over the summer I decided to downsize my yard so I'd have more room for the planned downtown. Couldn't really stage trains in it anyway. Took the yard from 5 tracks briefly to 3, then ultimately to 2. Which nearly doubled the downtown's available space  Then I stumbled on Walthers "background" series of buildings........I could incorporate a few of these into one side of the backdrop, along with a new track! The larger gap between the second and third buildings will eventually be a rood going into the backdrop. Here's a few pics of how it looks right now......
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> Till next time!
> 
> Dan


Looking great Dan. I like the trees and shrubs in your landscaped area.


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## WIrailfan

norgale said:


> Looking great Dan. I like the trees and shrubs in your landscaped area.


Thanks! Been looking at a lot of pics in magazines. It's not done there's going to be a LOT more trees, I've got a few dozen yet to put up.........


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## WIrailfan

That big empty spot against the backdrop will be occupied by this Walthers structure. I can only hope to get it looking as good as the one on the box lol! Each building gets progressively further from the wall. 























And here's a few pics of my latest addition to my loco roster from Scaletrains


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## WIrailfan

It's been ages since I've posted, but I'm still working on the ole layout. Did get Heritage Furniture done and new track laid. In the fall I started the ground cover south of the mining company, that turned out better than I expected so that's a win! Through the winter I've been adding scenery to small areas, but it's limited by how cold it is in the basement. Also, I want to try to start painting and weathering some track, which is going to be a monumental challenge because I should've done it first haha! Going to try and get some fresh pics up later today


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## Gramps

Glad to see you back and looking forward to some updated photos.


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## WIrailfan

Finally got some updated pics taken! Last fall I completed another large area of ground cover, finally fully encompassing the mining company. Built a vintage Walthers kit to add building to what was a very empty area across the tracks from it. And got to senic the area around two of my block signals for the first time! The new ground cover also included new roads I've had in my head since 2017. On to the pics.......

completed mining company roads (still need to be painted/detailed) 




























Built the American Millwork Company, an old Cornerstone kit and paved a new road for it. Started some scenery around it as well.......














































Finished Heritage Furniture (at least the shell) and completed background track.......




























One pic of the ground cover around this signal pair......










Till next time....

Dan


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## Magic

Looking good.  

Magic


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## Gramps

Nice progress.


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## Stejones82

Cool use of foam board as a backdrop/view-block. I need one to break up my 4x8 table. Looks lie you used 1 inch foam? I am wondering, if I can find the 1/2 inch foam, would it be flexible enough to curve so the view block is not so straight? Trouble is - I live in Minne-snow-ta - - - I don't think they stock 1/2 inch foam here!!


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## WIrailfan

Stejones82 said:


> Cool use of foam board as a backdrop/view-block. I need one to break up my 4x8 table. Looks like you used 1 inch foam? I am wondering, if I can find the 1/2 inch foam, would it be flexible enough to curve so the view block is not so straight? Trouble is - I live in Minne-snow-ta - - - I don't think they stock 1/2 inch foam here!!


Thanks! Yes it is 1 inch foam. And I'm in Wisconsin, I'd be shocked if they didn't stock both thicknesses of foamboard there as well. Check Lowe's that's where I got mine. As far as curving the backdrop.........that sounds tricky, the foam is pretty rigid. Something would have to hold the curve in place other than what secures it to the layout.


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