# (HO) Southern Montana, 1965



## 65steam (Dec 18, 2019)

I had a 4'x8' HO layout when I was a child and have hoped since then to build something better. The pandemic presented an opportunity to get started this summer with my two children, who have been excited to help.

We are modeling southern Montana in fall 1965. I grew up traveling along I-90 to visit my grandparents in Bozeman and seeing BN trains along the route, so I decided to base my layout on the area between Billings, Bozeman, and Butte before the BN merger. This would allow me to have mountains and tunnels and to model the lines I enjoyed seeing. (1965 allows me to have glacier green GN freight cars and first and second generation diesels, though on this layout there are still a few 1940s steamers in service.)

I always liked the Great Northern logo on some of the trains I saw when I was young, and I also viewed old Burlington passenger equipment still in use when I lived in Chicago, so my locomotives are from these two lines. However, Great Northern, Northern Pacific, Burlington, and the Milwaukee Road all passed through Billings, so I have freight cars from all four of these lines. I also have CNW and Texas and Pacific (among others) to reflect the time I spent living in Chicago and Texas.

I received some very good advice on this forum regarding installing DCC in my locomotives and getting the most usable space out of my yard, so thanks for that.

We built the layout in modules in the garage this summer and then installed it in the basement.



















The layout is L-shaped to fit in the corner of our basement. It uses backdrops and scene dividers to make it seem larger. There is a yard on the left side and a town (representing Billings or Bozeman) on the right hand side. On the far right is a mountain pass representing the area between Bozeman and Butte.




























In addition to working on the scenery, we will be installing a backdrop.


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## flyboy2610 (Jan 20, 2010)

Nice layout! Those are some good looking mountains!


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## 65steam (Dec 18, 2019)

flyboy2610 said:


> Nice layout! Those are some good looking mountains!


Thanks! 

Watch for an update soon. I was inspired by a recent issue of _Model Railroader_ to include some snow in the mountain pass, so I'm excited to see how it will turn out.


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## Stumpy (Mar 19, 2013)

Nice work!

Looking forward to more progress pics.


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## Jscullans (Jul 8, 2019)

Looking good!


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## Gramps (Feb 28, 2016)

Great start! I'm looking forward to seeing it progress.


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## Lemonhawk (Sep 24, 2013)

I like the culvert detail. These things are all over real RR's, but sadly lacking on most Layouts!


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## 65steam (Dec 18, 2019)

Thanks. I wanted to find a way to fit some water in this area, and when I found that culvert it seemed like a great addition.


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## 65steam (Dec 18, 2019)

We did some work on the mountain pass on the right side of the layout. This area of the layout is inspired by the Milwaukee Road's Pipestone Pass Tunnel and Eagle Nest Tunnel, depicted in late spring, with snow.

We started out with light brown paint, then added dark brown, dark gray, and black washes, and finished with red brown, green brown, and dark gray dry brushing, leaving the less steep areas white.










We then added sand and boulders to the creek bed and added Realistic Water, with a brown tint. We had to pour several times, gradually, as the creek slopes down to the culvert. 

Finally, we ballasted the track and added trees, shrubs, brown grass tufts, and Woodland Scenics snow.




























I was worried about how it would turn out, but I'm pleased with the result. Having snow in the mountain pass I think helps to give the illusion of distance and elevation change.


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## Stumpy (Mar 19, 2013)

65steam said:


> I'm pleased with the result.


As you should be! Excellent work!


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## Jscullans (Jul 8, 2019)

Good job!


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## 65steam (Dec 18, 2019)

One of my next projects has been installing a turntable.

I purchased a Heljan manual turntable, because I wanted something large enough to accommodate my FT-A/B locomotives without having to spend too much money.










I didn't mind having a manual turntable, because many of my switches also are manual. I didn't like the look of the pit, however. It definitely seemed too European and potentially difficult to make look realistic.

After some internet research, I decided to have the bottom of the pit made out of dirt. I began with some spackle and a layer of light brown latex paint, which I had used on the styrofoam on the rest of the layout. I covered that with a very thin layer of play sand and then sprinkled two colors of fine turf on top. I also added some tufts of yellow grass.










Having improved the appearance, I wanted also to improve the functionality. I noted that the auto reverser seemed to be competing with another one on my layout and that sound equipped locomotives sometimes lost power on the turntable bridge.

I realized that because the turntable was attached to a section of the layout with an auto reverser, I did not need to have a second one, so I changed the wiring such that the turntable now is wired directly to the main line that runs nearby. I also realized that no locomotive would lose power if I put pressure on the brushes underneath, so I inserted some stiff foam to hold the brushes tightly in place as the turntable rotates.










I'm quite pleased with the appearance and functionality now. There is much work yet to do on the yard area, though.


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## Jscullans (Jul 8, 2019)

I have one of those turntables I got from a train show and could not for the life of me figure out who it was made by


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## Magic (Jan 28, 2014)

When I saw your first pic of the TT and you said you wanted to improve it appearance,
my first thought was a dirt floor. Great minds think alike.
Looks great.  

Magic


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## Chops124 (Dec 23, 2015)

Wow, many of us (I am the worst) have such trouble sticking to a tightly worked theme, such as time and place and road. Your effort has really paid off. Spectacular layout, if I may say.

The turntable alone is jaw dropping, and the temperature drops 50 degrees just looking at those mountain pass snowscapes.


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## BigGRacing (Sep 25, 2020)

Brilliant workmanship and layout, it looks awesome !


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## 65steam (Dec 18, 2019)

Thanks for the compliments and encouragement.
I am enjoying this project as it continues taking shape.

The snowy mountain pass was a gamble, but if it worked, I knew it would help a lot to create an illusion of distance and elevation. I'm really happy that it came out well.

Next, I will be working on another rocky area and some more water.


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## Gramps (Feb 28, 2016)

Really great work!


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## 65steam (Dec 18, 2019)

I finally got around to installing the custom backdrop that my wife purchased for me from trainjunkies.com. I appreciate the quality of the paper and printing.

The background trees with snow covered mountains in the distance really help add depth to the layout. I look forward to adding scenic elements to blend with this backdrop.


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## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

A background I think is one of the biggest scenery additions you can make to a layout. Especially one as grand as a mountain range scene.

It looks great.


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## Gramps (Feb 28, 2016)

MichaelE said:


> A background I think is one of the biggest scenery additions you can make to a layout. Especially one as grand as a mountain range scene.
> 
> It looks great.


Agree 100%. It gives a perspective of the layout going beyond the table and even the room. Looks great.


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## 65steam (Dec 18, 2019)

Now that the backdrop is in place, I've been adding trees to blend the backdrop with the layout and to divide the layout visually into separate scenes. This is the area I've been focusing on. (Note that this photo doesn't show the backdrop installed.)










I wanted this to be a semi-rural, residential area. I didn't want it to appear that the yellow house on the left is immediately adjacent to the rail yard/service terminal, nor that the small house on the right is immediately adjacent to the rail tunnel.

To create separation, I used mostly evergreen trees. I have a range of sizes and used the largest ones up front and smallest ones in the rear to create forced perspective. This technique proved quite effective.

Here is the general store. The relatively small trees create depth and, with the help of the hill, help to obscure the entrance and exit to the rail yard/service terminal that runs directly behind the store.










This general store will need foreground trees, foundation plants, a mailbox, etc. I also hope to make a small, roadside sign for it. (Pictured here is a long, shared driveway.)

Here is the house. It now appears separate from the rail yard/service terminal rather than immediately adjacent to it.










The house also will need foreground trees, foundation plants, mailboxes, etc.

Here is what the track that runs behind these buildings looks like. It will need some additional landscaping to blend the cinder ballast with the adjacent sand and weeds.










Both of these scenes, of course, will also need people to help bring them to life.


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## BigGRacing (Sep 25, 2020)

65steam said:


> Both of these scenes, of course, will also need people to help bring them to life.


Hey Steam, What are the dimensions of the layout and the diameter of your track that circles your yard/tt area?


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## Gramps (Feb 28, 2016)

Nice work.


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## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

Looks great! Nice work.


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## 65steam (Dec 18, 2019)

BigGRacing said:


> Hey Steam, What are the dimensions of the layout and the diameter of your track that circles your yard/tt area?


The layout is 9' x 8 1/2', and the turns are on a 20" radius. That was the largest I could squeeze into this corner of my basement.


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## BigGRacing (Sep 25, 2020)

The layout looks fantastic, love the setup !


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## Old Guy (May 29, 2021)

I just discovered this wonderful layout. Nicely done. Congrats. Could you post a track plan ? I'm a little bit curious...Thanks.


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## 65steam (Dec 18, 2019)

Thanks, everyone. 

Here is a rough schematic, Old Guy. (Note that the rail yard/engine service area on the left is not drawn very accurately here, as I adjusted it from what I originally had sketched out once I started laying track.)










I've tried to use backdrops and other scene dividers to make the layout feel larger than it is. I tried not to use too many tunnels, which made the backdrop passthroughs something of a puzzle to sort out. The entire back side of the layout is hidden, so that the trains cannot be seen traveling in circles. As I've added trees and a printed backdrop, it's really started to look larger and more realistic.

I've also tried to incorporate enough track for interesting operations without making it feel overly crowded. Separating the rail yard/engine service area on the left from the town on the right definitely has helped it not to feel crowded. Having a separate, mountainous area on the far right has helped, too.


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## Gramps (Feb 28, 2016)

I can't tell from the track plan and photos but are you able to access inside the tunnels and the hidden areas?


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## 65steam (Dec 18, 2019)

Gramps said:


> I can't tell from the track plan and photos but are you able to access inside the tunnels and the hidden areas?


Currently, the tunnels are daylighted behind the portals, but I will be installing removable covers for both areas soon. The backdrops are 12" tall, which makes it possible for me to reach behind them, if necessary. The narrower places are the most difficult to reach.

I've been using the larger tunnel area as a place to store extra rail cars when not in use. These include rail cars for my service facility (i.e., a tanker for diesel fuel, a gondola for ash, a gondola for sand, a hopper for coal) as well as an RPO combine car that I sometimes use instead of a caboose on a local train. I am considering building storage for extra cars into the removable covers, so that the extra cars are easier to access but still out of the way.


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## Old Guy (May 29, 2021)

Thanks for the track plan. Very interesting. What are the dimensions of your layout ?


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## 65steam (Dec 18, 2019)

Old Guy said:


> Thanks for the track plan. Very interesting. What are the dimensions of your layout ?


Each square represents 3" so it is 9' across the top and 8 1/2' along the side.


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## Old Guy (May 29, 2021)

Thanks. I really like this layout. Hope you don't mind if I borrow a few ideas...


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## 65steam (Dec 18, 2019)

Old Guy said:


> Thanks. I really like this layout. Hope you don't mind if I borrow a few ideas...


Go ahead, I'd be honored! I will be very interested to see what you end up with. Please share updates as you make progress.


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## Old Guy (May 29, 2021)

Help needed ! I tried to draw your track plan with *AnyRail™*
but I failed miserably...


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## 65steam (Dec 18, 2019)

I sketched it out in Excel and then carefully drew it out by hand on the foam that I used as the sub-roadbed for the layout. In drawing it out, I began by positioning and aligning all the turnouts carefully and then connecting them with flex track. All the curves are set at a 20-in radius. I hope that this helps.


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## Old Guy (May 29, 2021)

Thanks. You got me out of misery.


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## 65steam (Dec 18, 2019)

I've been working on another area of water on the layout. This is a low spot near the rail yard / service facility.

I started out by cutting into the 1.5" styrofoam all the way down to the plywood underneath and then smoothing with Sculptamold. I carved out concrete bridge abutments from the foam, smoothed them with lightweight spackle, and painted them a weathered concrete color. I painted the bottom a blend of brown, black, and blue and added some sand. I then poured Realistic Water with a murky tint. 

I added two plastic culverts and some small talus at the end to represent an area filled in for the rail yard / service facility. I made some water flowing from the culverts using strips of plastic film dipped in Realistic Water. I also added small amounts of Realistic Water on top to create small ripples (shown drying here).










I used washes of brown paint to create rust on the Warren truss bridge that spans the rippling water.










I then added cattails to the edges and surrounded it with tall weeds made from lichen covered in ground foam to complete the wet, marshy look of the area. I also added a few boulders.










Here is a picture of how everything turned out.


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## Stumpy (Mar 19, 2013)

Great work!


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## Gramps (Feb 28, 2016)

Yes, very nice!


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## 65steam (Dec 18, 2019)

I've been working on some other mountainous areas of the layout, blending them into the backdrop.

The first area is on the back left, where the trains emerge from behind the backdrop. This area is inspired by the Rimrocks near Billings, MT. I constructed it using styrofoam and Sculptamold and then painted it using several washes followed by drybrushing. I then finished the area by adding some talus and trees.










This area serves as a sort of secondary backdrop. I've considered adding hikers, but I'm not sure. They would add visual interest, but they also might draw too much attention to an area that is intended to remain in the background.


A more complicated area I've been working on is the tunnel entrance near the middle of the layout. This is an area where the mountain must be rather steep in order to fit and also must blend into the printed backdrop behind it.










I shaped and painted the mountain here based on the backdrop and used similar techniques to what I had used elsewhere. I also used lichens and ground foam to create bushes that would blend into the backdrop and provide some vegetation among the rocks. My inclination was to add more vegetation than was appropriate, so I constantly had to restrain myself.











I added a rockslide at the bottom right side using talus. Ground foam on lichens made some surprisingly realistic shrubs.











I finished it off by adding trees, brush, etc. near the tunnel entrance, adding weathered telegraph poles, and also placing a water tower.


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## Stumpy (Mar 19, 2013)

Looks great!


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## 65steam (Dec 18, 2019)

I haven't done much work on the layout this summer, except for a few small projects here and there. One of these has been updating and weathering an InterMountain (?) Texaco tank car.










The first step was adding metal wheels and Kadee couplers. From there it was a matter of figuring out how to add weight. As it turns out, I could remove the end of the car to access the existing weight, which I supplemented with additional weights.










I also added ladders, to replace the ones that were missing. (Thanks, @Old_Hobo, for sharing some from your supply!)

The final step was weathering. I have begun weathering the couplers on all my cars the same way: dry-brushing a rust brown color on the coupler itself and painting the trip pins to resemble hoses and gladhands. For the tank itself, I wanted to apply a lot of rust, as this car would have been nearing the end of its service life in 1965. However, I had difficulty finding a picture of a prototype. (Apparently Texaco tank cars are far more common on model railroads than they were on actual railroads!) I did, however, find some pictures of broadly similar cars, which allowed me to study the pattern of rust. I dry-brushed several shades of brown, working from the top of the tank downwards. I also drybrushed the car frame and trucks underneath with some gray and dark brown. I finished with a thin wash of dark brown over the entire car.










I added a 1202 DOT placard to each end, signifying diesel fuel, so that I could use it to supply fuel to my locomotive facility.


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

Looks great! Nice work!


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## 65steam (Dec 18, 2019)

I've been working on a few small projects at the center of the layout, which is intended to be a semi-rural area on the outskirts of town. It includes a recently paved road, a general store, and a couple of houses. I had done basic landscape work here a few months ago and now have added final details.

There are two houses with a shared driveway on the right side of this area. I fabricated concrete parking slabs for both houses using cardstock, painted with light gray paint and finished with flat white and dark brown camouflage spray paint at a distance to add some flecking. The automobiles are by Oxford and the figures are by Woodland Scenics, with some painting and shading added. My daughter purchased the kids and dogs, which add some interest to this area. (She also painted the mortar on the large house, which she purchased second-hand from our local train store.) The patio furniture behind the smaller house on the right is fabricated from cardstock and styrene scraps.










To the left of these two houses is a paved road, which separates them from J & J's General Store. The road disappears into the background trees. The mailboxes are by Tichy.










On the other side of the road, the proprietor of the general store sits on the front porch steps to catch some early autumn sun and chat with her favorite customer. The rocking chair behind her, unused on this fine afternoon, is fabricated from cardstock.










Around the side of the store, a father helps his son to pick out a pumpkin while two young men load supplies into their truck. A grandmother and grandson sit and wait for the grandfather, who has just completed his shopping.










Farther to the left is another house, which my son painted yellow with black and white trim. In the back yard, a mother and daughter hang clothes on the line, while the son and his dog play in the midst of their hard work. Porch furniture here was extra from another kit.


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## 65steam (Dec 18, 2019)

I worked on another tanker car this weekend. This one is a Burlington tanker by Rivarossi. I haven't seen many of these around, so I was pleased to purchase this one online in good condition.










The first thing that I needed to do was to replace the truck-mounted hook-horn couplers with body-mounted knuckle couplers. I had everything that I needed, in terms of the right size box and correct height couplers, already in my box of supplies, so that step was relatively easy. I also was pleasantly surprised how easy it was to disassemble the tank so that I could put additional weight inside of it.










The next step was to fabricate new railings for the top of the car and then weather it for use on my layout. For both of these tasks, I consulted rrpicturearchives.net. The photos not only provided guidance on how to weather this car, but also showed me that there existed no car of this type with such a substantial platform at the top. Instead, these cars typically had only a small walkway along each side with simple railings extending between the two walkways across the top of the car. Accordingly, I cut down the platform into two small walkways and shortened the side ladders. I then fabricated railings from some extra cab door railings I had purchased for my FT-A. Here is how it turned out.










Initially, this task made me unenthusiastic about adding grab irons to some of my locomotives. I soon realized, however, that if I could be successful drilling holes in the small, narrow, angled, unstable surface of these walkways without any template to guide me, I should be alright drilling holes into flat, level, stable surfaces on my locomotive bodies using templates to guide me.


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## BigGRacing (Sep 25, 2020)

Steam, are you able to IM me, I have a quick question about your layout if I may?


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## 65steam (Dec 18, 2019)

I just sent you a message, @BigGRacing


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## BigGRacing (Sep 25, 2020)

Excellent, thank you !


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## BigGRacing (Sep 25, 2020)

Steam, are you able to take a look at my plan and provide any insight ?


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## 65steam (Dec 18, 2019)

BigGRacing said:


> Steam, are you able to take a look at my plan and provide any insight ?


Gladly!


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## scenicsRme (Aug 19, 2020)

That is some great work, especially on the cars. IMHO, I think I would have given the lowest level of mountains on your backdrop a very light airbrush misting of your foreground mountain tan and brown colors to help the transition from foreground to background. The overall bluish color of the background is too strong a contrast difference, at least in the pictures.


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## 65steam (Dec 18, 2019)

scenicsRme said:


> IMHO, I think I would have given the lowest level of mountains on your backdrop a very light airbrush misting of your foreground mountain tan and brown colors to help the transition from foreground to background.


Thank you for the suggestion. I'll have to look into that. The contrast is not quite as dramatic as it appears in the photos, but it certainly could be improved.


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## CHRlSTIAN (12 mo ago)

Nice work! I really like this layout. Hope you don't mind if I borrow a few ideas...


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## 65steam (Dec 18, 2019)

Thanks! Borrow freely. I look forward to seeing what you come up with.


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## CHRlSTIAN (12 mo ago)

65steam said:


> I look forward to seeing what you come up with.


 Me too !


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## 65steam (Dec 18, 2019)

I spent some time over Christmas working on my track.

The first issue I addressed was the seams between the modules my layout comprises. I built the layout in my garage as three modules, which I then moved to my basement and assembled into a single layout. With seasonal changes in temperature and moisture, the track joints across these seams sometimes were a bit rough. I fixed this issue by replacing some of the track so that the track joints were a few inches offset from the seams in the foam and plywood. This was a relatively simple and effective solution.

The second issue I addressed was the geometry of some of my turnouts. Since I began working on the layout at the beginning of the Pandemic, I had to use what was available. This meant that some of my main line turnouts were Atlas Snap switches. They had worked reasonably well, but the geometry was tighter than I wanted. I replaced them with Atlas Customline turnouts to improve the geometry. The straight leg is an exact replacement, so that was quite simple. The diverging leg required some adjustments, but I was able to do so without much difficulty. The result is more reliable turnouts on my mainline.

The third issue I addressed was points on some of my turnouts not holding firmly. I had intended to try Caboose Industries ground throws, but found them too big to look good or to fit in tighter spaces within my rail yard. The solution I used is one suggested by Lance Mindheim: thin plastic shims underneath the sliding rail of the turnouts. These use friction to hold the points in place when I throw them by hand. They function well and look good, too, as there is no oversized switch machine next to the track. I used narrow strips of clear plastic cut from product packaging, sliding them one at a time under the sliding rail until there were enough to hold the points in place firmly when I slid them back and forth (usually 2-4 strips per turnout). I'm happy that I found this simple, low-cost solution online.

I've also been weathering and detailing some locomotives and rolling stock. I will post additional updates soon.


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## 65steam (Dec 18, 2019)

I've spent some time recently working on the streets on the town side of my layout. I applied several washes of gray, working from dark to light and sponging on the last layer. I used black ink to mark out cracks in the streets and a white paint pen to apply stripes. I applied several different types of sidewalks, layering paint colors from light to dark. Here is the result:










I need to do some work on the buildings yet, but this is a big improvement from how things were and incentive to get to work on the buildings. I'll probably begin with the buildings on the left side of this street: gas station, movie theater, diner, and passenger station before talking the various brick buildings on the right side of the street.


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## 65steam (Dec 18, 2019)

I've weathered several cars recently, paying careful attention to differentiating among different materials used in construction of the prototype models.

Here are three exterior braced cars, to which I added rust to the metal bracing. I also worked to make the wooden walkways distinct from the metal roofs. (The lighting makes these differences difficult to see on the car in the foreground, but hopefully you can get some idea from the cars in the background.) Still much work to be done here in my yard area.











Here is a gondola loaded with cinder ash. I made the load using extra extruded foam from my layout, painted black with ash from my wood-fired grill glued over top. I like how it turned out (although this part of my yard area needs work, too!).











Finally, here is a caboose that I worked on, adding window glass, rust and grime, and making the wooden walkway distinct from the metal roof. I was able to achieve some good effects with various acrylic washes, which helped to bring out some of the details.










Updates on some locomotives coming soon.


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## Gramps (Feb 28, 2016)

Great work!


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## 65steam (Dec 18, 2019)

I finally completed work on installing a DCC decoder in a Proto2000 GP9 that I purchased last fall. It was more of an ordeal than I had planned, so I am glad that this was not my first attempt to convert a locomotive to DCC.

Upon disassembling the locomotive, I was able to confirm that there were only two motor pickups from the trucks and the metal body frame was used to conduct electricity from the trucks to the motor. Both of these issues would need to be addressed.










I desoldered the wires from the frame and soldered extra pickup wires to the trucks. I then installed the decoder along with some LEDs, which I had to file down to fit into the groove of the body. Despite being careful, I managed to burn out my first decoder, because the lower wire to the motor was not properly isolated from the body. I replaced the decoder and improved the insulation.










It's a very tight fit! As I read online, if this were not a high nose version, I would have needed to file down the body to fit the decoder. (That would have been more of a project than I was willing to take on!)

I also discovered not only were there cracked axle gears (as I'd expected), but some problems with the other gears as well. I was able to order additional gears online, and between cleaning out and replacing old grease and switching out gears by trial and error, I ended up with a quiet and smooth running locomotive.

Finally, I painted the crew and lightly weathered the shell. This locomotive would have been quite new in 1965, the year my layout depicts. I really like how this one turned out!




















Among other things, I will use this one on a local passenger train:











This project also prompted me to take my SW8 back apart to paint the crew hidden inside it:










These are nicely detailed and well-running locomotives.


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## 65steam (Dec 18, 2019)

I posted some information on my doodlebug last summer in a thread started by @Stumpy. I completed work on my doodlebug this winter, so I thought I would provide an update on my layout thread.

I had been looking for a Great Northern doodlebug, but all of the ones I looked at were expensive and/or seemed to have cracked gears. I found this Burlington doodlebug new for $39 plus shipping, so I couldn't resist, especially given how well it complements my other Burlington equipment.

It was DCC ready, but I chose to remove the control board to fit a speaker and to remove the light strip to upgrade to LED lights, both for the headlamp and for the passenger compartment.











I ordered the decoder from Yankee Dabbler, and they uploaded a custom rail diesel car sound file for me before shipping it (at no additional charge!). I also modified and painted some figures to ride in the passenger compartment.










Once I was satisfied with the figures (including a standing conductor), I painted the passenger compartment, based on photos I found online, and secured the figures in place. I also studied prototype photos to get ideas for exterior weathering and detailing.










Since this piece of equipment would have been rather old by 1965 (though still running on my layout), I decided to add more rust than might have been typical for passenger equipment.











I also added truck chains (secured with super glue) and additional grab irons on the top, front, and sides.



















I'll probably do some minor adjustments on the weathering, but I'm quite proud of how this turned out. It was my first attempt at adding grab irons, and now I feel ready to add them (and perhaps diaphragms) to my FT-A/B set.


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## Gramps (Feb 28, 2016)

Very nice!!


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## Lemonhawk (Sep 24, 2013)

I like the idea of having a local passenger service with lots of stops, be it on the main line or some almost abandon line between small towns! The passengers add a nice touch.


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

Just an FYI, your Northern Pacific locomotive, which you called a GP9, is actually a GP18, which was made by Proto 2000 a long time ago (late 1980’s)…..that’s why it was tougher to install a decoder, the newer ones had the 8 pin plug that made it much easier….


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## 65steam (Dec 18, 2019)

Yes, I think you're right, @Old_Hobo. Thanks!


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## 65steam (Dec 18, 2019)

Update: I'm moving to a new house.

Because the layout was constructed as three modules, I was able to cut it apart for moving.










The most tricky part was the backdrop, which I cut very carefully and hopefully will be able to reassemble without obvious seams. It is helpful that my backdrop is shaped somewhat unusually, to accommodate the trains moving from back to front, so there are corners that I can use to hide the seams once the layout is reassembled.

Our previous house had a Michigan basement, so the layout was built onto the ledge around the perimeter. The new layout has a large utility room in which the layout will fit perfectly. However, I will need to put legs underneath it. I have ordered IKEA Krille legs with castors. Once I have everything reassembled, this will be very nice, because I will be able to move layout for access to the backside, which was very difficult with my previous setup. I also will have much easier access underneath the layout then I had previously.

The housing market is hot, so all this happened very quickly. We're only moving about two miles, so I was able to move the layout myself.

Currently, it is stored in the garage. I hope the cold, dry air hasn't caused any irreversible damage. Based on what you can see in the photo below, I have some concerns about the backdrop and the water.

I intend this week to make some space for the layout and get it into my basement. However, given many other tasks yet to be completed and summer weather (hopefully) coming soon, it probably will not be reassembled until late fall. I might try to get legs under the three modules before then, even if the layout is not reassembled until later. It will take some new track to reconnect everything, and a good cleaning to get the trains running again.


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## Longvallon (9 mo ago)

Hope your wonderful layout will survive...


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## 65steam (Dec 18, 2019)

Thanks, @Old Bandit . I'm optimistic, but I won't know until I try to put it all back together.


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## SF Gal (11 mo ago)

Good luck on your move *65steam, *I dont envy the work your about to engage in.


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## BigGRacing (Sep 25, 2020)

Wow, just saw the move info while checking in. Did you get settled in to the new home Steam ?


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## Gramps (Feb 28, 2016)

Best of luck to you with the move and layout.


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## 65steam (Dec 18, 2019)

Thank you for the good wishes.

We gradually are getting settled into our new house. We bought it as a fixer, so it is taking some time, but we are making steady progress.

There is a large utility room with smooth walls and a high ceiling that will become the new hobby room. We inherited some metal cabinets and a work light from the previous owner, so it will be a very nice place to work.

The layout is now in the room but still in sections and on its side.









I am hoping in September to get some legs under the layout and then spend some time repairing and re-laying track. This time the layout will be on large casters, which will make the work much easier than before. Hopefully by December everything I previously had completed will be working and repaired and I can begin to work on new things.


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## OilValleyRy (Oct 3, 2021)

Congrats on the new house! 
Had I known you were looking I would’ve shared a diamond I found a few months ago. But then considering…. So I’ve got to now ask. I don’t recall the streets at that intersection but there was an all stone house, which looked like a literal castle on the market. The 2nd floor of the turret had a full 360 balcony walkway, with a full 360 mahogany(?) railing, open to the first floor in the turret center. Every room looked great. I don’t know what was wrong with it because I’d expect an asking price of $600k or more. They were asking less than $80k! That full circle bannister was amazing looking. 
Don’t tell me you scored that place…


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## Chaostrain (Jan 27, 2015)

A perfect example of why you should build your layout in modules. I'm looking forward to seeing the progress as you reassemble it.


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## 65steam (Dec 18, 2019)

OilValleyRy said:


> Don’t tell me you scored that place…


No, but it does have a bunker underneath the garage! (Built in 1957)


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## LongvaIIon (6 mo ago)

65steam said:


> No, but it does have a bunker underneath the garage!


Very useful ! Russian army is not so far...


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## Gramps (Feb 28, 2016)

65steam said:


> No, but it does have a bunker underneath the garage! (Built in 1957)


I remember those days when people were building "fallout shelters" in case of nuclear attack by the Ruskies. The standard advice in case of attack was "Duck, put your head between your knees and kiss your butt goodbye."


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## SF Gal (11 mo ago)

I consider everyday a blessing as I outlasted a few of my classmates already.
If the big one comes, I am toast as I live a few miles from a major international airport.
Being in the Syliviana hills under a garage bunker, you just might survive.
Might want to get a few batteries, a solar charger and a mini layout down there to pass the time while you wait for the coast to clear....


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## 65steam (Dec 18, 2019)

Over the past several weekends I have made some progress toward getting my layout set up in my new house.

I built some simple wooden frames and attached IKEA Krille legs. These legs come with large casters and can be adjusted for height. Once the frames were complete, I attached each section of the layout to a frame and then connected the sections together. I then spent some time securing track in places that it had pulled loose, leveling as needed, and reconnecting electric feeds. I also spent some time tweaking turnout points that no longer were flush against the rail. Finally, I gave the track a thorough cleaning. After some testing, I now have an operational railroad again, though I have not yet reconnected the switch machines for my remote turnouts.










Once the switch machines are reconnected, I will begin repairing the landscaping and putting buildings, automobiles, and figures back into place. It feels good to have made it this far.


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## Magic (Jan 28, 2014)

Looking good.  
Will be great to run trains again. 

Magic


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## 65steam (Dec 18, 2019)

Thanks, @Magic , it certainly will! I'm amazed how satisfied I feel just to have things to this point. Not only is the layout off the floor, but I've done the fine tuning necessary to have the trains running smoothly.

Surveying the damage to the scenery suggests those repairs will be quite minor, too.


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## 65steam (Dec 18, 2019)

It turns out that things weren't quite running smoothly. Apparently, two of my turnouts had sustained some minor damage in the move and were not very reliable. Fortunately, I was able to replace them quite easily with extras that I had on hand.

As I've mentioned earlier, turnouts within easy reach I prefer to throw manually. I have used Lance Mindheim's suggested method of shimming them with clear plastic strips underneath to hold them in place by friction. For the other turnouts (out of reach and largely out of sight), I rely on remote solenoid switch machines.

Since I was doing work anyway, I decided to install a DCCconcepts ADS-4SX controller with built-in capacitive discharge unit. Wow, what a great product! I wish I'd known about it earlier. I was able to connect six turnouts, since each output can control a single turnout or two paired turnouts. This really has improved my layout.










I also discovered that somehow in the move my Digitrax AR1 auto reverser had become faulty. I thought I just needed to recalibrate it, but it was having difficulty tripping no matter how I set it. I ordered a new one and reinstalled it, and now things work smoothly.

In addition to repairing ballast, I finally got around to ballasting some of the last few places I had not yet done. I will do some retouching there and post pictures soon.

I'm also working to get figures set back into place, which I had removed from the layout for the move, along with signs and telegraph poles.

It's been a productive Christmas break, and I should be able to continue moving forward little by little.


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## BigGRacing (Sep 25, 2020)

Hey Steam, I noticed a steamer in one of your old pics, does it fit on your turntable with the tender in tow? If so, any chance of getting a picture some time?


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## 65steam (Dec 18, 2019)

Good question, @BigGRacing 

I waited to buy the turntable until I was sure of what size locomotive I would run. It took me a while, but eventually I was able to find one large enough to fit my Hudson steamer:










As a bonus, it also fits my FT-A/B locomotive set:










Now that my layout is up and running again, I've been doing some work in this area. Hopefully I can post some pictures soon of my progress.


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## BigGRacing (Sep 25, 2020)

65steam said:


> Hopefully I can post some pictures soon of my progress.


That is awesome, that area of the layout looks fantastic! Thanks for the great pictures!


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