# The Slow Evolution of My “Appalachian Mountain Railroad”



## MtRR75 (Nov 27, 2013)

*Update #1 -- Introduction*

I finally got around to starting a “My Layout” thread.

First, why such a long title?

“Slow” -- Because I work slowly -- because (1) I knew nothing when I started out, and I am learning as I go along, (2) I tend to be meticulous, and (3) I have a lot of other things on my plate.

“Evolution” -- Refers to how my plans have gradually changed. Because I have been learning as I have progressed, I have made numerous adjustments along the way -- often before I started on that part of the construction. So far, I have been able to avoid wholesale redos as my ideas have evolved.

“Appalachian Mountain Railroad” is the closest that I have to a name for my layout. I started out focusing on the Clinchfield RR. But after a while I felt that this was too restrictive. So I decided to build a generic Appalachian Mountain layout, where I can switch out trains that represent different parts of Appalachia. Plus I have visited the Appalachian Mountains many times, and I like the area. The long-range plans for the layout include a small town with a small interchange yard, some country scenery, some forested mountains, a little logging, and a coal mine.

The next several updates that I post will cover the layout progress over the last 14 years. (Remember the word “Slow” in the title.) No pictures from the early years, but some will be forthcoming in later updates.

P.S. Now you know where my username came from.


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## Gramps (Feb 28, 2016)

I'm looking forward to seeing it.


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## MtRR75 (Nov 27, 2013)

*Update #2 -- The Basics of the Layout*

--HO scale
--DC control for now. Starting to convert to RailPro -- slowly.
--All steam locos. I have no interest in diesels.
--Loosely based on the Clinchfield RR, but the track plan and the scenery will not be prototype-specific. Also, other railroads that ran through or along the Appalachian Mountains will show up on the layout.
--Time frame is 1920s.

Why the Clinchfield? About 20 years ago, when my daughters were into trains, the cheap train-set loco died. So we went hunting for a good quality diesel to replace it -- and for a steam locomotive -- because they are cool. We knew nothing about railroad names or manufacturers, or what was good quality and what was junk, or anything else about model railroads. After much searching, we found a train store where they helped us select a new diesel and a Bachmann Spectrum 2-8-0, which was labeled Clinchfield. I knew nothing about the Clinchfield, so I researched it, and decided that it might be an interesting railroad to model.

Why other Appalachian railroads? I like the variety that changing trains out brings to the layout. If I had the same 2-3 trains all the time, I would get bored.

Why the 1920s? The prototype of the Clinchfield 2-8-0 that I bought was one of fifteen 2-8-0s that were delivered new to the Clinchfield in 1909. They survived to the end of the steam era, but by the late 1920s larger locos had taken over much of the heavy hauling, and the 2-8-0s were relegated to yard work and short-haul duty. Also, I found that it was easy to find models of Clinchfield freight cars that were built in the late 1910s or 1920s. It also seemed like a good idea to stay in 1920s, when locos and cars were smaller, so that their models would run on my 18” curves.

Location. A large second-floor room that used be a part of a separate apartment. The room was the great room/kitchenette area, so there is lots of space. Unfortunately, about half of this room is being used for storage (along with the apartment bedroom and non-functional bathroom) -- no basement in the house. I do have enough room for the layout; storage for tools, materials and parts; and a small work table. Also, the kitchen sink, counters and cupboards are still present – very useful. However, any future expansion is out of the question, until the excess stored stuff is dealt with.


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## Single Driver Steam (Apr 22, 2016)

I figured the MtRR in your username stood for mountain railroad. 

Besides all the 19th Century stuff I love regional and shortline railroading, especially in rural or mountainous backcountry areas. I'm looking forward to seeing photos and progress. 


Is the Appalachian Mountain Railroad a placeholder title for now, or will it be the official company name?


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## MtRR75 (Nov 27, 2013)

Single Driver Steam said:


> Besides all the 19th Century stuff I love regional and shortline railroading, especially in rural or mountainous backcountry areas. I'm looking forward to seeing photos and progress.
> 
> Is the Appalachian Mountain Railroad a placeholder title for now, or will it be the official company name?


Thanks for the comments.

Unfortunately the mountains will have to wait for a while -- until I can expand the layout. The initial layout will be mostly town and yard -- and will be flat.

I doubt that I will ever come up with an official company name. I plan to run typical 1920s trains from real railroads that ran in or near the Appalachian Mountains. So far I have Clinchfield and C&O locos, with cars from those two railroads, plus rolling stock from other railroads that ran nearby and would have exchanged cars with the CRR and C&O.


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## MtRR75 (Nov 27, 2013)

*Update #3 -- Layout History: The resurrection of an inherited layout.*

In the early 90s, when my daughters were younger, they went through a train phase (sectional track on plywood laid over sawhorses -- nothing permanent), but I got interested, too. They eventually moved on to horses, but I kept the train stuff. Then in 2002, I inherited a 4 x 8, HO, DC layout table from a friend who had gotten it from a neighbor lady who did not want it after her husband passed.

The pictures below are the earliest that I have of the layout. They were taken in 2013, but the only differences between these pictures and the layout as I received it, are (1) I added diagonal supports to the legs to stabilize the table, (2) the original control panel has been reattached, (3) the block switches have been rearranged onto a map of the layout. Note all of the stored stuff surrounding the table.

























The table was solid and well-built -- half inch particle board (Homosote?) on top of 5/8” plywood. But the layout was very rough shape. The structures had been removed. There apparently never was much scenery, just lots of brass Atlas Snap Track and Snap Switch turnouts, neatly soldered together (except for the insulated rail joiners for the blocks). In the open area on the left end of the layout, you can see the shadows where more yard tracks had once been. The control panel had been removed, cutting all of the wires in the process -- which were not labeled and which followed no logical system for color (or wire size for that matter).

I figured out how to reattach the wires to the original control panel so that the block and turnout switches worked, and managed to run some trains. The diesel and most of the cars shown in the picture came from the kids train set and car purchases from the early 90s. The coal train consists of the Bachmann Spectrum Clinchfield 2-8-0 (that I had bought back in the 90s), along with 5 Athearn Clinchfield coal hoppers +plus a Walthers C&O wood caboose -- the first of the 1920s rolling stock acquisitions.

However, between 2005 and 2012, the layout remained dormant, as personal and family issues kept me away from model trains.


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## MtRR75 (Nov 27, 2013)

*Update #4 -- Original Track Plan*

The track plan of the layout that I inherited is shown below.









The layout is a 4 ft. by 8 ft. double oval with a diagonal reversing track across the inner loop. Initially, yard tracks branched off of the diagonal track in both directions, filling up most of the layout space. But, by the time I got the layout, most of the yard tracks on the South end had been removed. Also, all structures had been removed (leaving behind their footprints), and there was apparently never was much scenery on the layout.

I decided to stay with this track plan, because I began to see how I could use it. The outer loop is the mainline. The inner loop is the yard lead, which will eventually contain a water tank, a coaling tower and an ash pit for loco servicing, as well as passenger and freight stations. The open area on the South end will be used for a small mountain town (modeled very loosely on Elkhorn City, KY, where the Clinchfield and C&O railroads connected to each other in a small yard).


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

Since you are running a DC layout, how are you
controlling the presumably isolated 'reverse loop' that crosses from lower left to upper right of the inner loop?

Don


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## MtRR75 (Nov 27, 2013)

DonR said:


> Since you are running a DC layout, how are you controlling the presumably isolated 'reverse loop' that crosses from lower left to upper right of the inner loop?


Yes it is isolated. Each cab control has two DPDT directional switches -- one for the reversing section (which includes the yard tracks) and one for all of the rest of the track. One of the upcoming updates will cover the wiring and control panel.


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## MtRR75 (Nov 27, 2013)

*he Slow Evolution of My “Appalachian Mountain Railroad”*

*Update #5 -- Layout Improvements: 2013 - 2015. -- Wiring and Control Panel*

In 2013, after an 8-year layoff, I was finally able to devote more time to my layout. Over the next three years, I worked on several major improvements, simultaneously. The first of these was the wiring and the control panel.

I did not like the way the Atlas switch controls were arranged on the control panel. Also, many of the wires were undersized. So I bought The Kalmbach book on DC wiring and built a new control panel, with the micro toggle switches (replacing the Atlas switch controls) arranged on a map of the layout. I also replaced all of the original wire, with larger, color-coded wires -- #14 for busses, #20 for drops, and #22 for short segments inside the control panel. Turnout control wire was replaced with #20 for the common return and #22 for the activated lines. For a layout containing 13 turnouts and 14 blocks, this took a while.

Below are pictures of the new control panel -- with some of the switches not yet installed. The red switches operate the turnouts. The other switches are for block control: blue for the mainline, yellow for the yard lead, purple for the reversing diagonal track, and green for yard tracks and sidings.

















The control panel is set on a moveable stand. The stand is attached to the layout by an umbilical cord of wires -- which limits the movement of the stand to just a couple of feet. But that is enough for me to get around the control panel and get full access to all sides of the layout. The stand can be moved while trains are running -- no wires need to be disconnected


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## Lehigh74 (Sep 25, 2015)

That's a nice control panel and neat wiring. Mine looks a bit more like a bowl of spaghetti.


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## time warp (Apr 28, 2016)

Nice job. The track plan makes good use of the available space.
May I recommend that on your wiring you run a small cable through the bundle to the panel. Attach this cable to the bench work at one end and the movable panel on the other end. This will give you a strain relief for the wiring should the panel get moved too far.


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## MtRR75 (Nov 27, 2013)

time warp said:


> Nice job. The track plan makes good use of the available space.
> May I recommend that on your wiring you run a small cable through the bundle to the panel. Attach this cable to the bench work at one end and the movable panel on the other end. This will give you a strain relief for the wiring should the panel get moved too far.


Thanks. But I can't take credit for the original track plan -- it came with the layout that I inherited. However, I have made some changes to the track plan that I think significantly improve it. The current track plan should show up 1 or 2 updates from now. I'm still updating things that happened several years ago. I think seeing the process is more interesting (and helpful to beginners) as opposed to starting with where I am now.

The idea of the cable is a good one. But I'm not sure if I really need it, given that most of the wires are anchored at both tends by cable ties either in the control panel or under the table. I'll consider it -- once I finish the wiring. Yep, there's more to go. (That's another future update.)


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## MtRR75 (Nov 27, 2013)

*Update #6 -- More Layout Improvements: 2013 - 2015. -- Track Work and Other Things
*
(1) Track Work: Some of my steam locos were derailing on some of the turnouts. Others were sometimes stopping on turnouts due to shorts or loss of contact between the wheels and the track. There turned out to be multiple reasons for these problems. I worked with the old brass Atlas Snap Switches for a while, and got some of them to work better, but some issues remained. So I removed the turnouts and replaced them with new, nickel silver, Atlas Snap Switches. This significantly reduced (but did not eliminate) the problems.

After many experiments, I discovered several modifications that needed to be made to the new Atlas Snap Switches to improve their performance with my old steam locomotives. (I did not switch to a better brand of turnouts because I wanted to stay with the same layout plan.)

While I had the layout torn up, I also replaced most of the old brass track with Atlas nickel-silver track. In the process, I discovered that some of the original cork roadbed was not level, and fixed that, too. I also noticed that the reversing diagonal track (see post #7 for track plan) was laid at too sharp an angle -- it was slightly kinked at both ends. So I tore it up and relayed the cork and track at the correct angle. This meant that the yard sidings attached to the reversing diagonal track also had to be torn up and relayed. Now, with these improvements, (and some modifications to some of the locos, as well) the problems with derailments and stopping on turnouts are almost gone. The few problems that remain are mainly due locomotive issues that can’t be fixed, given the original design of some of the older locos.

The picture below shows the positioning of the cork for the diagonal track, along with the new turnouts. The right end of the diagonal track had to be shifted about 1.5” closer to the bottom of the photo to remove the kinks.









(2) Protected Sides. Because trains run near the edges of the table, I added short, clear, Plexiglas sides around the edges of the layout to prevent trains from diving to the floor due to derailments or clumsy operators (like me). The sides only stick up about 2” above the tabletop, so viewers look over them to see the trains. You can see these Plesiglas sides in the above photo -- loosely attached, for now, for easy removal for construction.

(3) Cosmetic Improvements (these will show up in later pictures). I leveled the table surface by removing lumps of plaster, which appear to have been scenery terrain. This led to depressions in the particle board, which I filled in with wood filler and sanded. Then I painted the surface a tan color to mimic dry soil. I also painted the sides and legs of the layout table dark brown (covering up the original royal blue). The dark color helps draw the viewer’s attention to the table top.


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## time warp (Apr 28, 2016)

Going good! You might catch a little flack for staying with snap switches, but Ive used them for a good many years with good results.


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## The New Guy (Mar 11, 2012)

time warp said:


> You might catch a little flack...


That's good advice. 







She is amazing.


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## time warp (Apr 28, 2016)

That's exactly what I meant!


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## MtRR75 (Nov 27, 2013)

*Update #7 -- Modified Track Plan: 2014 - 2016*

While I was working on the track issues described in Update #6 (Post #14) I made several modifications to the track plan.

Here is the original track plan that I inherited.








Here is the modified track plan.








There were five changes:

(1) Additional Yard Sidings: I added two more yard sidings in the Northwestern part of the yard. I also added an additional siding in the East side of the yard, off of the yard lead. This siding will be used to deliver coal to the backside of the coaling tower, and also for storage of the yard switcher. I also raised the terrain in the yard area (using 1/4” foam board), so as to make the yard tracks more level with the soil surface (and thus more prototypical).

In the picture below:
(a) On the right is the cork roadbed for the two new yard sidings.
(b) In the center, the three original sidings have been relocated due to the moving of the diagonal reversing track (but they are just pinned in place – no cork, yet).
(c) On the left is the new service siding for the coaling tower (also just pinned in place).








The picture below was taken at a later date. The roadbed and track for all of the sidings has been laid. Most of the foam board between the yard tracks has been laid. The white paper is the template for the last piece of foam board.








(2) Main Line Passing Siding: On the West side of the layout, I extended the main line spur around to the North side and attached it back to the main line, thus creating a passing siding. This required an extension of about 4 inches on the North end of the table. I also moved the original turnout on the South end of the passing siding farther South, past the crossover between the main line (outer loop) and the yard lead (inner loop). This removed the double-S track pattern and made room for a longer train on the siding. This siding is very close to the West edge of the table. Eventually, I plan to add about 4” to the West side of the table. This will allow me to put an ice house on the outside of the siding.

The picture below shows the North end of the layout, with the 4” extension, which allowed the North end of the siding to connect back to the main line, creating the passing siding.








The picture below shows the south end of the passing siding being lengthened:
(left) original, shorter siding,
(center) new cork roadbed, plus adjustment of curve for new turnout location,
(right) new, longer siding.








(3) Turnout to Nowhere: (visible in the top, right corner of the above picture): I added a turnout to the South end of the layout that currently branches off to nowhere. Hopefully, this will eventually become a link to a large, addition. This addition will start with a wye, which will solve the problem of having only one reversing track on the original table. Trains which reverse direction on the original table will be able to turn back around at the wye.

(4) Engine House Siding: In the Southeastern part of the layout, I converted the short, split siding into a single siding for an engine house.

(5) Multi-Purpose Siding: Next to the engine house, I added a long siding. I will probably use this siding for several purposes: (a) service area for minor repairs to locos, (b) storage of locos, (c) storage of cabooses, (d) overnight parking for a passenger train between runs, (e) area for building a consist from cars stored on the other yard sidings.

With all of these modifications completed, I am done with track laying.

Here is how the layout currently.








The South end.








The North end – from the other side of the table.








The next major job is to modify the control panel to accommodate: (1) the two new blocks and four new turnouts created by the modifications to the track plan, and (2) LED lights on the control panel to indicate turnout positions.


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## bluenavigator (Aug 30, 2015)

Wow! What a huge difference between old layout and new layout! Good job! Hope to see more process on this table shortly.


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## time warp (Apr 28, 2016)

Looks nice! This is the time to run lots of trains for a while to get the bugs worked out. I like the bumpers, I just use the Atlas ones but they are ugly by any measure


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## The New Guy (Mar 11, 2012)

MtRR75 said:


> Here is how the layout currently.
> View attachment 206082


This isn't a criticism but just an observation: that is thus far the flattest stretch of appalachia I've seen.

That's neither here nor there. put on some jazz and run the trains.

It looks good.


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## jlc41 (Feb 16, 2016)

Looking good, I like the yard and the addition siding. Looking forward to further developments.


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## Overkast (Jan 16, 2015)

MtRR75, you've done a great job with this layout so far and I really love your track plan. I love how the yard lead can still act as a mainline so you can have double-track mainline activity if you want. And the turnout and sidings are really all excellent placement as well. The whole plan fills up the table space just perfectly and looks like it will be a really fun layout for operations.


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## MtRR75 (Nov 27, 2013)

Thanks for all the comments.

As for the "flattest Appalachia" comment, I figured that was coming sooner or later. That is where the "turnout to nowhere" comes into play. I have long term plans to extend the layout with an "around-the-wall" addition, which would involve long runs along rivers and through mountains. I even have a preliminary track plan for the addition (which I will probably post in a later update).

But the addition won't happen for a long time -- partly because I have a lot of other things going on, but mainly because the train is in our main storeroom. If you look carefully at the pictures, you can see boxes, cabinets, carpets, power tools, a bucket of sheet rock mud, and lumber. And there's lots more that you can't see. We need to thin storage herd significantly before any addition can be constructed.

In the mean time, I'm considering adding some "foothills" in some of the corners of the layout, outside of the tracks. But that won't happen soon, either. Remember the word "slow" in the title of this thread.


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## time warp (Apr 28, 2016)

MtRR75 said:


> Thanks for all the comments.
> 
> As for the "flattest Appalachia" comment, I figured that was coming sooner or later. That is where the "turnout to nowhere" comes into play. I have long term plans to extend the layout with an "around-the-wall" addition, which would involve long runs along rivers and through mountains. I even have a preliminary track plan for the addition (which I will probably post in a later update).
> 
> ...


Let's just say the bulldozers have done a fine job leveling the terrain:laugh:


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## MtRR75 (Nov 27, 2013)

*Update #8 -- Rolling Stock *

Here is all the rolling stock that I have accumulated over the years while I was rebuilding my layout -- all 1920s era (or earlier). I managed to get all 126 cars (and 6 locos) onto the layout -- with no room for any more.

It looks like I need to stop buying rolling stock and get back to working on (and expanding) the layout.


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## bluenavigator (Aug 30, 2015)

Wow! Well done job, on bring it back to life! All you need are buildings, trees and people, there, there and here!

Spotted another layout! What's news on that one?


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## irontodd (Aug 28, 2014)

MtRR75 said:


> *Update #8 -- Rolling Stock *
> 
> Here is all the rolling stock that I have accumulated over the years while I was rebuilding my layout -- all 1920s era (or earlier). I managed to get all 126 cars (and 6 locos) onto the layout -- with no room for any more.
> 
> It looks like I need to stop buying rolling stock and get back to working on (and expanding) the layout.


Nice collection, but I think I see a little bit of congestion on the main 

Eastern Plains - Holyoke, Idalia and Towner (EPHIT) Branch build thread http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=102266


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## Lemonhawk (Sep 24, 2013)

Its just one of those switching logic problems for us to solve! Nice to have an all inclusive picture!


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## MtRR75 (Nov 27, 2013)

bluenavigator said:


> Wow! Well done job, on bring it back to life! All you need are buildings, trees and people, there, there and here!
> 
> Spotted another layout! What's news on that one?


Working on buildings now -- I've got one more to go in the yard (yard office), then probably about a dozen town buildings to make and arrange in the large blank space at one end of the layout.

What looks like another layout WAS originally going to be a 5 ft x 12 ft L-extension to my 4 ft x 8 ft layout. I got the legs and frame of the benchwork done about 12 years ago. Then life intervened -- no train work for about 8 years. By the time I got back to trains, I had decided that an around-the-wall extension would give me about twice as much track milage (and a more realistic track plan) for the same space.

As I have mentioned before, this extension will not happen for a while. The room is also our major storeroom, and there is too much other stuff in the way right now. So, the benchwork has become a place for lumber storage and a pseudo-workbench.

As for the little train on the oval track sitting on the lumber. I have collected several of the Bachmann 1830s trains. Unfortunately they don't run well on my layout. The pick-up wheels are so close together that the trains often stop on the turnout frogs. So I put up this little oval track to run them on.


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## MtRR75 (Nov 27, 2013)

Lemonhawk said:


> Its just one of those switching logic problems for us to solve!


At first, my response was, the layout is in total gridlock. But then I realized that there is one car-sized opening available. In the middle of the layout, there is a loco sticking out of the engine house. If I back up the loco into the engine house, it releases a car-sized section of track on the siding that leads to the engine house.

If one was to use HOG (hand of God) power, you could move cars around using that one car-sized space -- kind of like those little games with 15 movable numbers arranged in 16 spaces, with the goal of getting them into number order.

But... 

I've got better things to do with my train time. I'll let someone else figure that puzzle out.


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## pilot2fly (Nov 14, 2016)

How is your layout coming? I am thinking of using this layout as a template for my railroad, with some modifications.


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## MtRR75 (Nov 27, 2013)

pilot2fly said:


> How is your layout coming? I am thinking of using this layout as a template for my railroad, with some modifications.


Thanks for the interest. Not much work on the layout recently. I have been side-tracked by going through all of my rolling stock to see which ones still need couplers, wheels and/or trucks replaced. (That is how they all ended up on the layout at once.) I'm nearing at the end of this process.

The next step was to build all of the building and structure kits and arrange the town area. But this is going to take a while. So I think I will focus on the yard area first -- were there is only one more large structure to build -- the yard office. I also want to get around to finishing the rebuild of my control panel.

Also, house repairs family issues and other hobbies have limited my train time.


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## MtRR75 (Nov 27, 2013)

*11/27/16 -- Update #9 -- Future Track Plan*

My long-term plans are to add an around-the-wall layout extension in the alcove that is West of the current table. This layout will link to the main line on the table layout, and will increase my track mileage to about four times what it currently is. The two biggest obstacles to starting on this addition are: (1) time constraints, and (2) this area is still used for storage. We have to reduce our collection of accumulated and inherited stuff before this addition can be started.









The extension will eventually consist of:

(1) A main line loop that travels the full length (out and back) of the three-sided wall layout. The track nearer the center access area will run along a river. The track closer to the wall will run through farmland (on the South side of the alcove) and through mountains with tunnels and bridges (in the West and North sides of the alcove).

(2) A passing siding on the South side of the alcove.

(3) A logging area in the SW corner.

(4) A stream and waterfall in the NW corner.

(5) A coal mine at the North end of the extension.

(6) A wye (built into the South end of the main line) where the wall layout and table layout meet. This will complement the reversing diagonal on the table, so that trains that have turned around on the table can turn back around at the wye (or go all the way around the wall portion of the main line to turn around).

None of this will happen soon.


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## VegasN (Mar 14, 2016)

Wow! You should call it The Lazarus Railroad. Excellent work, and admiral dedication. Got me thirsting for more updates. Really looking forward to seeing some scenery, and trains that don't look like out freeways at rush hour(s). haha


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## Magic (Jan 28, 2014)

That's quit an expansion, looking nice. :thumbsup:
Lots of room for scenery and industries. :thumbsup:

How about a garage sale. :smokin:

Magic


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## Lemonhawk (Sep 24, 2013)

For my control panel I used a sheet of plastic (I think plastic signs are a cheap source) then glued some thick styrene strips on it to represent the track plan. Sprayed the whole thing a nice metallic color then used some paint pens to go over the styrene strips to put some color on it. Drill holes for switches and wire it up! I wired all the switches the same way to a 0.1 connectors before I mounted them. The LED's are just put in a drilled hole then a little piece of styrene is glued on the back to hold them, see the last picture just to the left of the switch. I used RGB LED's so I could chose what colors to display. It looks like a jumble of wires but they are all the same and only interface to the outside world to a relay panel the does all the power switching.


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## VegasN (Mar 14, 2016)

Wow.....just all so complicated.....


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## MtRR75 (Nov 27, 2013)

VegasN said:


> Wow.....just all so complicated.....


Just to be clear, the pictures in post #37 above are Lemonhawk's control panel -- which he posted in response to my statement that I was working on upgrading my control panel.

My current control panel is shown in post #10. I will post pics of the updated panel when I finish it. The main reasons for the upgrade are (1) adding controls for several new blocks and turnouts, and (2) adding indicator LEDs on the turnout switches.


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## VegasN (Mar 14, 2016)

MtRR75 said:


> Just to be clear, the pictures in post #37 above are Lemonhawk's control panel -- which he posted in response to my statement that I was working on upgrading my control panel.
> 
> My current control panel is shown in post #10. I will post pics of the updated panel when I finish it. The main reasons for the upgrade are (1) adding controls for several new blocks and turnouts, and (2) adding indicator LEDs on the turnout switches.


Ah, I see. Yes, yours in post #10 is much more organized, but, to me, it all still looks soooo complicated.


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## MtRR75 (Nov 27, 2013)

VegasN said:


> Ah, I see. Yes, yours in post #10 is much more organized, but, to me, it all still looks soooo complicated.


DC block wiring with a reversing loop is a bit complicated, but I bought a good book on the subject:

https://www.amazon.com/Model-Railroad-Wiring-Second-Railroader/dp/0890243492/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

Besides, figuring out the wiring keeps my brain exercised. I like the mental challenge.


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## VegasN (Mar 14, 2016)

MtRR75 said:


> DC block wiring with a reversing loop is a bit complicated, but I bought a good book on the subject:
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/Model-Railroad-Wiring-Second-Railroader/dp/0890243492/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
> 
> Besides, figuring out the wiring keeps my brain exercised. I like the mental challenge.


Yes, I have checked that book out from our local library. I am running Bachmann EZ track on DC, so it really didn't apply to me. It did however help me solve the problem of my "power routing" turnouts got moved and suddenly became all live. So that book said I had to create a gap, it worked. But I have to manually push which ever train I am pulling out up to the turnout point. Then it will power from there.


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