Today I took all the metal pieces back to Home Depot.
My daughter and I took out all the screws off the wedding cake diorama square board, and the staples off the board, and removed the fabric. Except for the one screw that I stripped. Tom has to remove that one. Drew a pencil template on the plywood for the USATrack using the Realtrax as a pattern. Will be cutting the plywood very soon.
OK here's an idea for your supports. Threaded 3/4" Flange, use two per support. Connect them with threaded pipe. This piece is 8" long.
Plywood loop cut for track for the upper level. It will be set about 8-3/4" to 9" above the table surface. It will be sanded and stained, and then the circle of track attached. A piece of circular plexiglass will go underneath. Ideas for the design of the piers still not completely figured out.
hm. Drawing a template of the MTH Realtrax does NOT fit well with the USAtrack. Ah, well- its a learning experience! This knotty plywood is not sturdy and stable enough. Will be getting another piece of the table top better grade wood on the weekend and trace directly from the USATrack circle.
Carey, go to the McMaster-Carr website and look for clear plastic pipe. That might make a nice support for the clear top.
http://www.mcmaster.com/#clear-plastic-pipe/=12lngq3
Steve
The more I look at the wooden circle, the less I like it. The wooden circle is OUT. Still want to do plexiglass, but with wooden or plastic piers.
Some plexi worked into the art deco shaped layers of the piers?
The same could be done to the clear roadbed, stacking two or more sizes of roadbed. Having a sandwich of contrasting layers would give a neat look others may "eat up"
Adriatic posted:Some plexi worked into the art deco shaped layers of the piers?
The same could be done to the clear roadbed, stacking two or more sizes of roadbed. Having a sandwich of contrasting layers would give a neat look others may "eat up"
clear roadbed???
What I'd really would looove to do would be a mirror for the center part, but that sounds very heavy and expensive, and where to find such a thing?
Small white pearls for ballast ?? Some sequins for ground cover ??
Though having a mirrored piece would be very deco-ish element. Had said to Tom previously that having mirrored panels somewhere would be very cool. Maybe chrome somehow too...
jim pastorius posted:Small white pearls for ballast ?? Some sequins for ground cover ??
"sparkle, sparkle, sparkle..." - Alec Baldwin as the Conductor in Thomas and the Magic Railroad
I got the sequins part down in spades, baby. This one is the most recent of my sequined gowns, of which there are many- worn for my wedding to Tom on 5/15/2016.
I am sure that you could get a round mirror made-if you wanted to pay for it !! Nix the chrome-not good. Build it so the train stays in one place and the round track circles under the wheels !! Right now listening to wild turkeys clucking somewhere in my front "yard". Don't get that in the city !!
Carey TeaRose posted:Adriatic posted:Some plexi worked into the art deco shaped layers of the piers?
The same could be done to the clear roadbed, stacking two or more sizes of roadbed. Having a sandwich of contrasting layers would give a neat look others may "eat up"
clear roadbed???
A roadbed is where the track sits.
When you mentioned the plexi-glass I thought of thinks like this
(more attachments below)
Foil under plexi (or Lexon) might give you a mirror?
Adriatic posted:Carey TeaRose posted:Adriatic posted:Some plexi worked into the art deco shaped layers of the piers?
The same could be done to the clear roadbed, stacking two or more sizes of roadbed. Having a sandwich of contrasting layers would give a neat look others may "eat up"
clear roadbed???
A roadbed is where the track sits.
When you mentioned the plexi-glass I thought of thinks like this
(more attachments below)
Foil under plexi (or Lexon) might give you a mirror?
oooh! thanks for the pics. great ideas.
This pic is very close to what I'm thinking of. Leg/pier height would be 8-3/4 -9 inches.
Call some of the older local glass shops, even automotive ones as they may do flat tempered work too, or know who does. Use tempered showcase glass, you can almost walk on it, and it takes quite a blow to shatter it.
If you liked the glow idea plexi is easy to embed lights into.
For running your power topside, up the legs etc., consider enameled wire vs rubber coated. It comes in an emerald green, clear coated, yellow, and red. Solid & stiff, but pretty. The same wire used in the motor windings of the vintage trains, or a window fan, etc.
(Looks like spellcheck wants "WinDings" instead ♠♣♥♦⇐ℜeally¿¡
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I would go with a round piece of clear plexi with 4 or 5 clear plexi rods for posts then you could add what you would want. Keep it plain and simple. But don't forget the pearls ballast !! You could even have a few fake diamonds to add some sparkle.
I like the thought of a clear substrate too Jim, I think she may have wanted to put a building or two up high also? ;.. Carey?
At Tap Plastics, the open tube looked really plastic-y but the solid plastic "dowel" looked like glass- so I went with that . The had a ring that fit the dowel, like a little foot so I added those. They said a 44" circle piece of plexi held by 8 of these would bow in the middle unless I had a thick cylinder in the middle 
, not happy with that look. They suggested a piece of glass. will be looking into that next.
I suggest you have a tube of glass, closed at the bottom with a little faucet . Then fill the tube with bourbon, scotch or what ever you choose. Beats smoke fluid !!
Calling glass shops to get prices and see who has a cutter large enough for a 44" across circle of glass.
It had to happen sometime...
Check placement, check clearances. More than once!
Drilled holes in this beautiful table top surface and in the supporting 2x4s for the lights at the corners and the viaduct.
Wiring happening today.
*sigh* Discussions for what kind and how to do the piers and surface for the upper loop have been exhausting...
Giving it a couple of days off.
Carey TeaRose posted:Calling glass shops to get prices and see who has a cutter large enough for a 44" across circle of glass.
44" across should be a stock item. Just search table tops.
first video!! Running my very first Std, Gauge train set, a MTH repro Ives circus train on the mainline loop with all the lights wired and working!
a pic of on the layout today!
The video is cool! One minor comment, next time rotate your phone onto its side so the video shows more panoramic.
Goshawk posted:The video is cool! One minor comment, next time rotate your phone onto its side so the video shows more panoramic.
yup. Wasn't sure I could rotate it, but since I'm using iMovie, I guess I can.
Was trying to shoot another video, then the 1134 train died for running. Apparently I have a dead battery! Not needing a charge, but dead. Will be ordering one *sigh*
The pink one can pull a double shift while "old reliable" is down for repair right?
Two head ends are better than one. 
yup. It can pull my blue&silver 300 series.
And my new 318E from the R-T-R set is gonna get a battery recharge right away.
Eight pier "legs" all done for the upper circle. Will be placing the 3/8" glass circle order probably by the end of this week. May take as long as two weeks.
Carey, have you thought about how to stabilize the legs? As is they look "tippy".
The number of them isn't going to help "tippy" much.
Somewhere, you might still need to cross brace the legs {like this→ IXI or /IVI, etc } on at least two connected perpendicular sides, or 3 sides, or have some solid leg attachment to the table, etc.
Metal rods from any hardware store would work well for an X brace. Bend an L in the ends, drill a hole, glue, or hold with an axle cap (a push-nut, like on a Radio Flyer wagon wheel).
A "barrel ring" frame at the leg tops?
Rubber (clear?) is needed to pad the leg tops and keep the top still. They move around from vibration.
Adriatic posted:Carey, have you thought about how to stabilize the legs? As is they look "tippy".
The number of them isn't going to help "tippy" much.
Somewhere, you might still need to cross brace the legs {like this→ IXI or /IVI, etc } on at least two connected perpendicular sides, or 3 sides, or have some solid leg attachment to the table, etc.
Metal rods from any hardware store would work well for an X brace. Bend an L in the ends, drill a hole, glue, or hold with an axle cap (a push-nut, like on a Radio Flyer wagon wheel).
A "barrel ring" frame at the leg tops?
Rubber (clear?) is needed to pad the leg tops and keep the top still. They move around from vibration.
Thanks for all this info Adriatic! Tom is going to screw down the wood bases to the table top from the underside. We've talked about how to attach these to the glass, your input is also very helpful. What is a 'barrel ring'?
another shot of the layout with the new Lionel Irvington Factory in place.
"Barrel ring," Just a band of metal.
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