Skip to main content

Hello everyone!

After many years, two Christmas layouts built when I was in high school and another in college, its finally time to build a semi-permanent layout!  My wife and I recently purchased our first home and, luckily, for me, I've secured a nice spot in our unfinished basement.

I'm still in the early planning stages, but want to use this thread as my build thread over the, realistically, years to highlight the build and layout changes. As it stands, the layout will be sized around 10x16 and take a corner of the basement.  I just started using SCARM earlier this week and have somewhat of a hang of it.  I figure with a good amount of planning, I can budget out the costs of the materials and equipment I'll need to build it.  I'm still between Fastrack and Realtrax.  I do have a small supply of Realtrax handy, but I worry about future supply when MTH finally closes its doors.  The first layout I built in SCARM (which I'll go into later in the post) is using Fastrack.

My plan is to model a Western, PA setting in the time between the Steam to Diesel transition period, although I do intend to have more modern equipment as well.  My collection is largely P&LE and Union Railroad based (my great-grand father and grand father worked for them, respectively). I also have a few PRR, B&O, Amtrak, and Western Maryland engines.  I now live next to a CSX and MARC mainline, so I do expect them to make an appearance in the future.  I want the layout to have a steel mill scene, a city/small town scene, a river as a separator, and then a small town/residential scene.  I know these are some lofty goals, but I want to work to get them to fit in.

Now! For my first take of the layout and for some suggestions and help.  The first picture is largely what the roughed over view of the 10x16 layout space.  The dotted areas on the right, were originally if it were only going to be a 4ft space, but I have the ability to go 6ft.  I want to build it in modules in the event we move, or I need to move and reconfigure the layout.

The second picture is the initial take at the layout.  I was using the free version of SCARM and ran out of pieces.  I am planning to purchase the license in the very near future.  The areas in red are my problem areas.  These are where my track isn't lining up or is close, but there are no fast track pieces to fit the gap. The long straight along the back wall will be elevated.  I'd like to run the URR loop on the left up and under it. I've also been toying with a small mountain area around the turn on the right.  Again, this isn't fully finished yet and is my first take.  I know I need to finish the URR loop, and maybe even a small yard in that area.  I'm fully open to any thoughts/ideas you all may have!

Again, I'd like any thoughts you all may have.  I know there are some amazing layout designers out there and I'm an admitted newbie, so I may be missing something and thinking too inside the box.  This has been daunting, but I'm 1) up for the challenge, 2) want to learn some new skills, 3) be able to finally build a layout that I've been dreaming about since I was a teenager, and 4) give back to the broader O-gauge community in the future from my learned experiences.

Thanks for all of your help!

-Justin

Attachments

Images (2)
  • PXL_20201121_151800558
  • Screen Shot 2020-12-06 at 7.13.00 PM: SCARM layout 1
Last edited by Tall J
Original Post

Replies sorted oldest to newest

You might want to look at a thread started by G3750 who is building the PRR Panhandle Division.  His aspirations are somewhat similar to yours.  You might also give serious consideration to using track that will still be manufactured in a few years.  Many here use Gargraves track (a lot of flex-track is used, but not by everyone) and Ross switches; some use Atlas track & switches; and many just use old fashioned tubular track and switches.  These manufacturers tend to give you more flexibility in planning because they offer more switch and complex track variations.

Next, read some threads and books on track planning.  I highly recommend Track Planning for Realistic Operations by John Armstrong (now on its 3rd edition).  There are also many other fora devoted to model railroading, most of which have a section about planning a layout somewhere therein.  Don't restrict yourself to O gauge or O scale because you will find great ideas in other scales.

Honestly, in my opinion only, you are trying to cram too much into the space you have for the time being.  Better to scale down and start like John Allen did with a masterful 4x8 oval that eventually became the heart and soul of a much bigger layout.

Chuck

PS  The trouble you report with Fastrack pieces not joining in a plan is a very common issue also dealt with in other threads here.  Many have overcome that issue, but it's work that isn't necessary with other types of track.  AND, Fastrack is very, very noisy.

Last edited by PRR1950

A few observations ...

1)  Your layout plan has a LOT of straight runs. Consider installing slight curves along the routes - Gargraves and/or Atlas Flextrack is great for that.  Gentle curves relieve "visual monotony" of long straight runs. Since the future of MTH is now unclear, their track products may (or may not) be readily available when/if you want/need them.

2)  Find an appropriate place for a double crossover; it will enable traveling from inner to outer loops in both directions.

3)  You showed a reverse loop that can reverse the direction of a train. Get creative with track planning to "hide" a reverse loop so it isn't "obvious."  Mere loops of track with trains moving in unchanging directions soon becomes boring.

4)  An upper loop could be designed with a theme; for example, an all-Christmas area with Dept 56 lighted porcelain buildings and figures. It would be a spectacle for your family and visitors at Christmas time. Some Dept 56 buildings are animated -- they seem like an "echo" of action accessories by Lionel and MTH. Fun for kids to watch!

5)  If you want to incorporate passenger service, create a "downtown depot" and a "rural station" or two so passengers have a reason to travel to/from those places.

6)  Create sidings for industrial buildings and action accessories; give your trains "work to do" just like actual RRs.

Just thinking out loud ... carry on!

Mike Mottler     LCCA 12394

Hooray! another URR fan in the MARC area! Here are a few thoughts, and comments.

1. I re-iterate what was said above about considering Gargraves. P&LE/URR means mills which also means industrial trackage. Industrial trackage is usually nor on a roadbed and often buried in asphalt/concrete/dust.

2. You would be hard pressed to find a straight tangent of track in the Mon Valley. If you did, a large steel trestle was probably involved. Curvy track rules the day

3. different railroads were often separated more by elevation than distance.

4. It was recommended above to hide reversing loops. Very true, although as "everything has a prototype" I believe there was at one point a loop at Browns Dump. (That would be the slag dump, not the current dump at the bottom that was once the great Century III mall 😥 )

5. In the "Amtrak" era, Both the Mon Valley line (PATTrain) and the Brunswick line had RDCs as part of their passenger fleet. Later they each used refurbed coaches (Former C&O and PRR respectively)  in push/pull service using F series diesels. Prior to that, either small B&O passenger trains or go big and run the Capitol Limited.

Given those items, My mind goes to this suggestion. Put a grade on each outer loop to gain some elevation for the back half of the layout. On the right side, continue the curve, to bring the mainline closer to the front of the table by a foot or so, then put a yard behind it. Perhaps model a Steel mill along the wall. The back part of the main can continue more or less to the left wall before dropping back down. Sort of a dogbone, with the left loop bent down.  I would put a mountain on the right side, and would find a way to put a small reversing loop or staging track for the URR in mountain. I would then have it switch onto the inner main in front of the yard, then switch back off as the left side was reached, to a spur for a slag dump

Yeah.. I know I hear people saying that mills were usually at water level, but Irvin works, on the URR, was on a bluff overlooking the Mon.



Attached is a very bad hacking up of your plan with some of some of my ideas.

Attachments

Images (1)
  • change suggestion

Justin, I'm glad you are starting to plan a more permanent layout.  You have a nice sized space for it.  I agree with the suggestions everyone gave above.  As Greg said it is nice to see someone else interested in the URR and P&LE.  Being from Butler County and living there again after a hiatus in West Virginia Western Maryland country, I model WM with an interest in the B&O.  Here in Butler we have the rolling mill turned carbon steel (Armco/AK) so I don't know blast furnace steel mills.  I like Greg's plan, and definitely agree with Chuck in recommending you check out George (G3750) PRR Panhandle 2.0 layout build topic based on Weirton Steel.  George has the room to go all out, but I'm sure there is a lot you can pick up and use.  He lives fairly close to me, so I have been to his place once, and he is a great guy!  I'll look forward to seeing your progress.

I have some general thoughts.    First, in any given space, an around the walls layout will provide more square footage for trains than a table top layout you walk around.     And with the layout against the walls, they can be used to expand scenery with backdrops for the good old PA hills, or for building facades - generally the rears since this usually faced the tracks.    So very large buildings can be represented with very little depth onto the layout.

You might want to also consider what  you want to do with the layout when you get it built.     It is really disappointing to put the last building in place and then think "is this all there is?".     Think about whether you want to just sit back and drink a cold one and watch stuff run round and round, or do you want to do something else like perhaps some operating including freight switching with car cards and waybills or a switchilst.     Neither idea is wrong, but how you want to use the layout when it is assembled does very strongly affect the track plan.   

Steel is big industry.   representing it mostly on the back drop is a big help in O. 

The mention of flextrack is very important.    Seriously consider it.    You want to learn new skills and working with flex track will require some.    However, the advantages of using it will be worth it.   You can be much more flexible in track planning and curve radius.    And brands such as Gargraves look so much better.     Also the less sharp switchers look better and cause less derailments.    And you can more easily put sidings closer together.

I'm not from Butler county, I am from Beaver County to the south.     However, I did work for Armco for the first 3rd of my career and went to Butler works often.    They did make steel, but as mentioned not in a blast furnace.    They had a large "new" electric melt shop.    A lot of their "charge" (or all of it) was scrap but clean scrap so as not to contaminate the steel grades.    They made STainless steel and electrical steel.    Electrical steel is made metallurically and then treated to be much more efficient for such things as motor cores and transformer cores.    It passes the current more readily because the molecules align, and it does not create nearly as much heat which is lost energy,     So modeling that operation, the melt shop would be pretty much enclosed and there are no blast furnaces.

A final thought, I model the area south Pittsburgh also - and rather loosely.     The line down the Monongehela Valley from Pittsburgh south was built as the Pittsburgh, Virginia, and Charlestown RR.    It was taken over and completed by the PRR in 1873 and rolled into the PRR in 1905 (30 years of operations under that name).    So if you are looking for another name, PV&C is a candidate.

I would definitely say take a second look at your track choice. I originally planned to use Atlas and didn't put too much thought into it but ended up switching to Ross switches once I started doing the track design for my steel mill. Ross has really awesome switches/slip switches/curved switches/etc. You can fit a lot more track work into a much smaller space. I bought some Atlas track before this happened so I'm still teetering between Atlas and Gargraves for the tracks. We'll see. Regardless, I would recommend you go back to the design table and see how much more you can accomplish with Ross.

Other than that, this looks to be a cool layout. Can't wait to see it come to life!

@prrjim posted:

I have some general thoughts.    First, in any given space, an around the walls layout will provide more square footage for trains than a table top layout you walk around.     And with the layout against the walls, they can be used to expand scenery with backdrops for the good old PA hills, or for building facades - generally the rears since this usually faced the tracks.    So very large buildings can be represented with very little depth onto the layout.

You might want to also consider what  you want to do with the layout when you get it built.     It is really disappointing to put the last building in place and then think "is this all there is?".     Think about whether you want to just sit back and drink a cold one and watch stuff run round and round, or do you want to do something else like perhaps some operating including freight switching with car cards and waybills or a switchilst.     Neither idea is wrong, but how you want to use the layout when it is assembled does very strongly affect the track plan.  

Steel is big industry.   representing it mostly on the back drop is a big help in O.

The mention of flextrack is very important.    Seriously consider it.    You want to learn new skills and working with flex track will require some.    However, the advantages of using it will be worth it.   You can be much more flexible in track planning and curve radius.    And brands such as Gargraves look so much better.     Also the less sharp switchers look better and cause less derailments.    And you can more easily put sidings closer together.

I'm not from Butler county, I am from Beaver County to the south.     However, I did work for Armco for the first 3rd of my career and went to Butler works often.    They did make steel, but as mentioned not in a blast furnace.    They had a large "new" electric melt shop.    A lot of their "charge" (or all of it) was scrap but clean scrap so as not to contaminate the steel grades.    They made STainless steel and electrical steel.    Electrical steel is made metallurically and then treated to be much more efficient for such things as motor cores and transformer cores.    It passes the current more readily because the molecules align, and it does not create nearly as much heat which is lost energy,     So modeling that operation, the melt shop would be pretty much enclosed and there are no blast furnaces.

A final thought, I model the area south Pittsburgh also - and rather loosely.     The line down the Monongehela Valley from Pittsburgh south was built as the Pittsburgh, Virginia, and Charlestown RR.    It was taken over and completed by the PRR in 1873 and rolled into the PRR in 1905 (30 years of operations under that name).    So if you are looking for another name, PV&C is a candidate.

prrjim hit all the points I would make, most especially regarding what you want to do with the layout once built.

Think about whether you want to just sit back and drink a cold one and watch stuff run round and round, or do you want to do something else like perhaps some operating including freight switching with car cards and waybills or a switchilst.     Neither idea is wrong, but how you want to use the layout when it is assembled does very strongly affect the track plan.

The Plywood Empire Route (a much smaller and less ambitious project than yours) evolved over time into a mostly switching pike because through experience I found this kind of Operating to be most interesting and satisfying for me. It is an around-the-walls layout and watching the train roll is part of the enjoyment but by now if I removed one track switch and turned it into a point-to-point Pike the PER would still retain most of it's character, charm and usefulness for me.

Phew! After a much too long hiatus, I'm finally getting back to the layout planning/building.  Thank you all for the great input.  I know this is going to be pretty ambitious, but I'm definitely up for the challenge.  To start, I've made some decisions in the planning and what I want out of the layout. 

  • Track: Gargraves.  I feel like this is going to be the better way to go.  I can use flex track, I can cut pieces to size to fit. 
  • Switches: Ross, although I don't have any of these on in the deign yet.  I'm open to suggestions on how to integrate a few between the lines.
  • Command System: DCS for now.  I still need to get a system, but I already have a Z-4000 and many Z-1000s.
  • What I want out of the layout: I want to have something with texture and layers.  I'm focused on having a nice urban area thats disconnected from a small town.  Its what I grew up with in the Mon Valley.  This means, I'm probably going to be a looper for the time being.  I also want to have a commuter rail line.  I have the MTH P&LE commuter set that I've ran nearly every year on my Christmas Layout.  I want to be able to connect the small town to the urban area with that.  In the scenery department I really want at least one area that looks like the Mon river along 837.  So I'm channeling some insights from Patrick H's layout.
  • Layout Design: Due to my space constraints, I'm not going to have room for heavy industry.  For that, I'm going to employ some backdrops, and flats.  There may be room in the future for some industry but thats TBD.  I also pulled a lot of inspiration for this from @David K. Simpson's design in his thread.  As soon as I saw the upper and lower level cross over, It made me realize this is what I want to do.  The "high-line" will be 6 inches above the table platform and use an MTH dual track bridge to cross over the "level route."  I'll start the incline about halfway through the curve on the urban side, and have it end the same spot near the town.  Also, I squeezed in 2 more feet of real-estate. Shh.  haha
  • Future Plans: Last night as I was looking over the plan, I realized I may want to work in a small yard/engine service area.  I could probably get 2 more feet of space off the side with the town.  I was thinking just a small 2-3 track area where I could tie off the commuter train and maybe have a few industrial trains that can run on weekends or between revenue runs of the commuter line.  Again, any thoughts on it would be super helpful!


I've attached the new layout plan and some pictures of the space I'm working with.  The one ground rule my wife gave me was she doesn't want it jutting out into the sightline when you look down the stairs, thats why I have the town section more blunted.

Let me know any of your thoughts!  I'm an open book!

Thanks!

Attachments

Images (5)
  • Screen Shot 2021-03-17 at 8.29.09 PM
  • PXL_20210314_031018724
  • PXL_20210314_031036187
  • PXL_20210314_031101533
  • PXL_20210314_031104058
@Greg Nagy posted:

A few resources I forgot to mention yesterday:

PghTrainFanatic's Youtube channel - Western PA theme with a steel mill and a relatively small footprint.

DJ's Trains Youtube channel - CSX engineer that models and provides many resources for modelling the Mon Valley. Works in N scale but lots of useful stuff

Both of the links point to PGHTrainFanatic.  Is this what you intended to include for DJ's trains:  https://www.youtube.com/user/djstrains ?

Justin, Your room looks good.  On the last photograph it looks like paint is flaking off.  Is any of that area moist?  The narrower separation area between the city and suburban town is a good idea.  I think the track plan image is blurry, but my eyes make it blurrier still.  It looks like the rectangle at the right of center leads tracks over top of others.  To the left of that, there are some crossovers, but I can't tell if that is crossings at grade or a bridge.  Growing up and living in Butler County and going to college in Pittsburgh, I will look forward to seeing what you come up with.

I daydreamed a lot of years away without building much past benchwork before we would move somewhere.  Go for it and enjoy it and tear it up and do it again in 3 or 5 years!  My thought is 'Don't let DCS bog you down' - you have 3 independent loops so you can control each just fine with very little technology.  That said, you'll learn so much by doing!  Have a 'bias for action' vs a bias for planning, is what I have learned.  I end up modifying my plans almost immediately when I get into the physical world anyway!

You’re planning on the same bridge as I have in about the same position so I will tell you ahead of time it looks easier on paper than reality. The issue is the supports on either end. To do what you want (which is the same as what I wanted and did) you will end up with all kinds of clearance problems for the trains passing underneath. I had to get creative and adjust the angle of the bridge quite a bit. You have the top level drawn much better than I did but I think you’ll have to shallow out the S curve below. I spent many hours with the upper deck loosely in place while running cars and locos both ways on both lower tracks watching for both mid car and end of loco clearances. I had it where I thought it was perfect and then found out I couldn’t get certain locos to go over the bridge without hitting the sides! I guess my point is, I quickly found out the software will allow you to do many things that just won’t work in the real world. If there’s anything at all I can do to help or pics I can provide please don’t hesitate to reach out as I’d be happy to share my experiences and results. I’m far from the experienced experts here, but quickly realized how steep the bridge clearance learning curve is.

Thanks everyone!  I'm taking Dan's advice and going to bias towards action.  That is literally the kick in the pants I needed! 

@Mark Boyce, @Hannibal-St Joseph RR, and @Tranquil Hollow RR The paint isn't peeling, but we do have a humidity issue in our basement.  The previous owners didn't invest in good basement paint on the walls, so there are some sections that are turning brown.  In prepping the space, I'm going to get some Kilz or Drylock paint and recover the walls in that corner.  I have one dehumidifier on one side of the basement.  I'm thinking of getting at least one more for that side.  I'm also starting to get quotes for a full on water-proofing for our basement, but thats more of a long term thing now. 

@David K. Simpson Thank you for letting me know. I've been looking at the plan for a bit, I think I will straighten out that curve under the bridge.  I also want to build that area into a river crossing scene and I think some of the bridges on the bottom would look better straightened out.  I'm sure

@Greg Nagy Thanks for providing those links! And @Mallard4468, thanks for the DJ trains links.  I've followed PGH Train Fanatic for awhile, and was planning on using his Steel Mill flats (and still may).  I've been watching DJ's videos now all week.  haha.  Also, Greg, it's great to meet another URR fan down here!  My pap worked for the URR for 30 + years.  I spent many years going with him and my grandma to the URR picnics at Kennywood as a kid, hearing a lot of stories from the old timers.  I also have the Bulova Acutron watch he received as gift for his years of service. 

Thanks again everyone!  I'm excited to start the prep on the space and get building in the next week or so

Oh! And Let's go Pens!

Hey everyone!  I wanted to give a short little update.  My bias towards action didn't pan out as I wanted back in April because of some competing priorities with our house and life in general. 

I also have completely scrapped my track plan.  I think, for my first permanent layout, I was getting a bit too ambitious and my sizing requirements kept stretching to the point the CFO of the house said, "you're taking up too much of the basement" haha.   I bought the new OGR book on track plans and found one that literally offers me what I was looking for and is expandable to use my space better.  Huge shout out to @Ken-Oscale for putting all of these together! I've been looking at his plans for awhile now, but never stumbled across this one. I'm going to follow the plans for "The Southern & Pacific RR."  It fits the 16ft wall I originally had been planning on, and will give me room to move around it.  I'll modify some of it since I'll have a city on the left hand side, but I'm going to keep the small sidings and what not on the right to be an industrial area.  To keep with the Pittsburgh/Mon Valley theme, on the hill of the right, I'm going to put in some Steel Mill flats like its on the hill and make it look more industrial there.

I'm also thinking of doing a yard off of that side, down the rest of that wall, and curve it into an area that, right now, is just dead space.  I'm using RBPTrains layout as inspiration on that section.  In that area (which I'll still need to mock out), I plan on putting a little suburb area.  More plans on that in the future!



But things should be going vertical soon.  I'm going to build it in a modular fashion, so if I need to move it, or if we move, I can easily take it down too.



Thanks and happy Friday!



The rights to the picture I attach belong to OGR.  I hope I'm not violating any rules by posting a quick screenshot of the layout plan.

Attachments

Images (1)
  • Annotation 2021-09-10 115006

Haven't been back to this thread for awhile, but please be sure to take care of any issues in the basement - paint (walls and floor), moisture (as Mark observed), electrical, and any other projects - before you start building.  As you design, be sure to allow for access to any pipes, wiring, ductwork, etc. that will be above the layout.  Depending on where you are relative to the stairs and mechanical items, be sure there's room to maneuver a new washer, water heater, or furnace into place.  These are all easy to overlook in the push to build a layout.

I like your idea regarding modular benchwork.  First layout in your first house - you'll almost certainly need to make adjustments down the road.

In addition to the many good layout threads that are mentioned above, a couple of YouTube channels by forum members who are working in similar spaces are:  https://www.youtube.com/user/JDStucks  and https://www.youtube.com/c/RBPTrains.

Keep up the good work.

@mowingman posted:

Nice layout, but I don't think you can put it next to a wall. The 4.5' depth is way too far to reach should the need arise. How will you get the those left and right back corners to do scenery, or rerail a train? I like the plan, but can not see building it against any walls.

Jeff

Thats actually a thought that hasn't crossed my mind.  My plan is to build it against a flat side wall and into a corner.  Luckily, can pull it out from the corner and leave a gap back there to get to that side of the layout.  Also, because of the modular nature I want to build this in, I've been kicking around the can on putting lockable/adjustable castors on the legs.  If I go this route, worst case would be I could possibly roll it out of the corner, fix the area, then roll it back. 

@Mallard4468 posted:

Haven't been back to this thread for awhile, but please be sure to take care of any issues in the basement - paint (walls and floor), moisture (as Mark observed), electrical, and any other projects - before you start building.  As you design, be sure to allow for access to any pipes, wiring, ductwork, etc. that will be above the layout.  Depending on where you are relative to the stairs and mechanical items, be sure there's room to maneuver a new washer, water heater, or furnace into place.  These are all easy to overlook in the push to build a layout.

I like your idea regarding modular benchwork.  First layout in your first house - you'll almost certainly need to make adjustments down the road.

In addition to the many good layout threads that are mentioned above, a couple of YouTube channels by forum members who are working in similar spaces are:  https://www.youtube.com/user/JDStucks  and https://www.youtube.com/c/RBPTrains.

Keep up the good work.

Thanks @Mallard4468!  I've been faithfully following JD Stucks and RBP on Youtube for the last few months to get some ideas.  We're also good going down the route of getting some waterproofing done on the front side of the house (where we have a few issues).  I'll be getting a bigger dehumidifier and putting our smaller one in my wife's office. We've been working on sloping the dirt away from the house, planting water loving plants, and draining out our downspouts away from the house.  So far, so good!

Electrical we're doing as a larger package in the basement (only have 2 outlets down there) now. The area I'm using is, thankfully, pretty free of mechanical items.  Its under the kitchen, but the only things over it are pipes going to the radiators, and water lines to the sink. It should be pretty accessible if any problems arise. Our plumber has told us every time he comes to our house, to never finish our ceilings.  haha

I am going to put in new lighting before I start building.  I'm feeling track lighting that is expandable and I can point the lights to reduce any shadows.  I can also use it to cover the other wall if/when I expand in that direction.



Hopefully, in the next two weeks, I'll be getting the lighting and lumber in (need to get some for a gate project as well)!

Thanks!

Putting the layout on casters is a good idea. I have a small layout in the garage for my grandson. I put casters on it and can roll it back into a corner of the garage, should I need to park a vehicle in there during a hail storm. When we want to use it, I unlock the casters and roll it out into the middle of the space. That way, we can access any side needed, in case of a derailment problem.

Jeff

Hey all! 

I wanted to give a quick update.  This week, the layout is about to go vertical!  I'm switching jobs and decided to take some time off between them to recharge, refocus, and shake off the burnout.  I figured this is the perfect time to get the area prepped, and start putting the benchwork together. 

The benchwork should be pretty straight forward.  I've been going back and forth between L-girder and a 2x4 grid base.  I decided to just go by 2x4s since I've done that type of construction before and I'm planning on building this in a modular fashion in case I need to move it or take it apart. The layout foundation will be 3/4in plywood.

My next decision is going to be using homosote or pink foam insulation as the base.  I've used Homosote before, but I want to add in some rivers, culverts, hills, etc., which makes me think foam is a better way to go.  I'm open to if anyone has suggestions on this.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I'm using the Southern and Pacific RR layout in Ken Hoganson @Ken-Oscale's layout planning book.  I'm planning on modifying it a bit, so I've been working on building it out in Railmodeller Pro.  I'm removing the sidings on the left hand side and in the middle, so I can work on putting together an urban scene on that side and some station/transition buildings to more industrial on the right had side.  I'm hitting a small issue though.  When I built the plan to the specs in the book, Its not fully connecting at some spots.  It also looks like the curves are a little off.  I don't know if this is the difference between Ken using SCARM and I'm using Railmodeller.  I attached a screenshot of my attempt from this morning.  I want to get everything ironed out before I go off and buy the first round of track for the outer loop this week.

Also, I've finally started to inventory all of the trains I have at my parent's house.  My grandfather used to buy me a set or engine or an engine every year for Christmas from about 97 through 2005.  After that, my parents kept doing that even when I went through college.  The rest of my family knew that if they needed to get me a gift, they'd just get me a train car or a gift certificate for a hobby shop.  So, this is what I'm currently going through.  I'm going to cull the herd a bit as I build the layout and bring things down to my house. Best way to get some new items is to part with some old items I won't use, right? 

Thanks everyone!

Attachments

Images (4)
  • Southern and Pac for P&C Full Build_Missing Parts
  • PXL_20211004_011422904
  • PXL_20211004_011426493
  • PXL_20211004_011453678

Tall J, I hope the time between jobs does the trick for you.  Keep in mind 2x4s and 3/4 inch plywood will get heave if you make the modules very large.  Lots of folks have used foam like you are saying.  I have always used Homasote as a track base , cutting out it and even plywood for below track scenery.  The foam will help reduce weight though, for sure.

That is great you have so much from gifts through so many years.  Yes, now that you have matured, your interests have developed to a point, some of those items will probably stay in the box and not be used.  You have some work to do going through it all.  I have found this Forum to be the best place to find buyers who will work with you on price and are honest in their dealings.  Who wants to be black balled from the Forum? 

Hi Tall J, your plan is off a bit, which makes a difference.  The two end-curves should be symmetrical, but yours are at different positions.  One mistake I noticed, is that the left side of the inner-route straight-across (bottom-middle), bridging the middle:  You have only two 1-3/8" sections, while the plan calls for three (two extra in yellow, and one with the turnout in green).

And it looks like at the other end of that same bridging straight section, there are two 1-3/8" sections and a 1-3/4" section.

I used AnyRail, with the tolerance set tight.  So this should work better than you are showing.  I spoke with the AnyRail designer, and he actually measured FasTrack pieces and used those values in his software, rather than Lionel's published.  Manufacturing variances can cause a difference over a large number of sections.  So AnyRail can be very close to actual.  See if you can see what section I am referring to, and revise.

Because I was curious, I took apart the design, and re-assembled it with 1/16" tolerance, zero degree difference tolerance, and it assembled perfectly.

I tried the same diss-assemble and re-assemble, with 1/32" tolerance, and a perfect fit, with AnyRail.

Be advised, that your experience "on the ground" might vary a little bit.  For instance, I noticed that sometimes two 1-3/8" + one 1-3/4" does not match perfectly with a 4.5" section:  Lionel's variation.  Or China variation, if you would rather.

Last edited by Ken-Oscale

@Mark Boyce Thanks!  I'm officially on week 2 of it and have been able to put our classic car in storage, help my mom out around her house, and started whittling down the house project list.  Its like summer vacation all over again! haha. I was worried about the heft as well.  The sections should be manageable.  Ken's plans are great in showing the dimensions for what the tables are.  Right now, there will be two 4x4'6" sections and two 4x3'6" sections.  I also think I'm going to go with Homasote since I've used it before and its actually in stock at our local HD.  I'm also taking your advice.  Once I get everything sorted and what not, I'm going to use the forum to sale a lot of it first.  Then move on to that auction site or a train show.  I've also given some items to a friend of the family's 7 year old grandson who is more a train nut than even me! haha



@Ken-Oscale Thank you so much!  I knew it was probably a PICNIC (problem in chair, not in computer) situation.  I really appreciate how much time and detail you put into these plans and your book has been an absolute blast to go through and learn from.  I went through the plan with your notes and fixed all of the problems I was hitting.  I do see one or two tolerance issues.  After I went through it, I did find one area down around the cross-over on the right hand side on the inner loop.  I think its another tolerance issue, but when I put it together, I had to use two 1 3/4 sections instead of the three 1 3/8 sections.  Again, may just be a me issue.

Thanks again!

Attachments

Images (1)
  • Southern and Pacific Variation 3 for P&C

Alright!  Time for an update.  Saws to wood, screws to pocket holes, we're on our way! I'm shocked that I was able to bring home the majority of the wood in my Grand Cherokee.  I missed having our station wagon, but the Jeep was up for the task!

As I mentioned before, I'm building this in 4 modules.  Two are 4'x4'6" and the other two are 4'x3'6".  I've got all of the base frames done, and all 20 legs cut.  The basement area is also all cleaned out.  After I blow/rake the leaves and chase the baby snakes out of our back yard, I'm going to bring the platforms in to the basement and start mounting the legs and plywood top, then Homasote.  I've actually hit my plan nearly dead on and have very little left over wood and wood waste!  Big win there.  Last things I need to figure out is the leveler/castor situation for the floor.PXL_20211129_175042406PXL_20211129_203121489PXL_20211130_185919904PXL_20211129_220412440

PXL_20211130_195624322PXL_20211201_185954977PXL_20211201_225441584

I've also started purchasing track for the build.  I recently bought some off of a forum member.  So if you're selling some used Fastrack, hit me up!  I'll also be at the Greenburg Show in Timonium, MD on Sunday.  If anyone is going, let me know!  I'd love to meet some forum members.

One quick question.  I followed the template I used on my previous Christmas layouts, but I'm worried about the structural rigidity of the bigger modules.  I'm thinking of adding some additional supports in those sections.  I have some mock ups on one of the sections.  What do you all think? Is building it a little more like studs the way to go, or is there a better way to go about it?

PXL_20211201_224846475

Thanks!  I'm hoping to get some more updates in soon.

Attachments

Images (8)
  • PXL_20211129_175042406
  • PXL_20211129_203121489
  • PXL_20211129_220412440
  • PXL_20211130_185919904
  • PXL_20211130_195624322
  • PXL_20211201_185954977
  • PXL_20211201_225441584
  • PXL_20211201_224846475

Looking good! You are off! I see you haven't painted the walls yet, but I assume you are planning to. A lot of guys paint the floor joists above black which makes the ceiling disappear. This is a bit of work though, and if you are planning on eventually selling the house, maybe not advisable. A drop ceiling is ideal, but I completely understand the desire to get something running.

Last edited by Will
@RSJB18 posted:

Welcome to the forum Tall J. Looks like you've made a good start. The additional bracing on the modules might be a bit of belts and suspenders but it's your RR your Rules. Just remember to drill holes for the wiring before putting the tops on. You will glad you did when you are under the table doing the wiring.

Bob

Yes Justin, the alternative to the holes in the cross braces is to fasten plastic wire clamps to each cross member and run wires through them.  I have already ran more wires than I ever did on a layout and, next time I think I'll go with the holes drilled in the wood like Bob suggested.  Regardless which way you go, plan for more wires than you would think you will need - lots of holes or clamps. 

Time for a post-holiday update!

The benchwork is officially wrapped up! The last pieces of Homasote were just attached.  I had a bit of an issue making sure its level since the basement floor was unsurprisingly un-level.  But its done!  I missed my goal of getting trains running by the first of the year, but I'm ok with that.  Since we're officially in the throws of winter, I think I'll be progressing pretty quick otherwise.

I built everything in the modules and tied it together with 1/2in lag bolts.  I put levelers on the legs but skipped the castors for now.  I also put in wire passthroughs in all of the 2x4s.  I'm going to take Mark's approach and use the plastic wire holders under it as well.

Also, shout out to Mark Boyce and Calvin on the deals on Fastrack!  I officially have all of the track necessary for the outer loop and a good bit of it for the inner loop.  I think I'm almost down to just the switches now.

Now the fun begins!

Attachments

Images (8)
  • PXL_20211216_012437461
  • PXL_20211216_004611417
  • PXL_20211229_000330707
  • PXL_20211228_220740493
  • PXL_20211227_200238758
  • PXL_20220105_002451908
  • PXL_20220105_002504612
  • PXL_20220105_002508807

Justin, the benchwork looks great!  That is good you drilled wire pass-through holes in the cross members.  I did not, and it meant I had to put in up to 3 plastic wire holders in some places.  However, they are all at the very front of the cross members making wire pulling fairly easy sitting on my roll around stool in the aisle.  I'm glad you got all the Fastrak you needed.  Buying O gauge track all new for even a modest sized layout can run into a lot of money.

Looks great. I'm interested in the same track plan for future expansion. Starting with a 4x8 now, but could see going to a longer setup like this in the future. Or one of Ken's L-shape designs, also on the table for future expansion. But not until I get my basement water under control - normally dry, but a very heavy rain (typically once a year type event) will see some water seep in through the floor/wall joints. My basement is close to 1,500 sqft, and I'm getting quotes around $9,000 to install interior french drain with two sumps around the entire perimeter.

@MarkVB posted:

I am also following this with interest. My bench work is remarkably similar at 6x16 that narrows to 4 ft in the center. Different track and switches but I am still learning a lot from this thread.

Mark

Do you squeeze O-72 into the ends? I like the idea of an O-72 dog bone shape if space allows...or if not, at least getting out to beyond O-54 which accommodates a lot of scale equipment.

@VJandP posted:

Great work! This looks awesome. I’m in a similar scenario so will be following your updates.   Question… how tall is the bench?   Looks like the track will be around 40” from the floor?

Not to takeover another thread, but since we are following each other as well, I used 36" legs which makes my table height 37". Which actually feels like a comfortable height for me, since I'm not terribly tall, but I could see going 4-6" higher than that, as well, depending on one's height and reach, or preferred viewing angle.

Thanks Everyone!  I'm still kind of in shock its up and ready for track.  I do have a few things I failed to mention in my original post.  I have an electrician coming tomorrow to get all of the outlets installed in the basement.  Right, now, the entire thing only has 2 outlets, not including our dryer outlet. My wife's home office, which is right next to the layout gets its power from a power strip in an extension cord.  So, we're putting in 9 new outlets throughout the basement and 2 on the exterior of our house.  I'm also going to install some track lights by the layout over the next few weeks.

One thing I'd love to get input on is the right amount of grade to raise the back loop.  Right now, I'm thinking to start the grade about halfway through the curve, and then have it hit the level I want it at (about 4-6 inches) at about the 4-5 linear foot mark. I need to do some math to get the grade right, but my goal is to add in the Lionel Truss bridge in the back for some dynamic site lines and a stream area. Any thoughts on it are welcome!

@VJandP The legs are 36in.  With the levelers and the table top height, its probably close to 38-39 in or so.  I can measure it next time I'm downstairs.  I'm about 6'6 and can easily reach the back of the table. I didn't want something too low that my back will hurt every time I lean over to do something, or something too high.  After messaging a few folks on IG, I settled on 36in.  Plus I can add a second level off to the left hand side because...thats right, I left some room for expansion.

@MarkVB  Happy to have you aboard this journey! I may do some tweaking here and there, but hopefully I'm not cutting any more wood....for at least a few months.  haha

@GregK Ken has some absolutely amazing layout templates.  I studied a lot of his before I finally went with this one.  Had I used a different area, I probably would've done his version of the 1957 Lionel Catalog layout. I do hear you about waterproofing.  We're in the midst of getting estimates for our house.  We only have 1 wall that has a problem right now, but we don't have any sump pumps.  I think we'll take a phased approach to installing it.  I'm hoping extending the gutters and installing rain barrels help abate the issues.

I've hit my goal! I wanted to get a loop of track down and test the Fastrack before MLK weekend. Success! I put the outer loop up, minus the switches (still need to order those) and hooked a few leads up to an MTH terminal block. To test it, I used a Lionel NH ALCO set that I saved up, which seemed for ever, to get back when I was a kid. The passenger cars were a Christmas gift from my dad that year too. It probably hasn't been on the rails in 20-25 years. One side note: when I put the full vista dome car on, the car itself buzzes and nothing else gets power. I'm going to take it apart and see whats going on it.

Here are a few pics and a video.

Attachments

Images (4)
  • PXL_20220109_154140457
  • PXL_20220109_160148778
  • PXL_20220109_174327826
  • PXL_20220109_174625655

Hey everyone! Happy Sunday!

I thought it would be a good day for an update! I've been working on thinking through what the grade would be and how to build it.  After thinking of a million different ways, I realized, go the P-A-Y route instead of the DIY route and order the Woodland Scenics riser kit.  Voila! I ordered the 4% grade risers, and then 4in platform risers.  I haven't glued anything down yet as I'm still mulling over my next question and acquiring track.

I'm debating on putting. 1in layer of foam down on top of the homasote for scenery purposes.  I know as far as cons, its harder to get the track to screw in and tie in. I think the foam could be good for cutting out inlays where the buildings will go and give me some flexibility in cutting in a river/stream that will run from the back of the layout down towards the front.  What is everyone's thought on that? I keep going back and forth and would love some insights.

I've also tested out the majority of the engines I have at my house so far, and they can all transverse it.  Here are some pictures and a quick video!



Attachments

Images (4)
  • PXL_20220123_164027724
  • PXL_20220128_130438071
  • PXL_20220129_161108486
  • PXL_20220129_161751003

Justin, the layout looks great as you tested it out before fastening things down.  I used the 4% risers and found that I had to taper the top of the grade and shim the bottoms for gradual transitions for my small steam engines to handle it,  The pilots would touch the rails at the bottom the grades causing a short circuit, and the pilot wheels would lift off the rails at the top of the grades causing derailments.  Initially I didn't have any trouble with my 4 axel diesels.  My track that is at the lowest level is right on the Homasote.  I'm just cutting out sections of Homasote for below grade scenery.  Then I am stacking Styrofoam up to fill in scenery above the lowest level of track.

Your video says it is private.  You can probably see it, but need to make it public for us to see.

@Tall J posted:

...I'm debating on putting. 1in layer of foam down on top of the homasote for scenery purposes.  I know as far as cons, its harder to get the track to screw in and tie in. I think the foam could be good for cutting out inlays where the buildings will go and give me some flexibility in cutting in a river/stream that will run from the back of the layout down towards the front.  What is everyone's thought on that? I keep going back and forth and would love some insights....



Putting foam over the homasote on the entire layout would defeat the purpose of using homasote in the first place - sound deadening and screw holding.  Keeping track solidly in place on foam requires glue, which will add work if/when you want to reuse the track. 

Depending on how the underlying framework was built, you may be able to cut openings for a river.  You can also add foam on top of the homasote in selected areas to build up the scenery.  You can "plant" buildings by adding plaster/joint compound/etc. around the bases.

Hey Everyone! How about a midweek update.

I've got some good

I've got some bad

And some questions

First, the good. Things have progressed really quickly around here.  I officially have 99% of all of the track that I need (still deciding if I'm going to add 1 more switch and 1 more siding) and was able to complete both loops and can officially trains on both. A big shout out to the forum members that sold me track and to Star Hobbies in Annapolis, MD, Mario's Trains, and Engine House Hobbies where I was able to get the last bits of my track.  Here are a few pics of the progress getting everything together. I've been running my MTH Railking GG1 beer train set, and have found a few more reefers while I've been inventorying everything. Again, all of this is currently temporary while I was mocking it up.  More to come on that in the "bad" section.





So, now onto the bad.  My wife an I pulled the trigger to get waterproofing done in our basement. Initially, it was going to be done in a phased approach, but we're moving forward with getting the whole basement done. What this means, is I'm going to have to take the layout down during construction. That shouldn't be too bad considering its built modularly and nothing is nailed down or permanently wired. The worse part is this:

We're going to finish the basement, so I need change the configuration of the layout into an L and tuck it back into the corner that I showed back in the beginning of this epic. I had this in mind when I started down this path. In the Track layout book there is a corner variation for this layout. I've been working on trying to get this figured out, but am stumped on the dimensions for the back corner. @Ken-Oscale Would you be able to give some details on the corner variation? I've tried to build it out in Railmodeller Pro, but haven't had any luck. It looks like its only a 2x2 section which would work PERFECTLY, but if its not, I may have to try to get it to that.

Looking on the brightside here, if the dimensions DO work out, I have a really cool idea for a trolley line that would go through a residential area with two long spur sidings off of the lower left corner *fingers crossed*.

As far as my questions go, I'm planning on using DCS (when I find / buy a system). I've heard / read about the star wiring pattern that gives the best signal. I'm planning on doing drops ever 3-4 feet on the Fastrack (soldered into the connectors), but was back and forth between that and running a bus wire. Is there any draw back of using the bus with DCS or not?



Thanks for reading! Hopefully I'll have more updates soon!

Attachments

Images (5)
  • mceclip0
  • mceclip1
  • mceclip2
  • mceclip3
  • mceclip4

Justin, Nice looking work as you fit everything together temporarily.  Well, now is the time to get all the waterproofing done and finishing the basement to what you want for the rest of the time you are in the house.  I run DCS and used star wiring.  I have read here that some folks have used bus wiring and didn't have trouble, but others did have trouble and had to rewire their layout.  I wouldn't want to risk that.

Good luck Justin. The waterproofing is the way to go. I am doing ours in a few months. Until then it’s just a 4x8 for me. Probably expanding after that to a larger temporary layout once I know I won’t have water in the basement again. Then in 1-2 years finishing a large portion of the basement. Then construction on the permanent layout will begin. I pitched a 22x17 L or a 22x13 U to my wife with a track plan similar to @Chris1985 (RBPTrains) and I was met with… let’s just say some resistance. But I’ll get it. 😁

@Mark Boyce Thanks! I've gone back and forth so much, but I feel like I should probably go star pattern. I also have two MTH terminal blocks so I guess it makes sense to do it anyway.

@GregK I'm actually pretty excited for the waterproofing. Its expensive as all get out, but its going to be the base we need to finish the space. They're going to take off all of the old paint, put in the internal french drain, 2 sump pumps, fix the one weak spot, and cover the walls with a protective vapor barrier.  The nice thing is, once we get it all finished and if the layout can go into the corner, we're going to put in a hang out space next to it, so it'll become more a center piece of the room.

Long time since an update and no time like the present!

A lot has happened since the last update.  Sadly, the layout is fully put away right now. Track is stored in tubs, and the tables are still apart., but we have a dry basement! Waterproofing is a super intensive project. We lived with an open trench for over a week while waiting on a county inspector to come before the contractor could seal everything up.  Here are a few pictures of the project.  Essentially, they cut out 20in from the wall, buried an interior french drain in the channel, installed two battery backed up sump pumps, vapor board, and a full vapor barrier wrap of the basement walls. The downside, we're still cleaning / dusting the basement. . Here are some pictures of the project.

The upside is its given us a lot more clarity of what we want to do to the basement. Our plan is that we're going to finish the basement ourselves starting this fall and winter.  If all goes according to plan, we'll only have to sub out electrical. Now, you're probably wondering how does the layout play into this. Originally, I was going to build my layout in this little semi-finished room in our basement (11.5 x 14). We decided that it would be best suited to be her office. Now with the basement finishing in play, and her going into the office 3 days a week, that room is going to be designated as the train room! In the next few days, I'm going to move the modules into that space and plan out building out a new module. I included a picture of the corner: I'm using 060 and 048 curves to make it work. If my measurements are correct, it'll add a nice space for some dynamic scenery in that area. It also gives me an idea for a uniquely western PA module off the curved section at the bottom.  More to come on that once I get everything else in place

Oh! And how about some train pics to keep this on topic!

Attachments

Images (11)
  • mceclip0
  • mceclip1
  • mceclip2
  • mceclip3
  • mceclip4
  • mceclip5
  • mceclip6
  • mceclip7
  • mceclip8
  • mceclip9
  • mceclip10

Well worth it Justin. Mine are going in the end of June. Going to be a big mess and a ton of work prepping the basement. Started putting my trains away as well. Tho life and work have been priorities so I’m off the train bandwagon for a little while. Maybe pre-orders will rekindle me later this year. At least the basement will be dry by then too.

Good luck with the rest of the project. I like the L. That’s basically a L variant of the initial plan right?

@Mark Boyce posted:

Justin, I'm sorry you had to get the interior French drains put in.  My mother-in-law had to get that done a number of years ago.  Corners had been cut when the place was built, and the homeowner had to pay the price a few years later.  Your layout plan looks good.  I'll look forward to seeing your progress when the time comes.

Thanks Mark! I actually am happy we invested this money.  I grew up in a house that always had a leak running through the basement and it completely unusable outside of a deep freezer, laundry, and a shower stall. I'm happy with the results so far.  We got about 2 inches of rain over the weekend, and the sump pumps did their job.  Our dehumidifier is also running a lot less (only emptying it a few times a week vs almost once every other day) and is keeping a constant humidity between 50-60. On the layout, I'm hoping to get the modules into the room and mocked up in the next few weeks so I can work on it during any rain spells. Hopefully my other project doesn't eat up too much time either

@GregK posted:

Well worth it Justin. Mine are going in the end of June. Going to be a big mess and a ton of work prepping the basement. Started putting my trains away as well. Tho life and work have been priorities so I’m off the train bandwagon for a little while. Maybe pre-orders will rekindle me later this year. At least the basement will be dry by then too.

Good luck with the rest of the project. I like the L. That’s basically a L variant of the initial plan right?

Fully agree! Good luck on your project. My biggest piece of advice, get as much out of the basement as you can before it starts.  It'll be a dusty mess afterwards. And take the time to do some super thorough cleaning.

Thanks! It's just the L variant. Luckily, this new room fits it MUCH better than me trying to squeeze it in the other space.

Long time, no update! Between a super busy spring, my Jeep project taking a lot of my mental capacity, work travel, and a tree limb falling into our garage, I finally got some time to start moving modules!

This won't be a big update, but, HOPEFULLY, by the end of today, I'll have all of the modules in the new train room and can start building out the last section and get the last bits of track. This thread is going to help me be accountable, so feel free to challenge me to get it done.

My main constraint right now is how to give enough room to the sump pump + battery back-up. I should have enough room, but I just want to make sure I can get to if needed.

Current status:

Train room: loading.......

Attachments

Images (1)
  • mceclip0

@Mark Boyce Its all a learning experience right? And at least now it pushes me to get the Jeep done to get out of the garage and my garage gets a nice little make over and roof! haha (Gotta look on the bright side, right?) And right? This wasn't a problem just a few months ago, but I think I have a solution to the prob



@RSJB18. You hit the nail on the head. Ultimately, I may build this module with just 1x4 to make it light. I'll be bolting it to the other two modules, with the goal of making it so IF I ever need to get to the sump pump, I can remove it pretty easily.  I'm also leaving it off the wall on that side incase I need to get to the battery. I actually may start working on it this afternoon.



As a quick update, I think I have the finalized track plan for the Corner Variation.  This is adding a 42x55 module (in blue) to connect to two pieces.  I spent about a few hours making sure I could make O-48 curves work on all of the pieces, and I did! I also added an extra passenger siding in the lower right hand corner. I think it would be fun to park some extra cars, or the RDC Budd cars I have on there.



And this is what I want the true future of the layout to be. This will be an extra little staging yard and above that, I will put a level of houses that will have a trolley track run in front of them.  Ultimately, the trolley track will go into the "down town" area to connect it. The thought is to use super streets and a Z stuff controller for the trolley. I may also try to blend in an abandoned coke oven scene by the staging tracks. Heres the vaporware version of it!



Attachments

Images (2)
  • mceclip0
  • mceclip1

Hey Everyone! I wanted to give a little update.

All of the modules are officially in the newly christened Train Room. I'm currently working on spacing them properly and aligning them up. I still need to build the 5th module, but the track plan will work with O48 curves. I need to decide my construction style for the new module. I want it to be light weight so I can lift it out if I need to get to the sump pump, so should it be 1x4s with additional buttressing in the corners or do I just stick with how I currently built the rest (2x4s)? I'm open for thoughts here.



I also put in some new investments in the pike as well. I was able to snag a Fastrack Truss bridge off of Facebook marketplace for a great deal. I've been playing around with it because I don't have any track yet, but it looks amazing and I can't wait to get it on the full build.

The other big addition was I pre-ordered the new DCS system from @MrMuffin'sTrains. I missed out on a used DCS system with a remote a few months ago for a steal of a price and really want to have DCS capability on my layout. I figured, by the time they come in, I should be at the point where I'm wiring blocks and running trains.



Attachments

Images (3)
  • mceclip0
  • mceclip1
  • mceclip2

Justin, the truss bridge looks great!!!

Are you referring to the blue module on the track plan that needs to be lifted out for access to the sump pump?  If so, it looks to be 4 feet by 4-1/2 feet.  It would be too unwieldy for me to lift out with the modules on two sides and the walls on the other two sides.  Of course I am pushing 66, have an artificial knee, rods and pins in my back, and arthritis in my hands.    I would have to make it in two pieces even if I used 1x3s.  It doesn't look like there is room for two people to get at it to lift.  All that to say, please explain your plan for removing it, since I think I am missing something.  Not uncommon for me. 

I have a Fastrack truss bridge on my layout and it's a great focal point! Glad you were able to find one to incorporate into your layout.

Looks like you have lots of space around the layout - why not just put the whole thing on casters and roll it out of the way for access to the sump pump?

@Mark Boyce I'm actually still brain storming that. It may come down to just adding casters. I was thinking about maybe building it in two sections and trying to get fancy with things like hinges and pulleys.



To @Mike0289's point, casters were part of my original thought. The big issue was we have a really uneven floor in the basement. I put leveling feet on each leg which has been perfect. I also could not find leveling casters anywhere that weren't a months long wait or insanely expensive.

My challenge would still be cost (20-24 legs). I'm seeing 4 packs of casters at $40, which would mean I'd need 6 packs at a minimum, so I'd be looking at $240 just in casters.  I'm open to suggestions on casters too. I may need to think this through a little more.

I put casters on my 4x8 and it makes it so easy to slide around the basement if needed. I did use one of those caster sets from Amazon. They do get a little pricey but it’s a convenient option if you can make it work with the floor leveling. Just run all locomotives with speed control so those inadvertent grades won’t matter. 😂

Where are you thinking about incorporating the bridge? I thought it might be a little tricky with that plan as is. Would it fit? Or were you thinking of adding an elevated line somewhere?

A lot has happened, but it still doesn't feel like much.

First off. I realized something about the new room: The floor is actually much more even than I originally thought. Like, almost dead even where I need it to be. After 2 months of fits and starts (and a 2 week trip to Scandinavia in the middle of it), I finally got the casters on every table leg. I ended up replacing the adjustable feet with casters and this has made my life so so so easy! I should've done this from the beginning



The second, and probably most detrimental thing is the layout design. After going back and forth, and getting a little overwhelmed by having to build more benchwork, my wife said "why don't you try to build something with what you have?" I was so hyper focused on a more detailed, larger plan, that I was missing out on the joy of actually running trains. So, with that, I scooted the modules around, and went to RailModeller, and....Voila! Version 5 of the layout. haha

It uses all of the existing modules, but adds in the Fastrack Truss Bridge, 3 Fastrack girder bridges, and one I'll need to build one bridge.  The new goal will be to add a river scenery module under the bridges there to make a pretty cool scene with some depth.  Here are a few pictures of the new track plan, and what it looks like in the room.  The best part, I've got enough room to get to the sump pump and can even roll the layout away from it if needed. Win, Win, Win!



Attachments

Images (3)
  • mceclip3
  • mceclip4
  • mceclip5

I'm writing this as I hear a CSX freight passing by our house on the Camden Line towards Baltimore.

Big progress on the layout! I was able to finally get all of the track pieces in place, risers, bridges, and bridge placeholders. I'm really like the shape the layout is taking. I haven't been able to run any trains yet, but I'm hoping to have some power running to the pike tomorrow. Here are some pics of everything in place.

My next project is going to be wiring. Before I start drilling holes and running wires under the layout, I'm going to draw out a good schematic on where each drop is going to happen, and the direction of them going to the to be designed control panel. I'll be running DCS via the WTIU, whenever they ship from MTH. I don't have the system yet, but I'm planning with that in mind.  I'd love to see some suggestions / pictures of wiring panels and some best practices. Wiring terrifies me, but I really want to do it right (and be super organized in doing it). I think I've got the majority of my supplies in. I just need to get some wire strippers and terminal blocks.

Attachments

Images (5)
  • mceclip0
  • mceclip1
  • mceclip2
  • mceclip3
  • mceclip4

The layout is coming along nicely.  One note of caution about the unopened roll of wire you have pictured.  The brand name on it indicates it may be CCA (copper clad aluminum). It is typically less expensive than pure copper, but is not recommended for train wiring.

While I don't personally have experience using CCA wire, GunRunnerJohn strongly recommends against using it.  If it's unopened, you may still be able to return it and find something else more suitable.  There are lots of other good choices.

@SteveH posted:

The layout is coming along nicely.  One note of caution about the unopened roll of wire you have pictured.  The brand name on it indicates it may be CCA (copper clad aluminum). It is typically less expensive than pure copper, but is not recommended for train wiring.

While I don't personally have experience using CCA wire, GunRunnerJohn strongly recommends against using it.  If it's unopened, you may still be able to return it and find something else more suitable.  There are lots of other good choices

Happy Friday everyone!

Thanks, @SteveH!  That's a great call out. I actually never thought of checking. Something is going back to the big A-warehouse this weekend.

Thanks @Mark Boyce! I definitely want to do this right and plan it out. When I planned out the bench work I had under a foot of scrap wood. I like efficiency and cutting waste in projects. I guess my wife has rubbed off on me.

On the wiring front, what is the suggested gauge wiring when using DCS and Fastrack? I've seen a lot of recommendations for 14 gauge, but it's too big to fit in the .110 female wire connectors I need to attach under the track. Would 16 gauge work, or is it too small?

Here is a quick, really really rough sketch out of the wiring schematic (if you can call it that, more like chicken scratch).

PXL_20221105_003014373

Another Q: I currently have a new WTIU on order from @MrMuffin'sTrains.  I never planned on an AIU, but I'm considering it. Do you all think it's worthwhile? I see the benefits of using it for switches but I can easily build a control panel for them (only 8 total on the pike).

Lastly, I took a trip to Engine House Hobbies in Gaithersburg, MD and picked up a URR gondola I haven't seen in the wild before.

PXL_20221104_235714388

Here is to getting some wires down this weekend and trains running before the work week hits.

Attachments

Images (2)
  • PXL_20221105_003014373
  • PXL_20221104_235714388

The recommendation for 14 gauge minimum pertains to bus wiring.  Assuming you plan to use a star wiring scheme with dedicated home runs, in my novice understanding of DCS wiring, I believe 16 gauge wiring should be fine given the size of your layout.  Others with greater DCS knowledge can confirm or deny my supposition.

To able to use larger than 16 gauge with Faston connectors you'd need to either change to the 187 series (or larger) or alternatively step down the wire's size just before the 110 Faston connector.  For what it's worth, I've found that even the 250 series (1/4 inch) without the shroud around the connector end will fit into the FasTrack tab and make a secure connection.

See page 8 of the following resource for compatible wire gauges and ampacity of Faston connectors:

TE Connectivity Faston Connectors

Last edited by SteveH

Very nice layout design.

I am building a similar size layout with Fastrack and the same bridge. The wiring design is very similar also.  I have two loops powered with a 180w Lionel brick for each.  I installed both DCS and TMCC.  The TMCC will eventually be replaced with a new Base 3 when shipped.  I used the same power blocks you have, one for each loop and wired it in the star pattern that was recommended in Berry's  DCS book.  The wire I used was 16g solid copper black and red insulated speaker wire.  Made it easier to run the wires since they're joined together.  I have been satisfied with the results so far.  Plenty of power.

To minimize flickering and future problems, I did take the time to practice some and solder a 22g jumper wire between most pieces of Fastrack when I installed it.  The main reason is my design required me to use many 1 3/8" and 1 3/4" track pieces.  They have a history of current issues over time.  By soldering a jumper between them I could Guarantee continuity and significantly reduce the number of drops necessary to give consistent power.

I have been very pleased with the results.  Passenger cars that used to flicker constantly on my temporary layout have no noticeable flickering now on the new layout, even through the switches and crossing.

Hey all! Thanks for the wiring suggestions.  I ended up going with copper stranded 16ga. Its pretty easy to get at Lowes (they don't sell it in spools though, but I can live with that). Its been super easy to work with too. I also picked up 2 tools that have made my life much much easier. The first, is an Irwin self-adjusting wire stripper. It easily strips wires and my hands aren't killing me after I strip them. Net positive too: they're consistent strips. The second is a ratcheting crimping tool. Quick and easy crimps of the connectors, and I feel like I barely mess any up or not get them on tight enough. Highly recommend the investment in both of these for any wiring "fun."

So how about a layout update! As I mentioned, I'm elbows deep in wiring. I have the stand alone module done, and connected to the terminal blocks. I also have the Fastrack bridge wired in with a power drop on both bridge abutments. I'm partially around the 2nd module, and hopefully, tomorrow I'll get the rest of it wired up. I still need to figure out my switch control panel, but I have ideas for that and just need to get a few small pieces of wood or MDF. Here are some pics!

I was able to FINALLY pick up an engine on my bucket list! I was able to find an MTH Premier P&LE GP38-2 (20-2665-1) at Toy Exchange in Mt. Airy, MD.  I'm really excited to get it on the layout. I was also at home over the weekend and pulled out the two MTH 6-car 2 bay P&LE Coal hopper sets, an extra MTH P&LE 3 bay hopper, an Atlas P&LE box car, and an MTH P&LE caboose, all of which I brought back in a tub on Amtrak. I've always wanted to pull those cars behind the GP38-2 or the U28Bs MTH made.  Now I've got one of them and am on the hunt for the others. Maybe I'll be luckily and find them at York in April.

Oh, and some light reading came in this weekend too.

Attachments

Images (11)
  • mceclip0
  • mceclip1
  • mceclip2
  • mceclip3
  • mceclip4
  • mceclip5
  • mceclip6
  • mceclip7
  • mceclip8
  • mceclip9
  • mceclip10

Hey everyone! Happy Thanksgiving. I wanted to give some updates on how the layout is coming along.

First off, I've got a name change for the layout. I'm going to be calling this version the Riverdale, Pittsburgh, & Western (RDP&W). I feel like its a good mash-up of my life now, where I grew up, and everything in between. As I mentioned back in my first post, I want to focus on the P&LE where my great-grandfather worked for 49.5 years; the Union Railroad, where my grandfather worked for 33 years; the B&O who my paternal grandfather was the time keeper for in Connellsville, PA; the Chessie System, and CSX.

So welcome to the rechristened RDP&W!

After a mad dash last week, I'm FINALLY able to run trains on the pike! All of the track is officially wired in and I've got trains running, with only 2 issues (which I'll get to in a minute). The goal was to be able to run trains by Thanksgiving since we were hosting all of our friends with some of their kids. The train room was a BIG hit, and I'm pretty sure our friend's son did not want to leave. haha

Here are some pics:

Building out the P&LE coal consist while watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

All 12 coal cars on, pulled by the new GP38-2. In the background you'll see a B&O Railking Passenger excursion train.

Just posing with some cars in the yard. A lot of Pittsburgh tributes here with the P&LE consist, the US Steel bridge and the URR coil car. The Tropicana car is for the juice train that runs by our house every day.

Just a cool shot I took this morning when I went into the basement.

And a short video!

Now, onto the issues I'm having. I outlined them in this thread, but the tl;dr is my O-60 switches on the outerloop are causing passing trains to ride up on their front trucks, and then the switch triggers and the rest of the train comes onto the inner loop. I've also had the front truck go through, and then the back truck ride up on the switch making a really fun drifting scenario. I've tested this with my Railking RDC Budd cars and a Lionel Alco engine. Here are some pics and a video of whats happening. I pulled them off the layout for guests, but I want to get these fixed ASAP and to start scenery and work on the mess that where my switch throws are hanging down.

Attachments

Images (7)
  • mceclip0
  • mceclip1
  • mceclip2
  • mceclip3
  • mceclip4
  • mceclip5
  • mceclip6

Justin, you did a great job getting things running for Thanksgiving!  It looks great!  The boy not wanting to leave is priceless!

The name change sounds good, how does Riverdale fit in?  You have a great railroad heritage in your family!

I have a question about the switch that isn’t working right.  Why is the light blinking before the train gets there?  I don’t remember that they blink. 🫡 Maybe that is a clue.  🤷‍♂️

Justin- congrats on the maiden run! Nice that you set a goal and were able to stick to it. I like the name you chose and your family railroading history.

On to the switch- from the video and stills, it appears that the points are floating out away from the outer rail causing the derailments. I've never dissected a FT switch but I'm sure others will chime in with their comments and advice.

Keep up the good work.

Bob

I have similar behavior on one of my FT O48 switches. I haven’t diagnosed it but it looks very similar to this. Not sure if it can be fixed or if the switch is just out of tolerance and a new one is required. Might be easiest to just swap it out and see if that does the trick. Maybe there is a Black Friday discount to get a few bucks off somewhere. 😊 Great progress, too. Between my cyclical interest in my hobbies and family life the trains are on the back burner now, but if the bug strikes me again I may pursue a similar track plan. It’s a good size for a modest space and keeps it interesting. I know you modified one of Ken’s plans… I have to read through the thread again and see what you changed.

Thanks everyone! Its been a real labor of love. I still need to work on the O-60 switches and get those reinstalled, but I needed a break, and works been crazy. I also need to put some jumpers in between a few pieces around the switches on the inner loop, but other than that, everything has been running great.

I'm going to set up a test track and work on them to make sure all is well before I reach out to Lionel about them. I haven't even had them a year so I hope something isn't wrong with them.

@Mark Boyce Thanks! Riverdale is where my wife and I bought a house back in 2020.

@Dave_C Thats what was happening. The tracks don't want to seat tightly against the rails causing the engines to jump tracks.

@RSJB18 Thank you! This too is a great call out.

@GregK If you ever want the track plan, I can send it over! I changed a good bit and have a few variations for the corner. This one is shorter and uses a different table layout.

Happy New Year everyone! It was a busy December with a lot of work travel and family time, but I finally got some time to work on the layout. I was able to work on my O-60 switches and have them working pretty well. One is stubborn and doesn't want to switch, but I don't have the problem of them jumping tracks now. One of them needed to have the switch indicator tab adjusted, and both took a little brute force (i.e. bending with pliers) but they're now true!

After an unexpected detour to take my mom back to Pittsburgh after Christmas (*shakes fist at Southwest*), I was able to pick up 99% of the buildings I have for the layout. The last thing I really want to bring back is my Lionelville Fire Station. The one thing I'm missing is the bottom plug / connector and Lionel nor any of the places that would have the parts have been able to help me out I may need to figure an alternative system out for it, which I'm open to.

The next phase of the layout is urban planning and scenery. I've been buying some scenery materials in prep for this phase, but I want to make sure I have a solid plan for where things are going to go. I've enlisted the help of my wife, who is an urban planner, to help plan where the buildings will go. We have a rough plan of where the city area will go and how to build the upper urban area (leveraging a lot of building flats and a road to build depth). Thats probably going to be my next phase of construction. Here's a rough overview of where things are going to go. The elevated city city area will be along the back wall under the window.

I also got some new motive power over the month! Big shoutout to @Sid's Trains. He offered up an awesome MTH Premier CSX AC6000 and 4 Lionel rotary hoppers. I was able to pick this up for my first modern consists. It is what my dad and I used to watch around the Connellsville Yards growing up.



I squeezed in a trip to the College Park Aviation Museum in College Park, MD to see the National Capital Trackers in action! Great group of folks with a fun holiday layout.

Finally, here are some pics from around the layout with some of the trains I brought back from my parent's house, including the new friend that popped up while I was working on it.

Attachments

Images (10)
  • mceclip0
  • mceclip1
  • mceclip2
  • mceclip3
  • mceclip4
  • mceclip5
  • mceclip6
  • mceclip7
  • mceclip8
  • mceclip9

Hey All! Its been a bit since my last layout update and I wanted to share some scenery updates.

In addition to planning out the small residential town, urban center, and the industrial area, I've been weathering some of my buildings. I didn't want them to just be shiny plastic, so I bought a can of Roberts Brick Mortar Mix and went to town! The tall Dreyfus building was my first attempt, and I will say I got a lot better after that. lol It still needs some finishing touches, like painting the parapet. But I'm pleased how my Lionelville Jim's 5&10 and MTH Camden Tool and Die building turned out. Next up is going to be my MTH Station. I may get a little fancy with it since it will be dead center in front of the layout and change the window color, paint the brick work at the peaks, add window treatments, weather the roof, add window treatments, and relight it. I've learned through this process that I really enjoy adding my touches to the buildings. If anyone has any recommendations on how to paint the parapets or windows, I'm all ears!

Here are some before, during and after pics!

The next big area I've been working on is the industrial area. I started building out my first foam mountain. I'm call the mountain area "The Cut." The inspiration of this is from Route 837 in PA, going from Dravosburg towards Duquesne. I wanted a taller cut hillside, with exposed rocks, trees, etc. I finally got it fully built up and trimmed so trains will clear. Next up will be glowing the foam together, then covering it with some plaster and Sculptamold, paint, and scenery.

On the acquisition front, I ended up snagging a few things over the last few weeks. If you didn't catch it in the above pics, I got another P&LE engine off of my "holy grail" list. I got the U28b #2080 used from someone local to me. There are a few issues with it, one being that the window covers broken off, but the other is that I can't the horn and bell to work when I give it commands on my Z4000. If anyone has advice on how to fix it, let me know. I don't have DCS yet as I'm still waiting on the WTIU from MTH. I really hope it comes in soon.

Other than that, its a great runner, and a great smoker! I also picked up an Atlas O flat car with pipe load at the Great Model Train Show in Timonium, MD.



Have a great Sunday, y'all!

Attachments

Images (16)
  • mceclip0
  • mceclip1
  • mceclip2
  • mceclip3
  • mceclip4
  • mceclip5
  • mceclip6
  • mceclip7
  • mceclip8
  • mceclip9
  • mceclip10
  • mceclip11
  • mceclip12
  • mceclip13
  • mceclip14
  • mceclip15

It looks great and I am very envious as I am still trying to work out a plan for the other side of that same hill, as I want to model the Union RR from Duquesne to Irvin works, and also Mifflin Jct/slag dumps. 

There won't be a lot of room atop that hill, but perhaps a line of HO or N small brick homes from the back side for forced compression making it look taller. Other thoughts would be a flat showing a restaurant with large windows, representing Paulies Lookout or a very rustic ballfield as West Mifflin had a community playground right about with the Riverton bridge crossed the Mon.  My grandparents lived on that same hilltop just over the border in Duquesne. 

The buildings look great!  Since you have the windows out, I would spray paint them one color then add a second color to accent parts of the frames.  I saw one done that way, and it came out very striking.  The cut looks good.  How much thickness will your scenic material take?  You my need to shave off some more foam to allow for clearance for your longest equipment.  Living in Butler County and working around Pittsburgh in my early days, I have little knowledge of the Mon Valley!  I’m sure you will do a good job.

Another month, another update! I think I had a case of burn out over February and didn't make much progress. Over the weekend I finally made some serious progress.

First off, I had some track work I needed to get done. I didn't like the transition at the US Steel girder bridge. It felt too harsh and some cars and engines liked to "clunk" over it. I took one of the risers out and flattened the transition out. This worked really well and now I'm not getting the clunk.

Next up, I really wanted to get the foam base of the scenery done in the cut. So, while watching the NCAA tournament Friday night, I cut out the final pieces of foam and then glued everything tother. I finally have semi-permanent mountains now! I still need to put int he rocks, and start covering with plaster cloth, but I'm pleased so far.

One of the last large construction projects is building the upper level. We had a few pallet type pieces of wood framing from a recent bathroom reno project. It was the perfect base for the upper section. I cut them down to size and then used a 1x2 we had laying around for another project for legs. Currently its about 12inches tall to clear my tallest rolling stock (Railking Superliner). Right now, its all just mocked in. I plan on covering the top with the left over foam I have. This is going to be the urban area as well. I'm debating on putting a short little trolley up there, just a back and back style one. I'm open to thoughts! Also, if anyone has some good ideas on flat buildings for the upper level, let me know.

Next up, I'll post some pictures of the Railking Station I'm detailing!

Attachments

Images (7)
  • mceclip0
  • mceclip1
  • mceclip2
  • mceclip3
  • mceclip4
  • mceclip6
  • mceclip5

Thanks @Mark Boyce! I'm living with the bump coming off of my trestle.  I need to figure out why my P&LE U28B likes to hang up on it, but all of my other engines are fine going over it, but thats for another day.

So right now, its an L that has one leg thats around 48in x 14in, and another that is 24in x 14in at about 12in high. I'm glad you brought up the derailment access! The back side of the layout is off the wall to make sure we have access to the sump pump behind it. My plan, which I'll be working on this weekend (between fixing my always broken Jeep ) is to line the whole thing with a thin veneer, and on the back have the piece be either removable or slidable. I may build in a fun little diorama in the tunnel too. I always remember how much fun the little black light one is at the Choo Choo barn and I think it could be a fun little easter egg too. I'm also debating on putting in few small LEDs to light up the tunnel in the event I have a derailment too.

If its just a small bump, I'll take it.  It's wild how different very similar engines act over the same piece of track. I will say, I'm super happy that I built it off that wall. It's been a god send to be able to get to the back of the layout and work on scenery.  Not to mention checking on the sump pumps.

I'm hoping to get the tunnel lined and covered this weekend, so I'll post some pics of what it looks like with a top, and walls.  I've been playing around with tunnel portal alignment and I want to make it dynamic. I've been playing around with some ideas on how to do that, and make the tunnel and city area not look like its just a box plopped on some plywood. I think I have some ideas that are, again, inspired by some areas in the Mon Valley.

I just realized I haven't updated this post since prior to York! There has been a lot going on on the layout, plus some new motive power, rolling stock, and, FINALLY, DCS!

On the layout, I have the upper level fully mocked in. I have a door built on the back that I can open to get to any derailed / stalled trains. Here's a progression of how its come along.



I also picked up some more MTH houses for the suburban scene and am planning a fun scene with that trailer.

I've also done some more mountain making. I broke out the plaster sheets and started covering foam mountain into the white mountains! haha. I need to make some rock molds, and once that gets done, painting and groundcover will commence!

Now, the layout currently looks like this! Its come a long way in under a year from moving into the train room. I'm already plotting a few things, including a possible new spur track in the front, backdrops, Phillips Hue lighting, and room decor.

Now on to York! This was my first York and I had an absolute blast. I met up with some friends, connected with folks I've chatted with on Instagram, and met a lot of the awesome Youtubers. This is such a great hobby, with so many amazing folks. Its always the people that make these events and the hobby so great. One of the highlights of the weekend was going to the Lower Susquehanna Valley Modular Railroaders "Run what you brung" night. They have such an awesome layout and are currently in the planning stages for building a permanent layout.



Now, for my York haul, I got a little over excited. haha. I was able to pick up some really great rolling stock, scenery items, and an engine I had my eye on for a while now from Vince's Trains, and another not so planned one from Mr. Muffins. The big purchase was picking up a DCS system for an absolute amazing price too. Command Control has really changed my layout and made it much more fun, especially around building consists, switching engines, etc.  Now I do have an issue thats been going on thats isolated to one loop, but more on that later. Here are some pics of what I picked up.

Now, on my DCS issue. After a few missteps in hooking it up, mainly me trying to power it through the variable channels, I was able to get it to run flawlessly! Then, my issues started. Long story short, I think I need to check the wiring on my inner loop. Every time I shut everything down for a time and turn it back on, the engines on my inner loop miss the watchdog signal and turn on.  Without fail, they fire up.  My outer loop, everything is golden and I've never had an issue.  Oddly enough, if I swap the wires come from the TIU to my Z4000 and restart the remote, everything works fine.  But then, it comes back after I turn anything off.

Any thoughts on what could be causing this?



Thanks!

Attachments

Images (18)
  • mceclip0
  • mceclip1
  • mceclip2
  • mceclip3
  • mceclip4
  • mceclip5
  • mceclip6
  • mceclip7
  • mceclip8
  • mceclip9
  • mceclip10
  • mceclip11
  • mceclip12
  • mceclip13
  • PXL_20230423_014928412
  • PXL_20230425_171928000
  • PXL_20230423_013833167
  • PXL_20230423_014548967
Last edited by Tall J

The layout is looking great, Justin!

Yes, command control is great!  I really like the DCS system once I got the hang of it.  Your problem sounds like what I had, missing the watchdog.  I am going to tag @gunrunnerjohn who has a little add on watchdog generator circuit that should help you.  He sells them through Henning’s Trains in Lansdale, Pa.  Maybe John can give you a quick link to a concise description.

On to your York trip.  Nice haul.  I have made the trip twice and think the best part is meeting up with friends from the OGR forum.

Those are nice modules the Lower Susquehanna group has.

As Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young once sang, "Its been a long time comin'." I can't believe its been 4 months since my last update. After a little burn out on it, a busy summer, and focusing on my always broken Jeep, I've carved out some time to work on the layout throughout the summer. Here is the most recent set of updates!

First up, I figured out my DCS issue. If I power both loops up at the same time, the watchdog is triggered and I don't have any issues. Its weird, but it works and I'll take it.

Next up is the layout. I have 5 sections of my layout that needs scenery; the rural area, river, lower town, upper city, and yard / industrial area. I've focused a lot of time working on the upper city (building the structure for it) and around the yard. I wanted to focus in on one area and try to get a majority of the scenery done. The best area to focus on, learn and grow on is the rural area.

Since I'm modeling Western PA, I wanted to make sure the scenery reflected that. Nothing there is flat. Even the cows have a set of legs that is longer than the other. The last thing I wanted to do was have a flat plywood central. With that in mind, I built up where I wanted all of the houses to go with some 1/4in pink foam. I used some scraps to elevate some houses and build in some random little hills and what not. This caused a flat area to have some interest. I also want to activate the corners, so I built up a little area to put an MTH trailer in.

The next thing I worked on was a large mountain to go behind the town. I wanted it to be something reminiscent to what I grew up with and see when I take the Capitol Limited home. I followed a process that I learned from Chris's Trains and Things videos. I built out the platform from foam, then built FOAMHENGE (you have to scream that right?), which were some pieces of foam I shaped and stood up. Then I added cardboard lattice work, covered it up in plaster, and slapped on a quick coating of sculptamold.

A quick coat of camo brown spray paint, some rock molds, and ground foam...and voila! The first piece of scenery, I've ever built to full completion!

Today, I started on the little hillside between the tracks. Since its a tight area, I opted to use Woodland Scenics Shaper Sheets. for me, the jury is still out on it. I'm not totally in love with how it works, but it, plus some more sculptamold, and I think it came out ok. I'll be interested to see it covered in paint and grown foam. I do think I can cover up imperfections and whatnot pretty easily too.

I'm hoping I can get everything painted tonight or tomorrow.

Last up, I wanted to show some cool railroad related items my mom found while cleaning out some things in the house. The first book was written by an Engineer in Dickerson Run, PA about his stories when he was working on the railroad. The cool thing is he put a note in it for my great grandfather (a conductor on the P&LE). The second is a book of postcards of P&LE Howard Fogg prints. A few cool shots I added are of the Dickerson Run yards where the P&LE interchanged with the Western Maryland and of Holy Grail engine (that one day I will get!): the A2 Berkshire.

Hope to see some of yinz in York!

Attachments

Images (20)
  • mceclip0
  • mceclip1
  • mceclip2
  • mceclip3
  • mceclip4
  • mceclip5
  • mceclip6
  • mceclip7
  • mceclip8
  • mceclip9
  • mceclip10
  • mceclip11
  • mceclip12
  • mceclip13
  • mceclip14
  • mceclip15
  • mceclip16
  • mceclip17
  • mceclip18
  • mceclip19

I have wondered a couple of times where you have been.    I'm glad you have been working on the railroad.  It was almost a shame to cover up Foamhenge, but the mountainside does look great!  Those are some nice books your mum found, and an excellent one to keep with the note to your great-grandfather.

I certainly wish I was going to York, but alas, I am not.  Have a great time there!!!

The progress cartainly does look good. I like the mountain! I've been thinking more and more about my own URR build and struggling with wanting to put in so much as I remember into a small place.. I like how you have handled it.



I'd say "hi" at York, but a new job has me busy. Have a lot of fun and watch out for Brady's. LOL.

@Greg Nagy posted:

The progress cartainly does look good. I like the mountain! I've been thinking more and more about my own URR build and struggling with wanting to put in so much as I remember into a small place.. I like how you have handled it.



I'd say "hi" at York, but a new job has me busy. Have a lot of fun and watch out for Brady's. LOL.

Greg, it certainly is tough picking what to put on a small layout.  Justin is doing a great job.

Is URR the Union RR just east of Pittsburgh?

@Mark Boyce, I'm still here! Its been wild that I feel like I worked on the layout more during the warmer months than I did in the colder months. My wife said the same thing. haha She was really impressed with Foamhenge. I told I guess I'll need another layout to have an area thats just structural. lol Thanks, always, for the kind words on my progress

@Greg Nagy Oh you don't know how I was tempted with something he had but I held out! Will power prevailed, for once.  Thanks! I honestly still struggle with putting to much in it. I've actually cut back a lot of things and ideas and have been focusing on the concept of less is more. The industrial area is whats going to be hard though because I'd love to cram more in.



Now for a quick post-York update. My goal for York was to get 2 Pennsy style Z Stuff Signals and pick up some more scenery items. I got that and a few great deals on some P&LE rolling stock. I didn't see any of my grail items so the bank account is still safe . But with a full weekend after going up on Friday, I was able to get some more scenery work done so here it is! I worked on the area where the small trailer is go to be, added some more ground cover, and put in gravel driveways

I need to ballast some areas and add in bushes / course cover, but I like the way its shaping up.

And for some of my York purchases, I picked up this great little loading dock for my small yard and, like I said, 3 P&LE cars.







And, in the theme of less is more, I'm still debating on putting in an offroad scene. Let em know your thoughts.

Attachments

Images (9)
  • mceclip0
  • mceclip1
  • mceclip2
  • mceclip3
  • mceclip4
  • mceclip5
  • mceclip6
  • mceclip7
  • mceclip8

Not a big update since I've been doing a lot of work travel recently, but I wanted to share the first glimpse at some of my scenery work.

Welcome to Western Pennsylvania.



Also, I just scored something off of my Holy Grail list. So in a few weeks, I should have some pictures of it! Now back to the basement for some more work.

Attachments

Images (5)
  • mceclip0
  • mceclip1
  • mceclip2
  • mceclip3
  • mceclip4

Thanks everyone! I feel like there is so much cool terrain to model through that area. Last week when I was driving through to put our classic car in storage in Cabot, PA, I kept taking mental notes on the colors of the rocks, how the ground swells around rocks, undergrowth, all of it. I think you'll be seeing some changes on that hillside in the next few weeks too!



@Greg Nagy, that coke gas pipeline is actually in the works for the other side of the layout. haha.  Stay tuned for that.

Add Reply

Post
The Track Planning and Layout Design Forum is sponsored by

AN OGR FORUM CHARTER SPONSOR

OGR Publishing, Inc., 1310 Eastside Centre Ct, Suite 6, Mountain Home, AR 72653
800-980-OGRR (6477)
www.ogaugerr.com

×
×
×
×
Link copied to your clipboard.
×
×