Like everyone else, real life takes priority over trains. For quite a while, I have been going to re-track the layout with 5 rail track. This requires widening the layout to get a 42" & 57" loop in. Spent New Years Eve & Day getting the layout width extensions in on two legs of the U. Time for some carpet and track, at least until I run out of track. More is "coming soon".
Steve
The ovals and sidings for Lumar Valley need to be shortened to allow for the Std Gauge looping around it.
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Glad too see you are getting some time to get it done. I know the finished product is going to be great!
I need more track too, for my floor layout. Running two trains has to be twice as much fun as one. Good luck.
Added a couple of pictures in the original post. Track for the base of the U is now laid in place. Next step is to remove the 027 Marx section so the carpet can be put down, then reassemble it all with the std gauge track on the back side.
Steve
lookin good Steve.
Great job Steve, can't wait to see it up and running. You went with the tan carpet like the squares?
Bill
Very NICE!!
JoeG
Seal Beach Bill posted:Great job Steve, can't wait to see it up and running. You went with the tan carpet like the squares?
Bill
Bill
Yes, the brown carpet. I think it really shows off the tin buildings well.
Steve
Steve,
Can't wait to see the finished layout!
PCRR/Dave
Captaincog posted:Glad too see you are getting some time to get it done. I know the finished product is going to be great!
Jeff, I really should be working on the Daylighter, but Diane's been gone quite a bit so I can make a mess in the garage. Better get it tidied up before the rains.
Steve
Nice work. Can't wait to see it.
Bob
Added a new photo to the top post. The inner loop now connects all the way around. Just temporary, but all the 5 rail track is layed out and cut. The Ives bridge will now get reworked before the track is put down permanently. Feels good to be making progress.
Congrats, it looks great!
Nice work Steve! That gives me idea's about my junk filled garage
No pictures, but I cobbled together the last special cut pieces of 5 rail track and ran trains on both loops. Jumpers from the transformer to track, but ran a few laps on each loop, no shorts. Going well, but slow. Need to get the Lionel Classic Race Car track out of the attic so I can figure out the needed footprint for a raised section.
Added another picture of the short crossover section that will be a lift out section. This area posed a problem because the legs of the U had a height mismatch of a bit less than 2 inches. That was too much for that short span so everything (stuff) had to be removed from under the layout and shims added, taken out etc to get both sides even. Now too build the support.
Steve
Steve,
Coming along, plan well and have fun building. I really like the 5 rail on the outside loop, I know how much time & effort you put into it, and IMO the time & effort was well worth it. Very serious engineering.
PCRR/Dave
The layout is really looking nice Steve!
Steve,
I love the 5 rail track. What was the name of your post showing the step by steps of what you did. I would like to try it on the USA 57" radii.
Thanks,
JoeG
Trainlover160 posted:Steve,
I love the 5 rail track. What was the name of your post showing the step by steps of what you did. I would like to try it on the USA 57" radii.
Thanks,
JoeG
Joe
Here is the video I made.
Steve
Thesepaperwings posted:Looking nice! What kind of buildings you going to put in it?
Buildings will all be tin. I have way more than I will have room for. Once the track, the race car set and the monorail are in place I will start deciding what to put on the layout, what to keep for the portable layout, the sell off most of the rest.
Steve
Steve,
Thanks again for the great video and this track is perfect for those of us that do not have a lot of room. I was wondering how you planned on powering up the o-gauge portion. Are you soldering feeds onto this part and using the lockon for the standard portion of the the track?
JoeG
Trainlover160 posted:Steve,
Thanks again for the great video and this track is perfect for those of us that do not have a lot of room. I was wondering how you planned on powering up the o-gauge portion. Are you soldering feeds onto this part and using the lockon for the standard portion of the the track?
JoeG
Joe
On my first layout with a 5 rail loop, I did solder jumpers from the outside O rail to the outside Std rail. I have since found it not necessary. The O rails are resting on top of the Std ties and that seems to work just fine.
Steve
Steve,
Yes I could see that would work well. Had you ever thought of tried making the 5 rail with 42" radius track?
Joe
Trainlover160 posted:Steve,
Yes I could see that would work well. Had you ever thought of tried making the 5 rail with 42" radius track?
Joe
Yes, my home layout is getting a loop of the 42" and someday the 42" on he portables will be reworked to 5 rail. Have the track, it's just a lower priority.
Would you use the outer and center rails of the 42" to make that as well?
Joe
Trainlover160 posted:Would you use the outer and center rails of the 42" to make that as well?
Joe
Yes, that is what I used. A little trimming is needed, but it works well. Kirk sells the curves individual rails
Added another picture to the original post. The basic crossover is done, just a little fine tuning. Used Erector pieces to make a curved trestle. Took a while, but it looks decent and will keep things from falling to the floor when crossing. It will still need some switches added in the future so when the crossover is lifted out, a large section of the track loses power.
Steve
good looking trestle. I need to do one of those.
I like the idea of using Erector set with tin trains. Always had it on layouts when I was a kid.
Peter J
More progress. Being as the size has changed, I needed new skirting. Still need to add the trim molding at the top.
This is one of the supports for the trestle bride. The pocket in the center of the support is for a switch to cut power if the crossover is lifted out.
Great bridges! The Ives standard gauge bridge is a favorite, and it's actually one of the more realistic tinplate bridges. And that curved Erector bridge is really impressive, nice work! You're pretty casual about saying you just put it together, but... wow!
d
Very nice, Steve...lots of good work!
Wow! That is looking great. I really like the Erector set bridge. Keep up the good work.
Added the elevated Jalopy Plateau section of the layout to provide a home for my Lionel Classics Race Car Set. Still lots to do but coming together a bit at a time.
nice idea, great looking set!
My Money is in orange!
5 rail , I found it easier to remove 0ga or STD ga center rail then , add STDga center rail,, others have insulated the 0 ga ties
Looks real good Steve. Can't wait to see it.
Bob
I had planned on mounting my monorail from the ceiling, but after getting Jalopy Plateau going, I realized the monorail would clear the cars, so now the monorail is going around the race track. The monorail supports are quite thick, so I made a roadbed of old Masonite and gray carpet to put the track up to the same level as the supports. Now two large footprint items fill the same space.
Steve
Finally back to getting a few things done on the layout redo. Added a few 4' shelves to the end wall. Jalopy Plateau is now wired into a barrier strip. Both race car loops and the monorail are operational. Ran the 400E on the 42" loop to check clearances under the plateau. THUD. It hit the side of one of the tunnel portals. Had to slide the track over a 1/4 inch. Maybe tomorrow I'll test the 57" loop. Once the track is adjusted, I'll need to screw it down in a couple places because of the tight tolerances going in and out from under the plateau. Plan on a few buddies over next Sunday, so I want all loops running, even if it is with jumper wires.
Steve
Looks very cool Steve!
I like the race cars !!
Steve,
As usual Top Shelf!
PCRR/Dave
Got lots of wires run today. 7 lines are now somewhat operable. Going a bit old school with cloth wiring on top of layout for most areas. There is a opening on the barrier strip for one more line. The Lumar Valley section will someday get an elevated line for the modern Marx Trains interurbans and trolleys.
Steve
Steve, the older I get the better on-top-of wiring looks. No crawling around on my hands and knees! And I love the look of the cloth wiring. I'm going to start using it on my small tinplate layout.
One more small step. Adding the risers for the elevated loop in Lumar Valley. I want to add the elevated loop in Lumar Valley, which of course requires resizing the two loops a bit to get the risers to fit between the loops. Took out about 2" in length from the inner loop and added 2" in width to the outer loop. The risers are now in place, waiting me to dig out the box of 034 track and get it fitted to the risers. Also will need to repaint the risers. The risers started out life as red light towers. The lights were removed and a rectangle of Masonite added, then painted in flat gray. They were used for one of the Nixon displays years ago holding two upper loops of track. They are being repurposed for Lumar Valley.
Steve
Great idea ! Trestle bents that actually look like the part they are supposed to be playing !
Steve Papa eastman, Looks great and a great way to use old light towers. I do have a side question? What did you do with the light heads from the towers?
Looks really good!!!
Bob
Here is a picture of the towers being installed at the Nixon Library display in 2011. When done, they were actually buried further down in the foam base. Glad I kept them. Most of the lights were sold off. I probably have a few left, just don't know where.
Steve
That looks great. If you find them and want to part with a few, please let me know.
Steve, your modified steel support towers look really good.
I got to thinking about how many different gauges can be run on 5-rail track if they all represent 1:48 scale.
1.25" is regular O-gauge, nominally representing standard gauge.
2.125" represents 8'6" gauge, representing a futuristic wide-gauge railway.
(England had Brunel's GWR 7-foot gauge until 1892 and Hitler proposed a 3-meter gauge system)
1" gauge is close to "OJ" gauge used in Japan and Taiwan for 42" gauge and 1:48 scale.
9/16" gauge approximates On2.
The latter two would be two-rail power, using the center rail for one running rail. Switches would be a challenge for these.
Five-rail allows a variety of operation!
Where do you buy 5 rail track ?? Don't ever remember seeing it for sale.
Jim
I had the Gargraves 5 rail track. Never got around to using it. I wanted old type tubular. Bought most of the pieces from Kirk at USA Track LLC and assembled it myself. Tedious, but worth it.
Steve
I thought I saw some 5 rail that was tubular. Standard gauge rail is the same as O gauge and I would like to have a dual gauge loop to get the standard off the floor. Thanks
great idea Steve
Got the track on the upper level roughed in. Need to make it about 1.5" wider. Good task for tomorrow.
Steve
Looking very nice! Im sure you will get more comments when the East guys wake up tomorrow!
What under the upper loop supporting the track ?? Or is that just a test?
jim pastorius posted:What under the upper loop supporting the track ?? Or is that just a test?
Jim
Nothing is attached yet, just working the size out. Here is a picture where you can see I flattened the railings down to provide a nice large base to set the track on. When done, I will either put a screw or a zip tie on each one to keep the track from sliding around. Got half of them painted red today before some real nasty rain and wind came through and put a halt to painting.
Steve
mike g. posted:That looks great. If you find them and want to part with a few, please let me know.
Mike
Found the box. These were all prewar towers, so the lights were pretty tarnished. I cleaned up a few and tested them. They will need bulbs and a hot wire soldered to the back. How many are you interested in?
Steve
Hi Steve,
What are you wanting for the 8 you show there?
Have not had an operating session with the guys since Halloween. The next day I started ripping out track. Tonight was soooo nice. A couple forum members and non forum members were over for a mini train night. Things are still being worked on, not all loops are ready, but we got some run time in. Jeff Meyer helped me get the TIU & TMCC wiring finalized early so we could play. We were running TMCC O gauge on the same loop as DCS Standard gauge at the same time. A nice evening. Gotta love 5 rail track 
Steve
It was truly a lot of fun. There is something to be said about the 5 rail track.
Not a lot of progress, but the Lumar Valley upper loop is coming along. I had painted the risers red, and now have the bases and mid base painted black. A few of them even have the track screwed down. Will try and screw the rest down tomorrow.
Steve
Looking' good! Are the tracks between risers long pieces so only joints are above the risers?
Joe Lyons posted:Looking' good! Are the tracks between risers long pieces so only joints are above the risers?
Joe, Yes the straight sections are a single piece on each side. I figure one support in the middle should be sufficient.
Steve
The last loop is in, tested with jumper wires, but all is well. Need to get it wired in, then start adding the cosmetic stuff.
Steve
Steve, your layout is looking good. The repurposed towers are fantastic! In an earlier photo, I saw your monorail. I really like that.
You mentioned using zip ties to hold track together. I have heard of that before, but have never done it. Would you mind showing some closeup pictures of zip ties after you have them attached? Are the zip ties difficult to remove later? Do you like them better than the gadgets specifically sold for holding track pieces together?
Santafay
Santafay
I ended up using screws and nuts to hold the track onto the risers. It was becoming obvious things were a bit wiggly and needed a more positive mount. I used the hole in the end tie and drilled through the base of the riser. Two screws on each risers. The Marx Trains interurbans and trolleys are a bit expensive and hard to find, so I wanted a more solid mount. Wouldn't want the track moving around.
Steve
To hold my Standard gauge track together I salvaged some old metal ties from old track and slipped them upside down between two rail ties. I think you can use O gauge ties too. Works good on my standard gauge track. Really improved the running. It is like two upside down broad U'sext to each other with a right side up U between them.
Had not really done anything new for a week or so other than clean up wiring. Tonight I rewired my three Marx 1614 dump stations and dug out three Marx 1605 controllers, tested them all and got them in position. Now to wire them in and add the power supply under the layout form them. Next Easter I'll be able to dump jelly beans for the kids. Also need to move all this track 1/2 inch to the right. We had a collision Sunday 
Steve
Looks great Steve! Of course, after my day today I am not very fond of the word "collision."
ra ro.....train or car?
Steamer posted:ra ro.....train or car?
Car. My 2013 Camaro driving to work and I got nailed in the back by someone who fell asleep at the wheel at about 50......not sure if it will be a total loss yet and I hurt......overall okay but sore and the next few days will be worse.
Looking great Steve! 
Jeff. Hope your OK.
Got the rough wiring and push buttons in today and did the first full power test with dump cars. On the third unit, I had to take it apart and do a little filing on the fiber arms. Seem to be working Ok not. Now that I have the foot print down for these units, I can start to repopulate Lumar Valley. A little step at a time.
Steve
I assume you collected the Marx light towers over time. Great idea for an elevated track.
Chris Lonero posted:I assume you collected the Marx light towers over time. Great idea for an elevated track.
Chris, I actually had to gather them rather quickly for a Nixon Library Holiday display back in 2011. I was lucky to find a lot of beaters real quick. Had them stored since then waiting for this project.
Steve
Steve "Papa" Eastman posted:I had planned on mounting my monorail from the ceiling, but after getting Jalopy Plateau going, I realized the monorail would clear the cars, so now the monorail is going around the race track. The monorail supports are quite thick, so I made a roadbed of old Masonite and gray carpet to put the track up to the same level as the supports. Now two large footprint items fill the same space.
Steve
Steve. Do you think cutting off the backs of the monorail base affected the stability of the monorail at all? That may work for me so I can keep my 0-36 loop.
Chris, as long as the weight of the track and monorail are out over the long sections of the base, I see no issues.
Steve
hope you're ok Jeff, I fell asleep after a 7th midnight once, totaled my truck.
For today's effort, Lumar Valley has now been repopulated with the larger structures. This version is about 30% smaller than it was, so not everything could be put back in. The means more stuff to sell off. The Faux Joy Line Power House will eventually hold the transformer for the 3 dump units. Dimestore Dream cars and Marx people will be added later.
Steve
looks really great Steve, love all the colors.
Your layout is coming along great. Can't wait to see it.
Bob
Where did you get the trestles?
junk Marx light towers
Huh. Never thought to try that.
Steve comes up with some good ones.
CP BOB posted:Your layout is coming along great. Can't wait to see it.
Bob
You are always welcome to come buy and take a deep breath before trying to get through the canyon with all that construction.
El Classico posted:Where did you get the trestles?
Like Dave said, these were 416 light towers that were pretty much on the ugly side. I flattened the railing down to give me a larger footprint, then repainted them.
Steve
The Jalopy Plateau is becoming populated. In my world, Ives & Lionel play nice with each other. This is a commercial area and both of their factories are side by side. Also Lumar Construction Co has a lot of tin litho heavy equipment ready for their next contract. For safety reasons, a fence now keeps the race cars from careening into the commercial district. In the midst is a lonely house just built among the commercial enterprises and the race track. I assume in about a year the home owner will sue them all claiming the noises etc are harming the property values.
Steve
fantastic Steve!
Too much else going on so not much happening on the layout, but Jalopy Plateau did get a new water storage tower today. The businesses here needed a ample back up supply.
Steve
Lookin' good, thanks for "de tour".
Got some items out of boxes and began populating another area of the layout today.
Steve
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