Tehachapi, BC

[C855B]

Thanks all.  I re-posted the image a few pages up, after linking it to a brand-new shared album, and it seems to be working for everyone now. 

The last two pages of discussion are sponsored by Google.

No kidding. Not to be Mr. Negativity, but given Google's now-incessant product churn ("we own the space, so we make the rules"), this is not something I would rely on for more than a few months at a stretch. Even the how-to cites that it is not officially documented, and as a long-time software developer, I certainly know what that means: expect the carpet to be pulled out from under you at any time. In my book "The Cloud" is loss of control over your own data product. Anyway...

The picture still makes me dizzy.    I don't envy you laying all that curvature.

[Cajonpassfan]

The picture still makes me dizzy.    I don't envy you laying all that curvature.

Yea, but double ended staging is da bomb, especially on a busy mainline. As to laying the track, I'd start in the middle, lay out an accurate curve, and use a parallel block to go outward in both directions. I made a very sophisticated one for my use, out of a wood block, see below
Otto

[C855B]

... I made a very sophisticated one for my use, out of a wood block, see below

Hmmmm... a couple of strategic saw cuts, and there you have it. I'll have to "borrow" the idea.

[GaryHinshaw]

With my photo hosting adventures hopefully behind me, I was able to make a bit more progress on Bakersfield staging.  The printed plan is now transferred to cork and I've started laying out the turnouts.  Here is a quick shot, with nothing glued down yet:



The 2 tracks on the left are BNSF loco service/storage, the next 4 are the BNSF arrival yard (which will loop around to the UP departure yard), and the 3 turnouts on the right mark the throat of the BNSF departure yard.

On the subject of curvature: there were 26 180° curves in the Vortex, and there are only 8 in this yard, so I am not the least bit phased about laying this track (once my order of new sweep sticks arrives!).  And Otto is right: a balloon yard is extremely convenient for ops, and it serves the dual role of simulating two separate yards for UP & BNSF.

Here is a quick follow-up on reverse curves.  The shot below shows two BLMA 89' flats with body-mount couplers in the most severe reverse curve in the yard.  These cars glide through with no issues at all, so I think I'm ok there.



Thanks for looking.

[GaryHinshaw]

No kidding. Not to be Mr. Negativity, but given Google's now-incessant product churn ("we own the space, so we make the rules"), this is not something I would rely on for more than a few months at a stretch.

I don't disagree.  On the other hand I've heard similar complaints about flickr and photobucket in the past, and Picasaweb was stable for years.  Since all my existing Picasa photos ported without issue, switching to Google Photo was still the path of least resistance for now.  If stability becomes (or remains) a problem, I will switch.

[C855B]

... On the subject of curvature: there were 26 180° curves in the Vortex, and there are only 8 in this yard, so I am not the least bit phased about laying this track (once my order of new sweep sticks arrives!).  And Otto is right: a balloon yard is extremely convenient for ops, and it serves the dual role of simulating two separate yards for UP & BNSF. ...

Oh, I don't doubt about balloon staging. The last major rev of the GC&W also has an 8-track balloon staging area setup with multiple crossovers to accommodate as many as 24 (!!!!) trains, but I am still not convinced that this will be something I want to pursue given the at-grade yard capacity on the layout. Thinking at the moment is if I do this lower-deck thing, it may be only three or four tracks to do the SP/ATSF transfer simulation in the operating plan. Aaaaaaaanyway...

Long curves. You mentioned somewhere up-thread about soldering two sticks together and then forming the curve. I also recall mention of doing this with joiners cut in half. OK, I'm on board with the concept, but in forming the curve, do you shape from the center (at the joint) and go out in each direction? The part of the process I'm not clear about is having the joiner affixed as the rails slide around under the spike heads.

I'm at this point right now (...still waiting for Tracksettas to show-up... ), and, like you, see the issues with curved joins and want to minimize them. I don't have issues when the track is exactly the radius of the forming template; actually, that works rather well. It's when having to do the closest template radius and then re-shape where I am fighting kinks and other inconsistencies that come with hand shaping.

[GaryHinshaw]

Sometimes 3 months roll by like 3 days...  Not too much to report, but I thought I'd post a few tidbits and try out the new TRW gallery.  Here's a recent shot showing the (very) modest progress I've made laying track in the Bakersfield staging yard:



Tidbits:

• The inner 4 tracks of the balloon yard are permanently in place, though not all of the turnouts are powered yet, and not all of the reversing circuitry - discussed here - has been implemented yet.  The stub-end loco storage tracks in the middle also need to be completed.
• The benchwork is now supported by built-in shelving, visible under the right side of the bench.  There will be more added after some additional track-laying and feeder work is complete.  What a relief it is to have a little extra storage capacity!
• My first attempt to power these tracks behind an auto-reverse board caused the board to smoke!    There was a fixed short in the track that the board was apparently unable to cope with.  I suspect the board was bad to start with because it also seems to have taken down the DB150 booster supplying it... I'm back to powering the layout with just the DCS100 until I get that sorted out.  In the meantime, I have a second AR board that seems to be working fine, so yard work continues.
• Note the cut of JB Hunt and Schneider containers visible in the upper-right corner of the photo.  Thank you Scale Trains! 

[GaryHinshaw]

Long curves. You mentioned somewhere up-thread about soldering two sticks together and then forming the curve. I also recall mention of doing this with joiners cut in half. OK, I'm on board with the concept, but in forming the curve, do you shape from the center (at the joint) and go out in each direction? The part of the process I'm not clear about is having the joiner affixed as the rails slide around under the spike heads.

Sorry Mike, I missed this question before, but I gather it's probably moot by now.  For the record, I just solder two full-length sections together with regular rail joiners while both sections are straight, then I form the curve outward from the joint.  However, the only places I use this technique are in the staging yards, where the track is Peco code 55, and the radii are fixed, so I have templates to aid in maintaining the curvature.  Out on the mainline, I still use the joiner-less method, and I've had no trouble with joints that have been in place for a few years now.

[C855B]

No sweat, Gary. I decided to go with the two-stick method, but using soldered half-joiners and forming from the center going out. Feed is per each doubled stick. Then I'm using half joiners at the non-soldered joints.

I was finding the joiner-less method all but unworkable with the ME wood ties, even with non-weathered track. The best I could get was three ties of overlap, and that obviously isn't nearly enough. The spikes are small and quite tight against the rails, and work hard against reinsertion. I have some overlap using the joiners in that most joins are not straight across, but that means shaving off the spikes and tie plates. Thank goodness for Tracksetta templates.

[GaryHinshaw]

Looking ahead, Bakersfield marks stage 4 of a 5-stage layout build:

• Upper deck mainline (top in photo above),
• Storage yard (middle right),
• Vortex (behind the white cabinet),
• Bakersfield staging,
• Lower deck mainline.

It's been a long and somewhat technical slog through these middle stages, but the end is in sight. 

The remainder of the build is a bit of a Rubik's cube: Bakersfield is kind of an orphan until the lower deck mainline gets built, because it is disconnected from the mainline.  (There is a connection to the storage yard and to the Mojave helix, but those only support staging moves, not mainline ops.)  It had to be built before the lower deck was installed because the central peninsula of the lower deck sits directly above Bakersfield.  To complicate matters, the temporary staging yard at the current north end of the mainline (along the left wall above Bakersfield) is making access to parts of Bakersfield a bit cramped.  I'm tempted to remove it before I finish the permanent yard, but if I do, I can't operate the layout until I either re-install it, or get the lower deck operable.

One path forward is to meld stages 4 and 5: complete the easily accessible portions of Bakersfield with the temporary staging in place, and, in parallel, build out the lower deck mainline from Bakersfield to Edison to Caliente (these sections do not interfere with Bakersfield).  Then, in a final mad push: remove the temporary staging, finish the back side of Bakersfield and quickly finish the mainline from Caliente to "Bealville/Rowan" over the peninsula.  This would minimize operational downtime.

Just thinking out loud...

[Scottl]

Glad to see an update here- you have made great progress.  It is especially great to see the staging balloon emerge so that the entire footprint of the layout is now evident.

You also failed to note the progress on ballasting, which is no small matter accomplished 

[GaryHinshaw]

The road ahead.

Here is a quick update on Bakersfield and some thoughts on the next construction steps.  First an aerial view of the balloon yard, with the obligatory clutter:



The track on the front half (BNSF side of the yard) is now permanently in place and the Tortoises are all mechanically functional.  The tasks that remains to make it operational are:
* solder the (many) feeders to the bus,
* wire the Tortoises,
* install the Motorman and Watchman boards for Tortoise control and block detection, respectively.
(The 8 balloon tracks are separately detected, but not the throat or engine tracks.)   On the UP side, the track on the inner half (departure yard) is in place, but not affixed.  I first need to add feeders and Tortoises to those turnouts.  Ditto for the outer (arrival) yard. 

As is clear from the picture, the temporary staging yard above Bakersfield is a bit of an obstacle to further progress and I have a choice to make: work around the obstacle and finish up Bakersfield with some annoyance, or remove the yard and work more comfortably.  Without the temporary yard, the layout is not operational until the lower deck is in place, because the mainline would just end abruptly where the throat is.  However, the temporary staging is under-sized for the layout and the stub-end design isn't very satisfying (as expected when I installed it), so now I'm thinking hard about the quickest way to get the lower deck put in place to complete the main line and properly tie Bakersfield into the layout. 

There is not too much more to do to get the rest of the Bakersfield track installed.  Once that is in place I can start the bench work above it which will host the Tunnel 2 peninsula.  Bench work goes quickly for me, and there is not too much track to lay along that section.  This will extend the mainline from the current throat of the temporary yard to the entrance door (behind the photographer in the shot above.)  Then all that remains is the Caliente horseshoe across the door, and the straight run across the valley along the long wall.  To get a sense of how quickly that section could be temped in place, I spent some time today mocking it up.  First I cleaned out the storage yard:



It hasn't looked like that in a long time!  I then took the plywood I had set aside for the Edison shelf above it and placed it on blocks over the yard:



Of course I then had to "lay track" to see what it looks like.  Here is the view looking north & west towards the fruit packing district and Bakersfield:



(the tracks will curve left at the garage door and join the roadbed stub in the distance), and the other direction, towards Sandcut and the mountains:



(the tracks will curve right at the wall and cross the doorway at Caliente).  This exercise has convinced me that I should plow full steam ahead with lower deck construction.  It would be very simple to fasten this plywood in firmly enough to lay a functional mainline through Edison.  I would forego the industrial track and crossover to get things operational, then go back and build it up as time permits.  (This section will ultimately have to be movable for things like Tortoise access, or wrecks in the storage yard.  That will take a bit of time to do well.)

After spending so much time on staging infrastructure, I really can't wait to get back to mainline construction, and a closer-to-fully-operational pike!  Today's work really whet my appetite further!   Thanks for looking.

[C855B]

... * solder the (many) feeders to the bus,

Yeah, I've already got a good taste of that particular task. I think there are nearly two dozen or more feeders to connect even given the relatively small amount of progress I've made.

... It would be very simple to fasten this plywood in firmly enough to lay a functional mainline through Edison.  I would forego the industrial track and crossover to get things operational, then go back and build it up as time permits.  (This section will ultimately have to be movable for things like Tortoise access, or wrecks in the storage yard.  That will take a bit of time to do well.) ...

It looks like that section could be hinged, although it would be a trick to have scenery on there and not smash it.

How do you like the SweepSticks? That's a boatload of curvature in the staging yard. I couldn't imagine doing that without some manner of forming template.

[GaryHinshaw]

It looks like that section could be hinged, although it would be a trick to have scenery on there and not smash it.

Hinges would be easy, but I do worry about smashing things.   There will be a lot of detail in that scene (one day).  The other options I'm considering are sliders: horizontal or vertical.  Not really relishing the prospect though.

How do you like the SweepSticks? That's a boatload of curvature in the staging yard. I couldn't imagine doing that without some manner of forming template.

Love 'em!  I've used them on every significant curve on the pike.  I think they're are essential for laying the ME track.  That said, the Peco flex is a joy to work with: it flexes easily but holds a very graceful curve, so sweep sticks are almost superfluous.  I wish Peco had a North American line of track.  I'd love it if ME could make their track flex like Peco.

A few other random notes:

* When I cleaned out the storage yard, I moved all the trains into the Vortex, which is designed to be serial staging for Mojave.  There are now six 30+ car trains parked in there, with plenty of room to spare.    I've never had it this full before, and now I can see that it might get a bit tricky to keep track of which train is which in there. 

* I bought some blue foam board for a house project, with the intention of possibly using the leftover for scenery work.  Sadly, my opinion of the stuff has not changed since I last tried it years ago: I like the result, but I HATE THE MESS IT MAKES, especially when the humidity is low.  Any tips on clean-ish ways to work with foam?

[Scottl]

Low humidity...  it seems to me you have the ideal place to use foam from that perspective.  I use foam extensively and just keep a shop vac near by.  The extruded foam (blue and pink) are much cleaner than expanded (white beads), but I use both and don't regret it.  It is a nice structural material for scenery that you can easily change later.

Nice to see the lower level moving forward!