The NPPX - A ‘Beer Can’ layout on a shelf

[robert3985]

BTW @robert3985 is that cork roadbed?    It looks a bit different to me than the regular Midwest stuff.

Thx again,
Ed

@ednadolski  Both my Echo Yard and the Park City Yard are built on sheet cork (as @wazzou guessed) that I found at my local Home Depot way back when.  Before ballasting, I'll cut away some of it from between tracks to duplicate the not-so-even ballasting and drainage of the real yard and also make the temporary contour of the edges of it blend better into the ground profile when scenicking starts.

I'm a big fan of the P:87 heel blocks in Code 55, but I haven't built a Code 40 turnout and used them yet....they may not allow proper flange clearance using the lower rail...we'll find out before the end of the year when I start building the three Code 40 turnouts I need for the Devil's Slide Station and the Ideal Concrete Plant Spur.

[ednadolski]

Time for an update.  After a bit of reconfiguration, I've got the conversion to Code 40 track completed and fully functional. The track is pinned down and waiting to be glued into place.  The full shelf can be separated into two parts for easier transport (when/if needed) tho it currently is screwed together and I haven't yet cut thru the rail where it crosses the joint.  I decided to keep it to one turnout, in the spirit of simplicity and also to allow more room for structures and scenery.  I want to add a staging cassette to the right.

Here are some shots of the overall shelf and the turnout.  The turnout is waiting for P:87 spikes to be installed (about 500 of those if I do them all).











Here are a few closer-ups, with the cut of boxcars set out on the spur track.  BNSF 6864 is waiting for her next assignment, with a little help from a few friends (who now have Loksounds and are waiting for details and weathering ).








I have to get around to re-installing her original plow....




Cheers,
Ed

[garethashenden]

I think it would be a good idea to cut the rails before you ballast the track. There's always a risk that the glue will run down between the boards during ballasting. Then you go to separate them and find out that your layout is now one long contiguous piece rather than the modules you thought it was.

[ednadolski]

Thanks @garethashenden  you're right, that's something I've been thinking over.   I built the joint as tightly as I could, and sealed it over with a bit of caulk which (I hope) will keep any glue out.   I soldered a couple of PCB ties into the flextrack where it crosses over the joint (where the rail will be cut), but I need to decide the best way (epoxy maybe?) to glue them into place so they cannot move.  I'll have to be careful not to bridge the joint or it might pull the ties/track apart when separating the sections.

Ed

[Ed Kapuscinski]

One thing that may be worth mentioning: I feel like having the siding on the same angle as the turnout's diverging route feels kinda model railroady.

I feel like a siding like that would be parallel to a wall of a building, which itself is likely perpendicular to a road.

There are plenty of situations where it's not the case, but I feel like those are fewer than when it is.

[packers#1]

@Ed Kapuscinski, I’d say in most cases where it isn’t the track is going somewhere, either curving to fit unique land ownership/building design, or following the curve of the main track as well to avoid some sort of obstacle.

[ednadolski]

I feel like having the siding on the same angle as the turnout's diverging route feels kinda model railroady.

Certainly, and this is no exception. In this case it's mainly about fitting into the given shelf depth and still having some separation from the foreground track.  I find it less objectionable since the shelf is relatively high, and the shallow depth stays within range of my tri-focals 8^)

Ed

[ednadolski]

^ to add, I'm also debating the potential merits of adding a 4' section to the left, and extending both tracks along that.  It would mean adding a curve into the spur so that it went parallel to the front track.

[ednadolski]

Here it is with the siding re-oriented....   I'm just wondering if the FG track seems plausible as a transload for hoppers, gons, and perhaps an occasional LPG tank or two...

(Man, that #10 turnout really eats up a lot of shelf....)











Ed

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Here it is with the siding re-oriented....   I'm just wondering if the FG track seems plausible as a transload for hoppers, gons, and perhaps an occasional LPG tank or two...

Absolutely.

Maybe less so with the industry right next door, but I've seen plenty of situations where the "main line" has become an industry track.

One of my favorites: Herr's Potato Chips in Oxford PA.

This used to be the PRR Octoraro Branch.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Herr%E2%80%99s+Snack+Factory+Store/@39.7458959,-76.0166525,967a,35y,270h/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x89c7b4f696b13c0b:0xde7461199e02d48f!8m2!3d39.7480577!4d-76.018752

[davefoxx]

Absolutely.

Maybe less so with the industry right next door, but I've seen plenty of situations where the "main line" has become an industry track.

One of my favorites: Herr's Potato Chips in Oxford PA.

This used to be the PRR Octoraro Branch.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Herr%E2%80%99s+Snack+Factory+Store/@39.7458959,-76.0166525,967a,35y,270h/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x89c7b4f696b13c0b:0xde7461199e02d48f!8m2!3d39.7480577!4d-76.018752

Hey, here's a photo that I took of that very spot back on Christmas Eve 2007.

http://davefoxx.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=994992

DFF

[ednadolski]

Overdue, but at last I have an update for this - ground cover & soil layer is pretty much done, as it the ballast & grade crossings.  Still a bit of touch-up and cleanup to do.   It does feel good to say dobranoc to that cork surface.   Those 3d-printed bins from Grain Belt Models are the meow, even without paint.

(N.B. the @Ed Kapuscinski -style slide-switch turnout control.)














Cheers,
Ed

[chuck geiger]

Dirt and ground cover method please?

[ednadolski]

I started with sifted yard dirt over the painted cork, but decided that it was darkening too much from the wetting/gluing processes.  So I went with a soil mix made up from AZRM materials, basically a couple of the lightest grey/earth colors (not the 'Industrial Dirt' which looks too dark for me) having the powdery consistency.   Two other key colors are the Low Desert Soil and the Mill Tailings.  These I sift down to take out the pieces that are too large for a general 'soil' look (tho I will sprinkle 'em on later in spots where I want the more coarse look).  The ballast is the Smith and Sons, and for a more 'off the main' look I started with the 'Fines' grade (smaller than their #50 screen) which I sift it down to #80 and #120 mesh (you'd be surprised at how much powder actually comes out of that). 

I generally apply these all on in layers, sometimes by sprinkling thru a sieve to keep things spread out and reduce buildup spots.  For a base layer I will apply a thin layer of the glue over an area with a chip brush, then sift the soil into it.  Sometimes I will apply another sprinkling over a wet layer, tho typically I let it dry overnight so I can evaluate it and think over my next step.  I also like to give it a 'grooming' with a brush or fingertips to knock off any loose stuff and help blend things together, then vacuum up any excess.  I do try to get some of the soil and ballast to blend together, so the contrast is not too stark.

In definitely can be a trial-and-error process, just keep doing different things to see what works. It's not always possible to be sure of what something is going to look like until you actually try it. With these natural materials it also can be rather hard to know how much the glue is going to darken it, tho it certainly will, and I've never seen any of it come back close to its pre-glue color after the glue dries.  Since this is a small layout, I have the luxury of being able to try out different stuff without having to worry about finishing lots of area in less time.

Cheers,
Ed

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Ed, if you want one of my K-Mount brackets to put that sucker UNDER the layout, I'll be more than happy to print and mail ya one.