Meadow's Lumber: HO 1930's Geared Steam Layout Refurbish & Expansion

[timwatson]

Loving the TT dude. Maybe an n scale truck under the 2 ends of the TT? Just a thought.

[M.C. Fujiwara]

Maybe an n scale truck under the 2 ends of the TT?

Good idea.
Thought of it, but a truck / wheel assembly underneath would require work and a lot of figeting to get smooth.
Would have to take some metal wheels and solder inward and build new metal truck housing (plastic trucks wouldn't be strong enough for idiot-proof ops), or playing around with various cabinet rollers.
[There was a good "how-to" on the MR forums, built from an Atlas TT, but it seems to have disappeared]

Me, I just wanna keep it KISS and easy, especially as I'm not going to be around to fidget with it.

Will see how it works out when I install it hopefully Friday perhaps.

Meanwhile, I've been building the other control panels in me garage.

Cutting plexiglass with the chop saw (not recommended for precision work), and then clamping  pieces between a "draft" print:



Drill corner holes for the machine screws to keep everything together, and then drill pilot holes for the momentary-contact SPDT toggles:



If drilling through plexiglass, you really need to use a plexiglass bit (got mine at TAP Plastics), as otherwise the plexiglass splits lickity-split.
You also need to keep as many covering layers on as possible.
As I was using stuff with brown paper covering, I had to take off a lot to see & drill:





If you take all the paper layers off, or you go to the regular drill bit too soon to widen the hole, then this happens:



[If it's on the back piece, though, like in the photo above, then you might be able to CA it back together and hide it behind the turnout diagram]

After drilling (which creates a bit mess between the plates), unscrew the corners, remove the draft-print template, and place the quality-print between the plates.  (Good idea to wash the plates at this point, or at least wipe, to get rid of all the "fluff")  Rescrew the corners, and then use a round file to re-puncture the toggle holes:



Slip the toggles in, screw the nuts in place:



...and then get ready to mount the control panels on the fascia.

[The fascia that I'll install as soon as I install the turntable  ]

[M.C. Fujiwara]

Client got back from vacation and I got back into the layout room.
Time to install the turntable!
Cut a hole out of the foam for the base, cut a hole for the wires, and cut leftover 2"x2" for risers, which I attached to the base ply with my patented "Wood glue in the center & CA at the edges" method:



Wired the audio jack up to the OG-AR circuit and to the main, and then used his longest loco to make sure 1) wiring worked & 2) train fit:



The geared steam is pretty wide, so even with the TT deck expanded there's not a whole lot of space left for the vertical posts of the cable frame:



But some careful construction should come up with something aesthetically pleasing 

Carved away some foam and installed some styrene shims so the wood cribbing would come up to proper railhead height:



CA'ed the stained stripwood in place, then Sculptamolded (tinted with tan paint) behind and around it:





Once everything's dry I can install the last section of Phase 1 track: the turntable approach track.
Once the approach track is in place and anchored to the top of the wood cribbing, I can trim the TT deck rails to fit flush against the lead rails.
This necessitates, of course, laying the approach rails a bit longer into the pit, and then carefully using a Dremel to cut / grind all six rails (two on approach, two on each end of TT deck) into allignment.
Same technique I used on the Effett Yard TT and it worked great.
Of course this TT is "easy" as there's only one track that I need to align 

Client's grandsons are coming in a couple weeks, so I hope to have as much done as possible before then.
Thanks for looking.

[Specter3]

We know its gonna look good, but are those locos running any better? Do they need a loop of track and some brak in time?

[M.C. Fujiwara]

We know its gonna look good, but are those locos running any better? Do they need a loop of track and some brak in time?

They probably need a bit of break-in time, and a bit of tweaking, especially around the installed brass-wire pick ups.
But I'll let the Brass Master handle that, while I create the fab trackage and scenery.
Also need to email NCE and ask whether the booster should be bleeding conductivity when hooked up.

But today was more progress:

Installed the last bit o' track with the approach to the turntable:





Tomorrow, when all is cured and set, I'll take the Dremel to the rails and make them all nice and even.

[THEN, when EVERYTHING is functioning fab, I'll place a couple of overshoot rails on the far side of the TT so everything lines up]

Also started ripping and installing the 1/4" MDF fascia.
Started clamping a guide to my 20"x4' folding table / workbench and circular sawing the fascia, but then it turned out the client had a table saw 
And a radial-arm saw 
Which made cutting the MDF OMG easy:





The clamp lower left is holding a tie-strip of MDF that's glued behind the two sections.
(For some reason, you can't get 1/4" MDF in 4'x8' sheets around these parts, only 3/8" masonite that's smooth only on one side, but you can get 2'x4' 1/4" MDF 'Handy Panels')

Tomorrow I'll cut out the control panel access holes, the UTP panel for the mine section, finish installing the inner angled fascia, and then spackle the holes and seems--both on the fascia and between the foam and fascia--for sanding and painting later in the week.
Then, after installing the control panels, it's all scenicking scenery, all the time 

Thanks for looking.

[mcjaco]

Seriously flashbacks to Spring Break's hanging out in my Uncle's garage playing with his HO logging layout.

Nice work!

[M.C. Fujiwara]

Cheers to good memories of running trains with loved ones!
Exactly the reason I'm delving into HO and working on this layout for my client: he want to run trains with his grandkids.

And some are coming soon, so time to bust a move.
Finishing installing the fascia:



And carved out some space in the previous uber-thick fascia for the control panels:





Might end up painting the wood fascia to match the MDF fascia, but will wait until everything's wired and installed.

For now, I've spackled, sanded, and primed all the fascia:





And also started spray-bombing sections of track with dark & light greys:



Cut and trimmed the turntable rails to align:



And, as the client recently informed me (after I layed the track down) that he'd like a creek under the bridge to the river, I started carving in a creek under the bridge to the river:



There'll be a short road bridge before the track, and then wood/stone abutments on either side of the culvert to the river.

While looking more layout-y, lots of work from now on with wires underneath and time-consuming scenicky details above, like track painting, ballasting, and lots of sand, dirt and grout before all the grass and bushes.

But it all mosey's apace.
Thanks for looking.

[JSL]

That is looking good MC. 

[M.C. Fujiwara]

That is looking good MC. 

Cheers!

Enjoying a slight break of the heat wave to get the last of the track installed and get some painting done:



Shimmed with some styrene under the PC board ties, and then installed with authority.
The pocket mirror is a trick that fellow Free-moNster Steve Williams taught me to ensure near-perpendicularity at butt joints.
(Yes, that's a funny phrase to say  )
There will be a drop-in bridge at the end to the large town of Phase II when we get to it, thus the uber-love of the PC board ties on top of birch ply.

Was not looking forward to a lot of paper towel & blue tape masking before track painting, but then invoked the "Effett" methodology of modeling and just started spray-bombing:





The dark-grey and medium-grey auto-primer I'm using to bomb the track has a fairly heavy thickness to it, noticibly more than the Floquil Grimy Black I used to use (though the primer is 1/3rd the price).  So you need to allow it dry before scraping off the railtops, as otherwise the flaccid paint will peel
off in splotches--down the rail--when tugged with a bright boy.

The track looks a bit "speckle banded" right now, but after ballasted will look nice and weathered and not-as-spray-bombed.

After spraybombing, I slapped the tan laytex back on:



Which is good for the new creek scene and river extension, as the latex will hopefull seal all the little holes for the Magic Water that the caulk and whatnot didn't.

dkaustin reminded me that old flat cars make good bridges, so I'll see if the Man has any to sacrifice
(Otherwise, I'll just make one  )

The creek looks a bit steep now, but really, after rocks and rip-rap fill, it'll be a wee little wanderer, with a small pipe allowing the overflow to fall into the larger river.  Foam cutting always looks more dramatic than the final result 

Also relaid the TT approach track--was too high--so sanded things down and re-glued:



Then spray-bombed the track and latex-painted the layout to prep everything for the slaughterhouse of scenicking I'll be doing next week:



Will be working on some Free-moN 45-deg modules this weekend, but also will be finishing up the control panels for the HO layout so the grandkids can flip switches when they get here next week.

Thanks for looking.

[wm3798]

That's some outstanding work, MC.  Not only on the layout, but what you're doing for that family.

Quite inspirational.

Lee

[M.C. Fujiwara]

Thanks, Lee.
Fun to help and learn about Horribly Oversized at the same time 

Got to the client's place this morning to an ominous omen:



HUGE branch of very very old (and heavy) oak had split and fallen, right where I normally park my car while working on the layout.
According to client's 94-yr-old father, it cracked and fell less than 20 minutes before I got there.

Thank goodness I spent time reading the MRR forums this morning! 

So I installed all the retaining walls at the mine tipple:



And for the creek slough-off:



The concrete conduit is a spray-paint cap cut off & painted.

Lots of dirt and gravel and riprap will make all magical.

Also finished installing the first control panel.
Very important to do as much as possible--especially with soldering wire--on top of workbench and before you have to "crawl under":



After a couple of hours of a Quasimodo impersonation, I looked around and found my new best friend for electrical work: Mr. Stool.



(Not to be confused with Mr. Hankey from South Park  )

Made the rest of the afternoon sit well with me, and had the control panel fully operational (except for the one turnout with a "coffin" machine that almost melted on me and will need replacing).

Now I just need a way to stuff the wires away:



Think I'll snuff 'em out with a pillow.

And leave you with an Act of God (according to insurance):



Thanks for looking.

[M.C. Fujiwara]

Finished wiring up & installing the last control panel:



Given that most of the turnouts on this layout are within easy reach and are Peco's (with a spring to hold the points), I'd recommend not using switch machines and just use your finger to through the points.  (Would save moocho time & money as well)
But the client had already wired up some turnouts and wanted them all wired up.
And toggles are fun to throw for kids young and old.

Also started scenicking with a basic ground cover of course brown dirt, various colored grouts, sifted gravel, talus, fine ground foams, and some sparse static grass:





Basically using the mine scene as a test bed: I'm exploring different textures and materials that, since I've spent the past three years scenicking N scale layouts, haven't seriously considered--like course dirt, sands, etc.--and how to blend them to look natural and layered in HO.

The second picture was taken right after applying the diluted white glue, so looks more shiny and light than how it'll turn out (I hope).

I've got longer (4-6mm) static grasses on the way in more golden and burnt green California colors, so will add those when they arrive.

Guess it's time to build the mine tipple, too, this weekend 
Thanks for looking.

[mu26aeh]

I'm going to guess that the spray bombing did not effect the foam base because it had a layer of latex over it ?

[M.C. Fujiwara]

I'm going to guess that the spray bombing did not effect the foam base because it had a layer of latex over it ?

Right.
I painted the foam tan latex before installing the track.
Otherwise, the spraybombing would melt the foam around & under the track.
Kinda like this:

[M.C. Fujiwara]

Base layer of scenery turned out okie dokie when all dried:



Though will definitely need the various lengths of static grasses, some bushes and, of course, trees to make the scene.

The client made tons of trees--of the spray-bombed weed variety--so will look more closely tomorrow to see if some layers of ground foam are needed to turn the weeds into pines.

Finally patched up the last gaping gap in the scenery:



Which I had put off a long, long time ago because it's in a galaxy far, far away.
(Have to have one leg on a ladder and the other on the scenery near the fragile woodmill to get to it)

Then started scenicking the rest of the layout.
Here's what could be called "Guano Quarry" if the diluted white glue dried as is:



But, alas, all the basic ground coverings made it into place.







So, except for some track ballasting and ground cover for the company town, we're getting close to Phase I done.
Need to find out what color the client wants the fascia, but haven't seen him for a couple of weeks (I'm working in a garage away from the house, but he usually spends his days in the office next to the layout), so I hope all's well.

Thanks for looking.