Seaboard Central 2.0

[davefoxx]

Thanks, Scott!  Between a slight revision of the tracks in Aberdeen, causing me to use a different track as the SBD mainline through there, and the completion of the passing siding in Southern Pines, the original HCD layout operates completely different.  It's funny, because my daughter, who's not yet three years old, came in the layout room last night and asked me to pick her up, so she could watch "Daddy's choo-choos."  We were working on what "over" and "under" mean, and she asked me to run a train under the wood trestle.  That track hardly gets used anymore, but it was once integral to completing the roundy-round on the original layout.  Nonetheless, I love this expansion.

DFF

[Jeff AKA St0rm]

Dave I like it alot. Well done. Keep up the good work.

[nscalemike]

Dave I like it alot. Well done. Keep up the good work.

As do I!  This has been part of the motivation to get me back working on my layout. 

Mike

[davefoxx]

Thanks, Jeff!  Thanks, Mike!  I appreciate your comments.

DFF

[wm3798]

You could go one better and cut the hill out square with the building at least part of the way, and add a "foundation" with a walk out door at track level.

Lee

[davefoxx]

Damn, Lee!  Although I don't want to make any modifications to that building, that is a very cool idea.  I may just do that.  I could build a foundation that the commissary building could sit on top without having to make any changes or risk of damage to the structure itself.

Thanks,
Dave

[John]

nice!

[sizemore]

You could go one better and cut the hill out square with the building at least part of the way, and add a "foundation" with a walk out door at track level.

Lee

I was thinking a retaining wall all around, railings all around and stairs next to the road downgrade. And cars all parked perpendicular to the caboose track. Mmmm!

The S.

[wm3798]

Great minds run in the same ditch!

[sizemore]

Great minds run in the same ditch!

This is why we're friends.


The S.

[davefoxx]

Progress!  This is one of two custom curved turnouts necessary to double-end the two arrival/departure tracks at the south end of Hamlet Yard.  The paint is still drying, but the feeder to the frog is installed and the throwbar is drilled.  Installing those ties individually was a real pain.  I hope to get the turnout installed today and begin testing.  That will get me one double-ended track which will really enhance the operations of the yard and the overall layout.  I'll temporarily use flextrack to bypass the second turnout that I haven't built yet.



DFF

[svedblen]

Great work! And with all the ties already in place it looks RTR.

I have never seen that approach before. Any particular reason for that, as opposed to glueing the ties to the subroad bed and dropping the turnout assembly on to those? Just wondering.

[davefoxx]

Thanks, svenbled!

First, it never occurred to me to do it the way you suggest.  Probably because, up until this turnout, I have used Fast Tracks' QuickStick Laser Cut Ties.  Also, in my case, the turnout is located in a not-so-accessible spot on the layout, and it would have been tricky to get the rails cut out of the existing mainline and get the ties to line up perfectly, too.  Besides, I was able to cut the excess length of the turnout ties on the paper template at the workbench once the Pliobond set up.  Doing it this way, I only had to figure out where to cut the track and drop in the turnout.

So far; so good.  Although I need a slide switch to hold the points in place, a temporary set-up seems to be working.  Three separate trains have gone through the mainline side in both directions reliably when I jury rig the switch points against the stock rails.

I'm waiting for cork roadbed to dry before I can connect the first A/D track and test that side of the turnout.  I'll keep you ll posted.

DFF

[svedblen]

Makes sense. Thanks

[davefoxx]

Success, but, boy, oh boy, this turned out to be a huge project.  No wonder I procrastinated so long; I spent most of the weekend installing one turnout.  Okay, okay, I also spent much of that time building it, but this was a real challenge for me.  After I got the turnout installed and tested, I had to get the soldering iron back out to slightly widen the gauge of the 12" radius side to get things running reliably through there.  I may hit one more spot to really smooth things out.  But, for now, it's working.  Everything seems okay on the 16" radius side.

DFF