Free-moN Staging Yard - 16"x10'

[M.C. Fujiwara]

First day of the GTE show at the Santa Clara Fairgrounds went pretty well.
 It's amazing how a totally unorganized group (that is us, Silicon Valley Free-moN) can get together and put up a large layout in a few hours!
 Here's the one "set up" pict:
 


Murph and Eric are putting together our "Ring of Fire" that we ignite and have jump through every time someone says "Why are the trains going so slow?"
 No, that's really the return loop / double wye Eric built in about three days for X2011.
 Gotta say, it was nice to finally have TWO return loops, one on each end of the layout!
 
Here's the other one:
 


Having the extra two tracks on the new return loop was awesome: amazing how many more trains you can run when you have more than one place for them to pass!
 It was also a good spot to set trains up so not everyone was crowded around the staging yard.
 
Our set up is basically a big "3", with the return loops on each end and Murph's new junction module in the center to lead off to a branchline.
 Turned out to be a nice big fortress, though a little linear: a couple more curved modules will allow a bit more undulation.
 Here's a shot down the long middle:
 


All the modules with passing sidings (Devil Mt. return loop, Effett Staging Yard, Steve Williams' Lockhart) are pretty evenly space out, so timing is pretty good for meets & passing.
 
Here's a look back to show the distance between the yard and the return loop, with my Shoofly & Dave Falkenburg's Alviso modules in between:
 


[cont.]

[M.C. Fujiwara]

Here's Murph's junction:
 


He's got a couple modules that go from single to double track, which is groovy as another passing place.
 He just laid some of the track and wired it up morning-of-show, so we'll work on it some more today.
 
Here's from the other end of the layout:
 


Steve's car boxes provide the scenery and viewblocks on the wye/return loop.
 Ignore the big mess in the middle.
 
The staging yard quickly fills up:
 


I'll have to build a new insert that branches off to a proper storage yard to free up this space for through trains.
 Rick Brodzinsky stopped by with his Cab Forward and some heavyweights to roll around the layout.
 Quite the eyecatcher!
 
Since we don't have the cab bus hooked up everywhere yet (today's project), it's great that our iPhones work well as throttles!
 Here's Scott checking the turnouts before heading out of Effett Yard:
 


I'll get better photos and some video today.
 It's amazing how fast time flies when you're running trains and talking with a lot of people.
 (note to self: bring cold drinks today!)
 
See you soon, and thanks for looking.

[eric220]

Looks like a good time!  I wish I could've made it to the show.

[M.C. Fujiwara]

GTE was a blast.
 With a second return loop and four new members' modules, including a junction, we had over 120 feet of continuous running!
 (double that, if you count going both ways one circuit!)
 
Not only that, but we were able to break down, pack up & leave in 40 minutes!
 (Even more amazing: everything fit in all our cars!)
 
It was great to run long trains over long distances.
 It was also great to meet so many people from the forums as well.
 Trainboard vet Ryan Wilkerson even brought his two young sons from Sacramento (two hours away) for a day of running trains:
 


[Ryan's the dapper dude on the right, whle the scruffy Santa-in-training in the center is our own beloved Dave Falkenburg]
 The kids Cade & Cort were awesome: they brought their own smart phones to use as throttles and turned out to be better engineers than most of us adults!
 They ran scale speeds, even yard speed, actually listened to the dispatcher, and made sure to line the turnouts and watch of traffic.
 We'll need them back at the next show to teach us how to run trains!
 
So we went from 3-4 operators yesterday to over 8 today, and man the layout got crowded quickly!
 Luckily the new return loop can stack about 6 long trains around it, and Murph's Junction has a long passing track, so there are plenty of places to pass: quite a change back in April when we had only one passing siding on one module!
 
In between running trains we had other projects to work on.
 After a couple of hours, Scott & Steve finally got my Kato NW2 consisted with Scott's Arnold S-2, and that pair could out-pull almost anything on the layout:
 


Here they are waiting in front of Devil Mountain on the return loop.
 
The layout was so busy the wreck train never got a chance to run (even though there were plenty of wrecks), but looked nice parked in Sonoma by the Shoofly:
 


And Steve demonstrates why it's not a good idea to wear open-toed sandals when dropping metal objects on your feet:
 


But he didn't admit "da feet" and soldiered & soldered on.
 
[cont.]

[M.C. Fujiwara]

We're definitely going to have to come up with some kind of operating plan now that we have more trains and operators on the layout.
 All of Effett Yard's tracks were occupied pretty much all of the time:
 


In addition to a few trains parked on the passing sidings of the Devil Mountain return loop:
 


But through both days, trains were running and people were having fun!
 


And, of course, a short (5 minute) video:
 

Thanks for looking & hope to see you at the next show!

[M.C. Fujiwara]

Always kind of a let down after a show, going from frantic building / scenicking to coming home and taking a breather.
 Good time to clean up the workspace, take stock of projects, and just focus on some smaller detailing easily accomplished in a couple hours or so.
 
On Effett Staging Yard, I added a hoist crane to the MOW shed:
 


A water spout for the steam service:
 


[made from metal sprues from a Stewart Diesel Service kit, wire, and tender weight as a base]
 
Speaking of diesel service: got most of it in, and behind a fence, too.
 


Still waiting for some Traincat walkways and railings for the service platform.
 Also still need to put in some bumpers!
 
Got some trees in, too, so the loo isn't out stark naked as a full moon in a... well, fertilizer field.
 


Need to get a lot of scraps, trash, bushes, etc., as well as an office for the tanks in, but the trees do bring in a lot of "world."
 
[cont.]

[M.C. Fujiwara]

A few short trees around the steam service:
 


A long view of the trees & tanks:
 


Not sure: I kinda liked it without trees.
 Made it seem older & more industrial.
 But does tie it in with the other modules more.
 And, realistically, most of those trees are going to be victims of 0-5-0 accidents after the next couple shows, so I'll have time to decide if I like them or not.
 (And rebuild them with wire & solder if I do)
 
Wide view of the diesel service & machine shop:
 


And steam service end:
 


Looking more & more busy & real.
 Fun to put all the little details in.
 Any suggestions for more details appreciated!
 
Thanks for looking.

[M.C. Fujiwara]

Would have posted this earlier but was busy watching the SF Giants knock out the Dodgers from the playoffs and the Oakland A's winning the AL West Division
Exciting times for Bay Area baseball!
 And my beloved SJ Earthquakes are leading the whole MLS league!
 Woot!

 Anyway, I finally finished some videos showing how I scratchbuild simple wooden structures like this:
 


Here's Part I:

 And here's Part II:

 Hopefully the videos will help take some of the mystery out of scratchbuilding plank by plank and inspire people to build their own structures instead of building the same kits as every other layout.
 I built this shed very quickly (about two hours total, including drying times) to get it on the Silicon Valley Free-moN Effett Yard module before the GTE show a couple weeks ago, so it's not the most complicated structure nor the most detailed (the yard is called "Effett" for a reason!)
 But if I can do this in a couple of hours in N scale, imagine what you can do over a day or two!

 Also been building a new insert for Effett Yard: still 2' long and has the 15 deg. bend, but I'm sticking a turnout on the outer runaround to lead to a basic storage yard, so the new insert is a three-sided section:



 The 7-track storage / classification yard (we deal with unit trains for now, so it's pretty much one & the same) will be two 12" x 48" x 2" sections hinged together so it can fold up and fit in the last little space left in my car:



 Also building a "transition section" from the flat yard to corked main that can be swapped in for the storage yard and act as a junction.
 But we'll see how that works out.

 Anyway, thanks for looking.

[mcjaco]

I'd lose those trees in the loco facilities too.  They'd most likely not be there anyway for the possibility of a steamer igniting one of them with a cinder. 

[M.C. Fujiwara]

I built a new insert for Effett Yard: same 15 deg. bend but with a turn-off on the outer track to lead to a storage yard or to connect to another module (like a junction).
 


Custom-built the turnout to match the straight-then curve of the outer track with the diverging track beginning the curve to the single-track branch.
 I used a Bullfrog to throw the turnout / power the frogs, but didn't want knobs sticking out of the sides, so I cut off the end of a paintbrush, filed a notch at the base, then wood-glued it to the Bullfrog:
 


Given the narrow (12") width of the insert, it's easy just to reach underneath and throw it.
 
Lining up the tracks to the two yard sections is easy, but to ensure a flush-straight alignment for the single track I used a trick Steve Williams of our Free-moN group taught me:
 


A small mirror is very effective in ensuring perpendicular alignment at the ends!
 (Had to remove the "Disney Princess" cover of the mirror, though. Sorry!)
 
While building 40+ vines for my Shoo-fly vineyard I was able to finish installing the track, drop all the feeders and install & wire the Bullfrog, so we now have a new insert / lead to storage / junction:
 


Some replacement ties, paint, ballast & ground cover & we're ready to rock n' roll!
 
Thanks for looking.

[M.C. Fujiwara]

Finished (except for some misc. trackside details) scenicking the new insert for Effett Yard:
 


Yes, some of the tufts look like tribbles.
 But after the tacky glue dries I can thin them down a bit.
 
Built the "benchwork" and legs for the 12" x 8' storage yard extension (folds in half to 4' x 12" x 5", which is about all the space I have left in my car).
 Here's the mock-up of the ladders:
 


7 #7s, with a crossover at the far side to create a runaround.
 Other 5 tracks are stub-end.
 
Here's the whole assembly:
 


[Tracks are just placed on the storage yard to show spacing]
 Hopefully, this will allow a few more trains to run on our Silicon Valley Free-moN layout.
 At our last show, some trains just stayed parked at Effett Yard, effectively blocking a few through tracks.
 Now operators or the designated Yard Goat can put some trains back in storage to free up more space on the through tracks.
 But somehow I think we're just going to have more trains
 If you build it, they will come!
 
But that's not all!
 This is a Swiss Army Yard Insert.
 I'm also building a short (2') 15-deg. curved "adaptor" module to go from the track-flat-on-ply up to Free-moN Standard cork roadbed:
 


It'll have a curved wooden trestle over a wetland / slough.
 That way, if we don't need the extra storage yard, we can use Effett as an interchange yard with a branchline.
 Always good to have the options!
 
Now off to build some #7 turnouts!
 
Thanks for looking.

[Coxy]

MC, you are doing some really fantastic work on these modules. You're like a one man club!!!

I really like the new insert module. Does that short curved section also allow you to orient the storage yard alongside Effet?

Am I correct in assuming the new turnout to the storage yard is an asymetrical wye turnout? Long live handlaying brother!

Cheers,
Coxy

PS nice spread in N Scale too!!

[M.C. Fujiwara]

Thanks, Coxy.

The short curved module is actually a "transition" module to go from the track-flat-on-ply of Effett Yard to the "standard" track-on-cork-roadbed of regular modules.
That way, if we don't need the folding storage yard (which is also track-on-ply), we can turn Effett Yard into a junction / interchange with a branch line.
Guess we could use that curved module anywhere (it'll have a nice trestle over a slough), though the non-cork side of the top of the module would rise up about 1/8".
Just fine for California as a "fault line" 

The turnout is a #8 frankenslightlycurved wye: straight pretty much up to the frog, with the "through" track a 70-something" curve to the right and the left tracks curving as an easement into a 22" radius curve towards the staging yard.
Yeay for handlaid!

[M.C. Fujiwara]

For the last week or so I've been building the curved module that transitions from Effett Yard's track-on-ply to the Free-moN standard track-on-cork-roadbed.
 Almost an excercise in futility, as we'll probably always use the folding storage yard off the wye instead of turning Effett into a branch interchange, but you never know.
 And it's been fun building a bridge again:
 




You can see the jig I built to get all the bents the same.
 The "bar" across the center of the jig is the bottom of the shorter bents: I glued that in after I had built all the taller bents.
 In the above photo you can also see the PC board ties I GorrilaGlued in gaps I left when building the span.
 [And, ignoring my own advice, I forgot to gap the PC board ties BEFORE gluing them in, but it all turnout out ok with some mighty fine Dremeling later]
 


The NBW details are a bit time-consuming to add, but very, very much worth it in the end.
 Just compare the un-NBWed bent on the left to the others.
 Those are HO 1" nuts and HO 2 1/2" square nuts from Grandt Line (which, I just found out, is located in the next town over of Concord, CA).
 I was going to run out of the square nuts, so I replaced the outer 4 with rectangular-washer NBWs (you'll see later).
 


Pairing up the bents at where the stringers abutt is good prototypical practice, and saves abutt-load of NBW details!
 
[cont.]

[M.C. Fujiwara]

The module itself has a sheet of 1/2" ply under some scrap 2" foam.
 (so that means there's 3 1/2" of space underneath: perfect for the 1"x4" cross supports!)
 As I knew there was going to be water on this scene, I made sure to seal the edges of the ply & hardboard fascia with caulk.
 After shaping the foam, I slopped some sculptamold on to eliminate the foam seams and create the land portion of the slough:
 


Remember that this is a transition module that's going from ply to cork, so I added cork only on one side and sanded it down at a slight grade.
 I also carved the shapes of the cribbing and retaining wall straight out of the foam.
 
Painted the foam and slough bed, threw on some dirt, gravel and a little ground foam, then test-fitted the trestle deck:
 


I'm doing things a bit bass-awkward here: usually I get the track in first and wired and running, but because of how I install the rails on the deck, I'm scenicking first.
 I want to make sure I have a lot of grass under the trestle, which is a bit easier before the trestle is installed.
 
Put in the retaining wall and the cribbing, added some tufts after the static grass, and then installed the trestle:
 


Spray-painted a piece of flex track Grimy Black, then installed it.
 I put the fixed rail on the outside & soldered it first, which made adjusting the inner sliding rail much easier:
 


Don't forget to scrape the rail bottoms before soldering!
 
[cont.]