Weekend Update 9/2/12

[JSL]

Reused an old bookcase for under layout storage. Work continued on mainline. 

[eja]

That is way to neat. Go to your room and make a mess or you will embarrass the rest of us !

[DKS]

Here are a couple different angles of the mountain showing my progress so far. 

This layout is becoming one heck of a good-looking layout that, IMO, should appear in a magazine sometime soon.

[GaryHinshaw]

Robert,

Very nice turnout work.  I have a few more questions to follow up on Ed's if I may.  To make my questions more clear, I annotated one of your photos and re-posted it here - I hope you don't object:



My questions:

1. Is the material indicated by the green arrow simply the end of the brass wire filed to shape, or is this somehow one of Andy's throw-bar clips reshaped?

2. Do you solder the actuating throw-bar (blue arrow) to the points, or let them pivot along the point web?

3. Have you ever had a problem with a PC throw-bar bridging a gap in a head tie (red oval) causing a short?

I have done a similar build using Andy's solderable clips, as shown, e.g. in the 2nd photo of this post.  I like your (and his) idea of having a solid mechanical connection to the point base through a hole, but I couldn't make it work with the pre-drilled point holes (they are too far from the point tips) and I don't have the tools to easily drill my own.  (By the way, have you been able to drill holes in the base of code 40 rail?)  I ended up relying on a soldered connection for this throw-bar, including a small fillet where the point clip touches the point.  Since there is no torsional stress on this joint, and very little stress during actuation (since the actuating throw-bar carries most of the load by pushing directly on the point web) they *should* be pretty durable - and they seem to be - but only time will tell....

Thanks,
Gary

[S Class]

....and what the heck as a C424 doing shunting a single car anyway......? 

One would guess that with the front truck askew it isn't doing much more shunting 

[Kentuckian]

So, David Gray how did you do your rock work?  It really looks good.

[Puddington]

Very nice A4E!  He's catching up my collection in numbers! I'm looking to add a Fairmont M9 if I can find a decent one.

I have wanted to get a velocipede but they are very rare and very expensive. A friend of mine has a former Maine Central one made from white oak that he restored a few years ago...its now worth $15,000 

I don't know a lot about speeders but here are some pics of his other stuff, from previous trips....



Ok, Sammy just a toddlers in this one... we've been railfanning for a long time !

[Smike]

This layout is becoming one heck of a good-looking layout that, IMO, should appear in a magazine sometime soon.

+1
I love the tower. Your work reminds me why I love smaller layouts, as it allows one to super concentrate on making an exceptional scene.

So, David Gray how did you do your rock work?  It really looks good.

He used rocks from:

http://www.cripplebush.net/

[fcnrwy]

The last couple of months I have not done much work..
I have been busy selling the equipment.  That belonged to one of our late club members.   

What I did get done….

The Port Edwards’ Extension has the entire mainline track in place.  The industrial trackage, (Chemical and Co-Generation plant) placement is dependent upon my completion of cardstock mockups.    I hope to get to these later this week.

I have completed a few commissioned projects, over this weekend.

The Poogy Lines’ new Business Car……  Poogy One.





And the Poogy lines’ new Frac Sand hopper cars…  He ordered up 26 cars,  I have 8 done so far. ( I ran out of number decals).   




Jerry G.

[sizemore]

Wrapped up "The Gauntlet" for ACME Labs. It's primarily a DCC workbench, and all Code 40 rail. Parts unseen is the PR3 and laptop setup. With the layout being in the basement, this allows me to bring locomotives upto the shop, do all the maintenance and test before taking back to the layout downstairs. The forward most line is for testing locomotives that can't negotiate the 11.25r turns, and to give a longer straight run while setting CV's. The rear line is a programming track. When not in use both work as storage, and setup for "builders photos".



The next step is to setup the "backshop", mini-lathe/mill, etching rig, and a Silhouette Cutter.
 
The S.

[Coxy]

...it is time for me to focus on how to lay, actuate and control my turnouts. 

I'm working on the same question. Leaning toward servo control. Looking forward to seeing your test sections rigged up.
Coxy

[NARmike]

Dave:

Nice looking layout so far!


Mike:

Good work on the bridges.  I hope they will see NAR as well as CN power . . .


With my upper deck track gangs waiting at the Tremblay west switch, and the lower deck track gangs closing fast on the east switch at Sundance, it is time for me to focus on how to lay, actuate and control my turnouts...

Thanks for the kind words, Tim. CN units will show up on my bridges as well as NAR. The NAR had a habit of leasing GP-9s from both CN and CP when they were short on power during the grain rush in the fall... and it just happens to be the fall of '79 in my "world"!! Lucky coincidence? I think not!

How are you going to control your turnouts? Manual or remote? If you're going manual (AKA finger flip) I have something in the works that may just work for you as long as your point travel is about 1.4 or 1.5mm. It will hold the points in place, power route for the frog and be hidden... and be ultra cheap/ultra simple! I'm just waiting for the parts to come in so I can do some testing on my Atlas code 55 turnouts. Once I've had a chance to do the testing I'll let you all in on the big "secret".

I've always been a little floored by what people spend on Tortise machines and Frog Juicers... By the time you add it all up with the cost of the turnout, wiring and components you're looking at $45 to $50 per turnout... there's got to be a better way!



Mike Maisonneuve
Modeling the Northern Alberta Railways' Peace River subdivision in N scale...

...and now with 25 posts I hopefully won't have to manually type all this stuff at the end of them

http://nscalenar.blogspot.ca/

[Scottl]

There is a lot of excellent work this week.  DavidGrey1974, your layout is becoming exceptional and I really like the addition of the tower.

No trains for me.  Weekend at the cabin, cutting up fallen trees for the winters wood.

[davidgray1974]

This layout is becoming one heck of a good-looking layout that, IMO, should appear in a magazine sometime soon.

Thanks Dave!  Very honored for you to say that, especially considering your mastery at model railroading.  Only thing is, once this side is complete, have to start work on the adjacent side.    The only thing I have so far is a grain elevator.     Granted, I can't imagine that side taking nearly as long as the coal mine side.


Right now it kind of acts like a storage area for building projects until work begins.  I also still plan on building the yard of the far end of the layout as originally designed.  And may add another branch off for another mine.

+1
I love the tower. Your work reminds me why I love smaller layouts, as it allows one to super concentrate on making an exceptional scene.

 
Thanks SMike!  I really like the tower as well.  When my dad come to visit this past week, he actually suggested putting one on the layout.  Thought it would add more interest to the scene.  I have to say I totally agree with him. 

He used rocks from:

http://www.cripplebush.net/

 
You're absolutely correct!  I love cripplebush rocks!  They rock!     Just place them on your layout using a hot glue gun and use sculpt-a-mold to blend in with the mountains.  Very easy to use.  Highly recommend!

Thanks again everybody for the great comments!  Really means alot!

[BCR 570]

Thanks for the kind words, Tim. CN units will show up on my bridges as well as NAR. The NAR had a habit of leasing GP-9s from both CN and CP when they were short on power during the grain rush in the fall... and it just happens to be the fall of '79 in my "world"!! Lucky coincidence? I think not!

I think that 1979 would be the year to model the NAR, what with names aded to the locomotives and the yellow NSC boxcars arriving.


How are you going to control your turnouts? Manual or remote? If you're going manual (AKA finger flip)

Manual aka finger flip control of turnouts is not an option for me, as I am building Code 40 turnouts so they are not sprung.  I also want to keep fingers away from the turnouts as much as possible because I intend to install switch stands beside them.  So it will be remote control for me.  I tried a mock up of the slide switch to fascia knob via R/C cable system, but I could not get it to work satisfactorily.  Tortoises are out because they are too big and would extend below my fascia.

I have been studying and want to try out the servo control method offered by Tam Valley.  The switch machines have a much lower profile, the distance of travel and pressure applied can be programmed to a very fine degree, and the cost is reasonable, especially when components are purchased in kit form.  We will see how it works out.


Tim