CMMMD

[mighalpern]

  Sorry kinda long intro

CMMMD
This is the second version of the Cascade Mountain ,Mine & Mill, Division
My original idea was just to watch and run trains with my kids on a nice finished layout.  The name comes from elements that I wanted to model mostly due to me buying building kits before even having a track plan, the same goes for locos and rolling stock. I didn’t have any guidance at the beginning so those things happen, So the CMMMD was born and coincidently it is the first initials of my family members.  So after talking with a good friend and co-worker and an avid N scale modeler Dave Salamon, he showed me about era’s and specific lines, and that operations would add a lot more enjoyment to whatever I did.  So after a lot of modifications to layout #1, to incorporate operations, with my trusty sawzall,  it was take down.   The Original was a 12x14 double deck U shaped layout that occupied a 2 car garage. It had code 80 atlas track and peco switches and every joint was soldered.  A lot of plaster went in to making and hiding the two helixes,






but I learned a lot building that and knew that the next layout needed to be easier to work on, lighter and moveable, so version #2 was built with module/domino’s in mind. After many years building in my round robin group and all of us getting older the last thing I wanted was to crawl under, especially on the concrete garage floor!! It is a completely fictional Line set in the late 50’s with both steam and diesel.  I grew up in the San Francisco bay area, but not close to any real railroads, and I was more interested in airplanes, so my concept of what should be there or not is way off.  I still incorporated many of the elements that I have always wanted to have/model. It is currently 4 feet by 12 feet and made up from 3 modules.

 

It is mounted on a work stand that has wheels and leveling feet. If I ever need to bring a car into the garage, I can roll the layout into the corner.


 The second phase of modules will reside underneath when not in use, to keep the garage from being taken over by my trains.  There are 3 sections so far, each removable so that I can take it to another work area or right there on the stand and put it on its side to gain access to the bottom for ease of tortoise, wire, anything.






 Along time ago I bought a bunch of Power Pole connectors, so each module is very easy to disconnect and add to.  My given and druthers is large, I would love a passenger station and service area, and a double ended yard, but given the space constraints, I have what I have. I will have an interchange with a barge waterfront scene.  I wanted a roundhouse and turntable and thanks to Charlie Comstock’s layout, I got those in a peninsula form.  I am using code 55 and mainly #5 and #7 turnouts, although due to the shortage of turnouts I have been making #4’s with fast tracks and now am comfortable making anything with a good template as a guide.  I have a few curved turnouts in my power plant and they work really well. One problem right now is the older loco’s on the code 55 track, kind of loud and a few have issues with the #4.  My test loco is actually a Kato Mike that runs thru everything ( love that loco!!!)   Having been in the airlines as a mechanic and then as an IQ inspector I’m anal about neatness and labels, it just make sense for trouble shooting, so I try and be as neat as possible and I document everything.



I also like tinkering around, so I have tried several wire joining techniques.


  I use the suitcase connectors for bus/feeders, and tried and like the use of ferrule connectors for other groupings like the round house tracks. Ribbon wire for the tortoise to keep it neat.  On layout #1 I used SPST slide switches mounted underneath with rods and knobs on the fascia, but on this one, I knew the yard would be cluttered and tight so I had a friend make me a diode matrix board for the yard and emptied my pocketbook with tortosies. The other switch panels I made with toggle switches and LED’s, although I made them using a 25 pin connector and an adaptor board so that if I needed to take the panel off to modify I could easily do that as well. ( way over kill)


I use the methodology of “follow the green light” when throwing switches and setting routes.


My original idea was to use a car card system that I got a long time ago and needs MS Access I made pockets on the fascia for that but a few months ago I had the first test ops session using switchlists and that went very well.



 I downloaded “switchlist” and have been trying to learn it, but I’m new to the Mac and an idiot with this stuff.  I learn from seeing and doing, so anyone nearby that can tutor me would be great, Did I mention I got beer !! 
 Now that I see so many great layouts and modelers on TRW I am pushing to finish a section before starting another. I definitely enjoy other’s engineer reports.  It shows me how to think outside the box when it comes to scratch building.   The creativity and ingenuity that’s out there is so awesome and makes me itch for the next phase in my layout.  I got a wild idea for the next section, but that will have to wait.  Ok thanks for reading this far.  Any ideas, thoughts , comments
 Welcome to the CMMMD.
Thanks
Miguel 

[eric220]

'Bout time you got this thread going!  Can't wait until my schedule allows me to go gandy dancing again. That photo of me feeding tortoise throw wires is probably the last time I was there...

[MichaelWinicki]

Luv the use of the scenic divide.

[mighalpern]

yeah Eric220 , its been a long time.

Michael, the divider is actually attach to one module, so the building are going to be secured with magnets or pins.

I am trying to finish the multiple buildings that sit on the 3 sections and also as a last kinda whoopee I ended up lighting them.  Really don't think I will run it in the dark. My old layout had a valance and I had regular light bulbs and blue bulbs, both on dimmers so I could adjust each to create a nice night scene.
So I placed the brick work into the walls of my kit bash building



 and then added lights to my loco service area and the buildings around the corner.



Still a few more buildings to complete and retrofit.  I am tossing ideas about the parking area for my building, whether to use plaster or chip board for the surface.

[mighalpern]

sorry I met to use this picture for my paving question

chip board seems ok, but you have to cut the curve very carefully to get a nice fit, while using plaster is easy enough , but then cleaning out the inside rails is a chore.  any comments.  MC I saw how you did that HO layout and would love some feed back on the pro's and con's 

[mighalpern]

my in- decision on how to proceed with the road work got me to the point where I tore out a good section of asphalt and then poured out a huge slab among the 3 industries,     Ala FC Fujiwara
Using un-sanded grey grout.  I learned from my last pour that i could leave it a little rough and then sand it smooth,  Sooo just got to wait till tomorrow.





the chip boartd method seemed way to difficult .
Anyway tomorrow morning I hope to have a few more follow ups.  Working this weekend on the midnight shift, so gonna screw my whole schedule up.
thanks
Miguel

[Philip H]

If you get the grout to look good @Ed Kapuscinski will be your friend for life.

[mighalpern]

Well after working most of the weekend, but letting things dry I was so so with the results.  I did figure out that pouring very thin was better to get a smoother and level top surface.



The side benefit is that there was more natural cracking in the grout.


I sanded smooth and tried to fill areas with grouts and diluted white glue, which was not the best idea due to when it dried out it was a different color and when sanded would pull up.


So the final was to pour thin pours in the low and missing areas.  then sand.


  I might have to apply a thin coat of paint to get this more uniform.  Not sure just yet.  The white zones are the paving tape and where there will be ground and fencing( chain link from lemony )  to divide the area up.
so any tips or comments welcome.
thanks
Miguel

[Philip H]

Let it dry, pull up the paving tape gently and walk away.

No, seriously.

Walk away.  That's some darn fine concrete right there. And the variation adds to the effect in a really great way.

[eric220]

I'm with @Philip H on this, especially if there's any drying left to be done in that last photo. If you make it uniform, you're going to spend a lot of time adding variation back in.

[mighalpern]

ok finally got the time off to pull the tape ( a bear ) and sand down the new patch areas. the pink area/tan area will have dirt and fencing

the coloring is better an i am liking it.

and a rough placement of future buildings

finally have a weekend off and I am really hoping to get this scene near completion.  I am also installing lighting in some of the building and have about 3 more to build before I can leave this section of the module alone.  I feel bad not laying out more track, but also want to have a completed section before going ape s**t on the next sections.
appreciate the comments so far
thanks
Miguel

[Chris333]

The pavement looks good to me. I wouldn't have the guts to do that much at once.

[mighalpern]

yeah Chris33
 don't know what I was thinking, but the key was to have thinner pours.  it leveled out easier and less lumps.
I'm kind of worried that the cracks might be too wide for N scale but otherwise i think it came out ok.  This would have been a monster to do with styrene or chip board.  The tracks in the grout are a bit rough after i passed the razor blade by to clear them off, but I think some dirt or weeds popping up might make it look well used.
hoping to add the dirt and fencing this weekend.
thanks
love your work.  hope you get back to the small industrial layout you built. I really learned a lot from that report.

[mighalpern]

working on the layout this week.  Got 4 days off, plus the Gandy dancer crew coming this Saturday to work.


the the tail track new #4 instead of #5


switch throws ala Mr. Foxx  I have about 20 something tortoises on the yard and I'm not adding any more.!!!


the new run around and caboose tracks.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Wow, that looks stellar.