Going Full Circle

Alright so for this post I would like to give a quick overview of how I have gotten the layout to go full circle again.

 

After all of the uncertainty that has arisen over the past couple of months with moving, I decided to bring the rest of the layout back to life.  In my previous setup, the connectors that ran from one end of the modeled layout around the room to the other were supported by angled shelf brackets that were secured to the wall studs.  This time around, I cannot do this as we may or may not be moving.  So now I had to come up with new methods.

 

I had some constraints.  First, I hate floor supports.  They and my toes do not get along.  Plus, the connectors will not see much weight.  So I wanted to avoid those as much as possible.  Second, I wanted to follow the rules of simplicity.  As few curved sections as possible, easy alignments, simple entrance/exits, that sort of thing.  Third, I had budget constraints.  Consume as little funds as possible.

This greatly limited my options but part of the fun I have with this hobby is learning new things.  So I turned to my trusty friend the internet and set out to find new possibilities and solutions.  After a few days of searching, several options presented themselves and I worked with them as best as possible.

 

To keep curved sections to a minimum, I built extensions to the exiting layout.  They are the standard 1x4 with ½” plywood fare I have been using.  I have removed the floor supports and added bracing to keep them level with the rest of the layout.  Track on top, and boom, done.

Next I took care of the long straight runs.  This got me a lot done without much invested.  The book shelf is a simple big box store setup.  It is a bit tall but it was all that was available.  I built some adjustable landing brackets and screwed them into the sides.  The boards are ½” plywood strips I had left over from the previous setup.  This whole thing took a night, including cutting work.  Very simple, even if it isn’t subtle.

 

 

After that I came to a challenge: a lightweight corner section that doesn’t require a whole lot of support.  Enter these neat modules I read about here.  They cover how to build them so I will not elaborate much.  I only have two thoughts.  1) the hot glue does a great job of holding and 2) do not use the 1/8” MDF board that I did.  Find some thin, cheap plywood and it will have a lot less saw dust and weight (I also used some Liquid Nail).  All things aside they are really a clever solution that does work.

 

 

Lastly, there is the biggest obstacle.  The lift bridge.  I really wanted to have a simpler way to get into and out of the room.  Before, I had a whole section of wood to manually lift out of the way after disconnecting and removing track.  Now I have this beauty.  More on it and its construction at a later time.

 

And there you have it.  How I built the layout back up to running capacity.  The past several weeks have seen many a train go over it after a little tweaking but it will do the job well.  Which of course means I am far too busy to blog because I am playing with my trains!

 

Random pic of the day!

 

This was actually taken today, 5/7 at Englewood Yard.  I have seen the Penn Central engine before. but this is the best perspective I have been able to get.  Very fortunate to have caught it.

Back up and running!

Man life is crazy.  So much has been going on, but fortunately some of it has been the trains.  Most importantly, the trains are back up and running again!

1989 pulls the official first train around the layout.  It is all tank cars, the most common car hauled on the SRR, part of how we got our name!

I will have more posts coming soon.  Lots to talk about!

Random picture of the day:

This the Southern Railway heritage engine by Norfolk Southern.  I caught this one outside of the Port of Houston grain terminal.  It was hidden behind an arriving grain train that sat for about ten minutes and then finally moved to reveal the prize! 

Signals, Scenery, and Ballast

And here is the first post of the new year.  Hopefully everyone enjoyed the transition and is looking forward to the blessings of 2016!

With the new year, I am going to do something new: this whole post of being created from my phone!  I figure I should start working my way into current technology uses.  This could be the new thing.

Anyways, on to the subject of the post.  I finally finished the ground cover scenery and ballast on my first module!  

The scenery is the same stuff and technique as before.  I was really worried that the little corner left would not blend with the existing, but even I cannot tell where the new begins and the old ends.  I'll call that a win.

The ballast is real stone made by AZ Rock & Mineral company.  I followed the techniques that regularly show up in MR or MRH.  It took four good glue soakings though as I did not have a good base secured.  Lessons for next time!

Here are some closeups of the signals.  The electrical cabinets are from BLMA and a pain to build for a novice structure guy like myself but they are nice and accurate.  The switch machine is by Details West.  It was simple install and build, but is non-functioning.  The Blue Point below the decking handles the control.  I also added exposed electrical conduit for effect.

Here are the signals past the turnout.  One head is turned away from the tracks on purpose.  The set of these I purchased had a double head that is commonly used in ABS or block territory.  I decided that the SRR left the block signal when it added the siding to keep costs down.  This turnout is controlled by a Caboose Industries stand.  I cut off the lever normally on these and added a more modern looking handle.  Might not look so bad or obvious now.

And now for the random pic of the day!

I hope I haven't used this one before but anyways, this is one of the test units for the ES44AT locomotives.  It is the first of the Tier IV locomotives and is made by GE.  They are currently producing these engines for BNSF, UP, and CSX.  I have not yet seen a UP one.  I caught this bad boy heading East out of Englewood Yard one afternoon when I was heading home from work, and was lead by a Citirail ES44.  A train with no class one engines!

2015 Layout and Club Visits, End of 2015

This year was a good one for model railroading for a lot of us!  Since this is most likely my last post for the year, I think it appropriate to show off some of the local layouts and clubs and showcase their talents.

First up are some images of the local layouts.  Yes this is a picture heavy post...  Sorry mobile users.

Next are images from my favorite club, the Byan College Station Model Railroad Society!  (Yes some of these are my trains).

And on the SRR layout front, I have gotten the second module out of storage.  Some plans have changed at home and we aren't moving for a little while, so I got the corner out of storage.  It definitely needs some sceney!  I also used some birthday funds and purchased some non-working signals.  These are from Atlas and are the type G signals that are prevalent on SP trackage like the SRR runs on.  There are several surviving even on the Sunset line between Beaumont and Houston!  While they do not work, they still look great andhelp set the stage!

Finally, the random image.

This is the Conrail heritage locomotive by Norfolk Sourhern.  I had seen her once before but only technically.  This time she was out in the open wanting to be photographed, so I obliged.

Until next time, have a great rest of the year!  See you in 2016!