Working on the electronics

Norm, Aiden and I were back working on the layout this week.  Norm finished up laying track and I helped Aiden drill holes for feeder wires.

drilling 1/8" hole for feeder wire

Aiden cut wire into 12" lengths for the feeder wires.  We made a mark on the bench where 12" was so that he could stretch the wire and then cut it.  

Measuring off 12" length of wire

cutting it to length

Once we had the wires cut Aiden pushed them through the holes.  He was just the right height to see the holes from the top and the bottom of the layout.

stringing wire from the top

and pushing them up from the bottom.  He also pulled them down from the top once in the hole.

Finally, a little playtime and getting a ground view of the layout!!  Aiden is a character!!

Aiden wires the layout

Just a quick post to say that we've started to wire the layout and Aiden was a big help.  Norm was working on track bed and laying cork so Aiden helped me install some bus wires.

We first measured how much of each bus-wire was needed and cut it too length.  We are using 14 gauge wire for the bus wires.  Norm pitched in and held one end and Aiden used a drill to twist the wires together.  A lot easier than twisting the pairs of wires by hand!!

Aiden used a drill to quickly and easily twist wires together

Once we had a bus pair of wires twisted together, Aiden crawled under the layout (he could almost stand!) and put the wires in the plastic clips that we had screwed to the bottom of the layout.

Aiden could almost stand under the layout!

He was a big help because I would have to have crawled under the layout on my hands and knees!

Putting the wires into plastic clips

We have started to lay track so future posts will focus on the track work and installing feeder wires onto the track sections and connecting them to these bus wires.

We're laying roadbed!!

A new phase of the NF & CR Ry. has begun....we are laying roadbed!!  The benchwork is complete and we have moved on to putting cork roadbed down.  It was exciting to actually start to see the roadbed start to take form.  We had experimented with running some trains up the grades and around the curves by just taping some track to the plywood but pretty soon we will start to lay track as well!

Norm putting adhesive caulk down onto the plywood.

We are using an adhesive caulk to glue the cork to the plywood base.  Norm spread the caulk with a putty knife following the centerlines that we had previously drawn.  Since the caulk would cover up the lines, we put push-pins along the centerline.  This also helped in placing the cork...we were able to just press the cork against the pins to follow the centerlines.

The caulk was easy to spread...but a little messy!

Once the cork was down, we used additional push-pins to keep the cork in place.  It was a little messy but it all went together well.  Next time....we will wear gloves!!

The cork went down onto the caulk and was pushed up to the pins.  Additional pins were used to held the cork in place.

Aiden even got into the fun and helped nail down a few push-pins.  He is having fun helping with the layout but I think he really would be happier running some trains!!

The supervisor even nailed some pins down!

Finally, some pictures of the roadbed at the end of the day.  We are doing the outer-loop first so that we can lay some track and run some trains.  It will be both exciting and amazing to watch that first train make a loop around the layout!!

Cork roadbed going around the outer loop

Close-up of the roadbed.

Securing the Subroadbed

In our most recent work session, we fastened down the subroadbed--1/2 inch plywood cut out to shape--so it is secure.  We installed risers to do the job.  The riser were made of scrap 1X3 inch lumber with a 1X1 inch rail fastened to the top for added support.  The riser rails were attached to the risers with wood glue and nails.  The risers were then screwed to the 1X4 benchwork at the correct height and the subroadbed screwed into the risers.

The risers were fabricated from scrap 1X3" lumber with a horizontal rail attached for added support

The subroadbed was secured to the risers with drywall screws

We completed the job of attaching all the subroadbed to the benchwork.

Aiden and Jeff securing the subroadbed to the benchwork

The elevated section of the layout.  Aiden is helping Jeff drill holes for screws to hold the subroadbed securely in position

We then made some conforming cuts in the plywood base to accommodate a planned gorge and river bed.

Aiden is cutting off a a projection from the end of what will be the logging camp portion of the layout

Even after carefully planning the elevation of the subroadbed, we discovered some places where the superelevation lay in the wrong direction or was higher than wanted.  We loosened the screws holding the risers in place and adjusted them to level them properly.

A check of the level showed the logging camp area to be out of level; we adjusted the lean of the riser to correct it

We are satisfied that we now have the benchwork in place, ready for laying track.  In our next session, we'll be laying cork roadbed and preparing to install track.  So we're getting closer to running trains!  It's getting exciting!

Norm

Making the Elevated Track Sections

Our latest work session, which was a long day of working, was to lay out the track locations on the plywood base and then cut the plywood in the "hill" section of the layout so we can elevate the track.

Here we are, ready for a work session in Jeff's shop; that's Norm on the left, Jeff on the right

We began by positioning the full scale pages on the plywood base until we got them into final position.

OK, so we had a little help getting the patterns into position on the plywood base

 The next task was to transfer the pattern to the plywood underneath.  To do this, we used a dressmaker's pattern tool called a pounce.  A pounce is a wheeled device with sharp spokes that poke through the pattern to the material underneath, in this case the plywood.

A dressmaker's pounce, also sometimes used to simulate rivets and nail holes in scale models

The recommended practice was to trace the pounce marks with a Sharpie, which was supposed to bleed through the holes left by the pounce and leave a trail on the plywood.  This, we found, was only partially successful, and we ended up re-tracing the pounce marks with marking pens so we would have lines we could follow when cutting out the plywood.

Here Norm is tracing the pounce wheel marks with a Sharpie; while some of the ink flowed through the holes, it did not leave the expected clear line for the saw to follow

We retraced the pounce marks, often better visible by the dents left in the plywood, so we would have clear lines to follow when we cut out the patterns with the jig saw

Next, we propped the plywood on 2X4s so we could cut out the patterns with a jig saw.

Jeff is cutting along the cut lines that mark the edge of the roadbed sections; in all cases we also marked the planned centerline for the track itself so that remains visible on the roadbed

Once we had the plywood cut, we clamped it into position at varying heights to plan the elevations we want to have for the final layout.  This is a critical phase, since it affects the rate of elevation and the difficulty trains will have climbing the ascents.  So, we only temporarily clamped the plywood into place to give ourselves plenty of time to think about things before we finalize them.

The layout with the plywood cut to shape for the roadbed and clamped into rough position to simulate elevations.  The plywood bent smoothly without kinks and it looks like this method will be successful in making a smooth-operating layout

The Grandkids do some work and run some trains!

Just a quick update.....the grandkids, Anthony and Aiden were visiting today and got to help out on the benchwork.  Aiden (age 7) drilled the pilot holes while Anthony (age 10) put the screws in.  They really enjoyed getting on top of the bench and helping out!

My wife Ellen had a surprise for them.  She bought each of them an engineer's cap and red neckerchief!!  They even had their names on them..."Aiden" and "Tito" (Anthony in Spanish)  Of course, they had to wear the neckerchiefs around their faces like bandits!

After doing some work I put out a few straight pieces of track and let them have some fun running a couple of trains!!

Here are a few pictures that captured the fun we had today!!

Getting ready to work

Aiden would drill the pilot holes and Anthony would put the screw in

Aiden looking cute!

You can probably tell who is the clown in the family!!

Anthony went to town and had a good time

He loves to work in the shop

We even got underneath and drilled a few holes for future wires

running some trains

Aiden's turn

They are ready to run trains!!

More Progress on the NF & CR Railway

Yesterday, Jeff and I put in another session on building the benchwork that will support the North Fork & Crooked Run Railway, our new HO railroad line.  We had previously built the supporting benchwork from 1X4s, with 2X2s for legs.  Yesterday's session was spent first of all stabilizing the structure by attaching 1X2 furring strips between each parallel pair of legs to add rigidity to the overall structure and reduce the chances of vibration.

Jeff is using drywall screws to attach 1X2s as cross members to stabilize the legs

Here you can see some of the cross members in place along the rear of the layout, as Jeff attaches more

The cross members are now pretty much in place; they made the whole structure much more rigid and stable

After adding the cross bracing to the underside of the benchwork, we added uprights at the top to support the eventual backdrop.  Our plan is to use panorama photographs printed to a height of about 20 inches.  These will be supported by Masonite attached to the uprights.  The uprights were cut to 20 inches each.  When screwed to the 1X4s, they extended a little over 17 inches above the height of the layout bed, more than enough to support the Masonite and photographs.

Here you can see the benchwork with upright backdrop supports in place around the outer edges of the layout

Our plan is to use 1/2 inch plywood as a base for the track.  We purchased some good quality plywood at Lowe's.  Two 4X8 inch sheets was all we needed for the entire layout, though we had to piece together a few small areas using offcuts.  We cut the plywood to fit the shape of the layout and rested it in place.  We'll screw it to the supporting benchwork in the next work session and add stabilizing supports underneath all places where we joined plywood sections to assure trouble-free joints.

Here's a view of the main sections of the layout with plywood in position

This view, taken from the end of the eventual yard, shows most of the layout with plywood in position

At the moment, the whole layout has been pulled away from the wall.  This lets us get behind it, which we'll need to do to add layout lines for the track--a job for the next work session--and lay the cork roadbed and track.  After we've got the rear portions in place, we'll slide the layout against the wall and then screw it to the wall for added stability.  But that's for the future.

Anticipating the long reach needed to get to the back of the layout from the front and aisle, we ordered a mechanic's topside creeper from Amazon, the kind used to lean out to work on engine compartments.  It arrived yesterday.  We'll be needing it!

Norm

Benchwork Completed!

Yesterday, Jeff and I scheduled a long work session to complete installation of the benchwork for the North Fork & Crooked Run Railway, our HO version of a rural railroad fantasy.  It was a hard day, but we'd learned a lot from the first day's work and we were a lot more efficient in cutting and assembling the 1X4s.  As before, we cut them to precise lengths using a miter saw, then glued them and attached them with drywall screws, two screws to a joint.  The photos show our progress during the day.

 The first section we tackled will be a hilly area that will include elevated track, a tunnel and a logging camp area serviced by a Shay.  As the photo shows, when we bolted the new section to the existing sections (using lag bolts), some adjustments were needed.  We clamped each new section in place to hold it securely while we drilled holes for the bolts and then tightened them in position.

The first section we completed will be the hilly area with elevated track, tunnel and logging camp

 A surprising outcome was that each new section we bolted into place was dead level without any need to make adjustments to the legs.  We could hardly have anticipated that development!  The floor must be quite level.

We were surprised to find each new section to be dead level after we installed it, which will make laying trackwork easier!

The legs were equipped with leveling glides.  These are installed by drilling a hole in the bottom of the leg, then tapping in a plastic sleeve that's threaded to accept the metal glide.  This will allow us to make subtle adjustments to the leveling of the benchwork, should they be needed.

We attached leveling glides to the bottom of each 2X2 leg to make adjustments to their height possible later if needed

 Following installation of the hill area, we turned to the yard area, which will have several stub end tracks and a runaround to enable incoming trains to deposit their cars.

The yard won't be large, but it will have several tracks to accommodate waiting engines and cars to be made up into trains

The main loop, with a town and passing track, will be level in the final model.  We assembled it next from two sections that were bolted to the section against the wall.

Here's the layout with the first of the "town" sections added; one final section to go!

By the time we got to the final section, I was dragging, but we really wanted to get this phase of the construction wrapped up so--water bottles in hand--we pressed on.  It was a great feeling to finally see the whole benchwork in place!

This is a view of the completed benchwork.  The aisle that provides access to the two main segments is just visible in front of the level.  A portion of the yard area is at right.

So what's next?   We'll have the gandy dancers out on the right of way soon, installing roadbed and preparing to lay track and attach wiring for the NCE DCC system.  When we do, we'll share our progress with you here.

Norm