AT&N: Modern-Era Layout

I could certainly do that. Do you have to wrap the joints with electrical tape?

 

No pictures to post yet but a little progress update from today:
1. I ran a bus and wired the inside track sections. I took the advice of Jim James and just soldered all of the connections. I saw improvment in operation immediately. I can't see myself ever wiring another layout without wiring every track section to a bus. Since most of the track is flextrack, the feeders are about 3 ft apart. So, I may go back and install a few more feeders. I'd like to say thank you to everyone that encouraged/advised me to wire every section of rail.
2. Next, I took a break from wiring and shaped up the plaster rail crossings I made 4 nights ago. They still need painting. They are the first plaster crossings I have ever attempted and they have been a pain to create. However, with variable flextrack radi, it was the best option i could come up with.
3. The last thing I did today was that I ran a bus and wired the middle track sections. I allowed for the installation of power switches and plastic insulating rail joiners for creating power districts... hopefully soon. I purposely did not wire or solder the new turnouts. Can anyone tell me how to "un-solder" my first two turnouts? I need the forked end of each turnout joined with the plastic insulating rail joiners but I had already soldered them before I planned on creating power districts.

 

I would not attempt to un-solder the turnout - you may melt the ties.
1. Do you have a Dremel Tool? Use an abrasive (thin) cutting disk and just cut a gap in the rail.
2. I have a one-hand small hacksaw tool that leaves the blade sticking out which works too. (from HD)
3. Use wire cutters to create a gap in the rail.

Hope this helps?

 

It sounds like I may be about to spend some time trying to chisel off some solder in 8 places.

Anyway, after a few hours of sanding, dusting, and painting plaster, here is a picture with my first attempts at plaster rail crossings. Their not as pretty as I had hoped but considering the process was entirely trial and (mostly) error, it's good enough for me... that is, once i touch up a few spots with a Sharpie. Since the last photos, I also ran buses and feeders to the double track (still have the mainline to do) and I installed some shelves underneath the table top for power packs.

 

I know "a picture is worth a thousand words" but for now, all I have are the thousand words. I'll do my best to post a picture soon.

I finally took a stab at making some trees yesterday and installing them today. They don't look that great but only one was so bad that I scrapped it. The poor thing look like it got hit by a tornado. Through the process, I learned that shaping the "tree" before applying foliage was a crucial step I by-passed. I made 4 big uglies and one poor, little "Charlie Brown Christmas Tree" looking one. Fortunately I ran out of my Elmer's Craft Bond aerosol adhesive before I could mess up any more. My technique = put clump foliage in a big Ziploc bag (gallon size?), generously spray branches with adhesive, quickly put "tree" in the Ziploc bag, shake (a lot), and "ta-da." I was surprised at how easy it was... especially for someone who had no idea how to do it... and may still not. For some reason, my "trees" have lost a considerable amount of the clump foliage. That could be due to my technique, old adhesive (try 10 years old) or both.
I would like to thank Jim again for the tip about "dried moss" from Hobby Lobby. Since I didn't get my bench work exactly level in the beginning, I had gaps between the table top and the panels I put up later for the "sky." I just got through going around the edge of the table top with the dried moss and good old fashion Elmer's Glue to hide the gaps with "bushes."
Along with installing trees and bushes, over the last two days, I created some "power districts," installed some crossovers, striped paved roads and parking lots, scratch built an above-ground pool out of the top to an empty bottle of bleach, scratch built a big in-ground pool with a diving board from nothing more than craft paint, some thin wood strips (in a bag from Hobby Lobby) & Elmer's glue. I also mixed some craft paint for gravel roads and gravel parking lots. I glued together some little wood rectangles to make some sand/gravel bunkers for my sand/gravel/cement business. The only bad thing about my crossovers is that the turnouts are too close together... so much so that the flex track in between has to "S-curve." The curves are two sharp for my SD40-2's 3-axle trucks. Other than that, they seem to be working fine. I may correct that down the road. Hopefully, I can get some more ground foam and some ballast down by the weekend if not sooner.
I though about something that I might try in the future for rail crossings. Instead of plaster, I might try modeling clay. The plaster was not easy for me to sculpt. When it dried it was cracked. I had to go back and cut grooves inside the rails and make sure the tops and insides of the rails were clean. After that it all needed to be sanded smooth which made a mess that had to be cleaned up. The whole experience really turned me off to plaster. I see no reason why modeling clay wouldn't work. I've painted some that I used on creek banks and it seems to hold paint well. I have a few more places that could use some small pedestrian crossings so I may try it out and post the results.
The best part of the hours I put in yesterday and today was running 3 trains tonight, all under Frisco power, for the first time ever. Progress photos coming soon I promise. Oh... one more thing... I finally got around to replacing the ties around rail joints.

 

I finally have some new photos to share. I'm going to attempt to post these as "before and after" shots. Here goes...
The "before" photos were taken about mid-June, 2013. The "after photos" were taken on July 11, 2013. There are a lot of photos in this post so be sure to scroll all the way down.

The layout... before and after. Homemade trees, bushes, ballast, replaced ties, paved roads, dirt roads, plaster crossings, bus wiring with isolated power districts, complete 3rd track with crossovers to track #2, another coat of blue paint on background, scratch built bridges, table top inside corners added in for road, foam ground cover. I'm sure I forgot something.


Shots near my one and only scratch built structure, the Sulligent Cotton Oil Co. Notice a tree on the right, bushes on the left, and ballast on the track.


West Alabama Sand and Gravel (and concrete), a sand bunker/water tower, and a diesel storage tank. The satellite dish was salvaged from my first HO scale house kit. I painted a self-mixed sand color with plans to glue down something later for texture. The dozer and loader are from my childhood Hot Wheels toys. The tree in the back turned out so bad that I decided to hide it somewhat behind the plant. The diesel storage tank and pump were crowding this area so I moved them to a "vacant lot" on the south end of town on the banks of Town Creek. The American flag was salvaged from a church kit that got damaged in storage. The passenger train is a short museum excursion. I scratch built the 3-bay bunker out of some "craft" wood from either Walmart or Hobby Lobby (I can't remember which), Elmer's glue, and craft paint.


Only 10 images allowed per post. To be continued...

 

Continued from the previous post...

A "former depot" was brought in to serve as the AT&N's Sulligent office building. The "National Freight Lines" building and tower are structures from my first HO train set from over 32 years ago. The NH box car shell came with an ebay purchase as a bonus I guess. I think it fits great as a storage shed at the end of the ramp. The administration folk are happy to finally have a paved parking lot.


The yellow building is an unsigned (for now) Dollar General store. The blue/white store was based on a Chevron when I lived in Meridian, MS. Now that I'm back in Sulligent, it may as well take the name of one of our local stores...Blue Devil One-Stop. After all, the school colors work. The pickup is another piece from my childhood toys. The small farm got a tree, white paint on the barn, a gravel drive, and a scratch built, above-ground pool. The pool is an upside down top to a bottle of bleach and some white paint from a paint pen. This seemed a lot easier with a blue top. You could also use a screw-on type top from a 2% milk jug (assuming it's blue) for a more shallow pool.


The West Alabama Lumber Yard got a gravel drive and a little bit of lumber is now in stock.


To be continued...

 

Continued from the previous post...

Photos of the West Alabama Railroad Museum and yard. In sticking with the real-life Sulligent, AL style, the Frisco caboose on display isn't really a former Frisco caboose. I don't have enough ballast on hand to do the yard right now.


Sooner or later, the signs on this depot will read, "SULLIGENT." I'd hate to be in that forklift operator's shoes with that freight train flying by at the edge of that platform. That's a little too close...even for me. I have to scratch build a simple chimney for this ebay purchase.


This farm got a concrete drive, "storm damaged" tree, shrubs, and best of all, a scratch built, in-ground pool... right below their balcony. The pool is nothing more than craft paint, some little boards from a bag I picked up in Hobby Lobby... all glued down with Elmer's Glue and of course, some weights until the glue dried. I picked up the HO farm truck years ago at a Hobby Town USA on the north side of Jackson, MS. I think that's also where I got the house and barn/silo (all on clearance). This barn needs paint like the other one. I wouldn't necessarily care for the old water tank being so close but with a pool like that, I think I could get used to it.


That's it for now on the "before and after" shots. Here's a few more individual shots.

The AT&N's restored SLSF #950 SD40-2 hauling a local across Town Creek. Believe me, if the crew knew who scratch built those bridges, they would have taken early retirement before they headed out this morning.


Here's one of the cars I picked up last summer at the West Florida Railroad Museum (NE of Pensacola). It's out of focus so I'll tell you it's a GM&O. I have an orange IC similar to this one. I also picked up a few SLSF box cars and a BN flat car. I also picked up a collectable/historical GM&O "Rebel Route" car. I still have to put some of those kits together.
I'm looking forward to your thoughts regarding my progress, everyone. Ship It On The Frisco - Brandon

 

Lots of progress, Brandon. You sure have been busy - I have enjoyed watching all this come to bloom.

Don't know if its the way your pictures are posted, or if there is something wrong with the forum.
I cannot enlarge any of the photos for viewing .....

 

It's probably due to the way I copied and pasted them from my photobucket account I guess. I spent many hours yesterday trying to get them to load with frisco.org's "insert image" tool but I couldn't get them to load... at least not all 29 of them. At the time, I didn't realize their is a 10-image limit on each post. I'm not convinced that was the only technical problem I was having on my end but it doesn't really matter now. I'm going to post 10 of the most recent ones so you can zoom in. Thank you for the kind words.

Progress up to July 11, 2013


The big farm house w/ scratch built in-ground pool from craft wood, craft paint, and Elmer's glue.


Scratch built building / Tank was a kit.


Soon to be relabeled as "Sulligent" depot.


The old schoolhouse - "relocated" and now the West Alabama RR Museum


RR Museum's yard and equipment - more ballast to come.


West Alabama Lumber Co.


L: The yellow "MARKET" kit will be my Dollar General, R: Here's the convenience store that will be (our local, real-life) Blue Devil One-Stop.


The small farm house w/ scratch built above-ground pool from a bleach bottle top.


A depot serves as an office building for the AT&N.

 

Very nice .. Neat looking farm.. Like the pool .. Many of your buildings will look really nice with a little "dressing up".

 

I'll have to show your handy work to my grandson. We just started an HO layout. His first, my....... lost count! We are definitely a RR family. My son and his boy are N-scalers, Mason, g-son # 4 , is HO, and I am large scale. What a hoot.
You are doing FINE work! Keep it up.

 

The air conditioner cart (pictured in post #45) works like a charm. This is the first summer that I've had a way to effectively air condition the storage room that is home to my layout. Being able to work on the layout without burning up this summer has been great. I've gotten more done over the past month than I could have ever imagined and I have been having a blast.

 

Here's a video of the first run of my RS 1/Future AT&N #??? It runs so smooth. You may also see my 44tonner in front of the Sulligent cotton oil co building pulling an Alabama State Docks car.

 

Evidently, I've lost my mind. After all of the hours (and money) that I've put into my layout, I'm considering stripping the table top clean and building a new track plan. Here's a few of the ideas I've had in mind:
1. A U-shaped point-to-point but I don't have enough room for loops larger than a 15" radius for that, regardless of the orientation, so I've scrapped that idea.
2. A single mainline with a somewhat unconventional, 3-track yard. Here's a sketch. I would actually use flex track but flextrack is difficult for me to work with in RTS8.0 so I stuck with mostly snap track.

3. Another double, parallel oval, only this time, each with a siding. This one will probably win the "contest." I'll post a track plan whenever I get a chance to work on one. The idea is a little boring for some but the sidings could be used to hold trains as well as serve customers. One of the sidings may even be a mainline disappearing on each end into scenery with the ovals being a "belt line." Who knows?

Regardless of which plan I go with...
When I built my current layout, I decided to venture into the world of ballast and ground foam. Both were too messy for my taste. If I do ground cover again, it will probably be fabric. If I do roadbed again, it will probably be cork. All of the cork I've seen is brown. Does anyone make it in gray?
Another thing I don't see myself doing again is plaster RR crossings... or plaster anything! What a mess!!! I can't believe plaster has been such a "go to" for MMRing for so many years. With all the goo and dust, it's probably been the grounds for many divorces as well. To be continued...
- Brandon