Drew, the rule of thumb that I profess is, "Every section of rail, no matter how short, must have a feeder attached." It is the only way to ensure the locomotive the opportunity to operate correctly. The rest is up to the cleanliness of the rail and locomotive wheels.
Drew, are you familiar with the Flex-I-File Touch-N-Flow glue applicator? It can really be handy when gluing styrene pieces and you want very fine control of where the glue goes. I use one for almost all styrene gluing and I use an infant nasal aspirator to suck the liquid glue up into the pipette.
I put together a video on the progress I've made on the layout in the past couple of years. Thanks for all the support and help. You guys have been really welcoming to a newbie.
Thanks, Bob. I started researching and prepping about 2 years ago and I launched the channel in March of 2021. Crazy how time flies!
Great Video @dboone74 ! This really demonstrates the time that can be invested in building a nice, realistic structure. I find those Vallejo washes to be a bit glossy (unless on wood) and usually go back over them with some grime and dullcoat/flat clear. Your experience? Take care, -Bob T.
I hit almost everything with a grimy wash and/or some matte clear anyway, so I don't know that I've noticed. I suppose you are right though.
Suggestions based on years of soldering experience: 1) Tin the rail and feeders before attaching the feeders to the rails. Less heat (shorter contact time) overall than trying to solder an un-tinned feeder to un-tinned rail. 2) Place stock rail feeders on switches near the frog. That way they will not interfere with switch machine mounting underneath the layout. 3) Use some type of annunciator device like a multimeter with audible continuity check attached to the bus or the two rails so you will know immediately if you accidentally make a cross-connection. A Radio Shack 273-059 "Sonalert" device with 9 volt battery and jumper lead clips can make a great "Track Screamer".
Looking for some advice. I need to lay the section of track that will lead to this coal tower. Because the tracks lead into the shed and go underneath the tower I'll need to install the tower at the same time as I lay the track. However, I'm concerned about it getting in the way of the work I still need to do on the tracks behind it, e.g. weathering, ballast, etc. Should I wait to install this?
