Construction Update #2 - Track, Power & Trains (Running)

The Track Gang Arrives

October 23, 2024

Sheet cork, purchased from Amazon, was glued down to the pink foam and then the main track and two sidings were laid out with a Sharpie and straight edge.  Hopefully the cork will help reduce track noise.   December 2024 Update - I should have painted the cork before laid any track.  Water, in a couple of instances, has caused the cork to swell while applying ground cover.

 

Here is a picture of the West end.  The footprints for the free standing structures were cut from copy paper.  The bulk fertilizer dealer is on the far left; the depot is on the right.  Several miner changes were made to the track plan during this process.  There will be three packing house fronts along the backdrop.

 

Walthers Code 83 turnouts were used so the last tie at the end of the rails will need to be removed to allow the rail joiners to slip on.  I saved the ties, filed off the tie plates and spikes, and set them aside for future use.  They will be slid under the rail joiners after the turnouts are glued in place.

 

I also like to solder the power drops to the bottom of the rail, instead of the side, before the track is glued down.  This insures that a "blob" of solder doesn't unrealistically show up on the side of the rail in a photo.  Before the leads are soldered to the bottom of the rails, I roughen up the bottom of the rail.

The leads and rail are tinned and then the leads are soldered to the bottom of the rails.  As can be seen in the following photo, the leads will eventually be covered by ballast.

 

Holes were drilled directly beneath the rail, the leads were passed through the bench work and the track was glued in placed with Aleene's Tacky Cement.

 

A Depot for Redbanks

The prototype didn't have a depot at Redbanks but I decided to include one anyway.  Originally I thought I would build a American Model Builders Southern Pacific Type 23 Depot for Redbanks.  Instead, I have decided to use a modified Type 22 depot I started but never quite finished to represent the Southern Pacific's depot at Paso Robles, CA.   Modifications included the addition to the upstairs living quarters on the left, the roof and the restrooms on the far right.  Changes were also made to the baggage room which included adding to its length and rearranging the doors.

 Here is a picture of the original kit.

 

Testing locations with "Mock-ups"

The original plan was to use the Showcase Miniatures packing shed shown below to represent Redbanks Packing (Barr Packing).  But, after building a quick mock-up I decided it was much to small to represent a major shipper on the Visalia Electric.

As a result, I decided to add on to the "packing shed" portion of the structure.  Here is the end result.  The addition line is just to the left of the reefer.  It took about a half an hour to cut, assemble and paint.

 

Getting Trains Running

October 26, 2024

The layout is powered using a NCE Power Cab.  A small box was built to hold the control panel and the box was then screwed to a shelf located in the bookshelves below the layout.  The leads were then connected to a terminal on the back of the box and....  Trains were running.

The next step involved making up some car cards and mounting the car card box to hold them.  The box was made from stryene and the car cards and waybills came from Micro Mark.  Now, anytime I want to run a train I can do so with absolutely no preparation. 

We Honest Grade Crossing Signals

Since shelf layouts tend to be small switching layouts, builders often look for methods to slow the pace of operations.  Since it is not unusual for the prototype to trigger grade crossing signals on branch lines or industrial leads manually, I thought such a installation on the Visalia Electric would add interest and enhance operations.  The process normally requires the train to stop prior to the crossing, manually trigger the signals and wait a predetermined amount of time before crossing.  A toggle, mounted on the fascia will be used to trigger the signal circuit.  The package shown below was purchased on ebay for $40 including shipping.  It can also be purchased with sound, for $60, which I find becomes annoying in short order.

About 3 weeks in and trains are running!

Your comments, suggestions & questions are always welcome

sdepoio@outlook.com

Construction Update #1 - Finishing off the room, Modules and More

 

Ready For Construction!

October 13, 2024

After about 2 weeks, the room is ready for the modules.  The top of the bookshelves is 40 inches above the floor.  The modules will add another 3 inches.  I would prefer the height to be about 48" but the lower heights works out better for my 12 year old grandson who will be participating in the build.  The shelves that were originally about 80 inches tall and about 6 feet wide were cut down to make shelves about 40 inches tall and 12 feet wide.  The new top was made from 3/4 inch cabinet grade plywood.  I think the original shelves, that were in the house when we bought it about 20 years ago, originally came from Ikea.

Here is a closeup illustrating the background mural I have been working on.  This section, which is about 12 inches tall 48 inches long, was created by duplicating and modifying one photo pulled off the internet.  Two of these scenes were printed on one 48 inch by 24 inch Walgreens poster for less than $20.

 

The modules were built using 1 x 3 pine purchased from Lowes.  

The 1 x 3's that support the 2 inches of "pink" foam were laid on their side to better support the foam and reduce the overall height of the modules  The resulting framework is both strong and lightweight.

The two modules are held together with lag bolts.  Notches were cut in the foam to accommodate the nuts and bolts.  Should the modules need to be moved, a 2 x 2 inch piece of foam and scenery will have to be removed above the bolts that are located about 2 inches inside the framework.  Next time I'll set the foam supports back about 2" from the end.

 

 

Here is the end result with the modules set in place on top of the bookshelves.  A piece of corner trim, placed along the top of the 1 x 3's, will level out the top and give the module a "finished" look once it is painted.  The modules were leveled and screwed in place from below.

Here's another overall view with the modules in place.  The two rolls of cork shown in the photo will will be used to cover the foam and reduce track noise. 

Making Sure everything will Fit

October 22, 2024

 

Transferring a plan from paper to layout doesn't always pan out so I laid out the track to make sure things fit.  I am using Walthers Code 83 #6 turnouts and flex for this project.  #5 turnouts would have saved some space but I think the #6's look better.  The footprint for the depot is represented by the white template in the left foreground.

Structures for Redbanks

 

Barr Packing Company, Redbanks

 

Barr Packing will be built using components from the Pikestuff Milton A. Corporation kit shown below.  The end result will be a structure about 4 inches deep and around 30 inches long.

Since the spur will actually go inside the building, I have ordered an operating roll-up door from Viesmann.  While the operating door is expensive, about $80, it should make for a interesting addition to the layout.

Redbanks Packing Co

 

Redbanks Packing will be built using the Showcase Miniatures Sunkist Packing Shed kit.  The kit is a low relief structure designed to go up against a backdrop,  An addition is planned for one end to extend the width from about 16 inches to 24 inches.

 

 

The Redbanks Depot

Redbanks didn't actually have a depot but I plan to include one anyway.  I managed to pick up one of the discontinued American Model Builders Southern Pacific Type 23 depot kits.  I have built this kit once before and it builds into a really nice model

Redbanks Fertilizer Dealer

The Redbanks Fertilizer dealer is another feature of the layout that didn't exist on the prototype.  It was included to add a little variety to operations.  The fertilizer dealer will be built using Blair Line Fertilizer Bulk Plant along with some parts from the Walthers fertilizer distributor kit.  Again, I have built this kit before as shown below on my old HO Madisonville Sub layout.

The last major structure I need for Redbanks is Kilburn Packing that is located on the right end of the plan.  I may kit bash the old Walthers Valley Citrus Packers kit.

As always, your comments, questions and suggestions are welcome

sdepolo@outlook.com