Rusty Rails Part Four - Chewing the Scenery

 Welcome back to the Rusty Rails!  There have been several changes since the last post, the most being the change in grades & contours plus modifications to the track plan.  Once the foam was fixed I set upon laying the track; pinning it down to get the basic feel and prepare for final gluing.  As a precaution I temporarily electrified the track and tested the route.  The big problem was that 12% grade; the 2 inch climb.  The locos could do it but not with a wagon, so the contouring had to be altered.  To try to keep the height somewhat I went with a switchback rather than one grade.  One inch of foam was (messily) removed from the West end, and then a gradual climb of to the East end.  Tests proved successful with both locos and wagons; the contouring is set.

Also during this time I was finding the track plan in need of changes as well, especially that 3-way switch.  Replaced it with a Y instead.  Other minor alterations made but it was time to glue it down.  I pinned the track to the foam and used a 50/50 mix of water and PVA glue.  Using a syringe I applied the adhesive, letting it flow under the sleepers.  24 hours later the glue has set and the track fixed in place.  Did another test run with some engines and wagons; working fine.  Now it was time to carve up the foam!  The shop-vac got quite the workout...

This is a portable layout with future expansion in mind.  Due to limited space I have had to remove some of the themes, but those can be resurrected for the addition(s).  Referring to the above image, the designated areas are:

1-Entrance/exit to the fiddle yard.  I can also be an expansion point one day.

2-Urban area.  Background buildings, vehicles, various business.  Hopefully lots of lighting and billboards/signs.  Will wrap around the West corner over the tunnel. Plan it to be Blade Runner-esque but without the damp...

3-Location of the Tofu Shed, with slightly sunken area in back for bits and pieces.

4-Pier/water feature, but no room for boats.  That'll have to wait for the expansion.

5-East exit tunnel for future expansion and switchback.

6-"The Breakers Yard".  Large depressed area for lots of sci fi rubbish!  Trestle over pit will have crane to remove the salvage; will be lots of Easter eggs in there from many series.

7-Refinery.  Or a very small Hades landscape.  It'll take up the whole East end of the layout.

There will be a 24 inch high backdrop on the rear and sides for flats and scenery.  It was also nice to discover that the adhesive used to glue the foam panels originally was quite tenacious...  Next on the job list is getting power to the rails.  With the earlier experiments I found I will only need three feeders.  Thanks to the Insulfrog switches I won't have to do any block wiring either.  

Have a better one!

Rusty Rails Part Three - Terra Forming

 Taking a break from structure building (actually, just having trouble figuring out how to paint the Tofu Shed...), I diverted to laying down the basic groundwork.  Being a portable layout, I would be using extruded foam insulation boards.  This for several reasons; sound dampening, keep the weight down, and the foam is easy to work with for terrain effects.  For the base, I used two layers of .5" pink foam on top of the door.  I glued the foam with PL-300.  A good product but it takes a hell of a lot of time to cure and it has to have "mechanical assistance" when drying.  That took a day.

Now with a solid 1" foam base, I could add the next level for the industries.  Unfortunately, I hit a bit of a snag with this.  The track plan had tunnels, so a thickness of 3" is recommended for adequate clearance.  But the length of track for the grade is only 16" long.  Doing the math gave a very steep grade of 19 per cent.  Too steep as I did some experiments with the engines and wagons.  A few attempts later it was possible to have a 2" raised section, which was only a grade of 12 per cent.  Engines could do the hill with one to two wagons at a time.  But this meant the track plan had to be modified accordingly, so back to SCARM...

I removed the tunnels which caused shortening of the sidings, but on the plus side, I have now incorporated a three-track fiddle yard to the left.  Visually hidden of course by various scenery elements.  It was then off to the DIY and get some 2" styro-foam.  I chose a less dense material for the upper area as I will have to drill access for feeder wires and such.  After some time on the old three-wheel bandsaw,  I glued down the upper level with the same adhesive and left that overnight.

Now with the base in full build, it was easy to see how limited the space was.  But this is basically a beginner's layout; starting from scratch.  I haven't done anything like this since the late '70's!  And while on the subject, I have noticed how much has changed.  Spent many hours watching and reviewing instructional YouTube videos.  There are many new techniques since I bought those how-to books from Kalmbach!  

The final visualization was to cut out the track template I had printed to sort out the track plan.  I also placed some engines in various spots and located the Tofu Shed.

The 4" level will be section of town or village, with a staircase down to the track level.  I plan on running a Rail Car there between freight shunting.  That shed takes up more space than planned, and now with the limited space in the industrial area, I am going to have to revise what trades I will model.  Originally there was to be a truck facility/cargo transfer, Tiberium refinery (we can revisit that concept/back story another day...), and of course, the junkyard.  The junkyard won, so the entire right hand side will be the knacker's yard.  It will make for some very interesting flat car loads!

 I'll be "excavating" the base foam to give it more depth, as some if will be a dumping ground.  Also some of the tracks currently on ground will be replaced by bridges, as well as various gantry cranes and other equipment.  All those older sci-fi kits will have a new purpose.  Luckily I am well stocked in rusty paints, washes and pigments!

Rusty Rails Part Two - Engine Shed with a Side of Tofu!

One of the perks of model railroading is the freedom to work on whatever section or theme suits your mood, whether it be foundation, track laying, scenery, rolling stock, electrics, etc., etc.  Nonetheless, construction has now begun in earnest, so the first thing I decided to do was one of the primary structures, the engine shed.  The concept has been in the back of my mind for quite some time in many iterations.  But the basic structure is to hold/service engines.  Luckily a recent work project lent itself to being adapted for train use, rather than for its other more "lofty" function, so I modified and scaled the virtual model accordingly, and had it 3D printed.

A truss frame only partially clad, it is 10" long, 5" wide and 5" high.  It was scaled to fit the track plan, located on the lower left side of the layout.

That was the easy part.  What followed then were many evenings of scrounging various parts, greeblies and other bits and pieces from the many storage boxes.  Nothing was safe...  Eventually through alot of trial and error, the shed appeared.  It is very similar to a previous project of mine...

Earlier designs had a much larger crane on the upper platform, but it looked clumsy so I opted for a small gantry crane on I-beams.  

Surplus laser and 3D printed parts, various scale model bits from tanks, aircraft, & other sacrificial trains,  lots of good ole dollar store acrylic shapes, vitamin bottles, and of course, the now traditional Zaini egg, which has replaced the previous Kinder egg (due to the design change, and I have run out of the old style).  

 

I wanted it to look functional, with every part having a logical reason.  (You can get an idea of the scale if you look for the 00 gauge fellow in the high visibility vest).  One thing I waffled about was whether or not to include lighting.  Since there was no blueprint or plan, I had to wait until the model was finished and add the lights in post construction.  That was several hours of frustration weaving a 20 foot string of mini lights through the structure, starting at the two large tanks and working to the rear.  Most of the lights are inside.

With the lighting completed, the bulbs were masked and it was off to the "Cheap as Chips" spray booth for prime time!

The red oxide gives it a nice industrial/steel mill kind of vibe.  Also brings out much more detail.  The caps to mask the lights were not as effective, so I had to use a cotton bud with some white spirits to remove the paint.  An electrical test (which I forgot to photograph...) assured me all the lights were working.  I didn't want to go through that again!

There are still many small detail parts to be added, such as ladders (which are too fragile to include at this time).  Hopefully soon I will come up with some kind of colour scheme.  I have to avoid yellow and black as all of my switcher engines are that colour.  But there will be lots of graphics; signage, wasp strips and checkerboards, much like that previous model from a few years ago...  

And lets not forget about the weathering.  Those pastels, pigments, and washes will be getting quite the workout!  Stay tuned to this blog; it's going to be a few months before the final product will be ready.

Rusty Rails, or A Very Long Train Journey

 Welcome back, Readers!  Hard to believe it has been almost a year since the last post.  But, as hinted in that post, time to talk trains!  Yet another interest/hobby that goes way back to England.  Besides getting influenced by the productions of Gerry Anderson, I frequently would watch the steam trains (yes, steam!) go by the house along the Walsall-Lichfield line.  The tracks were only 700 feet away from the front door, across a field with no obstructed view (too bad I don't have photos of this..).  We would also take these trains to visit Mum's parents in Walsall, as Dad was busy with the wine shop.  But as you may know, the five of us packed up and relocated to Canada in 1964.  (Surprisingly that field stayed empty, until in 2005, it was bulldozed for a housing estate).  But the active line was also gone for many years as well.  (If you want to fast forward and avoid the long life story, just scroll down past the italics...)

So watching these trains got me interested.  I discovered you can buy operating model trains!  On and off for years later I tried unsuccessfully to get a layout started.  I had the obligatory ovals, but now it was for the Canadian variety, all diesels and no steam.  British train models were limited in availability back then.  Only Tri-ang was around at the time.  I still watched trains around home, a 5 minute bike ride to a small shunting spur line.  Here we little perishers would put pebbles on the tracks so when the engines ran over the rocks they would be pulverized to dust.  All the while hiding in the bushes, as we were told by a reliable source that if we got caught, the train men would kill us and throw our bodies in the ditch...  

Interest began to wane so I diverted to another pursuit, slot cars.  I got my first 1/32 Eldon set around 1968, took over the 5x9 ping pong table in the rec room and built an empire for about four years.  Even had the dune buggy set!  Towards the end of this period I became bored with the larger scale cars and decided to liquidate the inventory and converted to HO scale AFX cars by Aurora.  You could get a lot more in the same space, and there was the possibility of integrating the race track with trains.  This I attempted but soon realized the cars could go and leave the rails behind, this being sometime in 1975.  Keep in mind that I only received new sets/cars/etc during Christmas and birthdays, or whatever I could scrape up with my allowance.

Then it happened.  Late 1976 I walked into the local Leisureworld (Google that!), and found this new product line of 00 gauge British trains called "Mainline Railways".  They were great!  Steam, diesel, wagons and a track line (found out recently it was Peco track).  But trains from the UK are not the same scale; 00 gauge is 1:76 but runs on HO (1:87) scale track.  I read the print off the catalogue, but unfortunately at this time, I was working part-time and all my money had to go to College tuition and supplies, plus keeping the new/used car working!  (Also remember during all this time I am still heavily entrenched in sci-fi, which has always had priority!)

So three years later, I graduated as an Industrial Designer, and find that the promised prospects for a career in this field are not as available as lead to believe, so I stay at my current job.  During this time, of course, those British Trains are not being sold locally any more so I decide to get started on a Canadian theme in HO.  I start with a basic oval on a 4x6 plywood table in my bedroom.  Inventory is easy to obtain.  I have a steady paycheck and there are many stores in the area, plus I read "Model Railroader" for the latest tips and tricks.  I became bored with the round and round oval and dismantled the layout.  I had seen a shelf switching layout plan in MR and found that was more my style. I planned it out on paper; it was based on a plan called the "Iron Mountain".  And here is the first illustration in this long winded life history!

At least I was able to use some of the College skills!  I got as far as benchwork and laying track, but when it was time to wire it up, two things happened.  First I acquired a stable full time job, and I was 19 and still living at home.  Second was the escape; my own bachelor flat.  The layout was dismantled yet again and all bits put in a box, and eventually selling most of it.  The model railroad was put aside to allow me to enjoy my new found independence!  And to top it off I discovered sources selling imported anime kits from Japan.  Poor trains...  And then it changed again, in June of 1982.

"Blade Runner" came to town.  Saw it opening night and have never been the same!  Two weeks later I took a girl to see it; she is now my wife of almost 39 years!  At least she knew what she was getting herself into!  And there's more.  Her Dad has a basement empire of HO trains, in the theme of the Duetches Bundesbahn.  You may remember him, the afore mentioned "Mister H" in an earlier post, "My First Commission".  So at least I can enjoy trains again, albeit vicariously to some extent.  With so much to do now, the personal train journey goes on an indefinite hiatus.  I eventually give the remaining items to the future Father-In-Law (and it's all still there!).  

In this long period of time between 1982 and the present, many things happen as in life often does.  Other hobbies & interests, employment ups and downs, family, health, home renovations, etc. and etc.  And then about two years ago, things began to change yet again.  I was looking for a new model project and happened to catch a TV show on abandoned areas throughout the world.  Here was a derelict railyard.  Empty buildings, cars and engines idle and rusting, and lots of green taking it all back!  Started the diorama the next day.  I was going to build a scene about 12" x 24" with an abandoned railway in HO scale (1:87) with people running from and/or attacking a group of terminator-like hunter-killer units, similar to that smaller "Hunter-Prey" model I did several years ago.  I had alot of old rail cars (from a charity shop purchase), and other railway bits from here and there.  About a few nights later while arranging the cars, I thought to myself, why am I wasting time doing a static diorama?  I have the capability to do a fully functional layout in the same space.  Everything was packed up and I began to work on a track plan for an operating switching layout.

But during this interim time I had also been slowly collecting British trains again.  I had found several sources and was attending Train Shows.  I was finding used "Mainline" products and finally getting those items lost all those many years ago.  As I was most familiar with Atlas track products, I downloaded their ATPS software.  The final result was a very familiar configuration...

Now that we are past the long intro,  I'll back up a bit first.  The layout above is only 15" x 62".  The base is an old door acquired during renovations.  I figured as this was going to be my first actual layout in over 40 years, I should build a small portable shelf to get my skills back.  Seems the "Iron Mountain" has followed me all this way!  It's a two level with a railyard on the right and then ramps up to an industrial area to the left.  Satisfied with the plan, I went out to get the track.  Unfortunately, there had been something happening on planet Earth recently...

Covid-19 threw quite the spanner in the works.  Everything and everyone was affected as you all remember in many ways; we are only just coming out of the worst of it in this part of the world.   With so many people at home, locked down and travel restricted, there was suddenly free time to work on hobbies and such.  Muggins here wasn't so fortunate; he has an essential service job.  (Don't get me wrong; I was grateful to still be working).  But when I tried to order the track and parts I needed, they are sold out everywhere.  Even now there are shortages, back orders and advanced reservations.  Looks like the train is going to be but on hold yet again.  Someone trying to tell me something...?

One of the major facets of model railroading is the diversity of skills one can utilize.  Depending on how much you want to put into it, there is of course model construction, scenery, carpentry and electronics to name a few.  So even though stymied by lack of track, I can work on other elements.  And then, quite recently, I came upon an advert on Kijiji; new and used HO track both Atlas and Peco.  Bought it all the next day! (Thanks, Lance!).  It had everything I needed; turnouts, sectional & flex track and some special wyes and crossings.  I could now get the track down.  But yet again there was a small problem...

The original plan used all Atlas track; now I have to convert to Peco components.  Not a problem.  Just have to redo the track plan with the available parts.  I downloaded S-C-A-R-M, Simple Computer Aided Railway Modeler.  It has all the templates I required, so the plan was converted.  It had to be mirrored as the original plan is "left-centric", whereas most of the turnouts I now had were right hand.  And now the final track plan, "Rusty Rails".

It's basically the same plan, just mirrored and a few more changes added.  Left side is the rail yard and engine facilities, which ramps up to the industrial area.  I omitted a runaround track in favour of using helper engines instead; more operational possibilities.  On the left there is also a track which will connect to the fiddle yard, and possibly to extend the layout at a later date.  (I have another door the same size...)  Here is a shot of the reclaimed door.

It fits perfectly on my workbench with room for the fiddle yard.  There is also a frame underneath for extra support and room for wiring.  The workspace and the operating space will be the same location.  In a small area like this there will be hyper-detailing throughout.  And the inclusion of sci-fi Easter eggs will abound!  I next printed the track plan at full scale.

That gives you more perspective of the size of the layout.  I will be using foam for contouring, and  backdrops & flats for structures and other scenery elements.  To get a further vision of the layout, I added some engines and wagons.

So I now have everything I need to finally get started!  Except time of course, but it's good to have something planned for retirement.  Currently I am working out the contouring and grading in RHINO, and building the engine shed.  Subtle changes and modifications are bound to happen over time.  The theme at present is an alternate near future just slightly sideways from ours.  Originally the "Blade Runner" aesthetic was going to be predominant but I decided a lush/greener/overgrown (and less rainy) scenario would be better.   (But keep an eye out for an electric sheep or two...)

That was a long one!  See what happens when I don't blog for a while...  Updates and progress reports will be posted as they transpire.  It's almost summer now and the garden beckons, so I fear the trains will be slow moving for the next several months.  

Have a better one!