Tehachapi, BC

[Seligman Sub]

P.S. Welcome to Railwire, Seligman.

Thanks Gary!  I might have missed it, but did you use any formal dispatching scheme or just run trains?

[3DTrains]

Gary,

I see you have eastbounds coming out your ears, but do westbounds require a laxative to keep 'em running in their desired direction?

Cheers!
Marc - Riverside

[GaryHinshaw]

Thanks Gary!  I might have missed it, but did you use any formal dispatching scheme or just run trains?

No formal dispatching, since I still only have one circle of track, effectively.  But that is in the plan for when the full mainline and yards are in place.  There are three longish sections of single track on the line, so managing meets and keeping the locals out of the way of mainline traffic will be the main tasks for the dispatcher.  Hopefully train detection and CTC are also forthcoming...

-Gary

P.S. LOL Marc.

[GaryHinshaw]

August 2011:


August 2013:


Still a long way to go, but at least it doesn't look like the first shot any more!

[Philip H]

Please ask Mark to get down of fthe step stool - he's making me feel short!

And congrats - looks fabulous!

[nscalemike]

Gary, I cant believe it has been 2 years for this project already!  Sure have made a lot of progress and the garage looks so much nicer now, like a finished room.  Trains running and top notch work, way to go and keep it up!

Mike 

[GaryHinshaw]

A brief construction update: I started working on the remaining benchwork for the overflow staging yard ("SY2") that runs along the top wall under Edison-to-be:



The reason I wanted to build this particular isolated section next is because I had a crazy idea that I would lay the permanent track for this yard, then move it across the room to serve as a temporary staging yard in a location that could tie into the upper deck tracks.  This would facilitate better temporary ops on the upper deck and let me test out some more aspects of the layout.  However, as I was building, it became clear that the idea of moving this section was more trouble than it's worth, so I stopped work on it for now and decided to make the temporary yard from other materials I had on hand, including some shelf brackets and foam board pieces that were not otherwise slated for use.  Here is the result of this afternoon's labours - first, an overview of the temporary shelf:



and a close-up of the (unfinished) throat area:



This shelf sits underneath the Tunnel 14-17 shelf and is made of two foam board sections (1' x 11' overall), some shelf brackets with 1x2 extensions, all framed by some 1x4 to add strength and to provide a lip for fall protection.  Once track is installed, the yard itself will have 7 stub-end storage tracks 10-12 feet long, one loco storage track, and it will tie into the upper deck where the lower-deck mainline would otherwise connect: the red arrow in the last shot marks the start of the permanent roadbed connecting the lower deck to the upper deck.  (The bridge section between the permanent roadbed and the foam shelf still needs to be installed.)  This yard will:

• Greatly enhance ops on the upper deck.  In the last session, trains were staged in cardboard boxes and were swapped in with the 0-5-0.  Now they can be run up and down the 1-turn helix that connects the two decks.  (This also gives me a chance to see how the crew fare running long trains through that ~20' of hidden track.)
• Let me try out some of the Atlas turnouts I have.  I am considering using these in various staging yards, and I want to see how they perform in the field before committing.  The temporary yard ladder will be fabricated with Atlas turnouts.
• Try out sheet cork for roadbed in the yards.  Any tips on a good glue for cork to foam?  I have some water-based contact cement that seems plausible, but I'm open to suggestions.

Thanks,
Gary

P.S. I will also go back and finish the SY2 bench soon because I want to build shelving underneath the far end of it to accommodate all the power electronics.  Then I'll finally be able to tame the rat's nest of wires that emanate from the current temporary shelf sitting atop the CD rack in the first shot.

Gary, I cant believe it has been 2 years for this project already!

Me too! I vacillate between thinking I've gotten a lot done, and thinking that it's taken two years to get to this point.    That's is one reason I don't mind spending some effort on a temporary yard -- it's going to be a while before the lower deck is operational, and it greatly enhances many aspects of the interim layout for a relatively modest investment of time and money.

[basementcalling]

Looking good, Gary. Waiting to see what you can accomplish with some of those scenery material containers sitting on the edge of that desk in the center of the room.

At this stage of layout construction, it's easy to ADHD from task to task as they are needed to break the monotony of mundane duties.

Peter

[davefoxx]

I vacillate between thinking I've gotten a lot done, and thinking that it's taken two years to get to this point.

I did this recently, too.  I was looking over my layout and was slightly amazed at all of the work that I had accomplished since I started the layout.  Then, of course, I stepped back and looked at it from the point of view of what still remained to be done.  At that point, I felt like I hadn't gotten very far in more than one year, especially in comparison to my fellow asshats.  There's so much hidden work that goes into the construction of a model railroad, e.g., benchwork construction and wiring, that only a fellow model railroader can appreciate how much time it actually takes to build a layout.

DFF

[Scottl]

You've made tremendous progress Gary, and nice to see the space with operators in it.  I assume the romex wire is your place holder for the future benchwork.  How did the space work with that many operators?

[GaryHinshaw]

Peter, I can't wait for scenery work either!  So far the only thing remotely resembling that is some ballasting on a few stretches of track.  When I do get to scenery, I'll probably start with the Mojave shelf since it is the simplest, then the Tunnel 14-17 shelf, which I expect to be challenging to pull off convincingly because of its variety of soil, rock, grass, low growth, trees, and crumbling tunnel portals.  I'll need to draw on my inner Caleb Austin for that scene (not that I have anything like his talent!).  I'm holding off on doing the Loop shelf until I have a better idea of how well all the complex track underneath it works (I also want to develop my skills some more before tackling the signature scene).

DFF, so true: building a layout takes commitment.  I'm actually glad that my pike is not bigger than it is because this is about as much as I can manage.

Scott, the Romex was indeed a placeholder so I could visualize the scene, and carve out the space for the first session.  (It has since been removed.)  I think the crew all agreed that 6 people fit comfortably in the remaining space, and that there was potentially even room for a small branch line for a bit of ops variety.  The one thing that was a bit problematic was the ability to get visual and auditory feedback on your own train's performance with other people in the room.  This feedback is especially important on long trains with helpers, and that aspect may need to be dialed down a bit if that continues to be difficult.  Need to schedule another session!

-gfh

[JSL]

Instead of cork for the yards. Have you thought of using hardboard for super smooth flat yard.

[GaryHinshaw]

Not really JSL.  Do you have an example of this?  The foam on this latest shelf is strictly temporary, and the cork is just for a bit of sound deadening (and minor aesthetic appeal), but I think the substrate is probably smooth enough for temporary service.

In the permanent yards, I'm using 3/4 plywood, like everywhere else, and I'll probably lay down some cork sheet for similar reasons.   Cork on ply has produced very smooth roadbed out on the mainlines.

-gfh

[robert3985]

Gary,

I always enjoy looking at your layout progress! And, I completely agree with your benchwork philosophy.  However, do you get snide remarks as to your "battleship" or "storm cellar" benchwork?  Like somebody could drive a 6 ton truck over it, or it's way over-build even for G scale?????

I get those remarks all the time when showing photos of my L-girder benchwork on my sectional layout.  WHAT?????  3/4" plywood under an N-scale yard???  (that's what I use too).

I'd be interested in comments as to why you build your benchwork so sturdily, or how you counter negative comments about its obvious robust qualities (if any).

Keep up the good work!

[GaryHinshaw]

LOL Robert.  I just delete the negative comments about battleship benchwork.   (That's a joke.  In point of fact, I don't recall any.)  Of course, I don't for a second suggest that my approach is best or correct, it's just the way I wanted to build it.  I like working with wood, I like the control I have with CAD templates and cookie cutter roadbed, I love the solidity of 3/4 plywood (see the quote below from way back on p.10), and I detest the mess that foam makes when cutting it.  So it was an easy choice for me.  It's not for everyone though, and that's fine.  I definitely appreciate that foam has its appeals, and I marvel at what some are able to do with it.

BTW, I love the 'battleship' benchwork on your modules - and I know you do too, which is all that matters.

Thanks for the kind words,
-gfh

I really like the 3/4 ply as roadbed (it's like having 10 scale feet of bedrock underfoot) but you have to watch it like a hawk because it has a mind of its own.  In particular, I've been having to check and recheck the grades between risers because this stuff has it's own ideas about how to bend when you're dealing with curves on grades, which is pretty much all the track on this shelf.  This has made progress somewhat slow since I really want to nail this for future reliability.