Best Of UP's N Scale Canyon Division Layout Build....

[Sumner]

Work Spaces & Wiring Pt. 5...

When you are working where do you work and store things? If you are like me about on any surface that is available and no matter how much space you have you will probably fill it.

 

The items stored on the layout above are going to have to soon find a new home so that I can Spackle and paint the foam board scenery. About ready to lay track on the upper level there so need to get this scenery 'mostly' done.

 

Same on this side, things are going to have to get moved aside so that upper level track can go down.

 

When I built the house I cashed in a couple life insurance policy’s that weren't needed any more and bought a couple mills, a lathe and a car lift. Used all of them a lot but now seldom. Still the lift, with some plywood on the arms, has come in handy for a couple work surfaces that have a variable work height.

 

Ed works off the end of the one above and I use the other end if my main work area is cluttered with a project which.....

 

...... at the moment it is with building the control panel for the sawmill area.

Wiring pictures coming soon.....

To be continued and a link to this whole build ( HERE )
.

Sumner

[robert3985]

Sumner, once you get them painted, the small rivets will show up just fine.

I was skeptical about tiny N&B and rivet details when they first came off of my printer, but once painted (airbrushed) they were clearly visible.

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

[Sumner]

Sumner, once you get them painted, the small rivets will show up just fine......

Thanks, hopefully that all happens soon,

Sumner

[Sumner]

Sawmill Wiring Pt. 5...

Finished the sawmill control panel to the point of installing it and finishing the wiring to the $2 servo controllers.
 


I believe it would of been impossible to of gotten all the components and wiring into the 4.5 x 16.5 control panel without using the solder pads. There are right at 325 solder joints in the panel and a good number of those are in small areas on the solder pads made from inexpensive printed circuit board (PCB).

 

The toggle switches used for the servos/turnouts (15) control the indicator LED's and also trigger the $2 servo controllers so that they drive the servo one way or the other to throw the turnout. The inexpensive controllers also allow one to set how far the throwbar moves in both directions which eliminates over powering the points against the stock rails.

The toggle switches shown above and the $2 servo controllers are all that is needed to control the servos/turnouts. You don't need expensive controllers or an Arduino or a DCC controller if you don't want to use those or no how. The wiring is simple and you can readjust the throw of the servo at any time in a minute or so. More info on the parts and wiring ( HERE ) .

 

There are also 4 DPDT toggle switches that control track power to 4 sawmill sidings so that an engine can be parked on them and the power turned off. At the bottom right above one can see a small DPST slide switch that can be attached to the toggle switches servo controller output. If you find that the servo is throwing the turnout the wrong way flip that switch and it will reverse it. One can try and determine which way the servo will face under the turnout and wire the toggle switch correctly and avoid the switch but for 25 cents and a minute of work I add the switches and don't worry about it. Install everything............throw the turnout................throws wrong way.................flip the switch and all is good.

 

I ran one servo controller wire to check things out and also 5v input with a plug on that. I'd check wiring as I went along from one toggle switch to the next by turning power on and making sure the right LED's were working.

The panel was designed with Fusion and printed with a filament printer. If you missed that more info ( HERE ) .

 

There are 1/16" (.0625) holes drilled for the LED's. I put tape on this side of the board and then inserted the LED's. The tape keeps them from coming out the other side. Then put a drop or two of fast CA glue into the hole from the wire side to hold the LED in place. I should of pulled the invisible tape off sooner as some of the CA held the tape in a few places and made it harder to remove.

 

I'm using 1k resistors on the LED's and they are still really bright although they look different in actual viewing vs. in a picture.

 

If you haven't made or used solder pads consider them for your next project if you need to make a number of connections in a small area.

 

3 wire servo cable is used between the panel and the servo controller and on to the servo. I use the wire also for the power to the turnout frog and if it is wrong I only need to reverse the servo plugs and it is right. To avoid cutting up a number of servo cables to go from the panel to the servo controller Ed made up those cables all to the right length depending on how far the controller was from the panel.

To be continued and a link to this whole build ( HERE ) .

Sumner

[Sumner]

Ed's Work....

Ed has been coming in 3-4 days a week for 2-3 hours and really helping with the progress on the layout. I've been busy lately with work on the U.P. rotary snowplow and tender and close to finishing that up, hopefully in the next week or less.

Ed has been doing a lot of painting, log car assembly and paint and has assembled over 80 MT N couplers (major accomplishment). The images at follow show some but not all of the work he has been doing.

 

You can find more info on the logging cars along with print file links and links to many more sawmill related items ( HERE ).

 

.

 

Ed is getting near the end of the vehicles on hand that need painted. We are looking for pre-1970 sawmill related yard equipment (print files, kits or assembled).

 

You can find links to the buildings above along with others ( HERE ).

 

You can find links to the buildings above along with others ( HERE ).

 

Above is a huge job accomplished by ED. Anyone who has assembled these N scale couplers will appreciate the effort by Ed. I ....

 

.... do have a jig you can make or print ( HERE ) that helps in the assembly.

To be continued and a link to this whole build ( HERE ) .

Sumner

[Sumner]

Spackle Last Layout Section -- Pt. 1

Been a while since I've posted an update. Still been busy almost everyday either working on the layout or lately the rotary snow plow and designing an N scale log stacker for the saw mill. Another major project...



.... has been a fence to keep the deer from eating Dottie's flowers. Been dry here now and the last couple years and deer have moved into town looking for something to eat. Ed's son, Thomas, helped me get some holes in the ground and the posts planted. Then I've done the rest and hope this is my last yard project. I built the building to the right and it was my Trading Post for a number of years before retiring and is now leased out. Out house is barely visible behind the trees. Put up a smaller fence section on the north side of it to block that entrance/exit the deer were using. Just got the steel in for the gate and hope to have it welded up this week and installed.

Back to the layout and putting Spackle on the last section of the extruded foam board scenery (a long section).

 

At 82 I'm good for about 2 hours of Spackling and then spend the rest of the day on the fence, rotary snow plow or CAD work on the lag stacker.

 

.

 

.

 

Can finally see an end in sight.

 

.

 

One doesn't....



.... need much in the way of tools to put the Spackle on the foam scenery foundation. Mix in ....



.... a little water until it gets to a consistency that is easy to work with the spatula and brush.

I've got a short YouTube up on applying the Spackle .....

To be continued and a link to this whole build ( HERE ) .

Sumner

[Sumner]

Spackle Last Layout Section -- Pt. 2

Finishing the Spackling in the last section of the layout needing it.

 

I do still work on the railroad most of the day in one way or the other or lately trying to finish the gates for the new deer fence.

 

I keep the Spackle watered down way more than if I was patching drywall. I only want it to seal the extruded foam for the paint step coming up next. Also need it to fill most of the extruded foam seams between the layers and other small cracks and holes. I don't want it to bury most of the detail I've carved into the foam. I'm not putting it on like one would who is using a product like Sculptamold, where you put it on thick and then carve into it.

Saying that there are a few rock faces on the layout where I did put it on heavier and then carved strata lines/cracks into the Spackle.

 

.

 

There are a lot of removable sections of scenery on the layout where I might need to get to the track or turnout servos on the upper level. I've found that it isn't too hard to hide those seams (most never see them) with the final painting of the rock faces.

 

.

 

.

 

.

 

When the removable sections are about finished getting covered with Spackle they are put back in place and the seams on either side of them are Spackled over with a very thin layer. The next day I'll break them free, might have to cut the seam with a knife in a few places. This results in a very thin seam that can be paint in a way that it is hardly noticeable.

 

Information on building the turntable and print file links ( HERE ).

Information on building the roundhouse and print file links ( HERE ).

 

Good to finish the last of any major Spackling on the layout but also enjoyed painting the backdrops, carving the extruded foam and then covering it with Spackling. Now on to painting all of the above and then not much reason not to be laying track in these scenes.

I've got a short YouTube up on applying the Spackle ( HERE ).

To be continued and a link to this whole build ( HERE ).

Sumner

[Sumner]

Spackle Last Layout Section -- Pt. 3

The painting of the last section begins.....

 

.

 

.

 

To be continued and a link to this whole build ( HERE ) .

Sumner

[Sumner]

Caprock was next.......

 

.

 

.

 

.

 

.

 

Got the gate designed, welded up and put up.  This fence is done but have to still build a wood gate for the other shorter fence. I hadn't done a metal project in a few years and it was nice to do one again.

To be continued and a link to this whole build ( HERE ) .

Sumner

[Sumner]

Back to the layout.....

 

.

 

.

 

.

 

Next up is highlighting all of this with darker and lighter shading.

To be continued and a link to this whole build ( HERE ) .

Sumner

[Mark5]

Lovin' those rocks.  I need to take another trip out west!

[Sumner]

Light and dark highlights.....


.

 

.

 

 To be continued and a link to this whole build ( HERE ) .
.
Sumner

[Sumner]

.... pulled the removable sections out so the sides of the seams could be painted since you could see white/blue there on some of them from the foam board and Spackle.
 

.

 

To be continued and a link to this whole build ( HERE ).

Sumner

[Sumner]

Finished highlights for the base colors in the final scenery section.  Did a lot of this standing on my milk crate platform so about 2 hours at a time was about all I could do.  I am so glad I've done this before adding track on the lower or upper.  It would of been a real pain working over it.  I do have all the roadbed down on the upper level and the roadbed down next to the rock wall on the lower level.
 

Took two days (4-5 hours) to add all of the highlights to the base colors.
 


I've enjoyed making and painting the scenery to this point. Down the road I'll be adding more detail to it.

 

This is a fictional U.P. division but U.P. does have a line to a potash plant by Moab Utah (70 miles north of us) through canyon country like I'm trying to depict. Check it out ( Is This The Most Striking RailRoad in the U.S.? ) . The real thing makes mine not look too good.


 
.

 

    Next I believe will be getting my 8 power districts boundaries finalized. Some will be DCC only and some will be switchable between DC and DCC via the DCC-EX command station which can put out both at the same time for up to 8 districts. All switchable with your wireless throttle. I need to do this so I can insulate the districts from each other while laying track. I have a couple districts down now but might revise their boundaries.

    To be continued and a link to this whole build ( HERE ).

Sumner

[Sumner]

Just posted a scenery update for the layout. All major scenery is now in place. Time to lay more track.

Sumner