Layout Update - What will I do next???

Model Railroader Layouts and layout building
1

Hi!

Over the last year I’ve been working on an 11x15 two level HO DCC layout, and initiated postings on various aspects, and also progress pictures. The layout fills the room, with a duckunder to the “hole in the center”.

As of yesterday, all existing perimeter and lower level trackage has been thoroughly tested, and all 21 turnouts are wired. The DCC works great, and the trains run very well.

My next steps, before I put in the yard, loco terminal, and various industrial sidings (all “inside” the perimeter trackage that circles the layout), is to:

  • go over all existing trackage and look for errant spikes or trash that might eventually cause a derail.

  • install “shaved” ties under flextrack joints where ties had to be initially removed.

  • apply a “dirty” wash to the ties, and paint the webs of the rails (got the Floquil paint set - hope it lives up to expectations).

At this point, I will probably put in the scenery between the perimeter trackage and the backdrop. And lastly, I’ll put in the mainline ballast.

Yes, I would rather put in all the remaining trackage (terminal, yard, sidings) first, but that will make it much harder to get on the layout to effectively work on the perimeter. So be it.

By the way, I really enjoy the DCC operation. It was so intimidating at first, and now is (the basics) so easy to use. I especially like not having all those block switches that I had on the previous (DC) layout, and most especially, I don’t miss those reverse loop switches. Please, this is not a put-down of DC, for it served me well for many decades.

ENJOY,

Mobilman44

2

It sounds like you have it well under control with a plan in mind. It appears you have no regrets about going DCC, gosh I wish I could decide on that leap. Any regrets with the double deck yet? I had big plans on doing some work on the yard setup but after assembling a cinder conveyor with the rails on the outside of the structure [#oops][banghead], decided I was better off reading a bunch of old issues of MR. I did catch that mess-up before the glue completely cured and was able to wrangle it apart again.

3

Hi!

The lower level ends in a 6 track storage & staging area. It winds up to the main level via a 2% incline, and access is fine. It is not for show, just for storage/staging, so it is just flextrack on cork on plywood.

My previous layout had the same thing, and it lasted 12 years with no problems.

The move to DCC took a lot of study and thought, for I am not an electronics whiz. At 65, this is probably my last layout so I was especially concerned with doing the best I could. The folks on this forum were absolutely outstanding in dealing with my beginners questions and concerns, and frankly they helped make my decision.

I have been buying/selling train stuff on Ebay for years, and picked up enough money to finance the equipment. I’ve got a Digitrax Super Chief, with second booster, two power supplies, and two DCC specialties PSX4 breaker sets (giving me 8 power districts), and two DT400 controllers. The system & a good supply of NCE decoders has run just over $2k, but the Ebay stuff took care of that.

My testing is mainly around some BLI sound equipped locos, a 2-10-2, 4-8-4, 2-10-4, and a couple RSD-15s, and two P2K E units. I confess that when I blow those steam whistles, a big ol smile comes to my face automatically.

For me, the elimination of the many block & reverse loop switches, and ability to run two locos easily at the same time (two throttles on the DT400s) is well worth the change to DCC. I’m really glad I did it, and for the record, I could just as easily have gone with an NCE system as a Digitrax.

Once I get the “next steps” done, I’ll post some more pictures.

Mobilman44

4

The $2k investment is what I’d like to avoid. I could probably go the same route as you and sell a bunch of stuff on e-bay, but then I’d need to buy new engines[sigh]. Besides, I like my junk !!! I will admit though, the Digitrax is what I’ve been eyeballin when I head into the hobbystore. Perhaps I should do a little more research as well and see exactly what I would need to run 3-4 locos. I’m a loner and don’t want too much excitement so I’d have 1 running circles and another playing in the yard. This, however, seems so far in the future at the moment.

5

To run a max of 3-4 locos at a time, you will have plenty of power with just the Zephyr, plus maybe you’d want a walkaround throttle. That plus decoders for 10 locos (non-sound) would run you under $500 if you bought it all at once. No one says you have to go and buy everything at once, you could start with the Zephyr and a coupel of decoders to get soem locos running and do the rest later. I’ve been buying bits at a time as I build my layout, keeps from busting the budget in any given month. I just make sure I have enough track, turnouts, roadbed, and switch machines to stay ahead of my expected construction level (would be very frustrating to be set to build the 4 track yard and only have 2 turnouts on hand…). This way I limit myself to how much I spend each month on hobby stuff, but can still do just about whatever it is I fee like - build benchwork, lay track, install decoders, build kits, etc. By today’s standards I’d probably be labeled severely ADD, I can’t just spend day after day working on only one aspect of the layout, I need to switch it up. I keep a bit of a projects list on my web site (needs to be updated), that if I tried to list everything woudl take me from now til next weekend, so I always have somethign to do.

–Randy

6

I’m getting this mental image,…GODZILLA!!! [(-D]

NO PUNTING THE ROLLINGSTOCK

7

Hi again!

Randy is certainly correct, in that you can start out small and build up in your DCC system. The key is to follow a path to the end, so whatever money you spend today will be for stuff you can use later on.

My perimeter trackage is a double main, that does have some separation at various points. Yes, I love to just have a train “go in circles”, and when its finished will probably have that happen while I switch out the yard/terminal/sidings with other locos. Yes, I’m a lone wolf as well, and sometimes I just like to watch the trains run.

One other thing with the DCC, is that the grandkids can run the trains now (in a circle) and get a kick out of the whistle/bell/horns that THEY can control.

Mobilman44

8

Nice thing about Zephyrs is that you can use decent quality DC powerpacks for throttle and direction via the jump ports. Plus the Zephyr handles the programming track as well. New Zephyrs are around $150 incl shpg from several online sources. 2.5A is enough power given the efficiency of newer locomotives (see the recent locomotive reviews - slipping amps between 0.08 and 0.36; stalls at 0.12 or 0.8).

9

All the decoders and remotors are what’s making me nervous. That or too much coffee. Either way, it’s gonna take some work. I’m assuming that the Digitrax will operate one DC engine as well? Answer me this, is it 1-DC -AND- up to 10 DCC locos at a time or 1 DC -OR- 10 DCC locos??? I have a tiny HOn3 shay thats going on the layout and I’m going to be doing good to just get a motor and gearbox in it.

10

Tinman,

If you go to DCC, I strongly urge you NOT to run DC locos. There have been a number of postings on this during the last year, and it seems that folks often get into trouble doing this.

When I converted to DCC, I had a few locos that already had decoders (came that way). Then I went thru my roster and determined (with the help of the good folks on this forum) which were easy to convert, and which were more difficult. I sold the most difficult ones on Ebay, which left most of the remaining locos needing only a plug in decoder, or a screw in circuit board that replaced an existing one. Like a lot of things we MRs do, if you start out easy and work at it, the difficult often becomes very manageable later on.

Mobilman44

11

I can only second this statement. It is an either - or situation. Either you run your layout on DCC, or you run on DC. You can do that on the same layout, but then make sure that only DCC resp. DC locos are on your layout.

12

Going all the way back before the DCC discussion started, doing the scenery in what will become the unreachable area before you make it unreachable sounds like a plan. I just (as in this morning) came up with a way to do essentially the same thing with the backdrop side of my 32 inch wide main station area. Luckily, I will be able to leave the front eight inches unobstructed (except for joist ends on 24 inch centers) until quite late in the building process. For me, 24 inches is a workable reach-over distance. 32 inches isn’t.

I’m also planning to incorporate some lean here hard points - the main passenger platform being an obvious one. Sort of the opposite to those no step stencils on aircraft. The alternative would be some kind of sky hook attached to a chest harness, and I’m a little old to be playing Peter Pan.

Now all I have to do is come up with a plan to detail Pagoda Hill. It’s in a corner, it will be high - and some of those piled-up layers of track underneath it are part of a spiral with no practical center access. Luckily, the adjacent aisleway is wide enough for a ladder.

Fun!

Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)

13

Hi again!

I’ve been putting ties in open track spaces and have about 1/3 of the existing layout complete. I’ve done about 60, and expect to do another 100-130 or so. There was a posting on this process a month or so ago, and there was different viewpoints on how to get it done. I’m not saying my method is the best - or easiest - but here is what I’m doing…

Anytime I cut off ties to allow joints with the Atlas code 100 flextrack, I would put them aside for later use. When I was ready for filling in the spaces, I took about 100 of these, and with an Xacto knife sliced off the nubs on the sides. Then I used a large chisel blade to slice off the molded on tie plates & spike heads. Doing 100 at a time is finger busting tedious work, and yet you best be realllllly careful with those blades. Remember, a dull blade is much more dangerous than a sharp one!

The prepared ties would slide right into place under bare rails, but of course pretty much all of the spaces are where track joiners are used. Soooo, the ties at this stage are too thick. Forcing them between the joiners and the cork roadbed could easilty distort the track joint.

To thin the ends of the ties, I used a 6 inch flat file, a large angled Xacto blade, and a Dremel sanding disk (fine grit) - either singly or in combination with each other. This is pretty much trial and error, and those shavings need to be contained.

When the tie fits, I would remove it a put a drop of Ambroid cement on the roadbed, and slide the tie back in place. I’m sure there are a lot of other adhesives you could use, but I just happened to have the Ambroid handy. The end result looks pretty good, just waiting for ballast.

Again, I’m not saying the above is the best/easiest method, but it works.

14

I just thought about something in regards to your tie project. I 'have accumulated many different brands and codes of track which I believe have some variation in tie thickness. Maybe there is a brand in a smaller code that would require less work in regards to thickness?? Another thought I had was to sacrifice a couple pieces of sectional track. Leave the ties on, flip it upside down and have a go at it with a palm sander to make them thinner than needed, then cut from the track. If it’s mandatory to remove the topside details, put it rightside up and put a couple screws between the ties to hold the piece steady and work from the end with a chisel blade and remove what is needed. It would definately help with the holding of the ties and any small gaps would be hidden by ballast.

15

That sounds like a good way to use some of those snipped-off ends and tie-damaged ‘seconds’ that tend to accumulate around a large layout with complex trackwork. Frequently the tie damage is broken spikeheads - which have to come off anyway.

In my work, I don’t thin the ties from the bottom. I grind them down from the top, reducing the thickness at the place where the rail joiner and rail base will be. I also don’t cut them off the flex track. Instead, I attack from both sides with a chisel blade in my hobby knife, leaving a hollow under the rail. Since Atlas rail (code 83) slides, I shove the rail out of the way. This is especially useful on curves, since I don’t cut the inner rail. I let it slide, so the joints end up staggered - sometimes by as much as 150-200mm on a 200+ degree turnback curve. Digging a trough in the top of bare tie strip is a lot easier than trying to massage ties by ones and twos.

(I know that Atlas Code 100 has only one sliding rail. I still use the same technique. Sliding rail goes to the inside on curves.)

What to do with rail that has lost its tie strip?&nb