Here is a recent video of my layout, the D&H Champlain Division North End, which is set in the 1980s-1990s. The layout is under construction, I am about to start scenery.
Here are some photos of the layout.
Feedback would be welcome and appreciated.
Off to a good start. Keep us posted as you add your scenery.
What are you using for road material?
Have fun,
Richard
I am using creatology fun foam that you can buy at Michaels craft stores.
The video didn’t work in Firefox for me, but did work in Chrome. In some cases the yellow subtitles (Schulter Systems) were hard to read. The video and the pictures did not give any understanding of the track plan.
Your home made cork roadbed has 90 degree edges. That might make ballasting difficult. The width of the roadbed also varied, abruptly.
The gray road material rises sharply at the tracks. I think a smooth grade rising toward the track would be better.
Sorry I am only offering negative comments. I can only comment on what I can see in the photos and videos.
I’m gonna stick with the negative. Hopefully, you’ll thank me someday.
I saw what looked like a rather nasty track bump on the end of the bridge. You’ll be a happy train guy if you fix it. And any other trackwork problems. Before the scenery and ballast.
And that signal going green just after the train passed–I could do without that.
Anyway, good for you for asking for comments and advice. If you don’t like what we say, you can ignore it. If you do, you benefit. Hooray.
Ed
An old track plan can be found here. I have added and changed some of the sidings, but thats the basic idea.
I have used the roadbed before on dioramas and it is no problem for ballasting.
By the way, this is my first “real” layout.
The bump by the bridge was a lot worse, and I can seem to make it any better than I have already.
The layout is wired for DC, so the signal is using the Twin-T wiring, and the block is short. I may try to fix that someday.[:-^]
Hi,
You have a lot of good things going there. You are wise to ask for the feedback and hopefully take it as constructive criticism.
Right away in the first scene 00:20 I saw the track being pushed down by the weight of the engine. You are doing the right thing by not over-driving your track spikes but you may need to find places where the track isn’t settling down all the way.
Perhaps consider a very thin layer of caulk under the ties?
Other Ed noticed the Rte 9 bridge track bump. (00:40) I’d suggest that when you fix that you also look at adding a little support under the track here. Bridge girders or beams.
At 1:11 I see the rail gap and probably loose joint in the right of the scene. Have you considered soldering your rail joints? If you plan to ballast, the glue will get into these loose joints and give you electrical continuity problems.
The edges of the cork can be contoured or filled with lightweight spackling or your favorite scenery fill compound.
And lastly — the scene beginning at 2:17 shows the unsupported 1/2" plywood. It seems like it is already beginning to sag. You really need to have a good, solid foundation. You might get away with gluing/screwing braces underneath but if left unsupported you will have a real headache with temperature and humidity changes or when you do scenery the dampness may furthewr warp the plywood.
[2c]
Don’t get discouraged, fix these little things one at a time and you will be glad you did down the road.
Good Luck, Ed
The track that was loose was because I have taken up that piece of track to work on the bridge and forgot to spike it back down. Thanks for noticing[;)]!
Could you please explain how I would add supports by the bridge?
Also, how would I support the wood at the end of the la
I am using Firefox and I can´t view the video. That´s a major drawback, as I won´t install another browser just to view your video!
Sorry, It is using facebook.
Video-related feedback:
Thanks for making the video about your modeling and not about your face! Many folks’ “layout” video updates feature their faces more than their layouts. A bit of that is fine, but personally I prefer more of the layout and less of the face.
Some narration might be a good thing to add, though. While the captions are good, you might want to briefly verbally talk about what you have planned as you show each area.
Please make sure to let us know when you post future updates!
Thanks, that helped me to watch the video. I like what I see, only the Rt. 9 grade crossing looks a little bumpy [swg]
From our friends at M-R:
http://mrr.trains.com/how-to/get-started/2002/08/basic-flextrack-tracklaying-techniques
Hope that helps, Ed
Thanks, I’ll take a look.
I am about to start scenery[*-)]. Any advice? also, any ideas on where other roads should go.
Thanks,