Day 5, post 2.
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Paint sure makes everything look better. The additional 6 inches this corner will get when the layout finally gets built is badly needed. This was a good lesson learned before I built a wall!
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-Kevin
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Day 5, Post 3.
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This is what the whole project looks like so far.
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Not bad for a five day effort. I have stayed busy on this, and I am right where I wanted to be.
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I am relieved that the yard throat starts soon enough for there to be plenty of room for four yard tracks before the layout needs to turn again.
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-Kevin
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Day 6, Post 1.
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I started functional testing of the layout today. I broke out the old reliable power pack and hooked it up to the model layout. I am most interested in the double crossings where the industrial track crosses the double mainline. The trackwork goes straight from the crossings to a 22" radius curve with no tangent or transition track.
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I could have done all this testing on the table top, but this way is just so much more fun! It is kind of like running a real layout.
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I tested my early Life Like Proto 2000 SD-7 first. It went through everything pushing and pulling freight cars with no problems. Then one of my Stewart F7 B units was put on the track, again (unsurprisingly) no problems.
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Then I went for broke and put one of my Sunset Heavy USRA 2-8-2 Mikados on the rails.
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SUPRISE! Even with all those plastic frogs, no flywheel, and only picking up electricity from one side of the tender, it went back and forth through those crossings with no electrical or stalling problems. However, when backing from the 22" radius curve into the crossings, the trailing truck became derailed every time. Hmmm… I guess either there will be no Heavy Mikados switching the industrial tracks, or I will need to modify the locomotives to make the trailing truck swing out a little bit more.
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Then I tried what should have been a slam-dunk. I put my Kato NW-2 on the track. This little gem runs so very well (like all HO Kato diesel locomotives), and it will coast for 4" on the flywheels. SURPRISE #2: It would not make it across the crossings. I inspected everything and found the trip pin on the factory installed X2F couple was catching on the crossing frogs.
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It looks like you are having fun, which is the Prime Directive. But just to keep the terminology straight, those are crossings, not crossovers. I see that you referenced them correctly elsewhere in your post.
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I edited the post and fixed the offending terminology.
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Yes, this has been a very fun week.
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-Kevin
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Kevin, a very interesting concept. Looking great! Glad to see you are focusing on some model railroading again. War games taking a back seat for a while?
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Actually, I was supposed to spend this vacation at the Historical Miniature Gaming Society convention in Orlando. The hotel tried to stick it to me when I modified my reservation, so I cancelled my participation. The DBA tournament won’t be the same without me, and I missed my chance to participate in the new release event for the new edition of Battlelore hosted by Richard Borg. Oh well… this has been just as much fun.
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Now for a Wargaming “mash-up”, here a is an armoured Polish train on the cardboard layout:
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OK. No more inter-hobby mash-ups for me. That European train looks too silly in front of a North American roundhouse!
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Was there ever an American armoured military train similar to this?
-Kevin
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Day 6, Post 2.
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Adding a bunch of cardboard buildings. The roundhouse was getting lonely. He showed up on day two, then no one came around to join him until today.
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Now time for more paint… again.
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-Kevin
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Day 7, Post 1.
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Here I am on the last day. I added paint to the cardboard buildings this morning, and now this project is about 99% complete! I finally made it! This has been an exciting rush of work.
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All I have left is some touch-up paint, add some loose chunks of stand-in scenery, and take some pictures.
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-Kevin
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I use a pair of jewelry pliers to bend the ‘hose’ up to the proper height because they are all low compared to the Kadee coupler gauge. There is a special tool marketed to do it as well.
Indeed. It looks like it was a lot of fun to build.
Hi, Kevin,
I hope those pictures you took are high-resolution, because I’ve sent you a PM about possibly writing an article for us. Check your inbox.
Day 7, Post 2.
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Well, it is finally done. One of the main concerns was there be ample photo spots on the layout. Here is a quick photo tour of a few scenes.
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I believe I have accomplished all my goals for this week.
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In previous threads I have mentioned how apprehensive I have been about starting this layout, and now all those uneassy feelings have been put to bed. This layout design can be everything I want it to be.
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-Kevin
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Nice.
I never understood your apprehensive feelings, but it looks like you have accomplished what you wanted to do. Good deal! and an invite for an article for MRR magazine ! Good job! I’ll look forward to the future article!
I used mock-ups for the structures.
The mill and food plant.
The completed structure.
The plastic plant:
The completed structure:
I had the track figured out, after I built the space I needed to store our Tubberware boxes of family / seasonal decoration stuff
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Steven,
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The email address you provided did not work.
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-Kevin
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Absolutely fascinating, Kevin! I wish I had the time to produce a mock-up of a layout on that grand a scale. As a true believer in using mock-ups, this really takes the guesswork out of layout building. it would be great to see an article on this in MR Magazine.
Hello, I have known Kevin for about 20 years. This thing he built is fascinating, but it is no where near out of the ordinary for him.
He sent a link to this thread to a whole bunch of his wargamer buddies. He wanted us to know what he was doing while he was not at the convention last weekend.
Kevin is part of our wargaming circle in South Florida. He is an absolute fanatic. He builds things like this all the time, then just tosses them away. He spent about two months building a photograph quality 20 foot long model of the Atlantic wall. We used it once, then he threw it out.
Kevin brought a brand new, fully painted, WW2 army to eight consecutive tournaments in a row one season. Painting eight different armies in one year is insane, but he did it like it was nothing. His workshop is papered with “best painted” awards he has won through the years. Some from very major events.
He claims to be a wargamer, but he is not. He lies. If he was a wargamer he would bother to learn the rules and try to win. Wargaming, like his trains, is just an outlet for this unstoppable need and hunger he has to build things.
I do not understand his trains, nor do I know much about them, but it amazing what he does. He models entire trains at once, just building and building and building.
He has a 1/8 scale engine in his garage he has been woking on for a few years. Supposedly it will be something he can ride, I don’t know. It looks like a lot of work.
He built an entire village in 28mm scale for one event, then donated the whole thing to Omniverse Hobbies in Fort Myers. Then, just a few months later, he did it again and donated the second village to Dark Side Comics in Sarasota.
He won the “iron painter” contest six times in a row at Dark Side. This is an event where you paint an entire model unit it 24 hours straight. It is almost imp
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Good heavens Dak, do I need to get you a cheerleading outfit? Oh, and welcome to the best forums on the internet. I have been here 4 months and been treated nothing but kind. Not a troll to be found in here.
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Thank you for the kind comments. Although, that just sounded like a long way of saying “Kevin is a terrible wargamer”.
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Honestly, this cardboard mock up, from start to complete in 7 days is the craziest big project I have ever taken on. This one took 100% commitment to getting it done. Also, I have never completed a project where I learned so much.
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I wonder why Model Railroad hobby shops don’t hold events to get people in the store and spending money? There must be some potential for social hobbying in Model Railroading.
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Just to be honest, I won Iron Painter six times in four years. I only had five victories consecutively.
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-Kevin
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Kevin, we all know of a model railroad shop that used to be in Tampa and they did exactly what you just mentioned. Don used to hold two swap meets a year. Didn’t cost a penney for you to come setup a table and buy/sell/trade with other model railroaders. Don also occasionally had model contests. He also had a “adult day care center” filled with hobby magazines. You cold take a brand new magazine off the shelf, sit down and read it cover to cover. There was also a work area for working on your models and it even included a airbrush paint booth. Now THAT is how to run a hobby shop. Unfortunitly the new owner did not see fit to do any of these and as we all know, there is no longer a model train shop in Tampa.