Sweethome Alabama

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

I’ve made a start on the baseboards for the new HO layout, so I can run some of my more modern locos and freight cars. Set in Northern Alabama during the 90s-00s, It will be a small switching layout - 10ft scenic and 4ft fiddle yard at one end, but with the option of adding another scenic layout to the other end of the fiddle yard. I will be running NS, Southern, CSX and BN/BNSF diesels on the layout (one at a time on a switch job) and the freight cars will reflect the area - mostly NS/SOU, BN and CSX/CSX predecessors.

I am constructing the boards with integral legs and the 2 scenic boards will bolt together into a box structure so I can fit it into the car. The layout will use Tortoise switches and run with a NCE ProCab and be operated from the front. The backscenes will be removable to keep weight down and location dowels used to mate the boards together. The fiddle yard has been buiklt to use the cassette tracks that I retired from Sweethome Chicago.

First job was to cut the end pieces for each of the three boards and fit the location dowels

I made the basic frame deep enough to fit the Tortoise motors and to house the folding legs. The frame was cut from 2-by-1 pine.

Next job is to fit the lid (track bed)

Jon

2

John, I’m a big fan of your urban layout work. Awesomely talented you are! Easily one of the best urban modelers in the world. *******I have a possibly silly question. Is your icon photo really you or a member of “Pink Floyd?” I know we often use “fun” pics for our icons but curious. I’ve seen so much of your layout but never you, that I know of… Thanks.

3

Is there an American source for the equivalent of the metallic location (alignment) dowels?

Mark

4

I haven’t seen any alignment hardward exactly like Jon Grant is using but I have seen some similiar; I get – or at least I was getting – several specialized woodworking catalogs and most of those had several designs.

You may find these in the hardware section at Lowes; you may find them at Home Despot; a better bet would be at an Ace or True Value Hardware store. A surefire bet is a specialized woodworker’s supply store and I’m sure that there are a bunch of those in the Bay Area; just tell the clerk what you’re looking for.

Another thing you might consider: you can buy all kinds of mating hardware at Lowes and Home Despot; this type hardware is frequently used on Assemble-it-Yourself furniture.

5

http://www.mcmaster.com/#alignment-dowels/=3bz1ia

A “real” hardware source with a ton of other parts you never knew existed.

6

Jon,

I am a great admirer of your “Sweet Home Chicago” layout - a masterpiece of an urban layout. I bet your new one will be as excellent as this one. Mind to tell us a little more about your new layout, i.e. track plan, setting, theme etc?

I am just sooo curious!

7

Once the frames had been cobbled together, I added the Sundeala baseboard. At the moment it is a solid rectangle (5ft x 21in) but the intention is to remove the unwanted bits as and when the scenery is added, to reduce the overall weight.

The two main boards were supported on Sweethome Chicago’s exhibition legs to get an idea of the overall size and height of the layout. I intend to add one pair of legs to each board which will fold inside the structure for transit. Only 1 pair is needed as the boards will piggyback together.

Now for the fiddle yard

Jon

8

I got mine in England but they arent cheap

http://www.sherwoodmodels.co.uk/osc/product_reviews.php?products_id=2967

You might want to Google ‘Pattern makers dowels’ for an American supplier.

Jon

9

All in good time - well, about a fortnight, the way the layout is progressing. Got to keep the mystery and suspense levels up.

Jon

10

Sir Jon,

or should I say “Your Cruelty”?

Two more weeks to wait will bring the tension beyond the boiling point … [swg]

Sir Madog of Abergenolwyn,

aka

11

With the main scenic boards done, I painted the top, bottom and sides of the Sundeala/Homasote and set them aside to dry, before adding integral legs. I will be adding cross-bracing under the Homasote to stop it sagging, but only after I have laid the track and fixed the Tortoise motors in place.

I then set to work on the fiddle yard. This is just a flat board to support the fiddle cassettes that were retired from Sweethome Chicago when I upgraded to turntable fiddle yards - waste not, want not.

The new fiddle yard for SWA has 2 sets of integral legs so it stands independently, the legs being braced with metal bars

I also built a fascia panel - to hide the ‘magic and mystery’ that goes on ‘Stage Left’

Finally, a shot of the legs folded into the fiddle yard - the whole thing folds flat to only 4in wide.

Now for some integral legs and backscenes for the scenic boards

Jon

12

The photo is of Professor Denzil Dexter - a character from ‘The Fast Show’ which was a brilliant comedy sketch show in the 1990’s - much quoted by Johnny Depp, of all people. That’s pretty much what I looked like until I got my hair chopped off for charity last October.

A photo of me, taken this evening, will appear in my next post…Aaaarrrgh!!

Jon

13

Things are starting to take shape quickly now the big jobs are out of the way.

Here’s a shot of the metal bracing for the fiddle yard legs, held in place with wing nuts for speed of removal

I also got a delivery of adjustable feet so that the boards can be easily levelled on uneven floor, a must-have for my cellar

The newly-painted scenic boards now have their folding legs and adjustable feet, one pair of legs per board, as they piggy-back onto the free-standing fiddle yard. Here is the first shot of the layout in its entirity - just under 15ft long by 21in wide - and it didn’t collapse under the weight.

Next for some backscenes…

Jon

14

We’re bang up to date with the layout, now.

I took these photos this evening with the painted backscenes and fascia board in place. I’ve included a shot of me to indicate the track height - I’m 5’10" and the track height is about 46"

I’ve also added the drapes to give an impression of the overall presentation. So far it has taken just over three weeks and I havent laid a single piece of track yet.

The wooden support sticking up above the view block will be part of the name board and lighting rig.

So, that’s Sweethome Alabama completely up to date. I want to make the lighting supports and name board next before painting the backscene sky, which should be done by the weekend. Then I can start laying some track.

Jon

15

Finally for now, some of you may be wondering what happened to Sweethome Chicago, to get the room to build Sweethome Alabama. Maybe it was shelved, sold, scrapped for parts, or given a Viking funeral?

To answer the question I took a panned photo of my cellar this evening…

Sweethome Alabama

Wall

Sweethome Chicago

I realise the basement/cellar looks tatty but, hey, there’s a layout to build.

Jon

16

Holy Maceral Jon, What did ya go and do! Did you join the Military? Man I didnt realize that was you without your Hair! What is PF going to do??? Kevin

17

The lighting brackets have now been built (and modified twice, so far) and have been bolted in place.

I have also had time to fit the fascia board to the front of the lighting brackets.

Jon

18

The fascia is held in place by 4 bolts and wingnuts for ease of removal and a ‘suitcase clasp’ holds the 2 parts together.

I will be experimenting with the lighting effects by using fluorescent lights with ‘warm white’ tubes, at the rear of the layout and spotlamps at the front, behing the fascia boards. Here is the first of the 2 fluorescents in place, and the quick-and-easy way of attaching them.

The fascia boards take all of 30 seconds to dismantle - one clip and 4 wingnuts (ideal for dismantling the layout after an exhibition.

Now to go and paint the fascia boards and lighting brackets

Jon

19

I have to reply to this thread just so it’s easier to link back to for reference. I can’t wait to see how this evolves! I think you’ll accomplish more in a month than I have in a year!

20

So, are you going to take both Sweethomes on the road? At the same time, or alternating shows?

Seriously, you should write a book on transportable benchwork.