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1/87 Scale
Originally, the layout was illuminated with 75 watt incandescent bulbs. Over time, more energy-efficient bulbs were tried, but the lighting remained uneven and tough on the eyes. Finally, a solution was presented, using 3w LED bulbs housed in used cat food cans. The illumination is now consistent and yet does not strain eyesight when viewed for long periods.
1/8 Scale
I've always have liked Steam Engines and wanted to own on in 7.5 gauge. A new on was way out of my price range so I needed to build one. I located one that needed allot of work. I decided to take on the challenge to rebuild it. This is how it's going and where it has been.
In Howard yard I have a narrow area to put in some side tracks to run some cars into to make the area more interesting to work. So I designed a building that would take three cars on one side and two cars on the other. This turned into a Z building that when using plastic kits ended up being 2 inches wide. Each of the sides ended up 8 inches long.
One of the main curves of the layout had a switch at either end of the single track which no one could keep straight, resulting in head-on collisions and derailments. The fix was to hand-lay and install a Gauntlet at that spot. This is how it went.
I needed to go from one height to another in a small area. The way to do this is to run the track back and forth on the wall or fold it over its self. The track is at a 2.3 % grade with the height between the decks at 4 inches in height. It took some planning to get the front tracks to clear the rear tracks going down the grade. Each on of the sections had to be leveled and set to 2.3 % grade.
I needed to go from one height to another in a small area. The way to do this is to run the track back and forth on the wall or fold it over its self. The track is at a 2.3 % grade with the height between the decks at 4 inches in height. It took some planning to get the front tracks to clear the rear tracks going down the grade. Each on of the sections had to be leveled and set to 2.3 % grade.
Glad we were able to make a trip to Florida for the Florida Live Steamers Winter Fest.
Railroad Modeling University, Charlotte’s one-day program of clinics and workshops on model trains, is held on January 21, 2017. I will be presenting two clinics this time around. See the schedule of classes and register to attend by visiting the RMU 2017 page at the Carolina Southern Division of the NMRA. Hope to […]
The railroad had a small problem with the two curves making an S curve on the railroad. This happens when the first curve ends and there is a second curve starting in a different direction that is to close to the first curve. The way to get rid of that is to put a straight […]
OK, The video is out and it looks great. Many of the people that have seen it and have been very positive. Took three hours of running trains with Morgan and will be editing soon. As time allows us to complete the different video’s you will see them on the web page.
I taught a class at the MER Convention this October 21st in Raleigh. The title was “Speed Ballasting & Great Trackwork in Less Time“. Quickly installing track and ballasting that will perform well and look great is something that many modelers struggle with. This class shows how to do both accurately, yet rapidly. In this […]
Clovis Point started out as a vacation spot for summer fun. It has now changed to a winter scene because I have winter people and trees. I removed the scenery from the layout and started adding paper to fill the void in the landscape. The Hydrocal was placed over the paper and let to harden […]
Ever wonder how to find more space to have your layout get bigger with out adding a new room on? I had an open corner in the room and the next thing I know I’m expanding. The reason for the helix was to lower the layout to connect to a staging yard. I wanted the […]
When I had a crazy idea to move the return end of the layout and pick it up over the original layout and mount it on a different wall. Some called it impractical and crazy to add on. I went with my heart and started right away. This added at least 30 ft to […]
With a meat packing plant right around the corner from the yard tracks. The railroad needed an ice house to cool down the cars that needed to be load and then repacked with ice to keep the cars cold in transit. The location came into play when the main tracks could no longer use the […]
The only way to get to Al’s wharf was to get on to the main line and run down to the switch for Al’s wharf and enter the lead track. I wanted to keep Howard Yard off the main line to keep the main line open for trains to move straight and not get stuck […]
With all the track that needed to be ballasted I had to find a quicker way to ballast it. I tested many different types of spreaders and the dreaded spoon. I found the answer when I put mustard on my hot dogs. It turns out a condiment bottle holds ballast very well. With a 1/4 […]
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