Enough of planning already!!!!

[wdsrwg]

Thanks Lynn,
I need all the help I can get!
hamr

Going to lay the swicthing area today I hope.

Have a great saturday everyone~:thumb:

 

[wickman]

Russel I layed out the ws risers this morning for the inclines once I get that ruffed in I'll take some overall shots ( benchwork is pretty well cleaned off to do this )

 

[wdsrwg]

Lynn,
One word,
WOW!!!!!!!
I thought my plans were progressive and somewhat complicated but, geeeeezzzz! :thumb:
I can't wait to see a video (if possible) of this beauty running!
There are train clubs here that do not have that great of a layout!
I have considered ws risers, as a matter of fact the local Train Shop stocked them for me then one of the clerks talked me out of them. Said I could make my own.
He was wrong. I mean I can make risers with my wire cutter but not to the perfection that ws does.
However if & when I need them I will purchase.
As I stated I am starting with a modified 4x8 and will build around the room form there. 1st section will all be ground level grade then next 8x2 section is 6" lower than the first. The The 3rd section will gain 3" and he 4th & 5th will be back to Grade level.
Your Turtles and switches are above my comprenention as to the complexity!tooth1
Were I can reach the switches I am using simple caboose ground throws and were I can't its just simple single throw electrics.
I am sorry for the windy message but layouts like yours just inspire me to yak-on! announce1
Bottom line is, with folks like you here on the gauge (doers) we (dreamers) can get valuable ideas and apply them in our own fashion!
Thanks for the reply and I still say, put it on paper but build from the heart and head!!!!

Thanks Lynn,

Russell

 

[ocalicreek]

Whether you draw a rough outline on the floor with chalk or map the location of every tree and weed to the nth degree, it's still a plan. Whenever you say "this should go here" and "that should go there" it's a plan. There's no escaping it! Don't fight it, it's much easier if you give in, pick up a pencil or mouse and sketch something, no matter how rough. As my old man is prone to say, "Measure Ten, Cut One".

Now if you can afford to build, rip it out, repeat, by all means go ahead. But one reason I plan is so that I can build something I'll more likely be happy with the first time becase I don't have the disposable income to cover a long learning curve. The other reason is I really enjoy planning itself. It's kinda like reading a book and using your imagination to enrich the story. Those lines on a page are just the beginning!

Galen

 

[wickman]

Russel I tried cookie cutting and different types of scenery just so I could say I tried it but I diffinately prefer the ws risers . Her's a link to my old layout u'll see where I tried it there http://www.the-gauge.com/showthread.php?t=18618

 

[wickman]

Whether you draw a rough outline on the floor with chalk or map the location of every tree and weed to the nth degree, it's still a plan. Whenever you say "this should go here" and "that should go there" it's a plan. There's no escaping it! Don't fight it, it's much easier if you give in, pick up a pencil or mouse and sketch something, no matter how rough. As my old man is prone to say, "Measure Ten, Cut One".

Now if you can afford to build, rip it out, repeat, by all means go ahead. But one reason I plan is so that I can build something I'll more likely be happy with the first time becase I don't have the disposable income to cover a long learning curve. The other reason is I really enjoy planning itself. It's kinda like reading a book and using your imagination to enrich the story. Those lines on a page are just the beginning!

Galen

Well put and I second it :thumb:

 

[wdsrwg]

Galen, You guys are just the greatest!
My layout to start is going to be a very basic and simple endevor and then turn into a monster.
The main section, #1 of 5, will only have 10 switches, a few spurs and just not a whole lot of flash and flare. However, that is just the beginning. The more time I spend around you guys the more my imagination runs wild.
Yes, I agree you have to have some commitment on paper, absolutely! :thumb:
I just happen to have a small forest worth of them and now I have to put up or shut!
My wife would perfer the later.
I am honored to have you post because I have witnessed your expertise.
Thanks,

Lynn, I have decided to make the move to the ws risers. I try to be a purist and do all things by hand but, they are just to darned time saving and accurate.
My best equipment purchase to date has been the foam cutter. The cheap one!! tooth1
I have had a great time with it and thought I could create anything with it. Well, you can if you have hours to spend.

Thanks to both and please keep posting to give all of us newbies in the hobby the support we need!

Whoa, I need to get back to work.

Russell

 

[wickman]

Russel if your gonna get the risers and there not avail in your area chk out this site http://www.cchobbies.com/scenery/wssubterainfoam.htm I've had the pleasure of ordering all my peco turnouts and track from him as well as a bunch of other stuff . His names Will and he's fast to ship . Also if your thinking of plaster cloth I ordered a box of cloth from http://www.dickblick.com/zz335/05/ I used it last nite and it works just as good as the woodland scenic cloth at a fraction of the cost

 

[wdsrwg]

Although I live in an area where they will not even deliver the mail to us at the house :curse: and have to have a PO Box in town!:curse:
We do have a very well stocked train shop in a little town called Elroy.
I stated before that I had the owner order some ws risers and his salesman talked me out of them a week later!
Good news is that they are still there, (of course they are if they talk everyone out of buying them!) and I will purchase Friday.
I have visited Cherry Creek before and it is a great online store and they are some $3 cheaper than the train stop in Elroy however, balancing the cost of shipping to the price of fuel... well.... anymore...... its not that much of a difference I guess :curse: I will purchase locally.
Anyway, I should buy something from them I don't want them to close because they are handy and I do like to take up space there on occassion.
Once again, thanks for the great leads and that layout of yours is looking marvelous!

Cripes! I really need to do something today here at the office!hamr

Russell

 

[wickman]

Cripes! I really need to do something today here at the office!hamr

Russell

sign1 Ya we can't be thinking about model railroading 24 hours a day :cry:

 

[wdsrwg]

OR CAN WE?
balloon6

I was just thinking about the future and a possible spansion bridge for the 2nd leg of the layout.
I am doing the modern era so, do I go with a cable / concrete structure or, do I let caution get sucked into the vaccum and go all steel.
Looking at about 200' proto so thats what a little over 37" in ho? It would fit!

Oh well, guess I had better just get the first phase going then I'll cross that bridge when I get there. Bridge, get it?

Back to work!!!
hamr

Russell

 

[wickman]

Well now that you bring it up about bridges . Over the weekend as I was securing the flex track down onto the risers ( luckily before applying adhesive) I realized my truss bridge had to be ruffed into the trackwork and risers before I could attach the rails , so I ended up ruffing in 3 bridges . Now this had to be done this way because of the risers where as on a normal benchwork top it may not need to be done ahead of time. So just keep that in the back of your mind as your working away.

 

[Nazgul]

Hey Russell,
You've visited my thread so I figured I'd return the favor....Your layout promises to be quite a bit more ambitious than mine (size and scope). I think you're right to take it in chunks...it doesn't seem so daunting that way (yeah right!!!!). I only have one other thing to say......WHERE ARE THE PICTURES!!!!!!! And don't tell me you haven't done enough to show us

 

[steamhead]

Hi,

Track planning is like house-hunting...You can only do it for so long, and then it's time to jump in...Your plan for a layout is like my previous layout. It started with a 4x8 and grew to an around-the-walls (and into/out of a closet I ripped out..) that joined the initial "phase" from two different ends. And don't be "shy" about ripping something out if you don't like it. I found that the initial pain was more than compensated by the greater enjoyment "getting it right" brought.

Good luck!!

Gus (LC&P).

 

[wdsrwg]

Alright,
Lynn, I am coming off the modified 4x8 benchwork at 46"H and the next 4' or so will be at 36".
This does several things to the layout, I can set my risers coming off the 46" to a max grade of 2% and at the pinacle of section 2 & 3 have a mainline that seems to be at several hundred feet without taking risers way overboard. Also the tunnel work should, should be easier to construct. It will take a lot of material to pull this off but from that angle I think I can make it look acceptable. The advise as usual is great on connecting the bridgework first. As always I really thank you for all for the advice.

Steve, Yes I do have pix of the bare benchwork and it really isn't worth posting until I get some track laid! ops: I am not a perfectionist but, I have started so many times I just want it to be close to right so I can run my TRAINS.
I have proceeded from plans that started as an along thewall 2' x 32' to a built 4x8, to a modified 8x3x22"! My mind is a terrible thing sometimes but, I can generally gather the stuff from up there and do something o-kay with it. I will post pix next week because I plan on accomplishing more in the next several days than I have in the last 6 months!! I have been to your gathering and you are getting the job done man!:thumb:
I will post back there cause you have some neat stuff going on and some great people helping out!

Steam, I know in the recess's of mind mind that there will be some re-configuring and I have no problem with that. wall1 Yeah, Right. But the first thing I learned here on the gauge is that it is all our own vision and it is never, ever finished so, what the hay!
Lets build and yes, plan and build and......... Aw heck, lets just have fun and see just how much we can avoid the better half!:thumb:

 

[wdsrwg]

And by the way everyone if you want to see some wild and great looking stuff, visit steve at his (don't laugh to hard thread). There is some great pix and some of the best advice from the experts on the gauge you can imagine! :thumb:

Alright, all the threads are great but his is a little different.

Also, Steam Head. you really tore out a closet to expand!

One more, Lynn do you have any proto pix your are designing after or, do you know of any bridge pix that I should be checking out?

Thanks All,

 

[wickman]

One more, Lynn do you have any proto pix your are designing after or, do you know of any bridge pix that I should be checking out?

Thanks All,

No proto pix I just wing it although I do use a template quite a bit for designing one type of bridge . I just finished cleaning up the top of the layout and I took some pics of the new risers I put in I pretty well have all the main line rail in now I basiclly just have to run short rails to the industries. I just have to solder 7 sets of feeders for the new incline and the rail yard . pics tomorrow.announce1 Hopefully if I can get all the tortoises wired up buy the weekend I can start cutting in the diaramas into the bench woo hoo fun is about to start finallllllllllllllllllllyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyysign1

 

[wdsrwg]

Good Morning to all!

Another question Lynn,
I noticed you used ws risers on the old layout also, Did you buy new for the current project?
Can they be used over & over ?
Is there certain mounting methods to assure you can?
O-kay so I meant several questions.

Thanks,

 

[91rioja]

Russell:

I created no less than 90 plans for my new layout in about 6 months. I tore down the old layout about 6 weeks ago and started working on the new one. I ran my first train in 6 weeks last night (albeit only about 6 feet back and forth).
balloon6

On the New River Valley Railroad, I am currently on plan number 32. The plans are nice to have on paper, make notations and add dimensions to, but, like you, I was ready to run trains and start building again. And I see that each day, it changes some from what was on paper. That is why I have no track glued down just yet; it is all held in place by push pins.

Enjoy your building process and keep us posted on your progress.

 

[wickman]

Good Morning to all!

Another question Lynn,
I noticed you used ws risers on the old layout also, Did you buy new for the current project?
Can they be used over & over ?
Is there certain mounting methods to assure you can?
O-kay so I meant several questions.

Thanks,

Personally I don't think its worth the while to reuse them as whether you have to glue the risers to the bench of roadbed to risers its difficult to remove then again white glue is pretty friendly and doesn't stick the way silicones do.Then again there not all that expensive to replace considering what there achieving