unusual layout

trains1972

Member
Sep 1, 2004
143
0
16
51
philadelphia, pa
pg.photos.yahoo.com
My son and I started to work on some scenery. I have to wait on a track order to come in and I put the last piece down earlier today. We started on the mountian area in the middle of the layout. Here are the pictures of the work.
march70038lr.jpg

march70159bt.jpg

march70072yx.jpg

march70109nu.jpg

march70144vk.jpg
 

trains1972

Member
Sep 1, 2004
143
0
16
51
philadelphia, pa
pg.photos.yahoo.com
An other update on the layout. My son and I just got done working on the city scene. I still have to go out and get cars and people to make the scene complete but here is what we got so far.
march82005208kw.jpg

march82005222tz.jpg

march82005232yy.jpg


I am going to take the scene out of the area and paint the sides of the risers blue. Once I get that done I will take some closer pictures there are wires ont the poles that did not come out that clear from the distance pictures. They shoud come in clear in closer pictures.
 

francismaximus

New Member
Jan 9, 2005
61
0
6
55
Harriman, NY
Well as a newbie I just have one thing to say. That is freaking awsome! Its like each section is like a different "slice of life". Like those direct Tv commercials where the guy changes age and era as he goes from different rooms of the house. Very very interesting project.
 

trains1972

Member
Sep 1, 2004
143
0
16
51
philadelphia, pa
pg.photos.yahoo.com
It has been a couple of days without an updates I just want you to know I have not forgoten I have been busy with other stuff. I just got 100 pieces of track to continue the track work.
march100025ek.jpg

I also cut out enough plywood to build the next couple of levels.
march100096lu.jpg


This weekend I will be spending most of it down working on the layout. I am hopping to get the track up a couple more levels. I left off at the begining of the third level. I want to try to get to the 6th level of track by sunday night.
 

trains1972

Member
Sep 1, 2004
143
0
16
51
philadelphia, pa
pg.photos.yahoo.com
I found a problem with the layout. The middle section is tilting inwards. I have to take it out and rebuild it. I might take it out completely and just run a straight track along that wall. It would give me more room for different scenes. It would also be easier to put it back as a straight track the risers will not change any. The one is 7/8" and the next one that would be left in is 1 3/8. That is a difference of 1/2" the span is 62" a little less then 1% grade.
 

trains1972

Member
Sep 1, 2004
143
0
16
51
philadelphia, pa
pg.photos.yahoo.com
I fixed the problem by getting rid of the middle curves and just made it straight. Here are pictures of the redone area.
march1120050017fm.jpg

march1120050081xk.jpg


Just in case some people are still confussed about the idea for this layout. I figured out an other way to explain the scenery idea for this layout. Say if you had a group of people making 25"x 6" sections of a layout. The only information that you give them is were to put the tracks. They get to pick there own scenery. Everyone does there favorite scene. When they are done you gather them up and sort them to the best match. For example city, mountain, desert, mountain, river, city. To attach them they get put next to each other then once you get around the room you start a second layer of layouts. This layout will have 3 layers each layer has 4 tracks at different hieghts. The track climbs 2" in about 400" of run.
 

trains1972

Member
Sep 1, 2004
143
0
16
51
philadelphia, pa
pg.photos.yahoo.com
Here is an update on the work for Saturday. I was able to get 2 levels of track in today with half the plywood for the next level.
The train with the box cars is on the second layer of the layout. That section will have scenery that is different from the section below it. The tank train is on the top level of the first layer.
march1220050015vp.jpg

In this picture the tank train is disappearing behind the scenery .
march1220050038ws.jpg

This picture is of just the bottom layer with the second layer in place.
march120108pl.jpg
 

trains1972

Member
Sep 1, 2004
143
0
16
51
philadelphia, pa
pg.photos.yahoo.com
Sunday's updates. I left off in the middle of the 6th level with the track. I put in 80 pieces of track this weekend I have 20 left from the 100 pieces I got during the week. My son started on retaining walls for one of the scenes. I am too tired to run the trains to take some good pictures I will do that tomorrow and add them later.
Here are the pictures of todays work.
march1320050021fm.jpg

march1320050136jz.jpg

march1320050059co.jpg

march1320050110hy.jpg
 

trains1972

Member
Sep 1, 2004
143
0
16
51
philadelphia, pa
pg.photos.yahoo.com
Pictures from the test runs. I used a deisel on one of the main lines and a steamer on the other. once the trains made it to the top I took the engine and caboose off the track and switched there positions to get the train running in the right direction. Once I reach the top there will be a reverse loop turn around but that is still far away from were I left off at.

march1420050016fq.jpg

march1420050024fn.jpg

march1420050034jt.jpg

march1420050053dr.jpg

march1420050071ka.jpg

march1420050087fs.jpg

march1420050092og.jpg

march1420050101so.jpg

march1420050132pz.jpg

march1420050151vc.jpg

march1420050167uf.jpg

march1420050178dh.jpg

march1420050189qs.jpg

march1420050196ls.jpg

march1420050206zo.jpg

march1420050218zf.jpg

march1420050301bd.jpg

march1420050319rt.jpg

march1420050331zj.jpg

march1420050346pl.jpg

march1420050350rr.jpg

march1420050430ae.jpg

march1420050448lr.jpg



My youngest son was with me when I ran the trains earlier this morning. He saw this on the computer when I was download them to a disk to take with me to work. He said " it is about time Santa upgraded his sled".
march1420050132pz.jpg
 

trains1972

Member
Sep 1, 2004
143
0
16
51
philadelphia, pa
pg.photos.yahoo.com
I tryed to post these yesterday but could not get on the forum. My son and I got some work done the other day on some scenery. Neither scene is finished I have to make bridges and my son wants to plant some trees. These scenes are the kind that would be between the city scene.
march1520050141vf.jpg

march1520050073ch.jpg

march1520050062zf.jpg

march1520050152zd.jpg

march1520050126kp.jpg

march1520050104lf.jpg

march1520050087sn.jpg

march1520050084pf.jpg

Here are some pictures from across the room at the scenery areas.
march1620050017uz.jpg

march1620050075dx.jpg
 

trains1972

Member
Sep 1, 2004
143
0
16
51
philadelphia, pa
pg.photos.yahoo.com
finished scene

One of the scenes is completed. My son did most of the work the only thing I did was make the trees and the bridges. The only thing left to do is to take the boxes of screws off the track. right now they are holding the bridge from falling while the glue dries. Here are pictures of the completed scene.
march1820050139tm.jpg

march1820050162ee.jpg

march1820050024mt.jpg
 

trains1972

Member
Sep 1, 2004
143
0
16
51
philadelphia, pa
pg.photos.yahoo.com
Here are some more pictures of my unusuall layout.
The new city is built and waiting for people and cars to move in
march2420050019mx.jpg

I am planing to hide the curve track in the corners this way.
march2420050044gd.jpg

Here are some pictures of two section of the layout the new city and river scene.
march2420050096lr.jpg

One of the unusall things about the layout is trains appearing and dissapearing into thin air.
march2520050034hd.jpg

march18110qf.jpg

The benchwork for the second yard is built and ready to get track put onto it once I get up that far.
march200038hz.jpg

The second yard sits right above the first yard.
march200024cu.jpg
 

trains1972

Member
Sep 1, 2004
143
0
16
51
philadelphia, pa
pg.photos.yahoo.com
Thanks guys.
I got the track up to the sixth level. There is 420 feet of track in place all ready for the main lines. I am only going up to nine levels 630 feet of total main line tracks. I have one main line for up hill traffic and another main line for down hill traffic. I could either run the layout as a point to point or let the trains run through the reverse loops that are around both the yards for continued running.

There will be 24 sections of straight track for scenes. I am planning on about 4 different cities for the train to pass through. I have a mountian scene, river scene, a siding, 2 city scenes and I just started a station scene. I have plans for a farm scene or cattle ranch, and a plan for a scene with a lake and a camp ground of hobos. That would complete the scenery on the first layer.

The buildings are from kits but the bridges are scratch built. I am going to try and scratch build some of the buildings. The top level is going to be mostly sidings scenes that will be the biggest shelf it will have different types of industries on it.

I am not looking for the operational point of the layout that much. I am more interested in running the trains through different scenery. Even if the train has to deliever goods to a point that is only three sections away on the same level. I would make them take the long way and travel the whole layout.

I am not working alone on this layout that is why it might seem like I am fast. I have two sons that are helping me with the work.

I hope this helps a little with any of the questions you might have for this layout. If you have any questions feel free to ask.
 

trains1972

Member
Sep 1, 2004
143
0
16
51
philadelphia, pa
pg.photos.yahoo.com
It has been a while since I had an update on the layout. I have been working on my first scratch built building. Here is a pictures of it.
walls0094bn.jpg

walls10052uy.jpg

I have been making my own windows which is hard to do in N-scale.
windows0037jy.jpg


I did just get in another 100 flex track and can continue making the layout grow higher over the weekend.
roofon0107iu.jpg

roofon0098lc.jpg