Amazin'

B

Bob Collins

Active Member
Feb 1, 2001
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Council Bluffs, IA
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It's absolutely amazing what the first 15' of powered track will do for a guy's morale, especially after plugging along on this layout for almost 6 months now.

I got an engine the other day and boy is it fun just running it back and forth!! It has also caused me to get my rear end back in gear and I have about tripled the amount of track that is now powered. My question is will the adhesive I am using on the track dry faster if I watch it or don't watch it?

I guess the fun is back and I am again fired up and ready to go.
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Bob
 
Bob,it all depends on how you hold your mouth,which day of the week it is,and wether or not there's a full moon.Really I wouldn't joke about something this serious.
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Catt! NARA#1 & A freelancer for life

[This message has been edited by Catt! (edited 07-26-2001).]
 
I suppose I could take the negative viewpoint too, like the glass being half empty or half full. In my case, as best I can figure, counting yards, spurs and the like, I still have roughly 170' of track to lay
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I have been slow in laying the track because of all the conversation I have heard about kinks and the like. So far, knock on wood, I have not had any problems. My frustration is that I have always laid out and pinned down the track first and then have to go back and un-pin it to apply the glue. It seems like I am making double work, but so far no hitches. I'm about to glue down a double crossover which has taken some time to constuct and then to alighn. I like the results and hope not to destroy it in the process of gluing it to the roadbed
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Bob
 
Bob,
The stuff dries faster if you don't look, and especially if you don't "check" on it.
Sounds like your doing well and are way ahead of me.
My last "pike" is in little bits and pieces, what's left of it. Will try and get a good start on a new one this fall.
To pin track down and check it to get the bugs out first is a great idea, wish I had followed it with the last layout.
Glad to hear your making head way, keep us posted.
Good luck with the next 170 feet, which most likely will be more when done, that is if these things are ever "done". Can't say I've ever seen one "done" come to think of it.
Lance
 
Done seems to be a work difficult to use by model railroaders. I sort of laughed under my breath when I read all the stories about tearing up this layout or modifying this part and all that, but lo and behold I'm already starting to think like that. At this stage it is more modification that rebuilding, but all the same it is changing the plan.

One think I ran into almost immediately when I started to build the plan I chose was that things don't exactly fit like the plan outlines. Part of that may be do to the plan being drawn over 20 years ago. I may be trying to use a #6 turnout where a #4 was what was available in those days. It has been more fun than frustration in figuring out how I could modify things without really changing the basic design of the plan. So far I think I have maintain the general scope of what the planner, Linn Westcott had in mind.

I still need a name though
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Ozark and Western
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Only thing about a name like that is that someone (Woodie?) pointed out it would be another O & W ( Old and Weary). I guess I'll figure out something one of these days
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Bob
Rolla, Missouri USA
 
I guess I'm kind of a Doubting Thomas, because I almost always lay my track, check it, then PUT IT DOWN. I'm working on a new layout with plywood then blue foam base. I started out with the super pretzel, then modified it to cut out some track, and widen out the curves. A little hard to keep the track tacked in place on that foam, but it was worth it. I changed track routing a half dozen times at least before I settled on one.
My railroad? Hah!!!I own 38 million acres, forty-leven railroads and rolling stock. I build tracks wherever I please, and run any consist I see fit. Half the time I run empty, so I don't have customer/consumers on my back. I have FUN!!FUN!! FUN!!!.
Squash them apples good buddies, and see if you get cider or vinegar.
I'm sorry I can't get too serious with this, or any other hobby. I enjoy myself any way I can, long as it don't hurt nobody, and especially if I can help someone, or give someone a good laugh. These decrepit old bones still lugging me around, but if I work too slow on a layout, I won't have enough time to stoke a fire in one of my steamers.
Have a good time, enjoy, and God Bless

Lynn
 
Lynn;

I am interested in what you are doing with the plywood and blue board. I have started out almost the same way except I used oxboard with is considerably cheaper. I used 1/2 inch oxboard and covered it with 1" blue board. From there I actually have very little road bed glued directly to the blueboard, maybe two 8' sections. All the rest of my cork roadbed is, or will be glued to Woodland Scenic styrofoam risers up to four inches off the blue board. Most is at 3" with about 6' at four inches to accomodate two bridges. The bridges are about 6' apart and I am probably going to build a tunnel between them so you come out of the tunnel and directly on to one of the bridges.

I don't really take myself all that seriously about things like the trains. I enjoy it because I like to do something I've never tried before. All I have are grand daughters and they aren't very interested, so I think I must be building all this for the little guys in the neighborhood to enjoy with me. My problem is that I am so slow they may all have to come back from college to see it run
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Bob
 
I saw (I forget where, on the web I think) an interesting alternative to the Woodland Scenics risers. Pink or blue foam is used. It needs to be thick enough to lay the roadbed on its EDGES, so you may have to laminate pieces together. Your elevation profile is drawn full scale onto the slab, including curves to transition from one grade to another or to level. Cut the shape out of the slab, set it on end, glue it to your base, and then glue your roadbed to it.

If the grade goes around curves, there are some gotchas:
-- Use the track center radius minus 1/2 the slab thickness when figuring the horizontal length of the elevation profile.
-- After the elevation profile is cut out of the slab, separate the portions that will be under straight track from those under curved portions, using cuts perpendicular to the profile base, then cut the curved portions into about 1-in slices. Glue the slices so that they touch each other only along the inside of the curves.

The biggest problem I can see with this is making sure that it gives you a level surface to glue the roadbed to. When the profile is cut out, you would have to make sure that it is a square cut. Probably a jigsaw would work.
 
I have been quite pleased with the Woodland Scenic materials with one exception and that has nothing to do with the quality of the product itself.

The way they have things packaged when you buy the incline sets you almost always have more than enough pieces for the end of the incline, but not enough for the beginning. By that I mean that I have several places where I take the roadbed from three to four inches to give clearance for a bridge. I use enough of the incline set to get me up an inch. Now I have all the rest of that particular set left. I've been able to jury rig some of it, but I'm going to have a number of pieces left too.

I think I'm beginning to understand why so many of you build a layout and then tear it up. It has to do with all of the left over pieces that can't be used unless you redesign and build the layout over again, right
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I am ready to start drilling holes to drop my power lines under the bench work. Bought some rolls of colored tape to help me keep my wiring identified. Need to see about toggle switches and the like to get everything going to the power pack organized.

Bob
 
Bob:

You think running your train in a staight line is fun. Waite til the layout is up and running. I started last September, The track is all laid. I'm not happy with it. Jessica, my girlfriend says I have already put too much money in to it!

Now you are talking about scenery. I truely enjoy Mountain Scenic's products. You are right, it's not the best. Allot of it in a certain area sure makes it nice. Take a look at my website at what I have done so far.

Andy

www.geocities.com/droid144/page2.html
 
Hi Bob, and everbody..
Me too! No scenery, yet. No buildings. Yet...but I have a great time runnin' MY TRAIN!!!
my loop-d-loop switching 'layout' is wired, 6 remote turnouts operational...and I have a new VGN Trainmaster and some new VGN boxcars added. My little 'consist' is 15 cars long now, without the coal empties sittin' on their siding and on my bench. That's a bit better than pushin' two 110ton N&W hoppers back and forth on two pieces of snap-trak!!!
I'll be gettin' back to work on the "Real" layout when I get back from a camping trip in a couple of weeks.
I've got to say ..I'm glad I used fiber insulation board and track nails...I'll be pullin' up all the track to build the main yard on the same 4x8 (it might get cut down and extended to 3x10)
Keep on havin' yourselves a good time.
VGN
 
Boy am I Lucky !! here I am sitting in Matthyro's house watching his trains go back and forth and I havent laid one inch of track, Robin is away camping, all I had to do was travel 13000 miles, must say this is a fine layout Check out his "Maberly and Tayside" website. Must say He sure can scratch build structures.
 
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