FINALLY i bought my wood tonight for my benchwork and tomorrow im going to start work on it. I will take pics of my progress and post them tomorrow once they are uploaded. Ill update this thread as often as i can as my layout grows.
OnTrack's Official Layout Thread.
- Thread starter OnTrack
- Start date
Can't wait to see it--
Ontrack----We are ready to see what you are going to put together---Speaking for myself, watching the progress on the members layouts is the biggest attraction of this forum. I'll have to say that the combined wisdom of model railroading that these guys have and the willingness to share it is awesome also. What a hobby! John R
Ontrack----We are ready to see what you are going to put together---Speaking for myself, watching the progress on the members layouts is the biggest attraction of this forum. I'll have to say that the combined wisdom of model railroading that these guys have and the willingness to share it is awesome also. What a hobby! John R
Little Update
I started on my benchwork tonight and it is almost complete i needed more 2x4's than i thought:curse:. But oh well it will be finished tomorrow. Ill hook it up with some pics.
I started on my benchwork tonight and it is almost complete i needed more 2x4's than i thought:curse:. But oh well it will be finished tomorrow. Ill hook it up with some pics.
Benchwork Progress
Okay so I am almost finished with my benchwork, all I have left to do is add braces to the legs, center piece and re-enforce the center as well. Its my first attempt at ever building any thing lol, but it turned out pretty well so far. (at least i think so sign1) Thats my GF's head you see in that one pic lol.
Here are some pics:
Okay so I am almost finished with my benchwork, all I have left to do is add braces to the legs, center piece and re-enforce the center as well. Its my first attempt at ever building any thing lol, but it turned out pretty well so far. (at least i think so sign1) Thats my GF's head you see in that one pic lol.
Here are some pics:
Attachments
Im bored so I decided to pot some pics of how I plan on doing my turnouts, to see if any one else has tried this, or just for some general input about it. Before i post pics all i did was took the actual switch machine flipped it upside down and then glued it to the underside of the turn out, and bent the rod upwards a little so that it fiited into the far end of the frog.
Heres a few pictures.
The glue holds really well so its sturdy no play or any thing, and it doesnt bind up the swtich machine or make it any harder to function.
So all i have to do is, notch my roadbed, and then notch just a little bit in to the subroadbed and it will work fine.
Heres a few pictures.
The glue holds really well so its sturdy no play or any thing, and it doesnt bind up the swtich machine or make it any harder to function.
So all i have to do is, notch my roadbed, and then notch just a little bit in to the subroadbed and it will work fine.
Attachments
Good, idea! I hope you're using blue or pink foam for your subroadbed to make it easy on youreself! 
Yep, pink. And man that stuff is rather expensive 12$ a sheet, for 1/2in i beleive. Could be wrong though.
Is there going to be some support for that middle section or is it just not visible in the photo's.
Besure to make your rail joiners at all 3 ends of all turnouts removable so that you can easily remove a turnout if you need to replace the switch motor.
Jim- the center section is not done, so YES there will be supports added, other wise id have a problem lol.
Russ- thats a good idea, thanks.
Russ- thats a good idea, thanks.
I went ahead and tested my idea for how I will place my turnouts, on a piece of foam I found laying around along with my trackbed. It worked just fine. Im buying some pink foam tomorrow and im going to begin laying my track. I'll be sure to post pics of my progress thats made.
By the way im using Woodland Scenics foam trackbed incase you were wondering.
Thought i'd mention this too:
I drove by a CSX yard in Cincinnati on my way to work and back, it was neat they were in the process of putting together an intermodal crane. By the time I was on my way home (8 hours later), it wasnt even stood up yet! Must be alot of hard work, prolly tedious as well moving those huge pieces by crane and lining them up to be bolted in place. It was cool though. I'll get some pics tomorrow, ill be passing by again.
. Im buying some pink foam tomorrow and im going to begin laying my track. I'll be sure to post pics of my progress thats made.By the way im using Woodland Scenics foam trackbed incase you were wondering.
Thought i'd mention this too:
I drove by a CSX yard in Cincinnati on my way to work and back, it was neat they were in the process of putting together an intermodal crane. By the time I was on my way home (8 hours later), it wasnt even stood up yet! Must be alot of hard work, prolly tedious as well moving those huge pieces by crane and lining them up to be bolted in place. It was cool though. I'll get some pics tomorrow, ill be passing by again.
OnTrack said:
I used that method on an old layout I built back when I was a teenager. I saw the technique in a Modelrailroader mag back in the late 80's. It worked well for a cheap invisible switch machine. Alot more cost effective than $15 for a tortouse machine. Make sure the rail joiners are removable for maintenance... you never know.
ONE WORD OF CAUTION, be very careful with the ballast and diluted glue. If it gets anywhere near the hole on the roadbed it gums up the machine and curodes the coils:curse:
It's the only draw back with doing it that way.
Good luck with the layout.:thumb:
I started my layout this passed week also. Here's my progress posting.
http://www.modelrailroadforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4961
See ya later
Ron
PS Oops, I forgot to tell you to cut off the extra movable points lever arm and glue that to the underside of the points. Then the machine arm can slide right into either of the 2 holes they provide on it.
View attachment 31605
Ron
View attachment 31605
Ron
Attachments
Ontrack: You might want to consider ballasting around the switches using coarse sandpaper. I know the railroads up here tend to lower tha ballast level around switchpoints to the bottom of the ties. Sandpaper is less inclined to get into the works and doesn't require glue.
myown- Wow, thanks thats a really good idea. lol im glad you rembmered that.
601- Thats a good idea as well, thanks again.
601- Thats a good idea as well, thanks again.
Guys I need a little help. Im laying my roadbed down (woodland scenics foam bed) and im having trouble getting it to curve, I thought I might have saw some one cut it in half so it can be turned alot easier is that a good way to do it? And whats the best way to hold it down. For example....glue the track bed down, then nail the track to the bed and then do your ballast work? Hook me up with idea's on how you do it, and ill experiment and see how it goes. Thanks.
After reading all of the advertising BS in the Woodland Scenics, Scenery Manual, heres what they have to say about using their roadbed. "Track-Bed is easy to use and can be glued to any base using Foam Tack Glue. Woodland Scenics Foam Nails( didn't know there was such a thing as a foam nail. They must be hard to hit with a hammer without smashing them) are used to hold the Track-Bed in place while the glue drys".
It seems to me that I used either Elmers or carpenters glue to put their roadbed down with and held it in place with a combination of pins and weights. Try to use a fairly fast setting glue that is tacky. If you are attaching the roadbed to wood, you will have to use small nails to temporarily hold the roadbed in place. If attaching it to foam, use the Tee headed pins.
It seems to me that I used either Elmers or carpenters glue to put their roadbed down with and held it in place with a combination of pins and weights. Try to use a fairly fast setting glue that is tacky. If you are attaching the roadbed to wood, you will have to use small nails to temporarily hold the roadbed in place. If attaching it to foam, use the Tee headed pins.