Jump to content

My cobbled together layout


traingeekboy
 Share

Recommended Posts

I wish i could post some progress, but my time has been sucked up elsewhere this week.

I did go to the mega hardware store and look around at their mis-tinted paints. they happened to have a gallon of masonry water proofer paint. I guess someone didn't like the pale grey color it had and returned it. So I got a gallon of perfectly good masonry paint for only 7 dollars. i think it sells for around 40-50$ normally. SCORE!

I also bought a Lima FS track signal for .99$ on ebay. SCORE!

So although I did not build I did acquire and hoard.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've use Atlas track pins on the whole of my outdoor line and yes you have to drill little holes in the sleepers or ties. If you hammer them home carefully you will be ok and if you strike a knot in the wood you can extract the track pin before you bend it and drill a little deeper into the wood then hammer the pin home.

Roy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Boy am I thick some times. I think 3 people have suggested drilling holes.

My track already has holes in the sleepers, but the base plywood can be hard and will bend the nails. So along the same type of thinking... If I use a pin vise to pre-drill a small hole then the Atlas nails should slide in without bending and I should have no problems.

Ok, thanks for thumping me upside the head numerous times till this all sank in.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well this additional time to sit and look at my planks has it's benefits. I have had some good inspiration on what I plan to do regarding points and subtle track angles.

I found another video that I enjoyed viewing as well:

Lots of big rocks and plants for scenery. Ground cover and ballast. Cute locos. Yes 060's are just cute. If anyone can tell me what those coaches are called that roll through in the first shot it would be greatly appreciated.

There is definitely a slow down in model railroading when the layout needs to be sealed against the elements. I may have to consider some more painting as I am seeing some expansion of the lumber in places. I might have been too optimistic about things in this regard.

Oh yeah, I called up an old train buddy who belongs to a large club that shows it's huge module layout a few times a year. He's invited over to run some of his big modern diesels and coal cars as soon as track gets down. That should be a fun afternoon and it puts the pressure on to finally lay track!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

traingeekboy said:

... If anyone can tell me what those coaches are called that roll through in the first shot it would be greatly appreciated.

The two rearmost coaches appear to be the rather attractive Great Western Clerestory coaches which were/are more recently manufactured by Hornby but which I believe were also available under the Triang label. The first coach behind the loco appears to be of GW origins too but I'm not entirely sure of its type - possibly an Autocoach if later shots in the video depict the same vehicle.

An interesting garden layout - lots of bugs to contend with by the look of it too!

traingeekboy said:

..There is definitely a slow down in model railroading when the layout needs to be sealed against the elements. I may have to consider some more painting as I am seeing some expansion of the lumber in places. I might have been too optimistic about things in this regard...

It's easy to underestimate the need to protect timber from the elements but by its very nature, wood is going to expand or move to some degree. The amount of expansion or movement can be further exaggerated at 3.5-4mm to the foot. I'm not sure that the every day modeller has the necessary means to properly dry or season timber before use and would imagine that some expansion can only be expected even with the application of protective paint or preservative. You should see some of the distorted lengths of wood that are often available for sale in our local DIY store!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes it was the GW cars I liked. i will have to wait till some come up on ebay, preferably the older ones.

The wood it is expanding and contracting. Part of the outdoor experience. I'm not going to worry too much. :)

I did more sawing on lumber tonight and set lots of track on the layout to visualize where things will go. I have a horrible dislike for straight track that follows the edge of a layout I plan to angle my track slightly off kilter. I also am planning for some long S curves. I love to see trains snake along curves.

Went to the mountains today. Saw a narrow gauge train up close as it ran by. I will have photos of said journey soon.

---------------------------edit point :) ---------------

I also think it's funny that you can see ants in that video and the trains wobbling is awesome too. I actually want my own track to be a little uneven. I'm an odd one I know.

So the mountain trip has one special highlight. I decided to try using my new ipod touch to shoot the video. I'm sitting maybe 5 feet from the train as it rolls by It's gonna be a beautiful video... I look at it after I press stop and realize I had pressed stop when I meant to press go and go when I meant to press stop. DOH! should've used my trusty little FlipHD it never fails me. I did take a rather blurry shot of the tracks as I was walking away somewhat frustrated.

Actually this is the best shot I got. It's the tail end of a converted boxcar that is used as a passenger car.

6201861844_2959001033.jpg

Here is a link to what wiki says about it. I've ridden in the cab years ago and even helped lay some track as a volunteer. Now I just go up and sit trackside till the train rolls by.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgetown_Loop

Link to comment
Share on other sites

traingeekboy said:

One piece of flex tacked down.

To be continued...

Well the first piece is a start.

I wish I was in the position of being able to say that I'd laid my first length of track for the new layout. I'm dreading the work!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

mick said:

The two rearmost coaches appear to be the rather attractive Great Western Clerestory coaches which were/are more recently manufactured by Hornby but which I believe were also available under the Triang label. The first coach behind the loco appears to be of GW origins too but I'm not entirely sure of its type - possibly an Autocoach if later shots in the video depict the same vehicle.

Yes I think your right Mick and the maroon coach is an Auto coach. What do you think of the child's recorder he uses for making whistles? I prefer Howes DCC sound myself.

Roy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I invited the guy over to the site. Hopefully he'll show up. I do like his layout. It just looks fun. I'm all about fun-ness.

I am having paralysis of perfection on the track. I get a bit OCD about things and then I ponder myself into a corner. I'm thinking maybe I should be spraying all the flex from the side so as to weather the sides of the rails. Then I think track placement isn't perfect, it's just one piece!!! I guess I just need to lay track and get on with it. Besides, I doubt model railroader magazine is going to want a pictorial anytime soon.

I had thought about all these different ways to lay the track. I ended up just tacking it down with track nails and my tiny hammer. I guess I just keep moving along with this as the whole idea is to roll some trains. So yeah, one down, fifteen to go.

Anyone else suffer from paralysis of perfection that results in perfectly nothing? I think all my years of reading model train magazines has me obsessing on the perfect way to do things. I keep asking myself am I doing this right? I've got to get back to my original frame of mind about this: We garden railway enthusiasts are like the outlaw bikers of model railroading.

Maybe my new signature should be: Build it, Run it, Break it, Fix it!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'd suggest pinning the track temporarily until you have several lengths down. I find it's much easier to lay track straight when you have several lengths together and although a 'tracksetta' can be used with great results, in my opinion there's nothing better than the human eye for highlighting track irregularities. Get down to track level and look along the rail tops - if there's a bit of a kink then you'll soon spot it and a gentle tap at the offending sleepers will have it straightened out. You'll be fine with it once it's pleasing to the eyes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

mick said:

I'd suggest pinning the track temporarily until you have several lengths down. I find it's much easier to lay track straight when you have several lengths together and although a 'tracksetta' can be used with great results, in my opinion there's nothing better than the human eye for highlighting track irregularities. Get down to track level and look along the rail tops - if there's a bit of a kink then you'll soon spot it and a gentle tap at the offending sleepers will have it straightened out. You'll be fine with it once it's pleasing to the eyes.

Mick,

I ended up pulling the first piece and restarting. I did what you advised. I used my track nails but only set them part way. Then I went back and pulled some here and there to re-align things. at first I wasn't doing that and I was not pleased with my results. Now that I have, the track has nice smooth sweeping bends in the rails. It's also helpful to get your eyes down there to sight along the track. I am glad I made my base board three feet high; I am able to sit in a chair and do all my track laying comfortably.

Once again, garden railway forum to the rescue. No idea how much hair I would have pulled out working through these issues without you guys. No reason to reinvent the wheel.

Oh yeah, 12 feet laid, 30 to go! (Wish I could figure out how to call in sick for the rest of my life so I can keep laying track)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

traingeekboy said:

Anyone else suffer from paralysis of perfection that results in perfectly nothing? I think all my years of reading model train magazines has me obsessing on the perfect way to do things. I keep asking myself am I doing this right? I've got to get back to my original frame of mind about this: We garden railway enthusiasts are like the outlaw bikers of model railroading.

It's partly what keeps holding me up. I've got a very fixed budget to create the Minfordd Garden Railway, so I'm very anxious to get it right first time as I can't afford mistakes. It's unfortunatly something that I end up doing with anything that involves major expenditure. Buying cars, camera electrical goods, house improvement etc. The worst thing is that I don't always get it right and end up wishing I'd gone with my gut feelings in the first place... :lol:

Duncan

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah it's good to do things right, but it's also good to do things.

Also, if you haven't done it yet you aren't going to do it well anyway, so start doing well by doing poorly. Ha ha

I know your pain though, it took me about three years to decide on what DCC system to buy. By then new systems kept coming out until one appeared with some odd features I really liked so i got it. the whole point of this layout is to have fun and have a feeling of accomplishment. I can already see things I might do differently, but I'll worry about that later. hmmm... then again, I can always have a second layout in the back yard! he he he :mrgreen:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...