I have uploaded an album with pictures that follow a train over the Dragonfly Sub from Mendota to Prophetstown. Photo captions narrate the trip.
Thanks for visiting!
Scott
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Sunday, December 13, 2009
New Photos of the Painted Fascia
I have completed another item on the "To Do" list! I painted the fascia. I am pleased with the color and think it will compliment the railroad and the scenery. I have uploaded photos of the fascia in a new album. Click Here to view album.
Thanks for visiting!
Scott
Thanks for visiting!
Scott
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Progress Update
The fascia is painted, but not after some trials and tribulations!
To start, I decided on purchasing a less expensive paint from a local retail store and I was very disappointed. Fortunately I had enough insight to paint only one side of the lift-out section as a test. The color I selected was not good and the quality of the paint was poor. Take two...
I decided to use a better quality paint AND to use a primer. What a huge difference this made! I am happy to report that the entire fascia has been primed and painted with three coats of the "Posh Red" color that I selected. I am very happy with the end result. Three coats may seem excessive, especially since I used a primer, but after each of the first two coats, I was just not completely satisfied with the color. After the third coat, the result was a smooth, even coat of paint, with a deep rich color. I will post some pictures once I have the railroad "back together" (I had to remove all of the walk around throttle plug-in jacks).
Next Up:
Painting track
Thanks for visiting!
Scott
To start, I decided on purchasing a less expensive paint from a local retail store and I was very disappointed. Fortunately I had enough insight to paint only one side of the lift-out section as a test. The color I selected was not good and the quality of the paint was poor. Take two...
I decided to use a better quality paint AND to use a primer. What a huge difference this made! I am happy to report that the entire fascia has been primed and painted with three coats of the "Posh Red" color that I selected. I am very happy with the end result. Three coats may seem excessive, especially since I used a primer, but after each of the first two coats, I was just not completely satisfied with the color. After the third coat, the result was a smooth, even coat of paint, with a deep rich color. I will post some pictures once I have the railroad "back together" (I had to remove all of the walk around throttle plug-in jacks).
Next Up:
Painting track
Thanks for visiting!
Scott
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving to all!
I have a few days off over the holiday and in addition to family and food, I hope to make some progress on the Dragonfly. On the to do list:
I have a few days off over the holiday and in addition to family and food, I hope to make some progress on the Dragonfly. On the to do list:
- Paint fascia- "Spanish Tile Red"... basically a dark, rich, vibrant red color.
- Car Cards- Continue and finish filling out the car cards that will be used for car routing.
- Waybills- Start to develop a list of industries to use as "off-layout" destinations for cars.
- Building Structures- Finish building the kits I have on the workbench and those on the shelf.
- Paint blue foam- I have to get a coat or two of earth tone paint on the blue foam! Scenery will then follow after I have decided on the location of the structures.
I pray that your Thanksgiving Season is a blessed time for you to spend with family and friends and to remember those things that God has so generously blessed us with!
Scott
Monday, October 26, 2009
Magnets, Buildings, and Pancakes. What do they have in common? Check out the latest update on the Dragonfly!
Time to update the blog with progress on the railroad. The wiring for the programing track is complete. I have also finished the wiring for the lift out section. I will post some pictures but for now I can describe what I did.
I mounted two magnets under the lift out section on the benchwork with the opposing plates attached to the bottom side of the bridge. I then attached wires from the plates through the composite bridge section (3/4" plywood and 2" of foam) to the rails on the lift out section. The magnets mounted on the benchwork adjacent to the bridge seat were then wired to the main track bus under the railroad. When the lift out section is in place, the contact between the magnet and the plate completes the circuit and power the track on the bridge. Seems to work very well and avoids plugging and unplugging jumpers... or worst yet forgetting to and then removing the bridge and the wiring too!
The Great Train Exhibit was in town this past weekend. Our son Carter and I decided to go! We had a great time! After a quick stop at McDonald's for some of those famous pancakes, we were off to the show! We went with very focused intentions- STRUCTURES. I had a list of structures to buy for the various industries on the railroad. We worked our way through the maze of booths and tables searching out and recording prices for the various kits. We managed to find some great deals and purchased 4 kits. We were able to find a petroleum facility for Standard Oil Company in Walnut; a grain elevator for L.D. Spaulding Grain Company in Walnut; and a lumber company for E.W. Houghton Lumber Company in La Moille. The boys had a great time!
Future projects on the list include:
Build some structures (something that I have not done... for a long time!)
Paint the fascia (probably Pullman Green)
Paint the track
Begin to fill out Car Cards and Waybills and begin trial operations! Yahoo!
Scenery (again, something that I have seldom gotten too on the last two railroads I have built.)
I am very please so far with the outcome of the railroad. Careful planning, patience, and proven construction techniques have built a railroad that is operationally solid. I am eager now to move on to the next phase... SCENERY. Check back often to see how that is going!
That's it!
Scott
I mounted two magnets under the lift out section on the benchwork with the opposing plates attached to the bottom side of the bridge. I then attached wires from the plates through the composite bridge section (3/4" plywood and 2" of foam) to the rails on the lift out section. The magnets mounted on the benchwork adjacent to the bridge seat were then wired to the main track bus under the railroad. When the lift out section is in place, the contact between the magnet and the plate completes the circuit and power the track on the bridge. Seems to work very well and avoids plugging and unplugging jumpers... or worst yet forgetting to and then removing the bridge and the wiring too!
The Great Train Exhibit was in town this past weekend. Our son Carter and I decided to go! We had a great time! After a quick stop at McDonald's for some of those famous pancakes, we were off to the show! We went with very focused intentions- STRUCTURES. I had a list of structures to buy for the various industries on the railroad. We worked our way through the maze of booths and tables searching out and recording prices for the various kits. We managed to find some great deals and purchased 4 kits. We were able to find a petroleum facility for Standard Oil Company in Walnut; a grain elevator for L.D. Spaulding Grain Company in Walnut; and a lumber company for E.W. Houghton Lumber Company in La Moille. The boys had a great time!
Future projects on the list include:
Build some structures (something that I have not done... for a long time!)
Paint the fascia (probably Pullman Green)
Paint the track
Begin to fill out Car Cards and Waybills and begin trial operations! Yahoo!
Scenery (again, something that I have seldom gotten too on the last two railroads I have built.)
I am very please so far with the outcome of the railroad. Careful planning, patience, and proven construction techniques have built a railroad that is operationally solid. I am eager now to move on to the next phase... SCENERY. Check back often to see how that is going!
That's it!
Scott
Monday, October 12, 2009
Update
The cool temperatures have settled in and work on the railroad has picked up. I have completed wiring all of the drops from the tracks to the power bus. Recall that I am using a Lenz Set 90 DCC system, so the wiring is very basic and almost too easy! I wired almost each section of track. I say almost because there are some runs of continuous flex track where several sections have been soldered together and in those areas, I have only run one set of drops to the power bus. Basically every piece of track between turnouts or stub-ended sidings has power wired to it. This makes for a very very smooth operation. I have not experienced any stuttering of locomotives, headlight blinking or stalled engines.
My next project is to wire the programming track for the DCC system. A programming track is used to program or encode the decoder in a locomotive. This involves things like the address for the engine on the DCC system and other variables that can effect the operation of the locomotive. The program track needs to be either completely separate from the railroad (i.e. mounted on a workbench) or part of the railroad but electrically isolated from the rest of the railroad. I have decided that the interchange track at Walnut would be a good place for the program track on my railroad.
In order to use a track that is physically attached to the rest of the railroad, I will have to electrically isolate it from the rest of the railroad, as mentioned above. To do this, I will cut the rails and use CA glue to glue in a small piece of plastic to act as an insulator. The next step is to wire a toggle switch that will control the power to just that piece of track. The toggle switch is a three-position switch with the center position OFF. The center terminals on the switch will be wired to the track. One side of the switch will be normal track bus power, allowing for normal operation. These terminals will be wired from the normal track bus already in place under the railroad. The other side of the switch will be wired directly from the Command Module and will be programming track power. This switch will allow me to then move a locomotive onto the programming track under normal operations, reposition the toggle switch through the off position to the programming position, program the locomotive, and then return it to the normal position and run the locomotive back onto the mainline.
That's it for now!
Thanks,
Scott
My next project is to wire the programming track for the DCC system. A programming track is used to program or encode the decoder in a locomotive. This involves things like the address for the engine on the DCC system and other variables that can effect the operation of the locomotive. The program track needs to be either completely separate from the railroad (i.e. mounted on a workbench) or part of the railroad but electrically isolated from the rest of the railroad. I have decided that the interchange track at Walnut would be a good place for the program track on my railroad.
In order to use a track that is physically attached to the rest of the railroad, I will have to electrically isolate it from the rest of the railroad, as mentioned above. To do this, I will cut the rails and use CA glue to glue in a small piece of plastic to act as an insulator. The next step is to wire a toggle switch that will control the power to just that piece of track. The toggle switch is a three-position switch with the center position OFF. The center terminals on the switch will be wired to the track. One side of the switch will be normal track bus power, allowing for normal operation. These terminals will be wired from the normal track bus already in place under the railroad. The other side of the switch will be wired directly from the Command Module and will be programming track power. This switch will allow me to then move a locomotive onto the programming track under normal operations, reposition the toggle switch through the off position to the programming position, program the locomotive, and then return it to the normal position and run the locomotive back onto the mainline.
That's it for now!
Thanks,
Scott
Friday, October 2, 2009
Photos Photos Photos!
I have finally taken pictures of the progress made over the last month. Click on the links below to redirect you to a specific album. I think most pictures tell the story, but if you have a question, please ask!
Lift Out Section
Benchwork Fascia
Lenz Set 90 and Electronics Shelf
Homemade Track Cleaning Car
Thanks for stopping!
Scott
Lift Out Section
Benchwork Fascia
Lenz Set 90 and Electronics Shelf
Homemade Track Cleaning Car
Thanks for stopping!
Scott
Monday, September 21, 2009
Update
It has been a while since I have posted to the blog and I have been working a lot and have some great progress! Things worked on since my last post:
Thanks for stopping!
That's it!
Scott
- Lift Out Section- Complete! Pictures coming soon!
- Masonite fascia installed along entire benchwork. This really finishes off the layout benchwork nicely. I will be painting it in the near future. I am not sure what color though... earth tone? Pullman green? boxcar red? I have seen all three colors used and I like all three.
- DCC walk-around throttle jacks installed in new fascia. I am also very pleased with the way these look. Very clean and professional. They are easily "removed" when it comes time to paint the fascia. I had five from the previous railroad, so I installed all five. It may be a little over-kill, but I didn't see the point of leaving one or two in the box collecting dust.
- DCC electronics shelf has been constructed under Walnut, Illinois. I decided to build a separate shelf to hold the Lenz Set 90 and associated items. I was not happy with the idea of setting it all on the larger shelf I constructed to help stabilize the benchwork. The large shelf is a great place to temporarily store larger construction tools and I thought that having the delicate electronics nearby would not be such a good idea.
- Started wiring track leads to the power bus which I had previously installed, actually even before the 2" foam was installed. Again, I have learned a lot from previous layouts and from others in the hobby... two words, suitcase connectors. Wow, do these save time and headaches. I have successfully used them to connect the drop from the rail to the power bus. What used to take several minutes to strip wire, twist and solder... is now done in a matter of seconds! Not to mention that fact that I don't have to contort like a circus gymnast to solder the connections! Wonderful!
Thanks for stopping!
That's it!
Scott
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Lift Out Section Rehab
From the very beginning I was not totally convinced I could live with a lift out section as part of my railroad. My concerns grew more as I made the decision to make the lift out section semi-permanent (See Previous Post). My thought a month ago was to "live with it" as a fixed lift out section and just duck under it to move around the layout. This past weekend, I decided I had had enough and completely dismantled the lift out section and re-built it as a true lift out.
The idea of using magnets to secure the ends of the section didn't work out like I had hoped. The magnets are gone and have been replaced with two 1x3's that have been notched to form bridge seats. I have further stabilized the section with two small dead bolts at each end. The section will not move and should be capable of holding the proper alignment, but will be easy to remove and store away when I am working on the railroad. This much is done!
I then laid the track back on the lift out section and thoroughly tested it. I have secured the rails on the tangent end of the lift out section using CA and spikes. The end that falls in the middle of the curve will take a bit more work. I did some research and found a link to a website. The website gives an idea to use a printed circuit board cut into "railroad ties" and mounted to the roadbed. The rail is then soldered to the circuit board. Click HERE to view the page. I am in the process of completing this process and hope to finish in the next couple of days. Once things are complete, I will post some pictures of the project.
That's it!
Scott
The idea of using magnets to secure the ends of the section didn't work out like I had hoped. The magnets are gone and have been replaced with two 1x3's that have been notched to form bridge seats. I have further stabilized the section with two small dead bolts at each end. The section will not move and should be capable of holding the proper alignment, but will be easy to remove and store away when I am working on the railroad. This much is done!
I then laid the track back on the lift out section and thoroughly tested it. I have secured the rails on the tangent end of the lift out section using CA and spikes. The end that falls in the middle of the curve will take a bit more work. I did some research and found a link to a website. The website gives an idea to use a printed circuit board cut into "railroad ties" and mounted to the roadbed. The rail is then soldered to the circuit board. Click HERE to view the page. I am in the process of completing this process and hope to finish in the next couple of days. Once things are complete, I will post some pictures of the project.
That's it!
Scott
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Final Track Plan
This is the final track plan (at least for now) of the Dragonfly Subdivision (Tenth Subdivision of the CB&Q RR).
All the track is complete. Wiring and Scenery are next!
Scott
Progress Update
Now that all of the trackwork is complete, I have been in the process of cleaning and reorganizing the train room. Shifting gears from laying track to now getting into the wiring and scenery aspect of the hobby. I am also going to be starting the process of filling out the Car Cards and Waybills for the car forwarding system I will be using to operate the Dragonfly Sub.
Part of the cleaning process involved opening up boxes of railroad cars that have not seen light for a couple of years! I have concluded that I have a lot of rail cars, considerably more than can be keep on the layout. I will need to build or develop a way to store the cars off the railroad. I call it beyond staging storage.
When a car completes the waybill cycle and ends up at the staging yard, my plan is to pull that car and store it for a couple of sessions. This will add variety to the car movements and prevent the same car from making the same moves each time the railroad is operated. The question is then, what do I use to store the cars, while they are beyond staging? The storage has to be easy to use, allow the cars to be visible, and protect them all at the same time. I have thought about buying some small clear plastic drawer sets and mounting those under the staging yard, but that seems to be a costly option.
I would be interested in hearing what others have done to solve this problem?
Comments/Suggestions?
Thanks!
Scott
Part of the cleaning process involved opening up boxes of railroad cars that have not seen light for a couple of years! I have concluded that I have a lot of rail cars, considerably more than can be keep on the layout. I will need to build or develop a way to store the cars off the railroad. I call it beyond staging storage.
When a car completes the waybill cycle and ends up at the staging yard, my plan is to pull that car and store it for a couple of sessions. This will add variety to the car movements and prevent the same car from making the same moves each time the railroad is operated. The question is then, what do I use to store the cars, while they are beyond staging? The storage has to be easy to use, allow the cars to be visible, and protect them all at the same time. I have thought about buying some small clear plastic drawer sets and mounting those under the staging yard, but that seems to be a costly option.
I would be interested in hearing what others have done to solve this problem?
Comments/Suggestions?
Thanks!
Scott
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
New Pictures
I have uploaded some recent photos of the railroad. Nothing spectacular, but will serve as an update to the progress I have made lately. Click HERE to redirect you to the online album.
Based on some comments and excellent suggestions from fellow modellers, I am rethinking the track layout in Prophetstown. I will be making some small tweaks and will upload a revised track plan.
Thanks for stopping!
Scott
Based on some comments and excellent suggestions from fellow modellers, I am rethinking the track layout in Prophetstown. I will be making some small tweaks and will upload a revised track plan.
Thanks for stopping!
Scott
Friday, August 7, 2009
Revised/Updated Track Plan
The revised track plan for the Dragonfly Sub is shown below.
For the most part, I would consider this to be the "as-built" plans. The only exception is that the lift-out bridge... well does not lift-out, yet! (See previous post for discussion) All the track shown is in place and operational. The next step now is to begin wiring track leads from the previously installed DCC main bus line that runs under the layout.
Thanks for stopping.
All for now!
Scott
Monday, August 3, 2009
One more piece!
Between swimming with family one day and spending a fantastic day at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin with my dad (that's a topic for a whole other blog! If you are an aviation nut click HERE for some photos!), I managed to find time to work on the railroad. I have one more piece of rail to install in Prophetstown. The industrial siding will be home to Eclipse Manufacturing (see previous post).
The mainline is up and running and I have reinstalled the lift out bridge... except I did not cut the rail and roadbed. I am going to live with it as a duck under until I can't take it anymore and then I will address the situation. I didn't want to lose the head of steam I had going! I want to finish track installation and then move on installing the Lenz Set 90 DCC system!
I will post some photos of the completed track work very soon!
That's it!
Scott
The mainline is up and running and I have reinstalled the lift out bridge... except I did not cut the rail and roadbed. I am going to live with it as a duck under until I can't take it anymore and then I will address the situation. I didn't want to lose the head of steam I had going! I want to finish track installation and then move on installing the Lenz Set 90 DCC system!
I will post some photos of the completed track work very soon!
That's it!
Scott
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
A set back...
Well it was bound to happen... I have experienced my first major set back while building this railroad. In short, my ideas for the magnetic lift-out bridge did not work! Oh it worked just fine until I decided to cut it free... so to speak. I built the bridge, laid the roadbed, and then installed the track as one continuous uninterrupted piece. Everything was running smoothly. I tested it with several different trains.... so.... I decided to cut the track and roadbed. Well one end of the bridge is on a tangent section, while the other is in the middle of a 30" radius. The tangent end is fine... the end within the radius did not hold it's alignment. After dumping glue on it, spiking it, and clamping it, I was not happy with the result- derailments!
I have since thought about it, studied other lift-out bridges and have determined that in most cases the track is cut radially or perpendicular to the roadbed. My cut is angled to match the face of the benchwork. This introduces a whole new issue of trying to maintain the rail alignment. I realize now that I should have attached the bridge to the benchwork at a location that is perpendicular to the trackbed.
This has been a great learning experience. Nothing is ever permanent and it can be fixed. So I will go back to the drawing board and make some adjustments, some more calculations, and build it again!
I will update the blog with the results!
That's it!
Scott
I have since thought about it, studied other lift-out bridges and have determined that in most cases the track is cut radially or perpendicular to the roadbed. My cut is angled to match the face of the benchwork. This introduces a whole new issue of trying to maintain the rail alignment. I realize now that I should have attached the bridge to the benchwork at a location that is perpendicular to the trackbed.
This has been a great learning experience. Nothing is ever permanent and it can be fixed. So I will go back to the drawing board and make some adjustments, some more calculations, and build it again!
I will update the blog with the results!
That's it!
Scott
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Mainline Continuous Loop Connection Complete
I have completed the mainline continuous loop connection and can now run trains over the entire layout (big loop). I have next to complete the town of Prophetstown, which has about 50% of the track installed. I am hoping to do that this week.
I also hope to post the revised track plan and line diagram soon.
I have also been "thumbing" through the internet looking at structures that would fit the industries and era I am modeling. My goal is the buy a structure every so often and complete it. The railroad will require several structures of the industries modeled, not to mention the "extra" buildings and shacks that are needed to create the realism of a model railroad.
Thanks for visiting!
That's It!
Scott
I also hope to post the revised track plan and line diagram soon.
I have also been "thumbing" through the internet looking at structures that would fit the industries and era I am modeling. My goal is the buy a structure every so often and complete it. The railroad will require several structures of the industries modeled, not to mention the "extra" buildings and shacks that are needed to create the realism of a model railroad.
Thanks for visiting!
That's It!
Scott
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Update
I have had some "extra" time on my hands this week and have made great progress on the railroad! The mainline is complete now from Walnut East to the staging yard (Mendota). I have figured out the track configuration for Prophetstown and I am now ready to complete that portion as well. My plan was to have all the trackwork done this weekend... however, I have run into a small glitch- I am out of rail joiners! I went to a local source today and they are out! So the "Golden Spike" ceremony will have to wait until next week after I have had a chance to pick-up additional rail joiners... I am still shaking my head.
The track layout for Prophetstown is now going to be more prototypical to what actually existed there in about 1940 or so. I have used the Sanborn Insurance maps to attempt to replicate the track layout and position of the local industries, including the Eclipse Lawn Mower Co. According to the Sanborn map, this company actually existed. I need to do some more research on that... not necessarily railroad related, but just an interesting piece of history. Okay, I couldn't resist... I Googled it and got a lot of links... but this one actually shows the factory! What a find!
http://genealogytrails.com/ill/whiteside/cityprophetstownbusiness.html
I have also modified the trackplan to show industries that were present in the towns I am modeling, ie Eclipse Lawn Mower Co. I hope to post that very soon, along with another line diagram showing the updates.
That's it for now!
Scott
The track layout for Prophetstown is now going to be more prototypical to what actually existed there in about 1940 or so. I have used the Sanborn Insurance maps to attempt to replicate the track layout and position of the local industries, including the Eclipse Lawn Mower Co. According to the Sanborn map, this company actually existed. I need to do some more research on that... not necessarily railroad related, but just an interesting piece of history. Okay, I couldn't resist... I Googled it and got a lot of links... but this one actually shows the factory! What a find!
http://genealogytrails.com/ill/whiteside/cityprophetstownbusiness.html
I have also modified the trackplan to show industries that were present in the towns I am modeling, ie Eclipse Lawn Mower Co. I hope to post that very soon, along with another line diagram showing the updates.
That's it for now!
Scott
Monday, June 29, 2009
Galesburg Railroad Days 2009
This weekend was Railroad Days in Galesburg, Illinois. The link below are a few photos of our day in Galesburg.
http://picasaweb.google.com/rrscott135/GalesburgRailroadDays2009#
Thanks for checking in!
Scott
http://picasaweb.google.com/rrscott135/GalesburgRailroadDays2009#
Thanks for checking in!
Scott
Monday, June 22, 2009
First Train Run!
The Dragonfly Sub is up and running, if only for a few feet of track! We decided to hook up the good old MRC powerpack and test out a non-DCC engine... just to get something running! The kids and I had a great time. I think they were as excited as I was running the engine back and forth on 5 feet of track. We have come a long way in a short time. It wasn't the "Golden Spike" ceremony, but it was certainly a milestone!
Construction Update:
More progress has been made laying track this past weekend. The entire staging yard (Mendota) is complete. The mainline is progressing east from Walnut to the switch at the River Vally Coop spur. There remains a short section then from River Valley Coop around to the staging yard. Also to be completed is the lift out bridge section as well as the town of Prophetstown. I am having some second thoughts about the track configuration in Prophetstown. I am more inclined to have the mainline "continue on" (beyond the modelled portion of railroad) and include more industries for generating traffic. This piece of the railroad is back on the drawing board and will take some more study. The more I research the real operations for this branch, I am finding out that the railroad operated what was nicknamed "the Moonlight" job.
The Moonlight job ran from Mendota over the Tenth Sub to either Denrock or all the way to Barstow. So, my initial idea of basing a local out of Prophetstown is not prototypical. A yard did not exist at Prophetstown, at least in the sense of using it to sort/classify cars, which is what I was initially intending. I may have to tweak things a bit... but then again, that is all part of the fun of Model Railroading!
Scott
Construction Update:
More progress has been made laying track this past weekend. The entire staging yard (Mendota) is complete. The mainline is progressing east from Walnut to the switch at the River Vally Coop spur. There remains a short section then from River Valley Coop around to the staging yard. Also to be completed is the lift out bridge section as well as the town of Prophetstown. I am having some second thoughts about the track configuration in Prophetstown. I am more inclined to have the mainline "continue on" (beyond the modelled portion of railroad) and include more industries for generating traffic. This piece of the railroad is back on the drawing board and will take some more study. The more I research the real operations for this branch, I am finding out that the railroad operated what was nicknamed "the Moonlight" job.
The Moonlight job ran from Mendota over the Tenth Sub to either Denrock or all the way to Barstow. So, my initial idea of basing a local out of Prophetstown is not prototypical. A yard did not exist at Prophetstown, at least in the sense of using it to sort/classify cars, which is what I was initially intending. I may have to tweak things a bit... but then again, that is all part of the fun of Model Railroading!
Scott
Monday, June 15, 2009
Pictures of latest trackwork
Below are a few photos of the completed trackwork in Walnut. The "other" track at the diamond is the CNW RR. It will not be powered, but I am hoping will add to the idea of a connection with the outside world.
The track that has the Rio Grande (brown) Hi-cube parked on it is the interchange track with the CNW.
The track that has the Rio Grande (brown) Hi-cube parked on it is the interchange track with the CNW.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Weekend Update
I had two very productive "late night" work sessions this weekend. The construction is to a point where most of the work can be done at night, after the kids have gone to bed. In other words, it is all quiet work! I tuned the radio to the local K-Love station to keep me company and got to work.
I have completed laying track in the town of Walnut. I even installed Caboose Hobbies ground throws for the turn-outs. Something that I have in the past, "left for another day".... but now I am going about this build more methodically. So far, it seems to be paying off. I am really enjoying the work and given that the railroad is of medium size, I can see real progress!
I will post some pictures of the progress soon.
Thanks for stopping by...
Scott
I have completed laying track in the town of Walnut. I even installed Caboose Hobbies ground throws for the turn-outs. Something that I have in the past, "left for another day".... but now I am going about this build more methodically. So far, it seems to be paying off. I am really enjoying the work and given that the railroad is of medium size, I can see real progress!
I will post some pictures of the progress soon.
Thanks for stopping by...
Scott
Monday, June 8, 2009
Track work is Next!
The cork roadbed is painted (at all turn-out locations and yards) and I am now ready to begin trackwork. Before I painted the cork roadbed, I used a drywall rasp to plane off and even up the cork. This is a little time consuming, dusty, and messy, but the pay-off for improved performance is well worth it!
I think my plan is the glue the track to the cork, using spikes only to hold it in place while the glue dries. Once I get some track installed, I will post photos.
I did post some photos of a railroad that was constructed at a previous house. Check in the Links section located at the right side of the page.
Thanks for stopping by!
Scott
I think my plan is the glue the track to the cork, using spikes only to hold it in place while the glue dries. Once I get some track installed, I will post photos.
I did post some photos of a railroad that was constructed at a previous house. Check in the Links section located at the right side of the page.
Thanks for stopping by!
Scott
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Test Post
This is a test post to figure out how to post photos small and then allow them to expand when clicked.
I think I have it working correctly!
Scott
I think I have it working correctly!
Scott
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Let there be CORK!
After topping the benchwork with 2" Styrofoam, I began the process of laying the cork roadbed. I decided on cork roadbed for several reasons. I like the look of an elevated roadbed and the bevelled edges help when contouring the ballast. I considered using Homasote roadbed, but the cost was more than the cork roadbed.
I began by transferring the CAD drawn trackplan to the Styrofoam. I did this in several ways. I first determined key points on the alignment. For example, the beginning and ending points of a curve (PC and PT) or the Point of Intersection (PI) of a turnout. I then "staked" the PC's, PT's, and PI's based on dimension as measured in the CAD program. To construct the tangent sections was simply an exercise in connecting the dots!
The actual curve portion of the alignment was a little more complicated. I thought about using the old string attached to a secure board with a marker on the other end to mark the radius. Probably would have worked fine. But instead, I actually plotted out the trackplan 1"=1" scale and laid the plot onto the layout and scribed the centerline leaving a slight indentation in the foam. For clarity, I then went back over the indentation with a marker. After the track plan was transferred to the layout, it was just a matter of laying the cork roadbed. I used a liquid nail type product to secure the cork (held overnight with push pins). And let me say, that a little goes a long way when it comes to liquid nails. Lay a bead down for 1/2 of the cork and then spread it with a putty knife. Too much and it will ooze up between the pieces of cork.
What follows are more pictures... this time of the railroad with 90% of the cork installed. You will notice that there are a couple of areas that appear to have large sheets of cork installed rather than the typical roadbed. I did this in areas where there is to be a yard with several tracks/turnouts. I found the 12"x12" sheets of cork at Lowe's Home Improvement. The price was right, so I thought I would give it a try.
Next Up: Track Work!
Thanks for visiting!
Scott
I began by transferring the CAD drawn trackplan to the Styrofoam. I did this in several ways. I first determined key points on the alignment. For example, the beginning and ending points of a curve (PC and PT) or the Point of Intersection (PI) of a turnout. I then "staked" the PC's, PT's, and PI's based on dimension as measured in the CAD program. To construct the tangent sections was simply an exercise in connecting the dots!
The actual curve portion of the alignment was a little more complicated. I thought about using the old string attached to a secure board with a marker on the other end to mark the radius. Probably would have worked fine. But instead, I actually plotted out the trackplan 1"=1" scale and laid the plot onto the layout and scribed the centerline leaving a slight indentation in the foam. For clarity, I then went back over the indentation with a marker. After the track plan was transferred to the layout, it was just a matter of laying the cork roadbed. I used a liquid nail type product to secure the cork (held overnight with push pins). And let me say, that a little goes a long way when it comes to liquid nails. Lay a bead down for 1/2 of the cork and then spread it with a putty knife. Too much and it will ooze up between the pieces of cork.
What follows are more pictures... this time of the railroad with 90% of the cork installed. You will notice that there are a couple of areas that appear to have large sheets of cork installed rather than the typical roadbed. I did this in areas where there is to be a yard with several tracks/turnouts. I found the 12"x12" sheets of cork at Lowe's Home Improvement. The price was right, so I thought I would give it a try.
Next Up: Track Work!
Thanks for visiting!
Scott
Monday, June 1, 2009
On to Benchwork!
Since I am new at this Blogging stuff, I have a lot of ground to cover to bring readers up to the current state of the railroad. Over the next few entries, I intend to do just that.
Below are some pictures of the construction progress of the railroad. The benchwork is typical open grid using 1x3's. This time around I used wall brackets for the benchwork adjacent to the walls. I wanted to have room for storage and eliminate the tendency to knock into legs while working on the railroad. Up to this point the brackets have performed as I expected. The portion of the railroad that is the peninsula (Walnut, Illinois) is supported using 1x4's for legs. I figured if I needed to use legs, I better make them stout! I also added a shelf that helps to solidify the entire peninsula. One of the uses of the shelf will be to provide a place for the DCC equipment.
Thanks for stopping!
More to come!
Scott Stephenson
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Track Plan and Line Diagram
This is the most recent track plan I have for the railroad. It is relatively current. I have been doing some research and have changed the industry names to more closely reflect actual industries that would have existed in the late 1960's in each of the modeled towns. I have not updated the track plan to include these changes.
My operating scheme is still in the developmental stages, but the basic idea is a Mendota local would run from the staging yard to Prophetstown, making several "loops" to give some running time and distance. The local would drop the cars at Prophetstown and then pick-up the outbound cars and return to Mendota. This would all happen prior to the P-Town local coming on duty.
Once the P-Town local was on duty, it would classify the cars then run down the line working all trailing point sidings. I am also thinking that several trips around the loop again to give some distance and run time. Once all the industries have been served the local would turn and head back to Prophetstown with cars in tow and all the facing point sidings that were passed on the trip out would be worked heading back to Prophetstown. This means that the crew will have to classify the cars before starting the return trip to assure that cars to be set-out are not buried too deep in the train.
This is a line diagram of the railroad. Again, slightly out of date because it is a work in progress!
Thanks for stopping by!
Scott Stephenson
Blogging?
This is my first experience with "building" a blog page. I have viewed and enjoyed reading many other railroad related blog pages, so I figured it is time to jump into the world of blogging.
I am building a model railroad (HO scale) representing the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad from Mendota, Illinois to Prophetstown, Illinois. This is listed in the timetables as the Tenth Subdivision, but I have given it the nickname of "The Dragonfly Subdivision". More about that later.
The Tenth Subdivision of the CB&Q RR actually existed and ran from Mendota, Illinois to Denrock, Illinois, via Wendel, Van Orin, Ohio, Walnut, Tampico, Prophetstown, and then ending at Denrock. At Denrock it connected with the mainline from the Quad Cities. My revisionist history says that in the flood of 1965, the bridge west of Prophetstown over the Rock River was taken out. The line was essentially now a branchline, with out and back movements to/from Mendota. The railroad in an effort to maintain service to on-line customers, staffed a local that worked out of Prophetstown, where a modest yard was already established. The Mendota local would run out once a day from Mendota with a cut of cars for the industries along the line. They would return to Mendota then with the cut of cars the P-Town local had gathered from working the on-line industries. The P-Town local basically had the run of the line, except when the Mendota local was around, but this was usually early or late in the day. The Q also interchanged with the C&NW at Walunut, Illinois, so this generated outbound traffic from the branch to Mendota. Yet another reason to keep the branch operable.
By the way, why The Route of the Dragonfly? Well it comes from the stories of the crew working the line along the river bottoms and seeing so many dragonflies. So, it became the route of the dragonfly. Course, the street we live on is also "Dragonfly Circle"... that's how it actually came about!
I will begin by posting more items... a track plan, line diagram, and photos of the construction progress.
Thanks for visiting!
Scott Stephenson
I am building a model railroad (HO scale) representing the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad from Mendota, Illinois to Prophetstown, Illinois. This is listed in the timetables as the Tenth Subdivision, but I have given it the nickname of "The Dragonfly Subdivision". More about that later.
The Tenth Subdivision of the CB&Q RR actually existed and ran from Mendota, Illinois to Denrock, Illinois, via Wendel, Van Orin, Ohio, Walnut, Tampico, Prophetstown, and then ending at Denrock. At Denrock it connected with the mainline from the Quad Cities. My revisionist history says that in the flood of 1965, the bridge west of Prophetstown over the Rock River was taken out. The line was essentially now a branchline, with out and back movements to/from Mendota. The railroad in an effort to maintain service to on-line customers, staffed a local that worked out of Prophetstown, where a modest yard was already established. The Mendota local would run out once a day from Mendota with a cut of cars for the industries along the line. They would return to Mendota then with the cut of cars the P-Town local had gathered from working the on-line industries. The P-Town local basically had the run of the line, except when the Mendota local was around, but this was usually early or late in the day. The Q also interchanged with the C&NW at Walunut, Illinois, so this generated outbound traffic from the branch to Mendota. Yet another reason to keep the branch operable.
By the way, why The Route of the Dragonfly? Well it comes from the stories of the crew working the line along the river bottoms and seeing so many dragonflies. So, it became the route of the dragonfly. Course, the street we live on is also "Dragonfly Circle"... that's how it actually came about!
I will begin by posting more items... a track plan, line diagram, and photos of the construction progress.
Thanks for visiting!
Scott Stephenson
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)