Wordless Wednesday: Young Building Setup

Layout Update Mondays: Trim

Poplar Trim added to the benchwork.

One of the items I like to add to my portable layouts is a small piece of trim to visually separate the skirting and the layout.  The trim acts as a clean line under which the skirting can be attached with velcro.  To make the trim, I simply use 3/4" x 1.5" poplar and round over the two front facing corners.  It's then mitered, glued, and nailed around each benchwork section.  Once painted, it will provide a nice clean, finished look to the layout when it is setup at shows.

Before adding the trim, I also took a little time to make cuts for the DCC UTPs as well as a handful DPDT switches which will control turnouts as well as other accessories.  The UTP holes were cut out using a router and a jig I built a few years ago when converting my club's layout to DCC.  These can be seen on the bottom left hand corner of the above photo.

The next step will be to continue working on installing track and wiring to hopefully have trains running in the near future.

Wordless Wednesday: Paint

Layout Update Mondays: Landforms

Cork sanded. Foam installed.

In some ways, I actually like to build layouts a bit out of order - instead of laying track first, my preference is to complete the landforms and then go back and add the track.  For this layout, I am starting with the module on the right hand side of the layout - which will eventually feature a maintenance of way area.  I finished adding the cork roadbed last week and this week, I added a few pieces of foam to make a small hill as well as some additional cork where a dirt driveway will be placed.  All of these were shaped with a keyhole saw and Surform tool to their final contour.  I also took some time to add a few rocks and retaining walls on the hillsides for some visual interest.

After finishing sanding the surfaces smooth, the next step was to prepare the module for spackle.  I like to add a thin coat to smooth out the topography before painting and adding ground foam. Since these portable layouts go through large amounts of expansion and contraction, in order to ensure that cracks don't develop along the outside edge of the module - where the foam and the plywood frame connect - I place drywall mesh before adding the spackle. 

Drywall mesh installed around the edges of the module.

The final step was to add a coat of spackling over all of the module.  This is placed in thin coats as it is simply used to smooth out the landforms - the foam provides the shape.  Once dry, the spackle will be sanded smooth and then painted with a brown color paint.  This will seal everything and provide a base for the scenery.

Adding spackling to finish the landforms.

Wordless Wednesday: Somewhere Over the Rainbow...

Layout Update Mondays: Cork

Working on the cork for the Tribute to Springfield layout.

After a bit of a delay, the cork finally arrived here at the workshop.  Over the last couple of days, I've been able to layout the track plan on the benchwork and glue down cork roadbed.  My preferred technique is to use carpenter's glue and tack the cork in place with finish nails.  Once the glue is dried, the finish nails are removed and all the roadbed is sanded smooth.

Below you can see how the layout is shaping up.  Now back to finishing installing rail anchors and then spiking down the track...

Looking at the future location of the Young Building.

Wordless Wednesday: Trackwork

Layout Update Mondays: Boxcar CLP 3131

Claredon and Pittsford Atlas O box car weathered and ready for service.

Well, I am still waiting for a few materials to show up to get back to working on the actual layout - however, I am taking this time to make some headway on preparing the rolling stock for the railroad.  As I mentioned in the operations plan for the layout a few weeks ago, the rolling stock fleet for the railroad will be very small - only five box cars and one locomotive. So far, I have three of the five box cars. The first of which to arrive was the Claredon and Pittsford box car. This shortline operated in Vermont until 1972 when it was purchased by the Vermont Railway. The line's name has lived on since then however, with operations of the railroad folded into today's Vermont Rail System. I figured since Vermont Rail System has a big display at the show each year, it would make sense for some of the freight cars on the layout to represent one of their railroads.

The model was made by Atlas O factory painted for the Claredon and Pittsford with number 3131. While the new car looked nice, I wanted the box car to look somewhat weathered - as it would be 37 years old at this point (build date 6-78). I kept things simple by sanding down the lettering and adding some rust along the ribs and roof of the car.

Hopefully, more progress to report on actual layout construction next week...

Wordless Wednesday: 2000 TAMR Display Layout