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AVRR-PA
Fireman
USA
4657 Posts |
 Posted - 07/16/2010 : 1:11:15 PM
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Regarding the bus-load of buses in the backdrop... Some of them may never get used, but wire is (relatively) cheap and I figured it would be better to put them in now, while it's easy. We may yet run a pair of bus wires directly under the standard gauge tracks by drilling a pair of holes in each riser.
I hope we never have to get under the layout to trouble-shoot wiring problems, but if we do, having separate, color-coded buses for standard gauge, narrow gauge, and accessories might make the job a little easier.
Don |
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MarkF
Engineer
USA
9329 Posts |
Posted - 07/16/2010 : 7:58:06 PM
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| Your smart Don! When I built my last layout, I ran 5 sets of busses around the layout. 2 sets were already allocated (track buss and switch machine power), but as the railroad developed, I ended up using all 5 busses! Hence, on this railroad I am doing the same thing as I now know I will use them. So your smart to 'over plan' this aspect of construction! |
Mark
See my homepage at http://home.comcast.net/~prrndiv/
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belg
Fireman
USA
4381 Posts |
Posted - 07/16/2010 : 8:23:02 PM
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| Vagel and Don, my point was that you won't be able to access them for troubleshooting/future use as they will be buried behind the scenery as Vagel said??? I might be misunderstanding the point. Don I totally agree with running extra lines and give yourself more options in the future, but then what good are they if they are buried in the scenery. Not trying to be a wise guy here but just don't see forest for the trees I guess. ;-) Thanks Pat |
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AVRR-PA
Fireman
USA
4657 Posts |
Posted - 07/16/2010 : 10:07:28 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by belg
Vagel and Don, my point was that you won't be able to access them for troubleshooting/future use as they will be buried behind the scenery as Vagel said??? I might be misunderstanding the point. Don I totally agree with running extra lines and give yourself more options in the future, but then what good are they if they are buried in the scenery. Not trying to be a wise guy here but just don't see forest for the trees I guess. ;-) Thanks Pat
Well, "buried" doesn't really describe what will eventually happen. The scenery (probably made using rosin paper) will attach to the backdrop and to the fascia, forming a kind of "roof". The standard gauge tracks - the section Vagel showed in the recent photographs - and a lot of staging will be under there. The narrow gauge will be on top and visible.
Some of the scenery will be removeable, so that problems in staging can be dealt with. But you can also get under the layout and get access to the wiring. We've even talked about installing a few under-cabinet flourescents under there so you can light the place up if you need to.
Don
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Neil M
Fireman
Australia
2173 Posts |
Posted - 07/17/2010 : 06:03:10 AM
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| I was thinking the same as Pat but looking at the sections where the track is on the risers I can see that the wires will be accessible from under the layout however i am wondering if putting them in the backdrop will make them a bit harder to get to than if you had put them in the benchwork under the track |
Built a waterfront HO layout in Ireland http://www.railroad-line.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=22161 but now making a start in On30 in Australia |
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belg
Fireman
USA
4381 Posts |
Posted - 07/17/2010 : 08:21:39 AM
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| Don, as long as there's a plan. |
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AVRR-PA
Fireman
USA
4657 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2010 : 2:19:27 PM
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Vagel had to leave early for some real world work so we didn't get to go to lunch together but we did get a lot of construction done.
The crew has grown to four - Vagel, me, John and Mark. We only had about 2.5 hours but we packed a lot into it. Vagel had been doing some re-planning and while he translated thoughts into sections of plywood, John and I ran yet another pair of bus wires - this set runs directly under the standard gauge tracks.
Then all four of us teamed up to install risers and put in a bunch of subroadbed.
All of the subroadbed for the standard gauge portion of Phase II is in place. I imagine Vagel will post more information when he has time.
Don |
Edited by - AVRR-PA on 07/21/2010 2:20:51 PM |
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Vagel Keller
Crew Chief
USA
727 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2010 : 11:39:17 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by AVRR-PA
I imagine Vagel will post more information when he has time.
Indeed, I will. Thanks to the guys for all their help today ... it was truly one in which, to revert to passive voice, initiative was shown by the crew while the C.O. (O.C. for those of you who spell it "colour") was running around with his hair on fire.
Tonight I went back and finished painting the sky colors on the backdrop. This time I used rollers instead of brushes. What took me several hours and a sprained wrist to do in 2008 took me less than an hour with rollers this time. I'll post some pics tomorrow, good Lord willin' n'the creeks don't rise. |
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Vagel Keller
Crew Chief
USA
727 Posts |
Posted - 07/22/2010 : 7:44:59 PM
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Here are the pics I promised. Not much has changed, except the backdrop has the basic sky color all around and the sub-roadbed for the "Plywood Central" phase of the standard gauge that will carry it all the way around the layout to re-enter the terminal and yard is installed and ready for cork roadbed.
I probably need to remind some of you, since the track plan was published about 30 or more pages ago, that the standard gauge passes behind the backdrop on a sweeping curve in the right distance of this view and continues to curve back to this side of the backdrop. From the time it passes to the other side of the backdrop until it re-enters the terminal and yard, it will be hidden trackage for all but a short distance. The narrow gauge B&SGE will be dominate this area of the layout.
Here's the other side of the backdrop. Don and I worked out an idea to have the B&SGE cross a shallow valley on an S-curve trestle with the standard gauge passing underneath it between the end of the curve and the end of the cork roadbed in this view. Beyond that, I sketched in a cross-over we're going to put in to allow us to turn steam engines on trains that terminate at the Tascott Yard. The hidden reversing loop will simulate an off-scene Wye.
The other blue line shows the general flow of the mainline as it curves around the backdrop to the north end of Chambersburg. We had to re-think how we're going to put staging tracks in this area, so this area is still going to be a work in progress for some time to come.
Finally, here's the last piece of new plywood sub-roadbed that connects to the Phase I sub-roadbed at the north end of Chambersburg Yard. You should be able to make out the penciled-in centerline for the track following two 40"-radius curves sandwiching a short straight section.
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Mike Hamer
Engineer
9409 Posts |
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MarkF
Engineer
USA
9329 Posts |
Posted - 07/23/2010 : 12:50:33 AM
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| Vagel, the backdrop looks great. I like the way you have faded the blue. That's tough to do effectively but it sure looks good in the pics! |
Mark
See my homepage at http://home.comcast.net/~prrndiv/
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AVRR-PA
Fireman
USA
4657 Posts |
Posted - 07/23/2010 : 07:39:08 AM
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"Don and I worked out an idea to have the B&SGE cross a shallow valley on an S-curve trestle with the standard gauge passing underneath it between the end of the curve and the end of the cork roadbed in this view."
What this means is that I get to build a big, S-curved trestle - and as some of you know, building timber trestles is one of my favorite modeling actvities. So I'll be encouraging (nagging) Vagel to get the design worked out so I can make templates and start constructing bents.
Happiness is a nice big trestle-building project.
Don |
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Vagel Keller
Crew Chief
USA
727 Posts |
Posted - 07/23/2010 : 10:18:57 AM
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| Thanks, all. The bus-thru-the-backdrop idea was Don's ... he had these cutting bits that he wanted to blunt by finding screws in the uprights, so I told him to go for it! I used the same shades as before, a sky blue and a very light blue-gray, but this time I used rollers rather than brushes. I used a clean roller to blend the feather the two shades over the middle third of the surface. Works pretty well. |
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Vagel Keller
Crew Chief
USA
727 Posts |
Posted - 07/28/2010 : 4:34:36 PM
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A banner day on the layout, y'all! This is a shot Don took of me driving the last spike on the standard gauge mainline:
Don spent the day wiring the power bus and power leads:
John and I worked together on the track:
I have to dash for a social event, but I'll post pictures of the first train over the extended PRR section as soon as I can. |
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Frederic Testard
Engineer
France
16524 Posts |
Posted - 07/28/2010 : 4:36:52 PM
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Congrats on the golden spike, Vagel!
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Frederic Testard |
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Topic |
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New Home for the Blacklog & Shade Gap Eastern
