ODave's Saginaw Valley & Western

[Gary S]

Well, do something new so you can report it!

The layout is looking good so far.

[iis612]

Dave,

Any new progress to report?


Matt

[odave]

Thanks for your interest! I do have a bit of progress to report. But my oldest daughter's outdoor soccer league starts up this weekend so I'm pretty busy doing team paperwork, website updates, etc. I should be done with all that tomorrow and I'll able to post some pics on Thursday or Friday.

[odave]

Hey all

I took a bit of an online hiatus but I have been making some progress on the layout over the last few months. It's moving slowly but it is moving forward.

1. Worked on my backlog of "shake the box" kits (note - the track is not "down" yet).



2. Put together a small Inglenook puzzle from scraps off the main layout. I did this mainly for track laying and wiring/soldering practice - I'll be using it as a testbed for scenery too.



3. Put down the cork roadbed on the main layout in Lakefield. Main line is regular HO scale Midwest cork roadbed, sidings and spurs are N scale. The grain elevator and machine/tool tracks will be laid directly on the foam. The cork is attached to the foam with cheap adhesive caulk. I used white, but I should have probably went with clear to keep the track plan centerlines more visible. But the coat was thin enough that I could still see enough of them to stay on target. When I move on to track laying, I'll use clear caulk.



4. Since I'm using different roadbed heights, I need to have a short grade to and from each level. I read that wooden shims can be used for this. You can get them for less than $5 per pack at your favorite big box store. I just put the shim at the transition spot, and marked lines where the shim is even with the roadbed on either side, and made the cuts.



I did the math and the grade works out to be 2.3%. Maybe a little steep but well within range for my model. Here's a look after the shim has been cut & caulked down.





I discovered that not all shims in the pack were the same width. Make sure to find ones that are wide enough to span the track.



After all the roadbed had set up, I used a sureform tool to even out any irregularities to make the cork edges less sharp and to make sure the shim transitions were smooth. Then I took a half round file and carved some shallow drainage ditches out along either side of the tracks where they would make sense. Look for some tall grass in these when scenery time comes.



5. Also did some rough carving around the river area, making the embankment and the slope down to the river. Still need to do some sanding here to take care of the irregularities.



6. Prep for track laying. Drilled holes for switch machines and put cork peices in for turnout headblocks.



Next up, putting down track (at last!)

[Sumpter250]

That's certainly looking good, so far - - -

[rrinker]

Bead thin enough to still see the line - this is the key. You don't want it oozing up all over the place. The clear stuff comes out white anyway - so don't bother. Forcve of habit I keep buying the clear. I use caulk to attach my track to the cork, too. With clear there I can tell when it's fully set as it turns clear as it dries. Although since my ballast is gray I should probably use gray, that way any sparse areas of ballast cover wouldn't be as visible.

--Randy

[odave]

Well it's been about a month and I have some more progress to report. The main effort has been towards getting Lakefield's track down and power to the layout.

First off, I painted the cork a ballasty color to help disguise any thin spots when I get to that step, especially around the turnouts. I painted the lumber yard/fuel dealer siding dark brown since i'll be using dark ballast & dirt there. I mixed a little more black paint in on the fuel dealer side to suggest some oil spillage in the past.



I'm using Peco code 83 track and Peco code 83 insulfrog turnouts. I used a Xuron rail cutter to make my cuts, a razor saw for removing ties near track joints, and a needle file to smooth out the cuts.



I put the track down with the same brand of cheap caulk, clear this time. I did the turnouts first, and only caulked the ends of the them to avoid damage should I need to pull them up or salvage them for some future layout.



To make sure I had my turnouts positioned correctly, I stuck a length of music wire through the center hole in the thow bar and let it hang down through the benchwork. Then I put my "snake" desk lamp below the benchwork and lit the hole. From the top, I could clearly see the illuminated hole and confirmed the turnout's proper alignment over it.



Once the turnouts were in the right spot, I moved on to the other track. I laid a solid thin coat of caulk and spread out with my scraper blade.



I used a metal ruler to make sure the track through town was straight.



For the lumber yard/fuel dealer siding, I wanted the track to have a rougher appearance. I know people use smaller code track for this but I didn't want to have to mess with the transitions at this point in my career. I read somewhere that you can get this look by removing some ties and spreading out the remaning ones, placing some at odd angles and with uneven spacing. It was a bit tedious to do this but I think it will be worth it. Here's the result:



On to wiring. My track bus is 14 AWG stranded, Red = Rear Rail, white = front rail (when viewed from the pit). I am using DC for now because I already have a DC power pack, but will convert to DCC later. Since DC is only a short term solution I am not bothering with cab control wiring. There will be two power districts - one for Lakefield one for Carson City. In theory I shouldn't have any wiring changes for the switchover, whenever that happens.



Feeders are 20 AWG solid. I'm soldering feeders to every stick of track and the point end of the turnouts. I tin the wires before soldering and use two wet cotton balls as heat sinks.





So far I've only melted one tie, and that was when my iron accidentally slipped off the rail. I was getting tired and should have stopped - but you can't really see it unless you're looking for it.

The feeders are connected to the track bus with suitcase connectors. Power to the track!



And finally, four years after I first started drawing circles and lines on paper, my first local worked Lakefield. You'll have to use your imagination for the scenery - I did!

B&O GP-30 #6921 leads local CS32 into Lakefield. Not much work to do today, just pick up an MTY bulkhead flat from Hayes Lumber & Supply



Crossing gates are down, traffic stopped, OK to come back



Seems like I always get stuck here waiting for a train!



Air test done, ready to head east - or we would, once the bridge gets installed!



Next up is running the switch machine/accessory bus and getting the main line Tortoises installed.

[steinjr]

Looking good there, Dave!

Smile,
Stein

[Len Turner]

Good plan and execution! Nice work, O'Dave!

[Sumpter250]

Len
Kick back, look around, and I hope you'll find this place to your liking.

[iis612]

Outstanding!!! You have accomplished quite a bit. Can't wait to see more.

Matt

[sailormatlac]

Nice work! I love your decrepit lumber yard track spacing. Remembers me old pictures from the 19th century.

Matt

[iis612]

It gives a great impression of industrial or yard trackage

[odave]

Thanks for the feedback, guys. I haven't done much since the fall due to managing my kids' soccer teams and some family stuff that came up. We're on the other side of all that now, so I hope to be back at it.

Tasks on deck right now are finishing up the feeder wiring, installing a couple of Tortoises, and working on the river.