Liberty Industrial Spur

[hyawn]

Justin:

I've never tried it but others have had good luck using the backside of suspended ceiling tile. Inexpensive, about $5.00 for a 2'x4' piece.

Howard

[FCIN]

Justin;

The main reason that most folks are currently using the foam, besides building lighter weight layouts; is in order to have some scenery below track level.

Even on a typical industrial spur, where the land will be quite level, you'll still find drainage ditches along the track and roads. You can build up contours above track level with plaster or similar materials, but no easy way to carve small drainage ditches in to your HCD's.

I'm sure you've seen articles about this or that layout, where multiple layers of foam have been stacked in order to achieve enough elevation to put in that trestle or bridge over the river, etc. It's just another way of building a layout, rather than the older tried and true methods of cutting your roadbed and putting it on risers.

You can of course have some track on roadbed to give it a higher elevation then a spur running off of it to give the impression of such details and that might be something to consider if you choose not to purchase the foam. For example, on your layout, the former "main line" would be on the roadbed, but the spurs coming off it would not. You'd just let the track form its own slight grade down toward the industry and then fill it in with ballast.

As Howard has pointed out, many modelers are also using inexpensive ceiling tiles, layered as needed and carved to get contours on their layouts and the results are really nice. You'd have to weigh the cost of the number of ceiling tiles you'd need versus the cost of a 1 or 2 inch thick sheet of extruded foam.

Like most things in this hobby, it's pretty much up to you how you want to build the basic layout and how you think the end result will look. If you think that you'll be making a lot of changes to your basic track plan, then just use a simple method to temporarily keep the track in place (many good ideas have been suggested) and in the mean time save up for the foam then put it on the layout when you are ready to lay out the final plan.

Main thing - don't get in to such a rush to get something running that you won't be pleased with the final result.

[Justinmiller171]

Well, I am pretty sure I am going to build it without foam

If I am not mistaken, Mal's CSX Palmetto spur was built without foam, and it is one of the best looking layouts I have ever seen.
I don't want this project to get bogged down waiting to get foam, then carve it, then paint it, and so on, Nor do I want to rush, but I think that doing scenery and adding details will take quite awhile, I expect this layout to only last a couple of years, and that is about the time it will take to do all of the scenery and details.

As I am building a "Generic Prototype" I will not be deciding on one single place to model, If my landscape is to flat, I can simply move Liberty to the mid-west or south-west were it is flatter.

[alcanman]

Hi Justin,

You are correct, I didn't use extruded foam on Palmetto.

I've given a full description on my CSX Palmetto Spur thread.

Hope this helps,


Mal

[Green_Elite_Cab]

Well, I am pretty sure I am going to build it without foam

If I am not mistaken, Mal's CSX Palmetto spur was built without foam, and it is one of the best looking layouts I have ever seen.
I don't want this project to get bogged down waiting to get foam, then carve it, then paint it, and so on, Nor do I want to rush, but I think that doing scenery and adding details will take quite awhile, I expect this layout to only last a couple of years, and that is about the time it will take to do all of the scenery and details.

As I am building a "Generic Prototype" I will not be deciding on one single place to model, If my landscape is to flat, I can simply move Liberty to the mid-west or south-west were it is flatter.

Its not that you NEED foam to build on, but it keeps your options open.

Why not just get the foam anyway, lay the track on it, so that you can carve it later if you choose? While New Jersey is a hilly state, in the context of an industrial lead, its not going to have to many changes in terrain. There are however, "little things"; Drainage ditches with culverts, small collection ponds, and other features that might require some "below ground" parts.

None of that stuff is any sort of major carving operation, but it keeps you options open. If you mount straight onto the door, EVERYTHING is stuck at flat track level.

Also, I to recommend building your industrial lead "up" on a road bed, with your industry spurs going down flat at a level slightly lower. This reflects the most common practice i have seen on rail sidings around this state. Just things to consider.

[Mike Kieran]

To add to Green Elite Cab, a lot of New Jersey is built on wetlands. As a result, rails are raised a little so that the roadbed doesn't get flooded every time that it rains. While you may be modeling a generic spur that can be other parts of the country, raised roadbed is always a good thing.

[torikoos]

Cool to see you've started to build something again Justin!

By the way, I would also vote in favour of going the extra mile and get the foam. Not only for the scenery options it gives, but it is also a damn good sound proofer :-)

Koos

[Justinmiller171]

I have put down roadbed for the Class 1's Mainline and the former mainline for my railroad, I also finished the mockup for Consolidated Container, It isn't good but it works.

I'm pretty sure I'm not going to get foam, This layout only going to last 2 years at maximum, and I have been having too much fun progressing on the layout to start again.

I don't want to say that this layout won't be important to me, but I am going to have alot of this going on and I won't be able to put my full effort into this layout. I am a senior in high-school so I will be having to do a project before I can graduate, I will be making a logging camp diorama for my local museum. I also will have lots of schoolwork and other things that will prevent me from working too much on the layout.

[Justinmiller171]

Here are the first "Real" photos, I apologize for the bad editing, it was my first try :oops:

I also apologize for the bad mockup(Which will look alot better once glued), I am also still working on the roadbed for the
class 1's main so it will be fixed.

[Mike Kieran]

Don't worry about the mockups Justin. They are serving their purpose, approximating how the structures will look in the scene. It looks like it will be an interesting layout.

[Tyson Rayles]

Good to see you gettung started Justin!

[Russ Bellinis]

As Mike said, mock ups are just stand in to help you visualize what the layout will look like when it is finished. They are intended to be quick and easy to slap together to hold a place. If you spend the time to make the mock up look like the real structure that you are going to put there, you might as well not bother with a mock up at all. The railroad looks like a really good start. You may not get past the mock up stage on this one. The idea is to operate it and see what you might like or not like. If you see problems that need fixing, it is easier to start over on a "plywood central" with mock ups than to tear apart a fully finished model railroad if it doesn't do what you wanted to accomplish.

[faraway]

... bad mockup...

Nope, the white mockup in the background is perfect. It is perfect because it serves it's purpose
1. the industry will hold three cars
2. the industry might look somewhat low if you use high cube cars
3. the industry may look good with only two cars if you love 60 - 70 - 80' cars
4. the industry does not dominate that left part but fits nice into the space
That are a lot of findings out of a simple box. I am sure the complete list of findings is much longer.

[MountainMan]

To add to Green Elite Cab, a lot of New Jersey is built on wetlands. As a result, rails are raised a little so that the roadbed doesn't get flooded every time that it rains. While you may be modeling a generic spur that can be other parts of the country, raised roadbed is always a good thing.

This practice is true even in semi-arid states like Colorado - roadbeds are raised.

[Justinmiller171]

Here is a basic map I made of my layout:


I imagine it being at the end of a Southern Pacific branch-line in Oregon, Part of the wye has been removed and all that remains is the Liberty industrial spur, and a MOW track on the other part of the wye. I am still going for a "Generic Prototype" so I may change the setting later.