Building the roundhouse at Mount Forest...
#31
Well, I haven't made any progress on the roundhouse, but I have been working on the turntable for it.  It's the Walther's 90' manual turntable, about which there have apparently been some complaints., mostly regarding its operation. 

The main problem that I've noticed is that it doesn't roll too smoothly, likely due to the cast plastic bridge wheels, which have the mould seam right in the middle of the wheel tread, meaning that the tread is nowhere near flat across its surface.
There are also some issues with the height of the table's rails not matching up very well to the rails to which they can be aligned, but some spacers and a mill file will correct those problems.

I motorised mine, using the motor and gearbox from an old scanner, and run it, using power from a 9 volt AC wall-wart, routing the power through an old SCR throttle...

[Image: Throttles....%20003.jpg]

...which I'll mount on the layout's fascia.

I thought that the turntable looked pretty bland, so I widened the deck using various strip styrene, then added handrails, an arch for the power collector, and a new operator's cab, too.  It's not yet finished, but here are a few photos.

The handrail stanchion supports are made from short lengths of 1/32" brass tubing, along with a "steel" base plate cut from .020"x.100" strip styrene.  This photo shows the parts, the assembly, and the installation...

[Image: 100_7337.jpg]

The handrail stanchions are Athearn's diesel handrail stanchions, straightened and inserted into the tubing, then secured with ca.  The handrails are Tichy .020" phosphor-bronze wire, chemically-blackened, then brush-painted with Scalecoat paint...

[Image: 100_7353.jpg]

[Image: 100_7352.jpg]

A couple of over-all views...

[Image: S0045653.jpg]

[Image: S0015649.jpg]

...and the operator's cab, with a barely visible control panel...I'll probably install an operator, at least for photos, as I've left the roof removeable...

[Image: S0035651.jpg]

The arch supports are from a Tichy water tower kit (thanks, Ed!), while the lattice-work arch is scratchbuilt from strip styrene.  It's based (loosely) on the TH&B's turntable at Chatham St., in Hamilton, Ont.   I've yet to add the electrical pick-up arrangement and an access ladder to the arch, and, of course more painting is required.

Wayne
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#32
Wayne: I ran my turntables from the track power. I put a DPDT switch in to supply power either to the track on the bridge or the turntable motor -- less chance of driving off it while it's turning.

I have one of those HH2s on my layout.
David
Moderato ma non troppo
Perth & Exeter Railway Company
Esquesing & Chinguacousy Radial Railway
In model railroading, there are between six and two hundred ways of performing a given task.
Most modellers can get two of them to work.
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#33
David, the HH2 powers only the turntable motor, while the track on the turntable is track-powered, and can be turned on or off, and controlled directionally by  switches on the layout facia.  The roundhouse tracks are powered through a rotary switch, which is also controlled by a separate switch which supplies the power.  With the exception of the turntable motor, it's pretty-well the same set-up as at the Lowbanks engine shop...

[Image: S0015657.jpg]

Wayne
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#34
Wayne, I was just suggesting a precaution. We sometimes find at Lostock Junction that the operator balances the loco on the turntable, starts it rotating, and forgets about it when he moves another loco in the shed.
Not a problem at home, though. I forgot to leave enough room for the turntables in the new layout.
D.
David
Moderato ma non troppo
Perth & Exeter Railway Company
Esquesing & Chinguacousy Radial Railway
In model railroading, there are between six and two hundred ways of performing a given task.
Most modellers can get two of them to work.
Reply
#35
Yeah, turntables come with their own issues, and I've discovered that this one's track is not centred from end-to-end, despite care taken to ensure that it was assembled properly.  If the cab end of the table is aligned with any of the three tracks which connect to the turntable, the other end lines up perfectly with three corresponding roundhouse tracks.
However, when the non-cab end is lined-up with those access tracks, the cab end does not align well with any of the same three tracks.  This is an annoyance more than anything, so I'll just have to remember to have locos arriving at the turntable, pilot-first to go into any of those three roundhouse tracks, should have the turntable's cab at the point of entry onto the turntable.  That will at least let them enter any of those three stalls without having to adjust the turntable.

I'm not overly impressed with the motor-drive, either.  The table spins, in proportion to the throttle setting, but vibrates considerably due to the wheel issue, and it will also take a bit of practice to get it to stop exactly where it should. 

The best I can say is that the turntable pit at least closes the hole-in-the-sky over GERN Industries, almost immediately below on the lower level.

Wayne
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#36
Looking good Wayne, I am glad to see you are making headway on the upper level.
Charliee
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#37
Thanks, Charlie.  I seem to be finding less time to work on the layout, although I need to clean it up a bit, just in case I get a visitor.  Every so often on the local Fall layout tours, I come across some fairly nice layouts, diminished simply because there's dust on everything. 

I thought that if I forced myself to work on something, it would get me moving a bit, and it has improved my interest...I wonder what will pop-up to drag me away next?

Wayne
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#38
I'd say that your moving right along... Engine facility going In,  and the layout up and running once more.  I haven't had the time to do anything since the spring. Nice work,  always good to see pics of what you are doing.
 My other car is a locomotive, ARHS restoration crew  
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#39
Thanks, Steve!

(08-23-2018, 10:21 AM)e-paw Wrote: ...I haven't had the time to do anything since the spring....


Well, I'm following all the stuff you're doing in 1:1 modelling, so I certainly would count that as doing something!

Wayne
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#40
(08-22-2018, 11:13 PM)doctorwayne Wrote:   Every so often on the local Fall layout tours, I come across some fairly nice layouts, diminished simply because there's dust on everything. 
Wayne

Maybe you should go on the Spring layout tours, just after spring cleaning.   Icon_rolleyes
David
Moderato ma non troppo
Perth & Exeter Railway Company
Esquesing & Chinguacousy Radial Railway
In model railroading, there are between six and two hundred ways of performing a given task.
Most modellers can get two of them to work.
Reply
#41
(08-23-2018, 07:27 PM)BR60103 Wrote:
(08-22-2018, 11:13 PM)doctorwayne Wrote:   Every so often on the local Fall layout tours, I come across some fairly nice layouts, diminished simply because there's dust on everything. 
Wayne

Maybe you should go on the Spring layout tours, just after spring cleaning.   Icon_rolleyes


Hi Doc---I just saw this thread---you always amaze me with your creative workmanship
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#42
Well the work stoppage at Mount Forest finally appears to be over.

My original plan was to put transom-style windows atop the back walls of the roundhouse, but because I've shortened the sidewalls, there's not much height available, at least for a window of any use.  Instead, I'll add a "stone" cornice, similar to that which is atop the kit's sidewalls.

To make the cornice, I cemented a length of .125" square styrene strip atop another of the same size, then cut it into lengths equal to that of each of the four rear wall panels (the roundhouse has five stalls, but one was shortened quite a bit more than the others, so it has ample room for a transom window).
I distressed the face of the strips somewhat, then used my X-Acto to scribe vertical mortar lines in the "stone".  The segments were then taped to the top of the wall and cemented together.
The next day, after those joints had fully hardened, I cemented sheet styrene panels to the rear face of each segment.  Since the top of the walls are somewhat irregular, there's insufficient contact between them and the cornice to get a strong bond, so my plan is to have the styrene slide about a half-inch down the inner face of the rear walls, where I can bond the panels to the wall using contact cement.

Here's the assembled cornice, as seen from its bottom face.  The bottom edges of the styrene panels are also facing the camera...

[Image: KORBER%20ROUNDHOUSE%201.jpg]

Here, you can see the great fit between the top of the walls and the cornice...

[Image: KORBER%20ROUNDHOUSE%202.jpg]

[Image: KORBER%20ROUNDHOUSE%203.jpg]

Here's the cornice with the panels installed and ready for a coat of contact cement,  As you can also see, the interior of the rear wall has been scribed to denote how far down the contact cement is to be applied...

[Image: KORBER%20ROUNDHOUSE%205.jpg]

Once the contact cement had dried for the specified time, I draped waxed paper over the four wall segments, then carefully installed the cornice atop the wall, sliding the panels over the waxed paper until the cornice was in place.  The waxed paper was then withdrawn from between the two surfaces, and the panels pressed to the walls, completing the bond.....

[Image: KORBER%20ROUNDHOUSE%206.jpg]

I used pre-mixed drywall mud to fill the gaps, then painted things to make it look at least a bit better....

[Image: KORBER%20ROUNDHOUSE%2010.jpg]

The next task was to build the roof trusses.  I used various sizes of strip styrene for the components, adding gusset plates cut from sheet styrene where appropriate.  The bracing follows, I think, a fairly standard arrangement of the bracing needed to support the roof.  I did remove the upper portion of the gussets that were on the lower support columns, seen in the earlier photos.   It was my original intention to use them as alignment devices, but some of them warped inward, leaving insufficient room for the roof trusses to be inserted. 

While I didn't take many in-progress photos, here's a view during construction.  It also shows the panels which hold the rear cornice in place....

[Image: Korber%20roundhouse....jpg]


This evening, I decided to start painting the interior, a nightmare of masking, as all of the window openings had to be covered from the inside so that the brick forming the window openings didn't get painted.  I cut the masking tape just slightly smaller than the over-all size of the windows, which will, like most such kits, be installed from the interior.  I wanted to be sure that none of the original red of the walls would be visible around the window frames, which should cover the thin red strips now visible around each window opening...if you look closely.

[Image: KORBER%20ROUNDHOUSE%207.jpg]

The support columns are still installed only temporarily, as they'll need to come out so that I can re-mask the interior in order to apply paint (a darker grey) to the lower portion of the walls and columns.  Once that's dry, the columns will be cemented in place, both where they're inserted into pockets in the floor, and at their ends, where they touch the front and rear walls.

The roof framing is mostly done, although it's not yet been painted.  I've started work on the hoods for the smoke collectors, which will have to be installed before the trusses get painted....

[Image: KORBER%20ROUNDHOUSE%208.jpg]

I've already cut-out the roof panels, one piece each for the lower and upper roofs, with windows attached to the lower one.   They'll be cemented to the roof trusses once the smoke collectors are installed.   The roof will then be removeable as one assembly...

[Image: KORBER%20ROUNDHOUSE%209.jpg]

Hopefully, I'll have more to show without a long pause like the one before this update.


Wayne
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#43
I've built and installed the smoke collector hoods....

[Image: 100_7798.jpg]


...and need only mask the floor of the roundhouse so it can get the second interior colour applied....

[Image: 100_7800.jpg]

I'll also mask the top side of all the top members of the roof framing, as they're also due for a coat of paint.  Since the roof pieces will be cemented to the framing, it's important that those surfaces are paint-free.  I haven't yet decided if the underside of the roof will get paint after it's in place - probably not, as there'll be too much framing, along with the smoke hoods, in the way.

Once the roof is attached to the framing, I'll be able to add flues from the hoods to the roof-top smoke jacks.


Wayne
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#44
Wayne ex work , if you haven't added interior brick paper you might think about using plastruct  ho brick sheets as there only .020 thick with fair relief.
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#45
Thanks, Jim. 

In the fifth photo from the bottom of my last post, the rear wall of stall #5, on the right, has been covered in  plastic brick sheet from Holgate & Reynolds.  It was left-over from the blast furnace build.  The bricks are rather small, especially in comparison to the ones on the exterior of the Korber roundhouse, but it's likely the only portion of interior wall which will be at all visible, as it's right beside the entrance aisle to the layout room, and at eye-level.  I don't plan on lighting this (or anything else for that matter) so am not too worried about it.  I'll be adding a couple of doors in that wall, too:  one for the office addition and a wider one for access to...well, I dunno what...perhaps a tool crib or maybe some basic maintenance supplies....grease cartridges for the Alemite guns, oil, kerosene, etc.

I've been in only a couple of roundhouses, and was more interested in the locomotives there than details present, so don't really know what to add....maybe nothing is needed, as it'll be pretty dark in there once the roof is in place.

Wayne
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