Shelf Layout Lighting

 Next step in the shelf layout project is to add some lighting.  My room is pretty well lit but I really wanted to highlight the layout.  I am hoping to achieve a shadowbox effect.

The light fixture I selected are from Commercial Electric. These are LED, like most things these days, and come in several different lengths.  I used a mix of 2' and 4' fixtures.  The nice thing about these is they are linkable.  This allows so several fixtures to be daisy-chained together off of a single power cord and switch.  This really simplified the installation.

The overall effect is pretty good but not quite as bright as I had hoped.  I think this will work out fine but  might look into some additional lighting down the road.

Finishing the Shelves

 Once again, I have let several months pass without a blog update.  I have actually been very busy with the hobby, I have just been lazy about posting.  After my last update in August work continued on the new shelf layout.  By the end of the month the shelves were all installed and the foam tops installed.

The shelves are made of particle board with melamine coating. This makes then very hard and slick.  To glue down the foam insulation board I used Loctite Power Grab All Purpose Construction Adhesive.  This stuff worked great.  It is a little tough to use from a tube for this size project so I have to go back and get the caulking gun tubes.

Before I glued the foam down I prepped the ends of the foam boards and the joints in the shelves.  I wanted to make sure the shelves and the ends of the foam did not get glued together incase I ever need to take the layout down.

In order to make sure I got a good bond to the shelf I weighed down the foam with some books.  This worked out great and the foam is not going anywhere.

After the shelves were installed and the foam added I realized that my inside corners were just too sharp and were going to be an issue.  I had some scrap wood so I cut some triangles to make a better transition.  Some scrap foam was added to bring it up to the level of the rest of the layout.

I wanted to make sure the inside corners were as sturdy as the rest of the shelves so I used heavy framing hardware to attach them.  This does not move at all.

I am much farther along with the project now and I will be posting a couple more updates very soon. One thing I wish I had done different at this stage is the inside corners.  I realize now i would have make them much larger but they will still work.  Stay tuned for more updates.

New Shelf Layout Project

 It has been a couple of months since my last update.  It is crazy hot in Phoenix this  time of year and a garage layout is just a form of torture.  Way to hot out there to do much of anything.  The reality of this has inspired me to move ahead with my in-door shelf layout.

The layout will be located in my home office/study/den. This room is about 11'x13'.  There are double entry doors along one wall and a window on the wall directly opposite. The room needs to continue as an office as I work from home. This means a U shaped shelf layout will be the best fit for the space.  The layout will be about 55" off the floor to allow for easy access under the layout for desks and work bench, etc.

I wanted to have lots of surface area for buildings and scenery as well as interesting track layout so the majority of the layout will be 24" wide.  The span across the window is a concern as the window is nearly 5' wide.  Because of this I limited the deck width to only 12" to minimize/eliminate the need for extra support across the window.

I started the project on the right side of the room on one of the long walls.  The layout will have a 12" wide shelf on the top for storage but more importantly for a lighting valance. 

For the top shelf I used simple stamped steel L brackets.  These are screwed directly into the wall studs.  These types of brackets are cheap and hold a lot of weight.  

This wall has studs that are spaced 24" on center so the brackets are 24" apart. Each bracket is carefully placed to ensure it is level with the previously installed brackets. 

The shelf is a 12" wide particle board style that is coated in a plastic material with a plastic edge. These are made for closet organizers and are cheaper than real wood.  With the ample support the shelf is stable and will not sag or warp.

It already has a finished look with little effort.  So far so good.

With the header shelf in it is time to move on to the main layout shelf.

Since this shelf is so much larger and heavier the brackets are bigger and it gets and extra bracket at the end.  The main weight is carried by the triangular brackets, of which there are 4.  There are also 4 L brackets used mostly to prevent sag and add to the stability.  Leveling is CRITICAL.  

I used the same manufactured wood material as the header shelf and it has the same finished look without much effort.  They are sold in 8' lengths but I cut each down to just under 7' to ensure the seams did not overlap the brackets.  I also cut the corners off where the shelf meets the corner of the room to allow for power cords.  In addition, the shelf is mounted about 3/4" from the wall to make the actual width 24" and for additional cord access behind the backdrop.

Here is the finished phase one with 1" blue foam on top.  The foam is not attached yet but has been trimmed to fit.

So far this is exactly as I envisaged it.  

Phase 2 is spanning the window.  This was a challenge as I did not want to have to engineer addition center support across the span.  This was an experiment but it worked out.

Once again I started with the header shelf.  Since I would have less support for this section I switched to actual 1"x12"x10' lumber.  Wow! This stuff is expensive. Real lumber is much more ridged and will hold up over time where particle board will not.  This shelf is held up with 4 L brackets.  

After a some re-adjustment of the header brackets I got a nice, level span across the window.  This made the installation of the layout shelf easier. The layout shelf got the heavy triangle brackets and is nice and solid.

Phase 3 will be the installation of the shelves on the left side of the room.  This will be a couple weeks down the road.  Until then the window shelves will not be screwed onto the brackets so it will be easier to level the new section.  It will also allow me to make any length adjustments easily.

Stay tuned for more updates on this soon.

Bachmann EZ Track Upgrade How-To - Powered Re-railer

 My Bachmann EZ Track upgrade project is progressing and this time we have a very challenging section to work on - the powered re-railer.  This is probably the worst piece in the EZ track collection. It is a horrible design and it doesn't work very well as a re-railer and it is needlessly complicated as a power track.  Having said that it is the piece we have to work with so here we go.

The basic track piece is from a design I used as a kid in the late 70s except mine didn't have the roadbed and the connectors were round rather than the spade style.  They really should have done a proper redesign of this a LONG time ago.

This seems to be the newer style of this section as it has the index pins to hold the track in place.  If these were the only areas where it was glued it would be very easy to get apart but it's not going to be that easy.

Where the re-railer meets the roadbed there is glue almost all the way around.  You will need to take your time getting this apart.

I used a sharp hobby knife and a small flat screwdriver to gently separate the track from the roadbed.  Start in the middle just like the other sections.  You will get a pop when the center index pen comes loose but you will still have to carefully work all the glue spots apart.

You can see how many location they used to glue the track to the base.  Clean off an excess glue and smooth an nicks from the knife.

You can see how the terminals are connected to the rails.  This is a good time to mark the terminals in some way so you know which is which.  A notch on the plastic or something like that will be very handy in the future.  I, of course, didn't think of that until I had reassembled it.  It does seem like the near side rail is always the right terminal.

Taping is the same as the other sections.  I wanted the 'ballast' to flow farther up to the wood sections so I did a little more taping.  If you do it this way the track section will be taped and painted twice but I like how it turned out.

Base painting is done.  I used brush on paint to fill in a little on base around the re-railer.  If you don't do this you will have a nice black line all the way around the re-railer.  I used the same paint to paint the sides of the rails and to dry-bruch over the wood.

Reassembled and weathering washes ha been applied.  I think this looks pretty good.  I think I will try and build some sort of track-side shack or something to hide the plugs.  These do not look right to me as grade crossings as a lot of people do.

I think in the future I will design my own power section from standard track sections.  An idea for a future project but for now this will do nicely.

The Railroad Requirements Document

 In my day job we have to create what is called a BRD, or business requirements documents, for large projects.  It is a vital tool for keeping a project on track.  For the model railroad I feel I need something similar - the RRD, railroad requirements document.  The purpose of the document is to establish the framework by which the project will be guided and judged for completeness and success.  As a project progresses new ideas will inevitably pop up but before action is taken on these new ideas they must be measured against the RRD to ensure they are driving towards the project goals.  Here are my requirements for my model railroad.

• Operational style - The layout will be a point to point switching layout with the option for continuous running.
• Layout style - The layout will be a walkaround island style.  The two sides of the layout will be separated by a backdrop divider.
• Model Period and Location - model is set in the Southern Pacific Phoenix sub-division between 1989 and 1995.
• Power and Control - The layout will use Digitrax DCC for control.  Power boost will be added as needed.  A separate power source will be provided for AC power.  Track feeders will be installed periodically to ensure power to the tracks.  
• Benchwork - The benchwork needs to be lightweight and modular.  The surface will be high density foamboard. 
• Track - The layout will use code 83 flex-track for the permanent track.  Code 100 sectional track can be used in the prototype and planning phases for proof of concept work.
• Rolling stock - All rolling stock will have metal wheels, kaydee couplers, and be properly weighted and adjusted.
• Motive Power - Southern Pacific 4 axle EMD power as primary.  Limited use of leased power or Rio Grande power per the modeled period.
• Industries that can be included - cement, lumber, plastic product manufacturing, paper product manufacturing, logistics centers, oil and fuel suppliers, grain and flower processing, food distribution and manufacturing, fertilizer manufacturer and distribution, chemical manufacturing
• Industry size - Industries should be able to handle 2 cars minimum of the standard car for that industry and a maximum of 4 standard cars for that industry.  The exception is when the standard car for an industry in 40' or less then the max is increased to 6 cars.
• Industry density - Each modular section pf the railroad can have no more than 2 rail served industries and it is preferred to have only one.  Inclusion of section without an industries is also preferred (negative space).

I think this is enough to get me started.  These are meant to be high level requirements and not the detailed design.  That comes later.  This should help keep me focused.

Selecting Rolling Stock for the Model Railroad

 If the locomotives are the heart and soul of the railroad then the rolling stock is the body.  No matter what style of model railroad you plan to build you will need a good number of cars to populate it.  But like the locomotives, if you don't have a plan it is VERY easy to loose your focus and end up with more than you need or can use.  Here are some of the considerations I am using for selecting my rolling stock.  Some assumptions here, you already know your era, scale and railroad.

1. What cars do you like? - This is really important, buy what you like.  I feel that it is a good thing to use your likes and interests to drive how you build your railroad.  In fact, I think it is critical.  If you love long passenger trains then that is what your should be collecting and building towards.  If you love intermodal trains you should focus your collection on that type equipment.  The type of cars you like and you want to run on your railroad have a big influence on later design considerations.  If you work this out now you will have less issues with getting your cars to work after the track is down.  It is best to make sure the cars you are collecting also relate to the engines you are collecting.  Some combos just don't look right.
2. Match your cars to your chosen railroad - For freight operations I think it is important to collect about 60% of your fleet to match your chosen railroad.  Most railroads would quickly ship out cars that belonged to someone else, so you will see them but they should not be the majority.  Depending on the type of cars you might not have options for your specific railroad but you will have leasing company cars.  Tanks cars are usually owned by a leasing company and are not as common in specific railroad livery.  If you are doing passenger trains then the cars should ALL be from your chosen railroad.  They cars never left their home system so would never mix with other railroads.
3. Match your chosen era - many cars cover more than one era of railroading and it can be tough sometimes to know what will work.  Many of the models will have the build date or new date printed on the car.  This will help determine if a particular car makes sense on your railroad. If you are modeling the 1950s then a car built in the 1970s will likely be out of place.  You may have to do some research in order to make good selections but this can be a fun part of the hobby.  

Personally, I really like the ACF center flow 2-Bay covered hopper.  These cars are used for cement and other granular products.  They service very gritty and dirty industrial sights.  They get a lot of wear and tear and are great for lots of weathering. They are short cars that will work well on tight curves and in small industry locations.  This is one of the main types of cars I am currently collecting and a cement plant will be the first industry I model.

ACF Center Flow 2-Bay covered hopper

Because I now know I will include a cement plant on my layout I now have a couple more car options that can service the industry.  One is the ACF 70 ton 2-bay covered hopper.  These are a much older car type but were still around in large numbers in the early 90s.

ACF 70 ton 2-bay covered hopper

Sometime in the 90s (I'm hoping it was early to mid 90s) the Trinity 2-bay covered hopper began to enter service.  For my purposes these would be VERY new and still clean and pretty cars.

Trinity 2-bay covered hopper

So we have one industry that can be serviced by three different types of cars (if we want to do that).  The next question that comes to mind is how many cars will actually be needed?  At the bare minimum I will need two cars - one to be at the industry and one to swap it with during operations.  Because these are small cars, it should be possible to have more of them in a given space.  I am shooting for an industry that can hold 6 cars.  This means I will need 12 total to service it.

Another car I really like is the 40ft Hi-cube boxcar.  These cars were built in the late 60s and were initially used for appliances and other bulky items.  They were never a very common car and I really have no idea if there were in Phoenix in the 90s at all.  In fact, by the mid 90s most were gone.  In their later service like these cares were commonly used for paper mill service hauling large rolls of paper.  For me this makes them a good choice as there are several paper mill/paper product companies locally that are still serviced by boxcars.  The 40ft length makes them easier to navigate on the railroad and have the same advantages as the hoppers.  Most of these cars would have been pretty well worn by the late 80s and so would have lots of weathering.

40' outside braced hi-cube boxcar

Including a paper mill/paper products industry in my era is very easy.  These are mostly just concrete "tilt-up" buildings and are very easy to model.  This industry in the late 80s and early 90s would have also been serviced by FMC Railbox 50' cars as well as 50' hi-cube cars.

50' smooth side hi-cube boxcar

50' FMC 'railbox' double door boxcar

Once again we have a single industry that can be serviced by three different cars.  Additionally, these cars also service other industries allowing for lots of re-use of the collection.  How many cars will I need for the paper mill industry?  That will depend on the amount of space available on the layout but, like the cement plant, I will need two cars minimum.  I expect that it will be serviced by three cars requiring 6 total for operations.

This exercise is repeated for each car type in the collection (or that you want to add to the collection) and each industry.  It take time to sort through this and build a plan but if you do this you can keep your collection manageable and usable on the model railroad. Remember, every dollar you spend on cars is one less for other things your railroad will need.

Selecting Motive Power for the Model Railroad

The one thing that likely draws most people to trains in general, and model railroading specifically, are the locomotives.  The engines are the heart and soul of the railroading.  When you first get into the hobby it is the locomotives that will get you hooked but it might also me an area of anxiety.  Here are a few things to consider as it relates to locomotives for your model railroad.

1. Era You are Modeling - Not everyone is concerned about the era their model railroad is set in but if you are going for 'realism' with your railroad it is important.  The earliest period of railroading is all steam power.  If you are modeling the 'modern' era (about 1970 to current) you will be doing diesel power.  The period from the late 40s to the late 60s is a transition period where both steam and diesel power might be running side by side.
2. Scale or Gage - Do you want to model in N or HO or some other size?  Now is the time to figure this out as once you start down one scale it is very hard to change your mind.  
3. Type of Operation - The type of railroad operation you plan to model will also influence your selection of motive power.  Long haul operations involve very big trains with very big locomotive and frequently more than one on the train.  If you are doing local industrial switching then you will need smaller and few locomotives.  These principles are true for both the steam and diesel eras.
4. What Railroad? - The actual railroad you are interested in modeling will influence the specific types or models of locomotives.  Many railroads, especially in the the steam era, had special order locomotives and no other railroad used those particular models.
5. Power and Control System - The power and control system you plan to use - DC or DCC - will also impact your selection of models.  Not all locomotive types are available in both types of control out of the box.  Many more will be available if you are comfortable making minor modifications to the locomotive to adapt them to your control system.

I know what you are thinking - why go through all this when there are so many cool models out there?  You certainly don't have to do any of this.  You could just buy whatever catches your eye and that is a valid way to pursue the hobby.  I, personally, need more structure to by purchasing plan specifically because there are so many cool models available.  Modern locomotive models start at about $100 and go up to $300 or more.  Unrestrained purchases of locomotives would destroy my ability to do anything else.  It really is best to have a plan and try and stick with it.  There is a lot of other things you need in order to build your model railroad.

I am fortunate in that I know the era and the railroad I want to model.  There are lots of models for the Southern Pacific during the late eighties and early nineties.  It also helps that I have a good assortment of DC motive power and a few that are ready for the DCC upgrade.