Train Stuff

Moving Blog to Model-Train-Universe. . .

2007-04-21T21:51:00.001-07:00

I've moved the blog over to another site. I'll talk about that later when it's ready for folks to view.

Sean,
sean@twinimaging.com

I bought even more stuff. . .

2006-09-23T19:20:00.000-07:00

It's been a little quite lately on the railroad. The girls have started school again, and Twin Imaging has a couple of new contracts so no work on the railroad for now. However, I do need some foam cutting tools. I find that any job goes much more simple when you have the correct tools for the job. If you try to get by with what you have it will take longer and the end result of your work is usally sub-standard.

Here is my order from InternetTrains.com

Product 1Code: HOT-K16Name: Hot Wire Foam Factory AC Powered 2-in-1 Starter Kit w/Hot Knife Tool Price/Ea.: $67.46Option 1: (Availability): (Available)Quantity: 1SubTotal: $67.46Shipping, Taxes & Other ChargesShipping: Flat Rate $7.99 - UPS Ground - Continental U.S. Street Address Only: $7.99Sales Tax: $5.23Order Total: $80.68

Peace,

Sean, sean@twinimaging.com

I found a foam source. . .

2006-08-17T17:06:00.000-07:00

I found a source for foam. It’s not pink foam but the same type of high density foam that Woodland Scenics uses for it’s foam material.

The supplier is Star Foam, located in Vista California: www.starfoam.com The name of the person I talked with was Matt Donovan.

The foam comes in three different densities; 1 lbs., 2 lbs., and 3 lbs. The 2 lbs. foam seemed to be the same density as the Woodland Scenics foam. I purchased 1”x4’x8’ sheet for about $23 and a 1.5”x4’x8’ sheet for about $35 (I don’t have my receipt with me). I also had them cut 3 of my Woodland Scenics 4”x1’x2’ blocks into 4”x4”x4” cubes for $6 ($2 per cut – 3 cuts total). The total bill with tax was $68 and I pick up the material on Tuesday.

Peace,

Sean, sean@twinimaging.com

Sub Roadbed and Grades. . .

2006-08-12T23:38:00.000-07:00

Lot's of photos for this posting! We have added the sub-roadbed and grades. Because we used the Woodland Scenics Subterrain products, what would have taken a week or two to complete, took two evenings (or 4 hours total)! It almost feels like construction is going too fast. "I spent all this money for 4 hours worth of work." On the other hand, this makes building a layout for appealing for Jasmine and Megan. If the work was long and progress was slow, they would lose interest. I can also see running trains in the very near future which is an exciting prospect.

I had to make a run to Reeds Hobby Shop in La Mesa to pick up 8 feet of 4 inch foam risers. I realized that I did not account for these sections so I was off to La Mesa.

Because there are so many photos for this post, I will include captions for each photo. . .

Peace,

Sean, sean@twinimaging.com

Pictured here are the ends of two 1inch riser sections. To enhance flexibility, I glued each two of the 2 foot sections together. I wanted to maintain the "Z" pattern for maximum flexibility. The "Z" pattern is broken so I did not glue the ends together with this configuration. The next photo shows the continuation of the "Z" configuration. . .

As you can see, the "Z" configuration is maintained for maximum flexibility. . .

I used Woodland Scenics low temp glue-sticks to glue the riser sections together. . .

Here is an example of a low temp glue-stick bead on the end of a 1 inch riser. After applying the low temp glue, hold the sections together for 15 seconds for a secure bond. . .

Pictured above are a number of 1 inch risers glued together to form 4 foot sections for greater flexibility. . .

We used Liquid Nails to glue the foam risers to the plywood base. We chose Liquid Nails because it was inexpensive ($2.27 per tube at Lowe's) and recommended by many modelers as a great choice for gluing foam to wood. . .

Pictured above is a layer of Liquid Nails smoothed out over the mainline path. I used a piece of card stock to spread the bead of Liquid Nails to flat pattern. . .

As you can see, the path is about 1/2 as wide as the foam riser. Using smoothed Liquid Nails bead about half the width of the foam riser is more than enough to adhere the foam riser.

To ensure that foam riser sections are straight, I used a 4 foot level as an edge guide. I used the penciled in mainline as a guide to lay the foam risers around curves. The flexibility of the 4 foot risers sections made laying much more simpler around curves. Additionally, the Liquid nails dried relatively slowly compared to the glue stick which allowed adjustments to the foam riser alignment. . .

Pictured above is a section of the layout with the 1 inch foam risers secured to the plywood. . .

Pictured above is the mainline completed with 1 in foam risers. . .

The next evening, Jasmine and I secured the 3% foam risers to the 1 inch risers using low temp glue-sticks. I tried using the liquid nails but the low temp glue stick material seemed to work better. You have to glue and place the riser quickly because the low temp glue-stick material hardends within 15 to 20 seconds. . .

Here is another section of 3% riser that Jasmine is gluing. . .

This photos helps to illustrate the difference between 1 inch and 4 inch foam risers. . .

The raised sections required 4 inch risers. . .

I tried an experiment. I wanted to heat the foam cutting blade, using my wife's hot air craft gun, to make cutting through foam much simpler. However, the hot air gun did not make the blade hot enough. I think I'll run into the kitchen quickly to heat the blade on the stove. . .

I used the foam knife to cut out the crossing section. The lower tracks will be hidden in a tunnel. . .

I used my tallest car to determine the car roof clearance.

Rather than use a piece of foam to "bridge the gap", I'm having my friend Doug mill down a pice of wood to 1/2 inch to make a more sturdy overpass. A 1/2 foam piece could have work but probably would have sagged over time. . .

I need to add a 1/2 inch section at the top of the 4 inch riser to match the height of the end of the 3% riser foam section. I should have bought 1/2 inch risers when I was at the Reeds Hobbies today but I just cut sections from one of the 1/2 inch foam sheets. It should also be noted that the transition from 3% grade to level was not abrupt. I placed a piece of track over this section and ran a car over the transition and there was no problem or noticeable change in angle. . .

I did notice that there were height mis-matches between sections of the 3% riser. This is no bid deal; putty or other thick material can be used to fill and even out the gap. . .

This is what we have completed so far. We'll be using foam risers to raise the center section of the loop area on the right. This area will have a couple of spur tracks for businesses. We'll be working on that tomorrow. . .

Foam - FOam - FOAm - FOAM!!!

2006-08-10T13:40:00.000-07:00

I got my "foam stuff" today! The girls and I can get back to building the layout.

I'm going to watch the Woodland Scenics video first so I can get a better understanding of how to implement foam for a model railroad. I know some of the "old school" guys out there will scoff at foam; "It's not stable", "I heard about a guy who used foam and it turned out bad", "The whether will effect it", "I haven't heard anything bad yet, but give it time", "Foam is just a fad - The tried and true Lynn Wescott "L" girder is the way to go." I look at it this way. . . If the Wright Brothers listened to the scoffers, they probably would have never got off the ground.

Have a "foamy" day

Sean, sean@twinimaging.com

Harry the cat is inspecting the boxes from InternetTrains.com

Here's all of the foam materials on the layout.

Here is a 3% grade using foam risers.

Here is the same 3% grade but placed on top of the 1 inch standard risers.

Crisp and clean with no caffeine. . .

2006-08-05T17:56:00.000-07:00

If you remember "Big Daddy Kane" from the late 80's - early 90's you'll remember the line, "Crisp and clean with no caffeine", from his song, "I get the job done."

Well, I found out today that if you want to run DCC, you'll need to keep clean track and wheels. I took my SD40 over to the club today. I have run it a few times before but found out today that the wheels need cleaning. I kept loosing the DCC signal so the engine kept starting and stopping. I took a look at the wheels and they were quite dirty. I did get to hang out with Bob Grech and run the mainline so that was fun. You can see the photos of the run below. Bob was kind enough to weather a steam era boxcar for me. He did a great job - you can see the boxcar in the second photo.

I still haven't received my materials from InternetTrains.com so I'm on hold right now for my layout.

Have a great weekend!

Peace,

Sean, sean@twinimaging.com

Layout design block - I need some help. . .

2006-07-31T00:09:00.000-07:00

I have the basic design of the layout down but I wanted to add some areas for switching and I can't seem to come up with ideas. If any of you have any ideas for the layout, please let me know.

The layout is a "L" shapped 5' x 12' x 5' design. The main line minimum radius is 28". The area where the main line crosses over itself will have the lower main line in a tunnel.

Peace,

Sean, sean@twinimaging.com

I bought more stuff. . .

2006-07-22T22:33:00.000-07:00

We are building the layout based on a "budget" - well sort off. June/July was the month for purchasing wood for the layout. August is the month for purchasing foam for the roadbed. We will be using Woodland Scenics Sub-Terrain Systems foam products for sub roadbed and roadbed. I did not wait till August to purchase the Foam but work on the sub roadbed will go on through August.

Sit down and hold your breath, here is the bill from InternetTrains.com:

Products

Product 1
Code: WOO-ST1407
Name: Woodland Scenics "Subterrain System" 1" x 24" Foam Riser (4 per pack)
Price/Ea.: $5.52
Option 1: (Availability): (Available)
Quantity: 8
SubTotal: $44.16

Product 2
Code: WOO-ST1416
Name: Woodland Scenics "Subterrain System" 3% Foam Incline Set (4 1/2" rise in 12')
Price/Ea.: $11.03
Option 1: (Availability): (Available)
Quantity: 3
SubTotal: $33.09

Product 3
Code: WOO-ST1415
Name: Woodland Scenics "Subterrain System" 3% Foam Incline Starter 2 1/2"x 24" (6 ea)
Price/Ea.: $4.67
Option 1: (Availability): (Available)
Quantity: 1
SubTotal: $4.67

Product 4
Code: WOO-ST1424
Name: Woodland Scenics "Subterrain System" 24"x12"x1" Foam Sheet
Price/Ea.: $3.65
Option 1: (Availability): (Available)
Quantity: 7
SubTotal: $25.55

Product 5
Code: WOO-ST1427
Name: Woodland Scenics "Subterrain System" 24"x12"x4" Foam Sheet
Price/Ea.: $11.88
Option 1: (Availability): (Available)
Quantity: 3
SubTotal: $35.64

Product 6
Code: WOO-ST1423
Name: Woodland Scenics "Subterrain System" 24"x12"x1/2" Foam Sheet
Price/Ea.: $2.97
Option 1: (Availability): (Available)
Quantity: 3
SubTotal: $8.91

Product 7
Code: WOO-ST1446
Name: Woodland Scenics "Subterrain System" Low Temp Foam Glue Sticks (10 per pack)
Price/Ea.: $3.82
Option 1: (Availability): (Available)
Quantity: 1
SubTotal: $3.82

Product 8
Code: WOO-ST1433
Name: Woodland Scenics "Subterrain System" Foam Knife
Price/Ea.: $5.08
Option 1: (Availability): (Available)
Quantity: 1
SubTotal: $5.08

Shipping, Taxes & Other Charges

Coupon: FT1-735228-160230: ($10.00)
Shipping: Flat Rate $7.99 - UPS Ground - Continental U.S. Street Address Only: $7.99
Sales Tax: $11.70

Order Total: $170.61

Peace,

Sean, sean@twinimaging.com

Leveling your layout in a perfect world. . .

2006-07-13T17:45:00.000-07:00

I decided it was time to level the bench work. I have been dreading this since we have completed 95% of the bench work (I still have a cross brace to add to the corner module.) In a perfect world, a model train layout would be built on a slab of granite that has been leveled and surfaced by laser calibration. Then, the bench work would be constructed of chromium-nickel steel machined to aerospace tolerances. This perfect "high tech" bench work would be secured to the granite floor and the bench work would be laser leveled.

Well, this is the real world and you work with wood that is susceptible to bending and warping due to temperature and humidity. You also have to work on a garage floor (in my case) that is not perfectly level and that starts to angle down at the entrance to help with water drainage. On top of all this, we are using a Dewalt Chop saw and a Stanley tape measure that does not measure with the accuracy of a micrometer. If you cut a board to within +/- as 1/16 or 1/8 of an inch, you are doing pretty good. There are all types of errors and inconsistencies that stack up and have to be compensated for by leveling. Fortunately, there are some simple ways to level your benchwork. . .

First of all, the legs for our layout were built using 2x2 boards cut to 36" in lengths. I was going to cut the legs to 48" but I realized that this was way too tall for Megan. We are all tall in our family, but not that tall. A 48" layout height would be impractical for children. To aid in fine adjustment of the legs, we installed adjustable SoftTouch® Furniture Glides produced byWaxmann Consumer Group. These furniture glides are super handy - You simply drill a hole in the bottom of the leg and tap the glide in place. To adjust, just tighten or loosen the pad into the leg - very simple and effective.

However, becuase of the slight down turn at the entrance of the garage wood shims needed to be used along with the furniture glides. . .

A 3' carpenters level was positioned along the length and width of the benchwork to determine how close to level we were approaching.

It took about one and a half hours to level the bench work. It's not perfectly level but it is as close as we can get. Once you get one portion of the layout level, another section goes out of level so it becomes a game of patients. As I said in my first blog, being patient is super important for me in building this layout. If we "do it right" the first time, we will have a well running layout that will bring many years of enjoyment.

Peace,

Sean
sean@twinimaging.com

I had a Randolph Hearst Moment. . .

2006-07-10T19:23:00.000-07:00

If you have ever been to the Hearst Castle, North of San Luis Obispo, you'll will have been amazed by the number of times that Randolph Hearst had construction compelted on a section of his "castle" and then decided to tear it all down. He did this many times becuase he changed his mind regarding the final design of a room, garden, etc.

I had my own Hearst moment today. I did not like the leg cross bracing on section number 1 of the bench work. It was half baked and not well thought through. I really did not feel like installing cross bracing on the legs at all - too much stooping over, angled cuts on the braces and it just was not fun. I was fortunate though; Jasmine was eager to work on the layout today so I put her to work pulling out the old bracing and installing new braces on all of the legs. Now that's fun for me and her! Below is a picture of Jasmine installing the legs. . .

Here is an example of the completed braces. . .

I was feeling ambitions so I decided to link all three sections together. This resulted in a very sturdy and stable final assembly. Now I just have to level the whole thing. for some reason, I'm not looking forward to that. I just have that uneasy feeling that once I get one part of the benchwork level, another section will go out and it will take an incredible amount of time to dial in. I just have to remember to be patient.

Here are some more progress photos of the completed sections secured together. . .

Sean,
sean@twinimaging.com

Measure once, cut twice - Measure twice, cut once. . .

2006-07-09T22:40:00.000-07:00

I must have been tired yesterday becuase I placed the legs of the third benchwork section, not flush with the top of the bend work resulting in mismatched heights with the other benchwork sections. I also cut one of the 1x4 boards 1/2" too short. The leg problem was easily corrected and the short board can be fixed with a 1/2" shim.

Jasmine (11 years old) wanted to help out too. I had Jasmine measuring, cutting, drilling and installing legs on one of the sections. It's funny, but she "bonked" me in the head with a piece of 1x2. It didn't hurt (that much) but it was a good leason for her to pay attention and to think about safety while working with power tools, wood, etc. I also had a similar encounter with Megan; she dropped a metal ruler and the sharp edge almost went into my hand. Another good leason for her on safety.

Here is Jasmine measuring the legs for cutting and the 1x2 boards for the cross bracing.

Her is the result of Megan, Jasmine and my efforts so far. . .

We like to keep our dog, "Lady" outside with us while we work.

Sean
sean@twinimaging.com

Working on the corner section. . .

2006-07-08T10:03:00.000-07:00

Megan and I worked on the corner section of the bench work - where the two legs of the "L" meet.

Here is Megan installing the leg bolts and tightening with a rachet wrench. . .

Pictured here is the restult of our work. . .

Peace,

Sean, sean@twinimaging.com

Layout number 6. . .

2006-07-06T23:36:00.000-07:00

My first layout was started in 1969 when I received a Tyco train set for Christmas; I was four years old. The layout was an oval made with the track supplied with the Tyco set. It never went beyond an oval. My next layout was started while I was in Elementry School. It was built on a 4'x8' sheet of plywood. I can't remember much about that layout. It was never finished. My next layout (number 3) was started while I was a junior high student. I started to get more serious about model railroading. I would purchase Model Railroader Magazine, Railroad Model Craftsman and other train related construction books to learn the art of model railroading. I actually constructed a 5'x9' foot table about 3 feet off of the ground. It was very solid; butt end construction - very heavy. The track was a combination of Atlas code 100 sectional and flex track. I didn't put much thought into the design of the trackwork. I just made to ovals; one inside of the other with turnouts connecting both ovals. I can't remember if I had any spur tracks for businesses. I started to work on scenerey but got board and stopped work on the layout. I eventually dismantled the layout in high school so my parents could use the back bedroom for guests. Another layout not completed. I started work on layout number four during my senior year in high school. I spent much more time planning out the track arrangement. I designed a 5'x12' foot point-to-point layout with reversing loop staging tracks on top of each other. I was inspired by Eric Brooman's Utah Belt and I wanted to have a very with the same design philosophy and implementation as the Utah Belt. After I graduated from high school, I started work on the new layout during the summer in the garage. I remember coming down with a bad flu and not treating it. I just kept working through being sick. I had one reverse loop constructed and laid the track for the loop and then I got bored and got interested in restoring my 1967 Chevrolet Camaro. I stopped model railroading altogether from the summer of 1983 until September of 1989.

In September of 1989 I purchased an issue of Model Railroader and the model train bug had bitten me once again. Most of the 1990s was spent being an "arm chair" model railroader. In 1990, I briefly joined the South Bay Historical Railroad Society which was in the process of building a layout in a restored Southern Pacific passenger depot in Santa Clara, CA. I soon found that I did not have the time or desire to maintain membership in a model railroad club. I just read magazines and I think I built about 3 or 4 freight car kits during the 1990s. I received a bonus from my work in 1999 and decided that this was the time to start a new layout. I had the funds and I had a couple of co-workers who were also model railroaders so that helped me with motivation. I purchased a copy of 3rd Planit model railroading CAD software and began designing the new layout. I calculated that I could build a layout which measured 12'x14' in my garage. I wanted to have a more prototypical look and feel so one of my design criteria was to have large radii curves. I decided to base this layout on Pelle K. Søeborg's layout. The track arrangement was almost identical to Pelle's but my overall layout dimensions were a few feet smaller in both directions. One thing I regret about layout number 5 was that I was very impatient and wanted to get trains up and running as soon as possible. This desire quick gratification resulted in my taking short cuts on building the bench work. I based my bench work on the open grid/"L" girder bench work made popular by Lynn Wescott (I think it was him). Not wanting to go into too many details, let me just say that the bench work was not stable and not level resulting in problems with laying track. I was fortunate enough to get all of the track laid but again, I rushed through some parts and the track work was not implemented as well as it could have been to allow hassle free running of trains. I started to ballast the tracks and then it happened. . . I completely lost all interest in model railroading. It happened something like this - I went into the garage to work on the layout and paused for a second and looked at the layout. I thought to myself, "This layout doesn't look anything like what I see in the magazines and never will!" From that point, I had absolutely no desire to model railroad ever again! The next weekend, I tore down the layout, cut up the lumber and threw it in the trash. I boxed up my model railroading equipment and sold it all to a co-worker for $150. I let my subscription to Model Railroader run out and I did not give model railroading another thought until. . .

It was about eight months later and my doctor put me on disability. I had to stay home from my job for two months. I was sitting around at home with not much to do and the model railroad bug bit me again. I went out and purchased an issue of Model Railroader and purchased a freight car kit from my local hobby shop. Learning from my past experiance of rushing through a build and being impatient; I decided to take my time and enjoy the fun of building a kit. I purchased Kadee sprung trucks for the kit. I also spent time with weathering the trucks and wanting to make the car look more prototypical. I also purchased an Athearn Blue Box Union Pacific SD40-2. I had never super detailed an engine so I thought this would be a great time to start. I added a snow plow, MU cables, an AC unit and warning light for the cab, numbers for the number board, and handrails. I also installed a DCC decoder. I was very pleased with the results and it was just plain relaxing and fun to take the necessary amount of time to
complete the model.

After returning to work our company was purchased by a large corporation, I was laid off from my job and we decided to move back to Southern California. I continued to make kits but I knew that I would not have much time for a layout because I was trying to get my document imaging business, Twin Imaging Technology, "off the ground". After a couple of years, my wife encouraged me to join a model railroad club. I decided to join the North Coast Model Railroad Society, located in Oceanside, CA. I enjoy this club because most of the members seem pretty laid back and everyone gets along. I like being part of the club because I can bring some of my trains to the club on Thursday nights for running. I find this very relaxing and an escape from the pressures of running a business.

So how did I decide to start on layout number6? It all started like this. . .

I was with my youngest daughter Megan (eight years old) and she asked me how wood boards are held together. I explained that nails and wood screws are used. She asked me what a screw was. I explained it to her and a light bulb went off in my head. We should work on a layout together because that would be a great way to pass the time during the summer vacation and she could also learn about how to use power tools, construction techniques, etc. I asked Megan if she wanted to work on a train layout and she replied with a very excited, "YES!" Megan has taken an interest in my model trains. She has asked me if she could build a couple freight car kits. We have worked a couple of kits together and she has demonstrated to her third grade class on how to build a kit.

The first thing we had to do was clear out the garage so that could have an area for our model railroad.

I determined that we could have an "L" shaped layout - 5'x12'x5' I taped down the over all dimensions in the garage to determine that there were the proper clearances so that the storage cabinets doors could be opened and easily accessed. Then it was time to get the wood. Megan was at a friends house swimming so I purchased the wood so that we could start building the next day (July 3, 2006).

The bench work is a combined open frame "L" girder with a plywood top. The reason for the plywood top is that we will be using Woodland Scenics foam risers for the subroadbed. The foam subroadbed will rest on the ply wood. I thought this was a good compromise so that Megan and I could more easly get trains up and running (without rushing of course).

After two days of laid back, slow moving and relaxed construction; Megan and
fished the our first section of the bech work. The bench work will be built in three sections.

It has been a good experience for Megan. Working with power tooks and wood is helping her to understand that it is important to focus on the job at hand and to be careful while working with power tools. And it's just plain fun spending time with Megan.

Peace,

Sean, sean@twinimaging.com

7-6-2006