It’s been a long time since I did any updates on my progress, so I thought I would give a general update on the status of my layout construction. With the warmer weather lawn care and preparations for my first child have taken up a good amount of my free time so there isn’t a lot of tangible progress on the layout, but I have been able to finish a few odds and ends projects in the past few months so I wanted to share my progress and experiences.

I have laid out almost all of my track to date. I still need to lay the track to my industrial power plant (I’ve made some changes to the industries I’ll be building, but the locations and how they will be laid out is basically unchanged) as well as the scrap yard and printing plant. I’m holding off on these until I have the buildings and/or mock ups completed so that everything fits together. Once those are done I will get to laying that track but it’s a pretty minor project I can complete in an afternoon once the backdrop is in place.

I received my Walthers carfloat but I haven’t started constructing it yet. I realized after ordering it that it was designed to mate with their own carfloat apron and even though they re-ran their entire waterfront series, for whatever reason they decided to omit the floatbridge from the re-run. I called Walthers a few months back and they stated they had “no plans” to re-run it at that time. Well, three days later I see they’ve updated their website with a July 21^st release date. As such, I think I’m going to hold off on any construction around my floatbridge until I’m able to get all the models in my hands; the pictures of the models online don’t give me a clear picture of how the different pieces will fit together and I’m not laying track that I will have to rip up later on. 

I’m going to build a mock up of the floatbridge area to test the operational capabilities of my track arrangement, but that will be the last area of the layout to have finished trackwork. To fully test my track plan and run some mock operating sessions, I will put some temporary track in place to simulate the carfloat but will hold off on any permanent construction for the time being.

The continual challenge I’ve been facing has been getting locos to operate smoothly. My prototype inspirationoperated a pair of 44 tonners exclusively and I initially wanted to emulate that with my own layout. I purchased a 44 tonner and found it really susceptible to dirty track and unpowered frogs. I thoroughly cleaned the track and saw some improvements in operation, but the loco still hangs on some frogs. 

I made the serious beginner’s mistake of caulking down my turnouts, as I’m in a spot where getting power to my frogs will be near impossible. I decided to try a 70 tonner as well and see if that improved performance at all, but I still had similar issues. I dreading trying to power the frogs now that the track is laid (and the associated costs of installing switch machines to control polarity) but if I can’t find a workable solution I don’t see any alternative. 

With most of my track already laid, the next major project for me will be construction and installation of a backdrop. I was at the “Grande L’Orange” a few weeks back and saw 2’ x 4’ sections of hardboard on sale for $2.99. That was a price I couldn’t pass up! I bought a whole bunch, enough for me to construct a fascia as well as use for a backdrop. I know that the hardboard is perhaps a little heavy for use as a backdrop, but I thought I would give it a go anyways. I also purchased some lengths of 1x2 to give each section rigidity and to attach the backdrop to the layout where the basement wall isn’t there to provide support.

I also picked up a can of Rustoleum “Wildflower Blue” spray paint that looked like a good blue to simulate a sky. I’ve seen posted around this site several times (mostly by Joe himself) that you should always bring a picture of the color you want to match with you when buying paint so that you are matching color in the same lighting, and this experience really proved this true. Under the store lighting the paint appeared a light blue, but as soon as I got it home the cap appeared a dark blue, almost violet. Undaunted, I tried the color on a single piece of hardboard and let it dry overnight. It looked way too dark and almost cartoonish. As if to add salt to the wound my wife asked if I was attempting to model a railroad right before it was destroyed by a violent storm. I guess if my career as a model railroader never pans out, we can rely on her future in stand up comedy! 

 This image is a great example of why you need to bring a reference photo when buying paints!  The darker blue on the right actaully looked pretty close to the color I ended up with on the left (after returning with a reference photo) when I picked it up at the store under their lighting.  For those who don't already know this, learn from my mistake and bring a picture with you!

I went back to the store, this time armed with a reference photo, and ended up buying a quart of Glidden “Sky Blue”. After two coats, the hardboard looked really good (I'm still going to fade the blue with some rattle can white along the horizon). I connected the first board to my 1x2 framing using a nail gun and finish nails, but for some reason even at 110psi I couldn’t get the nails to recess properly (I can replace this one sheet if it looks really bad once they are all up). Going forward I’m using wood glue to attach the supports to the back of the hard board.    I will install a test section or two on the sides of the layout that are away from the wall this weekend, as I think those will be the hardest ones to get done. Once done and if I’m OK with the appearance then I’ll tackle the sections along the walls that I can simply secure against the cinder block with glue. 

The biggest challenge in constructing my backdrop this way will be blending the edges. I’m guessing the best way will be with spackle. If that’s the case, I need to assemble each backdrop section prior to mounting it on the layout and then paint it in place or somewhere close by in my basement. I totally open to ideas, so if anyone has a suggestions or experience that can help me out here I’d be greatly appreciative. 

I plan on using a mixture of flats and low relief buildings similar to what John Prkye laid out in his book against the hardboard backdrop. I snapped up a whole bunch of Walthers Modulars when they went on sale a few months ago so I will make an effort to build my own flats. The backdrop will also serve as a viewblock to my staging yard; I figured a few strategically placed buildings along the back can give me a good illusion of depth in a relatively shallow area while cutting out the view of the staging tracks that would ruin the scene.

 Apologies for the vacuum cleaner in the shot, I didn't notice it when I took the picture.  This shows the 1x2 bracing I've built for the backdrop that will be located along the exposed side of the layout (i.e. there is no wall behind this side of the layout, just an open room).  The section of hardboard is rigid enough now; I'm just not that sure how many connections I will need to the table below to provide stability.  I have one on each end of this 4 foot section but I suspect I will need to add more once I mount it to the table.

As I mentioned before, it’s been a real challenge to get my 44 and 70 tonners to operate well on my track. I’ve gone and checked my electrical connections and cleaned my track repeatedly but I still have intermittent stuttering of the locomotives and can’t isolate any consistent behaviors that I can point to as being a problem. Sometimes the stall on a frog, the next time they sail through at a crawl without so much as a hesitation. Other times I can’t get the locos to run smoothly through regular track, let alone a turnout or two. 

Additionally, having experienced sound on another layout this has definitely become a “must have” for me. I have no experience with any kind of DCC install myself, so I looked to have someone do the installation. After asking the handful of friends with expertise and some of the more popular online shops that advertise DCC installs I came to the conclusion that the 44/70 tonner was simply too small a fit for a decoder and sound.   Also, since I will be operating a layout with only 1-2 locos at a time, a Soundtraxx system or something like that isn’t financially feasible either. I think the 44 tonner is a dead issue at this point.

As such, I decided to go with a slightly larger locomotive that can accommodate sound. Looking at similar prototypes, an S-1 or SW7 is a very plausible alternative and fits the bill when it comes to sound. I’ve placed an order for that SW7 due to arrive Friday (the undecorated shells are out of stock, but I think a stenciled out NYC might be a more plausible piece of equipment anyways) and am ready to see if it’s able to handle things any better with the longer wheelbases.

That’s the dime store tour for now.   I’m realizing after writing this up I don’t have a ton of progress to share (and not a lot of images...sorry if this is a bit  heavy on the text!) but thanks for reading this far for those who have! I hope to have some pictures in my next update that show some progress. At the very least I’d love to have my backdrop installed and some test ops sessions running! As always, comment and criticisms are welcome!

~Rich