Benchwork - Roadbed
Herniated Dodecagon Helix - Putting It All Together
My previous blog entry described the basic geometry of my recently completed helix, and the process I used to construct the roadbed. That blog ended with a collection of disassembled half-circles of the helix, ready to begin final assembly. This entry will discuss the process I used to actually put that all together.
Building a Christmas Layout/Module/Diorama
What could be more fun to work on during the Thanksgiving Holiday than a Christmas scene, complete with railroad station, church, Christmas tree salesman and a little town, complete with gazebo and town Christmas tree? For a taste of what I mean, check out my last post. That was the former layout that had to be scrapped. But I'm salvaging all that stuff for this new module.
Is 24" Duraflash vinyl flashing still available?
I read the article in MRH from a couple of years ago regarding using vinyl flashing to do coved corners in backdrops. I think that is the way that I would like to go. In that article, the author mentions that he bought a 50' roll of 24" wide Duraflash vinyl product from Home Depot. Checking the HD site today, I see that they only seem to have 14" width rolls. I also Googled my heart out trying to find other sources and other manufacturers and had no luck finding any 24" or even 20" in stock.
1/2 inch or 3/4 inch plywood?
I am still dreaming of my third layout and have pretty much decided on yet another 4x8 (actually a little bit smaller) based on this design:
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Hardboard backdrop around basement concrete walls
I hope this isn't a duplicate -- it seems similar to others I have seen here but not exactly the same. I am building an around-the-walls layout in my basement. I have all of the benchwork in place (L-girder) but nothing in place for backdrops. Fortunately, (?) there is not much scenery or even roadbed in place in most places.
Herniated Dodecagon Helix
The most recently completed helix on my layout was constructed as a "herniated" dodecagon.
Coal Shed
Another project in the works,
A two track coal shed that was in the December 1979 issue of Model Railroader.
I wanted to build a model of this building ever since I first read the article in the summer of 1989.
Foam board
I want to do my layout on a 2" foam base. Just wondering where others have obtained this. I'd prefer to get a 4x8' sheet and cut it down the middle to make 2 8x2 sheets to go in the 2x8 modules that I will be making. I looked on Lowes web sit and they have 1" thick and 1.5" thick. I guess I could get the 1" and glue them together but I don't think that would be ideal.
Doing a Vinyl Valence
Time to do a valence - but traditional masonite construction would be too heavy to try and hang from my drywall ceiling - not to mention awkward to install. So I decided to try vinyl. Turns out, its pretty easy, and allows the valence to easily follow whatever curves your layout has. Click here for details on how to get started - and let me know if you have any helpful tips or suggestions as I proceed!
Chris
Reusing Benchwork
Over a period of about 10 years I was building a layout in New Jersey. It started in one house, and a couple of sections were retained and went into a much bigger version in another house.
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