Benchwork - Roadbed
A different kind of interlocking system
Previously I have expressed concern about trains driving into the abyss when my drop bridge wasn't in place. I prefer to have a physical barrier as this will stop a train dead in its tracks (pardon the pun) instead of an electrical solution, as much because I am not much of an electrician as anything else. I expect my kids to be running trains occasionally so child proof is important as well.
Middle school model RR: Workin' on the Railroad
This week half of my students, the eighth graders, were on a trip to Mexico so we conducted a week of special elective courses for the seventh graders. Eight students signed up to spend two days with me making progress on the model railroad.
Bridging the gap
NOTE: If you read the forum thread about this you can skip this blog post as it won't have too much new information.
Over the past couple of weeks I have been mulling over how to cross the doorway to the layout room. I posted a question to the forums about techniques and got some good feedback. I figure I should also add something to the blog about how things are going since this is part of the building progress.
how do you secure Kato track
My club is building an N scale T-Trak modular layout. The Rhode Island & Old Colony RR. I have two modules (boxes) built; BUT, how can I secure the track to the 1/4 inch birch plywood? The plywood is too hard for nails. The only thing I can think of that might work is super glue.
Paint it or leave it?
Ive been thinking about painting the undersides of my upper decks white, both to seal the plywood and also to maybe help with the lighting of the deck below. Good idea or needless extra effort?
thanks
Randy
Dropgate construction suggestions
In the Model Railroad Planning 2015 article on Gary Hoover's new N&W layout there are a few photos and a brief description of how he constructed a drop gate to access part of the layout. It got me to thinking that this type of access might work well on my layout as I have to put a gate across the access door to the layout room. I have gotten underway with some 3/4" plywood for the roadbed and purchased some hinges etc.
Layout Update #5A
The section of the layout that is in the video is where the double track mainline goes in/out of the west helix, the branch line goes in a loop above the west helix, and the town of Michaelson is against two walls. The depth of this section is 30 inches and so I found that it would be easier to remove each module and work on them when I was sitting down as opposed to stretching over them after they are screwed down in place on their support structure.
Help, My Electrical System Refuses to Work
HELP! I have a DIY throttle system on my layout which is made using a Bachmann power pack with Cat 5 wire connecting a SPDT direction switch and a 1K Ohm Potentiometer enclosed in a Radioshack project case. I was running a train on the layout when the loco stalled. I moved it figuring it was a dead spot/ dirty track but the loco refused to move. After a few seconds, the loco would only move at slow speed even when the potentiometer was cranked up to full power.
.jpg)
Size of materials
Not being a carpenter, cabinet maker, or structural engineer, I need some help.
The common wisdom for big layouts in recent years has been a top layer of 3/4" five- to seven-ply board, with a supporting structure of 1x4 equivalents.
My question: We're doing HO. For a shelf layout with spans of no more than 8' in length and 16" in depth, how far can I scale back those material sizes? Will a well-designed 1/4" supporting layer be sufficient? How deep does it need to be? Would a 3/8" top layer be rigid?
>> Posts index
Navigation
Journals/Blogs
Recent Blog posts: