Large Scale Central

SHASTA PACIFIC 3.0

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#381

It’s starting to come together now. Getting the building bases located and secured and hooking up the wiring for the building lighting.

There is room for several more commercial buildings as well as fuel and water tanks but they all have to be designed and built yet. Starting the gravel infill tomorrow that should really improve the overall looks.

A couple of pictures of the current buildings, maybe you have seen these buildings as they came to life at different times over the past year or so.

The church and parsonage and the back of the Fields hotel and Chapel Cafe.

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The maintenance shed, freight transfer shed/dock, Depot and the back of the meat market

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#382

Got the gravel in this morning except in the area where 2 more larger buildings will be going.

Looks way better than black plastic.

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With the buildings back.

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Remember this years MIK. Looks far better with the base all filled in and track ballasted.

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3 Likes
#383

That last pic has Andy Griffith show written all over it!

You got Goobers Garage and Cousin Gomers barracks in the background but you need Andy and Barn cause you got a dawg gone sniper climin that there ladder.

Now dang gummit Dawg gone Hal Smith passed away.

However if your looking for a fill in you could always consider a guy a know named Fred that is still alive, upright and taking in nuruishmant .

#384

After reading this thread from the beginning (again) I want to see a photo next fall/winter of your layout with nothing on it AND a picture of your interior building storage!

Rick, your build thread is motivating me to not give up on my layout after feeling disappointed after a major mistake (and one that you warned me about).

#385

Hmmm, that’s two breadcrumbs you’ve dropped now Craig. Are you gonna fess up?

Cheers
N

1 Like
#386

Maybe after it’s back to normal… :grimacing::roll_eyes:

The last hint is my two school age children learned the history about a famous local bridge a few months back and my middle child was trying to give Dad a laugh by using his learned knowledge.

#387

Craig,
Recognized mistakes are just an opportunity to stop and say “well s–t” then dive back in with the new knowledge and try it again :smiley:

2 Likes
#388

We got the lights hooked up and checked out at Fields Landing today. Everything went great after i spent 2 hours hunting a dead short. Finally located it under the cement board platform for Humboldt Oil, The staple gun was a little too aggressive and cut into the wire insulation causing the short. I usually check these fasteners as I go but must have gotten in a hurry when I wired that area, oh well all is cool now.

We snapped a few pictures this evening before dark to see how things looked.

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And one at the mill just because.

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7 Likes
#389

Rick,

How are you powering your lights?

Are you running lighting off track power or you run a main cable down the sides and tap into that, or are you underneath the layout for your lighting connections?

#390

Bill,
I use 12 volt AC transformers for power it works well with bulbs and LED’s
I run bare 20 gauge copper wire buss bars under the tables and solder my building lighting drops to them.
Each drop has a plug assembly so the buildings can be easily removed.

#391

Man don’t you hate the type of people that touch anything and it turns into gold… Rick stop your making all of us look bad … :smirk:

1 Like
#392

I’ve probably asked this before, and you almost answered above; Are you using LEDs or bulbs for your lighting? The color temps you have chosen are perfect.

The reason I ask is that I have tried both, and found the miniature bulbs burn out too fast. Since mine is lit 365 nights/year from dusk until dawn, it puts a lot of hours on the bulbs.

@Hines My RR was originally track power so all the rail joints pass power. When I cut the cord and went all battery/r-c I kept the track power wiring in place. When I started lighting buildings it made sense to use the track as a power buss. It is now fed by a 12V LED power supply (surplus from an old sign) on a timer. At each building I use rail clamps to grab power from the rails. Like Rick, I have plugs at every building location for easy removal.

Lighting your buildings adds a lot of enjoyment even when trains are not running. I love to look out the windows at night and see my RR buildings lit up.

#393

Jon,
I use bulbs and LED’s depending, Usually bulbs where exposed to sight and LED’s for interior “flood” lighting. My lighting is actually used very little, just a few hours in the evenings when we are running. We have thought of putting them on a timer but doesn’t seem worth the effort at this time.

Some of the building lights are in series or parallel depending on the intensity I am after. The next lighting project is going to have to be some solar walkway lighting so I quite tripping over everything :smiley:

#394

#395

Rick,

Had to google Shasta Pacific to see the prototype railroad. Apparently, it’s you.

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However, I found your railway (the diesel era 4.0?) and Shasta soft drinks have both now debuted in Australia. Hope you’re getting royalties.

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debuted… not the way I thought it would be spelt.

#396

Bill,
I have met the fella that models the Shasta Pacific in HO scale, your pictures, he and I have had a couple of discussions about who originated the name. Like I finally told him both words were in common use long before he or I came along and since we are in different scales and eras I didn’t care who used the words on a model railroad first.

As for Shasta Soda, that has been around for as long as I can remember and is still getting a share of the market, at least in the PNW area. Their old advertising slogan is still remembered around here.
“It Hasta be Shasta”

1 Like
#397

Just wondering how far apart you’ve put hold down washers Rick, and does the track lift in between them?

About to start ‘permanent’ track fixing and pondering options. I want some ballast for the look, but I don’t want it to lift the track with expansion/contraction cycles. Seems like more fixings solves that, but restricts thermal movement.

Cheers
N

#398

Neil,
As you have probably noticed I use fender washers and screws to hold the track in location. These are spaced 3-4 feet apart and are fastened loosely to let the track float freely. The track/rails will move from heat expansion no matter what. If they can’t move lengthwise or sidewise they will lift up and pull the rails out of the tie clips. Yes, the heat expansion will lift the track out of the ballast in some locations and it has to be removed and reset each year, this is called maintenance.

I have found that having the “landscape” level with the top of the ties seems to solve a lot of problems caused by having the track ballasted above the surrounding landscape.

Hope some of that made sense.

1 Like
#399

Thanks Rick,

Just about what I figured, needed to check in to see if you had worked out some magic dust in the mix some where… :grin:

Cheers
N

#400

about expanding and retracting track i found the secret by accident.
( found a vast amount of playmo/LGB R1 curves at 1$US per foot)
the rebent or straightened one-foot pieces i nailed down with one nail per foot at medium temperatures with gaps of about 1.5mm.
temperature differences are up to a max of about 40°centigrade.
by accident the gaps were just as wide, as a foot of brass expands