Large Scale Central

What's working for you?

General Discussion
#1

How is your railway, loop or train(s) doing?

Any new surprises or lessons learned that you might share with others?

Any questions on problems you may be having? (Tons of experience on this site to help & give advice)

Personally all of my projects are caught up. I’m waiting on some parts I needed from LGBoA. I was notified that they were shipped yesterday, so that relieves any immediate concern that I had there.

Well if’n ya gots the time, stop and chat a spell or not your choice…don’t nary mind ta me either way.

Gonna mosey along now…Giddy Up, Mule

See Ya

The Lone Railroader

#2

Well, right now it’s in the middle of Construction phase No.3. Adding the spur up to the mine area next to the garage window which will also be an interchange . The track will enter the garage at this point which will hold the fiddle yard and/or the storage tracks. I’m attempting Bruce Chandlers method of constructing roadbed on this section as it has about a 2-3% grade to climb.(http://www.largescalecentral.com/LSCForums/viewtopic.php?id=6204). It’s not the TufBoard stuff he was using but it’s similar. 1x2 plastic composite stuff called Never-rot that I found at Home Depot. 12’ section goes for about $11. We’ll see how this goes.

#3

My kitbashing projects are moving right along!

Waiting for more supplies.

#4

On the indoor end of the layout I recently finished a hinged lift & fold over bridge to replace a lift-out bridge that was a real pain to move. I’m getting to old for duck-unders so the hinge bridge makes operating much more enjoyable and far less painful. I say finished, but when I test ran my Connie across it, the rods bumped on the top of the hinge. I’m going to have to recess the hinges into the bridge top. Not something I’m familiar with doing, so I’m not looking forward to it. I don’t want to screw it up because it lifts and folds very nicely and the track joints are almost perfect. I was going to post a thread on it, but haven’t taken any pictures yet. The basic design is the same as one I built on the balloon track early last spring, except the new one is straight and made out of solid boards, not plywood deck on a frame like this one…

JR

#5

Um, I’m still dismantling the old pike (drat that darn “d” word)…I’m gonna hafta build my new “garden” empire on the diningroom table in my WONDERFUL (cough, cough) new 2nd floor apartment (really noplace else to put it). I’ve got the track plan and general layout already in my head, but I’m probably gonna need a bunch more potted plants or it won’t be much of a garden, will it? Anybody got some spare houseplants, cheap?

What’s actually WORKING for me? …well the venerable LGB 2017 and Lehmann Toytrain 4 wheel shorty cars will look and run OK on the R-1 curves (all I can fit), and I think I can salvage and re-use most of the buildings, if I don’t run outta space first (I took some of those cheapy Piko/Lehmann “Wild West” buildings and gabled the false fronts and painted them in drab-er colors to look more like worker’s cottages in a Western Pa. coal company town). The $10 used Aristo/Crest power pack (from a set) is more than adequate for my miniscule pike, and I still even get momentum. The old LGB loco & power tender doesn’t seem to notice (so far) that it’s been getting PWC instead of regular DC…possibly because there isn’t a sound card innit.

That’s about it, although I might have TIME to do something with the trains once I actually get all moved in (out?). Something I really haven’t had in years because of all the “honey-dos”

#6

I’m in the process of general site prep right now. The mainline is all laid out with fluorescent paint, but as I run over it with the bobcat, it gets churned up, so I’m constantly pounding in locator sticks.
I’m digging in the boulders with the bob.
Tomorrow I will set some concrete bridge abutments. (Once I get a laser lever and find my elevation)
Then I will call Dan in Phoenix and get some bridges ordered. I need two 8’ curved decks, and a couple of straight trusses. I can’t decide if I want a curved chord truss or a straight truss.
I will also have two short “trestles” made of square bar instead of wood, and painted to look like creosoted wood.
There will not be any tunnels, per se, but I will have a track going thru a 4’ diameter stump, and I’m also going to have three big rocks placed like a “Stonehenge” monument, and the train will go thru this.
Since I already have a big water feature/gold fish pond with a creek in another location in my yard, there won’t be any feature in the layout. Mebbe a dry wash.
And I have to run some wiring in conduit from the basement to the layout. I already have all the parts. Just gotta do it.
jb

#7
Jon Radder said:
On the indoor end of the layout I recently finished a hinged lift & fold over bridge to replace a lift-out bridge that was a real pain to move. I'm getting to old for duck-unders so the hinge bridge makes operating much more enjoyable and far less painful.

I say finished, but when I test ran my Connie across it, the rods bumped on the top of the hinge. I’m going to have to recess the hinges into the bridge top. …
JR


I built a hinged bridge for much the same reason as you, and ran into the same problem with things catching on the hinge barrels. You cannot easily lower the strap hinges below the rail top because you’ll run into a bit of trouble with getting things to fold right. (You can cut the rails at an angle at the fold line).
In the end I moved the strap hinges farther apart, and I’ve since built a replacement bridge of different design because of other problems with the original structure.

#8

What have I learned?

Well, first I learned to write down everything I learned by reading forums before I built anything. I have actually put almost all of it in my web site www.elmassian.com and am putting everything there from now on.

My initial plan was to read every forum I could get my hands on and ask a lot of questions. That was one of the best things I did.

Another was using track planning software, I have a small yard, and knew (from reading forums) to try for the largest radius I could. The results are that all my locos run on all my track and switches, including mallet, mikado, USAT passenger, Aristo heavyweights.

Another thing was write down the pro’s and cons of track vs battery, and brass vs stainless vs nickle silver. Once I wrote down what my goals were, it was easy to make the right decision. 9 Years later, it’s still the right decision.

Lastly, keep hat size small. That is, I learn something every day, by asking questions, reading experiences of others, and engaging in fun conversations on the forums.

Regards, Greg

#9
Jon Radder said:
..................................

I say finished, but when I test ran my Connie across it, the rods bumped on the top of the hinge. I’m going to have to recess the hinges into the bridge top. Not something I’m familiar with doing, so I’m not looking forward to it. I don’t want to screw it up because it lifts and folds very nicely and the track joints are almost perfect.

…

JR


Jon,

How about mounting the hinges left and right of the board? :wink:

#10

Well, I’m just finishing up three new trestles. Two short ones crossing a small canyon, and a larger hillside trestle that is six feet long and curved. These trestles (especially the big one) needed to be completed before I could progress with layout out the west end of the railroad.

At the west end, the two tracks from the top level have to curved around and connect to the mid-level track. As it does, it must pass over the loop marking the end of the line on the lower level.

I decided that the lower level loop needed to be wider than originally planned so I’m building a rock wall in front of the concrete retaining wall. This will extend the area available for the loop. Then I need to cut into the hill a bit more for the tunnel portion of the loop. Once the loop track is laid and the tunnel constructed, then I can build the mountain on top of it, and work on positioning the mid-to-upper level tracks. These will require more tunnels and bridges/trestles. Some of the tunnels will be long enough to require access hatches. Some of these access hatches will double as steps on the footpath serving the upper level.

The entire west end is the most complex part of the layout, in terms of logistics. I.E., trying to fit everything in, making sure there is sufficient access both above and below ground, etc.

Meanwhile, I’m also planning to finish construction of my water tower model. I built the foundations and wooden support structure earlier in the year. I needed a 7" wide by 10" long aluminum tube to make the “steel” tank, and recently ordered it. It should be arriving here tomorrow. This water tower is a scale model of the one at Dos Cabesas siding in the Anza-Borrego desert, along the old San Diego & Arizona line.

#11

For me, this summer has been a wash as far as the RR is concerned. The new addition is taking up all my free time, though I do have a bunch of PT cut for various curves and such. I’ll probably assemble that this fall, and maybe get it under some track before the ground freezes solid and snow flies. Other than that, this winter will be taken up with getting the shop in order, and resuming projects. I’ve already told the CFO that next year is train year.

#12

Jon ,
Are they the type of hinge that you can mount the other way up ? If not , it may be worth looking at the type , they are made not to stick out .
In other words , hinge pin downwards (in your case ) and the hinge plates joggled to allow flushclosing . I have to assume that the hinges on the top in your photo are the ones attempting expensive damage to valve gear .
Mike

#13
Bob McCown said:
For me, this summer has been a wash as far as the RR is concerned. The new addition is taking up all my free time, though I do have a bunch of PT cut for various curves and such. I'll probably assemble that this fall, and maybe get it under some track before the ground freezes solid and snow flies. Other than that, this winter will be taken up with getting the shop in order, and resuming projects. I've already told the CFO that next year is train year.
Hi Bob, ;)

What did your CFO say to that? :wink:

My CFO is very interested to get more of the railway up and running, she belongs to two garden clubs and that may have something to do with it. :wink:

#14

My summer plans were cancelled in April :stuck_out_tongue:

#15

Seems my photos confused my statements. Not unusual for me :slight_smile: They are not of the bridge that I have problems with.

The photos are of my curved bridge, built last spring. The Connie fits through that one just fine. I was careful to use a 1:20.3 clearance gauge (in the background of the photo) to design the bridge and place the hinges.

I wasn’t so smart when I built the latest bridge two weeks ago. I made the bridge quite narrow and and set the hinges about 1/4 inch too close to the track to clear the rods on the Connie. I’m less than an 1/8 inch too high and my hinge point is probably close to 1/4 inch above the rail head, so I can go lower without screwing up the pivot point at the rail head.

There are several optional solutions as you kind gentlemen have pointed out…

A - I can make the bridge at the hinge point wider, then move the hinge outside of the clearance window. Not my favorite solution because this new bridge has very clean lines.

B - I could flip the hinges over, putting the barrel below the surface. This will require minimal woodworking that is within my skill set. Only problem being that the hinge is designed for flat head screws on the barrel side only. I’d need to change to round heads.

C - My idea of chiseling, grinding or otherwise cutting the wood in the outline of the hinge so I can bring the hinge down flush with the wood surface. This will give enough clearance, but is not something I have tools or skills to do easily.

Both B and C would be problematic if my hinge point were exactly at the railhead. Fortunately my design was not that close and I can move the hinge point lower without causing the track to bind at the fold.

This concept of putting the hinge point at the railhead was a very difficult one for me to grasp. I just don’t see things like that without use of graphic aids. For me, drawing the deck, ties and rail in Viso, then using the Rotate function allowed me to see the issue and experiment with different hinge point (rotation center)locations.

Thanks for the input folks!

JR

#16

Things were going fine until I completed the circuit - now I can’t get anything done for these trains passing by all the time…!!!

#17

Well, in addition to redoing my layout, I’m building a bridge and trestle.

I really enjoyed the bridge - I was tempted to not use glue as the tension rods really hold things together nicely. I’m waiting on these before I continue building my loop, as they are an integral part. I still have to spike the rails and then apply some stain before I can put them outside.

#18

…and then there’s my next project…

#19

Bruce Chandler said:
…and then there’s my next project…

Bruce A nice cantilever bridge project possibily for a turntable maybe? The Manual “Armstrong” Lever leaves that assumption. The Lone Railroader

#20
Jon Radder said:
On the indoor end of the layout I recently finished a hinged lift & fold over bridge to replace a lift-out bridge that was a real pain to move. I'm getting to old for duck-unders so the hinge bridge makes operating much more enjoyable and far less painful.

I say finished, but when I test ran my Connie across it, the rods bumped on the top of the hinge. I’m going to have to recess the hinges into the bridge top. Not something I’m familiar with doing, so I’m not looking forward to it. I don’t want to screw it up because it lifts and folds very nicely and the track joints are almost perfect.

I was going to post a thread on it, but haven’t taken any pictures yet. The basic design is the same as one I built on the balloon track early last spring, except the new one is straight and made out of solid boards, not plywood deck on a frame like this one…

JR


JR

What about a motorized Bascule Bridge? One end will hinge up for a passage way.

The Lone Railroader