New HO layout - name tbc

[jhock]

Hi all,

 

 

 

This is the start of my new HO layout, it is a very simple inglenook design 7 feet long by 1 foot wide plus a fiddle yard of single track abut 3 feet long.

 

It lives in my living room hence the dimensions.

 

The setting is the present day some where on the East Coast of the US.

 

The plan is to have a large where house along the rear track with 5 car spots to make switching interesting and the front track will be a transload track mainly for steel rebar and lumber. Most of this track and the middle track will be set in concrete to allow forklifts access to both sides of the lumbers cars.

 

 

I have used the foam so I can cut below the track bed, I want to put in a small culvert just past the first switch.

[dave_long]

You've made a very neat edge to that foam board. Did you use a hot wire?

 

Regards

[jhock]

You've made a very neat edge to that foam board. Did you use a hot wire?

Regards

Hi,

 

That's the uncut edge of the foam, so I cheated a bit. The other edges are quite good, I used a fine cut blade on a jig saw.

[jhock]

No pictures to post as yet, I still need to retrieve my tripod from my cousin.

 

Some progress has been made, the track is now painted and bumper stops have been added to track.

 

I have purchased the sheet material to make the back scene, just need a dry day at the weekend to cut it outside, not much hope of that in the UK at present!

 

I have also made a couple trucks to add to the lumber yard scene.

 

Next job will be the concrete for the lumber yard area,  I have some Smooth-it so I am going to use that.

 

The big job to come is building the ware house along the back scene,  as it will be about 5 feet in length I want ensure it is interesting to look at, so I am thinking about an older 'core' building with a modern extension.

 

Here are the trucks for the lumber yard:

 

 

Both have quite a lot of work in them, the trucks are bit of secondary hobby if I am honest, enjoy making them.

[jhock]

The next step was to add the concrete area for the lumber yard, for this I used smooth it, never used it before and learnt some valuable lessons:

 

1. Instructional videos should be watched prior to doing something you have not done before!

2. Foam track bed is not a 'hard surface'

3. It's not failure it's a learning experience...

 

 

 

As a result:

 

 

Now do, I try again with smooth it or try another method?

 

I think the problem is that as I was at the edge of the layout I need to shutter up at front so there was a former for the smooth it, at the edges I had used plastic l shaped strip, which worked well but at the front I used card, this did not work. Maybe I was trying to bigger area?

[jhock]

Ok so here is the next attempt at the concrete, this just a sample to test the method:

 

 

This time I built the area upt to just below the track level, I then used the grout to cover the area and painted with the Woodland scenics top coat concrete, I think it worked OK, opinions welcome.

[clark33]

 

Jhock, I built in a half inch edge when constructing my modules. In UK I’d seen the occasional plunge to floor of a very expensive brass loco. Here’s some snap-shots:.

• Modules are 4 by 2 foot, use quarter inch ply, except ends of half inch. The weight of less than 5 kgs enables me to work on wiring underneath whilst it’s on my knee in my wheel-chair. Here in the tropics, no insulating foam.
• Track is Peco Streamline code 83 on cork strips. Cut from local 3 by 2 foot sheets.
• Bare ply is painted dark red to emulate exposed Carolina soil/loam. I’m blessed with an assistant, previously  a cell-phone repair techie who understands small electro-mechanical assemblies.

Phil

[jhock]

Thanks Phil,

 

That's on the 'to do' list, especially as the layout is in the living room (we live in a very small flat) so I want to make it look as neat as possible. Good point about protecting the stock, even my Athearn ready to roll stuff is expensive enough now a days!

 

I have not done it yet as am going to add some scenery below the track level, a small culvert near one of the switches, hence why I used the foam so as could do this. Once that is done I will add the frontage cut around the scenery.

[jhock]

Take two...

 

 

 

The camera is quite unkind, the imperfections are very small and I hoping they sand out when it is all dry.

 

The colour is not the final colour, I added some dark grey paint to the grout in case it chips in the future, I will use the Woodland scenics concrete top coat to finish it when it is dry and sanded.

[jhock]

Work continues on the lumber yard, I have now painted the grout with WS topcoat concrete and I have started to add the expansion joints to the concrete.

 

 

These are only in pencil at present, once I am happy I will go over them in black marker. Not sure how the expansion joints should work, these are spaced at 25 scale feet intervals, once this done I wash the whole area with Sepia wash and exaggerate some of the cracks in the grout.

 

Not being from the US I would appreciate some input as to if this realistic for a concrete yard area?

[Adrian Wintle]

Not being from the US I would appreciate some input as to if this realistic for a concrete yard area?

We don't have much in the way of concrete for small yards around here (it doesn't like the freeze-thaw cycles) - asphalt if anything, so no expansion joints.

 

Even this one http://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&ll=36.849307,-76.322553&spn=0.004948,0.005177&t=h&z=18 in Portsmouth, VA appears to be asphalt.

 

This one http://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&ll=32.092504,-81.107788&spn=0.002619,0.002588&t=h&z=19 in Savannah, GA is definitely asphalt - you can see where the container stacks have made an impression.

 

I'm sure someone will come up with an exception, though...

 

Adrian

[jhock]

Thanks for the links Adrian,

 

You raise a good point that most yards do seem to be Asphalt/Tarmac rather than concrete.

 

That would not be a huge problem as I could just repaint with the asphalt topcoat, I will have to have a think about it.

[jhock]

Work in the concrete continues, I seem to be quite fussy about this, but it is a large part of the layout and I want it to look good.

 

 

I have washed the concrete to give it a an older look and added more expansion joints as they where to far part before. The front of the layout will be getting an edge added which will tidy it up.

[Adrian Wintle]

In my quest for concrete, I found this interesting setup in Miami. Still asphalt, and not really appropriate for something as small as your yard, but an auto loading/unloading ramp right next door to a pair of intermodal tracks serviced by Mi-Jack or similar container cranes (Walthers does kits in N and HO).

 

http://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&ll=25.830833,-80.30806&spn=0.002783,0.002588&t=h&z=19

 

Adrian

[Adrian Wintle]

A kalmar Stacker would fit in that area

 

Yes, a Kalmar or similar would be more appropriate to jhock's setup. It isn't really big enough for a Mi-Jack.

 

Adrian

[shortliner]

Sorry - I succesfully managed to delete the post that Adrian quoted, whilst trying to post this. It is where the Tesco train containers are unloaded by two Kalmar Stackers (or similar) at Inverness onto a CONCRETE pad - lets hope this second try works

 

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=British+Rail+Station,+Station+Square,+Academy+St,+Inverness,+Highland+IV1+1LE,+United+Kingdom&hl=en&ll=57.482716,-4.219404&spn=0.002088,0.006502&sll=57.746995,-4.687341&sspn=4.245763,13.31543&t=h&geocode=FfoRbQMdOIu__w&hnear=British+Rail+Station,+Station+Square,+Academy+St,+Inverness+IV1+1LE,+United+Kingdom&z=17

 

EDIT1 :-Success!

EDIT2 :- Bing Birdseye only shows the same picture.