First removable LED lighting panels completed

The first three removable LED lighting panels have been completed.  These will be for the upper return loop section with the LED's lighting the Wesso section underneath it.

These are made from 1/4 inch thick plywood with the exposed side being painted with the off white color of the train room trim so as to be more reflective.

This photo shows the smallest of the three panels leaning up against one of my module boxes with some of the details pointed out.

These panels will be held in place by inserting the tongue part in the back then tightening two or three 8-32 thumbscrews into tee nuts that will be part of the module.

The tee nuts and thumbscrews are shown here.  I bought 100 pairs so they will be handy for some other projects I have in mind.

Each of the panels has it's wiring on the back side with an Anderson Power Pole plug that will be used to connect to the 12 volt DC bus on the bench work.

Here is the largest of the 3 panels that will go under the upper return loop section.  This one also has the most LED panels on it.  I have placed these along what will be the front edge and at a slight angle inward toward the back of the module.

The plan now is for there to be removable lighting  panels similar to these under the Carlin section to light the staging yard, and under any section that is over the work benches.

Next step is to get the return loop section mounted so these panels can be installed and the effects of the lighting tested.

First photographic backdrops have arrived

The first 4 photographic backdrops have arrived.  One of these is shown in this photo temporarily set up behind the test layout above the work bench to see how it looks.

These are from Backdrop Junction.  I have two pairs of 6 ft long backdrops that are 14 inches high.  There are two different scenes that connect together and with another two that are the same scenes reversed I will be able to get 24 ft of continuous scene.  First got to get up some more panel.

Preparing for photographic backdrops

It is usually best to finish the backdrop before installing the bench work that is going to be in front of it.   Now that the Wesso and Golconda sections progressing nicely,  I need to install a hard, smooth paneling that will curve around the inside corners of the walls that I can then install a photo backdrop on.

Many people use Masonite but I have been using fiberglass reinforced plastic wall paneling.  It is bumpy on the finished side and smooth on the back side so I use it back side out.  This paneling had worked very well on my old layout for 11 years as mentioned in the December 2013 post Lessons learned from the old layout.  For me the advantages of this type of paneling are the thinness and the greater flexibility when rounding a corner.

This photo shows both sides of this type of paneling.  It comes in a 4 x 8 ft sheet and I cut it lengthwise to get three 16 inch x 8 ft strips.  I have cut this both on my table saw with a fine tooth blade and by the scribe and snap method.

Attachment is done with 1 inch nails on the top and bottom at each wall stud.  I tried using finishing nails but the heads of the nails tended to break through the panels so I now use 1 inch nails with a flat head.
At the seams I splice the sides of the panels facing the wall with .020 styrene.

The corners on this layout will be curved and the first one is going to be behind the dry creek scene on the Wesso section.

This photo shows that area and how I have placed the seam between two sections of panel to one side.  The first two panels were from the old layout and had been painted blue.  A notch has been cut out right at the corner so the panel could go over the bench work.


The nails and seams are then smoothed out with Spackle and then a coat of primer will put on to seal everything.  With at least some of the panels now ready I have ordered 24 ft of photo backdrop.

East end return loop bench work

The east end of the layout is to have a return loop that will be above the Wesso section.  The Wesso section has been completed for some time but I do not want to install it until I have built and installed the end loop section that will be above it and also some of the back drops that will be behind the Wesso section.

So while I have been working on the Gloconda section in the train room I have also started bench work for the end loop out in the driveway as the weather has been nice lately.  In this photo the path of the end loop and a possible passing siding has been mocked up with Kato Unitrack.

Here is another view of this section with the bottom up.  The frame of this section is only 2 - 1/2 inches thick and will have removable panels on the bottom that will have LED light panels attached to them. This view shows one panel on and one off.

The panels will be secured all along the back by sliding a tab that runs along the back edge of the panel under a strip that is permanently attached along the bottom of the back edge of the section.  A pair of screws near the front edge of the panel will then hold the panel in place.

The end loop section of the layout will be supported by attachment to the walls and also by at least one bracket from above.  Near the center of this photo can be seen an extra support and mounting hole for one of those brackets.

There are several support frames within the end loop section.  Holes were made in these to run wiring for the track and notches were made so that the LED light wiring that will be on the panel will not be pinched when the panel is installed.





This east end return loop will be connected to another helix that will carry the tracks down to the Carlin section.  With so much track length being within the helix I am considering using some sort of serial staging for the east end of the layout.

Land forms for the Golconda section

After finishing the basic bench work I used a similar method as I had done on the Wesso section to create the contours of the land.  Insulation board was cut and shaped with a inexpensive steak knife to get the basic shapes I wanted.  This time I decided to place a layer of plaster cloth over the shaped insulation board to further refine the shapes.  This will later be followed up with a brushed on wet coat of sheet rock mud.

The bridge abutments were cut from 1/4 inch plastic and after fitting them into the correct positions were attached with Liquid Nails adhesive.  The masking tape is to protect them from getting any plaster or sheet rock mud on them.

Bench work for the Golconda section

Back in the July post First crossing of the Humboldt River I described the scene I wanted to create for the next section of the layout and had a good start on a pair of bridges.  At that time I had named it the Golconda section as that is the name of the location where this scene is located.

Here is a photo of this section right now with the bench work completed. Because it is quite a bit smaller than the Wesso and staging yard sections I was able to build it entirely from scraps left over from those.  The deck is from scraps of 1/4 inch plywood with the middle section set lower for the river.


This section will be an anchoring point with a sturdy metal bracket similar to those used on the staging yard on each end.  The Paint booth will fit between the bracket and under this layout section.

Two year anniversary for the layout

It was around this time two years ago that I started work on this layout.  One year ago I marked the first anniversary by noting what had been accomplished up to that point and and making goals for the next year.   Looking back now I am actually pleased with the progress, here is a brief review of the goals I set out for myself one year ago and their current status.

• Complete lower helix - Done !
• Bench work for Wesso and Carlin sections - Done !
• Start some code 55 track - Yes, on the Wesso section.
• Start some scenery - Yes, on the Wesso section.

So here is what I hope to accomplish on the layout over the next 12 months.

• Complete the 3 ft Gloconda section including scenery with the bridges crossing the river.
• Build and install the upper return loop section that goes above the Wesso section.
• Install LED lighting under the upper return loop that will light the Wesso section
• Permanently install the Wesso and Gloconda sections after installing photographic backdrops.
• Add the bottom panels with LED lighting to the Carlin section so the staging yard will be lighted.
• Build a temporary return loop section that can be moved as the layout progresses allowing running on the completed sections.
• Start bench work on the section that will come after the section with the bridges.

I made up this drawing to show how the different sections relate to each other.  Right now all of the work is going on at one end of the layout room.  The plan is that as the layout is extended around the room the section labeled "Gloconda" will eventually connect to the section labeled "Carlin".

Most of what is shown here are the parts of the layout that will be double decked with most of the rest of the layout being single deck.

This should keep me busy for the next 12 months.

On the road again - Scranton, PA

On the last full day of our recent trip to the east coast we drove from Sayre, PA to Mount Laurel, NJ and had enough time to make a short visit to the Steamtown National Historical Site in Scranton, PA.  The site is in downtown Scranton and was originally owned by the Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western Railroad which was most commonly known as the Lackawanna.

The focal point of the historic site is the round house.  Most of the round house has been converted to museum displays while several bays remain as a working repair and restoration facility.

We were there on a Monday and it was fairly quiet.  I understand that on the weekends there are back shop tours and excursions available.

The 90 ft turntable is still in use to move equipment in and out of the roundhouse bays used for repair and restoration.

Within the area around the turntable are parked several locomotives and rolling stock such as this Eire Lackawanna caboose.

The Eire Lackawanna was created in 1960 by the merger of the Eire with the Lackawanna.

There are a number of interpretive displays to explain in detail how a steam locomotive works including this actual locomotive with many cut away sections so the visitors can see what is inside.

Visitors are able to view the part of the working part of the roundhouse from elevated walkways.  I thought they really did a great job of utilizing the round house space and that the different types of areas tied in really well together.

While the exit was well marked on the highway, once we got into downtown Scranton we had trouble figuring out exactly where the entrance to the site was.

I have marked up a Googlemaps screen shot showing the entrance from Lakawanna Ave. marked with a red arrow.





There is so much to see I could have easily spent the whole day there and really hope to be able to do that some day.  It is well worth the stop even if you only have a couple of hours like I did.

On the road again - New Hope, PA

During the last part of September and the beginning of October Nona and I took a trip to visit family to the northeastern US.  There were a couple of opportunities during this trip to do railroad type things.

The New Hope and Ivyland Railroad is a short line running on part of the former Reading Railroad Bethlehem branch through Bucks County Pennsylvania north of Philadelphia.  

This is a working freight railroad which also operates as a heritage railroad and offers passenger excursions.

This is the station in New Hope, Pennsylvania.

The New Hope and Ivywood railroad has a variety of steam and diesel locomotives on their roster.  This one looks like it could have come from the Canadian Pacific but I could not find any reference to this number so it may be an more recent acquisition.

Our train was pulled by this C30-7 which had previously owned by the Seaboard and then the CSX.   It has been fully repainted in the New Hope and Ivyland's paint scheme.

At the New Hope station they use a freight height platform which made boarding easy.

The New Hope and Ivyland has been operating passenger excursions since 1966 and our Philadelphia area cousins had been on this train before.   They thought we would also enjoy it and they were right.

Here is an interior shot of the car we were riding in which included a bar.  The six of us had the car to ourselves.

Here is Nona enjoying the train ride through the countryside.  It was an enjoyable day during which we also explored the towns of New Hope, PA and Lambertville, NJ which are on opposite sides of the Delaware River from each other.

Here is a link to the New Hope and Ivyland RR website.