First crossing of the Humboldt River

As mentioned in previous posts both rail lines cross the winding Humboldt river many times between Winnemucca and Carlin, Nevada.  In some places only one line crosses the river and in others both lines.  The first full crossing of the river going east from Winnemucca is just east of Golconda.

This shot of the actual location is from Bingmaps Bird's Eye View and is looking toward the south so the orientation is the same as the layout.  The WP line is in the foreground crossing the through truss bridge and the SP in the background crossing the ballasted concrete deck bridge.

I found this nice shot on the internet.  This location is actually a bit east of my modeled area but is typical of the types of bridges used and of the spacing between the lines.

In full size this photo shows great detail of the concrete bridge and I am using it as a reference to scratch built a model of it.


I had considered using the BLMA segmented concrete bridge kit but it only has 3 pilings per bent and this prototype has 6 so I am scratch building this one.  A couple of years ago I scratch built 3 similar type bridges for one of my Ntrak modules.  Those bridges were based on parts from a Tomix kit and were not intended to be of any specific prototype but some of the techniques learned on those will be applied to this bridge.

Here is my start on the segmented concrete bridge using some 1/8" thick clear acyrilic and some 1/4" plastic materials as a core and then adding the more features with Evergreen strip polystyrene materials.

To model the through truss bridge I am building another Central Valley Model Works kit which I have shortened from 4 sections to 3 to match the prototype.  I already have two of these I've done for the Palisades area of the layout.





This scene will be on the next module which is going to be called the Golconda module.  It will be a small module only about 3 ft in length and will be above the paint booth.

Controls for Wesso's double crossovers

Over the past couple of weeks I've been installing the turnout motors and controls.  For the interchange at Wesso there are three different possible routes.  The three drawings below illustrate the three conditions.  The SP traffic is shown in red and the WP traffic is shown in orange.

All turnouts aligned for SP westbound and WP eastbound.

East crossover diverging and west crossover aligned for westbound joint line to WP shown in orange.  SP trains hold at western approach.

West crossover diverging and east crossover aligned for SP to eastbound joint line.  WP trains to hold at western approach.

Looking at these drawings I realized that the turnouts could be operated in pairs and only require two control outputs.  I wanted to use push buttons this time and wanted an indication of which of the three conditions was active.

The control panel I came up with uses the same method used for the staging yard control panels but with simple graphics instead of a track diagram. This will have a more finished look to it once the fascia board is installed.

My push buttons are only Single Pole Single Throw (SPST) so I needed to build a small circuit for Double Pole Double Throw (DPDT) relays and for logic to control the LED's on the panel.  I used an old ribbon cable for a floppy drive to connect the board to a terminal strip which then connects to the panel.

Here's a closer view of the circuit I made and the DS64.   Only two outputs and 3 inputs of the DS64 is being used but I may use the remaining inputs and outputs to control turnouts on the eastern staging yard that will be directly above this module.

Again I am doing all the wiring before installing the module into the layout.  Here is the module laying on it's back where I can sit on a stool to comfortably do the work.  Temporary connections are made to power supplies and Loconet.

I have been marking my Tortoise motors with a "C" for closed and "T" for thrown as shown in this photo.  This helps when you can't easily see the turnouts to determine position while working on the controls.

Trying out a new ballasting technique

With the track on the Wesso module all done and tested it was time for ballast.  I plan to finish the module as much as possible up to about 6 inches of the ends before installing it permanently in place on the layout.

I normally like to use HO ballast for track to have a contrast of texture with the N scale ballast I use for such things as gravel roads.

For this layout I have selected the Arizona Rock & Mineral products shown in this photo.  The eastbound and westbound lines will use different color ballast representing two different railroads.

On the back of the labels on the bags of ballast it was suggested that first placing black cinder ballast along the lower edges would result in a more realistic looking roadbed.  I used N scale black cinder for this part.  This photo shows a section of track with only that ballast applied along the edges.

Before starting the ballast on the layout I had tried out this technique on a diorama. A section of the finished track on the diorama is shown in this photo.  Any bare spots show the underlying smaller, darker ballast and not the cork.




Also I noticed that having the N scale ballast secured along the lower edges of the road bed help keep the main ballast from eroding when applying the 50 / 50 white glue and water solution.  So I would have to say that I do like this technique and plan to use it on this layout.

First scenery on the layout

Most  people get the track all done before starting any scenery and I normally do the same.  This time with the ballasted wood trestle on the Wesso module I felt that I needed to get the scenery done in the areas that would be directly under the trestle before installing the trestle.

Here's another shot at a higher angle showing a larger area.  Once I got started doing scenery I got a little carried away and ended up doing almost half the module.   Track is all in, wired, tested, and painted.  Next will come the ballast then some touch ups the scenery.

Tile grout as a scenery material

I have started to try out some materials and techniques to create the dry scrubby landscape of northern Nevada.

A few years ago when re-building one of my Ntrak modules, I was wondering if I could use some left over tile grout I had the way one uses commercial scenery products.  I was able to find several references to it's use in the model railroad press and on line so I gave it a try and it worked very well for me.

I use sanded tile grout for a first layer of base scenery.  The grout already has an adhesive in it but I still sprinkle it over diluted white glue.

I recently purchased this product at my local hobby shop.  The color is so similar to the grout I am using that it is hard to tell the difference when both products are applied side by side.

I would need to buy many bags of this product to get the amount of material contained in the bag of grout shown above.

Arizona Rock & Mineral offers many fine scenery products and plenty will be used on the layout for top scenery and track ballast. Some of the areas I can use this bag for would be dry creek beds and sand bars in the river.

I use this strainer to apply the grout.  The grout is fine enough that it falls almost straight through but I shake the strainer back and forth so the grout spreads in an even pattern.  The strainer also catches any clumps that may have formed in the grout.

Here is a small area at the rear of the Wesso module after the grout had been sprinkled on the diluted white glue.  When this dries, I wet it again with mat medium and apply other layers of scenery materials to get the look I want.

First M/E code 55 track being installed

I am finally beginning to lay some of the Micro Engineering code 55 track on the Wesso module.  The crossovers were built on the work bench and then installed.  Now the other connecting tracks are in progress and wire feeders are being installed.






Most of the work is being done while the module is sitting on the saw horses in a way similar to how I did the staging yard.  I plan to do all of the track, electrical, and most of the scenery this way then install the module in place on the layout.

Before the track can be installed on the WP line going east from Wesso the dry creek scene under the bridge must be completed.

Today I poured a wet solution of Hydrocal plaster along the creek bed to give it a flatter surface.  The area under the wood trestle will be the first part of the layout to receive scenery and that will be very soon.

Layout room storage cabinets

Most of us struggle to find enough space in our layout rooms to store all of our trains, kits, scenery supplies, etc. The best solution can be some sort of cabinets but good cabinets can be quite expensive.  When I remodeled our kitchen years ago almost half the budget went to new cabinets and those were no where near top of the line.

What I have been using for my train room are un-assembled cabinet kits that I buy at Ikea.  They are well designed and easy to assemble.  I mount them above the layout and mount layout lighting under them.

Here are the cabinets I just purchased a few days ago and got some photos before installing the doors.

The east end of the Wesso section can be seen at the right of this photo.  The layout will be continuing under these new cabinets.

These cabinets are fairly inexpensive.  I buy the most basic finish which is called Haggeby.  The 75 inches of 15 inch tall by 15 inch deep cabinets shown in this photo cost me $123.00 plus sales tax.  I've been adding the cabinets little by little and now have 25 linear feet installed.

Of course they look much better with the doors installed.  The future path for the layout will be under the cabinets at about the level where those two orange module sections are sitting now.

Led lighting for the layout and lighting valance will be mounted along the bottom of the cabinets.

Besides the shorter cabinets that are mounted above the layout, I have two 30 inch tall cabinets that were from the old train room.  These had been above part of the old layout.

Wheels have been installed under them and they are now used as base cabinets and working surfaces.  The one in this photo supports the paint booth.  Paints and scenery materials are stored in this cabinet.  The other one serves as a shipping table and holds shipping boxes and packaging material.   These cabinets are about 15 years old now and have held up well despite being at the low end of the price range for cabinets.

A new photo diorama

Over the years besides building a number of modules and a couple layouts, I've also built several small dioramas that have been mostly used to photograph items being sold on ebay.  Recently, as mentioned in several posts, I have been participating in the Trainboard.com weathering contests and wanted something different to photograph the weathered freight cars on.

Here is what I came up with.  This diorama is about 4 inches wide and 20 inches long.  The track is raised up on a fill which helps in getting low angle shots of the subjects.

This is the green side of the diorama.  I plan to do the other side with dryer scenery for a different look.



The backdrop is pinned to the wall.  Using both sides of the diorama and switching backdrops can result in a variety of looks.  Building dioramas are also a great way to try out new materials or techniques before using them on your layout.

Train Board April weathering challenge

Been working on weathering a few more cars this month and also trying out some techniques with acrylic washes that I had not tried before.  This months trainboard.com weathering challenge was to complete 3 to 4 box cars for a short line.  These could be of any era or type of box car.  The natural place to start is to look through one's collection for at least one short line car.  All cars needed to be either Micro-Trains cars or at least have wheels or couplers from Micro-Trains.

The only one I had was this Atlanta & St. Andrews (ASAB) Bay 50 ft exterior post box car that I bought at the NSE convention last summer.



Next I started looking for prototype images on the Internet of ASAB box cars.  This particular railroad was a good choice as there were quite a few both in the scheme showed above and also box cars purchased from other railroad and patched.  I enjoyed learning a bit about a railroad that I did not know anything about before.

Here is the prototype reference photo I used for this car.  I choose this one because it had a replacement door which made it unique.





And this is how the weathered model came out.  I ordered the replacement 10 ft Superior door from Micro-Trains, they come in a 12 pack so I think I now may have a lifetime supply of those.

The ASAB had acquired quite a few cars from the Wabash Valley RR and Micro-Trains had recently issued a model of one of those types of cars so I picked one up at my local hobby shop to be the 2nd car.


Here's the finished model of the 2nd car.  Patched and re-numbered to match the prototype.  All the cars in this project got BLMA metal wheel sets with the wheel sides painted rail brown.  This car got one axle set painted oxide red to simulate a recent replacement.

Don't know if this car had also been from Wabash Valley RR so I used a Micro-Trains model of a Cadiz RR 50 ft box car that I picked up on ebay as my starting point on this one.



Here's the finished model of ASAB 7401.  After patching and re-numbering as needed all of these cars received acrylic washes, dull-coat, and weathering powders.

The 4th prototype I chose was ASAB 7443 which seemed in better shape than the others.  I happened to have a Micro-Trains 25000 series Conrail box car that I used for this one.


Everything done the same way on this model just a bit lighter.  Also added Microscale reflector decals to match the prototype photo.

The roofs of each car were painted all silver or silver just along the lower edges as if the original paint was peeling and the galvanized steel or aluminum of the roof showing through.  Then acrylic washes and weathering chalks.

These weathering challenges have been fun but I have not been doing so much on the layout so unless the one for May is particularly interesting this will be the last one for me for now anyway.