The Helix....building a mountain.

Hello again, my friends......

Now it's time to build a mountain....during one's lifetime, how many people have the opportunity to build a mountain  ??---but here we go !

Let's begin with the helix itself:  2.5 turns from base to top level.  2.3% grade, R-4 & R-5 curved C track.   Painted gray because I plan to leave open the side of about 1/4 of the vertical circumference so viewers can see inside the helix for interest. ( the open area will be to the viewer's rt. front. ) Feeder wires populate the track.  

Added 2' foam on the open areas at the base. Started to " screen" in the sides of the helix with nylon screen door material from Home Depot, stapled and trimmed.  Built "quarry stone arcade"  system with Noch product ( #58269) and "kit bashed" a background wall from old material from previous layout. Ran catenary all the way through the arcade...because folks can see into it ! Track already weathered and ballasted.

Another view. 

Front of helix: top track is the ascending track which enters the main part of the layout to the left, about 4" above base grade. Trains run from Rt to Lt.  The bottom track ( in front of the Noch wall) is the beginning of the descending track to the staging yards on the left. Note the interior tunnel liner to the Lt. 

Building the vertical supports for the mountain terrain. Anchored with screws, and cross braced with 1" X 2" slats.  Now comes the real challenge....to arrange the nylon netting to complement the background, such as mountain valleys leading the viewer's eye to through the mountain terrain to the background....done on various aspects of the mountain terrain around the helix. 

Netting completed. Hard to see the detail at this point. Note a portion of the helix "open" to view on the rt. side.  Stiff cardboard "lid" placed on the Arcade structure and braces with smaller pieces of cardboard. 

Orthopedic plaster cast gauze material applied over the netting.  Purchased the ortho. material in bulk from an online supply house--actually fairly inexpensive. This forms a shell onto which we can add rock castings and Sculptomold.  We can see the detail of the top "ascending" lane and the arcade, as well as the lower level descending lane.  The area over the arcade: too flat !  

Time for more construction...glue gun, please ! 

Viaducts !  There are 12 tunnel portals is this helix complex. Should be a lot of fun watching the trains dance in and out of the tunnels as they weave their way around the helix. 

Note that the catenary was anchored inside the tunnel portal with appropriate stanchions.  Tunnel liners inside portals provide positive impression.  ( thanks, Walter and Jan ! ) ;-) 

Bring on the Sculptomold !!!! ( and some rock castings ) Aahhh...the area over the arcade looks a lot better now ....Sculptomold also bought in bulk from the big "A" ! 

Note the valleys leading to the background scenery.  Sorry the pix are not too clear in detail-- because color tone extremes from pure white to black ! 

I'm planning some "snow melt" and  the forming of connecting small pools of mountain water, and gentle waterfalls along the path of the water descending from the top of the mountain , eventually reaching the mountain  LQ at the top of the helix where we'll see a gentle waterfall into a small lake below, and then a draining river from Lt to Rt wrapping around the base of the helix.

Viaducts. From Lt to Rt: ascending loop of helix, lower viaduct of descending arm to helix, upper viaduct--ascending arm of the helix to main part of layout. 

On the descent....

Ascent to main part of the layout. 

Now we wait till the material dries completely...about a week !!!  Then I plan to try a different method of staining with Woodland Scenics pigments: Stone Gray, Yellow Ocher, and Black....followed of course by planting dozens of fir trees and topped off with a crest of snow at the peaks....should be fun to create this "mountain-scape". 

Hello friends.   Sorry that I have been A.W.O.L. for a while.  Life happens as we all realize.

Since my last post I : 

1) Converted to the CS3 + unit !  The learning curve was a bit steep, but ultimately with friends like Curtis of the Marklin Dudes and perseverance I escaped the clutches of frustration.  Wow! What a unit is the CS 3 !

2) Began scenery in some critical areas of the layout to test different construction methods.

3) Have trains running....yahoo !

4) Donated a lot of equipment  / track to the NW chapter of ETE for their SIG modules. Wish them good luck in growing that chapter as led by lots of  energy with Mitch. Please support them if you can....or join !  Great group of modelers.

Now onto the fun ......

Corner Module:   


Began with trusty hot glue gun and styrofoam boards ( 2" thick) molded a little with a rasp. Applied Sculptomold and rocks from  molds with pleasing affect. The idea is to see the train "dancing in and out of terrain features" which adds interest.

 Side view.  Lot of detail in with the rocks from the molds.

Now a coat of inexpensive grey latex paint from hardware store.

Better detail of affect of grey paint. 

Dry brushing with white acrylic paint -paste.  Easy peasy. 

Better view. 

Used dilute yellow ochre, raw umber, etc to add some color to the rocks.  One of the secrets is to spray the formation with dilute Mod Podge ( 1:4 dilution) then "blow" onto the surface Woodland Scenics blended turf ( fine). Process: take folded piece of letter sized paper ( folded length wise), sprinkle the blended turf into the crease and gently blow a sparse "mist" of the material onto the surface treated with the adhesive.  This tones down the rock faces and adds "character"  to the rocks, as if a fine coating of scattered moss is growing on the rocks....looks neat !  

Add foliage and the results can be quite pleasing. 

Final result....Catenary installed over the turnout, track already weathered, ballasted and glued in place with the dilute Mod Podge. ( 1: 4)  Using Mod Podge seems a better option than white glue. The ballast adhered with the MP seems to transmit undesired sound to the underlayment much, much less that that held with white glue. I suspect that the MP has some elastic qualities vis-a-vis the white glue.  I have tested both.

Another view. 

Happy with the end result and especially with the prototypical "super-elevation" of the track around the turn !!! 

More to come .....just finished building a mountain on the helix !!!! 

Thanks for viewing....be well, and blessings....alan 

Experimenting with "weathering" Marklin C track, masonry walls, etc

Merry Christmas to all......

Update on the layout while anticipating the new CS 3 Walter is shipping this week.  Decided to invest in the CS 3 and delay using a computerized system for the present.  The latter option always remains viable.

1) Masonry Walls.   

The elevated main line transiting the main level:  Masonry walls necessary for realism and interest.  Using a flexible tape to measure the distance between bridge pillars.

Noch masonry walls. Walter always has a generous supply!  Now....how to gently bend the walls to fit the curvature of the elevated WS styrofoam risers ?    Having tried various other methods, the "light bulb" came on and I found that simply holding the "wall" material over our gas range burner at a height of about 12-18" allowed enough heat to gently soften the Noch materials without burning them.  Easy peasy! 

The junction between the wall and bridge abutment can be easily hidden with "selective" greenery! The ht. of the wall was measured sufficiently high enough to accommodate blasting the Marklin C track and canting of the curved track.

Another wall on a curved WS riser. 

Had to elevate the bridge ...used left over pieces from Noch wall materials. 

2) Canting of Curved Track:  

Interesting that the cant on some curves required only about 3mm of elevation, and others, like the curve in this picture, required a 5 mm elevation!!!!  The affect is dramatic for a train "comin' round the bend" !!!!  

3) Ballasting and Weathering Marklin C track: 

a) Weathering the track: 

 I've experimented with various colors and methods to weather the rails and the track beds.  Air brushing is simple and easy.  U Tube has many videos with an wide assortment of methods to achieve realistic weathering.   I've also studied many pix of European trains, specifically the appearance of the rails, sleepers, and the middle portions of the tracks.  In sum, the " natural weathering" created by usage, is subtle.....it's "there", but then again, "it's not there"....in other words the weathering of the track does NOT attract the eye away from the main point of interest: The Train! 

Obviously,  some track lanes which experience less traffic are more "rusty", and tracks in geographic areas with abundant rainfall , also have a more overall "rusty" appearance,  but for the most part the rails in Europe do not seem to have that stark rusty appearance.  ( Photographic axiom: light, and  contrasty colors attract the eye.") 

So......what colors to use?  I chose "Rail Brown", and "Grimy Black" colors from Badger paints. 

 b) Ballasting Marklin C track:

Interesting experiment here!  Used medium WS gray ballast for now....will probably "tone down" the color with the air brush using a little overspray of  "grimy black"....

Contact medium:  I've read that using white glue will significantly harden the ballast and negate the sound inhibiting properties of foam or whatever folks use to minimize train noise transmission to the underlying benchwork!!!!  I did use white glue on a small portion of my last layout and the noise transmission was really annoying. 

So.....the recommendation was either "Scenic Glue" from WS, or "Mod Podge" ....diluted 1:4.

Results: the ballast seems somewhat "soft" compared to the rock hard results of the white glue.  Will run trains today to test the noise transmission on this small portion of track. 

Below are a couple of links which helped me with weathering and ballasting. .....

Ballasting Marklin C track: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4s1OiQJ1kws  ( note the modeler's weathering techniques ) 

Weathering Track:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xGulPMelIc  ( beautiful air brush technique) 

This pic not great....but with a little "grimy black" air brush color to tone down the eye catching gray ballast, the results should be much more appealing .....we shall see...

I guess that's all for now.  Please comment with your observations, alternative methods, and suggestions....we all share and learn from each other. 

In the meantime, have a very Merry Christmas, and God's abundant blessings to all......

alan

First Stages of Powering Main Level of Layout

Bus # 5 

Main Level of Layout where the helix at the top of the pic feeds elevated blue track to main level and receives trains exiting the main level to return to the staging yards. 

Bus # 5:  Power added to yellow part of track which includes the lower most located lane ( in the pic)  to the passenger terminal, part of the elevated track to the bridge at the lowest part of the pic, and a portion of the commercial freight yards.  

One transformer powers this isolated segment of track. 

Red dots: Insulation points

Black dots: Power...feeder wires to distribution strip

Dark Green Marks: Contact track to the S88 

Why one transformer to this area?  At least one rail bus will occupy the passenger lane, perhaps two. At least two working steam locos will be in this maintenance area, and then there will be transiting freight trains.  So given that power draw, one transformer was selected. 

Contact tracks will be added to both the entry and exit of each isolated "block". 

Recommendation:  check each block or section of track powered by a single transformer to make certain that the track insulators are working properly.  I always test the insulators to make certain that current does not "bleed" into the next block section.  I actually did find a "bleed" into another section of track. The insulators were placed properly...I thought...so I replaced them with another set...problem solved. 

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Review of Contact Tracks:

"Business" end of contact track:  blue wire soldered to "O" terminal and insulator placed on that side.

 Adjacent C track with the insulator on the same side as the soldered contact to the S88
Used a Dremel to cut the "O" connection on each end of the C track contact track to isolate the outer rail.

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Find the "short"....!!!

Ok, so now we have a short in the layout.  We have 5 transformers connected to the layout, each powering a segment of track, and several turn outs.  How to find the section of the layout to begin locating  the electrical short? 

IF the transformer plugs are numbered according to their powered bus sections, we can isolate the area in question.  Unplug all the transformers except those powering the CS's....I have a transformer for each CS ( not connected to track) .   

With the system booted up, plug in the Bus transformers one at a time till the layout shorts out with the last one plugged in.....then search that section for the culprit.  In my case I found that a feeder wire paddle had detached from the C track.  I soldered that feeder wire!!!  ( must have happened with taking apart track to add the contact track)  

On to the next section.........Auf Wiedersehen....

Computerization of Layout?

Hello from Los Osos, Calif.

Sorry for being incommunicado....visiting grandkids in California for a month, will return in the Thanksgiving time frame....then more progress on the layout and subsequent blog entries.

This separation from my layout has provided a fortuitous opportunity to "step back" and evaluate options regarding how to proceed with layout wiring and train control.

Fortunately I have been presented with distinct opportunities to speak at length ( email) with some august members of  ETE ( European Train Enthusiasts) who represent a vast reservoir of experience and passion for the hobby.

The Marklin-users.net Community remains an constant as well as interesting cache of information and experience...much to learn from this forum.

Options: 

1) Proceed with the traditional approach:  wiring the layout with expensive Marklin signals,  CS block regulation,  programming the Central Station accordingly,  installing the 72442 Marklin braking modules ( or the VM equivalent), etc.

2) Computerize the layout and allow the more sophisticated software programs currently available to regulate the layout with the options of manual override.

Traditional Approach: 

Pros: 
1) Plethora of printed information created by the "Marklin Dudes" available in the Marklin Digital Newsletters.
2) Marklin Dudes represent and incredible source of advice and experience if one were to encounter difficulties.
3) Satisfaction of wiring the layout and all its intricacies! -- ( not completely convinced about that one!! )

Cons:
1) Frustrations encountered with the learning curves and working out the "bugs" of wiring difficulties.
2) Time--and more time-- and effort to wire the layout.
3) Cost:  Marklin signals are expensive,( but beautiful and efficient, even more so than in the past. Would need lots of these signals.
4) Learning curves with programming the CS.
5) Potential problems with running trains bi-directionally....thru the signaled sections.


 Computerization of Layout:

Pros:
1) More expeditious completion of the process to "wire" and achieve a functioning layout. (Then can spend more time on my favorite aspects of the hobby: Scenery!!! )
2) More control of train movement without the threat of "accidents"--especially counter-directional competing with "through" traffic.
3) More options for moving trains around the layout with less hassle.
4) Movement of trains bi-directionally without complicated contact track and signal programming-wiring  / CS programming.
5) Save $$$$ by buying signals which do not require the sophistication or control of Marklin signals. The less expensive signals have no regulatory control, only "eye candy" for the observer. The computer does all the work.
6) Some software programs have a steep learning curve...others...not so much.
7) Incredible number of UTube learning videos available for the "TrainController *TM) software.


Cons:

1) Cost: Will have to buy a PC ( I am currently an "Apple guy") ...Costco a good resource, etc.
2) Cost: Will have to buy the TrainController *TM software, install and program. ( i.e. learning curve)

The cost of the PC and software just about offsets the cost of additional modules such as the 72442, Marklin signals--of which I will need many to make the layout appear as "ideal" as possible. ...see latest Marklin new mags.

So the bottom line:  save time and frustration crawling under the layout and wiring the "traditional approach" vs. computerization.

One of my ETE friends had already wired his layout in the traditional manner, and subsequently removed all that work and invested in computerization.  I believe he smiles a lot! I can't imagine tearing out all that wiring and those modules, but he did so.

Thought provoking, no?

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Some pix taken before we left for Calif to visit the grandkids....below is a mockup of potential steam repair facility--yard ....not certain how to proceed...do not have room for the equipment from last layout and that very detailed steam yard.

Modified the ascending ramps the the "old city " and cathedral area....looks better. Will need some water effects and bridges in there somewhere. Obviously will need to place the foam boards for proper elevation.

 Testing locations for city buildings and bridges.  Could be an interesting scene. ...tram? Possibly.

 More test locations of existing buildings...and control towers.

 Well, I'll sign off for now.  If anyone wishes to offer advice please PM me at amfisher102@mac.com.

Thanks for reading....Hope your Thanksgiving and Christmas Seasons are joyful and blessed for you and your families.

alan

Track, Foam padding, Elevated track, and bridges.

Time for a brief update on the layout.

Main Level birch plywood replaced over the staging yards, once they were wired, contact tracks and stop tracks installed,  AND the CS programmed to automate the yards! The main line through the yards was not automated.

The ramps from the helix proper to the main level of the layout had to be replaced with wider ramps and the Noch viaducts.  Below shows the "up" ramp to the main level which enters the main layout 4" above grade.  A lot of adjustments with pitch, incline and precise positioning during installation. Hot glued the structures to the base "plate" secured in place with screws and thus removable for scenery details to be added later.  Noch viaducts incredibly easy to work with.  Ask Walter!!! ;-) 

From the helix vantage point, looking across "up" viaduct to main level. The "exit" viaduct from the main level return to the helix crosses under the "up" ramp.  "Base" plate for the "exit" viaduct is closest to the helix on proximal side of the "up" viaduct. 

Better view of the "up" viaduct and the base plate for the main level "exit" viaduct. 

Exit viaduct installed on removable base plate.  Helix ramp on the left of pic. 

Both viaducts installed. Removable for scenery placement. Higher viaduct is "entry" from helix to main level, and lower viaduct leaves main level and enters helix down ramps.

Another view. Happy with the result. 

Time to add Woodland Scenics Super Sheets...5mm ( 3/16") foam padding for sound reduction. On my last layout the foam insulation worked very well for 14+ years before we moved.  On the last layout, I used mostly the "track foam" under the C track, but I continually had to deal with the hassle of the 3/16" difference in Ht for building placement, centenary masts, etc...a real pain in the neck. So here I decided to use the foam on the whole layout.  Not cheap, but a real time saver. 

Four passenger lanes to the terminal on the Rt, and the industrial areas / freight by pass on the Lt. 

Beginning to add the WS risers. This method is easier than cutting ramps and installing them. Some of us just do not have the equipment of skill to do so. 

Adding bridges and risers. The raised track will divide the layout into a commercial / freight traffic side from the passenger traffic side of the layout.  Fascia board on the very edges of the layout will also add peripheral elevation and  depth.  I tried my utmost to avoid numerous tunnels because watching the trains dance in and among terrain features is more entertaining than tunnels. Also requiring the viewer to "peer over" the edge of the layout adds depth and interest.  On my last layout I really aced that objective. http://goo.gl/LebzJ4  Not enough time or available room to do the same here. 

Apologize for the appearance of the track. Much of the salvaged track from my last layout was in winter scenery so it has a white cast...which will be airbrushed away ( weathered)  after  adding ballast and catenary. 

Risers and additional bridges installed. This is the "industrial" side of the layout.  Arched bridges in center welcome vehicular traffic from the city. ...whenever the streets "magically" appear!  ;-)

                                         

Visual test!!! Can you see the difference ???? Note the cant of the passenger car just below--mounted on track foam.  

 Spacer inserted on outer edge to provide prototypical elevation to the outer edge of the track curves. 

 Level on "uncanted" track. 

With canting spacer. 

 Viaducts and bridges. First signal for the block system of auto regulation. 

This bridge was a real challenge! Positioning pillars was difficult to establish realism.  Could not use the common cement pillars here, so used the Noch pillars.

Overview. Elevated track ( with passing lane)  continues down the left edge of the picture, then crosses over the main line to the descent ramp onto main level.

Trains leaving the passenger terminal traveling to the "Old City" and the cathedral, will bypass the main line ( counter main traffic)  and enter an elevated ascent track to the elevated plateau ( not yet installed with pink foam) where we will find the not only a cathedral and the "old walled city", but perhaps a monastery as well.  The plateau will be at least 4" above grade and the cathedral, well .... perhaps more. 

 Now....to wire the layout for power, install contact tracks, stop tracks, and signals. ....and begin to develop a strategy to weather --airbrush the track --and add some ballast...

Thank you for sharing ....if anyone has suggestions regarding weathering track ...please...shout out!  alan