More Bench Work

I have been working on my bench work for the last few weeks. I now have the base around the room and the peninsula done.

Also I installed a new TV for when I am working on my layout or at my work desk or as you can see from the lazy chair when I just want to watch football. The chair and foot stool slide under the layout when I am not using them.

So after months of planning and with no real timeline on Atlas code 55 track I though it was time to get the bench work built before summer ends and it starts to get cold here in Hamilton Ontario. I have been part of a club that has built 2 large layouts, one with 1x3 pine and one with 3/4 plywood and the plywood layout was 100 % better. It works out to be a little more money but it is so much stronger and easier to work with and you don't have to go through 1000 boards to get 50 that are worth using.

 

We get the lumber yard to rip them in half so they are easier to run through the table saw. It is a little time consuming but the payoffs are in the strength of the bench work and the fact that the plywood will not expand and contract in weather changes like pine will.

 

 

The layout height will be 55" but we built the bench work at 52'' which leaves 3" for rivers and valleys. Most of the layout will be flat but it is always good to have the option. Legs are just made from 2 pieces in an L shape and will have a 45 degree braces to make them sturdier.



 

 

After a days work with a friend that does the ripping and has taught me about wood working I have one section built and installed in the basement. We still have some ripping to do but are well on our way.

Here is a update of the layout plan that I have been working on. My next update will have labels on the plan so you can all see what is going where. I am sure I will change it at least 4 more times before I get any track.

That is all for now. Thanks for looking

I have been working on the plan. Here is a little update. Still more work to do.

New Layout Planing

Well normally this time of your with the golf season coming to an end I have lots of time to work on my layout. It will be a little different this winter as the wife and I bought a house so I will have room in the basement for a 12x20 layout. I sold what I had done on the old layout to a friend so I am without a layout for the time being. We take possession of the house at the end of the month and then I will have to finish the basement before bench work can start.

Over the last few weeks I have been playing around with AnyRail planning the new layout. I thought I would post a Pic of what I have so far. Keep in mind that this is just the first draft of the track plan. I will work the track plan so that very little track other than the yard is parallel is the front of the layout. Any Ideas are welcome

My plan is to have staging under the layout and to have a modern double track major main line. Lots of trains that run through and or stop to pick up and drop of in the yard during an ops season. I am planning on having 3-5 major industries that will need pick-ups and drop off's. Paper Mill, oil refinery, auto plant and grain for sure. Train length will be based on 24 coal porters with 2 sd40-2, about 10 feet. I will be using Atlas code 55 with a minimum radius of 18”.

As a Golf Professional I get little time for modeling during the summer months here in Canada. I have been able to do some weathering and I have started to try artist oil paint. With a little practice I am starting to get the hang of the way oils work. The best part of oil is that when I am trying to make rust the texture of the thick oil paint look great. Here are some pic’s of what I have come up with.

I have only put one layer on the well cars. I did them first so now that I know more about how the oils work I will go back over them again and fix them up. I really like that with the oil I can run a little solvent over the oil and it will wash right off until I seal it with dullcote. If anyone is thinking about using oils just remember they take a long time to dry and fingers will take the paint off easy until they are dullcoted. Even after 4 days the oil remains "wet" but after dullcote they become dry once the dullcote sets.

After twisting my ankle on the golf course yesterday I spent today unable to walk and there for had some time to do some modeling.

Today I finished the base of my McDonalds. Vollmer put this kit out almost a year ago and I have been waiting to find time to build it. I have the restaurant itself built but I still need to do some detail work. I need to find a place on the layout for it so I can build the drive through, as well as make an out door eating area. I am planning on lighting this building so there are some people in line waiting to place an order. I also need to find more sitting people so they can be eating.  

I haven’t had a lot of time to work on the layout but I have started to do some ballast.

I started with painting the track with a mix of Burnt Umber and Burnt Sienna.

After the track was painted I used half light gray and half gray with just a touch of cinders to ballast the track.

After the ballast dried I painted the center of the track to make it dirty and well used. I used a tarnished black wash through out the center of the track. Then a light rust wash on the nail heads of the track. Then I used a eye dropper with a black wash down the middle of the track to look like oil streaks.