Throwback Thursday: Feeling Overwhelmed by "Too Much"?

For many of us, having Labor Day Weekend in our rear-view mirror means that "Model Railroad Season" is upon us - that period of time, roughly Labor Day to Memorial Day, during which we spend the most time doing our hobby.

But if it's been a while since you've been down to the basement (or wherever your layout room is located), you may have a small sense of dread as you contemplate all you have to do. It's frustrating how persistent certain themes are in our hobby, and one of the most common is that sense of being overwhelmed by the prospect of building - or continuing to build/finish - a model railroad.

Even though I've been at this project for a while, and have had a lot of fun doing it along the way, I'm not immune from those feelings - and they tend to crop up at the least opportune times. So, for this "Throwback Thursday" I'm posting a little reminder - a post I posted a while back and which I go back to any time I'm feeling like I've bitten off more than I can chew. It's a nice reminder that you can even eat a whole elephant, provided you do it one small bit at a time. . .

If you could use a little encouragement as we enter hobby season, click here and enjoy! (incidentally, you'll notice that it looks like I hit this mood about every two years, but I'm about a month early for 2018 . . .%^)

And for additional perspectives from the MRH Forum, click here.

Monday Musing: When "Right" is "Wrong - Scale vs. Compression

When you start out building your first real model railroad (as opposed to just having the track go 'round the Christmas tree), one of the first things you confront is the inherent tension between your chosen scale and your available space. You may envision a transcontinental transportation system, but if you want to be true to scale, there's no way you're going to be able to fit that in your basement, much less your spare bedroom. Even in N scale, that three mile shortline you resigned yourself to will still take 90 linear feet(!) to do to scale.

So, we select certain areas to compress. This "selective compression" typically eliminates the "boring" bits between towns. Sure, we don't have as much "mainline run" between towns as the prototype did, but that's a compromise most of us can accept in exchange for having a railroad that "goes somewhere." Even my pike, as satisfying as it is operationally, compresses about 50 miles of mainline into approximately 120 linear feet - barely 2 miles in HO scale.

So much for the mainline. What about structures? Surely, we don't have to compromise there - we can always build them to full scale, can't we? Well, that depends on what you're building. Most of us are glad the days are behind us of model factories being only about as large as one boxcar. But the larger the prototype structure, the more likely it will "have to" be compressed.

"Have to" isn't always bad though - many times, you may actually want to compress a structure in order to have it fit the scene, especially if building it to full scale actually "looks" too big.

Case in point - take these two station models:

Which one is "correct"? They're both HO scale - in so far as the windows and doors are HO scale. And that's a critical fact: you have to be sure your people actually fit. But what about the overall proportions?

The Wethersfield station is a duplicate of the prototype, shrunk down to full 1:87 scale. The other station is, well, smaller. Which is more accurate? Well, certainly the Wethersfield station is accurate. I don't know about the other station model, though I suppose a cute little station like this exists/existed somewhere so maybe it's not actually compressed. Which looks better? Depends on the context. Certainly in my model version of Wethersfield, I'm going to use the Wethersfield station model. But over in East Berlin - where there also has to be a station, but there's much less space with which to work? I'll probably do a compressed version of the Wethersfield station (the prototype was a similar style).

It all really boils down to the Art of model railroading as opposed to the science. Science demands perfect prototype fidelity in as many respects as possible. Sure, you might not have every bit of detail on your model as on the prototype (you might not even see some of those details in HO scale anyway), but you certainly want the dimensions to match.

Unless doing so compromises the over-all effect. That's where art and intuition enter the picture.

The next - and largest - structure in Wethersfield to be built is the Gra-Rock bottling plant.

I've been debating whether to compress this building and, if so, to what extent. It's not a comfortable place for a left-brain thinker to be. I want it to be "right" and - to my mind - "right" can only mean "built to full scale size."

But a full scale size mockup I tried overwhelms the Wethersfield scene. It's not as if I have the full 3 miles for this scene (180 feet) where a full-scale Gra-Rock would look right in context - I only have a bit less than 10% of that. Now, I'm certainly not going to compress Gra-Rock by 90% - but a full-scale version would look very out-of-place considering all its surroundings are already compressed. In other words, "right" would actually be "wrong" in this case.

I've heard of some folks at the far left-brain/science end of the spectrum - building everything to perfect scale. Their efforts are very impressive - but they typically have only enough room for a track or two and don't usually have the amount of operation I enjoy. And there are others that get a lot of joy and satisfaction from cramming as much as possible into their available space, with barely a nod to plausibility. Of course, most of us are somewhere in the middle - and the precise point on the spectrum probably has a lot to do with what "looks right" to your eye, given your space, even if it's technically "wrong."

So where do you fall on the line?

"Too Much" - Two Years Later

I just realized that this past Sunday, October 16, marks exactly two years since I had a minor meltdown crisis in the hobby. I was about to give it up - I'd gotten in over my head and felt overwhelmed by the scope of the project I'd started. I thought I'd taken on way too much.

This feeling of being overextended in the hobby is pretty common and is fueling the popularity of starting small(er) and building layouts that are actually achievable. Admittedly, setting realistic goals based on your available resources of time, money, and help is critical to avoiding the indigestion of biting off more than you can chew. But what if you find yourself already in the middle of a large layout project?

Thankfully, I came out of the other side of that long tunnel and actually managed to expand the layout (actually, almost doubled the size), thanks to a little a lot of pushing help from my friends. But I had to go through a bit of a mental process before proceeding. If any of this sounds familiar to you, and you're considering giving up, I hope you find this (re)post encouraging.

(originally posted 10/16/2014)

I have a confession to make. I considered giving up the hobby recently. Now, lest you think me fickle, let me explain. My story might help if you've had the same feelings at some point.

After making lots of progress over the summer, I found that I'd hit a roadblock unlike others I've confronted before. Like many layout builders, I've had to work through a variety of obstacles, but this was different. I started getting this growing sense of dread just about every time I'd think of going into the basement. There was just Too Much. Too Much to do, Too Much to build, Too Much to plaster & paint. Just. Too. Much. Instead of being fun, the layout started feeling a lot like a second job.

Some folks embrace this - Tony Koester comes to mind - explicitly stating that you have to have the mind of a project manager in order to stay disciplined, on task, on budget, and on time, or else you'll never finish. This of course makes lots of sense considering the magnitude of the project he's taken on. But size of project is relative. Depending on the level of detail you want, for example, even a relatively small layout can become overwhelming. Either way, building a layout starts feeling a lot like work and you'd rather model from the armchair - or worse, watch TV - than go back to the basement.

Most folks - especially model railroaders - believe you can never have enough. You never have enough space, rolling stock, engines, etc. So whenever you can, you buy, Buy, BUY and if you're blessed with a large space - especially a basement - You Must Fill It with all the layout you can. Sound familiar?

But this is a grave mistake. You end up with Too Much - a basement full of benchwork, but no scenery; shelves full of kits, but never enough time to build them all; grandiose plans, but little enthusiasm or energy to seeing them through to completion. And the hobby press sometimes - perhaps unwittingly - adds to the discouragement by highlighting impossibly large, beautifully finished layouts.

Is it any wonder that, in trying to figure out how to convert one's growing pile of stuff to the masterpiece in one's mind, so many of us throw up our hands in frustration and begin looking longingly at the armchair?

That's where I've been lately, but I think I'm finally starting to come out of the funk. I just wish I'd paid attention to all the advice out there to start small, build modules, or - most drastic of all - do a "chainsaw layout." But while it's too late to start over - and yes, I've considered it - I can change my mindset about what I have. I can treat each town on my layout as its own module, and concentrate on that. That'd certainly be less overwhelming than feeling like I have to build, scenic, and "structurize" all the way from Hartford to Middletown all at once and right away.

You can even eat an elephant if you do it just one small bite at a time.

So, I've stepped back from the ledge of layout oblivion and have, hopefully, rediscovered some of the motivation I've lost. I've taken a deep breath, reminded myself that this is supposed to be a hobby, and am focusing on doing smaller sections - and smaller projects - one at a time.

A couple of other things have helped as well:

• Seeing some layouts on Facebook and such that are more "accessible" - by which I mean, are in a state where I find myself thinking "hey, I could do that" rather than "OMG - I could never do that!"
• Discovering some new photos of and information on the line I'm modeling, thus rekindling some of the passion for why I started this project in the first place (bonus: this can be one benefit of taking a sabbatical as an "armchair model railroader")
• And, perhaps most important, calling on a few friends to help me out.  Too often we consider ourselves "lone wolf" modelers when sometimes - if not often - what we really need is the benefit of another set of eyes, another perspective, and - yes - another pair of hands helping out. I've been the beneficiary of this sort of help & support in the past; I just have to remember to tap into that whenever I'm feeling in a funk. Actually, that's pretty good advice for life generally. And with the internet and social networks, even the most remote of modelers can avoid being a lone wolf.

While you might sometimes find yourself under the burden of too much stuff to do on your layout, one thing you can truly never have too much of is the camaraderie, help, and support of your fellow model railroaders. Thanks to the readers & commenters on this blog - as well as to others who share their experience on their blogs, FB, etc. - for being such a big part of that network.

So stay tuned for more progress on The Valley Line - it may be a little slower, but it will hopefully be a lot more sure.

All Sorts of Badness: Control Panels, LEDs, and Wasps

I looked forward to a recent evening alone to wire up my control panel, but things went very bad very fast . . .

Fist of all, the good news: the control panel came out beautifully . . .

Here it is just-about-completed, with holes drilled for all the toggles and LED indicator lights (and even some of the LED bulbs installed). It's a masonite board attached with a piano hinge to a 1x3 frame and plywood base. It even has cabinet magnets! Pretty jazzy, if I don't say so myself.  Someday maybe I'll go into how I built it in a future post, but for now enjoy the pic above. Because I'm afraid I'm going to have to tear it apart.

Here's the problem: I figured the 1x8" masonite I had on-hand would be too flimsy & flexy for the 12.25" x 30.5" size panel I needed. So I got "clever" and got myself a 2' x 4' piece of 1/4" masonite.

MUCH more sturdy.

Veterans may see where this is going . . .

I got my first inkling something was wrong when the LEDs wouldn't quite snap into the cool LED bulb clips I'd bought. "No problem" I thought, stuipidly. "They'll just be a nice press fit."

But then, I had an awful thought - maybe the masonite was actually too thick(!) I quickly grabbed a spare toggle switch and test fit it into one of the 38 holes I'd drilled . . .

You can just barely see the threads poking through. And, no, that isn't enough for the locknut to even get a bite. Thanks for asking.

Here's what it's SUPPOSED to look like . . .

You guessed it - that's a piece of 1/8" masonite, just as the Control Panel Gods (must have) intended.

So, my question (though I'm afraid I might know the answer already): Do I really just have to suck it up and redo the panel using 1/8" masonite or is there some way I can salvage what I have? Please - if you've ever put off leaving a comment or contacting me and you have some helpful advice to share, please get in touch!

Next, I figured it best to step away from the abyss control panel for the time being and try a test wiring of my LEDs and turnout motors.

Yeah, I'm stupid that way.

You may recall that I'm using the MicroMark Switch Tender motors and really like them. But I think I may have uncovered a critical shortcoming.

I decided to use this video as a guide . . .

to wire these LEDs . ..

to the toggles and MicroMark machines. My plan was to have the LEDs indicate on the control panel which way the turnout is thrown. The video makes it look pretty easy and straightforward, but he seems to be using different LEDs and - perhaps most critically - he's using a Tortoise switch machine rather than the MicroMark.

So, I wired up a spare toggle and LEDs per the video's instruction, and - sure enough - the two LEDs would light alternately depending one which way the toggle was thrown.

But when I connected everything to the MicroMark machine, the machine would work (yay!), but the LEDs would no longer work (booo!). And I'm at a total loss as to why(?!)

And if all this wasn't enough, when I went downstairs to test all this, I noticed a strong mildew-y smell. I looked all over the floor - no water - and there's been none down there for years now (thankfully) and I didn't notice the smell before. Then I heard a buzzing . . . Flying overhead was a wasp. And I'm highly allergic to wasps.

So I hightailed it back upstairs and called it quits, figuring this was the 3rd of three strikes against model railroading for the year month week day at least.

ANY help/tips/suggestions/guidance you can offer about the control panel or the LED/switch motor wiring would be MUCHMUCHMUCH appreciated.

As for the wasp, I'll call my exterminator. Heh - maybe he's actually a mud dauber. That might explain the mildew smell. Otherwise, like the rest of the evening's work, I'm at a loss.

Extending the Air Line to New Haven: Wiring

When last we left off, I'd laid the track for the extension right over the hinged drop-down across the doorway. Now I need to cut the rails and wire everything up.

First step: Add Feeders

• I use 20 ga solid wire (typically used for speakers)
• Drill 1/8-1/32" holes next to the rails
• Strip and tin the end of the wire
• Bend it into a 90 degree angle
• Clean/flux the underside of the rail
• Feed the wire down through the hole, move the bent end under the rail, and solder.

When you're done, it'll look like this:

Second step: Connect to bus

TIP: Make sure that you connect your feeders to the proper bus wire and not the most convenient one. In the first pic above, the bus wires for the Shoreline (the loop on the lower level) were already there and right next to the new Air Line feeders. Resist the temptation! Otherwise, part of the Air Line would be on the Air Line circuit breaker (power district) and part would be on the Shoreline circuit. It would operate fine, but a short circuit on that section might be difficult to track down.  So, yes, I ran an entirely new/separate Air Line bus to connect the feeders to.

Wiring a Drop-Down Bridge

Next, I ran bus wires across the drop-down bridge, testing as I went. Another tip: I use a simple buzzer to check my wiring as I go along - see below:

It consists of a simple buzzer, powered by a 9v battery, and wired to alligator clips.

The bus goes right across the hinged end - solid 14ga bus to the terminal strip, and stranded wire from there for flexibility . . .

But the other - dropping - end needed a plug. I'd considered using magnets, but this was a lot more simple.

You can get "lamp cord" plugs and sockets at just about any hardware store. In the pic above, I'm connecting my bus wire to the spades that will become the plug . . .

Add the housing, and you have a plug! TIP: thread the wires through the housing before you connect them to the spades.

TIP: Be sure to get a polarized plug/socket - it's the one with one wide spade. That way you're sure to plug it in with the correct orientation every time.

Go through the same process for the socket end. Here's what it looks like when it's finished. Maybe not as snazzy as using magnets but dummy/bullet proof.

I did all of this before cutting the rails because 1) I wanted to keep everything as rigid as possible during all this jostling around, and B) once you cut the rails there's no turning back.

Cutting Rail

There's really not much to say, provided you have a Dremel with a cut-off disk. But what I WILL say - and will strongly stress - is be sure to use eye protection!! Eyeglasses are NOT sufficient eye protection. Thankfully, I got past the first cutting with no problems - but only cuz I was closing my eyes toward the end of the cut(!) Who knew that the cut-off disc will grind sideways as well as cut vertically(?!)

And here's the result - a much-larger-than-needed gap in the rail. Not worth tearing up and redoing, but if I'd worn proper protection I would have been able to pay closer attention and avoid cutting too much.

Once I got my safety goggles, the rest of the cutting went just fine. Here's the other end.

So that pretty much completes the extension. Buddy Greg installed/connected feeders on the long tail track, and I still have to finish connecting the other feeders to the bus. But soon the Air Line will be back in service and ready for trains again!

Extending the Air Line to New Haven: Superelevation and laying track

Now that the drop-down across the doorway is finished, it's time to lay track. I already laid the cork roadbed along the "easemented" lines I'd created (click here for how I did it), and the smooth, long S curve looks great. But I think the track itself would really benefit from some superelevation - it'll be cool to see a long Air Line Local leaning both ways around the long S.

A quick search of my library led me to a trackwork book that had a section on superelevation. The author suggests using styrene strips of .010", .020", and .030" thick to gradually raise the outside rail, but the first step is to mark where the outside rail will be...

Measuring from the centerline, I made a mark on the outside of the curve where the outside rail - and thus the strips - should go.

I used the styrene I had on-hand - all the right thicknesses, but dissimilar widths. Shouldn't matter. They're glued to the line with thick ACC to give me some time to position the strips (I think thin ACC would soak into the cork and dry too quickly)

While the recommended practice is to have each strip be a standard car length long (12" for passenger cars, 6" for 40' freight cars), my curves weren't that long, so I fudged it a bit and used (much) shorter pieces.

I don't think it'll end up mattering though - the elevated S curve came out great and works well. The only thing I'd change in the future is to go up to a .060" thickness. The .030" height doesn't make for as dramatic a lean as I'd hoped. On the other hand, considering how short these curves are, I wouldn't have been able to transition up to .060 quick enough without risking operational problems.

Tip: when you have a long curved section like this, you'll want to solder the track together first, even if it gets a little unwieldy. I tried to solder as I went along and found that to be even more difficult than handling one long piece of track. It might be different if you're working with a buddy, but working alone you just run out of hands. Add to that the fact that I wanted to glue the track down and things got really stressful for a bit, trying to do everything before the glue set up. As it was, I used track nails to hold things in place - most necessary when using Atlas flex (which is ultra bendy) rather than MicroEngineering (which you can bend to a curve ahead of time and have it hold). Another tip: if you're going to use track nails, pre-drill the holes and don't try to do that along with soldering and gluing. Save some stress!

After the S curve was done, all that remained was the simple matter of continuing the track across the drop-down bridge...

Hinged end: Lay the track right across the gap. Again, it's critical that the track remain rigid here - so I nailed down the four ties on either side of the gap AND applied a healthy thick dose of Aileen's Tacky Glue (my track fixative of choice) all around the area. That should hold the track in place after I cut the rails.

Drop end: I treated the other gap the same way - you can see the Aileen's still setting up.

I hate to give Randy the satisfaction, but after a lot of hemming and hawing I finally decided to take his advice and extend this track all the way to the corner of the room, behind the backdrop that's already there (of course, that required some deconstruction). I was worried about access, but discovered that I could still reach the end of the track from underneath. It's not easy access, but it's doable and considering how tight things are, it's unlikely that anything will derail back there. But I may put a rerailer there just in case. AND that little extension gives me another 40" of tracklength - enough to allow the entire Air Line Local to be staged without being on the drop-down bridge at the start of the session. So I think the destruction deconstruction change will end up being worthwhile.

Now I just need to figure out how best to wire all this. I'm considering attaching the wiring bus to magnets so that when the bridge is in place and the magnets connect so does the power. BONUS: when the bridge is down, there'll be no power to the tail track. At least that's my thinking at this point - but I welcome suggestions, as always!

Could vs. Should

Today's Lesson: Don't Let the Supporting Actors Steal the Show

- or else you may end up like Bette Davis in All About Eve. More likely though, if you're a model railroader, you may find yourself losing sight of your main focus as you try to accommodate Just One More Train/Industry/Track, etc. In my case, the possibility of including some prototypically-run mainline trains in addition to my 4 local freights just about derailed everything.

My original plan was just to include the town of Old Saybrook insofar as it would anchor the south end of the Valley Line. Most of the mainline tracks would be for show only, with the only active track being the one the Shoreline local would use to branch off the mainline onto the wye to head north on the Valley line. But then I figured, "why not use some space on either side of the Saybrook Scene for some loops to provide some 'generic' mainline running?

That quickly (de?)evolved to a desire to run the mainline trains prototypically. Click here for the start of that journey and click here for where it all ended up. Long story short: I could run the mainline trains prototypically by having eastbound trains going behind the Saybrook backdrop and behind a wall (which would become totally inaccessible), but should I do that - especially when doing so could not only produce a maintenance/access nightmare but actually pinch my Saybrook scene? The main reason I put such a big hole in the wall opened up the proscenium was to highlight Old Saybrook, and now the supporting actors (i.e. the mainline trains) were starting to take over and compromise that goal.

So, after asking folks to weigh in on my problem (and many thanks to those of you that did), I've decided to go back to the drawing board - literally - and refocus my priorities on what's most important in this area (in order of priority):

• Ability of the westbound Shoreline local to come from "New London" (offscene staging) and take the east leg of the Saybrook wye to head up the Valley Line;
• Old Saybrook station scene as accurate as possible - including the "balloon track" behind the station, freight house, team track, and coal dealer;
• Ability of eastbound Shoreline local to come from "New Haven" and take the west leg of the wye to head up the Valley Line;
• Hidden staging for the Air Line Local;
• Mainline trains heading in the prototypically correct direction.

It was those last three bullets that became such a problem, requiring all that hidden & inaccessible track. After further reflection - caused in no small part by those weighing in with their concerns - I remembered that:

• the eastbound Shoreline local doesn't go up the Valley Line in 1947, only the westbound one does;
• hidden staging for the Air Line Local - while nice - would cost more in effort/problems than it's worth. I can live with the train being staged "online" at the start of the session;
• And most importantly, and in keeping with our Lesson above, mainline trains could should remain supporting actors only - just "generic Shoreline trains" there only to provide "busy background" for the locals switching Old Saybrook.

The new trackplan no longer involves over 10 feet of double-decked, hidden, and mostly inaccessible track (yay!) - it's now essentially back to what I'd originally envisioned: a dogbone with reversing loops at each end and a large staging yard at the New London/Boston end. The main compromise, other than losing hidden Air Line staging, is that eastbound trains will have to go through the Saybrook scene westbound first. I can live with that - especially now that I've fully vetted the alternative.

But wait! There's More! If (and that's a big IF) I decide I really-must-absolutely-have west-end staging sometime in the future, I discovered that I can add a 3-4 track shelf in front of the "Somerset" Air Line module. It's not ideal, it wouldn't be super easy to do, and would make the Somerset module a bit more cumbersome to operate (which are all reasons I'm not just installing it now), but it is a possibility should I find it Absolutely Necessary sometime in the future.

So, I have a good plan for going forward, and a contingency plan should I need it someday. And the proof is in the doing: I started cutting the first plywood last night and tracklaying will should be starting by next week!

All in all, I'm very happy with such a well-thought-out approach. And that is due primarily to those folks that allowed me to bounce my ideas around and mull them over with me. Despite the minor (now, to my mind) compromises, I think this end of the railroad will be a lot of fun to operate and - even better - it'll provide the only place on my layout for continuous running when I just want to see trains rolling (or during layout tours). Best of all, if god forbid something goes wrong with the tracks or trains, I'll be able to get to them easily and fix the problems. And that should insure that the layout continues to be fun to operate for years to come.

Oops!!

They say you should measure twice and cut once. Well, I measured twice and apparently cut twice.

Rookie mistake…

At least there's some good news – I have an arm full of 1x3s now that I didn't have before since I ripped them from old lumber. And the 4' x 8' sheet of Masonite that's been stored in the garage for weeks now finally got cut into two 2x8s for backdrops (it was that ripcut that resulted in the sawhorse cut).

Ah well - at least benchwork building can continue!

Ops Session FAIL! - well, almost - and a Special Visitor

I had my latest Valley Line Operating Session last Friday, but it almost didn't happen.

As the start time started getting closer, I fired up the layout and went to move the Valley Local into position. For some reason, an engine can't start out on the reversing section. I don't know whether that has anything to do with the fact that polarity on the reversing section is controlled by a Frog Juicer, but the fact remains that if the engine is on this section when I power on the layout, I can't acquire it. So I start the engine/train in Middletown and move it to "Hartford staging" (the reversing section) before the session starts.

I fired up K-1b #278 and started to move it in position - and it promptly started shorting. It's been giving me all sorts of fits lately - can't figure out why - so after about 10 minutes, I decided to substitute an Alco S-2. That worked fine - until it hit the reverse loop - then it shorted and stopped.

And nothing - I mean nothing - I could do could get it to work. The whole reversing section was dead.

After almost an hour(!) of fiddling, checking connections, pulling on feeders (and hearing members of my crew arrive and - worse - enjoying themselves upstairs, without me), I was ready to grab my wire cutters and start cutting out things.  That's when BillS - who had joined PieterR downstairs to help - said "try it now." I saw out of the corner of my eye what he'd done - he was on the other side of the peninsula in East Berlin, but I could see him a little bit through the "tunnel" in the peninsula backdrop. I couldn't believe what he'd done - but I tried moving the Alco forward.

And it moved as if nothing had happened.

I'm only going to say this once since it's an embarrassing admission: I'd left a track gauge on the East Berlin track. Bill noticed it and removed it.

Rookie mistake, for sure.

But, in my defense, it never even occurred to me that I'd left metal across the tracks. If that gauge had been anywhere else on the railroad other than in the reversing section, the layout would have shorted as soon as I turned it on. Since it was on the reversing section, it just managed to shut down that section - but gave no indication of a short. It just seemed like the section was dead.

So, an important lesson learned: If your layout isn't working, always Always ALWAYS do at least a quick check to make sure you've left nothing metal across the rails. You may not see a small track nail easily, but a 12" long track gauge should be easy to see and pull off.

Other than this pre-session drama, the rest of the evening was a success - and BillS also treated us to a couple of special guests:

Since he's one of the main go-to guys at Rapido, he'd brought the demo of their latest offering - a New Haven FL-9. Since the prototype didn't arrive until 1957, it's 10 years past my era. But it still looked pretty cool on the layout (even if a bit out of place). The amount of detail on this engine is truly spectacular - every, and I mean EVERY, detail you can discern on the prototype is present on the model. And it's 1:87th scale. Truly amazing.

But that wasn't all. I'd heard about the FL-9 but I hadn't heard - much less seen - another cool Rapido product, soon to be available: Operating Switchstands!

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, you will soon be able to add authentic, prototype-specific switchstands to your layout. This is, of course, the New Haven (and Rutland and O&W) version. Yes, the targets turn with the hand lever. If you connect it to the machine, it'll move the turnout points as well (and provide polarity, etc). Now I just have to go back and add headblocks to all my turnouts!

Be sure to visit http://www.rapidotrains.com/ for more information and details about these exciting new products.

Speaking of guests, this ops session was also notable for the introduction of a new crew member. BruceE - Valley Railroad engineman and O&W caboose owner - finally got a chance to join us and operate the Valley Local.

Here's Bruce trying to figure out how to switch the new Wethersfield Lumber Co. buildings

And here he is with Bill trying to figure out their next move before taking the local south to Rocky Hill.

Meanwhile, Pieter and Roman operated the Air Line Local. In order to slow them down a bit (and equalize time with the Valley Local) I had them hostle their engine before starting their switching. What I didn't realize is that, while the train had been blocked, it was blocked exactly backwards. The Air Line crew must've done something to tick off the Cedar Hill yardmaster(!)

The timing equalization worked! Both crews are in Middletown, as per usual on the prototype - though it turned out the Valley Local had a lot more to do . . .

Here's a quick grab shot of the Air Line local just south of the Middletown diamond.

I trained TomD on agent's duties, so I had a bit more time to roam around and enjoy the railroad being brought to life. Especially since - after Bill got that gauge out of the way - it now could have a life at all!

And I took advantage of the down time to get a head start on a major expansion project - which would be the focus of a Valley Line Work Session the following day. Stay tuned - details on that will hopefully be the subject of the next post!

Yet More Backdrop - and some scenery base (and Middletown Tower?!)

You've no doubt heard of chainsaw layouts - well, lately I feel like Wethersfield has been a chainsaw scene. If you've been following this blog for a while, you know that originally there was a bit of a hillside toward the back of the scene, necessitated by the bottom of the backdrop being too high. That slope was making it very difficult to model Wethersfield as flat as prototypical, so out came the cardboard/plastercloth scenery base and down extended the backdrop. To read more about this process, click here, and/or check out the "Backdrop" topic. The lesson here - other than doing it right the first time, of course - is that you can do things over. So don't be afraid to get started and at least try.

When last we left the backdrop, I had just one more sanding/painting to do. Here's another lesson: make certain that your topping is sanded down as much as you want before you paint it. You can - like me - sand after you paint when you discover you didn't sand enough. But all that paint will clog up your sandpaper and make a mess. But like a lot of things in this hobby, I'm discovering that you can (yup!) Do It Over. See below:

Goff Brook looking "north" - after painting, I wasn't happy with how some of the topping ridges were showing through. Plain sky shouldn't have texture (ahem). So I sanded it down some more.

It wasn't difficult - just added another couple of steps. But in for a penny in for a pound. Heh - the result almost looks like clouds. Um, if you look just right. Ok, maybe not. This view is Wethersfield looking "south."

After sanding, another coat of paint. One thing about doing things over (and over and over again) is that you get better and quicker. This whole process (topping/sanding/painting) which used to take hours now takes minutes. Really. BTW, check out where the road hits the backdrop - that's the original bottom of the backdrop.

Once the paint dried, I decided that the terrain still wasn't flat enough, so I lowered the cardboard strips some more. You can see some places where they had attached. I only dropped them 3/4-1", but I'm much happier with the result and that's what matters.

And I finally figured out how I want to deal with the terrain surrounding Goff Brook. Before the backdrop was dropped, there was no way I would have been able to avoid it looking like a gorge here - and the prototype is actually a pretty flat CT River floodplain. I think this is turning out much better.

I even tried a different method of scenery base support on the south side of Middlesex Tpke - the old tried and true bundled-newspaper-and-masking-tape method. Don't be afraid to try and mix different methods - they all have their pros and cons. In this case, cardboard strips would have been pretty unwieldy.

As you can probably tell, I'm getting happier and happier with how this scene is (finally) turning out. And this area has been a HUGE source of lessons learned, but please let me know if you see anything in the pictures that I should do differently and/or be warned about (that sort of feedback is, frankly, one of the main reasons I post so many pics). I'll certainly do things a bit different as I work my way around the layout and "south" to Rocky Hill and Middletown.

Speaking of Middletown, I even got to do a little bit more on the (no longer quick and dirty) Middletown Tower project. . .

Ever try to piece together a broken-up staircase? Maybe I should have just built a new one from scratch. Heh - that's what some folks have said about the tower itself, that it would have taken less time to scratchbuild than to try and salvage, re-kit and rework a previously-built building.

But my approach seems to be in line with the theme lately: Just Try It (with apologies to Nike). It's a hobby, after all. And I'm learning more and more that most learning in this hobby comes more from trying, not from just reading about it.

Hope you're able to try something new on your layout soon - and if you do, let me know! Even if your experiment doesn't meet your expectations, if my experience is any guide, I guarantee you'll learn something.

Too Much

I have a confession to make. I considered giving up the hobby recently. Now, lest you think me fickle, let me explain. My story might help if you've had the same feelings at some point.

After making lots of progress over the summer, I found that I'd hit a roadblock unlike others I've confronted before. Like many layout builders, I've had to work through a variety of obstacles, but this was different. I started getting this growing sense of dread just about every time I'd think of going into the basement. There was just Too Much. Too Much to do, Too Much to build, Too Much to plaster & paint. Just. Too. Much. Instead of being fun, the layout started feeling a lot like a second job.

Some folks embrace this - Tony Koester comes to mind - explicitly stating that you have to have the mind of a project manager in order to stay disciplined, on task, on budget, and on time, or else you'll never finish. This of course makes lots of sense considering the magnitude of the project he's taken on. But size of project is relative. Depending on the level of detail you want, for example, even a relatively small layout can become overwhelming. Either way, building a layout starts feeling a lot like work and you'd rather model from the armchair - or worse, watch TV - than go back to the basement.

Most folks - especially model railroaders - believe you can never have enough. You never have enough space, rolling stock, engines, etc. So whenever you can, you buy, Buy, BUY and if you're blessed with a large space - especially a basement - You Must Fill It with all the layout you can. Sound familiar?

But this is a grave mistake. You end up with Too Much - a basement full of benchwork, but no scenery; shelves full of kits, but never enough time to build them all; grandiose plans, but little enthusiasm or energy to seeing them through to completion. And the hobby press sometimes - perhaps unwittingly - adds to the discouragement by highlighting impossibly large, beautifully finished layouts.

Is it any wonder that, in trying to figure out how to convert one's growing pile of stuff to the masterpiece in one's mind, so many of us throw up our hands in frustration and begin looking longingly at the armchair?

That's where I've been lately, but I think I'm finally starting to come out of the funk. I just wish I'd paid attention to all the advice out there to start small, build modules, or - most drastic of all - do a "chainsaw layout." But while it's too late to start over - and yes, I've considered it - I can change my mindset about what I have. I can treat each town on my layout as its own module, and concentrate on that. That'd certainly be less overwhelming than feeling like I have to build, scenic, and "structurize" all the way from Hartford to Middletown all at once and right away.

You can even eat an elephant if you do it just one small bite at a time.

So, I've stepped back from the ledge of layout oblivion and have, hopefully, rediscovered some of the motivation I've lost. I've taken a deep breath, reminded myself that this is supposed to be a hobby, and am focusing on doing smaller sections - and smaller projects - one at a time.

A couple of other things have helped as well:

• Seeing some layouts on Facebook and such that are more "accessible" - by which I mean, are in a state where I find myself thinking "hey, I could do that" rather than "OMG - I could never do that!"
• Discovering some new photos of and information on the line I'm modeling, thus rekindling some of the passion for why I started this project in the first place (bonus: this can be one benefit of taking a sabbatical as an "armchair model railroader")
• And, perhaps most important, calling on a few friends to help me out.  Too often we consider ourselves "lone wolf" modelers when sometimes - if not often - what we really need is the benefit of another set of eyes, another perspective, and - yes - another pair of hands helping out. I've been the beneficiary of this sort of help & support in the past; I just have to remember to tap into that whenever I'm feeling in a funk. Actually, that's pretty good advice for life generally. And with the internet and social networks, even the most remote of modelers can avoid being a lone wolf.

While you might sometimes find yourself under the burden of too much stuff to do on your layout, one thing you can truly never have too much of is the camaraderie, help, and support of your fellow model railroaders. Thanks to the readers & commenters on this blog - as well as to others who share their experience on their blogs, FB, etc. - for being such a big part of that network.

So stay tuned for more progress on The Valley Line - it may be a little slower, but it will hopefully be a lot more sure.

Progress does not always equal Accomplishment

I should be frustrated about yesterday's work session, but I'm not. Roman & Pieter came over for the afternoon and I had a long punch list of to-do items we could go through. I still have it. Nothing's crossed off.

Having a variety of to-do items is nice since then, hopefully, there's always something that folks are interested in doing. Unfortunately, other than some super-simple items which really didn't merit our combined effort (like "snip coupler pins off engine #3304" "change bell ring rate"), the remaining items all seemed to require something that I didn't have ready - either in terms of supplies or thought.

Lack of supplies is the more frustrating. I should have enough on-hand in order to accomplish the listed task. Like paint. I need to pre-paint some structure parts before assembly, and I didn't have the right paint in stock. So one of the things Pieter and I did was go to the store and get some paint. But we didn't paint anything.

Lack of thought - well, that's a little frustrating. It's frustrating to realize you didn't think through the implications of a certain approach and as a result you're stymied. But trying to avoid "lack of thought" all too often leads most of us - me, certainly - into Analysis Paralysis. You end up going to the basement and spending all your time staring at the layout. Thinking, but not doing.

But I've found one of the antidotes to this: Having somebody else over to help you think through things. With another perspective, and another suitcase of experience to offer, having a friend or friends over to stare at the layout with you will - more often than not - aid your thinking, and keep you from falling into the Analysis Paralysis trap.

Roman worked on some photo backdrop ideas (another source of frustration, which I'll discuss - perhaps - in a future post), but he and Pieter helped most by helping me think through some things: structure choice & placement, road additions, industry siding modifications, and - yes - backdrop options.

The fact that we didn't "accomplish" anything during the time we were together is really beside the point. We were able to get together for a dedicated block of time to discuss the layout, its future, what we want to accomplish, different approaches. Those kinds of discussions are extremely valuable, and help move the ball further. Even decisions about what not to do are, in their own way, "progress."

So thank you Pieter and Roman for coming over yesterday. I know we didn't accomplish much, but as far as I'm concerned, we made a lot of progress. And that's always the result of a good work session.

(that all said - I promise to make up a bucket of Ground Goop for the next work session.... ;^)

Mind the Gaps

About this time last year, I went down to operate the layout and it wouldn't work - there was a short somewhere but for the life of me I couldn't figure out what had caused it and i couldn't track it down.

A panic email to Craig Bisgeier, who had just done a podcast on layout wiring, was a huge help. He said the likely culprit was that a rail gap or gaps had somehow closed. This can happen in at least two ways: in the summertime when the rails get warm they can sometimes expand, thereby causing intended rail gaps to shrink or disappear altogether. A similar thing happens in the winter when, due to the low humidity, wood will contract and thereby cause the same problem.

This is only an actual problem if you have either a reverse loop on your layout or require rail gaps for other electrical purposes. In my case, I have a reverse loop where I had gapped the rails to separate it from the rest of the layout. And sure enough, those gaps had closed. After a few short minutes with my cut off disc in the Dremel Moto tool and ACC-ing little plastic bits in the gaps to keep the rails from coming together in the future, my problem was solved.

Until this year that is… This time I don't have a problem with gaps closing - I've been having a problem with tracks humping.  Apparently, I soldered too many of my railjoints and the rails were too tight everywhere else. So when the inevitable shrinkage of wood occurred, the rails had no place to go - but up.  Thankfully, another session with my Dremel cutoff disc solved the problem. I just cut a couple of gaps here and there to relieve the tension on the rails and everything settled back down to normal.

The take away? If you tend to solder your rails together, be sure you're leaving gaps somewhere to relieve any tension on the rails that might occur. I, for one, will never solder turnouts to the adjoining rails again in the future (this also makes it much easier to remove a turnout for maintenance or repair). Also, where you have to have a gap remain open for electrical purposes, be sure to glue little bits of plastic in the gaps to keep the rails from coming together.

Just remember to do what the British Underground riders do and Mind the Gap(s)!

Hot Glue Lessons

As anybody that's been to a work session at my layout knows, I love my hot glue gun. it's such a versatile and handy tool. But today, I learned a few things I almost wish I hadn't...

1) Be very careful using a hot glue gun above your head (this rule applies to soldering irons as well), or any time the gun is pointed "up" - you risk having hot glue drop back onto your fingers/hand.

2) If you get hot glue on you - especially a large amount - do NOT wait for the glue to cool. Get it off as quickly as possible (preferably not with another unprotected hand).

3) Hot glue that is allowed to remain on your skin will remove a layer (or two) of skin. This is especially true as you try to peel off the hot glue.

I'll leave it to the experts to explain how best to treat flesh where the skin has been melted off. I ran my finger under cold water, daubed it dry, and applied Neosporin & a bandage to cover it. We'll see how that works out.

In the meantime, I'm discovering just how important that middle finger is (and not just for flipping off rogue hot glue guns). Hopefully, it won't be too much of a pain when I'm firing the steam locomotive tomorrow...

Status quo ante

Well, mostly....

Here's the Ballantine warehouse area at the north end of Wethersfield after removing all the scenery base I installed last week. As I mentioned in a previous post, the resulting topography - especially the steep slope that was necessary to connect the subroadbed to the bottom of the backdrop - was just unacceptable. This area of Wethersfield is relatively flat.

So, out came the cardboard webbing. Boy, it sure did come out quicker than it went in! Next step will be to "extend" the backdrop lower and redo this area.

Stay tuned - hopefully I'll have some progress to show soon.  In the meantime, here's hoping you and yours are enjoying this holiday season!

Scenery Base Started!

Looking north toward Hartford (staging).  Engine is about where the Rt. 15 overpass will be.

 

Here's my First Cardboard Webbing Strip!  It's like the Golden Spike, except it's done at the beginning, and it's not track.  But it's a milestone nevertheless.  This strip is at the location of the Route 15 overpass that marks the beginning of the "on stage" portion of the railroad.  As such, the resulting slope is no problem and, in fact, has to be there.

But as I mentioned in my last post, I'm much less confident that continuing this slope southward will be a good idea.  There's no such slope on the prototype, but the height of the bottom of the backdrop makes such a slope necessary (you have to attach the strips to something).  Since I won't know how much of an actual problem that is until I can see it, I decided to just dive right in...

First strips hot glued to side of subroadbed (to keep terrain profile/slope as low as possible)

Strips hot-glued to back of backdrop - again, to keep slope as low as possible.  Also showing base for Silas Deane Hwy.

Once I got the strips installed far enough south to get to the Ballantine site, it started getting real - you can see below where I've mocked-up a flat base & the Silas Deane Hwy...

And you can see how steep that slope is going to have to be to get from the flat industrial area to the Hwy.  Here's a current-day comparison to give you an idea of what the prototype looks like:

This is Jordan Ln. looking west toward Silas Deane Hwy. from the RR crossing.  The self-storage facility is on the Ballantine site

So you can see that this slope is all wrong - what I've got is more in tune with Appalachia than the flat CT river valley.

To try and get at least the Ballantine site flatter, I hot-glued some foamcore board to the bottom of the strips and to allow me to press the strips down as much as possible - and to not cause the Silas Deane to tilt at the same time - you can see that I temporarily installed a strip of masonite on edge to support the east side of the Hwy. (see it clamped in place below the webbing). Problem is, I don't know whether I'll be able to remove that masonite and expect the terrain to stay in place.  But you can see where I've started installing the "horizontal" strips to the north to create the hopefully-sturdier basketweave.

So this is where things sit at this point.  It's not a bad looking scene, but it looks all wrong to me considering the prototype.  I figured I'd live with it for a bit and see if I'd feel any better about it, but I'm not optimistic. I'll probably rip this all out and rework it.  Pieter and I have been kicking around some different ideas, but so far I think the best approach may be to just add a 3" strip of masonite to the bottom of the backdrop, to give something lower for cardboard strips to attach to - and thereby make this whole area as flat as possible.

While I'm at it, I'll probably also install some more plywood to provide a solid, flat base for Ballantines.  As I mentioned in my last post, I should have anticipated this need and provided for it when I planned & cut the plywood for this area.  Fortunately, the L-girder benchwork I used is pretty easy to modify when necessary, so this should just be a matter of installing some additional risers to support some additional plywood.  Then I can do the cardboard lattice again.

At least now, I've got some experience doing that so it shouldn't take as long the next time....