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Messages - Onewolf

#16
Baggage Car - Daily Chat / Re: Wednesday January 15th
January 15, 2025, 09:54:45 AM
Mornin'

A relatively balmy 23 degrees here right now. Forecast high is 40 today and then 50s for the next 3 days. And then the next cold front rolls thru.

Real work continues to take too much of my time.

Yesterday I started cutting the 3/4" plywood circle (70", 85" diameter) for the helix support base. I am cutting through two sheets of 3/4" plywood with a jigsaw, and it is slow going.  I have another 36" to cut. Hopefully I can get that done and installed this evening.

Hope you guys have a great day.

Doug
#17
Baggage Car - Daily Chat / Re: Tuesday January 14 2025
January 14, 2025, 03:44:29 PM
Quote from: westtexjohn on January 14, 2025, 03:26:33 PMIs there a topic on this forum for "Layout Electrical"? A topic that includes DCC installs, turnout installs/control etc? LED use and structure lighting.

Thanks....John

I don't think there is, but I wish there was. I have to go elsewhere for my DCC questions.
#18
Baggage Car - Daily Chat / Re: Tuesday January 14 2025
January 14, 2025, 11:24:03 AM
Good morning,

Fires at work this week.  I sure will be glad when I can retire....

Not much progress on the layout this week so far.

Doug
#19
Layout Tours / Re: Ogden & Cache Valley, Part II
January 12, 2025, 08:41:52 AM
And then this photo shows the inside with 1/8" masonite painted sky blue with hazy clouds (as a first step for a backdrop).  Again, from the previous layout.

IMG_4255.jpg
#20
Layout Tours / Re: Ogden & Cache Valley, Part II
January 12, 2025, 08:35:52 AM
Here are photos from the previous layout that show how the outside edge of the upper benchwork is supported from the ceiling with a 'wall' that drops from the ceiling.  These walls are built with 1x3s at the top and bottom and 2x2 in between.  There is a lip on the inside bottom formed by the 1x3 that the open grid benchwork rests on. The outside gets covered with lightweight 1/4" Luan plywood and the inside gets covered with 1/8" masonite/hardboard (backdrop).

IMG_2831.jpg

And then with the Luan plywood installed on the outside. Eventually I painted these outside panels to the room wall color.

IMG_2839.jpg
#21
Layout Tours / Re: Ogden & Cache Valley, Part II
January 12, 2025, 07:47:37 AM
Quote from: elwoodblues on January 11, 2025, 10:56:09 PMThat is some serious benchwork and well made to boot along with very colourfull carper tiles.

Looking forward to seeing the upper level built.

The colorful carpet tiles are $0.49/sq ft.  It's the least expensive option I could find that is nice for walking on, crawling on, and easy to replace individual tiles when 'accidents' happen. Highly recommended.
#22
Layout Tours / Re: Ogden & Cache Valley, Part II
January 11, 2025, 02:01:17 PM
I finished the open grid 1x4 lower level benchwork that wraps around the outside of the center platform. I just have 2 more support struts to install. Much of the lower level will have 5/8" plywood and then 1/2" homasote or foamular rigid foam. I used homasote on the previous layout and it has a lot of positive attributes, but it was NOT flat and it required a lot of patching/leveling.  That's why I'm thinking about possible using 1/2 foamular instead.

I think I will start on the upper level benchwork next as I don't have any questions/issues as I have with the middle level benchwork. As a bonus the upper level benchwork is much smaller in size then the middle or lower level so I hope to knock it out quickly.

This is the narrowest aisle at 40" wide. The other aisles are 46"-48" (or wider).

20250111_133615.jpg

20250111_133557.jpg

This is where the mainline wraps around the center platform and then will enter the helix for the trip up to the middle level.

20250111_133528.jpg
#23
Baggage Car - Daily Chat / Re: Saturday January 11 2025
January 11, 2025, 08:05:34 AM
Good morning,

Ended up getting around 4-5" of snow yesterday before it turned to sleet/frozen rain.

Been working on benchwork this morning.

Otis loves playing in the snow and eating it as well.

Going to continue working on benchwork today.

Have a great day y'all!

Doug

20250111_074342.jpg

20250111_074641.jpg
#24
Baggage Car - Daily Chat / Re: Friday January 10, 2025
January 10, 2025, 09:30:46 AM
Good Friday Morning!

The snow has started.  Forecasts range from 2" to 10" today/tonight.  Average snowfall for the year around here is 5".

I'm hoping to get some work done on the layout today and this weekend.

Doug
#25
Mornin' all,

14 degrees here this morning.  4-10" of snow forecast for tomorrow. I went out this morning and stocked up in case I get trapped in the house for multiple days.  The road that comes up to my subdivision is VERY steep with a very sharp switchback so there is no getting in/out until the road gets plowed or the snow/ice melts.

Yesterday a used Athearn Gen1 gas turbine (slab side) was delivered from Ebay so I tested the decoder/sound and everything worked great.

Hope y'all have a great day!

Doug
#26
Morning all,

25 degrees here this morning. High forecast is low 30s.  White fluffy stuff falling very slowly, no accumulation.

Worked on lower level benchwork yesterday evening.


Doug

PS: Here's a photo just after sunset looking west. That's Watts Bar Nuke plant's steam plume off in the distance.

20250107_180751.jpg
#27
Layout Tours / Re: Ogden & Cache Valley, Part II
January 08, 2025, 08:36:30 AM
And here are the locomotives that don't fit the era I am modeling (late 50s). They all have DCC decoders (no sound). I will be selling them eventually.  Let me know if anyone sees anything interesting.  :)

While the Atlas ACL GP7 fits era wise, an ACL locomotive would be awfully lost to end up out it Ogden. I bought it because my (ex) wife liked the Purple color.  :)

20250107_122927.jpg
#28
Layout Tours / Re: Ogden & Cache Valley, Part II
January 08, 2025, 08:23:47 AM
I don't recall if I ever posted the Givens/Druthers for the layout. I also show the current loco roster.

Givens

  • HO Scale
  • DCC control
  • Fit in the available basement space

Druthers

  • Union Pacific (large investment in UP locos/rolling stock)
  • Late 1950s Era - Plausible for large steam engines, Gas Turbine engines, First generation diesel engines
  • Single track mainline
  • Long mainline run
  • 40" radius curves on mainline
  • Ample space between 'towns'. I don't like having the front of train in town A while the rear of train is still in town B.
  • Passenger train - station, service
  • Continuous run possible
  • One pass per scene
  • 36+" wide aisles
  • 32" max benchwork depth for lower level
  • 24" max benchwork depth for middle level
  • #8 turnouts where large locos must traverse
  • #6 turnouts for yards, service spurs

Current Design

  • 3 level mushroom
  • Lower level is at 40" nominal (lower return loop is 36", city above lower return loop is 43")
  • Middle level is at 60" (until the nolix which climbs to 80" for upper level)
  • Upper level is at 80" obsolute, center platform is 28" so the upper level is at 52" relative.
  • Almost all mainline curves are 40+".  Exceptions: 36" curve on lower level entering helix.  36" on upper level entering upper return loop
  • 525 ft mainline between lower and upper return loops
  • 1120 ft for full loop
  • One train can run continuous without intervention
  • Climbs 44" from lower return loop (36") to upper return loop (80")
  • Climbs 51" from lower return loop (36") to upper city branch line (87")
  • Narrowest aisle is 40", most are 46"-48"
  • Deepest benchwork depth is 30"
  • Freelance model of Ogden, Oregon Short Line, and Cache Valley Branch

Roster Info

Current Passenger Trains

  • Union Pacific
  •   (2) Lightweight (BLI E7A/E7A/E8B sound, Athearn Genesis F3A/B sound)
  •   Heavyweight (BLI and Lionel Challenger Greyhound) sound
  • Santa Fe Lightweight Warbonnet (BLI F7 A/B sound)
  • Southern Pacific(2) Daylight - BLI E7A/E7B (sound), E7A/E7B(dummy) sound
  • California Zephyr Denver Rio Grande & Western (Rapido PA1/PB1) sound
  • California Zephyr Western Pacific (BLI F3A/F3B/F3B(dummy) sound

Current Loco Roster

Steam

  • (2) Trix Big Boy (No sound) (getting sound installed very soon)
  • Rivarossi Big Boy (No sound)
  • (2) Lionel Challenger (sound)
  • (2) BLI Challenger (sound)  on order
  • (2) Rivarossi FEF 4-8-4 (No sound)
  • (2) Athearn FEF3 4-8-4 (sound)
  • (5) Proto 2000 2-8-8-2 (3 sound, 2 no sound) 3 will be UP, 2 will be Utah Railway
  • (2) BLI 2-6-6-4 (Sound)
  • (2) BLI 4-6-4 (Sound)
  • Mantua 4-6-2 (No sound) Not sure the use case - Maybe excursion/heritage in 1957?

Diesel

  • Sound
  • BLI E7A/E7A/E8B sound - UP
  • BLI F7 A/B sound - Santa Fe
  • BLI E7A/E7B sound - Southern Pacific
  • BLI E7A/E7B(dummy) sound - Southern Pacific
  • BLI F3A/F3B/F3B(dummy) sound - Western Pacific
  • Athearn Genesis F3A/B sound - UP
  • Rapido PA1/PB1 sound - DRG&W

Non Sound - UP

Atlas Alco S-2
Atlas Alco S-2
Kato EMD NW2 Phase II
Kato EMD NW2 Phase II
Kato Alco RSC-2
Kato Alco RS-2
Kato Alco RS-2
Proto 2000 GP9
Proto 2000 GP9 II
Proto 2000 Alco FA1
Proto 2000 Alco FB1
Proto 2000 EMD SD7
Proto 2000 EMD SD7
Proto 2000 EMD SD7
Proto 2000 EMD E6A
Proto 2000 EMD E6A
Proto 2000 EMD E6A
Stewart Baldwin VO-1000
Walthers Mainline Alco RS-2

Non Union Pacific

Atlas Classic RSD-4/5 (Utah Railway 301)
Atlas Classic RSD-4/5 (Utah Railway 300)

Gas Turbine

  • Athearn Gas Turbine Gen1 54 (sound)
  • Athearn Gas Turbine Gen2 Veranda 61 (sound)
  • Athearn Gas Turbine Gen2 Veranda 65 (sound)
  • Athearn Gas Turbine Gen2 Veranda 71





#29
Layout Tours / Re: Ogden & Cache Valley, Part II
January 08, 2025, 08:15:26 AM
I am continuing to work on lower level benchwork. Once I finish the lower level benchwork I will start on the middle level benchwork.  Barring significant interruptions from real work I think it should take another 2 months to finish the benchwork (lower, middle, upper).

So far I have reused 12 benchwork modules that I salvaged from the previous layout. I will reuse more on the middle level, but very few/none on the upper level.

20250107_193002.jpg

20250107_193011.jpg
#30
Layout Tours / Re: Ogden & Cache Valley, Part II
January 05, 2025, 12:23:43 PM
I have not done much in the last several days, but I did install the wall support struts for the benchwork along the wall with windows and I removed the temp legs.

20250104_132258.jpg

Here is the assortment of wiring I will be using.

12ga solid red/black for the track power bus.  The track will be driven by 4 Digitrax DB150s and one DB210.  These will feed 14 PSX breakers and 2 PSX-AR reversing breakers creating16 power districts.

20250104_121353.jpg

12ga stranded yellow/orange for the layout lighting LED strip power bus.

20250104_121406.jpg

22ga solid red/black for track feeders.

20250104_121543.jpg

18ga stranded red/black for hooking up misc devices like NCE Switch turnout control, and RR-Cirkits occupancy detection modules.

20250104_121427.jpg

And 12ga multi colored for occupancy zone track buses (like lower/upper return loops). This wire is CCA which is generally pretty crappy wire, but for short lengths with minimal current it works fine.  And having all the different colors is helpful when wiring 7 return loop/staging tracks.

20250104_121332.jpg
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