The Empire

[tom.boyd.125]

Jeff,
I really like that yard on a curve !          It reminds me of the Grand Truck Western "Elston" yard in Chicago that had 11 tracks going North & South at 55th & St. Louis Street and all the tracks turned at 51st Street into a East-West Direction, just like you modeled the 90 degree turn.  2 other tracks went straight North of the curve into the Sante Fe yard . Remember siting there in my car eating a pizza, drinking Pepsi, watching the tower operator making the crossing gates go up & down, since a Chicago street ran right thru that yard and listening to the cars screeching there wheels going in and out of those curved yard tracks as they switched cars, and other trains arrived and departed . The Grand Trunk even had their caboose track on the curved tracks at 51st street with several neat yard structures there too. All the trains had to be broken apart to keep the road crossing from being blocked there at the start of the 11 track curve,  and at times the gates were down for 15 to 20 minutes !    If I find any old photos, I will let you know.
Tom

[Zephyrus52246]

Thanks, Bob, John and Tom.  Tom, I'll bet drivers were not happy when the gates were down that long.    Again, the benchwork is 60 inches (152 cm) at the widest point here.  I can't reach across it, so I'm going to make some liftouts.  I don't want the tracks going at angles over the lift outs, almost all the curved tracks are at nearly a right angle, just the two back tracks wouldn't work, so I cut things to fit these two tracks.  Before and after are pictured below.  I think the rest can go in as one piece, but it'll be a bit heavy.  I'd better eat my Wheaties when I want to lift it out.   


Jeff

[Zephyrus52246]

The yard track on the far right is short, but it's only to hold a locomotive.  The loop reverser automatically controls the tortoise on the turnout leading into the loop.  There's no button to otherwise throw the switch.  I can pull the loco out of here over the boundary of the power district and the loop to reverse the turnout.  I have one on the other end of the loop to change the tortoise in the other direction.  The next short track on the right is for the Pioneer Zephyr, it's only four cars long and should fit fine. 


Jeff

[Zephyrus52246]

The major yard piece is in place.  This will hold all but two of the yard tracks.  I'm not adding any of the tracks/electrical at this time.  I want to get fascia in place on the layout in this room.  The room is finally tidied up after almost ten months of work.  If I can get the fascia on and have my wife make some "curtains" to hide under the layout I think it'll look even better.  My next task is to clean the OTHER room and start the peninsula.  This will involve building a wall and finally finishing the ceiling after all these years. 


Jeff

[S&S RR]

Jeff


It's looking great.  I would have trouble with the chair in the room  . To much sitting and looking at what to do next.[size=78%]  [/size]

[deemery]

I really love to see "whole train room" photos, to see lighting, flooring, etc, etc.  And when they're not completely done, it makes me feel better with my own "pink foam empire" :-)


dave

[Zephyrus52246]

Thanks John and Dave.  Speaking of lights, the overhead fluorescents need to move.  Laying out the curves, etc I can fit a nine track yard in the space.  The turnouts are straight, but the yard curves again.    The trains pass between the door and the fire extinguisher (here if Tom ever visits  ).  The 1 x 4 is where the wall will need to be built.  I'm going to start with the light fascia over the edges of the layout.  I can then do the drop ceiling on the aisles and move the lights where they need to go.  I won't use the overhead fixtures for "layout lighting", but I'd like more light in here to work with while I build the wall, then the backdrop.  Then will follow the benchwork.   I estimate this will take at least another decade to complete.   


Jeff

[deemery]

For what it's worth, I recently replaced most of the overhead fluorescents with LEDs, and I'm -very happy- with the results.  I got a reasonable deal (LEDs are still expensive) on 4000k fixtures, which is about the color I was getting from my combo of warm-white and cool-white tubes.  But I think the LEDs won't have the problem the older lights had with UV fading, they run cheaper, last longer (no annoying flicker) and come on quicker.


dave

[S&S RR]

My 2 cents on the lighting - use LED's - I am also replacing all of the fluorescent and incandescent lights with LED's in my layout room.  I'm changing them out as they burn out. The fluorescent lights that were suppose to last 10 years are burning out in 2.  I hope the LED's last as long as advertised - the last ones that I bought said 22 years.   


One last point - I would recommend the same lights for working on the layout as you will be using for display.  Especially when you start working on scenery.  Colors change a lot with lighting.

[Zephyrus52246]

Thanks, guys.  We're changing out 3 fixtures here, one a chandelier that's 20 feet up.  I can't change out the bulbs if they burn out, so I got some of the Cree 100 watt replacement bulbs.  The light is indistinguishable from incandescent to me.  I'll be using these over the layout as they are the same color as the fluorescent ones I'm now using. 


Jeff

[Zephyrus52246]

Got three pieces of the  fascia/light supports put up today.  Had to get 24 2x4s and haul them in on our first really hot/humid day.  Between that and fixing a hose and mowing, I'm pooped!      The short piece at the end will have an angled piece put in between in and the next one. 

Jeff

[LongHornCaddy]

Great thread Jeff, nice work!!

[Zephyrus52246]

Thanks for checking in Longhorn!  Since the plan has changed in the 10 plus years since I started, part of the overhead ceiling/fascia support has to be removed.  You can see where I had to cut the bottom with a hand saw, as my battery powered sawzall no longer functions, it's like working in the Dark Ages!    I then cut/ripped a 2x4 to fit.  In the second fit the cutout is complete and the ceiling support replaced.  The 2x4 on end will be painted white to match the ceiling.   I'm going to do the same for the end of the curved "Bellina Drop".  The two light/ceiling support ends are matched up as well.


Jeff

[Zephyrus52246]

After posting the picture, I noticed the near supports didn't have the "light bar" on them.  so I cut some more 2x4s and attached them.  Fitted the piece for the other end as well.  This portion of the build is now completed.  I think I'm going to forego the large overhead fluorescents instead of moving them.  So I'll do the lighting of the peninsula next so I can use them for light when I build the wall.


Jeff

[Zephyrus52246]

i've started the lighting portion and the suspended ceiling.  The first pic shows how I did the rest of the layout with octagonal boxes and the classic single bulb porcelain fixture.  Cutting, stripping, attaching, twisting wires and then applying wire nuts and the crimps on the outside of the boxes was a pain.  On a layout tour, I saw someone used these small porcelain fixtures in the next two pics.  I merely cut the insulation off of the wire where the screw is and screw it on, put the top on and off to the next one.  Much easier and quicker. 

Jeff