Layout Update & Old Mil Boxcar

Stages 1 through 3 are pretty much complete. Just for my own posterity, I wanted to post a quick update of the layout before I lay the ballast and start working on the streets. Based on the book I am following, here is the Stage 3 layout diagram:



I have added the additional curved dead-end to the right of the diagram. The loop in the middle is a reverse loop (brown loop section above) and I have added a terminal track. I also picked up an Atlas Twin Switch and added plastic joiners to the entrances. This will give me the ability to switch terminals and keep the direction of the engine consistent. Here are the updates:









Pretty cool, eh? Yes it is. I can not wait to set up my command center and get all the switches hooked up! If the rain and cold weather keeps up here in Algonquin, I will be getting that accomplished sooner than later.

Now on to the Old Milwaukee boxcar. In my last post, I mentioned that I picked up an old Tyco boxcar for $1 at the show. I also purchased some Old Milwaukee decals (for a lack of a better word) for $3. The decals are like fake tatoos, you soak them in water and then slide them on to the object. I re-painted the boxcar with a flat white paint. Here is how my cheap, custom made Old Milwaukee boxcar turned out:



Prety sweet, huh?! Perfect for Goebbert's Beertown USA. That's it for now. Oh, some good news for Beertown...a hotel and German beer garden is on it's way via eBay. Yeah baby, were getting out the lederhosen and playing polka music! Update soon.

Great Midwest Train Show

Oh yes folks, I recently hit the Great Midwest Train Show which happens monthly at the Dupage County Fairgrounds in Wheaton, IL. It is 5 buildings of wheeling and dealing with a few exhibits sprinkled in. Typically, you will find vendors selling trains and scenery items for O, HO, and N scale (and some S scale). This is the second time I have gone in the past 3 months. And let me tell you, there is a whole cast of characters at this trainfest swap-o-rama. First, here are a few pictures to set the stage:

This is at 9:45 AM on Sunday, 3/13/2010.

The first time I went to this show I learned 3 things; 1.) model training is not dead, 2.) get to the show early (like when the gates open at 9:30 AM), and 3.) negotiate prices for every single item you are interested in. There are all types of items in different states of condition. For example, one guy had old Tyco, Bachmann, and Plasticville model buildings from the 70's still wrapped and un-opened. Problem is, he wanted $30 to $50 a piece for these classics! It's like he didn't want to part with them. On the other hand, there is a Ma & Pa vendor selling 100's of old Tyco rolling stock for $1 a piece. Nice! I bought a couple of those junkers, repainted them, and turned them into beer cars. I will post a picture of my Old Mil boxcar.

Bottom line, if you are looking for classic items for your layout, bring a list! I bought Atlas switches for half the price you'd find at a hobby store. Bought a jug of Woodland Scenics ballast for $4 (normally $11). And I picked up a lot of used engines that I have got up and rolling now. The people there are great. The vendors are typically very helpful and willing to give you tips. And some of the attendees are hoot also. Sheesh, this one guy looked like he slept under a train and showed up totally hungover. Funny thing is, he spent 100's of dollars on little model people for his layout.

Also want to mention there are a few exhibits. Kids will definitely enjoy coming along for dad's shopping spree. I saw a lot of father-son bonding going on. I would have brought my daughter but she went to the NRMA High Wheeler show a few weeks back. Anyway, here are a couple examples of the exhibits:

The Lionel set above has controllers at each corner. You can run a train yourself!

In conclusion, if you live in the Midwest or are in the Chicagoland area for the weekend, definitely check out the Great Midwest Train Show. It runs once a month, 11 months out of the year and you will never leave empty-handed. Oh, and it will set you back $7 to enter the show. Don't worry, if you buy enough stuff, you'll get that back.

NEXT UPDATE: the track has been layed out and is ready for the ballast. I will post new pics!

2010 High Wheeler Train Show

Yes, this past Sunday my daughter and I went to the NMRA sponsored 2010 High Wheeler Model Train Show at Harper College. That is quite a mouthful. It was a two day event featuring displays by numerous model train clubs. From the Boy Scouts to the Chicago Northwest Train Club, there were trains of all shapes and sizes represented. I guess the item I really enjoyed is that the representatives at the show were truly there to showcase the hobby of model railroading to kids. Keep it alive for the young folk. And along the way, they answered questions for the aging train geeks like me who are just getting back into the hobby.

Below are a few highlights of HO scale model train layouts from the show. As mentioned, there were all scales, from N to garden sized, but I am sticking to HO only for this blog.

Example of scenic backdrop panels:



Great detailed country railroad crossing:



Didn't think I'd see an HO scale baseball diamond:



It's the Goebbert pumpkin farm!:



Freight cars trucking through the countryside:

Just want to give a shout out to two gentlemen that answered my questions at the show. One was a Boy Scout volunteer and he gave me some insights on using foam to build an underground tunnel. The other gentleman I believe was with the Chicago North West Club and he gave me some tips on laying ballast. Speaking of which, that is my next chore. Will update soon!

Laying out the roadbed

I have studied the plan over and over again. The track has been purchased and the table built. It is time to put the roadbed down and start laying the track. I wish it was that simple. Since I am following a well documented track layout book, I feel confident I am prepared. So where to start? Well, I decided to lay the track out on the table first and see how it fit together. My only point of reference was to keep the track on the North side (from my camera perspective) and the East side one and a half inches away from the edge. The only dilemma I had was how much to lay out. What do I mean by that? I will show you. The book is broken out into stages (8 in all). So logically, you build Stage 1 first. However, I felt since I am laying down roadbed, I want to nail down all the non-elevated track at once.

Here is what Stage 1 looks like:

Boring! I am going to lay out all the track up to Stage 3 and that plan looks like this:

So let's get on with the action! The tools: Woodland Scenics Track-Bed and Foam Tack Glue, Atlas Code 100 track, switches, and track nails, a pencil, a ruler, and finally, a T square. Once I measured the edges, I laid the track out according to Stage 3. Here is what that looked like (minus the two switches you will see at the bottom of the above image):

I reversed the perspective so the terminal was facing me where I would sit. That wall behind will eventually be painted sky blue to provide that realistic background. Anyway, from here....honestly, I really wasn't sure what to do. So I traced the outlines of the track that had been laid down and then removed it. From there, I started to lay down the foam roadbed knowing that it is a little bit wider than the outline I drew. I used the Foam Tack Glue and a small art brush to glue down the roadbed. Here is what that looked like:

From there, I started to lay down the track. Woodland Scenics suggests that you glue the track to the foam. I thought that was a bit strange. So I decided to hammer the first track section down with the Atlas track nails I have. Big mistake! The problem is that if you hammer the nail in too far, it pushes the foam down and your track will be uneven. So I glued the rest. I did use a few nails as needed to hold the track in place. I may remove them later.

That's it for now. I am only about half way done. This is a critical stage where I will want to take my time and make sure the track is even and tight. Ugh, it may take me all week! I will post another update soon.

Coming up next.....ballast the tracks!

Make your own scenery elements and save money

Today's topic - making custom scenery and other elements for your model railroad. Now, this is not what you think. I know if you are making a hillside or a realistic roadbed, you are going to have do that on your own. What I am talking about is custom made elements that fit the theme of your layout. Two general themes I have my town/railroad are beer and the Midwest. Super...I know!

Situation #1: When I drink in moderation and have a beer, I usually always go for a flavor made by Leinenkugels. So logically, I would need a Leinenkugels delivery truck for my town. Yes, I am already thinking about beer delivery before I have even built the town. I have priorities. Anyway, good luck finding a Leinenkugels truck in HO scale. If you are so lucky, prepare to pay at least $25.

Digitizedmind solution #1:

1. Go to eBay and buy an Athearn #2742 Ford C-Series Truck (Red & White) for $6.50 ($3 S&H)
2. Go to Google image search and look for a nice image of the Leinenkugels logo
3. Save it and print it
4. Glue it to side of truck

Here is how it turned out:



Sweet! I have a custom made Leinenkugels truck for less than $10!

Situation #2: I picked up a box of highway signs from an older gentleman on Craigslist. Actually it was a throw in with some other items I bought. The stickers for the traffic signs were so old that they weren't even sticky any more. Anyway, I pondered what I could do with these signs. Then I thought, wouldn't it be cool if I could make the exact highway signs I see in my area? One Google search later, here is what I came up with:

Digitizedmind Solution #2:

1. Decide exactly what your signs will say
2. Pick up a cheap set of road signs off eBay, Craigslist, or a garage sale. I have some old Atlas signs from the 70's.
3. Go to this website: Signmaker --- Note this site runs on Java. It was a little hard to understand what was going on at first, but basically it runs a Java program which allows to create ANY highway sign you want. From there, you need to do a Print Screen and dump into a basic program like MS Word and print.
4. Based on step above - print sign and glue

I created a sign for Route 31 in Algonguin which happens to also be Main St. Here is how it turned out:

Once again, a pretty cheap custom made scenery element. These are just two creative ways I was able build custom made scenery that aligned to my theme - beer and the Midwest. That's it. Contact me if you have a frugal way to make HO scale scenery!

First Update - The Table

Yes, so here is the first update. So if you are familiar with the book I am using for this layout, I am at stage 1. I have built the table. How did I do this? Well, I did not follow the book. I know I titled this blog "4 x 8" because that is the most common size plywood comes in.

I re-purposed an old 4 x 4 table and built some extra legs. I also purchased a fine 4 x 8 piece of cabinetry plywood (cost me $23 at Home Depot) and placed it one foot away from the edge of the old table. And thus I created a 4 x 9 table! The space in my "man cave" would only accomodate this size. I added the extra handy feature of wheels. Oh yeah, my table moves!

Here are the photo updates:

If you build it......well, you have just started

Hi all,

I decided the best way for me to document my journey back into the world of model railroading was to create a blog. It is so easy these days and with the advent of Blogger, there is no shame in publishing mundane, geeky manifestos to your passion in life. So here is a neat and tidy summary of what I will be posting on this blog:

The Objective

Share my experience building a HO scale model railroad on a 4 by 8 sheet of plywood based on the book, HO Railroad that Grows by Linn H. Westcott.

My Background

I am not mechanically inclined and I always hire an electrician when it comes to household wiring. I, however, like to challenge myself in both areas. If I can fix something and get it working again, then I am a happy camper. My passion for model railroading came from my father and the now defunct Tyco toy company. My old man and I built a version of the layout I am embarking to build back in about 1979/1980. Actually, my dad did most of the work and I just played with the trains. I had a Tyco set with a Santa Fe engine and numerous buildings, etc.
This past Christmas I stumbled upon the old Tyco set and got it running again. So that is what inspired me to build the layout once again. I live in a suburb of Chicago and it is rich in railroad history. I will share my experience with what I come across in the Midwest as far as where to find good train stores and swap meets.

The Theme

I would like to keep my railroad mostly old school. And when I say old school, I mean no computer chips and wireless, handheld controllers. I will use new code 100 Atlas track, Atlas switches, old Tyco trains, track, and buildings, old MRC transformers, and new Life Like products. Have I plugged enough vendors yet?

Updates

I plan to post updates of the progress I am making with the layout and share my successes and failures. For instance, is it me or is it like totally impossible to put the little wire rails on an Athearn engine?!?!?! Good lord, I almost broke down and cried it took me so long to get the rails placed all in the right order and on the engine. Here is how it turned out:

I will also post any tips and neat info I stumble across during this journey. If I help out one other 40 year old train geek along the way, then mission accomplished!!

The Disclaimer

One thing you have to know about me is that I am not ultra serious. I have quickly found that one aspect of model railroading is the extent to which you stick to realism. So here it is....we are working with a 4 foot by 8 foot sheet of plywood (or in my case, I made it 4 x 9) and there is NOT much space to work with. You can not make a realistic railroad that is fun on such a small board. So my design will be whimsical in many ways and a land of enchantment. Is a Lowenbrau Brewery enchanting? An update on the brewery will be forthcoming. Yah hey dare! Point being, I am not trying to win an award for realism. Thanks! I hope you enjoy this journey with me.