Halloween 2018 (Finished)

AtoZ LewisOGR Forum Member DIGITAL SUBSCRIBER

So I've been enamored with the LCCA FasTrack modules for a while. I think my first try will be with a Halloween layout that I have been thinking about. I have a three track plan with lots of lights and sounds and push-buttons that I have been planning, but let me know your thoughts. For those not familiar with the modules here is a link to the manual on the LCCA site (Lionel FasTrack Modular Specification 2.0).

The center O-31 track will be MTH, both because I have it, and because it fits inside of the FasTrack O-36. It will be a chase scene with the Pumpkin Head car chasing (or being chased) by a RMT Track Speeder. I'm going to configure the track with the isolated detect, approach, depart setup; such that no bump accidents occur. I am going to make the take-off track under the mountain such that they disappear and reappear in turn. The RMT has blinking lights which add to the effect. I'm going to use an MTH power lock-on just for another lighting effect.

The O-48 outer and O-36 inner FasTrack will have opposing operations. Just one cross-over closely monitored for no-crash switching.

In the outer track, I am going to run my MTH GE Evo with all of it's charging lights put to good use. I also have the MTH GE Evo Boxcar with the blinking crossing signal lights. I have an old Lionel Radar car with it's lights and spinning radar dish. To bring up the rear I have the Lionel Area-51 work caboose that will have some Lego zombies along for the ride. I'm going to reset the engine back to train zero and use a passive lock-on so visitors can use the remote commander to run the train.

In the inner track, I have a Lionel Dinosaur Junction Diesel that I repainted black. It has an awful sound system which will be GREAT for spooky Halloween sounds and will let me put the controller into the kids hands. It's going to pull some flat cars with more Lego zombies attached. Pulling up the rear will be an RMT smoking caboose with some witch stickers strategically placed to cover the current Amtrak logos.

Inside the ovals, I have the Lionel spooky sounds car (the one with the big globe). I'm going to attach that to a door-bell push button and let the kids set-off the sounds. I also have a rotating witch tower that I will setup with a button as well (represented in the plan as a water tower).

I have a cemetery kit that I will be decorating, and I am going to make an old-school glue-newspaper mountain to periodically hide the trains. I saw another forum member last year make a train tunnel out of a skeleton head. I'll have a couple of those. I had fun drawing the cemetery in SCARM.

I'm still considering something to add to the middle of the O-31 circle that I can also add a push button. I was just looking at the forum and thought about the Menards Nuclear Power Plant, but I didn't really want to add that much cost since I don't have it now.

Let me know your thoughts please. I have attached everything for anyone to use or comment. Thank you.

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FasTrack 45 in module small corner Halloween v2.scarm

8/27/189:58 PM

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WRGMILWOGR Forum Member

Sounds you you have a fun Halloween layout !

Show pictures as you progress with the layout .

Thanks

9/2/1812:18 PM

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AdriaticOGR Forum Member

I think I'd shift the switches 10", or all the way to the left to cut out possible impact on backing through the double S curves you have now.

A non imapct chase works best with a slowdown and a stop track both(they use the same switch/relay, but where stop gets nothing, slow gets a ceramic resistor or diode chain to drop from a preset voltage. So still only a two block control, but three blocks, full power, slow power, stop.

If you read the max volt and amps(to get watts) used by those cars, I might have some ceramic restors that would work. (big white square kind, 5or10w(?))

The slowdown gives a better visual AND stops any stalls from a stop. The stop track is to garantee there is no overshooting the block if slowdown wasnt enough. Hide the stop in the tunnel.

9/2/182:45 PM

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RayKayOGR Forum Member

This is from Fall 2017, a small 027 loop with the peanuts gang.

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9/8/183:27 PM

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AtoZ LewisOGR Forum Member DIGITAL SUBSCRIBER

Ok, I procrastinated, but I did get the Halloween layout all built. I went to the Lionel LCCA convention in Lombard IL and met Rich. Rich built and contributed some FasTrack modules for the Lionel Modular layout display at the convention. He gave me some pointers on setting this up. First, neither of us could get me one of the module templates. I asked at the show and their were none to be had, then Rich asked and also couldn't get his hands on one. He had an other one that was cracked and a little out of alignment. For what I was doing, I just took measurements from the corners to make them lineup. It worked.

First I cut out my 30 inch squares. I was talking with Rich about making them larger, but the material I had on hand limited me to the 30 inch version. I also cut up some 1x4 to create the base for the 1/2 inch top. I had some brown Tempera (finger paint) and some Woodland Scenics turf. So I spread the paint and then applied the turf. I used a dry roller to make sure it was all contacting with the paint. For my 4th and last module, I had to piece together my 1/2 inch top from leftovers. There was a gap, but it didn't matter for this setup.

Because I had a little bit more of the 1/2 top material, I was able to make two 30 inch by 5 inch strips. This allowed me to use a 10 inch track piece for the 4 connectors on the now "long side". I had these for Halloween, but due to setup time constraints you will see the "Abyss" between the two sections in those pictures. Below are all four connected with 2 of the 10 inch pieces.

For the mountain, I used spray foam on a cardboard box. Used more of the Tempera paint mixed with some water sprayed on as a start. Once the foam was protected, I used spray can paint to add some black, green and white highlights.

This is the final SCARM version of the layout. It depicts the 5 inch fillers I inserted in the middle.

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11/6/184:30 PM

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AtoZ LewisOGR Forum Member DIGITAL SUBSCRIBER

Now to answer some likely questions. For the "chase" in the middle. I got it all wired up, but I think the pumpkin head handcar doesn't seem to have enough metal in the axle between the wheels. When I was testing it with the speeder car, the handcar would stall and not energize the track for the speeder. It worked find for other cars I had, so I ended up just letting the pumpkin handcar run in the inner circle.

I didn't get the push buttons setup for the spooky sounds car. So I put it on the track and let the train pull it. Because it is so tall, when it was running (most of the time) I took the mountain off. I also didn't get the rotating tower setup with the cemetery. That will just have to come next year.

Ok, now what did work. I had the new MTH Explorer from a starter set. I pulled that out and on the first try got it all setup and running from my phone. We did also get the whole layout together. We ended up just setting it up on the driveway because trying to get all four modules to stay together on some 2x4's perched on sawhorses was not going to work. I got all three loops running. In the outer I had my MTH Gevo with all of the lights going and the Gevo flashing car along with an Area 51 work caboose. On the middle track, I had a LionChief with the spooky sounds ghost globe and a Lionel radar car. Finally on the inside the pumpkin head handcar.

I let the kids (and grownups) run the LionChief and I let a few run the Gevo from my phone. All were very impressed.