"Tim from Mianne sells a special I-beam clip that works great. I’ve purchased quite a few for my latest rebuild."
Is that part #3001?
To answer my own question:
Just called Tim at Mianne. The part # is 3002, .75 each. He is waiting for more to arrive, he has them custom made.
@452 Card posted:To answer my own question:
Just called Tim at Mianne. The part # is 3002, .75 each. He is waiting for more to arrive, he has them custom made.
Sorry for not responding quickly, I don’t always go to a topic for a bit. Yes, he was running out when I went to see him a few weeks ago.
Gene
Hello Gene,
What distance apart did you arrange the clips? Say, on a 4 ft. I-beam, or a 3 ft. I have an AR 8 x 16 with both 3s and 4s. The 2 footers I think should not count, at least for each one of them. Curious to know. This could become expensive!
Thnx
Hi, after all the corner clips where in place and tight, I went around from the top and checked for any loose movement where the I-Beams were and put a clip there. My method was just a couple taps on the plywood. You can easily tell the difference where the leg clip is. No special spacing, just used as needed to my satisfaction. My layout is 6x16 and I used 26.
Gene
@452 Card posted:Hello Gene,
What distance apart did you arrange the clips? Say, on a 4 ft. I-beam, or a 3 ft. I have an AR 8 x 16 with both 3s and 4s. The 2 footers I think should not count, at least for each one of them. Curious to know. This could become expensive!
Thnx
I forgot to mention, my layout was originally a 4x16 and I added the 2’ to the length. So there’s a short 2’ I-Beam on one whole side which obviously didn’t need any clips.
Gene
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Here's mine:
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@452 Card posted:Here's mine:
Very nice. I see you have an access space in the middle. You may not need many clips. My problem was the long joints of the 4x8 plywood on the I-Beam on the 16’ side.
Peter, your progress is just Amazing! The outstanding work just shows how much skills you and your crew have! I wish I had folks around here to help me out with that many skills!
Once again Looking Amazing!
Not a lot done this week. We will finish the plywood and hopefully get the lift bridge motorized by the end of next week.
I have bought a gallon of brown paint the cover plywood. I put out some track to see if it agrees with the spot for the transfer table (it does!).
Lastly, I put the switches and special track pieces inside their roadbed.
Moving forward..........slowly......but, moving forward!
Peter
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I'm always amazed when something I plan works!! I knew your transfer table location would work just perfectly!
Progress is progress, Peter - it all counts!
-Greg
Peter things are looking really good! Remember that slow and easy is the name of the game!
Looks great Peter. The track bed is sharp too! 
Bob
Peter, sometimes something as simple as brown paint makes a big difference to the whole layout. It is the base layer that you work from. Any gaps in the ground cover will be shown as dirt (brown paint). The eye will not be drawn to it. The track bed looks good. Even gathering supplies is progress.
Andy
With the help of my good modular group friends......things are starting to roll!
1st, I needed another 3 ft I-beam for my transformer shelf. I had these extra cantilever beams which I no longer needed......I adapted two of them to become a new I-beam.
Last Friday, Tom (Gilly@N&W) came over and we finished the plywood decking. The Lift Gate motor was hung (but is not connected-a project for a future session).
This week, I will be sanding the edges; filling the gaps with plastic wood; more sanding; and then, painting the plywood with an earth brown color.
Peter
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That’s nice progress, Peter! It is great to have good friends like Tom!
@Putnam Division posted:Not a lot done this week. We will finish the plywood and hopefully get the lift bridge motorized by the end of next week.
Peter
I can't wait to see the lift bridge which, IMO, is one of the biggest and most dramatic accessories.
Peter,
These are images of some serious craftsmanship. Thanks for sharing such an in depth documentation of your layout build, of what I am sure, will be a captivating layout.
Dave
It looks fantastic Peter. That is going to be a nice layout, you are going to rival the railroad barons.
John
@Arnold D. Cribari posted:I can't wait to see the lift bridge which, IMO, is one of the biggest and most dramatic accessories.
Arnold......I am actually talking about the Mianne Lift Gate....which is generically a lift bridge....
Peter
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Very nice, Peter. I agree with Dave "serious craftsmenship". This is just the beginning and one of the most important parts of creating a solid base for your layout. I will be interested in your next steps. Thanks for posting and keep it up.
No homasote??
Peter this is going to be a fun layout to watch. Excellent job on the foundation of the entire thing.
Things are starting to roll.
I taped (from below) all the seams so that paint won't bleed through. Large gaps got plastic wood......they'll need to dry before I can sand them (I need to be patient!).
Peter
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@452 Card posted:No homasote??
I was very pleased with the sound control of the RossBed.......I don't plan to use screws except near the Lift Gate. My experience on the last layout was that it was pretty quiet and that the track doesn't move with the scenery holding it in place.
Peter
Exciting times Peter, exciting times!
Looking great Peter.
Peter,
I beg to ask, why no homasote?
Peter, that’s a great testimonial for Rossbed
Peter, thanks for the Ross endorsement.
FWIW, I used to use plastic wood in this application, however, early on I found that a Portland based feather finish like Ardex or Henrys feather finish product available at HD's flooring dept or any floor covering supply house troweled on easier, spread further to correct wide spread irregularities, dried hard, was easily sanded, dried quickly, and less expensive than plastic wood and had an indefinite shelf life if kept dry.
If at all possible please consider a layer of Homasote. It is an feature some may question, but you will never regret.
I would never build a layout without Homasote.
Peter, You may like to check with GRJ's layout build. When we did the Mianne lift gate we found some needed points that required extra attention.
John goes into detailed explanation on improving the control and correcting pulley/cable alignment and function. Great operating upgrade !
I found that subtle floor irregularities would throw off flush deck alignment. Short levels just did not pick up the end result of the slight irregularities. Multiple irregularities accumulate over a distance that ultimately affect a smooth flat consistent surface along the length of the joining edges.
As soon as I set an 8' level over the Mianne we noticed the source of the lift gate deck misalignment.
That Mianne lift gate is kind of nice but in some aspects it is a work in progress.
@Tom Tee posted:Peter, You may like to check with GRJ's layout build. When we did the Mianne lift gate we found some needed points that required extra attention.
John goes into detailed explanation on improving the control and correcting pulley/cable alignment and function. Great operating upgrade !
I found that subtle floor irregularities would throw off flush deck alignment. Short levels just did not pick up the end result of the slight irregularities. Multiple irregularities accumulate over a distance that ultimately affect a smooth flat consistent surface along the length of the joining edges.
As soon as I set an 8' level over the Mianne we noticed the source of the lift gate deck misalignment.
That Mianne lift gate is kind of nice but in some aspects it is a work in progress.
Thank you!
Peter
@Tom Tee posted:If at all possible please consider a layer of Homasote. It is an feature some may question, but you will never regret.I would never build a layout without Homasote.
I can attest to the benefits of Homasote! My main level is very quiet, my second level didn't get Homasote, and I'm kinda sorry I didn't adjust the build to add Homasote to it when I could. I solved some of the noise issue with butyl rubber sound deadening panels under the wood, but the Homasote would have done a better job.
John,
Would you kindly post a link to the lift gate pages?
Tom, the two pieces that are an addition to the stock liftgate install are these two upgrades.
The first is expanding the control switches to have one on each side of the liftgate instead of the single clumsy big yellow control.
Mianne Lift Gate Control Expansion
The second enhancement to me was a major improvement in reliability of the lower limit switch. When you see the lame toggle switch and angle iron limit switch that comes with it, it's easy to see why they can get out of whack easily and cause a major issue with the cable unspooling. This only has to happen to you once to realize it's a big problem!
Mianne Lift Bridge Lower Limit Switch Enhancement
Finally, here's the diagram of the stock liftgate servo system for the curious.
Mianne Lift Gate Winch Wiring Diagram
Peter,
First rate work. Having some help every now and then is a boost too. The lift bridge is a nice addition.
Andy
Last week, I painted the plywood decking and started getting out the track.....
Since I got home from DC, I've been busy.....just to see where everything will go before we cut out for the Transfer Table and cut the custom sections.
Have a great day, everyone!
I am!
Peter
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PETER - Layout progress to date looks great. Don't forget to think about access to all points on the layout. Those derailments are never seem to happen where you can reach them.
Your documentation by photos continues to be a great source of inspiration to us other O gauge railroaders.
Lookin' good Peter, you'll be running trains in no time! 
