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Glad we installed the double door/drawer cabinet under the layout without the master screwer being there. Only if he saw how we took off that 1 leg and moved it. He surely would have cringed when the wood went 'crack', snap ! Boy does elmers glue do wonders. Ha!

Now, we have drawers for the 4- 180 watt powerhouses, 2 TPC 400' s and all the various remotes we can use.

Last edited by Ted Bertiger

Did final check of clearances on the entrance to the trestle before doing surgery on the layout for the final connection to the up ramp.

Used my S1 since that's the engine I have with the biggest overhang.  Moved track 3 a little to the left to give more clearance going past the trestle.

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Checking clearance on track 4 with a 20 inch passenger cars.

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Checking clearance on track 1 leading into the trestle support.  Clearance past the abutment on the other end of the bridge was not a problem.  Ted also checked the trestle support clearance with his EM1 earlier in the week and didn't have a problem.  Looks like the drawing was accurate enough to span the three curved tracks.  Clears the way to start surgery for the up ramp lead-in.

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Shouldn't have any clearance problems on the 105 and 096 curves with long cars on track 1.

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Switching from track 3 to track 1.  Didn't have a problem going thru the two crossovers with the S1.

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Goin' around the roundhouse.

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Did run into one snag.  Doing surgery cutting into the layout surface for the up ramp, ran into a horizontal support underneath.  Didn't have the right equipment and called it day.

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So... the layout designer aka master screwer has his S-1 there testing out the overhangs. Just maybe the S-1 does not have overhangs but has hangovers! Lol!

And he claims to do some surgery on the layout. Now, he is a surgeon. Did he use anesthesia on the wood? Guess his new title will be master surgeon screwer.

I will attest to Bud's layout track work that every engine I have run on the layout has performed flawlessly and only a few track joints that needed a little shimming which I have been fixing all along. Turning out to be a good layout being built from recycled layout wood from other layouts and gargraves track/switches from our previous club layout.

Made cuts across the supports for the lead-in for the up ramp.  Started with a small hole.

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Then the hole started to grow.

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And, grew and more supports.  The left side of the hole ended up at the edge of the ramp.  There are cuts on the right side of the hole so the base plywood can be bent up forming a smooth transition for the up ramp.

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Shimmed the plywood at the start of the ramp, added a middle support and (not shown) tapered the tile under the left side of the pic to lower the ramp in that area.

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Fastened the lead-in to the ramp.

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Set the height on the straight area.  The supports on the curved portion on the left (not shown) were all spaced right for the grade.  The entire ramp is not fastened to the layout.

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Cut two pieces of tile for the ramp lead-in.

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Ted was busy mounting the two MTH Remote Commanders higher for better connectivity around the layout, pre-wiring the two TPCs for tracks 1 and 2 (have to install bypass switches between the TPCs and the Z4K), and relocating the TMCC Command Base and installing the Legacy Base in the cabinet drawer (will post pix later).  Both TMCC and Legacy worked from across the room while enclosed in the cabinet drawer.

 

 

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Last edited by LocoBudd

Legacy was installed with TMCC command base on 1 side of db-9 cable with the 2 tpcs 400 on the other end of the Legacy db-9 cable running off 4-180 watt powerhouses to operate lines 1 and 2 were installed. Just waiting for for the master screwed to install a bypass switch between the powerhouses and the 2 MTH Z 4000s. 

We will be able to operate ANY 3 rail trains made from 1900 and on in conventional operation with a MTH remote off the Z4000 or with a cab-1 off the toss. Or you can operate DCS, Legacy and TMCC for command control operations. Or you can use the MTH DCS remote commander to operate proto 2 or 3 engines conventionally in lines 1 or 2.

We are making progress for the elevated runs of lines 3 and 4.

Our first panel for the background mural is up.  This part takes up a small section of wall that is on the left as you enter the room.  The braces on the painting are holding it in place as the adhesive dries.

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This could be our new station platform for passengers wanting to take a stroll through the woods. :-)

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Last edited by John T.

Jim Sanderson and myself used liquid nails to adhere the first of 6 professionally-painted backdrops to the one wall. To keep it in place, we 2x4 'ed it to the wall via holding it in place on Bud's "to be almost" built layout. Real glad Bud was not present to witness the strength of his elevated run. Yes Bud, Jim and I walked on your elevation with total weight of about 350 pounds. It held!

Think Bud would have turned colors like the backdrop colors if he saw what we did last night. His 2 apprentices were at work without his supervision!

If the elevation can hold 350 pounds of human weight, the question is.... will it hold the Lionel diecast Veranda turbine? LOL!

Our backdrops are being painted by our club member, John Tedesco. Beautiful work!!!!

Started laying track on the ramp.  Ted began wiring the bypass switch for tracks 1 and 2 which will allow either the Z4K or TPCs to be used for track power.  Will use the passive TIU mode which lets the full power of the TPCs (360 watts per track) to be used with DCS.

Our resident artiste, John, started the next background panel which will be mounted on the south wall.  After that, only 8 more panels to go.

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Some military trains were run.

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Mark,

A good majority of the club members are retired now. There are a few that still work (now that is a bad word to say around Bud). He was only employed! I read from another post you are getting close to that plateau. It is really nice to wake up each day with zero stress and none of that work bs. I get to work on the club layout.

Yes, we are taking our time building it right with very few errors and some minor wiring mods which I have been fixing, re-soldering some switches where the sounds drop out or engines stop. Seems to be roller-related on some pieces so I have been soldering small jumper wires on the center rails on the frogs. I finally made Bud a believer that this will solve those issues.

Guess Ted has found his forte with liquid nails and lots of it.

Just a few sadistics on the track.  Based on the long term use of our old layout, we did experience areas of voltage drops on parts of the layout.  All track joints on our new layout are being soldered to eliminate those drops.  Easier to do while all track is accessible.  There are approx. 50 pieces of track per loop.  With 4 loops there are approx. 600 solder joints, give or take a few more for switches and jumpers.  Feed wires are generally soldered to rail joints spanning two rails.

Mysteriously, some engines stop consistently on some switches while others don't.  These appear to be only on the mainline thru switches.  Time will tell if additional jumpers on the Ross Switches will fix the problem.  It should be noted that Ross Switches that have switch machines attached already have jumpers installed.  Those purchased without switch machines don't.  Ours were purchased without switch machines for our original layout.

Started installing track for both loops on the ramp.

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The power by-pass switches located on the main panel.  Found the loose screw for one of the by-pass switches that Ted lost in our box of track.  Was also able to sort out the better pieces of track.

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Last edited by LocoBudd

Track continues to creep up the ramp.

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Had a guest stop by who had attended the school.  After he walked into the chem lab, he pointed out that where he sat.  In the pic, he sat in the row to the right of the table in the middle.

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He mentioned that the O-gauge layout is in the old physics classroom/lab and the HO-layout is in the chem classroom/chemical prep area.

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Last edited by LocoBudd

Ted and Tom completed installing track to the top of the ramp.  Next is to install structure for the real estate to lay track to the trestle.

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Ted puts the RK Blue Comet back on the track on a Blue Come Display.  Ted helped construct and set up the display.

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In the background is a pic of the old Lakewood Train Station (since torn down).  Display includes Blue Comet Memorabilia and guest operated whistle and crossing gate.

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Last edited by LocoBudd

Looked at areas on the lower level that will be covered by the upper level to see where plywood could be removed to allow access to the upper level for wiring and possibly a pop-up, and provide access to hidden track in case of the inevitable derailment.  Took measurements for the abutment supporting the twin bridges opposite the trestle (a keystone in locating pieces of the upper level) and sketched it out.

Here's a pic of the twin bridges from our old layout.

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A pic from the old layout of the trestle after the bridges.  Ted was pulling a very, very heavy caboose that evening.

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Ted tunes-up before completing the wiring of the TPC/Z4K by-pass switches for tracks 1 and 2.  Luckily the tracks can now be powered by either the TPCs or Z4K.  Didn't get a chance to check out if DCS works with the passive TIU connection.

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Getting the plywood ready to remove.  Decided not to open up the corner area to the right.

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Deconstruction of area complete.

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Added the first support for the rest of the upper deck and temporarily placed one of the sheets of plywood.  The plywood got a little warped leaning against the wall in the hall but a few screws will fix that.

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Next will be adding some jumpers (won't be used but just in case) under the upper deck before it's closed in,  adding the rest of the upper deck supports and making the bridge abutment/support.

 

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Mark - Don't know how Ted can bend like that either.  Like you, I used to in a galaxy far far away.

Tom - On our old layout, the TPCs and bricks were in the same drawer, and much more crowded than now.  We never had a problem.  Had planned to mount them on the panel board but the cabinet became available so we installed them there.

 

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