Subway Layout 2.0 Progress (Video Added)

Thanks I will look for them here.

So with "Super Streets and or modified Carrera Slot cars, will you also be recreating the chase scheme from the "French Connection"?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzEloJ5venk

Platform view.

Subway Tunnel Videos

Tunnel Details

Tunnel speed limit sign (20 miles)

Depth of realism is second to none especially with those tunnel shots, fantastic work... Thank you for sharing.

Flawless. We can smell the drafts and feel the grime.

FrankM

Adding more roadbed.  These 1/4 inch depth basswood/spruce pieces allow for a nearly level plane with the top of the railroad ties for a better simulation.  They will of course be painted.  Also they serve as a base for my 3rd rail, beams, and signals.

Joe P posted:

Adding more roadbed.  These 1/4 inch depth basswood/spruce pieces allow for a nearly level plane with the top of the railroad ties for a better simulation.  They will of course be painted.  Also they serve as a base for my 3rd rail, beams, and signals.

Fantastic! Your subway layout is comming along so nicely!

Finished wood for complex tunnel section. This section will contain 14 signals of which four have already been added.

Sometimes I feel that I have a hard time getting things done.  Nevertheless here is another update showing signal placement and some tunnel walls with 3rd rail.

Nice work and videos Joe. You do amazing work!!! Just like the real thing. 

When do you add the graffiti and gang signs? 

OK it's fall and train season once again.  Here are more updates.

Let's have a look down the tracks on module 3. All signals are there (14 in all) but not yet operational. Tunnel lighting is operational. 5 tracks (2 from elevated line) merging on to 3 track subway. The Baltic Street station is in the distance.

I have to build curved walls and it is not easy to do so using 1x6 plywood.  There are kerfing methods, but wood can sometimes crack, so I decided to cut pieces between 3 and 3.5 inches long and staple them together with 1.5 x 2 inch flooring staples, two on top and two on bottom. The ledges are easy to curve using the kerfing method. I have reused walls from my old layout in some instances.

Joe P posted:

I have to build curved walls and it is not easy to do so using 1x6 plywood.  There are kerfing methods, but wood can sometimes crack, so I decided to cut pieces between 3 and 3.5 inches long and staple them together with 1.5 x 2 inch flooring staples, two on top and two on bottom. The ledges are easy to curve using the kerfing method. I have reused walls from my old layout in some instances.

Awesome technique, I always wondered how I could build curves walls. Your work is incredible

Here are more curved walls. Now on to wood ballast and over 450 beams.

Derailment on the express track. Lionel trains run faster but are less reliable on the tracks. I need to get this fixed for the morning rush hour.

Hello Joe P 

Good running into you again at the Mass Transit Modelers Meet.  WOW -- great derailment --  all that column steelwork and damage,  and not a dent or scratch to the subway cars. A testament (heh) to the MFG, --aka  LIONEL CAR CO. (heh),  Great shots anyway ! 

I have been following your work progress regularly -- keep up the outstanding work and progress !!

I had a whoopsie on my O-Scale NYC EL System some years ago in 2011 during operations -- luckily slow speed while departing a local station so the train stopped short of wiping out the tower -- the towerman needed to change his pants, heh   Not much damage as the photos below show.  Glad it wasn't a skip station thru express at full speed !

I happened to have my camera handy so I got the quick shots before the derailment was cleared to get operations going again -- no hearings, investigations, studies, reports, bla bla,  just get 'em rerailed and rolling again !

Regards !! Joe F

Hello again.

Most of my interaction has been on Facebook group O-Gauge Subways lately.  My work is still in progress, mainly on unfinished tunnels and building a ramp to the elevated.  Here are a few photos of my progress.

Bi-level subway construction showing main line on lower level as it meets ramp to elevated. The ramp is still in the subway on this module. There will be a building similar to the one containing the tunnel portals where the IND heads out of the subway toward Smith 9th streets. The connecting module will have a ramp in a cutout as is heads toward a Duel Contracts El. Fun stuff, but difficult.

This is the main line subway with ramp construction to the right.

Main line subway below and ramp under construction.

Joe P posted:

Bi-level subway construction showing main line on lower level as it meets ramp to elevated. The ramp is still in the subway on this module. There will be a building similar to the one containing the tunnel portals where the IND heads out of the subway toward Smith 9th streets. The connecting module will have a ramp in a cutout as is heads toward a Duel Contracts El. Fun stuff, but difficult.

This is the main line subway with ramp construction to the right.

Main line subway below and ramp under construction.

 

Thanks Joe for posting your progress here!  There are so many nice subway sets that seeing folks build subway layouts is a treat!  PLEASE keep updating us on a regular basis....

Thanks!

This is impressive. Uh Oh. I promised her "no more trains".

Didn't say nothing about subways though 

Joe P (2, or also, or too....) 

Joe P. Wonderful work! Especially your third rail and tunnel walls. Question. Are the lenses you use for your signals available ? If so, where ? FJI 

Jameco has them. How many do you need.

Joe, The signals would be for my club’s layout( Train Masters  of Babylon LI NY)  Now  that I know the lenses are available, I will work on getting a whole series of subway signals into our budget.  We could use several dozen but I am not sure when we would be able to do them. Thank you for your prompt reply and your instructions on how you made your signals FJI 

Joe, your work is amazing!!! 

Amazing detail!

Peter

Subway ramp to tunnel portals under construction. Portals will be part of a substation building placed over the solid wood tunnel walls. The tunnel entrance roadbed is 6.75 scale feet higher than the main subway roadbed. The ramp will continue in a cutout until it rises to 8 scale feet above ground (32 scale feet above the main subway roadbed) where it will meet a standard dual contracts El. Also shown is the El constructed 6 years ago using Plastruct. It is sturdy but I may want to construct the girders with another material, possibly Masonite.

Joe your subway work, past and present is so realistic you must have spent plenty of time down there.  Do you work for the NYC Subway?

I see four rails in your photos, this should be running there!

coach joe posted:

Joe your subway work, past and present is so realistic you must have spent plenty of time down there.  Do you work for the NYC Subway?

Rode the trains for years. I'm retired now but took motorman's test 2 years ago.  Would you believe they called me for a job at age 61? I declined it. Just wanted to see if they would, in fact, call me.

Here is a substation that sits over the tunnel portals.

Tunnel portals leading to the ramp for the elevated.

Start of the ramp connecting the subway to the elevated.

Working on the next module. Getting the roadbed down. The two objects up front contain the walls to the express station and the extension of part of the platform into the tunnel. Resting on top of the objects will be a mezzanine that anchors stairs to the street and stairs to the station platform. The platform stairs will be part of the next module.

This is a view down the "street" over the subway of the module under construction posted earlier and shown again here. In this view generated by RRTrack 3D viewer, there is an image of the 3 track subway station under the street. The future elevated shows the continuation of the ramp at the left and a proposed elevated station to the right. Notice how the el curves right and grades downward at roughly 2.5 percent to what will be an embankment curved station. Always loved the view of els in the distance curving from the street, especially into tunnels. Could not model tunnel ramp due to space considerations.

Looks a little like the view down Stillwell Ave from the Belt Parkway.

Outstanding work!  Do I need to change my name to “Joe” in order to construct an outstanding subway layout?  Between Joe frank and you, I think you guys are on to something.  Well, there is also that SIRT guy, so maybe i’m Ok for now.

Hello Strap !

Still hanging in I see ! 

Well, its beginning to appear obviously that my old buddy Joe P is the "Subway guy"  and Joe F   (that's me)  is the "EL" guy".  And our pal  Steve (aka SIRT) is the main Staten Island  modeler Guy.

I decades ago contemplated installing  a subway line UNDER the streets that have my EL above them  --- but figured I have ENOUGH to run alone by myself with 3 EL trains running on the EL -- and two streetcar lines below the El on the street.  And just me trying to handle it all.  So, no Subway Line separately below the streets on my system.  I am happy with what I have accomplished so far (see below) and all of it operates and works well ! 

Joe P's Subway Layout  (with a section of EL also)  will look great WHEN he finally gets it all finished -- I am sure of that !

I have to get there some day when it done to get some great photos of it all ... regards - Joe F

Fabulous, Joseph Frank. Beyond wonderful.

FrankM

You guys do really excellent work! It's like being in the subways.

Hi Joe F !  Yes, I’m still hanging around, posting when I can and eyeballing your photos for inspiration on my layout.  Work continues to progress, but then again, I guess it’s never ends.  That’s what’s so great about this hobby.   

Ramp to elevated and subway yard with non- functioning 3rd rail and scratch-built signals.

Progress work with new station and trains are running again. I included a test for a 6 car train running up a nearly 4 percent grade on a curve. The new station is 42nd Street. It's an update to my old 125th Street station.

This is one case where noisy track sounds most prototypical! 

Mitch