Zett's Joliet Layout - Updated on 02/07/21

Wow, Zett!  "Make no little plans." You have one of the most detailed layout visions I have seen in a long time, and the scope of your scale and semi-scale scratch-building projects is more than impressive! Joliet has a fascinating history, and I have spent many an hour trainwatching from the station platform. Its a great railroad town. I share your feelings about the destruction of the old Will County courthouse, as well as the other buildings that are being allowed to moulder away. I look forward to watching you recreate the history of your town!

 

Great post! Best of luck in this endeavour!

Hi Zett,

I'm also looking forward to your progress on the layout. There's some great history and architecture there! Sounds like it'll be a lot of fun. Best of luck.

 

Andy

Zett, those pictures are great and brought back memories having been born and raised in Joliet. I wonder if my grandfather was in that picture. It is a shame what has happened to those buildings.

 

I have been following your Union Station thread with interest. Joliet was and still is a great railroad city. I will look forward to seeing your progress. Good luck.

Caldwell what is your grandfathers name and what did he do? I will see if I have anything on him.

Not sure. Family lore is a conductor but I have a pass for US Steel that says engineer. I'll email you and put mine back in the profile so as not to sidetrack the tread.

 

Cal

Great story and yes...definetly keep us updated on the progress.

good luck with your layout. Sounds like a great plan. Pass thru Joliet often on the Amtrak Lincoln service from St. Louis.

Ok I will start with construction photographs and show you what I have accomplished over the past year.

 

The layout is in my basement. I have created a main train room as shown in the picture below, complete with a water heater, ejector pump, furnace, and of course a steel pole. After all, what would a layout be without a pole?

 

 

I started with what is posted below. In the third picture I have some templates laid out trying to come up with some ideas.

 

 

 

 

Construction was a fun part of the project. Here are some pictures showing the room coming together. A special touch is the covering for the window, which is made of luan board held up by velcro. The velcro is attached to angle brackets which are attached to the framed opening of the window. Also notice what a major difference it makes to have the ceiling painted black. I copied off of CSX AL (this seems to be a reoccurring thing) and painted it a flat black with a sprayer. Took about 2 hours. Amazing result.

 

 

 

 

 

Painting is always a blast. I have not decided exactly how I am going to finish the walls, but this is what I have for now. This picture does not show accurately the two color blues that I ended up with, but it shows the effect. Basically I used 2 blues, painted the top dark and the bottom light. One side of the layout all you see is dark, and then on the other side the light gradually crawls up the wall.

 

 

I then got carpet installed. I wanted this room to be comfortable, and that just does not happen with hard floors. Here is a shot of my helper Comet. Also a shot of how the carpet was trimmed around the ejector pump.

 

 

 

These next pictures bring us up to 2 weeks ago, showing my benchwork progress. I am using 2x4 construction. As I said on my blog, I know 2x4 is overkill, but if I want to do jumping jacks on my layout, I can. The first picture shown is my first scratch build project, the Joliet Union Station. The entire layout plan has been conceived around this structure. 

 

 

I made storage areas under the layout of course, cannot let all of that space go to waste. Shelving is about 12" off the floor, so I can vacuum underneath, and to avoid all of our worst nightmare, water damage.

 

 

Why a chair in the corner? It all started laying under a Christmas tree and watching the train come straight at you until it turns. The "corner view" is one of the best views in the hobby, I don't care if your 2 or 92. (If your 92 then it may not be the best view because you are going to have to crawl to get to the chairs on my layout. Sorry!)

 

 

 

 

Well I hope you enjoyed some shots of the layout coming together so far. Stop by my blog for more pictures if you would like. I have also started posting some videos on youtube, not much production value but they give you a better overall view of the room.

 

Thanks!

Hi Zett , really nice work your doing, looks like its going to be

a beautiful train room. Thanks for sharing.

 

THANKS, ALEX

I can really appreciate the chair corner.

One of the great things about my standard gauge floor layout is being able to move around it and get different views of the action. Nice to see that idea applied to a scale prototype themed layout.

Keep up the good work.

looking great. 

OK, took my latest pictures last night. Lighting is still horrible sorry. The first two shots show the Union Station from the south approaching the diamonds. It looks like the main layout is going to consist of mainly two loops... I know, boring. At first I wanted one of the primary lines to snake around, but I just dont have the room. That and the challenge that the only elevation on the layout will be the elevated line. Sorry, im modeling the midwest people.

 

 

Horrible lighting, sorry. Here is a shot of a J boxcar on the south side of the station next to the passenger platform. For perspective, this is an O-27 box car. For sentimental reasons, this had to be the first car on the track.

 

 

Looking a the Union Station from the west bank of the DesPlaines river. In the future a custom made lift bridge will go here. It has to be custom because I need it to hold 2 tracks. To solve this problem I will begin by modeling the scene prior to when the lift bridge was installed.

 

 

The track right now is just sitting on some OSB that is temporarily elevated so I can get a sense of what I need to do next. Below you can see an access point to the center of the layout.

 

 

Here is the access point closed. I used 2 door hinges and used a swivel wheel on the floor. It is very sturdy and works pretty well.

 

 

Here is the access door opened. I will have to add some hardware to ensure that when the door closes it locks into place perfectly. Very simple design that gets the job done.

 

 

Ahh the station... taking so much work and time, but when it is finished I think it will really make the layout something special. I dont know if you can see it but there is a pole in the picture. Its on the right side.. you may need to enlarge the picture to see it. In order to incorporate the diamonds into my design, the station had to go in this spot. I decided that if I am going to construct a scale model of the station, it would just not look right without the diamonds. 

 

 

Here is a shot from one of the chair viewpoints looking to the south.

 

 

And a shot from the same chair looking west towards the river. Right now the center area is open, and of course you can gain access from the door. In the future this center area will be filled with buildings that will be removable. This way if its just me, I can have a full city. If I have company, I can remove this area and everyone will have plenty of room to stand and walk around, taking in some different views.

 

 

When you walk into the room you get this view of the DesPlaines river, looking to the north. The Lionel lift bridge is an amazing accessory, however the vertical clearance for cars is only 4.5". That will not cut it with scale cars. I do think that the bridge will work from a perspective point of view. I will run 2 lines over the river behind this bridge.

 

 

This brings us to where I am today. I am starting to work on installing the supports for the elevated line, and am trying to figure out my track plan. I am also starting to set up my power supply area. I am very excited to finally get some trains running soon. 

Hi Eric

 

    Your layout looks like it is moving along. You are muh more organized than what I did (doing)? The loops will not be boring if you do a good job on the scenery. It appears you have the skills to do so. Good luck.

 

Ray Marion

Looks great---Love the diamonds

 

Do u have a finished track plan?

Joe S  

Wonderful job!

Looking forward to seeing more!

 

Peter

Eric

 

     You have to get some trains running. It is the best way to have the creative juices flow. The track plan will start to come together. Good luck.

 

Ray Marion

Ok here is where I am as of today. It was a frustrating weekend of work for me, I feel like everything is going so slow. Ray I am taking your advice and just trying to get some trains moving before I go insane.

 

Here is the beginnings of my power setup. Just picked these up a few months ago, I have the REV-L TIU. I am adding two PSX-AC1 units for surge protection, if I can figure out how to install them. I do not know yet if I am going to use fixed or variable channels. I cant decide if I want to run conventional or not. I should have no problem running the entire layout using only 2 channels.

 

 

Here is an updated shot of the elevated tracks from the west side of the desplaines river looking east. I finally have this elevated line leveled out and ready for track installation. I am going to use Atlas flex track to make the slight curve you see below. I am a little nervous though because I am hearing horror stories about Atlas flex.

 

 

Here is the access doorway open. The two 40" straights are just sitting there for now. I am going to install 2 #5 right hand switches on this access door. There will be an O-72 switch on the track where you see the boxcar which will go to the right. That will bring me to 6 diamonds.

 

 

That siding will take you to the right. I have the grade almost finished that you see in the background. The outer loop is O-80 and the inner is O-72. Things are really tight making this all fit, thanks to the cool pole I have. I had to trim 1.5" off of the union station platform to get everything to fit.

 

 

The UP tower will be just to the upper right hand side of the diamonds across from the station.. The space behind the station will eventually be home to the old EJ&E passenger station. The rate I am going that is probably many years away.

 

 

Heres a shot from one of the chair viewing points again. I was originally planning on having a line pass under the elevated line you see near the diamonds, but I have only 3 inches to play with, so there will just be a road underpass. I would like the curve on the upper left which is O-80 to have an option of going straight to the back wall in the picture, but Atlas does not make O-80 switches, so I am not sure how to achieve this.

 

 

These two tracks are the future home of what will primarily be the GM&O. Today its Amtrak service, as well as BNSF freight. I have the Union Station parking area laid out as you can see. (One of two parking area configurations I am working on, the one shown is how it looks today. I have another mockup showing how the parking area looked in 1912.)

 

 

Well thats where I am today folks. I worked on my layout for at least 8 hours over the weekend and thats all I accomplished. I need to get some engines running, especially before July when I am expecting the delivery of the EJ&E transfer diesels!

Patience will pay off.  Looking good. Can't wait to see the Rock Island and Santa Fe trains running.

It will be great to get some Rock Island running on there, but there's a few engines that are farther up the purchase list for me. I gave some serious thought to the new legacy RI mikado. If it had whistle steam I probably would have caved.

Zett,

 

Earlier, your wrote: “As I said on my blog, I know 2x4 is overkill, but if I want to do jumping jacks on my layout, I can.”

 

and then,

 

“Ahh the station... taking so much work and time, but when it is finished I think it will really make the layout something special.”

 

Believe me, you won’t be sorry for using 2x4’s, and in most cases they are very economical.

 

And yes, your station will be special. Taking your time and doing it right, as you are doing, will avoid any regrets later on when it may be too late to do it as you had envisioned. You are coming along just fine.

 

Excellent work!

 

Alex

The most important question; Are the trains running yet, somehow,someway?

 

Ray Marion

Yes somehow. I have my one caboose on the tracks that I push back and forth LOL.

Hi Zett some really nice progress, looks great.

I also used 2x4's to build my layout, I've had

4 people at one time on my layout and it didn't

budge. Also just to help you out a little, when I

was building my layout I kept on switching my

projects so I wouldn't go insaine and it worked

out pretty good. But in the end it's all worth it.

 

THANKS, ALEX

Zett...as you may know, I am into structures so your station project is something I look forward to seeing.  Love the updates!!  As both Alex and Alex...have said, using 2x4 lumber may be overkill but you will not be sorry.  In nearly every case, it was less expensive for me to use 2x4's and not once have I felt the layout move as I walked on it...which I have had to do on several occasions.

 

As Alex Malliae said, working on a variety of projects a couple of days at a time can help frustration levels stay manageable.  I will work on one project for a weekend or two and then move on to the next one....repeating this process while I go back to a previous project.  Each time I have had time to think about what I have done giving me the opportunity to change something I didn't like before getting too far into the project.  Before you know it, you have a half dozen scenes nearly completed with perhaps finer details left to do.  You are coming along just fine and I can't wait to see your layout evolve....this is my kind of layout!!

 

Thanks,

Alan

Alan

 

    Congratulations! Finally proof men can multitask! Thank you so much!

Seriously though, your comments are very true. The option to modify or adjust is critical. Great advice.

 

Ray Marion

Looks fantastic!

 

Is interesting what stands out to people tho.   Myself....  My layout is currently "paused" in the building state as after this years oil bills for heating we are going to convert to gas. 

 

In that process they will remove the oil tank in my basement.   Thus gaining me some nice additional space for the layout but....  I had never considered removal of the oil tank in my layout plans.   I made nice access ways for the furnace and water heater should they ever need to be replaced but the oil tank seemed rather permanent during the design phase.  

 

They are also replacing the furnace.  To my eye I left plenty of room for such a task.   Then the furnace guys showed up.   2 guys about 6'4" at about 280lbs each.  They had trouble with my 3.5 foot wide isles.  The furnace fits fine however these 2 guys were not thrilled.

 

Had a good day yesterday, had some family over for a cookout, including my nephew who is almost 3. First thing he says coming in the door is "Orange train Uncle Eric?? OK!!? The orange train he is talking about is my new tinplate 255E that I had under the christmas tree. He also knows just about every word to the Polar Express movie, its pretty funny. Knowing he was coming over yesterday I had to at least throw a train on the layout, even though it is not yet operational.

 

I threw on the custom set my dad got for me for my first Christmas when i was 3 months old, including a few custom painted EJ&E cars. I wanted this train to be the first on the tracks for sentimental value of course.

 

 

 

I got a good shipment in from Charles Ro the other day including 3 #5 RH switches, 2 O72 RH switches, and 2 more 90 crossings. Oh and also some pieces of flex. I can now finish the inner loop, and should have it operational this week. They backordered my terminal blocks, but a substitute for the MTH ones should be in by thursday, so I have until then to finish putting the track together.

 

 

 

 

I love the diamonds, they are going to look great once ballasted.

 

 

Thats it for now, I am planning to hit the trackwork hard tonight so we will see how far I get.

Hi Eric

 

     See how motivated you become when trains run? Looking good so far. Keep them running.

 

Ray Marion

Zett,

 

I'm sorry you've been hit with flooding. A lot of river valley people I know in northern Illinois are in the same position, as well as those in towns where the sewer systems weren't prepared for the deluge we had in the last week. As bad is it is, you're lucky that the water is relatively clean. A lot of people were hit with backed up sewage, and that's an entirely different matter. I hope your carpet dries out well, as has no lasting flood effects. Best of luck with this.

 

I "liked" you on FB, and will look for updates either here or there.

 

 

Ok folks! Here's an update. Once again summer destroyed me, between everything going on, its really hard to accomplish anything. Thank god train season has returned!

 

After getting the water out of my basement (see previous post) I am happy to say that nothing was lost. I was worried about the carpet, which soaked up some water, but the water was very clean. Here we are months later, and the carpet does not smell and still looks brand new. This was thanks to many hours of running fans, dehumidifiers, sucking up water using a carpet shampooer, and blasting heat. Needless to say I now have 2 more sump pumps installed....

 

As I stated before I am building a bar just outside the train room. The door you see in the below picture is the train room. Here you can see I framed out the bar using 2x4s.

 

 

 

 

 

After I framed the bar out I skinned the inside using 1/4" sanded pine. Everything you see below will be stained. The horizontal 2X4 is a ledge for the lower counter. Everything below that will be storage/shelves. This shot is taken standing by the train room door, looking out toward the bar.

 

 

 

This shows a rough layout of where I am going. Some shelf supports are roughed in, and I am playing with the bar top to see how I want it. Comet has been a great help (you can see his nose in the bottom left).

 

 

 

Tonight I added the base skin to the outside of the bar, where the stools will be. I am using red oak for all the areas that visitors will see. The common boards that you see will also be covered with red oak. I need to add decorative trim in those areas.

 

 

 

Standing at the end of the bar looking towards the train room, you can see that I have cut the hole in the wall that will be the train route. There will be a shelf on the left that will be wide enough for 2 tracks. The track will then take a tight curve, looks like I will have to be a little smaller than O-72, and then travel on the bar, back to the opening. Some sort of bridge will cover the gap near the door. If I want to showcase an engine I will be able to park it on the shelf behind the bar, out of harms way. If you look close in this picture you can see my new Menards Mercantile building.

 

 

Still messing with the top... If your wondering what the opening in the wall is... I scored a major piece of Joliet history, that you have already seen if you follow my Facebook account. I purchased a stained glass window from the old Joliet Courthouse. The window will be installed behind the bar, and will be lit using LED strip lighting.

 

 

Here is a closeup of the window. It was made around 1882. There were 29 of these in the old Joliet courthouse, and there are only 4 that exist today, that I know of. A lot of them were destroyed when they tore down the old courthouse in the 60s, and some were damaged after being poorly stored.

 

 

 

This is my dad and I after we framed in the opening. I am cleaning it now, and it will be installed after I paint. The picture in the middle of the window shows a girl picking peaches. The window represents August. The courthouse had a window that represented each month of the year.

 

 

This is what the old Courthouse looked like. If I showed you the building that stands there now you would throw up.... The red arrow points to where the stained glass windows are. I am not sure exactly where my window was in the old courthouse. This courthouse will also eventually be on my layout (once I finish some other buildings).

 

 

Finally, heres my power setup. I finally got a shelf installed, and installed some banana plugs. I have a ways to go but I am trying to stay organized.

 

 

 

Thats it for today. I am hoping to get a LOT done in the next 2 months, including making progress on the Union Station, adding the water area to my layout, and finishing the bar. Ill keep yall posted.

 

Financially there will be no delays, due to the fact that Lionel, Atlas, Weaver, MTH, and everyone else has NO new EJ&E items in their latest catalogs. 

I don,t know alot about this railroad.Other than seeing its locomotives on youtube.They had sd40-2 and sd38-2 which is a new one to me.Any way they had some pretty long trains.I don,t know what they had during steam area.But I  think they might have had 2-10-2,2-8-0,4-6-2.I am not sure if they had any biger motion power.

Zett, very nice start.  That station is going be great.  Can you post a track plan?

 

Rick

 

 

Great progress. Thanks for posting the photos.

Zett

 

Nice work.  Did you ever post a track plan of your layout?

 

Al Galli

Looking good, Zett. I really like that historic window. The present Will County courthouse looks like something from a bad science fiction movie. 

Zett

 

Love reading about and seeing your progress.

Looking at your control panel, am I right to assume those are fast-acting breakers between the ZW and TIU?

 

Peter

I cross those diamonds almost daily aboard my local.  Looking very prototypical.   You definitely need to get UD tower in there with a grumpy old man on a recording yelling why your going so slow over the diamonds because he has metra's to run lol.

 

Your Joliet union station is looks amazing.  Cant wait to see some video of trains running.

wow Zett  you are a visionary!  i am really exited  for you and cant wait to see the progress!

Very Nice. Like the big diamond crossing. Keep us posted.