My new track coming to life

[JanW]

Here a small update of my project. I finally got the woodwork of the table ready and fitted the tracks. All seems to work out fine. Now wiring can start in earnest.

[JanW]

Some more detailed pics ..

[Pauljag900]

Looks fantastic jan,I love the wiring.It s a bit fiddly but very rewarding when things work.

[cteno4]

Nice it’s coming to gether Jan! Like how the like how the viaduct is a single Loop with the station in the center.

 

going to be doc or dc?

 

cheers

 

jeff

[tt0880]

Very nice layout :) Ours are a bit similar, especially with the viaduct station. 

 

I'm also on the wiring phase and it's stressing me out hardcore... I'm scared that drilling the holes and everything is too final and I might regret it... Let me know how yours goes, especially with the viaduct station... I have no idea how I'm going to wire the turnouts up there.

 

Cheers! 

[cteno4]

Tt,

 

what are you using for your layout base/support? No reason it can't have a bunch of mistake holes in it is there? They will just get covered up eventually with scenery. You can always patch mistakes with foam spray or that foam paste that woodland scenics sells. Wires can be moved, cut and spliced easily when needed.

 

Don’t worry about making a wiring mistake as they are pretty easy to just redo to get it right. It’s really part of the process of learning to screw a few things up and these are pretty low pressure things (unlike say gumming up points with plaster). You can try to plan a huge amount to get it just right, but this may stress you out and drive you crazy. I usually opt for the middle route of planning some but then just getting going and realizing I may have to adapt some on the fly and fix, and learn from, a couple of boo boos for the next time!

 

layouts are always an evolution within each one and layout to layout! Enjoy the process if you can and try not to let it stress you.

 

cheers

 

jeff

Edited January 4, 2018 by cteno4

[Kiha66]

Wow, amazing work Jan!  I cant wait to see the progress on this layout.

[kvp]

Nice layout! One thing: Having a crossover between two island platforms might have some clearance issues with the outer ends of longer coaches hitting the platform edges. 

[JanW]

On 1/3/2018 at 7:18 AM, kvp said:

Nice layout! One thing: Having a crossover between two island platforms might have some clearance issues with the outer ends of longer coaches hitting the platform edges. 

Thanks a lot for spotting this. Someone else mentioned that as well. So I tested it and it isn't an issue with the normal commuter trains. Only the long-nosed Shinkansen trains have an issue. 
Background: I grew up in Zwolle, a provincial capital in the Netherlands. My parental home was right in front of the railway station, se we often ventured onto the platforms and watched the trains arriving and departing. This station had/has also a cross-over at the platforms, exactly like my lay-out. I regard it a bit as something a proper station ought to have ;-) 

[JanW]

In the mean time I testrun the various trains along the tracks to see if there any issues, like derailing, too steep inclinations etc. I now found that running the trains creates more noise that I hoped for. I purposely designed to table structure to have maximum rigidity at the point where the tracks are, using 12 mm multiplex stiffeners between the lower plate and the upper table top (see pic).  So I tested to use thin felt (1 mm) between the tracks and the table top. That reduces noise a lot. So before running the wiring, I intent to try and reduce train running noise. 
I will also try to install the felt in the overhead train station although it may add complications at the ends where the tracks connect up to the viaduct. At these ends I doubt I can squeeze 1 mm felt between the track and the station floor.  

[Yavianice]

It looks awesome JanW!

[yakumo381]

On 1/5/2018 at 2:22 PM, JanW said:

So I tested to use thin felt (1 mm) between the tracks and the table top. That reduces noise a lot.

 

In my layouts I have used 1 mm cork, available in rolls, for this purpose. Cheap to buy from hardware stores as used for covering floors before tiles or flooring are laid on top. Also gives you something to dig into to hide the join between buildings and the ground level.

 

Also I put rubber blocks between the layout frame and supports or tabletop as noise isolation. I use a specialist automotive material used in building Li-Ion batteries for EVs but the same type of material is also easily found as in-soles for sport shoes where used to cushion the feet under repeated impact.

[Yavianice]

My layout boards are on cardboard. It's quite quiet, and cheap.

[JanW]

I have now put felt below the tracks for noise reduction. Indeed quite effective. I had not thought about cardboard.

[JanW]

It is has been a while, so time for an update. Back in February I completed the wiring. Essentially this straightforward Kato style wiring of switches and tracks with just the wires spliced. 
There are three loops, each with its own regulator. Each loop has power supply at 3 locations to ensure that there is no voltage drop along the tracks. 
The controls are in a small trolley with the wiring bundles to form an umbilical. This allows the control panel to moved about a bit. 
My brother thinks that the panel looks a bit like the controls from one of the Thunderbird rockets (remember the British Thunderbirds TV series with 'supermarionation'!) 

[Yavianice]

I love your control panel!

[JanW]

After I completed the wiring I went on to add scenery. I made the basic shape from 30 mm roof insulation foam (called Roofmate). Two layers of this stuff provides the Kato standard 60 mm clearance and enough for tunnels.
On top of the foam I added sculptamold to further shape the hills and embankments. Added rocks made from plaster of Paris casted in Woodland Scenics forms. 
On the left side of the layout I added a shrine on the hill. The shrine is a laser-cut cardboard model from Sankei. 
There is also a Tomytec farmhouse that will overlook the rice fields. Also started to add buildings to the city and experimenting with their best arrangement. 
I plan to first complete the grass, bushes, trees, ricefields etc at the left side of the lay-out. After that complete the scenery of the hill at the right hand side, the Onsen and the Pagode.  Only then move to the stations and work on the station square and the city. Maybe I'll add actual moving buses! 

[Pauljag900]

Nice worl all round there Jan,well done👍😀

[Kiha66]

Great progress Jan, its looking like very professional work!

[JanW]

Here a progress update. 
The left hand side of the lay-out is now 'outfitted' with grass and the TomyTec rice fields. I find them a bit blueish. The rice field only seem realistic under certain lighting conditions and viewing angle. 
I added a narrow road leading up to a small parking lot (with Times24 paid parking) and a taxi stand. The classic Japanese bridge and shrine up the hill will attract tourists and wedding couples! 
The Woodland scenics  rocks come out nicely I dare say. 
Right under the railway bridge there is parking lot for customers of the LPG bottle filling facility (a laser-cut cardboard model from Sankei) 

Still a lot of trees to be planted! 

[Yavianice]

Here a progress update. 

Amazing!

[Kiha66]

Wow, great work Jan!  What did you use for the ground cover?   It all blends together very realistically. 

[JanW]

12 minutes ago, Kiha66 said:

Wow, great work Jan!  What did you use for the ground cover?   It all blends together very realistically. 

I used Heki Nr 3360 grass ('sommerwiese' = summer field). The hill is formed with Sculptamold. After the Sculptamold is thoroughly dried (takes a week or so) I paint this thickly with dark brown acryl paint and sprinkle and spread the Heki gras onto the wet paint and leave it to dry for a couple of hours, maybe a day. The surplus grass is carefully vacuumed away with a nylon sock in the vacuum pipe to catch the surplus grass for reuse.  
I sometimes find patches where the grass did not hold and is too bare. I simply redo these with paint and grass. 

The small stream still needs to get 'water'. I need to research how to get the water realistically on the slope. 

[chadbag]

Wow!

[cteno4]

Nice work jan, looks great! 

 

you can also mix either cheap acrylic paints or tempra powders into the sculptamold as well to make it brown or gray or what ever color you want thorough out. helps if it gets diinged dont get the gray/white patch.

 

btw clear silicone us a good one for rushing water on a slope as you can sort of sculpt it as you put it on. thick pva glue can also work but doesnt work well on sharp angles and needs thin repeated coats.

 

cheers

 

jeff

Edited May 1, 2018 by cteno4