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Bullet train layout USA


Guest Bernard

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Martijn-I agree, there is no fast way to ballast. The best results take time. After seeing the results of the "quick method", I went back to my old method of a small measuring spoon, a small piece of cardboard to even & spread the ballast out, alcohol & diluted white glue.

 

Okay, something new: I have an area that I will light but I'll need to be able to remove the top in order to get to the wiring. (photo 1) I decided to make a "clam shell". I used hydocal cloth on the base, let it dry & set. Then I took wax paper and lined the lip and outer wall of the base. (No photo) Then I put the top back on and put hydocal cloth on the top over lapping the base but not going beyond the wax paper. I let the top set. I removed the wax paper and to my surprise it worked. I then put a base coat of paint the base and the top. I will later add ground cover. Here are some photo of the results.

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Wow, I can't believe I haven't posted new photos of work I've done on my layout in some time. (Good reason, I for got to take photos)

 

Okay here is one area I really put off, ballasting the yard. My reason, after installing all the turnouts now the fear comes that ballasting might hurt the switching operation. Well I have finished all of my ballasting and yes I had to work on the turnouts after I did it.

The photo only show the yard partially done. I ran out of ballast and had to go to my LHS to finish.

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Thanks for the update! I was beginning to wonder. Looks good! I can't imagine how tedious it is to ballast all that: I've only ever ballasted one length of 280mm track, and that was tedious enough! Keep us up to date :D

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Well after I worked some on my project for the party, I decided to work on the layout. The area that has the most done on it looked flat and I know it need trees. So here are 2 photos of the layout with trees but I'm going to need a lot more! (Painted cottenballs mixed in with the trees?)

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CaptOblivious

Bernard, my turn to bug you! Anything new to share?

 

I was just examining your track plans again, and those two loops are lusciously extravagant. No chance you have a video camera (and time) such that perhaps you could follow a train or two through that maze to give us a sense of just how long those loops really are?

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Don - I don't have a video camera any more BUT this might be a good idea for a Xmas gift for my wife ;D (Now I know what to get her, thanks!)

 

My layout is in Upstate NY and I'm in the NYC area and due to a family illness (not too serious) I can't get up there. (I still have my skyscraper project to finish) But once things clear up I will get back on track (bad pun) : ;D

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Finally I was able to do some work on the layout over the holidays. I didn't like the look of the yard so I decided to put in "roads/access" to the passenger trains so that workers could move vehicles closer to the trains. Here are two photos of what I am about to do, what do you guys think, am I on the "right track" with this idea? Opinions please?

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Darren Jeffries

Looks good to me. Are you going to put crossings over all the tracks? Also would look good with some yard type flood lights between the tracks for realism.

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Darren - If you look closely on the 2nd photo you can see where I cut a piece of foam as part of the road for a vehicle to cross over. I plan to continue the road to have access to the other tracks.

 

Martijn - wait till you see the town I've built using old structures from an older layout. Talk about not being prototypical  ::)

It gives it that Euro-Japanese look so many architects try to achieve.  ;D

 

and Mr. Platts, thanks for the compliment.

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Alright, here comes the real shocker  :o (yep that little guy says it all)

Due to "budget cuts" I got fed up with myself for not doing any work on the town I wanted to build. So I said, just do it. I have structures from a previous layout that really wasn't in the Japanese mode but I decided to use them anyway. So here is that Euro-Japanese design that some Architects just dream about (boy am I lying through my teeth ::))  which I have achieved in the following photos. I even decided to put lights in to the structures.

Well here is the town:

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Martijn Meerts

I have to say, it doesn't look very non-Japanese. The buildings might be European style (not like there's none of those in Japan), but the overall look fits really well in my opinion.

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It does look great... just make sure the little fellas can't walk directly onto the Shinkansen lines in due course :)

 

The lighting is great too!

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Alright, I'm Upstate and am motivated to work on the layout. I was inspired by all the discussions about Tram lines to add one on my layout. This will be a point to point line with auto reversing. I wanted to connect the two cities on the layout to one another and there was a spot on the layout that I needed to address since it was pretty much empty. When I first started the layout it was suggested by a fellow modeler to think about hiding the trains from view at times so a viewer will be surprised when seemingly out of nowhere a train appears. Keeping this in mind, I decided to make an other mountain with the idea that parts of it were blasted away for the construction of a railroad. I want to have the tram on level ground and not on a built up platform, so I need to raise the first city 2", also I wasn't happy with the results of the "clam shell" for access in the future so I cut out the middle area of the city and set in lips for that area to rest on. The edges are now permanently attached. One other reason I wanted to do this addition is because I've always wanted to work with code 55 flex track. I'm using Peco flex track as a temporary place holder until my order comes in and I only have 2 pieces of Peco and I need 4-5 pieces to complete the line.

Here are some photos of what I'm working on, I'm using WS risers and inclines to accomplish the connection between the two points and I hand making the 2 bridges (why did I do this as my project party?!):

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Here are the rest of the photos, I'm using a combination of styrofoam, newspaper, hydrocal cloth, scult-a-model, and rock models to build the mountain and track bed:

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I just woke up so I'll think of some meaningful or useful to post in a bit. Until then, I'll ask, how did you cut or where did you find the clam shell dome top of the mountain?

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Aaron - Look at post #25 in this thread it shows how I made a "clam shell" for city #1. Alas I really wasn't happy with the results and totally re-designed the city, the hydrocal ends kept curling up. It is now 2" inches higher and level to the city #2 area.

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More work done on the new mountain. In the next photos I started laying down the cork roadbed for the flex track. Also you will see that I planned to scratch build 2 bridges and here are some photos of the start of the bridges.

 

For flex track I'm a little disappointed with the LHS, they are mostly HO scale and have very little in N scale. So I'm going to go ahead with what I have and I might abandon the code 55 idea (I have enough code 80 Peco flex track to finish the area, but that wasn't my original plan but I have the time now to do it so it's full steam ahead)

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After the WS earth tone dried I used the WS various ground covers to finish off the hill and the city area. In the last photo I started putting down the Tram track. I have Peco code 80 flex track which I used but I'm still debating ordering Micro Engineering code 55 flex track. I am also looking into purchasing an "auto reversing unit". In my research, since this will be an independent line, it looks like it would be better to go DC. I found 2 companies that sell the units.

 

One is from Miniatonics: http://www.miniatronics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?

 

and the other is from Z-stuff: http://www.z-stuff.net/DZ-1240.htm

but after reading the instructions it seems like z-stuff is for Lionel trains, I'll have to call them.

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Claude_Dreyfus

I must say this does look very effective, especially the ground covering on the mount.

 

Apologies if you have said and I missed it, but who produces the large white towerblock you have?

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Thank you, as for the building it's made by Heljan and called the Leech Memorial Hospital Building (N Scale)

I got it awhile ago and I haven't seen it since.

I also have an Atlas Skyscraper but now it's too large for the layout.

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