"The old layout, while it was nice to look at, was barely functional." Sounds like my old layout lol. A wonderful introduction to your new layout. Looking forward to seeing more, love hearing your commentary on just about anything you do.
it is heartbreaking to come to terms with having to tear down a layout but the new layout will make a lot of difference between an enjoyable experience and one full of frustrations.
G'Day! I had an N scale layout 20 years ago in the basement of my house. I have used Trainz for the last 20 years, but that's another story. My layout was 24' by 30' and most of it was built as "N" track modules. I had friends who helped me build it (they had no room to build at home) and we had a lot of fun. Wiring the frogs etc. is good way to stop any loss of power. Like your ideas and look forward to seeing the progress as you build!!
A welcome addition to your Trainz videos. Tutorial videos are always interesting and I like learning how different modelers do things. Good vid. More please.
I have a friend which uses a car float on his around-the-room HO shelf layout. He has six 3-track car floats each holds 9 cars. Each car float track ends with a coupler-bumper to hold the cars when moving the the car float to the stack of floats. The car floats are labeled 1-6 and are used in order. His train order software knows what cars are on each float. When a car float arrives, it is unloaded by two locomotives with idler cars to take cars off the outer tracks of the car float, so it doesn't capsize. Then one locomotive retrieves the center cars from the float. The 9 cars are sorted and delivered to the outbound track of the yard. The ferry terminal locomotive then retrieves the 9 cars from the yard arrival track and sorts the cars for the ferry so they are a balanced load and the two ferry locomotives put the 9 cars on the ferry for departure. The local train takes the 9 cars from the departure track out to the layout and switches the cars with those at the customers and makes any car switching moves and then returns to the yard arrival track with 9 new cars for the ferry. Operationally, the local trains takes about 2 hours to take 9 cars from the yard to the customers and return 9 cars to the ferry. Unload and loading a ferry with the car sorting takes about a hour. He has 9x6=64 cars on the six car floats/ferries + 9 cars on the yard arrival/departure tracks + 18-27 cars at the customers for a total of 91-100 cars, 3 locomotives, mow cars, track cleaning cars with locomotives. His switch list software keeps track of all the cars and rotates them to the various customers.
For wiring the track you should definitely add far more feeders than you think you need. Put one on each leg of every turnout. And try to isolate track into blocks so that you can narrow down issues to small sections.
Since you already anticipate a possible move, why not cut the tracks at each joint ? Then you can take a module off the bookcase, flip it on its side and access the underside for wiring and installing motors to operate your turnouts.
Grabbed a friend for an afternoon last week and the goal was to turn a large section of my layout (HO) into a flat base, It will be going from SP Donner Pass to Modern European City and a landscape
You made a tough decision and seemed to handle it well. I would have just quit the hobby for several years...like I did last time I was sick of my layout.
I’m going to join up the model railroad club I’m a Ho scale modeler I weathered my model trains I had to make look realistic my Ho scale layout is going to be very large and it is going to be Texas and Arizona with UP and BNSF and CPKC and NS and CSX
Why do a video on building the Fast Track switch machine as they have a good one??? Boomer Diorama has a good (several) video on building a car float. There are hundreds of videos on soldering!!!
"The old layout, while it was nice to look at, was barely functional."
Sounds like my old layout lol.
A wonderful introduction to your new layout. Looking forward to seeing more, love hearing your commentary on just about anything you do.
it is heartbreaking to come to terms with having to tear down a layout but the new layout will make a lot of difference between an enjoyable experience and one full of frustrations.
Used to go by Bush Terminal every day on the express bus to Manhattan, all you need to model is the BQE over the tracks.
Can put hinges on the front facia giving you a bit easier access to your wiring
G'Day! I had an N scale layout 20 years ago in the basement of my house. I have used Trainz for the last 20 years, but that's another story. My layout was 24' by 30' and most of it was built as "N" track modules. I had friends who helped me build it (they had no room to build at home) and we had a lot of fun. Wiring the frogs etc. is good way to stop any loss of power. Like your ideas and look forward to seeing the progress as you build!!
A welcome addition to your Trainz videos. Tutorial videos are always interesting and I like learning how different modelers do things. Good vid. More please.
THANK YOU FOR VIDEO
WISH BEST FURTHER PLAN ON NEW LAYOUT
Great video! Best of luck on your new layout, looking forward to your progress. Have you considered building modules?
Thanks! I’m not particularly into modules. I prefer modeling something in it’s entirety rather than to fit a module format to match with others.
Awesome N scale layout! Looking forward to seeing how you made those turnout controls
I have a friend which uses a car float on his around-the-room HO shelf layout. He has six 3-track car floats each holds 9 cars. Each car float track ends with a coupler-bumper to hold the cars when moving the the car float to the stack of floats. The car floats are labeled 1-6 and are used in order. His train order software knows what cars are on each float. When a car float arrives, it is unloaded by two locomotives with idler cars to take cars off the outer tracks of the car float, so it doesn't capsize. Then one locomotive retrieves the center cars from the float. The 9 cars are sorted and delivered to the outbound track of the yard. The ferry terminal locomotive then retrieves the 9 cars from the yard arrival track and sorts the cars for the ferry so they are a balanced load and the two ferry locomotives put the 9 cars on the ferry for departure.
The local train takes the 9 cars from the departure track out to the layout and switches the cars with those at the customers and makes any car switching moves and then returns to the yard arrival track with 9 new cars for the ferry.
Operationally, the local trains takes about 2 hours to take 9 cars from the yard to the customers and return 9 cars to the ferry. Unload and loading a ferry with the car sorting takes about a hour.
He has 9x6=64 cars on the six car floats/ferries + 9 cars on the yard arrival/departure tracks + 18-27 cars at the customers for a total of 91-100 cars, 3 locomotives, mow cars, track cleaning cars with locomotives. His switch list software keeps track of all the cars and rotates them to the various customers.
That’s a pretty serious set up! Sounds like a lot of fun to operate.
Pretty cool video man, looking forward to more.
N Scale layouts always look so nice and this is no exception! Perchance, where did you get the buildings from?
The large buildings are Walthers kits I kitbashed and some of the shorter buildings are scratch built from DPM and Walthers parts.
looking forward to the next steps!
I’m going to have to do the same. I knew I should have put another feeder wire on one other end being my locomotives lose power and on the spur lines.
For wiring the track you should definitely add far more feeders than you think you need. Put one on each leg of every turnout. And try to isolate track into blocks so that you can narrow down issues to small sections.
Since you already anticipate a possible move, why not cut the tracks at each joint ? Then you can take a module off the bookcase, flip it on its side and access the underside for wiring and installing motors to operate your turnouts.
Didn't you listen to him?? He is going to use the great Fast Track turnout set of controls. I like them a lot and they are great.
Grabbed a friend for an afternoon last week and the goal was to turn a large section of my layout (HO) into a flat base, It will be going from SP Donner Pass to Modern European City and a landscape
Why not build the top surface hedged from the back so you can just rase from the front and work on wiring from there?
N scale version of Boomer Diorama - great! Can you tell me who makes the Sullivan Scrap gons?
Scrap gons are by InterMountain
What is the scale of the model?
N Scale
If you ever get an N scale Brass locomotive, I'd like to offer my services for painting and weathering Brass!
been there!
You made a tough decision and seemed to handle it well. I would have just quit the hobby for several years...like I did last time I was sick of my layout.
If the layout is level and doesn’t fall apart when you lean on it, it’s good bench work
I like shelf lay outs
Put feeders on EVERY piece of track and EVERY turnout. Do not rely on soldering rail joiners anywhere, especially on a yard ladder.
That is just BS...
I’m going to join up the model railroad club I’m a Ho scale modeler I weathered my model trains I had to make look realistic my Ho scale layout is going to be very large and it is going to be Texas and Arizona with UP and BNSF and CPKC and NS and CSX
we all do it .
U need to get a bigger place lol so u can make a bigger layout but looking good nonetheless
Bigger is not always better!!!
It's a challenge with no proper wood working shop
My birthday is August 25th
Who cares and why would you put this in here anyway???
Why do a video on building the Fast Track switch machine as they have a good one??? Boomer Diorama has a good (several) video on building a car float. There are hundreds of videos on soldering!!!
It shows capability. And shows competence and reinforces best practices. Also it is record for the current laylot.