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Suspended model train track

Peter’s been in touch with his suspended model train track:

“Good morning Al,

Last year I bought your Beginners Guide – very useful, thank you and each day when I receive an e-mail from you I look with interest as my 10′ x 8′ layout is just starting to take shape.

So my plan is to construct a railway with all rolling stock bought with grand-children in mind (or by them) so the theme has to be from all ages.

We have a hall that is multi-functional (dances, meetings etc) but I have ceiling space for the track.

Tomorrow I plan to start wiring all the points, I am trying to leave wiring the track until later – play time would be too tempting!

Later I will try to find some theme park rides (fun fair), but that could be a good year down the line (Ha!).

Look forward to hearing from you.

Cheers,

Peter”

And now from Peter’s suspended model train track to Gary and his ‘grass how-to’:

“About 4 years ago I started making my own ground foam. Found that the process was very simple and inexpensive to to do.

I use it for making my trees, bushes and grass on my layout. Most of the tools needed I was able to buy used.

I picked up my food blender at a yard sale. Got my cookies sheets at Goodwill. I did purchase my Magic Bullet eBay new.

I found a local upholstery shop a bought a large garage bag of seat cushion foam for $20.00.

I have also used, used foam that I found from chairs and couches people had put out for trash. Although I recommend inspecting them before you use them for pet or food stains.

I mix up a batch of stain in a clean 5 gallon bucket. I have used latex paint, and Rit Dye. But I have found the best thing is a product called “Tints All” (which I purchased on EBay)

It’s available in a variety of colors. And I have found adding a little latex paint helpful for changing the color.

Then I take the ground foam and cut it into small pieces. Usually about 1” x 1” squares.

Then I put them into the blender. Filling it up about 1/2 full. I then add about 1 1/2 cups of water to start and turn the blender on high for about 10 minutes.

I sometimes remove the little cap on the lid to add more water if I notice that the water has soaked into the foam so much that it’s blending up well.

After the foam is blended good I drain the water off of it and then remove it from the blender by hand squeezing it in my hand to remove as much water as possible.

I then dump it into my 5 gallon bucket with the dye in it. I usually put 5 to 10 blender into the bucket before continuing on.

Once I have enough I then stir it really well and let set in the bucket for 2 to 3 hours. I have just left it in the bucket over night.

I then start removing it from the stained foam from the bucket with latex gloves. I wringing the excess dye out back into the bucket.

I then place the foam on cookie sheets that I had already prepared with layers of paper towels on them. And leave the out overnight to dry. I have also put them out side in the sun. But, you need to make sure it not going to be windy. Because as the foam drys out it becomes lite enough that it can blow of the cookie trays.

It’s not just for model train grass – this size will work great for using them for bushes and trees.

For bushes I set some to the side and put them in a smaller bucket and add some Elmers glue and mix throughly. When that drys, you end up with a product very similar to Clumped Foliage from Woodland Scenics. Which you can easily tear apart as needed.

For Fine Foliage I put some of the dried foam into the magic bullet. It grinds it up and makes great Fine Foliage

I then put it in old Parmesan cheese containers. Which work great for storage and applying it.

I also use ziplock bags to store the clumped and coarse in.

Trees in the cow pasture picture are from Menards and not ones I made.

Always enjoy your emails. This is such a fun Hobby. Just glad a can share a little knowledge with others. And hopefully some will enjoy it and find it useful.

Gary
Indiana”

A big thanks to Gary and to Peter for sharing his suspended model train track.

That’s all for today folks.

Please do keep ’em coming.

And if today is the day you get started on your layout, the Beginner’s Guide is here.

Best

PS Latest ebay cheat sheet is here.

Model train backdrops

There have been quite a few model train backdrops on the blog over the years – but take a look at Jeffs:

“Hi Al,

Today I installed more ground work. I use sanded earth colored grout for the soil.

A mix of scenic express ground foam for the forest floor.

Glue all down with a 50, 50 white glue solution, I will let this dry and start to install trees and brush.

Have a long way to go.

Thanks

Jeff”

A big thanks to Jeff, it reminded me of Glyn’s post:

Scenic backdrops for model trains.

Now on to Mike:

“Hi Al,

About a year ago, you published some pics and explanation on the start of my layout. A year down the line, I thought you might like an update. I hope you like it enough to publish it.

Before I get into that, though, I would like to remark on how useful your blog is.

I am about to make some rocks for a bit of the layout that I won’t later be able to get to easily – I am trying to lay the majority of the track before doing the scenery where possible – and was considering the best way to do it when I read Eddie’s recent blog about using expanding foam.

This reminded me that when I first started, some 2 years ago, I had some expanding foam & put it aside for just this purpose but had completely forgotten about it! Thanks Eddie.

So onto my layout. Considering the limited amount of time I can spend on it, I am quite happy with the progress I am making.

I have had a train running to test all the track I have laid, using a borrowed ECOS 50200 but now have my own & am starting to programme for real.

As I don’t have the time to edit the video, like some of your contributors such as Dave – I really admire his work & wish he lived nearer me – it is in its raw state but hopefully OK.

I have also attached again the track plan, as I don’t think you included it last time.

On a personal note, I am still fighting the cancer & am reasonably well at the moment, although it has spread a bit & I am having a new course of treatment. I will win!

Anyone else out there with cancer, always keep your chin up & stay positive.

Mike”

A close up of one of the stalls

The Diesel Yard with Coach Washer

Frederick St Station

The Garden Centre & Pumphouse

Track Plan

Thanks for the good work you do.

Mike”

A huge big thanks to Jeff for adding to the model train backdrops on the blog – and to Mike too

That’s all for today folks.

Please do keep ’em coming.

And if today is the day you get going on your layout, the Beginner’s Guide is here.

Best

PS Latest ebay cheat sheet is here.

PPS HO scale train layouts here if that’s your thing.

N scale Canada layout

William’s been in touch with his N scale Canada layout.

I love the way he picked his theme, era and scale:

“Hi Al,

Thank you so much for persisting with these posts. It has helped me to see what others are doing, how they are doing it but mostly you have encouraged me to carry on (albeit very slowly).

I just turned 80 in a few weeks ago and looking at the pix on this machine I got your book and started on my layout over seven years ago! Sigh!

As your book highlights planning is important; but before you plan you need to know what you want to do, and for a first layout, that is hard (or was for me anyway).

What I decided I wanted was a cross section of Canada in my younger years and to convey a sense of space.

I just measured my total layout (not all shown here) and it comes to 137.5 square feet which I work out to be 81 acres.

So I knew at the start O or HO scale would not work for me. I looked at Z scale and decided it was (a) expensive and (b) hard to find CP and CNR running stock in Z. So N scale it had to be.

I also decided my time period, which maxes out before the formation of VIA rail which was in 1977.

But I am not much of a purist, so if you notice that some car looks like a 1978 Monte Carlo, please forgive me.

So the next step was to grab space. There was a room we used as a store room at the foot of the basement stairs. I built shelves along the back wall for some stuff. The rest went (in many trips) to the Goodwill or the Sally Ann.

The door opened inwards, taking up valuable space. I replaced the door with a sliding door, but that involved moving the doorway about 8 inches. Then I tiled the floor ( but I still haven’ grouted it).

The layout sits on blue construction foam or white foam scrap which in turn sits on 1/2 inch ply.

The right hand edge of the layout folds down to allow access to the closet and one set of shelves is reserved for panels (mostly old floor tiles) which hold shopping centres, car dealers etc. when the folding part is in the down position.

Electrically the layout is a bit different. For the track power there is no common ground. The layout is powered by multiple little plug-in transformers which drive 3 Bachman controllers and 4 DC controllers I got off ebay for a couple of bucks each.

The layout is blocked into multiple sections and no adjacent sections share a controller so there is no possibility of a short. (This is a bit like the old electric shaver outlets in bathrooms.)

It was my early intent to automate the running of the layout. To this end I bought two banks of DC DPDT relays. They are still sitting in their packaging.

Surprisingly my 81 acres supports four towns – Knocnarea in the tourist area by Lake Notalotawata, HillTop Village, the town of Yester and Smogton City(to be constructed).

Each town has its own railway station. As well as Knocnarea, Union, Yester and HillTop stations, the area is served by Yester-Smogton Regional airport (YSR) which has barely a one thousand foot runway (the planes are 1:200 SCALE).

Night landings are prohibited – I am still in the process of installing the runway lights and caution must be exercised departing YSR on runway 19 as an immediate right turn is required to avoid entering the closet.

William”