Model railroad layouts plans

Gary’s been back in touch with his model train DCC wiring – which is all on a fold away table. Quite a project!

(His previous post is here: Folding train table.)

“So, it’s on to wiring. To provide DCC power to the track, I’m using 18 AWG for the main Buss that’s connected to my DigiTrax DCS 52 Control Unit.

I went with 22 AWG for the feeder drops, a drop every three feet and one on every line in the yard and sidings for a total of 58 pairs of feeder wires, probably more than I needed.

I decided to use Walthers Switch Machines, wiring, and their power distribution blocks. There are 28 Switch Machines (SM) controlled by 24 SPDT toggle switches.

One toggle switch controls two SM through a cascade connection for one of the sidings, and then another toggle switch controls four SM for the double crossover.

I was able to get by with just two power distribution blocks because a single SM allows daisy chaining power to as many as four other SM.

Although my table folds up, making it easier for wiring access, it was a little difficult mounting each SM under the table. I had used two layers of 7/16” plywood to make the table rigid but ended up having to cut out a layer of plywood so that the Actuator Wire from the SM would protrude far enough to reach the access hole of each turnout.

I started using a router bit to remove the single layer of plywood but found that an oscillating multi-tool with a saw blade worked much better with a lot less saw dust.

The Walther’s Control System wiring instructions were easy to follow, even if you’re using your own toggle switches. Their wiring cables and extensions work well too. In some cases, I’m using one or both micro switches attached to the SM to operate LED indicators on my Control Board.

When the table is down, it rests on two Centipede Workbenches. To prevent any wiring from getting pinched, I used a lot of Velcro tie wraps stapled to the table. Also, a lot of ‘twist ties and cable clips were used to secure multiple wire bundles to the underside of the table.

On the table, there are two DB37 cables for SM operations and two DB25 cables for the LED indicators. These cables are connected to Terminal Distribution Blocks.

The wiring from the SM and the micro switches connect to the other side of the Terminal Distribution Blocks. The four cables from the table then plug into the male and female Terminal Distribution Blocks on the Control Board.

The Control Board is a separate unit that attaches to the table and is supported by two 10” shelf brackets attached to the portable center support structure. Then on the Control Board, the wiring from the SPDT toggle switches and the LED indicators connect to the Distribution Blocks completing the circuit.

All connectors are either spade, fork, or ferrule connectors (over 400 in total). A lot of hand crimping and about a week or two wearing a wrist brace.

There are two basic routes that I’ve designated as the “Mountain Loop” and the “Valley Loop”. I’ve used different colored tape on the Control Board to mark these routes.

Next will be scenery and landscaping, which I’m not looking forward to. I’m just hoping it doesn’t turn out too cartoonish.

Gary”

A big thanks to Gary for sharing his update on his model train DCC wiring.

I’m really looking forward to seeing the next update with the scenery. A big thanks to Gary for this.

That’s all for this time folks.

Please do keep ’em coming.

And if you feel like you’re missing out on the fun, the Beginner’s Guide is here.

Best

Al

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

Need buildings for your layout? Have a look at the store.

They are great fun to make and great value too.

The talented Dan has been back in touch, this time with some great tips on model railroad layout lighting:

“Lighting our layout is very important. We generally just think about having enough light to see everything. The first rule of thumb is that the higher the layout is the more light you need. We achieve this in various ways. Basic general overall with perhaps floods or spots.

Photo 1 shows my overall lighting. Basically, fluorescent lights are well distributed.

This worked well for me. There are no areas of darkness or shadows. I wanted more or less a flat lighting If I wanted shadows, I would use some directional lamps to create the shadows I want. As is the layout photographs very well. I will show a few examples.

I use a flexible necked lamp with a 60 watt an incandescent bulb. I was an old reading lamp that you could extend the height of the light. My normal lighting is on 3 circuits.

The lights down the left wall are GE Light sticks. They have a warmer light level because I wanted that area to be redder to help with the desert look. It does not show much in this photo, but it does work. All the other lights are 50/50 on the 2 circuits.

Varying which lights I want, I can get the effects I will show you.

Photo 2 is a “sunset” view.

Photo 3 the same area without the “sunset” look.

Photo 4 is a scene I use sometimes at open houses. I don’t run trains over the trestle then because folks taking photos get a little too close for my comfort. I am busy talking and answering questions.

In fact, one of the braces at the fire barrel came up missing after such an occurrence.

So, I created this scene. A work crew fixing that issue.

This photo is in my “normal” lighting.

Photo 5 is with less normal lighting and using the lamp to bounce the light from the background behind the trestle.

Photo 6 has the same technique.

And photo 7 is a “Before” photo.

I hope you liked this. It is fun to put your model work in a different light.

Santa Fe Dan”

A big thanks to Dan for sharing his model railroad layout lighting tips.

You can see lots more of Dan’s work in the Hall of fame.

That’s all for this time folks.

Please do keep ’em coming.

And if today is the day you grab the bull by the horns, the Beginner’s Guide is here.

Best

Al

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

Need buildings for your layout? Have a look at the store.

They are great fun to make and great value too.

The talented Rob has been back in touch. This time he’s added a model ship to his stunning model railway:

“Hi Al,

It has been a bit quiet on my part of late. The reason that I have been so quiet is my latest project. I have been engrossed in building a ship in the scale of my railway, 4 mm per foot. The completed model is huge at 70 inches long. It looks fabulous to me as a background object behind the trains.

I started thinking seriously about building it in December. Here it is June, and I am just getting close to completion. When done, I will have weathering to do. That could take a while also. It has been a wonderful journey, and I have enjoyed every second of it.

The model is built from polystyrene plastic. I mostly used sheets of varying thicknesses. My inventory included 0.010″, 0.020″, 0.030″, 0.040″, 0.060″, and .125″ thick plastic. I also incorporated a number of shapes or strips in the finer details. I tried to fabricate most everything, from bollards to blocks to portholes. The only things I did not fabricate were the basic boats that form the lifeboats.

Styrene is welded by slightly melting it with a solvent, after which the two pieces flow together and become one. As a consequence, the ship is very lightweight but not particularly fragile. There are several videos detailing my progress on the project. The one here is about modeling canvas covers for things. In this case, I build covers for the lifeboats.

Thank you for all you do for the modeling community around the world.

Rob”

A huge big thanks to Rob for sharing his model ship update on his stunning layout.

(You can see more of Rob in the Hall of Fame.)

Whenever I see ships on a layout I always think of Kaustav’s N scale harbor – also another stunner.

That’s all for this time folks.

Please do keep ’em coming.

And if today is the day you press the fun button and get started, the Beginner’s Guide is here.

Best

Al

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

Need buildings for your layout? Have a look at the store.

They are great fun to make and great value too.