Model railroad layouts plans

Rob’s been back in touch – this time he improves his 3 light model train signal:

“Hi Al,

I decided to try to improve from some of the work I did a few years ago on cantilevered signal gantries. My styrene-building skills have improved since I was into this in the past.

The original pieces I kit bashed were starting to seem rather toy-like to me, and I wanted to see if I could make something closer to reality or look closer to the prototypes.

In my research, I discovered that there seem to be an almost infinite number of different designs for these around the UK. I mostly watched cab ride videos and took screenshots when an interesting signal support structure was on the screen.

Styrene is quite strong when solvent it is welded into a stable structure. It can be fabricated into anything that can be built in steel.

I built the plate girders so they were hollow in the middle and, consequently, I could route the wires through the void. I find I very much enjoy building just about anything these days. Maybe I always did.

I weathered one of the new units and will lightly weather the other two.

For lightly weathering painted steel plate structures like this, I find using the Tamiya panel lining solution to be just about perfect. It leaves a very light residue in the corners, and anywhere else you want it to. Just take the applicator in the bottle and touch the areas where you want to add dirt, grime, and character. It couldn’t be easier.

Thank you, Al. I know I look forward to reading your blogs every day, and I know others do, too.

Rob”

3 light model train signal:

A huge big thank you to Ron for sharing his 3 light model train signal ‘how to’.

Rob’s last post on the signals is here: Signal gantry.

And of course, you can see more of him in the Hall of Fame too.

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

Al

PS Latest ebay cheat sheet is here.

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

Got a model train question?

Dan’s been back in touch again, this time with how to make HO scale water ponds:

“Here is a pond that is on the Christmas modules I set up at our local KeyBank. I posted that setup previously.

I call it the “Ole Swimming Hole.” There may be some useful hints for the readers. Especially if you want the water near the edge.

The finished look

The base is ceiling tile. The base for the pond is hollowed out. On the right side is the inlet and in the upper center is the outlet of the pond. If you look closely, you can see the drain pipe going out to the outlet. (A short piece of copper tubing.)

Be sure to seal all of the possible cracks. I used a product called “Magic Water” for this project. It is similar to Envirotex. But, it has a slower and cooler setting time. These water products will find the tiniest ways to escape.

The plaster base is in.

I like to have the water come and go from the layout edge if I can. It adds to the drama of flowing water. NOTE: Look closely at the barrier. I used a piece of sheet plastic and caulk as the barrier. When everything is set just peel off the plastic. The caulk is then removed.

The inlet and outlet dams.

The base colors have been added.

The kitty litter rocks are in place and the pond bottom is panted. You can see the lighter colors for the shallower edges of the pond.

The FIRST pour of “Magic Water” is in place. I let it set up for a day. (Be sure to put a covering over the water so dust and bugs cant mess up the water.) The reason for two pours is the next step.

You need kids swimming! The first pour did not fill the pond. The second pour holds the raft in place and then is just enough to fill the inlet and through the pipe at the outlet and down the creek. In a natural flow.

I like the smooth look so folks can see how “deep” the water looks. I get lots of questions as to how deep is the water? They are amazed that it is about 1/8 inch deep. It is the subtle change in color around the pond edge that gives the depth look.

Another view. I made a raft from a left over kit piece of scribbled wood and some HO barrels.

The finished module for the bank display.

A view out side on a sunny day when I was working on the pond.

Don’t forget the sunscreen!

Dan”

A big thanks to Dan for showing us how he makes his HO scale water ponds. It reminded me of these posts:

How to make a pond for your model railroad

Model train waterfall

Or if it’s running water you want:

HO scale water.

Model railroad layout.

That’s all for today folks.

Please do keep ’em coming.

And if today is the day you join in the fun, the Beginner’s Guide is here.

Best

Al

PS Latest ebay cheat sheet is here.

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

Eric’s been back in touch – he’s added to the N scale mountain layout plans on the blog:

“Hello Alastair

Part two is in the books, sorry for the little delay between part 1 and 2.

The layout had some changes happen in part 1 with a minor track design . That change lead to the carving through a hill to get another loop in. O yeah it is busy. Got to remember the layout is called ” Flying By The Seat Of My Pants ” and measures about 36″ x 48″ . You my of noticed , it is in my office.

So the next set of pictures is the construction of the mountain tunnel.

First vertical foam board was put around the outer edges. These were put in place and then a hot wire cutter was used to shape heights needed for the contour.

Second the inner or lower part of the mountain was put in place and cut into shape.

Then strips of cardboard was weaved from upper to the lower and held in place with tape, pins and staples.

Then I began covering with Woodland Scenics plaster cloth. The cloth layed over the cardboard which landscaped the look of the mountain. Some adjustments were made around the entrances to adjust for the portals.

In the meantime some coloring was done and a small lake/pond was poured with a truss bridge. Landscaping began around the pond and also other minor things like cutting a opening in the back side of the mountain for a derailment if any.

Part 3 will be coming showing the mountain as it comes to life, I think.

Thank you Al and all your followers for things I have learned and hope that I have helped them also.

Eric The Retired Firefighter from the St. Louis, Missouri area.”

A big thanks to Eric for sharing his N scale mountain layout plans – Eric’s last post is here Simple N scale.

The mountains reminded me of Gregg’s: Mountains from plaster paris.

You may also remember him from his HO scale stuff too: HO scale town.

Now on to Steve:

“Hi Al, Thanks for the work you do. I am an avid follower.

Here is a little circuit to connect further led’s in parallel that some folk may want to use to automatically illuminate LED’s at night (ie the lights only illuminate when room lights are turned off ie night running).

NIGHT LIGHTS

The circuit is a simple transistor, which is held OFF in normal light. If the light goes dark, the transistor bias changes, so that the transistor turns ON. This is achieved by a Light Dependent Resistor (LDR).

I tested the circuit with two common transistors, attempting to achieve an output of 1.5 volts, to illuminate a bank of 5 x leds. I would expect that many more led’s could be connected (be aware that each led takes 10-20mA from the power supply). The table below shows the values discovered:

Transistor Pos R1 output

2N3055 5v 15000 ohms (15k) 1.5v

2N3055 12v 33000 ohms (33k) 1.5v

BC547 5v 10000 ohms (10k) 1.5v

BC547 12v 47000 ohms (47k) 1.5v

The values shown for R1 are approximate. R1 should be a potentiometer (or trimpot), so that the output can be adjusted more accurately (simply use a trimpot at least 2 times the values above).

All parts are readily available from ebay etc, or electronics retailers. The 2N3055 is a power transistor, and the bc547 is a small typical size (500 mA). Both are around $AU 1.50.

Regards

Steve (Sydney)”

That’s all for today folks. A big thanks to Steve and Eric.

Please do keep ’em coming.

And if today is the day you poke boredom in the eye and join in the fun, the Beginner’s Guide is here.

Best

Al

PS Latest ebay cheat sheet is here.

PPS More N scale layouts here if that’s your thing.

And there’s the Silly Discount bundle too.