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Page last updated ..14/04/2008.
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Here I will endeavour to show and write about my new venture - Elmswood & Elmswood Central. As this page is under construction please stop by again to view my progress..
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The Track Plan Overall size = 14'4 x 7'9"
The All New 'Elmswood & Elmswood Central'….. I have, for various reasons scrapped the original portable Elmswood Central layout. A description of this former layout can be found on one of the following pages Use this link to view them A Former Layout I have now decided to build a permanent layout in one half of my double integral garage. The car can stay outside. It’s weather proof! I had to chose the main method of supporting the new layout. After much reading I have opted for the American ‘L’ girder system of supporting the layout. This allows multi level track formation similar to ‘Open Top’ construction with less timber usage. The basic construction is made, in my case from 69 x 18mm longitudinal timbers and topped with 12 x 44mm timber, all of which is PSE. These form the ‘L’. Then on top of these are screwed 44 x 21mm PSE joist timbers. It is these joist that carry all the track and scenic items and keep the two ‘L’ girders parallel. Risers are screwed to the joist and these support the track bed, which I have chosen to be 9mm Ply. Risers are from any scrap timber available. The sketches and photos show construction techniques and how the risers support the track bed. Other than assembly of the ‘L’ girders no glue is used anywhere in the construction of the joists risers. or track bed. Only suitable wood screws are used. It is vitally important to ensure that a screwdriver can fit between adjacent joists. To this end I have spaced all my joists at 300mm centres. These joists can overlap the ‘L’ girders by more than as 300mm if need be.
Figure 6
Above is an example of a typical L girder frame completed. Below are a few pictures taken during the basic construction. Photo 1 shows the L girders with the joists and ply track bed being laid. Photo 2 shows how the risers work. Photo's 3 & 4 show basic track laying commencing.
Photo 5 shows the copper droppers waiting solder tinning and then they are finally soldering to the rail sides as in Photo 6. Photos 7 to 8 show track laying. In the background of Photo 9 a trusty H & M controller is used to electrically test a section of track. Photo 10 shows the track starting to be laid on the terminus stations approach. Photos 11 & 12 show the starting of the main through stations boards being assembled. Note in Photos 11 & 12 the bare copper continuous 'Bus bar ring' that runs all around the layout. This will be discussed in detail later, but provides a common return path for all non DCC electrics.
The track is pinned into position with the aid of the very fine Peco track pins, which once the track is ballasted and glued they can be removed or if preferred left in place. The Ply top does mean a fine pilot hole has to be drilled at every pins location, but this isn’t to hard to undertake and I use either an Archimedean or electric mini drill with a fine drill bit – about 0.4mm. You will break many drill bits unfortunately, but as the Peco sleepers are fairly soft even a broken drill bit will pass through and into the ply tops. Insulated rail joiners are installed where necessary as the track laying progresses. Using electro frog points offers much better slow running, but does involve a lot more thought on electrical track feeds and increases the number of insulated rail joints ten fold, but this has to be the price paid to allow slow speed smooth running.
Photo 13 above show the track laying commencing for the through station. Here the down main, down loop and down relief siding are starting to take shape. The space between the two down lines will eventually form the down platform. I aim to be able to accommodate up to a six coach train and tender loco. Photo 14 shows track laying almost complete. Photo 15 show the northern approaches under construction, while Photo 16 shows test coaches on the main through station area. Next the electrical feeds to the rails are installed. I prefer to use copper wire droppers bent into a off set “L” shape and soldered to the rails web, as in Photo 18 and figure 7 below, below, these then pass through a pre drilled hole in the boards top to the underside where the appropriate feed wire is soldered to the protruding copper wire and then the surplus copper dropper wire is cut off. I use pieces of old 1.0mm2 T & E mains electric lighting cable which has been stripped and the bare copper wire used as droppers. Track feed wires could be directly fed up through the baseboard and soldered onto the rails sides, but I like droppers, as these give a suitable underside termination point to test onto, should you ever be fault finding under the layout. Always clean both the rail’s side and the copper dropper before soldering. It’s amazing the amount of oxidisation that occurs on nickel silver rail over a short time and this can prevent the smooth flow of solder! I prefer to use a fibreglass pencil style cleaner, which really removes everything likely to cause a high resistance soldered joint. Ensure no solder forms on the top surface of the rail or derailments will occur.
Above in Photo 19 & Photo 20 test trains of various passenger and goods stock are run to check track alignment and electrical connections. The next stage is to build the two through platforms. Photo 21 shows the bare basics of the first platform under construction. 15 x 25mm planed timber form the base and cardboard ramp ends abut them. Next the brick faced sides will be added then the platform surface. Photo 22 shows the station over bridge and station building under construction. The construction is mainly from mounting card. Once all the main detail is moulded in card, the structure will receive a covering of brick paper and other detailing such as girders under each archway added.
In Photo 23 the over bridge and booking hall is starting to come together and the two platforms are now in place. While Photo 24 shows the passenger walk way and steps leading to both platforms. Heavy weathering (dirtying) of the structures has still to be undertaken at this stage. Photo 25 shows the booking hall, lock up shops and road traffic. Photo 26 shows some weathering add with a few people walking the streets, but there's still plenty more detailing to undertake - more figures and lampposts etc all to be added yet.
After a brief lull in modelling I have restarted again. My choice now was - what platform buildings and canopy would I have for the through station at Elmswood? Normal card kits, such as the Superquick or Metcalfe version were ok, but failed to give me a long enough canopy roof, as I need around 33 inches per platform. So I opted to make my own roofs from mounting card and use three Superquick 'A4' Island platform kits for the actual platform buildings. Therefore each platform will have three separate buildings and a Gents toilet block too all under a long canopy roof supported as necessary in the non building areas on home made canopy pillars (These still have to be resolved!).
In Photo 27 the construction of the two canopies can be seen. The tabs sticking out from the unpainted left-hand canopy will be cut off flush with the roofs edge once all the PVA glue has dried. Still to do are cut holes for the three chimneys., make up the chimney stacks and paint the roof a dark grey/black colour and finally weather both roofs. Photo 28 The through station canopy and buildings are in place, still more to do though. Photo 29 look as though snow has fallen. But its just plaster bandage being used to create the embankment to the under bridge. The retaining wall has been installed too and now track ballasting can commence. Photo 30 The same scene as in Photo 29 but now the scenic detailing has begun, but still plenty more to do!
In Photo 31 above the initial stages of building the five retaining walls for the ' changing levels' section of the railway commences and basic scenery is starting to be added. Photo 32 shows loco 70037 'Hereward the Wake' breaking cover from the Elmswood single line tunnel. There is still plenty of landscape work to be completed at this stage! Photo 33 shows how I model and mould the terrain by using thin card strips, hot melt glued to the profile former (back board) and the baseboard, in a lattice style. This is held in place with the aid of some crumpled up newspaper. In Photo 34 the same area as in P33 is shown, but now the card lattice has been covered with plaster bandage. Note the masking tape covering the track and colour light signal in the distance, this is prevent the wet plaster getting onto the already ballast track and painted signal.
In Photo 35 above the same area is again shown, now the bare plaster has been given a coat of Burnt Umber acrylic paint. The white plaster area will remain until the next section of the back scene is added then more plaster hill side will be added and joined into the section already moulded. Photo 36 is again the same scene as in P35 but now with scatter laid and chalk face cutting sides finished. The area is still waiting rail edge rusting and a few other finishing touches. The loco just coming into view is A1 60168 'Aberdonian'. Photo 37 shows the cutting and tunnel leading under Elmswood's loco depot which can be just seen in the background of Photo 29 above. Photo38 shows the difference between ballast that has been glued in place and that which has just been laid pending gluing. The glued area is in the background on both the lower and upper lines and has a darker almost shadowy tone.
Photo 39 shows Deltic (NRM model) waiting for the down advanced starter signal to clear.
The "00" Gauge Standards drawing has been moved to the Hints & Tips page Click Here to be taken to the H & T page then use the quick link to the section.
This site was last updated 14-04-2008
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