DFW Portable Layouts -- Mainline and Traction

[gregj410]

Jim,
Thank you for the explanation of the gap masters. Not being familiar with module set up and break down it appears to me that the gap masters alleviate the need for some sort of rail joiners or jumper which would be tedious and time prohibitive during set up.

Your track work looks so well done, graceful and flowing through the curves but accurately straight where it need to be. The turnouts, especially that curved one look excellent. Can’t wait to see trains run through them!

[R.K. Maroon]

It has been over three weeks since my last post on the layout upgrade project. At that time, the three yard tracks (on the right) were laid out but not installed and layout of the switch ladder was just starting:


As of today, two of the tracks are now installed and the ladder is starting to take shape:


I still have the Gapmasters to install but things are getting close.

As part of this project we are also building two "expansion modules" to widen the layout. Trackwork on these is nearing completion. This photo shows the west side expansion module. We had just enough of the same salvaged track (from the Lou Cross layout) that we used in the yard for this module, so this work went fairly quickly. The two mainline tracks are on the left and the westside yard lead is on the right. We positioned the lead track adjacent to the mains here to give a three-track look to this end of the layout:



Note I would have eased the curves here but there wasn't going to be time before the layout has to be running (August 24). I may come back and do this some day.

We had to hand-lay the track on the east side expansion module. It is still a work in progress, as seen below. Mains on the right and the eastside yard lead in on the left. Note we have placed the lead away from the mains, just to be different:



The steel bar on the right is a miracle. It is a 1-1/4 x 48" steel bar available from Home Depot. It lays between the rails near perfectly, and is extremely useful when installing pre-made track (to hold the track straight) and also useful for spiking track (which is what is happening in the photo).

Five weeks until the layout tour for the NMRA National. No pressure.
Jim

[E7]

Jim, Thanks for the tip on the metal bar!

Rich

[up148]

Ditto on the bar Jim. Great idea. On mainline tracks are supposed to be as straight as possible and this tool almost guarantees that.

[E7]

Jim, This is a GREAT topic! Can't wait to see the final result!

Rich

[webenda]

The steel bar on the right is a miracle. It is a 1-1/4 x 48" steel bar available from Home Depot. It lays between the rails near perfectly, and is extremely useful when installing pre-made track (to hold the track straight) and also useful for spiking track (which is what is happening in the photo).
Jim

Straight track is unrealistic!
Here is what "real" track looks like.

[E7]

Looks kinda like the old Skaneateles (sp?)

[R.K. Maroon]

I enjoyed Wayne's photo of the wobbly trackwork. One of our club members is a senior engineer for the local shortline and reports that they are limited everywhere to 5 mph. It doesn't seem like a very good way to run a railroad, but I haven't tried to do it, so I can't really say.

99% of the track is now installed. The only thing left is one turnout, which you can see in the foreground right:



Well, there is also a utility spur, which is a leftover from a previous track plan. We may abandon it or not, but we don't have to make that decision anytime soon.



I know these photos all start looking the same, but for reference here is what it looked like on May 11:



I spent much of the last week drafting the wiring plans and gathering/ordering supplies. We installed most of the rail feeds today. These are the wires that are soldered to the rail to bring power up from the under-module power bus. There are two feeds per rail per module. With a deadline ahead, we decided to limit our efforts to the three loops. We'll come back and pick up all the sidings and spurs as time allows. Today we installed 60 feed wires. We were surprised that we could get that many done, but we found a resistance unit and two pairs of hands sped things along swimmingly. The next step is to pre-build the power buses. Will post photos when I have them.

Jim

[gregj410]

It looks excellent Jim and it looks like quite a bit of progress to me since May 11th.

[R.K. Maroon]

Thanks for the kind words, Greg. Deadlines can be a source of stress but for me they do seem to focus the mind on the task.

We started wiring last Saturday as planned. We had a good start that and have followed up with continuous progress throughout the week. Step one was to install the track feed wires. This was done with solid-core wire, soldered to the underside of the rail with a resistance unit:



The fuzz on the rail is from a paper towel used to wipe the excess resin from the joint. We had to double-back and clean it again with alcohol and a wire brush to get the dried resin off. We purposely left the feed wires as short pigtails under the layout, to be extended and terminated later:



Step two was to install terminal block and the power feeds:



Step three was to tied the track feeds to the terminal block:



The solid-core track feed wires were extended using stranded wire. The connection between these wires was made using a solder sleeve. This is a clever invention, basically a section of heat shrink with a ring of solder in the middle. The two wires are inserted and a heat gun applied. The wires are first captured by the heat shrink tube. Then, with continued heat applied, the solder melts and connects the wire. I highly recommend experimenting with these before using them on a joint that counts. Not all heat guns are hot enough, and you may need to apply a small amount of resin flux to the wires if they are not pristine copper.

Step four was to assemble and install the connector harnesses that jumper one module to the next:



It is a little hard to see what is going on here because the connector harnesses are loomed for storage. We use .093 Molex connectors. You can see them hiding in their pockets under the module stringers. We use heavy-gauge speaker wire in the harnesses, as flexibility is important when you have six or more wires tied into a bundle that has to bend to be loomed.

Here are the six new modules at the end of the day today:



We would be close to done, but some of the legacy modules also require rewiring to support the new track plan. That has started but we have a few days work there. We hope to have all wiring complete sometime in the middle of next week. I should clarify this statement: We will have to return to these to wire the sidings and spurs sometime later. We have skipped those for now and are focusing on the getting the three loops running for the upcoming open house during the NMRA National, which is now less than three weeks away.

Jim

[sleepmac]

Jim, all your results so far looks very professional and well thought out.

Dan Weinhold

[up148]

Beautifully done Jim. The workmanship is outstanding. About what do these modules weigh completed as you've done?

[E7]

Jim, I'll second Dan and Butch, great looking work!

Rich

[R.K. Maroon]

Thank you for the nice comments. This project, which doesn't seem to end, has been gratifying in regards to how these modules look at this point. The proof will be in the running and reliability thereof. I will admit that expectations are high at this point, but I keep reminding myself that this is model railroading, home to many gremlins.

About what do these modules weigh completed as you've done?

Good question. Time to break out the scale. I would guess that the yard modules, with their six tracks, are the heavy hitters:





Well, I guess "heavy hitter" is a relative term, as I have locomotives a good bit heavier than this.

Better check the extension modules. They only have three tracks but they are longer:





These are closer to the yard module weight than I would have guessed. All modules will get heavier once the track is ballasted and all wires are installed, but I don't think by all that much.

Jim

[up148]

WOW! They are surprising light, way less than the older type of modules we used with the KC O Module group. Congratulations on this design.