M.c.u.-2


new guy

Active Member
A quick reshowing of the initial construction and track plan followed by continuous updates on the latest incarnation of the Michigan Central UNLIMITED!

In the beginning, the basement was full and without trains.
WIN_20150808_114339.JPGThis is actually the garage but that JUNK is only PART of, but a good representation of, what was formerly in the basement! I estimated it was at least 30 yards of material and I KNOW what a "yard" is from years of landscape work! I was JUST "done" recovering from hernia surgery at the time so it was in TINY chunks up and down the stairs for three months!

Then after SWMBO gave the "okey-dokey" I said, "Let there be space for a layout!"
WIN_20150802_152113.JPGAnd it was GOOD!

Much labor unrelated or marginally related to MRR had to be done before the space could be filled with trains. Joists covered and ductwork rerouted, walls framed out and blocking installed to anchor the layout to the wall. Drywall and the evermaddening and acursed MUD process that goes with it! ELECTRICAL considerations taken into account, outlets and new light fixtures! Another three months! Luckily for me I have an "Ace" in my good friend from HS who to my good fortune became a Master Carpenter or "Wood Butcher as he titles himself His expertise was/is invaluable!
He was the "builder" and I was the "buyer"!
WIN_20150807_212410.JPGHe built.
WIN_20150806_152611.JPGI bought!
 
Legs get kicked and angled was a must where possible!
WIN_20151002_210128.JPGfor a few weeks we flew little RC helicopters down here! It's a 30x30 with the stairs coming down in the middle of one side, resulting in an overall "U" shape to the table, with the access holes it looks like one of those "Tron" things that chased the good guy.
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Vertical legs were "Tapconned" to the floor so any foot will LOOSE any confrontation with a vertical leg and the trains will not even notice!
WIN_20151007_214155.JPGIt kind of "took off" as it was not TOTALLY planned and wound up being just under 500sq feet! It took 16 sheets of MDF to cover the whole thing, they were cut so it was not 16 full sheets big, I have MUCH good scrap to work with for years to come!
WIN_20151014_055648.JPGI really had no desire other than to "play with trains" I had a set for like "ten minutes" when I was 9 and a 4x8 was not enough room for my imagination. Plus the 4x8 I had got turned into a dog house and HO don't like no shag carpet, the set did not last. I wanted something I could change around and "PLAY" with before I "built a layout"! I had a lot of catching up to do!
 
Went NCE and do not regret it! GREAT system for "newbs" into DCC for the first time! SHOT straight past the Pro-cab and into Power-Pro land, sold the procab for cheap to a long time family friend who I had no idea he was into MRR until I mentioned I was getting into it. Turns out he is modeling the Manistee ore dock, ambitious!

I bought a buncha mishmash of flex and sectional, to go with the loco's and rollers I bought, crossings, turnouts, joiners and just started playing!
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Why the YOOOGE table and the spaztastic buying binge? "Where didja get the money"? Those who "knew me when" heard ALL about it but I'll try to give the short answer which as you can tell will be long.

Here goes, Mom died and I could not dodge all the insurance money coming my way and wound up HAVING to take my share of one of the policies, could not shunt it to my sister like I could the other one. She needs it way more than me, I'm a disabled vet on SSI disability, so I'll be ok. SSI was not ok however and would have cut me off if I spent it on something constructive or practical in any way, like taxes, a new roof for the house, nope, it's a Brewsters millions" kind of deal only it was "new guys Thousands" instead!

I look at the list of "allowed" expenditures and lo and behold "hobbies" appears on the list! "Hobbies eh?" says I, with visions of the 4x8 DC layout of my childhood dreams bouncing across my radar screen!

I went "ditty boppin" online to see what was new in HO model trains, THEN I "discovered" DCC!


(pop!) The tiny flare goes up........BOOM! The fireworks START! OMG, more than one train on the SAME track at DIFFERENT speeds and different DIRECTIONS???????? What choo talking bout WILLIS? NO way! YES WAY! SHOT the whole wad on remodeling the room for MRR and buying as much "stock" as I could! There were things I could have and should have gotten but I've got enough to have a rockin good time with and I'll fill in the wee gaps as I go! Upgrading ALL my rollers bit by bit to metal wheels and things like that, Stuff I can afford on a fixed budget. I could afford maintenance but never the "layout" to maintain. Got a lucky break and "POOF" got the "layout. NOW "Mr Becarefulwhatyouwishfor has a layout to "maintain"!
 
Latest development has been grades, I'm convinced so far that grade change is the key, max grade I cannot pontificate upon with ANY authority therefore it will remain unpontificated upon by me pending study.
DSCF4347.jpg4% max on grades, not outrageous. 1-2% changes up to and out of max.

DSCF4348.jpgThis should be interesting, it's just laid out in this pic, not cut or nailed down, just "an option". Kittywampus Junction! (love that name!)

That's my "jank" line to the "working" yard crossing two by turnout and two by just crossing!
 
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With big grades you will find out how to distribute power (Locos that is), As I'm discovering on the club layout, it's not all about speed matching alone, it's just like driving a real train, balancing the distributed power makes it very much prototypical.
 
With big grades you will find out how to distribute power (Locos that is), As I'm discovering on the club layout, it's not all about speed matching alone, it's just like driving a real train, balancing the distributed power makes it very much prototypical.

Trains is trains and there really is no escaping "prototypical" as freestyle as you may want to be! LOL! Oh ya, I'm envisioning some needing "help" sometimes! I've got a "match" for one of my loco's to run in a consist to ease any problems the hill causes MORE POWER is always welcome! When I'm running four loco's side by side the controller says they are at different speeds but they "pace" each other well, speed match does not have to mean controller match! Does it? This one is at "step "15" say, and keeps even with that one set at step "10" for example. Using them together would be tricky but I'm thinking it's doable?
 
I put power to it and ran my biggest and then my littlest loco's up em to see if they could do it solo, they did and it seemed like they hardly noticed. We'll see with loads.
 
Not going to "mess" with the 30 foot run across the back wall. I'll be coming into it high on one side and drop it slowly 1 1/2 inches to the other corner, times a wastin and I don't want to get too fancy with it right now.
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A box on a box will support the two back lines.
DSCF4351.jpgThe blocks on the wall are left over ends of 1x4 used for the frame, the top is the left over rips of MDF from table construction and the front is 1x4 left over from window trim replacement. "Don't throw it out till it STINKS" is the motto around here!
 
The gap is closing on the "Golden Spike" location! Only about 50 feet to go!
DSCF4352.jpgThis should go relatively quickly, straight and mostly flat on this end.
DSCF4353.jpgTwo ramps coming in from the right along the wall up to the corner platform. One "long" "2,3,4,3,2" and one "short" "2,4,4,2", according to the WS riser starters used. Again, all screwed and not glued so it can be changed if it proves too much.
 
I be watching. My buddy told me years ago the NCE is a very good system , at the time I just couldn`t see selling off my SuperChief.
 
I be watching. My buddy told me years ago the NCE is a very good system , at the time I just couldn`t see selling off my SuperChief.

I won't say anything about it on other threads anymore but NCE is IT as far as I'm concerned! The threads dedicated to Digitrax issues are LEGION! I was running a RIDICULOUS amount of track off one feed from the NCE, POWER PRO system! It's "newb" friendly to those unfamiliar with DCC and had enough juice to get me running "Train GOD" amounts of stuff in NO time! I had no need then and have absolutely NO current plans for any kind of power bus as the amount of this set up will be about the same and it worked just fine! I must include the disclaimer and I do NOT recommend anybody even trying what I was "lucky" enough to "get away" with.
 
"Loo-king" goood! (to me!) Back straight is ready to go down, plenty of room for two lines and some trees along there. The "wall line" will elevate slightly so as not to hide the other train too much. When I had four lines along the wall it was great fun but I could not see ALL the "action" so I'm "stacking" them, this time.
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DSCF4355.jpgIt might actually look like something besides poopy this time! Just track on bare MDF was "clean" but a little boring. Bit ,by, bit was the "no plan-plan" and "all is proceeding as I have foreseen".
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Corner #2 finally finalized and nearly ready for track, the second ramp is in design phase.
Installation tomorrow.
DSCF4356.jpgAll right! Line #3 WILL fit under there! Sweet!
 



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