The Union Pacific Soggy Bottoms Subdivision (HO scale)

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Me dood a boo-boo! :oops:
Yeah, I did.
I replaced the Shinohara curved turnout that I fubar-ed with a Peco electrofrog curved turnout. The location of the Tortoise switch machine under the layout is directly over one of the L-girders, so I mounted the Tortoise horizontally.
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I drilled the two holes for the track feeders, and drilled right into the Tortoise! Twice! A move like that deserves two D'Ohs!
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For those of you who have never seen one, this is what the PC board inside a Tortoise switch machine looks like:
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I have some 1/4” wide copper tape that I bought to repair the rear window defogger grid on my wife's 2006 Chevy Trailblazer, and I realized it would be perfect for fixing this little... nonconformity. The hole that I drilled through the solder contacts doesn't seem to be affecting electrical conductivity, so I'll let that alone.
Boy, do I feel stupid!
 


Only 3-1/2 months since my last post here. That's not TOO bad, I guess. :oops:
I've been working on the layout when I could get the time, which hasn't been too often lately. I've been busy with work and other things.
I finally got the the track down for the passenger station and the rest of the inner loop. I haven't tested it yet because I still need to install the feeders for those tracks. It's a little chilly down here today, and my knee is telling me there's a cold front moving in, so I really don't feel like getting under the layout today.
The file is pointing at the start of the "new" section of track I just laid down. It goes away from the camera around the curve
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and to the turnout. I had laid the turnout earlier because I needed to know where to put the entrance for the yard. From that turnout the "new" section goes to the turnout farther down the line, by the bridge. If you look waaaay down the the track, you'll see the diverging route of a turnout facing the camera. That's where the yard will connect to the inner loop.
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That pile of 1 x 2's is for the frame of the control panel i need to build. My plan is to inset a 2 x 2 into the edge of the layout, then use 1 x 2's on edge for the frame. The frame will get a sheet of 1/4" material, I haven't decided yet between plywood and tempered hardboard. I have a concern that the plywood could warp, although painting both sides would help that not happen. The control panel will be 8 feet long and 15" high, secured to the inset 2 x 2 with a piano hinge the whole 8 feet. I plan to build it so the bottom of the panel is farther out than the top, but will decide how far out when I build it.

And this is the passenger siding to the left of the mainline.
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Tuesday through Thursday it's supposed to be in the 50's outside, so I'll probably get the feeders installed after work on those days, since by the time I get home there's not enough daylight left to really do anything outside.
Progress is slow, but it's gettin' there!
 
I finally got tired of having to move electrical connectors, tools, wires, etc. around to wherever I happened to be working underneath the layout. I thought “It would be really nice to be able to have all this in one spot and be able to move it wherever I go.”
So when I was at Menards this morning I spotted this wooden crate for $10.99 and thought “That would be PERFECT!” Then I thought that since I can roll around under the layout on my reclining creeper that it would be nice to be able roll the crate around as well. So off to the hardware section I went. I found a three wheel furniture dolly for $11 so I bought it.
The wood slats on the crate are stapled on, and the staples are pretty well through the slats, so there's not a lot of strength there. I used a #8 countersink bit and installed some #8 x 3/4” wood screws, one in each end of each slat on the sides and bottom.
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I cut a piece of 1/2” plywood and mounted it to the dolly. The dolly has a hole in the center of the metal frame, so I used a 3/8 x 3” carriage bolt and bolted them together. The rubber pads on the dolly seem to be doing a good job of keeping things lined up, but if needed I can drill a small hole in each leg and screw the dolly to the plywood as well.
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I used the wood screws and screwed the crate to the plywood. I made a hole so the carriage bolt didn't bow the center slat.
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The finished crate.
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I already had the plywood, carriage bolt, and wood screws so the cost me around $22. It's going to make working under the layout much nicer! If I find I need to, I can remove a couple of slats on one side to make it easier to reach in for something. This took me about a hour, but I dawdled and took my time.
I think it should be fine, but if it proves too tippy I can get a four wheel wooden dolly from Harbor Freight for $12.
 


Hey, all! I'm still here! (You're not getting rid of me THAT easily!)
I've been checking in on the forums a lot, just haven't posted much. Been busy with a lot of different things. But now all the yard work is done, and the house is as ready for winter as I can make it. So I'll finally have time to do some work on the layout!
Yesterday made 11 months since I've posted on my build thread! Not much has happened in that amount of time. :oops:
I did install a Kadee #309 electromagnet uncoupler, the electromagnet itself, anyway. Still don't have it wired up. I want to get some timers so I don't burn up the electromagnet. I want to get some timers like Larry talks about here:

I found some on EvilBay, I just want to wait until after the holidays to order them. This is not really the best time of year to order things and expect USPS delivery in anything resembling a timely manner.
Today I cut a section of Homasote and foam away from the top edge of the benchwork. I glued an 8 foot 2x2 into the cut away section. I'm going to let the glue dry overnight, then tomorrow I'm going to run some screws into the 2x2 from underneath. This is going to support the main control panel, which I plan to make from 1x2 lumber and 1/8" hardboard. I may need to move the main power switch for the layout.
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Hopefully I can get some more track laid down before too long.
 
I've been trying to get something done on the layout during the week I've been off work. Gotta go back Tuesday. :(
Only 5 years and 10 months from today and I never have to go back! :)
I got the main power switch for the layout moved.
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I installed the piano hinge for the main control panel. I used 4 10-24 X 2-1/2" machine screws and T-nuts to ensure that it won't pull out. I used 1 on each end and 2 in the middle. Ran them through the plywood table top, secured with the T-nuts.
All the other holes in the piano hinge got a #6 x 1-5/8 coarse thread drywall screw. That hinge ain't going nowhere!
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Before I built the control panel I clamped the top piece into place and used the hinge to locate the machine screw holes. Then I drilled the pilot holes and installed the T-nuts. Once the panel is done I'll run the machine screws into their T-nuts and install the drywall screws.
Speaking of the control panel, here it is after the 1st coat of paint:
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I couldn't get the whole thing into the camera frame. It's 96" long and 18" wide. Normally it will hang straight down, but when operating I would like to have it a small angle, maybe 10-15 degrees, to make it easier to see the switches and such. Haven't quite figured out how to do that, but rest assured, in the end victory will be mine!
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Once I get the control panel off the floor, I want to start installing some cork squares where the yard will be. I tried to come up with a way to go from the raised mainline to the yard level, but I don't have much room to make the transition, and the resulting drop would be too severe. So I decided to install cork tiles and bring the yard up to mainline level. I'll paint the tiles a different color to "hide" that fact.
Yesterday I ordered 5 small left hand turnouts from Midwest Model Railroad, and 2 small right turnouts from Yankee Dabbler. I would have gotten them all from MMR, but they had no rights in stock. That should be enough turnouts to pretty much finish the track plan. I have some Atlas CustomLine turnouts and a few wye's. Those will be used in the industries.
I still need to order some timers for my Kadee #309 electromagnets. Putting permanent magnets on the mainline, well...
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I need to clean up around here.
 
Got the main control panel up. I was hoping I wouldn't have to call for help with it, but in the end "I did it myself, Ollie."
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Separated a couple of Midwest cork product strips, flipped them over, and painted the back sides. Then I butted (hope I can use that word here) them up against the mainline. I glued them down with TiteBond II would glue. They're pinned in place while they dry. I put a couple of cork tiles in place so you can see what I'm planning to do. The tiles aren't glued down yet. The paint doesn't match either, but that's mind over matter. If you don't mind, it don't matter.
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These are the cork tiles I'm using. I got them from Menards, a home improvement store. I have enough for 28 square feet. That should be enough.
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My turnouts have shipped from MMR and Yankee Dabbler. Should have them in a few days.
I guess I can start making the track plan on the control panel. I plan to use 1/2" wide yellow electrical tape. I'll lay out the track plan as I actually lay track.
 
My turnouts arrived! :)
I got the first row of cork tiles installed. I ran out of paint :( so I need to get some more.
I took a good long look at the way I had planned to lay out the yard, and decided it needed to be redone. Basically, I moved the classification tracks from the south end of the yard to the north end. I also rearranged some turnouts. I did this to make it more efficient for the yard switcher to pull cars from the arrival track (I also made separate arrival and departure tracks). This layout will also make it more efficient to stage cars on the departure track.
I thought I had more new flex track, but I guess I'm out, so some old ratty Atlas track is doing stand-in duty in these pics. I also need to get a Peco code 100 double slip, more on that later.
Here's a pic of the north end of the yard. The tracks are, from the top, the outer main, the inner main, the departure track, the arrival track, and classification tracks 1 through 4.
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(Sorry about the text font being so light. I changed it in the following pics.) The double slip (here represented by a couple of turnouts) will enable an incoming locomotive to cut off from his train and transit to the locomotive service tracks. If the train is only stopping to change power, it will stop on the departure track. The locomotive can still cut off, and the new locomotive can back off the service track, through the double slip, and hook onto the train. The train can then head out on the main. The yard switcher can use the double slip to access both the arrival and departure tracks to break down a train and build up a new one. The drill track, not shown, will simply extend off to the right from the end of the yard ladder.

Here's a pic of the middle of the yard. Not much there, yet.
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And a pic of the south end of the yard. An incoming train will use the turnout on the left to enter either the arrival or departure track, depending on what it's doing. If it's just a power swap it will go on the departure track. If the train is terminating here, it will go on the arrival track. The diverging route of the second turnout will lead to the caboose track. The two turnouts forming a crossover will allow the switcher to get a caboose from the caboose track, then back it onto the departure track without having to get onto the main line.
That's my story and I'm stuck with it.
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The space in the foreground will be used for things like a RIP track, shop, and I think I'll put the icing platform down there somewhere as well. Things are subject to change, you know how that goes.
I don't plan to run super long trains, maybe 6 to 6-1/2 feet in length. Although I am curious as to how many cars my Athearn Genesis Big Boy can pull up that 2% grade on a curve..... I'll be sure to post a video when that experiment happens.
 


You really have gotten a lot done . I’ve been wanting to run a electrical wall switch to my command station for a long time, the best I could figure out was a toggle from the dc accessories output to my ds64’s power buss. On a layout about 3 back I had decline that started behind a hill and followed the perimeter along the wall and went for a good 20* to a staging yard 2 percent grade.
 
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