La Mirada, CA Industrial Switching Layout Progress

[Motley]

Thanks Michael

The Cushion Coil Cars are used to transport coiled steel from steel mills to finishing mills or other mills that turned the coiled steel into whatever they may need

So are those the Walther's gold line cars you have?

Also, would they be appropriate for a rolling mill? I plan on having a steel mill in my extension room layout that will have the rolling mill, coke oven, and blast furnace.

 

[BNSF_Denali_Sub]

So are those the Walther's gold line cars you have?

Also, would they be appropriate for a rolling mill? I plan on having a steel mill in my extension room layout that will have the rolling mill, coke oven, and blast furnace.

That is correct, the Coil Cars are Walthers Gold Line. They would be excellent additions in a Rolling Mill, in fact, thats what most cars that travel to the Rolling Mill are

 

[Beachbum]

Looks great!

Off-topic: Occasionally, the rolls (rollers) from rolling mills need to be trued / turned. There are companies that do nothing but turn rolls for rolling mills. (The one I know gets the rolls on flatbed trucks though.) Perhaps somebody can use that as an industry idea somewhere down the line...

 

[PEIR]

I like the building and track arrangement you have laid out in the diagram Josh. Are most of the buildings going to be scratch built or can you convert existing kits? Have you found the GP60M/B's for the layout yet?

 

[brickbuilder711]

Awesome concept, Josh! Looking forward to seeing this one progress.

 

[BNSF_Denali_Sub]

I like the building and track arrangement you have laid out in the diagram Josh. Are most of the buildings going to be scratch built or can you convert existing kits? Have you found the GP60M/B's for the layout yet?

Thanks Stephen

All of the buildings will either be scratchbuilt or kitbashed from Walthers kits. The majority of these structures are warehouses, and i have something in the works to cast my buildings from high strength plaster material. Molds will be made for each structure and then casted, and the casts for each glued together to form the length of the structures. The plaster material ill be using is ratted for 10,000 PSI, which is a heck of a lot better then the Woodland Scenics Hydrocal, which is only rated for 4,000 PSI. Ive got the plastic in to make the first mold on the module I have started, so ill make about a 10" mold and cast several different casts and then glue them all together and to a sub-structure for added stability. The reason im doing plaster buildings is to get a more realistic look. Another advantage of making them from plaster is if they crack or break, more plaster can be used to fill or hide the cracks, which will also help hide the seams where the different cast pieces are glued together, which means NO seams!

Im only getting GP60M's, no B units. And no, I have not been able to find any of them yet. Im really looking to get 6 of them from the last 2009 release/run of Athearns.

 

[BNSF_Denali_Sub]

I put the legs on the module today, there folding legs on hinges. This module is 8' long, and well it is pretty hard to handle, and while it was pretty light before, its now pretty heavy with the addition of the legs and leg hardware. Im going to live with it, but I have reduced the size of all the other modules down from 8' to 5'. Here is a new look at the trackplan showing the smaller module sizes. Ive also re-done a bit of the trackwork (some had to be re-worked when the modules were made smaller so turnouts were not on module joints) and ive also added a new structure to the extreme left of the layout. While not prototypical whatsoever, A Rolling Mill was added in next to Spartech Plastics. Reason being, I have a bunch of coil cars and gondolas that I want to be able to run and use, and well they need a place to go LOL.

New module dimensions:

Module #1: 24" W x 60" L
Module #2: 24" W x 60" L
Module #3: 24" W x 72" L
Module #4: 24" W x 63" L
Module #5: 24" W x 96" L
Module #6: 24" W x 60" L
Module #7: 24" W x 60" L
Module #8: 24" W x 60" L

 

[PEIR]

I'm really interested in the casting and mold process. Take plenty of pictures please and I'll keep my eye out for those GP60M's.

 

[brickbuilder711]

Josh, one question; Are the tracks being joined by the rail joiners that come with as you separate the layout? Isn't it widely recommended to solder it, sans ifs, ands, or buts? Thanks.

 

[BNSF_Denali_Sub]

I'm really interested in the casting and mold process. Take plenty of pictures please and I'll keep my eye out for those GP60M's.

Will do Stephen,

I am actually thinking of doing my own line of structures if this goes well. Nobody makes any nice modern "tilt-up" concrete warehouses right now, and with the high strength plaster material and sub-structure backing, not only will they be pretty tough but they will look the most realistic as well. We will see how it goes and maybe, just maybe a new line from Maders Trains will be available

 

[BNSF_Denali_Sub]

Josh, one question; Are the tracks being joined by the rail joiners that come with as you separate the layout? Isn't it widely recommended to solder it, sans ifs, ands, or buts? Thanks.

The only Rail Joiners being used are where Turnouts are (which all Turnouts are Code 83, and will transition to Code 70 on either side of the turnouts) and on the Concrete Mainline (which is the red track that runs along the top of the length of the layout). None of the joiners will be soldered in place... All other track is Central Valley Tie Strips with Micro Engineering Code 70 Rail. With Central Valley Tie Strips, it eliminates the needs for any rail joiners when the rail is just on the tie strips because the tie strips hold the rail so well in alignment.

 

[PEIR]

Will do Stephen,

I am actually thinking of doing my own line of structures if this goes well. Nobody makes any nice modern "tilt-up" concrete warehouses right now, and with the high strength plaster material and sub-structure backing, not only will they be pretty tough but they will look the most realistic as well. We will see how it goes and maybe, just maybe a new line from Maders Trains will be available

I hope all goes well with your project. Modern warehouses would be a welcome addition to the HO world.

 

[brickbuilder711]

I hope all goes well with your project. Modern warehouses would be a welcome addition to the HO world.

Amen to that.

 

[BNSF_Denali_Sub]

Thanks guys, I have high hopes for these, so we will see how it goes

 

[brickbuilder711]

Thanks guys, I have high hopes for these, so we will see how it goes

Will you scratchbuild them? I'd say that's another recommended action, one I know Lance Mindheim endorses and he says it saves green.

 

[fiend540]

Just a heads up from someone with years of concrete/masonry experience but you're going to want to put something inside to help hold the plaster together. Something like the mesh used for windows and screen doors comes to mind and is cheep as well.

 

[BNSF_Denali_Sub]

Will you scratchbuild them? I'd say that's another recommended action, one I know Lance Mindheim endorses and he says it saves green.

Yes, the molds will be scratchbuilt from stock styrene

 

[BNSF_Denali_Sub]

Just a heads up from someone with years of concrete/masonry experience but you're going to want to put something inside to help hold the plaster together. Something like the mesh used for windows and screen doors comes to mind and is cheep as well.

Thanks Cory, way ahead of you though. That is something I failed to mention when i described them lol, just as you said, I will be using windown screen laid in the middle. Ill pour the mold half full (or half empty, however you wanna say it), lay the screen in there, and then fill the mold all the way. This will provide alot of inner strength to the structure, and hopefully make them even stronger. I think the combination of the high strength plaster, screen in the middle of each casting, and the addition of the sub structure for which each casting will be glued too will make them pretty strong. Of coarse, if you bump it hard or drop it, it will break... so extra care in handling the structures will be required lol

 

[BNSF_Denali_Sub]

Got the Micro Engineering Code 70 Rail in yesterday and laid them down on the Central Valley Tie Strips last night. Then set some trains down in the yard to get a feel for how its going to look. Here are some pictures... Where you see the 60' BNSF Boxcars is where the large long structure will be (refer to the latest picture of the plan on page 3)

 

[brickbuilder711]

What can I say... the FEC gons look like a nice touch!