August 2019 Construction Journal

Benchwork Construction

8/5/2019 - I glued down the cork on the last lap of plywood in the helix. I'll let it dry before adding the cork.

8/13/2019 - I got the track secured to the cork on the last lap of plywood. The next pieces will go across the connector to the wall. I also found that I'll need to continue the grade up to the wall so that trains can get underneath the last piece of plywood.

8/22/2019 - I got module L10 installed, which is the lower deck section that connects to the east wall yard sections. I had to add a backdrop to it and adjust the supports so that it fits nicely on the shelving brackets. I also cut wiring holes through the crosspieces and bolted it to section L9. I also found that the short sections I cut to finish the benchwork to the helix room are about an inch short, so I need to rebuild those.

8/25/2019 - I got the lower two modules in the main room and completed the benchwork in the helix. Once I got that done, I laid caulk and put down the roadbed. While there will be a peninsula extending from south wall prior to the helix room, I can always pull the track up at that point.

8/26/2019 - I added the mainline track extending from L9 into L10, and then prepped additional track pieces for the next round of tracklaying.

8/27/2019 - I finished the track connecting to the helix, plus finished the west-end yard lead. I was going to add a double crossover near the tunnel into the helix room, but once I laid it out, there was not going to be enough room. The track coming out of the tunnel will eventually be curving down the peninsula and there wouldn't have been enough room to fit both turnouts in. I will likely have some sort of switching district on the adjoining side of the peninsula and it can incorporate a pair of crossovers.

8/28/2019 - I added a set of feeders to the track on the south wall and was able to successfully run the two trains out of the helix back to the rest of the railroad. I also took a full-length freight train (16 cars, 1 engine) from the lower staging yard all the way up the helix. It only had one engine (Proto SD60) and did pretty well. I'm not sure if it was spinning its wheels or if I was getting some power dropout on one part of the loop, though. I'm planning to run dual engines to make it easier to turn power, but it's good to see that the 2% grade isn't too daunting. Once I get the peninsula underway, I'll rewire the feeders to enable detection on this block of track, but for now, it's fine to be able to run trains on.

8/31/2019 - I completed the plywood subroadbed around the layout, including the connectors to the helix. I also laid cork for track installation but ran short of cork roadbed.

DCC/Electronics

8/28/2019 - Since I figured out that I was going to need five sets of feeders for the helix, I replaced the two four-gang blocks with a single ten-gang block. I started by cutting jumper wires to connect each terminal to the next one, and the result was a bit of a mess.

I found some purpose-built terminal block jumpers and the result has a much cleaner (and probably more reliable) appearance.

September 1st, 2019 - Mainline Construction Completed

At long last, the connection between the upper and lower deck is complete and trains can traverse the entire mainline. I've decided to do a lot of finishing work on what's been completed prior to starting the peninsula, including:

• Powered turnouts in staging yard and on mainline, including fascia-mounted controls
• Fascia installed and painted
• Ground throws, where I'm not using PECO turnouts
• I'm also considering starting scenery, including ballasting track, lineside buildings, etc. 

The peninsula will add a lot more switching opportunities, but having this phase of the layout completed will let me start having shake-out operating sessions and make some needed fixes/improvements to what I've built so far. I have a very busy fall coming up, so I'd rather focus on what I've built so far, enjoying running trains, and perfecting the known bugs. Having additional people come run trains on it will also help shake out bugs, since every software developer knows that users find bugs far faster than you do. 

Construction Timeline

I went back through my Facebook posts to get an idea of how long it took to build the layout so far. Based on when I posted pictures, descriptions, etc. and allowing for some notable gaps in construction due to life events, it looks like it took about 14 months of construction over two and a half years. The false start in 2016 was preceded by basement painting and some family medical issues that took precedence. 

Phase 1: Test Phase

During phase 1 of construction, I did a lot of research into how to build the layout, how to construct the modules, and so on. I ended the phase by completing the first few modules and getting them (roughly) installed on the wall. This also let me confirm heights and viewlines.

Jul 16-20, 2016 - Initial lumber cut and first modules constructed
Apr 21, 2017 - May 11, 2017 - U1 installation

Phase 2: Outside Walls and Helix

I next built the sections to be installed on the north, east, and south walls of the basement, both upper and lower deck. I built the upper deck first and then built the lower deck.

Oct 2017 - U1-U3 completed
Nov 2017 - U4 (Sump room connector), U5-U8 construction
Dec 2017 - U5-U8 construction
Apr 2018 - L1-L3 construction
May 2018 - L5-L9 construction
Aug 2018 - L4 (Sump room connector) construction
Sep 2018 - L4 construction, L1-L3 track
Nov 2018 - L1-L3 track, L5-L9 track
Dec 2018 - L5-L9 track
Jan 2019 - engine facility
Jun 2019-Aug 2019 - helix and south wall benchwork
September 1, 2019 - Mainline construction completed, first trains run between staging yards

Phase 3: Peninsula

The final phase of construction will be to build a double-deck peninsula originating from the south wall, running parallel to the east wall. This peninsula will add a number of industries and switching districts to make operating sessions more interesting. However, I'm not planning to start building that until I've gotten a lot more of the work done to "finish" the phase 2 sections.

Current Layout Photos

I've been making a habit of taking pictures along the way during construction, since photos can often help explain how someone else can take from what I've done for their own layout. These photos show each of the sections of the layout, as they exist in September 2019. The sections are shown in order from east staging (lower deck) to west staging (upper deck).

L1-L3 - Lower Staging

U4, L4 - Utility room connector

L5 - Switching district TBD

U5-U6 - Interchange yard (left), Industry sidings (right)

L6 - Mainline and East Yard Lead

L6/L7 - East Yard Throat

L8 - East End of Yard

L9 - West End of Yard

L9 - Engine/Maintenance Facility, L10 - South Wall connector

L11, U11 - South Wall Connector

U11 - South Wall Connector

U12, L12 - Helix Connectors

L12 - Helix Connector

Helix (without upper level connector installed)

July 2019 Construction Journal

Helix Construction

7/4/2019 - Over the July 4th holiday, I did quite a bit of work on the helix. For starters, I got the rest of the lumber cut for the helix and the connector modules. I also turned my curve template into a track guide that I could use for drawing curves into the plywood. This makes it easier to get the roadbed installed in a clean manner. 

I also discovered that the previous elevations on the first layer of the helix were incorrect. The first curve started higher than I had originally anticipated (1.5" up) and while the first two quarter curves were OK, the third one was not rising nearly enough. I removed the riser blocks, remeasured, and now I've got the right grade in place. I got the cork secured to the first helix deck this morning using ALEX DAP Clear Caulk, as usual. 

After getting the heights adjusted, I put down a short piece of track and checked the clearance with a double stack car, which is the tallest car I have. Even at the exit from the helix, there's still plenty of space. There's also enough space on either side of the track, even when you account for the spacer blocks. 

While I was cutting the other lumber, I also burned through my scrap pile to make about 120 4" high spacer blocks out of the 1x4 material. 

7/6/2019 - After the roadbed adhesive was dry, I laid the Atlas Code 83 concrete tie track on it. I put down a thick bead of caulk and then spread it with a putty knife. With very little work, the track lined up with the center line of the cork and I used my Fast Tracks Sweepsticks to help maintain the curve alignment, especially where the pieces of track were joined together. The end result was a smooth double track section of track.

7/9/2019 - I wired up the inner and outer loops using 20 gauge feeders connected to 14 gauge bus wires. One of the limitations of the RR-Cirkits detection coils is that you can only fit three wires through the middle, so instead of running the feeders through, I'm running the bus wire through the coil to a terminal strip. There will be one terminal strip for the outer loop, one for the inner loop, and one for the common wire. The Watchman board will be mounted on the inside of the helix and then connected into the LocoNet/Simple Serial Bus wiring.

After getting the first layer of track wired up, I added the next layer of lumber and support columns. Once I made the final corner, I don't have to cut custom supports for each layer -- I just grab more from my pile of 4" blocks. I'm using wood glue on the bottom of the 4" blocks and screwing into the top using drywall screws. I'm also using clamps to help provide a good seal. 

7/10/2019 - Continuing work on what I did the night before, I laid the rest of the roadbed and since the caulk set up quick enough, I went ahead and laid the track too. For the outer loop, I cut all the pieces first and then tried to put them into the caulk. However, I ended up having to adjust the rail. For the inner loop, I put down one piece at a time and it was a smoother process. After getting the track down, I glued down the spacer blocks all the way up the incline. 

7/11/2019 - I continued working my way up, adding the next plywood sections on top of the spacer blocks. 

7/14/2019 - Unfortunately, the next layer of plywood got in the way of adding roadbed and track. The end of the previous deck's track ended in a somewhat difficult place to reach. However, I was able to get the roadbed and track connected up. At the end of this deck's track, I added the track to the end and secured it as far as I could. This will make it easier to connect up the next layer of track. 

7/15/2019 - I finished wiring the track and glued down the spacer blocks. These take a while to dry, so that was it for the night. At this point, the front of the helix is 12" high, it's heading to 21" high to connect to the wall to the left. 

7/17/2019 - I added the plywood and roadbed to create the next layer of the helix tonight. I had waited to add the last spacer block, so I went ahead and glued that down and screwed the plywood into it. The clamp will help make a good glue joint. With the plywood down, it will be easier to run the bus wires for the previous deck and get the feeders connected up to them. The front of the helix is now 17" high from the support table to the top of the plywood. 

7/24/2019 - I glued down the track to the roadbed on layer #3. I also glued down the next set of spacer blocks to support layer #4's plywood subroadbed. 

7/25/2019 - I was unhappy with the look of the duct-taped bus wires running all over the inside, so I got some plastic wire clips. I added those clips on the support blocks and then snugged the bus wires at the end of the run with additional suitcase connectors. This keeps the wires loose enough to prevent pulling but keeps them from getting in the way. I also hooked up the feeders that weren't connected to the bus wires yet and ran trains up both tracks without any issues. I also figured out that I need to replace the three four-circuit terminal blocks with a ten-circuit block and one four-circuit block, since I need five bus wires to reach the top of the helix. 

7/31/2019 - I topped out the helix tonight when I added the last layer of plywood. I'll still need to add the horizontal connectors to the wall after I get the roadbed and track laid down, though. 

South Wall

7/4/2019 - The south wall of the layout is where I'll eventually connect my peninsula, but for now, it's connecting track from the east wall to the helix. I got all the lumber cut and ready to be assembled. 

7/6/2019 - I got all six benchwork sections assembled and put up more shelving brackets. I had to remove a door that the contractor put in to take advantage of space under our fireplace. I decided in case I needed access, I'd rather have the door off its hinges than have to rip out benchwork in an emergency. 

There will be two more sections (one upper, one lower) of benchwork to finish the connection to the back room. In the back room where the helix is, there will be one 8' section on the bottom and one 4' section on the top. The bottom sections will have Homasote and plywood tops, while the upper sections will just be plywood on an open grid section. I'll fill it in with scenery sometime in the future.

7/25/2019 - I installed two more vertical standards on the south wall and fitted the modules into their spaces. I'll have to adjust the bottom module because either I mis-measured the wall or something has moved. 

DCC/Electronics/JMRI

7/5/2019 - I continued making progress getting blocks wired up to my RR-Cirkits Watchman boards. I realized too late that I should have soldered the leads to the coils while sitting at my worktable instead of trying to do it under the layout. I only have three more to do under the layout, after which I can correct my oversight. 

I also did some rework on my panel layout. In a previous post, I used the classic CTC machine graphics as a backdrop, but decided that I wanted a more modern looking panel. In addition, I wanted more of the layout to fit on a single panel screen. I'm also using a smaller indicator in the track to indicate occupancy. 

All the turnouts shown here are now wired up. I'm using the dashed line to indicate track that is not being detected. In block 100 on the upper track, I'll add my staging yard turnouts. The other end of 103 will be the west end of the yard with the crossovers once I get those turnouts wired up. The other alternative to the small indicators in the track are the larger ones, shown here:

I removed the CTC background on this panel and set the background color to the neutral gray color. 

June 2019 Construction Journal

Helix Construction

After getting the majority of the curves cut, the next step is to build the support structure for the helix. Based on a suggestion from Brad Rotert, owner of the B&O Decatur Sub layout, I'm using the same box design to support the helix as I've been using on the rest of the layout so far. Each section will be 12" x 60" with 1/2" plywood tops on 1 x 4 lumber, probably with a 1 x 4 cross member in it. The boxes will be arranged so that they make a square 72" on a side. The helix will sit on top of the box and some of the inside curves will hang over the edge of the box. Each layer will be well-supported by the layers underneath, so a little bit of overhang is not a concern. 

The lumber cut list is as follows:

• (4) 12" x 60" 1/2" plywood - tops
• (8) 60" 1x4 pine - box sides
• (12) 10.5" 1x4 pine - box ends and crossmembers

The boxes will be bolted to each other and I'll make a leg pocket in each of the four corners. If one leg is not enough, I'll add more legs around the outer perimeter and possibly the interior perimeter, if necessary. 

Stack of curves to build the double-track helix.The inner track is 30" radius, the
outer track is 32.5" radius. Each piece is 7.5" wide, which accounts for track
spacing and for allows room for the support blocks. 

I got the boxes all built and laid out a circle on top to see if everything fits, and it looks like it does. The next step is to bolt the boxes together and cut the legs.

The support platform is 72" square and each section is 12" wide. There

is a small overhang in each corner but since the helix will be secured

to the boxes, this is not a real concern. 

The four support boxes got leveled and bolted together and then we started assembling the lower level entrance/exit with the other curves. 

We connected the first course of curves together using 1/2" plywood "plates" and some 1" wood screws. As the helix goes higher, I'm planning to use 4" wood blocks that are glued on the bottom and screwed in the top. This will let the blocks line up vertically and eliminate the need for a guard rail around the helix itself. Later in the week, I got all the blocks screwed down and I've got a nice smooth curve heading up. The next step is to draw the track alignments and lay down cork and track for the first course of the helix.

DCC/Electronics

After getting the right parts from RR-Cirkits and some education on how to make cables, I was able to get the east end yard crossovers and the arrival/departure turnouts wired up with Tortoises. It's so satisfying to hear that motor run when you click the icon on the JMRI panel.

Besides the five I installed tonight, I bench-wired the rest of the Tortoises I had, since it's far easier to do that than work above my head. Of the Tortoises that are left, 5 go to the west end of the yard (2 crossovers and the turnout between the two arrival/departure tracks), 4 go to the pair of crossovers to the east of the yard which allow access to staging and to the industrial district, and 3 more are heading elsewhere, probably to the industry tracks on the upper deck that are slightly out of reach.

Bench wiring Tortoise drives is far easier and safer than doing it under the layout. 

I also had to use longer .025" piano wire to reach the track, got it at Hobby Lobby. It's much easier to work with a longer wire and trim it than the included wire if your benchwork is thicker than they expect. To make it easier to mount the Tortoises, I used Scotch double-sided foam tape. This stuff is insanely strong and the screws are an afterthought, especially since some of the locations are impossible to reach with a screwdriver.

The next step in this project is to wire up the two remaining crossovers at the west end of the yard, as well as the turnout accessing arrival/departure tracks 1 and 2 in the yard. That will use up all 8 ports on the Motorman board, so I'm getting more on order. One of them will handle the mainline turnout on the upper deck right above the yard, as well as other turnouts down the line. Two of them will be used in the staging yards, which will allow me to do push button routing. I was going to wire each turnout individually but these are so much nicer and easier to work with, I decided to spring for the components.

I finished running feeders to the west end of my main yard. It turns out the parallel jaw pliers I got for making the 10 connector cables also work great for clamping down my suitcase connectors. The magnifying lamp I purchased from Menards makes it much easier to see what I'm doing, both above and below the layout. I put the lamp on my IKEA tool cart and can push it around to where I need it.

May 2019 Construction Journal

Layout construction has been on a bit of a hiatus recently because I've been knee deep in software development. It originally started as the registration system for the Southeast Michigan Ops Weekend, but has since morphed into an entire registration system focused on model railroad operating events. The new site is at www.operatingsessions.com and I've got pages of new ideas for it. I'll run it out of pocket for now, but eventually I'm hoping to be able to sell sponsorships/advertising/etc. to help to pay for the costs.

Week of May 19, 2019

The next big step in layout construction is to build the helix. It will go in a backroom in the basement and then be connected into the rest of the layout. I'm planning to build it as a self-standing unit so that I can work all the way around it instead of having to stay in the center of it the entire time. Here are the details:

• Atlas Code 83 track - concrete color, since it's mainline track
• Cork roadbed
• 30" inner radius, 32.5" outer radius
• Starting height: 36", Ending height: 56" - slight grade to connect with 57" upper deck
• 4.5 turns
• Track will be broken into multiple blocks to allow for detection -- probably one block per deck
• Decks separated by 4" 1x4 blocks

Based on the track radii and the space required for clearances, each quarter piece of plywood will be 7.5" wide:

• 3/4" outer space for spacer block
• 3/4" inner space for spacer block
• 3" for each track and roadbed

To determine how much material I needed, I cut a template curve and then placed it on a spare piece of Homasote. Based on how the curves can be cut from it, I will be able to cut 8 curves from each piece of plywood. Because I had a spare partial piece of plywood, I was able to get three curves from that spare piece. 

For a support structure, I'll be building 4 1x4 boxes with 1/2" plywood tops:

• (2) 66" x 12" boxes
• (2) 42" x 12" boxes

I'll use either 2x2 or 2x3 legs on the four corners of this structure that will be bolted together.

Week of May 26, 2019

The weather has not been overly cooperative lately, but I was able to get out and get lumber at Menards this week. I picked up enough to build the helix, the supporting box structures, and the connecting modules that will go on the walls. In between my daughter's high school graduation and upcoming open house, I'm hoping to start making progress on the next sections of the layout. 

I got my template curve cut first, which is designed for parallel curves at 30" and 32.5" radii, respectively. That gives you 4.5" of space to start. The spacer blocks are 3/4" wide on either side of the track, and I add in some extra space for clearance. After tracing the template onto the 4x8 sheet of 1/2" plywood, I was able to get 7 curves cut from a single piece of plywood. Unfortunately, my jigsaw batteries take a while to recharge, so I get a break in between cuts. On the second piece of plywood, I was a little more careful with my alignments and managed to get 8 curves out of it.

That gives me a total of 18 quarter curves to work with, which should be enough, but I have spare plywood to take care of the rest of the subroadbed that I need.