Sunshine, Palm Trees and a Food Industry...

Yep. I have been wanting to get back into the layout sooner, rather than later.

Cheers, Gary.

 

Thank you for your kind comment Gormo.
I always thought I was a hack, simply hiding mistakes with scenery !

Cheers, Gary.

 

Today was a reasonably productive day, although I ended up doing something completely different to what was planned. I was hoping to get the bus wires in and sorted, plus add the PCB board on the end of the modules and begin to lay track. As I couldn't find the PCB board, I chose to cut up strips of MDF and finish the fascia.

I did have one hurdle that I couldn't overcome and that was to flex the 3mm (1/8") MDF around the curved edge of the end module. I tried different methods to try and get the MDF to bend, but each time it kept on cracking.

In the end, I decided to do away with the nice rounded end and make it angular, cutting the curve off for a 45 degree corner. I measured twice and cut once to create the angular corner.

I screwed in a small length of pine so I could attach the fascia.

The fascia strips are 83mm deep (3 5/16") and were screwed to the frame using button head stitching screws.

I sanded down the corners where the angles met for a reasonably clean finish then gave all three modules a lick of flat black paint.

I ended up purchasing a new piece of PCB board so over the weekend, I hope to get the bus wires in with connectors, track laid and dropper wires soldered up. May even get to run a locomotive over the new track work...

Cheers, Gary.

 

Thank you Ron. Looking forward to getting some track down over the coming weekend.

Cheers, Gary.

 

Thanks Geoff. As seen in some of my earlier posts, I have a track arrangement in mind. I just need to look at the images I have down loaded from Google maps to see if the baseboards will accommodate buildings and such. I'll post up a few photos I have chosen for inspiration shortly.

Cheers, Gary.

 

These next couple of screen shot photos courtesy of Google Maps (satelite and street view) is some of the inspiration for the new modules...

Tropical Pallets...

Vision Candles & Asami Foods...

Cold Store...

Where they would sit on the corner/back wall module...

One other option is to take out Vision Candles and Asami Foods and replace it with a siding for tank cars, which handle various acid products...

The siding for the acid cars can be seen here on the right in this aerial shot...

If I decide to add another peninsula section (off the new fill in module), Vision Candles and Asami Foods could be placed on that module...

Just have to make a decision...

As for the other fill in module, that will simply hold the Ferrous Processing shed on a dead end spur...

Cheers, Gary.

 

Thanks mate. I had considered kerf cuts, but being only 3mm thick MDF, it would have possibly snapped along a cut. As they say, "when in doubt, chuck it out", and that is exactly what I done and approached it the simplest way.

Cheers, Gary.

 

When you think you are ready to roll on with the track work and realise one important piece of equipment is missing... I couldn't find my soldering iron. I searched high and low and it wasn't in any of the boxes I packed. Deja vu all over again, or you could say ground hog day...
Something reminded me that I may have left it at my mates place, up in Newcastle, some 2 1/4 hour drive away.. I gave him a call and he confirmed that I had... So now it was a drive to my local Bunnings (hardware) store to purchase a new soldering iron.

Now with a soldering iron in hand, it was time to get the track work started. I first started by cutting, gluing and nailing a few pieces of PCB board down onto the corner module, next to where it joins the existing module. I decided to solder the track down so I had a fixed starting position and worked the track around onto the back wall module.

I used a print out of the photo I took of the track pinned down on the unfinished baseboards. This photo below...

Using this as a guide helped quite a lot, knowing where to place the track to create smooth curved transitions.

Two hours later after arriving home with the soldering iron, the track was basically down.

The corner module...

The back wall module...

Next up I will have to cut more PCB board and fix this to the baseboards between the corner module and back wall module. Once the cross over pieces are soldered in place, I can go ahead and glue the track down.

Testing siding lengths... plenty of room !

More as it happens.

Cheers, Gary.

 

Last night I got on to laying out the track on the module between the two existing module, the module where I want to reuse the Ferrous Processing shed. This area below...

One thing I did not like, or I should say does not look right was the lazy S curve coming off the existing module and wrapped around the shed of Ferrous Processing. I was looking on how I can still use the structure, although maybe not in this location. I needed to come up with an alternative to Ferrous Processing being on this board, so I jumped back onto Google maps and revisited the area where Tropical Pallets is located. Here is a screen shot of the track that runs past Tropical Pallets and note the lazy S curve...

I liked what I saw here, yet the difference would be if I were to model Tropical Pallets, the siding would come in on the opposite side, from the left, not the right.

Just up from Tropical Pallets is another slightly skewed siding that feeds 'Produce In Paradise' and 'Gaupura'. Here I like how the building is not parallel to the track, which makes for an interesting feature on the layout.

So I got to work laying the track, starting from the right hand side where the S curve would start and working my way to the left. As I came closer to the left hand end of the board, I added a right hand point. This will feed the new industry on the angled siding, which I haven't named the industry yet. This siding will be reasonably short, only having enough space one car spot, although two 50' cars can be left there on the entirety of the siding.

On the existing baseboard, I have the grey/red building (packaging manufacturer) and on the previous iteration of the layout, the line continued on to feed the oil distribution facility. This siding will be extended by 125mm and end, similar to this photo below.

The line that fed Ferrous Processing now feeds Tropical Pallets. Here I can leave up to three 60' Hi Cube box cars, although I am looking at purchasing a two or three 50' Evans Plug Door box cars for this facility.

To measure everything out to see if it will all fit on this 1200mm (4') long baseboard, I made a few cardboard mock ups and placed them accordingly.

and from the opposite end...

As you can see in the photos above, the lazy S curve is far gentler than that what would have wrapped around the Ferrous Processing plant.

Now that I will be utilising Tropical Pallets on this module and not the module that runs along the back wall, I need to re-evaluate that module and what industry will be on it. I have two thoughts in mind, re-jig the track and fit the Ferrous Processing shed onto it..

Or perhaps something similar to the photo below, the two sidings for Trujillo..

What I like about the Trujillo site is that I can have a delivery of grain cars and or airslide hoppers, corn syrup cars, box cars and reefers, which would make for interesting switching. I do like the openess of this too. Either way I decide, I will still have to change the track plan from three sidings to two.

Decisions, decisions...

Cheers, Gary.

 

Ferrous Processing won't be wasted. I will still be keeping the two modules (corner and tapered modules) and Ferrous Processing will go back onto the original corner module for an upcoming exhibition in September.

Cheers, Gary.

 

Started on soldering the droppers in tonight. Black droppers done, red to go. Tomorrow afternoon I will pull the three new modules out and add the bus wires and connectors, then solder up the droppers to these.

Cheers, Gary.

 

No flux whatsoever... I use the Duratech solder. It flows very nicely as it is.

Cheers, Gary.

 

Tonight I completed the bus wires, module connecting plugs and soldered up all the droppers on the corner module...

No fancy clips between bus wires and droppers, solder does the job nicely !

Like all my wiring, I use cable ties on the end of the bus wires as tensioners to keep the bus wire taught.

Got to love these Duratech 2 way bullet plugs from Jaycar. They are double ended so I simply cut them in half and use one set per baseboard.

Tomorrow I will complete the interconnecting modules bus wire, connecting plugs and get the droppers soldered up !

Cheers, Gary.