Two Month Summary

Two Month Summary


I am very happy with the Dixie Central so far! Last night cinched it for me. This concept will work! The roundness of it, the waffle design and the distinct scenes make it a very eyecatching layout. You want to crawl in and investigate it.

So far I’ve put in almost 50 hours and close to $900. The benchwork is very time consuming and not nearly as light as I had hoped once the legs were attached. It is much straighter, flatter and stronger than I had imagined. The splinters are unbearable. I so wish I had painted the sections and may still do so. However, they really need to be painted before assembly. Using the Roto Zip and taking more time in the cutting process to be accurate would have saved a lot of time. I think I could build another set of these in half the time. The legs are still a bit wobbly and I may still have to make more modifications. The view blocks are excellent and do their job well. I’m still not sure that the Masonite backboard is going to work, but we are going to proceed.

Actually, the cost is not too bad. I figure that the total would be around $1,500 US. Similar to the cost of other 4 x 8+ small layouts I’ve built. Tonight I’ll add the DCC system to the list. One already exists, so I’ll use current costs and a couple of jacks for the throttles. The use of used equipment and structures helps defer some of the cost. The structures that I bought would have easily cost $100 and another $10 in paint and supplies, not to mention the 10 hours I’d need to build them. They still need modification, but not much. I consider myself lucky in this regard because most used structures are poorly constructed and aren’t worth the time to rebuild them. Ready to roll cars are VERY expensive and with the number of easy kits (Athearn blue box, etc) the cost of building a layout is going to skyrocket. The locomotive was very pricey, but it really needed to be a fully functional show piece. You could save $200 of the cost and use something less fancy.

As to the track plan itself, I’m still a little dissatisfied. I really wanted a longer main line but to do so just sacrificed too much scenery. Still, I can reach 100% of the layout from the pit and the view blocks are going to make it seem much larger. We won’t know for sure until we actually operate it. Moving up to two locomotives and adding some passenger flag stops might make it more interesting.

As of yesterday I got confirmation that the scenery design is going to work. Each section is designed with key focal points in the center of the module that keep your eyes focused away from the view blocks. These seem to work. One thing that I’m going to have to do is to increase the level of detail in each scene, which will be costly and time consuming. A large amount of figures will be needed and probably some creativity.

Water is still the big focus. The deep foam, while a pain in the butt to work with and quite expensive, is going to yield fantastic results. Section Three’s ocean, beach and water tank run off will be the first. These will be slow and painful assemblies as I’m doing them for a June clinic and I’m tinkering with new chemicals and techniques. Building water off the layout is not something commonly done (I’ve never seen anyone do it before, in fact) and the level of detail needs to be exemplary, yet simple.

I’ve got a leg up on the structures since most of them are already assembled. In about one or two evenings I can have them all detailed and ready to go. The jury is still out on the Cotton Gin. Really, it needs to be the focal point of the railroad and should be scratch built. But I am having a hard time finding a prototype for it that is not enormous. When trying to get NMRA AP points, freelanced structures don’t get it most of the time. You really need to model a solid prototype. I will probably add the wharf first on Section Three since it has track on it and is required for operations. The turntable presents a new and challenging project, as well as a time eater. I need to scratchbuild it for AP points, and to buy one is quite expensive. Besides, there are not good small turnouts. One plan is to build it for kit reproduction and sell it as an On30 turntable.

Speaking of On30, I’ve been looking at the design and it really works well for N, S and On30 scales. This is just the kind of interesting platform for On30 and its portability lends itself to a nice N scale display layout. For S I could see more of a switching layout design. I’m sure we’ll see an On30 version soon!

Scenery is really going to be fun. Everything has to be done just right to make it work. When have you seen a winter scene on a layout, at the beach and with no snow? One thing I keep forgetting to mention is that not only do the seasons change as you go clockwise around the layout, but the time of day changes as well. This is incredibly challenging to do! Every little detail has to be accounted for from length of shadows to lighting effects. The plan is spring at 6:00 am, summer at 12:00 noon, fall at 6:00 pm (sunset) and winter at night. One key issue facing me is the covering of the scenic divider holes for the track. There is only so many ways you can penetrate a board without a full tunnel.

The electrical system is not too complicated and I’ve still not planned it out fully as of yet. My Digitrax DCC system will go in the hole under the mountain on Section Four. There is ample space on the luan top to use as a work table. The UT5’s are a bit of an issue in that I want to use as few as possible, but need to be sure you can easily operate the layout. My first thought was one in the pit on Section Four, and two on the outside perimeter on Sections Four and Two. For the AP program I have to light a lot of the structures. I’m not sure how to power it yet and how the wiring will be connected from section to section. The electrical part is always my weakness and least favorite part.

I’m having fun…and that is all that really matters! Happy New Year!

Foam on Section Three

I'm going to start the foam scenery on Section 3, the Tybee Island section.  This appears to be the easiest.  There is a 2" slab and 1" slab (3") that covers the base and a 2" and 1" slab (to 6") that make up the Maritinez turntable.  There is a 2% grade along the length of the section for the mainline, and spurs are level.

Click On To Enlarge

I went through all of the elevations and made some changes.  First of all I had calculated all of the elevations from the top of a 2" foam base.  This makes assembly calculations difficult, so I recalculated them all to measure from the top of the wood section.  Next, I re-adjusted all of the elevations so that the joints were on easy numbers so that I can cut wood support blocks for the track.

Since I keep referring to the sections, I've put in the section numbers as well.

Tonight I'm going down to the basement to finish off Section 3 and then maybe cut the foam.  With the exception of the turntable, the rest of this section is very easy.  The turntable maybe the last track section I install.

Here is the modified drawing that I'll be working with for Section 3.

Thanks for the great feedback! Please keep it coming!

For home use its designed to be a one man operation, and operated from the inside pit. So in a 10 by 10 bedroom, you only need to be able to crawl in.

As to modeling the northeast...I don't like snow! We have winter down here, too, ya know! Actually it is HARDER to model a southern winter. Right now the ocean scene is slated to be the winter. Lance Mindheim mastered the non-snow winter look and I'd love to try it. I have yet to see a non-summer ocean scene.

As to the other mods, the seasons will flow around the layout. The ocean scene is winter which makes for a winter Martinez engine servicing terminal. The mountain town of Clayton will be in spring with full waterfalls and clear rivers. The cotton fields of Toccoa will be in late summer when the plants are green but the cotton bolls are bursting, and the crossing at Elberton will be a very ripe fall.

I didn't understand the 'reference point' comment....can you explain further?

Much like the HOG, the mainline is long, but the curves are a little tighter, You never see all of the layout in one view.

I didn't draw them in, but there is a backdrop and side drops on each module section to contain the scene. The AP scenery specs require it.

That is a great idea on Unique. When running the layout on the computer, the mill also obstructs the turnouts on the passing siding. I'll go back and work on that.

The modules fit in a 4x4 square. However, from point to point on the curve the modules are 5 1/2 fee long by 32 inches.

Excellent idea on the swivel chair! I've thought about this layout being less tall than other layouts for show purposes so that older kids could see it. It also allows the operator to more easily see it from the pit.

I tried to follow your rule about 2 module track joints, but there is one three joint module as there is a hidden track in Clayton. I'm a bit worried about this one and am kicking around restructuring it. It is 1/5 feet from the edge but is under a mountain and may be ok. Your thoughts?

One thing that is NOT showing on this is a modular approach to making water, which I'm going to test out. Each body of water is removable so that you can detail and pour away from the layout. the water is then reinstalled and the track put back in.

The interchange track could easily use your cartridge system to add more operation. Could also be a larger yard or interchange with a bigger railroad.

The three way or "lap" turnout is a space improver that can lengthen the yard tracks (a staging yard, not storage) but can easily be changed to regular turnouts. I'm only including it because I need to build one for the AP, and it is available from Walthers.

Scott G. Perry, CPM

Basics on the Dixie Central

In order to get my train fix, I've been spending evenings on the road and late at night working on a new track plan idea. My wife is having a baby in the spring and I've been working double time for the past few months and have not been going to Train Night on Friday with my friends.

I've always wanted to draw a round layout for train shows/demonstrations.

This one is a skill building layout. Basically, the next step after a HOG. The focus is more on construction and scenery. The four modules are waffle construction. Each of the four sections is a different season of the year. Every basic type of water is represented, as well as a variety of bridges.

Operations are simple. This is a 1940's cotton hauling railroad in the south (Georgia) that moves King Cotton from the farms to the cotton gin, the knitting mill and the warf.

Grades are still easy at 2.5%. Only tricky electronics are in the turntable wiring.

This plan knocks out at least 3 of the NMRA AP awards items.

What do you think?

Scott G. Perry, CPM