Southern California Wizard

It's so freaking hot in my garage. It reaches 100 degrees and I can only work on my layout for few before I have to call it quits and go inside to cool off. At this rate, I'll finish next year sometime. Probably in winter, where I'll freeze my a$$ off, no doubt. I mounted all the bus lines and starting to drop the feeders. I'll solder to rails next, but only when it cools off.   Maybe at night.  The first photo is showing how I'm connecting the end of the bus lines.  Starting from the right, is the 3 main lines, my module track and the last set is for lights.  I'm using 12 gauge bus lines for track and 18 gauge for lights.  This works perfect with the 10 post terminal strip from All Electronics.  This store is great, it's in Van Nuys.  You could always get the ones found in hobby stores.  The come from Miniatronics Corp, but there are three to a pack.  One for each end and a spare, I guess.  I also fasten the bus lines down to the frame to keep them sagging and catching during transport.
 

Well I finally finished laying the track on my two new modules.  It took longer than I thought, what with vacation, work and waiting for ordered supplies.  But they are turning out fine, just need to drop feeders, and connect to bus lines under modules.  I'm not gonna make the Pomona show, but I hope to have them ready for the show in December.  You can see more of the modules here, Garage Home Layout

Ok, I decided on option 3.  I started the modules already.  I have already built the benchwork, applied the foam tabletop and setup the modules in place.  Soon I will be laying the track on the two new straight sections as I am trying to have them ready for the next show large enough where we could use them which would be Pomona on July 10-11.  I built the benchwork similar to what I did on my other two modules, 1x6 frame with a 2" foam insert as the base.  This is based on an excellent design I got from Railway Bob from Eastern Canada.  His approach to module building is clean, straight forward and easy to build.  After modifing slightly from his example, his basic concept has proven very easy to build and lends itself to be a strong, lightweight benchwork for modules.  I won't try to describe the steps necessary to build, but after speaking to him, he gave his permission for me to  link to his web site for his quite excellent and very detailed step-by-step procedure on how to build these modules.  Click here to see his approach to module benchwork. What I did was increase the size to 6 feet long by 30" wide with a 2" foam insert.  If I built it using plywood base it would become quite heavy.

Using Option 3, will give me the best utilization of the layout for home use.  Here is a rough draft of my layout plan.  I will start the straight pieces in the upcoming weeks.  When I use the two new straight pieces along with my existing modules to take to club shows, it will give us an additional 12 feet in length to use.  I can already see that it will allow for industries along the back left where the Costa Mesa station is.  This is a street scene where I will extend it along with different scenes that you normally see along train tracks.  The yard will also be extended giving me a double entry ladder yard for staging and clasification.  This was Will's idea to also allow for longer passenger trains.  I will also extend the station into the new module.  This will give a place to also incorporate an interlock station in the "V" area, similar to the one in LA Union Station.

The left top corner module I haven't thought of what that can be yet, but I'm sure inspiration will hit me soon.  The top right corner module will have a continuation of the hill side from the Costa Mesa module.  So far that's all I thought of, but will see.  The bottom left corner module will also be a continuation of the hill side from the Tustin module, but that's as far as I got to thinking about it.  The bottom right module will have the round table that I got from Mark.  More than likely I'll scratch build a round house as I want to start entering some more contests toward getting my MMR.  Long time goal.

The new module next to the Tustin module will serve as a lead in to the station.  I had hoped to make this a beach scene, Pacific Coast, but since it is backwards I won't be able to put in Trestles bridge like I hope.  Maybe it can be corner lake or something as I want to try my hand at modeling water.

As you guys might be aware, I'm starting my new modules, The Pacific Coast Modules and I was wondering on how best to incorporate them into my temporary home layout.  If you were here last meeting you saw that I am limited in space, 12 x 23 being the maximum.  Will had a great idea on having the layout being an inside/outside approach.  This allows me the proper access and also means I create the inside and outside corners if we ever want to use the "U" shape layout.

Option 1 - I laid out how Will suggested, but it means having to create either a 1 or 5 foot module to get back on track.  When they are used in a train show with other modules I have to be back on a 4 foot module size so it means having either a 1 foot or 5 foot module.  I vote for a 5 foot module because it would easier to build.  The benefit of these modules is that it makes for easy transport and I can sandwich two modules together.  This becomes the smallest layout size for my home layout, 10 x 20.  I also lose some of the space besides the longer modules for continuation of the two attached modules at the corners.  I could also create a 1 foot bridge module spanning across the back, interesting....

Option 2 - If I maximize my space at home, then I could go with a slightly off kilter arrangement.  This would maximize my space at home and still provide the flexibility of having a "U" shape club layout.  As an added bonus I would have to make only an additional 3 foot module for the show.  It would, however, mean that I would have another 2 foot module at home that stays put.  The problem I see with this option is that it creates two very large modules (6x6) that would be rather hard to transport, not to mention the weight.  It would also create two additional odd sized modules that would have to be carried by themselves.  I would not be able to sandwich them together for easy transport.

Option 3 - Another option would be to maximize the width of the home layout and also create easier to manage modules for transport.  This option would allow for the inside corners and out side corners but create a gap of one foot that would need to be filled.  The 1 foot bridge module.  By the way, this one foot bridge module would be only the 3 tracks across the back and only be needed if in the "U" shape configuration.  So not to worry.  This configuration is by far the easier to construct, transport and maximizes my home layout space and yet give the greater flexability across the club modules and home.  I guess I could always create two 3 foot modules that stay home to maximize my home layout.

What do you guys think?

My pre-order of the Walther's Surfliner car came in today. Boy, are they different from the OMI version. Of course it's not the same car (Superliner vs. California Car) but there is a difference in the fit and finish also. Oh well, it will do until I can find the OMI coach car. It is prototypical however. On the Surfliner they sometimes add this car along with the normal coach right in front of the baggage/control car. Here it is next to one of my OMI brass cars.

Of course I had to model the Utah FrontRunner.  My business requires me to go to Salt Lake City often and sometimes I stay in Ogden where I take the FrontRunner into town. Athearn has the bombardier cars, either individully and in the three car pack where you get the cab/control car.  They also make a locomotive, but they have the F59PHI painted in the livery colors.  The only problen is that UTA doesn't use the F59PHI they use the Motive Power MPxpress.  This engine is a hybrid and while it looks similiar to the F59 it's completelly different.  TrueLine Trains from Canada is putting on the finishing touches to the their model

Browsing eBay the other day, I ran across a train set that I thought would bridge my love for cars and trains.  The Amtrak Auto Train.

When wil this madness stop?  I just got the AeroTrain from ConCor.  Boy that is one cool looking train.

Ozzie told me at the last show that he got the Atearm Operation Lifesaver F59PHI that Amtrak puts on the line somewhere to help promote public awareness of the dangers of close contact with trains.  Well, I was waiting for that loco as well, so I order one.

They are no longer gonna call me European Dave.  I'm now Amtrak Dave.  I just got the Early Amtrak train set from Rapido

Just came back from our train show that we displayed at in Anaheim.  Had to get the Hi-Railers that Factory Direct sells manufactured by Broadway Limited.

Awesome, just plain awesome.  That's the only thing you can say.  Paul from Details West just installed the Loksound decoders in both the locomotive and cab car of my OMI Surfliner train set.

Got the commuter train Sounder from SoundTransit that was leased to LAX Metrolink.

Well it finally happened!  I got the Overland Models Inc. brass Surfliner train set.  The only problem is that it's missing the coach car.  I got it from a fellow from England off eBay and while it came with an OMI locomotive it was missing the coach car.  As you know the prototypical consist is a business class, cafe, 2 coaches and a baggage/control car.  The set is beautiful however and I'll be putting in directional lights in both the loco and cab car along with DCC.  Soon Walthers will be coming out with their version of the Surfliner coach.  It will be their Superliner car painted to look like the Surfliner.  Amtrak is using this car today adding it as a supplemental car right in front of the cab car so it won't be out place.  It may look different because it will be plated plastic not brass like OMI.  Well, it should work just fine, 'till I can find the OMI coach car.

Living here in Southern California and taking the train (Metrolink and Amtrak) to work at one of my jobs in the City of Glendale gave me cause to want to model the Pacific Surfliner.  The cars ( similar to the superliner) are unique to the consist and would require some work to create.  After a while, I found out that a while back a high speed train was proposed to run from Los Angeles to Las Vegas.  This train was to run on normal track, incorporating special articulated cars from the Spanish train manufacturer Talgo.  These cars were already in use in the Northwest on the Cascades line and had proved very reliable and a definite crowd pleaser.  A demonstrator consist complete with the Surfliner paint scheme was put together and an inaugural run was completed in 1999.  This train set used an EMD F59PHI as the motive power and a de-motored EMD F40PH NPCU (not a "Cabbage" car since the Talgo has a baggage car already) while it was very well received the route was never adopted.  It seems that UP and environmental groups squashed the whole idea.  There is another consortium trying to push the idea again with the new Talgo trains, but it is still in the planning stages.

None the less, the Talgo is a beautiful train set and I decided to try my hand at kit bashing a train set using the Talgo Pendular train set offered by Electotren.  These cars have been out of production for a few years, but I did manage to find them on eBay.  Follow along with my progress to see how they came out.

Click here for the article on how I modeled this trainset.