A Mountain is Born

Once the track was operational, I decided to add a mountain in the corner of the layout as my first scenery project. The first step was to add support in the corner using some Masonite left over from my control panel efforts. next I crumbled up sheets of newspaper and taped them together. Then I taped all the balls of paper to hold then in place.

Next I applied plaster coated sheets over the paper mound to to provide a hard surface. While the plaster was drying, I mad rocks in a mold using more plaster like material called Hydrocal.

The molded rocks were then glued to the mountain and painted. The first coat was yellow, followed by coats of brown and black paint. I then painted the mountain with earth colored paint.

Finally I added grass coating to the mountain, using several different colors. also added small rocks along the bottom, simulating rock that have broken loose and tumbled down the mountain. I hope to place a water tank and a cell phone tower on the mountain. Then it will look like the hill I see from the house.

My next step will be to layout the road system for the city of Galville and the supporting industries.

Cumberland Railroad is Operational

Here is my new Louisville and Nashville EMD SW7 switcher. I bought it last week at the Tennessee Central RR Museum. That gave me incentive to finish the wiring of the layout.



This is the first operational run of the Cumberland RR. The train is en route to Galville with raw materials for the local industries

This picture shows the control panel for operating the layout. The actual layout is shown at the top with the turnouts (switches in real RRs). I painted the control panel white, then marked out the layout using 1/4 inch tape, then painted the panel black. When the tape was removed you get the layout . The lower left shows the 8 switches for controlling the turnouts. Note that two switches are not wired yet because I ran out of the proper wire. The center switch with the two red buttons control the power and direction to the track because of the two reversing loops. The power pack is to the right. The green light indicates I have power and no short circuits in the layout. WHOOPEE!!! The power pack provides AC power to operate the turnout switches and DC power to operate the train. Everything is pretty calm on this side of the panel.

This is the backside of the control panel and drawer. Its not so calm here. A real rats nest. I will be working to solder and tape all the connections and neaten the wire runs. It really does work, though.

Control Panel for Model RR Taking Shape

Here is the drawer that will support my control panel. The drawer will not win me any prizes in woodworking, probably would get me a D in 9th grade shop (the last time I did any woodwork). However it seems to work. The actual control panel will cover the drawer and show the track layout plus the switches necessary to control the reversing loops and the turnouts (model RR terminology for switches). The control panel has the first layer of paint (white). I will but 1/4" tape down to show the track layout. The next step will be to paint it flat black and them remove the tape, showing the track layout in white. The final step will be to place and wire all the control switches.

Visitors from Virginia Beach

Yesterday Jim and Jude Hoover visited with Barbara and I. Jim and Jude were our neighbors in Virginia Beach and great friends. We picked them up at the Wyndham Resort and Nashville and brought them to the wonderful city of Hendersonville. We showed them our house since it was their first visit with us since we moved here. They we we took them to lunch at Mimi's restaurant at the Streets of Indian Lakes. Then we shopped for awhile and returned to our house to discuss old friends. The visit ended when I delivered them to the airport for their flight to Virginia Beach. A GREAT time was had by all.

Gandy Dancers Have Been Busy

Above is the first model building for the Cumberland Railroad. It is the Boothbay Sport Shop. The residents of Galville can get their bait and ammo at this shop. I found the model for free on the web and downloaded the layout. It was printed on construction paper and then cut out. I used balsa wood strips to add strength to the model. Its not great but I learned a lot while building it.

The gandy dancers have been busy laying road bed and track during the past week. The road bed is all laid and glued to the table top. The track is in place and will be attached to the road bed once I have figured out the wiring requirements. Holes have been drilled for the power wires to go under the table. The next step will be to run the wires to a terminal strip and then to the power source.

Still trying to decide if I should use the old analog way to wire the layout or go to DCC. Problem is DCC is expensive (at least for my wallet). Maybe I can use my tax refund to pay for it. The stimulus check will come too late. I want to be operating trains by May.

Model Railroad Update

Th above diagram is the layout for my model railroad, the Cumberland Rail Road. The RR is being build on a 4' X 8' table in the study over the garage. The layout was designed using RTS software from Atlas Trains. The track will be Code 83. I am using Woodland Scenics roadbed under the track. The layout has 2 reversing loops which will allow me to change the direction of the train as it goes around the loop. This permits the trains to be backed onto the siding for dropping off freight cars at the various industries. The left side of the layout is a town which is modelled after the town square in Gallatin, TN. The right side of the layout has a variety of industries.

I am still waiting for the remainder of the track to arrive via UPS. The train store in town did not have all the switches I needed. Once the track is here, the fun begins, wiring it all so that it works properly.

The bottom of the diagram shows the name of each structure and the roads and other features. The roads are all named after country music singers, starting with those who lived/live in Hendersonville. Notably Johnny Cash and Taylor Swift. I guess I will have to add a gazebo and park to the layout so my brother-in-law, Bill, can bring his barbershop quartet down for a concert.

I laid as much track as I had as shown above. Then I cut out sheets of paper to the proper size for each building and moved them around til I had a feasible layout. This helped verify where everything would fit. Then I went back to the layout diagram and updated it with the buildings in the proper location. Next I added the roads and parking areas. It doesn't do any good to have a building/industry if the workers can't get to it.

Patricia's 60th Birthday

Barbara's sister, Patricia, had her 60th birthday last week. Her husband, Roy, and her daughter, Jennifer, staged a surprise birthday party for Patricia. Barbara went to visit Patricia on Friday and told her she would have to return to Hendersonville on Saturday. But, first they would go shopping together in Jackson, TN. Barbara and Roy set up a ploy to get Patricia to the party at the First Baptist Church in Bells, TN. The ploy worked great and Patricia was totally surprised when she went into the church. About 40 family and friends were there to wish her a Happy Birthday. A great time was had by all.