May Update - Track laying resumes!

It seems as though an eternity has passed since I last laid track. That eternity ended this month. 

Preparation for laying track was first on the agenda. Starting with the Montalvo bridge between Oxnard and Ventura. The design of the bridge is to use seven Micro Engineering 50' deck girder bridges for the span. I am 3D printing the bridge piers. The prototype bridge is over 800', my version will be just over 350'. 

In an earlier post (June '23) I described construction of the benchwork for the Santa Clara River bottom. After test fitting the piers, I became concerned about keeping the bridge as level and as flat as possible. The Micro Engineering bridge shoes are inconsistent at best. Getting them all aligned and keeping them aligned didn't look promising. The last thing I want to happen is to have trains bouncing up and down going across the bridge. I had to figure out a way to make the bridge length as smooth as possible. 

A new solution was needed. I decided that a piece of aluminum channel would work well to span the river bottom. I sourced a piece of aluminum channel at my local metals dealer. I've been there before :) I cut it to fit the span and then painted it black. My plan was to attach the bridge track to the aluminum channel. That will ensure a smooth and straight bridge. 

I will be to cutting out the upper panel cross members in each of ME deck girder bridges that have already been built. Next will be to glue the bridge sections up to the bottom of the bridge track ties. This will ensure the bridge sections are level. I can then follow that with the piers and bridge shoes ensuring that the 'flatness' of the bridge will not be affected. My goal is to create the illusion that the piers and shoes support the bridge. 

Given the span of the bridge, I felt it best to provide a middle support. Since the middle of a seven section bridge is the middle of a 50' bridge span, I offset the support with the idea of being able to hide the support inside of a bridge pier. Next, I needed a method to remove the support in order to install the bridge pier. And, making the support adjustable would be a bonus. I settled on installing a blind nut into the plywood river bottom. Next was to add a bolt. I was originally going to use a threaded rod, but couldn't find my spare rod, so I headed to my local big box store and purchased a 5" bolt. The head of the bolt is under the river bottom and not easily visible. As a bonus, the bolt it gives me something better to grip for leveling. 

I'm satisfied with the result. Once I get the track laid, I'll know for sure.

I still have to create and print the abutments. This will likely require some modifications to the benchwork. Regardless, track laying can commence. 

Track laying for the upper level from Oxnard to Ventura stopped in Oxnard short of the Montalvo bridge, #1 in the diagram below. Ventura track stopped short of the Montalvo bridge, #2. And stopped on the other side at the 101 bridge, #3. Lastly, the track in the remaining part of Ventura, stopped before the 101 bridge, #4.

Connecting the Montalvo and 101 bridges allows me to complete the track through Ventura and into Oxnard. Below are a series of that construction. 

Beginning with the Montalvo bridge at numbers 1 & 2. Now the connection between Oxnard and Ventura are in place. 

Next was the connection of numbers 3 & 4. As posted previously, the Highway 101 in Ventura has an iconic railroad truss bridge above the freeway. I used a piece of aluminum bar stock to cross the plywood base which will later become the 101 freeway. The bridge has angled portals which will require a scratch-built truss bridge.

In the picture, the super-elevation has been applied. I use 1/4" black masking tape to build up the super-elevation. It creates an excellent effect. 

When purchasing the tape, I had to buy a case. I'll never use all the tape I have. If you need some tape for super-elevation, let me know. I'll gladly sell my excess stock!

Pictured right is the track connecting numbers 3 & 4, which has been super-elevated. A lot of time was spent ensuring the alignment between 3 & 4 was smooth and consistent. I'm very happy with the result. It looks cool!

Once the track was completed for each bridge, I then moved onto to wrapping up the track in Ventura. To ensure a smooth track flow, I did not complete the mainlines initially, but opted to wait until the bridges were in. The flow of track between Ventura and Oxnard is now complete.

There is still a boat load of feeders and bus wiring to add. In the June update, I'll complete track and electrical connections between Ventura and Coast Staging in addition to the Oxnard and Ventura areas. Progress is happening!

Track laying happened as well on the other end of the layout in the Watson Center area. In the April update, I had completed the benchwork for the Shell Tank Train facility and some industries. 

I spent a good amount of time working out the track plan for this area. Simply put, the look of the track changes a bit from what was designed versus what it looks like on the benchwork. This is a given that I've become accustomed to. As a rule, 2D drawings don't always translate well to 3D track and benchwork. I always focus on how the track flows. I'm good with making adjustments to get a good, smooth, and logical flow. 

Pictured right is the Shell facility where the caulk gun is. The turnout with the push pins is the 6R to the right of Watson Center Road on the purple colored line. Below that is the turn out going to The scrap yard to the left. 

The diamond is now in place and the connection to the siding is still to be connected. You can see the spline that will be connecting the main to Harbor Staging. 

The other end of the diamond is complete for the two industries in the corner. 

And a final view of the completed track around the diamond. 

In order to properly support the spline as it descends on a 1.4% grade to staging, I created specialized risers. This allows me to use a horizontal screw to secure the spline in place. 

With the spline in affixed to the risers, it was time to start building the benchwork for the fascia side which will lead to the scrap yard. In my design for the scrap yard, I opted to drop it 1/2" below the grade of the main level. 

In order for the transition to occur, I had to first build and mount a piece of OSB that was at the same level of the benchwork. That was followed by a custom curved section of OSB that will back the outside corner of the benchwork. As in other parts of the layout, all outside corners are backed with either 1/2" plywood or OSB. This gives the corner strength and will hold up to operators leaning on it. On the floor in the right side of the picture is the transition piece of OSB.

Pictured right is another view of the section of benchwork. 

Here is a view with all the risers in place and ready for the OSB corner that was sitting on the floor above. 

One last view of the risers going all the way to the scrapyard. They descend 1/2" to the scrapyard.

Pictured right is the OSB in place. A splice plate was attached to the rectangular piece of OSB on the bottom right and the corner piece. An advantage to using OSB is that it has some flexibility making the 1/2" vertical curve transition very smooth.

Apparently I forgot to take some pix of the drywall being applied and painted. So, it's on to track laying. 

Pictured to the right is track laying in progress. The main will be on the spline and the industry tracks are being laid out. I use push pins to hold the curved track in place while the caulk dries. The curves pictured are all 30"+. The main is at 42"+ on the spline.

It took a bit of extra time to get the turnouts and track laid out for the scrapyard. As you can see, all three spurs are in place. They are push-pinned and drying.

And the last industry track is in place parallel to the fascia. I ended up shortening the track a bit to provide some additional scenery space. The S curve was added for interest and to break of the parallel. The perspective from the camera makes the S seem much tighter than it is in reality. 

With the track in place, it was time to make more risers for the upper level. Those are built in the garage using a jig and clamps. 

In the mean time, construction continued on the end of the Taylor Yard peninsula. This is where the helix will reside and the main level benchwork will go around the helix. 

In the track plan to the right, the main track is in purple. The blue track going around the helix next the red benchwork edge is the switching lead for the Bull Ring yard. 

The helix is the hole in the peninsula. It is a two track helix descending to East Staging. One track diverts next to College Ave., and the other comes around the benchwork. There are a couple of logistical challenges to bring this all together, but I'll elaborate on that in a future post. 

In building out the structure for the end of the peninsula, I'm building it to support the helix and supporting the benchwork to go around the peninsula end. Since the helix keeps me from installing crossmembers on the main level, I'm doing some extra engineering to build out the support structure.

Pictured right is the cut OSB for the end of the peninsula. The narrower piece is the sub-roadbed for the main track and switching lead going around the peninsula end. The wider piece is the helix base. 

With welding blankets in place, more cross members are added to the supporting structure of the peninsula end. Adding the supports has significantly stabilized this end of the benchwork. The clamps are holding pieces ready to be welded into place.

With some of the supports in place, I placed the helix base pieces into place to verify the support structure and identify where additional supports will be needed. 

With the spline mounted and the scrap yard in place, it was time to start laying track on the spline. As mentioned before, the radius of the spline is 42" or more. It is a gradual sweeping curve.

I'm pleased with how the spline has come together. Before laying the track, I used a Sureform to smooth the surface, remove all extra glue, and clean up the edges of the spline. 

When the track was laid, I went heavier than normal with the caulk. As the spline surface is different than the drywall or plywood, I thought it prudent to add a bit more caulk. 

The track that was laid is still Peco. At the end of the Peco track on the spline, I'll be transitioning to Atlas track for the remainder of the run to the the helix and staging. For those wondering why, my plan has been to use Atlas flex for all hidden track. I have become such a fan of the Peco, if I were to do it over again, I would be 100% Peco. However, I had bought four cases of Atlas track and planned to use it for hidden track. So, I'll continue using it.

To the right is another view of the track on the spline. 

Ironically, when I designed the track plan, I thought I eased up on track density. The picture tells me ...not so much.

With more main level track complete, I moved back to construction of upper level benchwork. For the sections crossing the windows, i decided to change methods versus what I had done for Ventura. This time I opted to weld two cross members in place spanning the gap. Risers will be added and built in place, rather than fabricated in the garage as most other risers have been.

Once the cross members were welded in place, next was to fabricate the risers in place. The vertical legs were attached to the steel and then the horizontal OSB was glued and screwed onto the legs. This method worked out very well, and probably better than what I did on the other windows.   

As I continued to add risers, it became necessary to work on the support structure for the outside corner where the Ventura County Railway shops will be located. I opted to weld a cross member in place diagonally which connected to three wall stanchions. This provided a stable base for the corner. 

And another perspective on the space. You can see where the cross member is tied (welded) into the intermediate stanchion. 

Next was to add the legs that will support the OSB base. I neglected to take a picture of the legs being clamped in place for leveling.

Once the legs were clamped in place, the OSB was placed on top to develop the radius and S curve for the benchwork edge. The maximum depth in this area will be 24".  

With the benchwork edge place cut, it was time to get the OSB mounted. Again, it is my plan to use the OSB to provide a solid structure for the corner and to ensure that operators won't compromise the benchwork.

Once again, I neglected to take pictures of the benchwork progress. So, it's onto pictures of the drywall. The contour of the S curse at the benchwork edge is the same for the drywall and the OSB. This will provide a good base for attaching the masonite fascia as well. Once the railroad is 'running trains', I'll get the fascia attached. Fascia on the main level is of utmost importance as that is where the car card boxes will be mounted.

And there your have it, the drywall is in place. That's 20'+ of benchwork. I'll be able to wrap up the Oxnard yard and head toward the upper level on the peninsula. This is a big step in moving the upper level forward. 

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And a final perspective of the entire length of the new section of benchwork. It's going to be cool! I find myself saying that quite often. Apparently, I'm railfanning my layout even without trains! 

Now, onto painting the drywall benchwork and track laying!

I hope you've enjoyed the update and we should see even more progress in June.

Enjoy your summer.