Zero Manufacturing Module Mock-Up

Here are some shots of the mock up for Zero Manufacturing. I have built the Zero Manufacturing building out of plastic, foamcore, balsa, and tissue paper. The mock-ups for a few other buildings have been printed on card stock from drawings I made from photos of the real buildings.
Also in these photos you can see the mainline roadbed has been glued down for all 3 modules.

Backdrop Source

I was using Google Earth the other day and stumbled onto a great use. I navigated to the location I'm modeling and panned down to street level at the tracks, facing the direction of the wall behind my layout. What I got was a very good view of the mountains for my backdrop. It's handy because there are no obstructions as there would be with photos.

Building Central Valley Model Works Turnouts: 4 Cutting the Flangeways

Please also see my updated building method at:

Central Valley Turnout Refinements

Align the hacksaw blade on the inside of one of the rail paths through the frog and very carefully start to cut. Check the depth of the cut using the NMRA gauge. When you reach that depth stop cutting.

Move to the other path and do the same.

This is what the frog assembly should look like when done. Make sure to check the flangeways with the NMRA gauge. File a slight angle on the wing end of the railheads to ease the entry of flanges into the frog.


You now have a soldered frog assembly ready to be fitted to the CVMW plastic turnout tie strip.

Building Central Valley Model Works Turnouts: 3 Forming Wing and Closure Rails

Please also see my updated building method at:

Central Valley Turnout Refinements

Next take the 2 6.25" closure rails and file a notch into outside of the rail at the bend of the wing rail. File just deep enough until you touch the web of the rail. On the #7 turnout the notch will be about 7/8" from the end of the rail.

Next put a bend in the rails at the notch to form the wing.

Form the diverging closure rail to conform to the template. I do this by running the length of rail through my fingers, imparting a bend as I go. Lay this rail on the template and adjust the curve and the wing angle to match the template exactly.


Lay the straight closure/wing rail over the template and adjust the wing rail angle until it lines up exactly with the template.

Align both rails to the template and tape them down when they are in the proper position. NOTE: The closure rails will be trimmed to the end of the pivot rail in a later step. They can remain long at this point.

Next fill the gap between the frog points and the wing rails with solder to the top of the rail heads.

Building Central Valley Model Works Turnouts: 2 Filing and Aligning the Frog Rails

Please also see my updated building method at:

Central Valley Turnout Refinements

The first step is to read the CVMW instructions and familiarize yourself with the parts of the kit and their methods of construction. While I deviate heavily from their construction sequence, you should know how the parts fit together.

Download and print (at full size) the turnout template from the CVMW website. Place and tape the template onto a flat scrap wood surface. The wood will be scorched in the process of building the turnout so please do not place the template on a surface you care about.

One of the frog rails will be for the straight path and the other will be for the diverging route. Place them in their proper place on the turnout template to keep track of their location.


Take the straight frog rail and file the inside web off the rail. You should file until half the width of the railhead remains. Place the filed rail back on the template.

Take the diverging frog rail and file the inside of the rail to the approximate angle of the frog. A sharper angle than needed will be OK but a shallower one will not work. Make sure the end of the rail point is sharp. (be careful as this will be like a knife and can hurt you if you get poked)

Place the filed rail back on the template.

Line the frog rails up on the template so the straight rail's point starts at the tip of the point on the template and slide the diverging frog rail into the straight rail so it stays in line with the path on the template. They should meet to form a sharp point. When you are happy with their position tape them in place

Next solder the two frog rails together to form the point of the frog. Don't worry at this point if the frog is not at a sharp, perfect point we will take care of that in a future step. What is important is that the rails follow their respective paths on the template exactly.

Building Central Valley Model Works Turnouts: 1 Overview and Supplies

Please also see my updated building method at:

Central Valley Turnout Refinements

My layout uses Central Valley Model Works turnout kits. The CVMW line offers a wide selection of turnouts that go together and operate very reliably. The one thing I don't like about the kits is the use of a plastic turnout frog so I make my own frogs from rail and solder. My frog building techniques are taken from several turnout building methods and are by no means the only way to build frogs and turnouts but I find they work for me.

My example uses a code 70 #7 turnout kit; the rail lengths are for this kit only. You will have to adjust the lengths to fit your turnout kit size.

Materials Needed:

1 Turnout kit from CVMW

2 stock rails 12.5 inches long

2 frog rails 3 inches long

2 closure rails 6.25 inches long

Turnout template for the turnout you are building (available at: CVMW)

35 watt soldering iron

Solder and flux

NMRA track gauge

Track gauge of choice

Rail cutters

Files

32 teeth per inch hacksaw blade

Straight Edge

Super Glue

22 gauge hookup wire

Vice

Break in the Action

The layout has been put on hold for a while due to inclement weather recovery and some travel. The work will begin again shortly and I hope to have new pics and posts up soon.

In the meantime I'm looking for photos of the Oroweat bakery that was on the corner of Chandler Blvd. and Clybourn Ave. in North Hollywood Ca., between the years 1970-1990. I am specifically interested in photos of the siding and unloading area as well as shots of the building itself, also any info/photos on cars spotted at the location. Any photos or sources would be welcome.

Photo: Google Maps

The Burbank Branch...Four Feet at a Time

For a while my railroad modeling interests were all over the place. Narrow gauge in Sn3, Main line in N scale and little projects in HO. I have finally gained focus and have settled in, as many have, to model an area that I know very well.

Growing up in Burbank California, I had a Saturday train ritual that would include riding my bike to Travel Town in Griffith Park and admiring the the work that was being done on the N scale East Valley Lines layout, then over to The Train Station hobby store for some browsing and conversation. From there my travels led me to Chandler Blvd. where the Burbank Branch of the Southern Pacific started it's trek from the mainline across the San Fernando Valley. I would follow the tracks west to the North Hollywood station and have lunch at Bud's Red Hots hot dog stand, then head home.

So today I find myself going back to those Saturdays of train watching in all it's forms, only now in HO scale.

With modeling space and funding at a premium these days, I find a modular layout to be very adaptable as well as affordable. I follow the Free-mo standard as it maintains flexibility, high modeling standards, and prototypical operation.

I have 3 modules, each 2'X4', under construction that will represent the first mile or so of the Burbank Branch line. The first will represent part of the wye, the house track, and part of the LA River. The second will represent the Terry Lumber Co. siding and the third, the Zero Manufacturing siding.

Selective compression/omission is a must when modeling such an area. I try to model the buildings as full scale as possible while leaving out other unimportant elements. Illustrated paper mock-ups of the buildings help establish what will fit and contribute to a unified, believable scene.

That is the introduction of my current project, look for updates as it progresses. 

Overview Photo: Google Maps

Welcome to my Blog

As my intro says I am a Railfan and Model Railroader of western railroading, focusing on the Southern Pacific (SP), Western Pacific (WP) and the Santa Fe (SF or AT&SF) railroads. 

I model in two scales, HO and N, using the Free-mo modular standards. This allows me to model scenes in a size that best fits the location as well as providing a social network of talented people who can help sharpen modeling skills.

I don't know where this blog is going to go but, I hope I can make it entertaining and informative for you. Thanks for visiting!