California Classic Lines

Tortoise Horizontal Mounting Bracket

2010-07-12T10:21:00.000-07:00

I wanted to mount the Tortoise switch machines horizontally so I built some brackets from 26 or 24 gauge sheet metal.

If you need some brackets for your layout, print the template at full size.

You will have to solder the leads and install the linkage rod and set screw before mounting the Tortoise to the bracket.

Sheet metal can slice through skin like a razor, please be careful working with it. Wear eye protection and gloves at all times; build jigs to hold the work while drilling.

Victory Blvd. Crossing

2010-07-10T13:21:00.000-07:00

This is the crossing at Victory Blvd. It's 4 lanes of traffic, with a center turning lane, and parking on each side. The crossing, as far as I know, has always been protected by only two RR Crossing flashers, one in each direction. I do not recall any gates ever being present at this location.

I was reminded that the traffic signals were also tied in with the grade crossing, they would flash red.

The model will be protected likewise.

In this view the entrance to Zero corp is to the left,Just past the tracks, and the entrance to Terry Lumber is to the right, just before the tracks.

The Crossover

2010-07-09T09:19:00.001-07:00

The crossover seems to be the starting point of every project so far on the Burbank Branch; so it is with Turnout linkages and Tortoise switch machines.

I decided to use a very old and common linkage that is very versatile.I drill a hole through the road bed centered on the track centerline just behind the throwbar. The hole is just big enough for a 1/16th inch brass tube to fit snugly. I bend a piece of .032 music wire to act as a swing lever and thread it though the brass tub inserting a pin into the hole in the throwbar.

From there the Tortoise switch machines will be linked to the music wire linkage.

The crossover requires special consideration because I don't want a train to run into a closed turnout. The two turnouts need to be linked together in such a way that the 2 sets of point are thrown together so there is an open path through the crossover.

Thanks to the Tortoise and a few RC plane parts, the linkage is not to difficult to construct.

It consists of some balljoint couplings and two 90 degree bellcranks.

In the above photo you can also see the bottom of the brass guide tubes for the music wire and the music wire linkages.

Track Installed

2010-07-09T07:58:00.000-07:00

The last couple day have been spent installing the roadbed and track. I drew centerlines for the track on the table and used silicon to attach the 1/8" thick roadbed. I cut the roadbed from cork gasket material I purchased at True Value Hardware. This is a switching branch and the roadbed profile is not that defied, if at all in some locations. The standard HO road bed would have been too tall.

After the roadbed had dried, I sanded it smooth, and made transitions to the lower spur tracks using a finishing sander to get a smooth grade. I cleaned the area of dust and sealed the roadbed with latex paint.

While waiting for the paint to dry, I prewired all the turnouts. Red wire to outer rails, Black wire to inter rails, and White wire to the frog. I also added feeders to the points for a total of 5 wires per turnout.

After the paint had dried, I installed the track. Since the most tricky part of the track work is the crossover, I started there. I fit the crossover to have a 2" parallel track spacing, and drilled holes in the roadbed for the turnout wires. I then spread a thin even layer of silicon over the road bed and pressed the track into the silicon. I avoided spreading silicon at the throw-bar locations so they would have free play. I used thumb tacks to hold the track in position as things dried. I added track in a similar fashion until it was complete.

The whole process went very quickly and I was able to finish all the track work, after the road bed was down, in abut 2 hours.

Next up are turnout linkages and Tortoise switch machine installation.

Construction Photos

2010-07-06T12:54:00.001-07:00

Track Plan

2010-07-06T12:25:00.001-07:00

This is the track plan.

Siding capacities and car types

Oroweat: 4 cars; Airslide Hoppers

Zero Corp: 2 cars; Box and Gondola

NH Depot: Two cars; Team Track

Terry Lumber: 2 cars; Flatcar, Alldoor Boxcar, Centerbeam Flatcar, Bulkhead Flatcar

The future shelf will include Red Barn Feed, and the Canoga Citrus Association packinghouse

Eventually there will be a 4 track staging yard to the left of the current track plan.

A Redesign

2010-07-06T06:46:00.000-07:00

I have been at a stand still for a while and decided to redesign the Burbank branch. The new design is not a prototypically accurate portrayal of the line but does include more of the industries and will give a general feel for the line.

I'm now using an adaptation of David Barrow's Domino benchwork. I tried using 2" foam for benchwork, but found that it was very uneven and the track and road bed required too much shimming to get a level path. I'm still following the Free-Mo standard.

The track plan was adapted from Byron Henderson's San Jose Switcher plan. I had built an N scale version of this layout a few years ago and loved it. It is now the basis for the new 2X13 foot HO Burbank branch.

The industries and features that will be included are Zero Corp, Oroweat, Victory Blvd. crossing, North Hollywood depot, Terry Lumber, Red Barn Feed, and the Canoga Citrus Association Packinghouse.

I will be posting a layout drawing and photos soon.

Scale Conversion Chart

2009-04-30T07:31:00.000-07:00

Here are the percentages I use when converting between common model railroad scales:

O to S = 75%

O to HO= 55.2%

O to N= 30%

S to O= 133%

S to HO= 73.6%

S to N= 40%

HO to O= 181.3%

HO to S= 136%

HO to N= 54.4%

N to O= 333.3%

N to S= 250%

N to HO= 184%

Turnout Construction Lessons

2009-04-16T14:31:00.000-07:00

Building my first 3 CVTs was a learning experience to say the least. I have a few tips that really made thing fall together more easily once I figured them out.

Use track gauges to hold the rail in alignment as you solder and use the NMRA track gauge to check clearances as you go.

When bending the diverging stock rail there are 3 locations that are key to a good fit.

1. Kink the rail slightly just before the throw bar to get it going in the diverging direction.

2. After the kink the rail stays straight through the length of the points.

3. Begin the curve of the diverging route just after the point.

When it came time to solder the points to the throw bar I did not want to take a chance of soldering the throw bar to the stock rails as well. To prevent this, I wrap both stock rails with tape in the throw bar area before soldering. (photo only shows one rail taped for clarity)

I align the pints in the main route position, then put a PC tie between the diverging point and stock rail. This will give the right gap for the flange-way. Solder the points to the throw bar.

These were the biggest lessons I learned from my experience building the CVTs.

Central Valley Turnout Refinements

2009-04-16T13:26:00.000-07:00

After my first attempts building Central Valley Turnouts, as documented earlier in the blog, I was a bit disappointed both in my work and some of the kit components.

The major problem I was having was with the points of the turnout. I liked the stock pivot and the points supplied in the kit but the method the kit used to attach the points to the throw bar left a bit to be desired. I tried to use a PC tie as the throw bar, soldering the kit points to it, and using the stock pivot in the plastic tie strip. After several attempts I could not seem to get a good solder joint between the points and the PC tie.

I let the project sit for a while until I could come up with a better solution. The solution came two weeks ago when I found Joe Fugate's blog on building CVTs; I had found my answer. I have included a link to his blog in my Model Railroading Links sidebar. (Note: I still build my frogs as I did in my previous posts.)

He uses a combination of CVT tie strips, PC ties, and Fast tacks filing jigs. I did not invest in the filing jig but can see where it would be handy to have if building many turnouts of the same size.

I have now built the 3 turnouts (#6, #7, #9) needed for the main line of my module set, and could not be happier with the strong and functional results. Now work can begin on getting the main line in place.

Zero Manufacturing Module Mock-Up

2008-11-14T12:43:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-04T04:27:00.000-08:00

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

2008-10-27T12:23:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-27T11:45:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-27T09:29:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-27T08:51:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-08T10:24:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-28T07:53:00.000-07:00

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

2008-01-13T09:25:00.002-08:00

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!