About the Layout
Shortly after our group formally organized, we found a small space in a local shopping center basement that provided us with a workshop to continue building sections. Although we finally had a real home for our group, we decided to keep the layout portable. There were several reasons for this decision. First, our new space did not lend itself to having open houses, yet we knew we wanted to continue being able to display our effort at the local train shows. Second, we considered this new home to be temporary at best and wanted the ability to easily move the layout when the time came to move again. Third, and probably most important, the idea of building a portable layout intrigued us. Not too many people had really tried this before and the idea of building a detailed "permanent-looking" sectional layout seemed to be an interesting challenge.
Modular and portable railroading are two topics in the hobby that have been attracting an increasing amount of interest over the last several years. In our increasingly transient society, modelers are looking for a way to build and operate layouts, yet eliminate the fear of one day having to tear down the layout because of a move. Although modular railroading is a familiar concept, portable, or sectional railroading is still a new concept to many modelers. What is it and why bother?
How many of us have started building a layout, gotten to a point where we are satisfied with it and then had to face tearing it down due to a loss of space? Most of us, I'm sure! Most clubs can relate to this experience. Suppose you could have taken that same layout apart and easily transported it to a new location? Does that idea put a smile on your face? And if you knew that in advance, would you maybe have put that extra effort into making that layout your dream layout? Well, these are just some of the benefits of a portable layout.
One significant difference between our portable layout and a modular system is that the club owns the whole layout, not the members. Essentially, it is our club layout built as one "permanent" layout, then cut into sections to enable us to move it easily from location to location. This has proven worthwhile as we are now in our fourth club location since the start of the group, and are still working on the same layout.
Once we decided to continue this project and turn our scenic module into a portable layout, we had some decisions to make: We set up some guidelines which helped keep our goals in line. Scenery was our main interest. Trains would roll eventually, we knew that. But we wanted the layout to look great, so that was where we put our emphasis. We didn't want the scenery to look choppy; it should flow from section to section. We wanted it to look like one permanent layout when setup with no noticeable seams between the sections. But first we had to make the layout strong yet easy to move.
We were venturing into an area that had not been discussed much in the model press, so we had many decisions to make regarding the construction of the layout. The benchwork should be strong in order to withstand the abuse of transporting it from show to show, yet easy to assemble and disassemble at each show. The overall philosophy here was "keep it simple, stupid." We decided to stick with what we started with; straight forward 1" x 4" grid-work with 1/2" plywood roadbed. All wood joints were glued and screwed for maximum strength. Corner sections are the same 2' x 6' size, but with the corners cut in to angle the section 45°.
The stands for each section are designed to be easily broken down into four pieces; two leg units and two spreaders. Each leg unit consists of two legs made from 2"x 3" pine which are spaced 18" apart with 1" x 4" braces, one at the top and one 6" from the bottom. Two spreaders, also made from 2" x 3" pine, spread the leg units 36" apart. The stand is assembled using four 3/8”x 20 bolts and "T" nuts. A wireless drill with a nut-driver bit speeds up assembly time. We normally leave these stands assembled for transport, but should the need arise, they are easy to collapse to conserve space while in transit. Assembly of each stand takes approximately one minute and is extremely simple, yet the resulting stand is extremely strong.
The leveling of the layout is also a simple matter. At the bottom of each leg we drilled a 3/8" hole approximately 2" deep. This was done to accept a 3/8" hex-head bolt. Approximately 1" from the bottom of the leg we drilled a 11/2" hole through the face of the leg and installed a "T" nut. The leveling pads themselves were made by welding a 2"-square piece of 1/4" steel plate to the head of a 3/8" x 20 hex-head bolt. The leveling pads are then screwed into the "T" nut. These are easily adjusted at shows by the use of an open-end wrench.
Each stand has a pair of custom-made metal clamps located on the top 1"x4" brace, which is designed to receive the grids of the section resting on it. These clamps have guide slots cut into them, allowing the members to place the section onto the stand, then gently press down onto the stand. Dowels located in the grids of the section allow the guides to automatically align the section to the stand. The pressure of these clamps holds the section firmly to the stand. Sections are bolted to each other again using the 3/8" x 20 bolts and "T" nuts, each end receiving two bolts and then aligned by eye while tightening. Masonite backdrops are then bolted to the rear of each section.
To light the layout at shows, we carry light stands which bolt to the rear of each section. These stands are made of two pieces of wood, holding a modified clamp-on lamp above the front of the layout. We use 150-watt bulbs to light the layout, which has proven to be beneficial since many of the show locations are dimly lit. This additional lighting enhances the layout's appearance tremendously.
To finish off the layout, the front edge of the layout and the exposed pieces of wood making up the light stands are stained and varnished to enhance the layout's overall appearance.
We used cork roadbed throughout, with the exception of the yard area. Here, we laid the yard trackage directly on Homasote, with the main-line tracks passing in front of it elevated on the cork. This gives the mainline a well-groomed, elevated appearance in relation to the rest of the yard area. Trackwork on the mainline is all Code 83 flex and Micro-Engineering Code 83 Turnouts. Minimum radius on the mainline is 26" and turnouts on the main are all #6. The yard and industrial areas are a combination of Code 83 and Code 70 trackage with Shinohara #4 turnouts.
Wiring was kept as simple as possible. While the layout was originally wired for standard DC block control, we converted to Digitrax DCC several years ago. This allows for true independent control of trains. We also installed a wireless receiver, allowing members who own wireless controllers to walk around the outside of the layout with their trains, talk to spectators and control the trains while not being concerned with tangled cords.
The interlockings at either end of the yard, as well as the turnouts in the yard are all powered with slow motion machines. These are controlled from small panels located around the layout.
Our scenery consists of just about every technique known. If it existed, we tried it! There are lots of great methods, and each one has its advantages. We settled on using Blue Board foam, the same type used in home construction, for our scenery base. This is glued in place with standard white glue and allowed to dry. When dry, the foam is cut, chipped and filed into the shape of the terrain being modeled. After the general shape of the terrain is achieved, we cover it with a layer or two of Hydrocal-soaked paper towels. This provides a stronger base onto which we can apply the ground cover and detail items. The Hydrocal is painted with earth-tone latex paints, after which generous applications of real dirt is sprinkled on top of the wet paint. Once a thick application of dirt is applied, the area is sprayed with "wet" water. This provides a traveling medium for the 50/50 white-glue or matte-medium fixative. After spraying the area with the wet water, generous applications of Woodlands Scenics ground foams are applied.
We usually start with a base color and texture, and highlight from there to achieve a certain effect. Each application is lightly sprayed with wet water to temporarily fix it in place and to again provide a traveling medium for the fixative through the various layers of ground cover. After the last layer of ground cover, the area is generally sprayed with dilute matte medium.
After the area has had a chance to dry, at least overnight, a second and maybe third application of ground cover is applied, varying the colors and grades of textures. This provides the same "unevenness" mother nature tends to "model."
Most structures on the layout are either scratch built or kit bashed to suit a specific location. This is particularly true in the city, where close tolerances were carefully built in. All buildings are subtly weathered to blend into the surrounding scenery. When finished, buildings are glued into place on the layout and scenery and details are placed up to the building to help blend it into the scene.
Details play a vital role in any model scene, and our layout is no exception. Since each section is small, we needed to create the illusion that they are larger. Many "mini-scenes" are located throughout the layout to attract the viewer in close, thus giving the layout a busy look. These scenes also help to bring life to the layout. We have a lot of fun coming up with ideas for scenes and then trying to carry them out. Besides the challenge, developing the ideas also makes for a lot of laughs. I can still hear the laughter the night we decided to hold a funeral in Lycoming! When we started the addition to the city, we decided to put a typical comer bar in, and of course, someone asked what kind of details we should put around the bar. "Lots of drunks, maybe a fight. No - how about a guy get-ting sick!" Well, you can see how these ideas get silly and add a lot of fun.
We made backdrops out of 1/4" masonite. They were then painted a sky-blue color and the background area either painted on or a photo-collage put in place for buildings or specific scenic elements we wanted included that could not be easily painted on.
We decided on a layout size of 20' x 14', made up of ten 2' x 6' sections forming a loop. We sat down and roughly planned the entire layout, which would eventually consist of ten sections. We listed the features we wanted to include, such as a yard, a continuation of the city area and a heavy industrial area with a branch feeding it out of the yard. Although the track plan consists mainly of a double-tracked loop, we wanted to incorporate some limited operation to keep ourselves occupied at shows, and to also demonstrate to the public what railroads do.
We also decided that we would continue building these sections one at a time, as this allowed us to concentrate our efforts into a small area, permitting us to pay attention to small details without feeling overwhelmed. We attended more train shows and met more modelers. As the layout grew, moving it from show to show provided us with quite a challenge, but as each show came and went, we refined our methods of transporting and setting up the layout. When we started, each section had its own self-contained crate. This idea was successful enough, but after the fourth section was built, it seemed that the crates were getting heavier and heavier. After a while, we settled on a "rack" system where three or four sections were bolted to plywood ends forming a rack with handles on each end and casters on the bottom. This allows two members to easily move three to four sections at a time with minimal effort.
Because of the way the layout comes apart, between setups and shows we have a lot of loose hardware and materials to move in addition to the layout itself. To simplify moving all these loose items, we built a large crate, which is compartmentalized and on casters. We keep all the loose nuts and bolts, track sections, rail joiners, small tools, etc., in a removable tray. All of the light stands are kept in one compartment while associated electrical wiring, extension cords, etc., are kept in another compartment. We have a large apron which is tacked to the front of the layout during shows to enhance the appearance of the layout. This, along with our banner, signs, all the tools needed to assemble the display are also shipped in this crate. Although setup and takedown at shows is a lot of work, we feel we have stream-lined our methods to make it as easy as it can be. Altogether, setup takes us approximately 1 - 2 hours from start to finish.