Bridges and Upper Level

Progress continues! Yesterday I added the wooden bridge and tacked down much of the track on the upper level. The track on the wooden bridge proved to be a bit of a problem since it was bowing up and there wasn't enough structure to pin it down. So I grabbed a 1" square piece of hardboard, held it underneath the bridge deck, and pinned the track into that. So far it's held really well, and you can't see that piece at all unless you were somehow standing underneath the 2" high bridge.

I wired in a feeder on the upper level so that it would have sufficient juice, and to give power to the siding which I'm leaving unbuilt for now while I think about that area of the layout. I then started looking at the bridge on the right side of the layout, where the connection to the imagined rest of the world leads off to the edge of the baseboard, and discovered that my bridge as assembled would not give nearly enough clearance to trains below. So I got out my clippers and took off the sides, gluing them on to a spare piece of roadbed that came with the kit. Once it's painted up I think it will look good enough, although I had to lose the detail of the bracing under the bridge. Well you couldn't see that anyway.

Also wired up all three feeders under the layout and connected it to the control box. Ran a train around and no problems so far! I also added a new siding on the left edge of the layout and started to put together some of the Japanese railroad buildings I've had primed but sitting around for some time now.

Progress and New Track Layout

After laying down most of the ground-level track, I realized that the yard area did not resemble a prototypical mainline, in that trains passing through were forced to go through a tight curve and had to pass by a spur. So I pulled up a lot of track, rearranged it, and put together a new layout. I had to custom cut one length of track, something I've never done before and which took a lot of tool work to get right. Everything is tacked again and it runs well enough. Trains can now run the main line loop without any tight corners, there is a storage siding and/or alternate route, and the yard is still there. I lost the extra feeder line but since I will have one at the junction to the ramp, it wasn't really needed.

Also put together the ramp leading up to the upper level, and the first platform of that level. I traced the ramp track plan on to a new sheet of hardboard and cut it with a hand jigsaw. Blocks of wood are supporting it at intervals, which I cut to size then sanded down and glued into place, checking the height of the board against what my XTrkCAD plan said it ought to be. So far, so good. Now to pick up three right-hand turnouts to finish the upper level track and add a new siding on the far left.

Oh I also trimmed back the hardboard on the front of the layout, leaving a curve to accommodate where the track protrudes out past the size of the frame. I'll see about facing this with some hardboard in the future to give the front of the layout a finished look.

Pinning Track and Cat Attack

Started pinning down the track. First I wired up the feeder locations; one at the lower left to feed the yard and mainline, one on the right to help the mainline and feed the siding that extends into the middle, and an extra one on the turnout that will lead to the ramp. That last one is not really required but I wanted to make sure that trains heading up the grade will have enough juice to make it. I bought a small bag of pins for £1.50 but the hobby store clerk recommended that I use a soft board to pin them in to. I looked online but could not find a good nearby supplier of what they recommend: Sundela, which looks like a great product but not one I could get a hold of.

So I went ahead and tried hammering the pins, and by holding the shaft with a pair of very small pliers I was usually able to hammer them in to the hardboard. They do protrude out the underside of the baseboard but I will bend back the points once I'm sure I'm not going to pull them up to fix them. I went and did the main loop, and managed to get all the pieces more or less in line with one another. There are a few small gaps near the back but nothing that should cause trouble. The far curve ends up perilously close to the edge of the board; if I didn't have to leave a gap there because of the molding on the wall I think trains would be hitting it.

I hooked up the main feeder only and ran the train around a few times. No problems except that while stopped on the far straightaway the couplers seem to have come detached. There might be a bit of a grade there, although I propped up the table legs and checked the surface with a level. Otherwise I think I am good to go to pin down the yard and the central siding. After that is done, next is putting together the ramp and the upper level.

Our younger cat, Ness, is really interested in yet terrified by the train. This is the first time she's seen it move. She attacked one of the cars while the train was stopped, and I think the baseboard acted like a drumhead, because it flew into the air and ended up behind a couch. I think I'll have to keep my eye on this one during future running sessions.

New Start

After finally getting a visa to the UK, I am back and ready to get down to work on the layout. I ended up going with a modified version of the layout plan. The point-to-point was just too much vertical work for a novice like me. So we have a loop and an elevated mainline connection. I've tried as much as possible to break up the oval shape of the loop, and I think it looks quite dynamic for the space I can work with.

Hardboard base is nailed down, total size is about 4' by 3'.

Update but little Progress

For the time being I'm not sure where I will be living in the fall, so work on the physical layout has stopped for now. I have had some time to think over the layout, however, and assuming that wherever I end up building the Taihoku 1937 layout I have a similar amount of space, I've revised the plan to the following:

It now incorporates a great number of sidings, as well as a reverse loop that makes use of the wooden bridge. I'm not sure if there will still be a river running through the middle; it depends on how it looks when I mock it up.

Also in the meantime, I've returned to Blender to try modelling more structures and scenery from the era. I plan on updating the older models, and attempting to create the main, pre-1937 station in Taihoku.

Greenmax No. 12 Railway Signal Box

Nice, simple little building. The base will get some weathering treatment and more small details in the future. I decided to paint it "faded green" rather than the flat brown that's used in most images. This looks more "railway" to me somehow.

More on these structures: JNS Forum

Layout Table Progress

Added the legs to the basic frame today. I went with a very cheap set of tools, and at least where the screwdriver is concerned, it was not worth it as the head has stripped after only a couple dozen screws. Below you can see my hand saw and drill; the drill is fine, but it's impossible to make any kind of straight cut with the hand saw, at least not without some kind of cutting jig.

The legs are bolted on, and it took me a couple tries to figure out how to line up the holes correctly but I finally happened on a method that worked perfectly. I will add some cross braces to the legs, as well as a temporary shelf for storage below that will sit on the cross braces.


The yard extension is assembled but not yet bolted on. I think I will need some support for it since the bolts will not be enough to hold it securely to the rest of the layout. For now the framework is serving as a worktable and storage space for my Dreadfleet set!