Before and after plans?

Hi Mike - I always look forward to your articles, and really enjoyed reading about your changes here.  I'm a little confused, though, about the overall scope in view here.  Would you have a "before an after" plan you could please share to illustrate your updates?

Wonderful tale ...

... have 'been there, done that' many, many times (admittedly on a MUCH smaller scale).  It is important that folks understand that model railroads 'evolve' (much as the real ones do) and that it is ok to tear out and rebuild if the situation warrants.  Thanks for sharing, it was an excellent write-up and fun to read.  

tools...

What did you mean exactly by a "vibrating saw" I have a large and varied collection of tools for my business but this one was hard to see in that picture. It looked like something from Milwaukee but I'm not sure.

I too am fond of real glue guns, having a variable temperature one that U line sells. Mine will run all day.  I would also point out that all glue sticks are not created equal and it's well worth either sticking to the one recommended by the manufacturer, or testing carefully. Melt viscosities really vary.  Cheaper guns are simply not worth it in the long ( and even  short) run. 

Your project is something I really want to show to my sweetie so she can see how good she actually has it.  

Thanks!

Pete VanderLaan

Good for you to rebuild what

Good for you to rebuild what you didn't like. One thing I do have to comment on as I am a electrician. I see the layout and backdrop obstruct the electrical panel somewhat. National Electric Code states you can't have anything 3 feet around a electrical panel. Just a thought if you have to get to a breaker in a hurry.

Taking To A New Level

As my Grandfather would say,"If you want a Great cake, you gotta break a few eggs!!"

Truly a Bold Move!

Having dismantled/rebuilt several previous layouts myself, reading your article was a painful personal reminder of my own previous misadventures.  But, "do it right the first time" just doesn't apply to a hobby in which we learn new skills, methods, etc. over a period of many years.  Such a massive rebuild project -- I admire you for having the guts to undertake something like that.  

Actually, I just finished rebuilding the center peninsula on my own spare bedroom layout about a month ago (a much, much smaller project than yours), which I did for basically the same reasons that impelled you -- to "correct" my previous track plan so that I'll have better access to track and to be able to stay with a train through its entire, and slightly longer) mainline run.  I hated it that I seemed to make no forward progress on the layout -- no new structures, no new scenery, no work on my rolling stock, etc. -- for about 3 months while doing this.  (I have too  many other interests, so that's how long it took me, even though my whole layout is theoretically totally portable (hollow core doors on simple sawhorses.) 

But, now that I'm finally done, and here's my main point, I like the new version a WHOLE lot better than the old one, and  I'm rather suddenly wanting to spend a lot more time working on it.  I'm sure you feel the same way.  A whole lot of work, but the payoff is significantly more satisfaction with the layout, significantly more fun from my hobby.  FWIW, my new and former track plans, plus a few pics, are at http://www.sandysacerr.com. 

Sandy Eustis

Sandy Eustis

bridging the doorway

A great article and I look forward to the next installment.

But the picture showing the crossing of the doorway gap with the square metal material solved a nagging problem that has been gnawing at me for a couple of years.  Thank you,Mike, for the visual "click" that gave me the answer!

Loyd Enochs

Great insight once again Mike

Vibrating saw

Pete:

Thanks for the nice comments!

The saw I use is this one:  http://www.harborfreight.com/power-tools/oscillating-tools/oscillating-multifunction-power-tool-60428.html

It's incredibly inexpensive, works well, and at that price is virtually disposable.   And by the way, I fully agree on glue sticks.   The high-temp sticks with the Pam Tite are not useful for foam scenery construction (see: NEXT article!) as it simply melts a path right into the foam!  And the lower temp sticks from Home Depot, etc. vary quite a bit from brand to brand.  One brand seems to work well, another might be very "stringy", etc.   Your mileage may vary. 

-Mike R

Electrical Panel Access

I may not have included a photo that shows that I have complete and easy access to the panels and breakers, but it's not an issue.  If I ever needed to do something drastic, like replace a sub-panel or add one, that curved section is fully removable, so no worries.

-Mike

Before and After Plans

Joe:

You can view a version of my track plan before I added the whole Mehoopany/Meshoppen peninsula here:

http://www.pbase.com/mikerose/image/55688244

A few notes on what you'll see:

1.  Orientation of the plan is the same as what was in the article.  In fact, I think I used the same drawing and just whited out what was not pertinent then put the new track in red.

2.  Waverly Yard is where Grainzilla now lives, currently called Monroeton, PA.

3.  Hammill Yard is what was removed to create Towanda.

4.  Vosburg is what was removed to create the towns of Laceyville & Wyalusing.

5.  "T3 to T4" is now single track. 

6.  The town of Green's Landing is now located where the double track bridge shown to the right of T3 is.

7.  The area on the right where you'll see "Teldar Paper" has now been raised and is the town of Athens, PA. 

If you look at the plan published with the article as compared to this one you'll see the blob of track where the Mehoopany/Meshoppen peninsula was created.   The old track plan was such a mess that I'd decided not to publish it, too confusing!  But have at it and if you have any questions about it feel free to ask.  Many non-obvious things about that old plan for sure.

-Mike R

Mike  Very interesting

Mike

Very interesting series. It takes a lot of courage to rip down years of work, but that is progress. It is nice when you have a choice though. I will have to try one of those "hot glue" guns. I have a couple of the cheap ones and was never really happy with the strength of the connections. OK for scenery, but not great for anything structural. I would guess a lot of model RRs violate the 3 foot rule. Access is paramount, but I am not sure 3 feet is necessary

Ray. 

tools tools tools...

At a price like that you have to ask yourself what it must be like to try to make a living producing tools at half that price so they can be resold at a profit. I live no where near a HF store and it has to be mail order. Failure rates on their tools have made me leery of them but I greatly appreciate the tip. I'll look locally at a big box place to see what's out there in a better grade. I am spoiled by having a basement filled with Rockwell tools- all metal casing that my father in law ran forever. Rockwell never made a tool like this sadly. I have used something perhaps like it from Makita that had a shovel like blade. It was not cheap though it sure worked in corners. We recently broke down and bought a Dremel saw that has a sidewheel disk placement for cutting metal or wood in very tight quarters. I'm totally abusing it trying to remove material on the roof of the barn but it gets into spots nothing else short of a termite is going to do. If you run into it, don't bother with the wood blade, get the all purpose metal ones. 

Thanks again. 

Pete VanderLaan

safety

wonderful article, learned a few things. would love to see you replace that plastic dryer vent hose with a metal type.

dryer vent fires are major numbers in the US, clean the pipes and inside the dryer annually also.

Rockwell Sonicrafter

Pete - I hope I am not interpreting your Rockwell comment wrong, but Rockwell has been selling an oscillating saw for years.  I first saw them on late night night infommercials and boy were they pricey.  Never mentioned a price in the ad - just "call now for ordering information." So you know they cost a ton.  Now that their patent ran out everyone is making them from Dremel on.

Dryer hose

Just a quick word--my clothes dryer is of course vented with metal pipe.      That hose you see vents my old Badger spray booth just a few feet to the outside wall and has worked just fine for that purpose.  

-Mike

tools tools tools

Pete:

I have to say that I have beaten my Harbor Freight vibrating tool to death, or at least tried to, but it insists on working properly.    

That said, I have no doubt that a better one from a major brand is likely to give longer service life.  My only point is that at that price it's basically disposable, which kind of goes against everything I stand for!   I'd much prefer to buy something high quality and keep it forever.   I have Milwaukee power tools that are 30 years old and like-new, I fully expect my son to someday pass them along to HIS child.  

The original vibrating tool was, I believe, invented and produced by Fein.   This high-end German tool maker produces absolutely top quality products across the board, and I own some of their items.   A quick Google search yielded this result:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/FEIN-Multimaster-Oscillating-Multi-Tool-Kit-FMM-250-Start-Q/202980163#

It'll be, I'm sure, the last one you ever buy, but then again you could buy literally nearly TEN of the Harbor Freight models for that price.

-Mike

Vibrating SAW

I have to agree with Mike on this tool. I bought the same one from Harbor Freight thinking of using it maybe two or three times and then chuck it, well after three years I am still using for all types of things, it is great !!!

Harbor tools

tools for everybody

I have used one of those tools for removing paint in a corner on multiple  beams  in an old mill and it was great. I only had shovel blades for it and it actually never occurred to me that it's a saw as well. Given the few times I would expect to use it, I think the Harbor Freight ones would work adequately, so thank you. I've been involved with bigger tools lately, putting new knives in a 22 inch Rockwell planer. I was also happy to find my father in law had a Rockwell 3/8th drill fully metal clad with a serial number of 0037. I really dislike hand tightening chucks on the new portable drills. They just don't stay tight when you lean on them. . The genuine old Rockwell stuff is such treasure for me and that's true of the old Milwaukee stuff as well with the exception of the cords and switches on some tooling. The motors are indestructible and can break your wrist.  

" a Rockwell 3/8th drill fully metal clad "

If you are going to play with that old stuff make sure you check out the wiring and your ground system as I've gotten some mighty shocks from picking them up on wet concrete....DaveB

Old Stuff?

I would take tools from pre 1970 to any made today in that genre. Rockwell was fabulous before it was sold to Delta and went on a bargain binge. While I can appreciate the concern over picking up a tool without double insulation but I have yet to be shocked by one  and the tools actually do their jobs. I still have my Milwaukee 1/2 inch drill from 1972 and it's my go to drill when I need a hole in ugly stuff. The train never takes the big tools but I do need them for the way I earn a living.  Harbor freight is not my go to spot.but I did order the vibrating thing today.