Waukesha Sub update: Cutting Sub Roadbed

Posted on January 10, 2021 by gordy87

The postie hasn’t brought everything I had hoped to have in stock for this weekends work but we did have a few deliveries. One of those items was some XPS foam. UK modelers know how difficult it is to get this material in the UK let alone here in Orkney. There are some suppliers in southern England but its not available locally in Northern Scotland.

Over the Christmas period I found some XPS foam available from Amazon. Its only available in 6-10-20mm thickness and 1220x600mm boards. So useful for N maybe but probably not the 50mm thickness sought by large scales. You can buy it here

So obviously we need to cut each board down to to 300mm width. The boards were marked down the center and then cut with a hot knife. My number 2 assistant supervised this job.

When cutting foam make sure the area is well ventilated as you are effectively melting plastic, so there are some toxic fumes. Of course you could use a normal knife but its alot quicker and easier to use a hot knife.

Once the boards were cut down some had to be trimmed to fit my 1600 and 1200mm MDF models they will be glued to. I used a hot wire cutter for this and a straight edge it makes a much neater cut that the hot knife but it can only cut within 100mm of the edge of each board.

I think its looking quite smart in here now. There is a long way to go and plenty of electrical wiring to fit so these are not getting glued down just yet. Having them cut and fitted though does mean I can mark out for the roadbed, whilst I wait for more materials to arrive.

The layout is small by some standards but being N scale there is alot of material needed to complete the layout and the current shipping delays and shortages of some key components such as Code 55 track likely mean that progress on the waukesha sub will be quite sporadic.

We may even end up doing scenery with no track down if some doesn’t become available soon.

Well next job is to fit some backscene and deck two supports to the area above the workshop so we don’t need to get to that area again. Fitting those will mean the layout comes apart so watch out for that in tomorrow’s update.

Every layout needs a skirt!!

Posted on January 7, 2021 by gordy87

The waukesha sub may well be very young at this point. In fact less than a month old, however, its not hidden away in the basement its in a room on the main level of our home.

Just like the Zoom zone when working from home (keeping the area seen behind you when on webcam video). The layout area needs to be kept clean incase the door to the layout room is open.

There are many ways to finish the underside of your layout, some people add bookshelves, some clad in T&G and some make a layout skirt.

In the long term my layout will have a skirt mounted on shower curtain clips running on PVC pipe but this won’t be added just yet. A temporary solution is needed, so let us meet the very affordable roll of black cotton. Attached with push pins, the black fabric hides the materials stored for future phases of layout construction and keeps the layout room tidy.

Hopefully by the time you read this post, the nice postie has brought me more supplies so we progress with layout construction. So stay tuned.

Wiring between modules

Posted on January 6, 2021 by gordy87

The waukesha sub is built in 1200mm or 1600mm by 300mm modules that can all come apart. You know just in case.

Whilst I waited for more materials, all I had in stock that I could get done was fit connecting wires. These are for LEDs and are rated at 300v at 3A which is plenty for the DCC Bus that will have boosters and cut outs on each module. They have locating pins to ensure polarity and screw together so shouldn’t work loose.

Just a quick job each one goes into a screw terminal, the DCC bus wires will go into the other side of each terminal.

Tip: its always tempting to get the benchwork top on and start working things out but adding in wiring looms now when you can get to them without climbing under your layout is a must. So don’t rush and get the foundations in first, just like building a house.

Wisconsin Southern Progress

Posted on January 5, 2021 by gordy87

The first part of my layout that I started with was the WSOR northern sub. There were a few reasons for this not least that I could get it started whilst I waited for materials for the waukesha sub and that it was small enough to get up and running quickly.

So far deck 1&2 have track installed and are operating ready for the final deck and scenery to commence.

The lower deck is Oshkosh WI with the yard on the left and then the industrial areas going away from that point to the end of the lower level.

The other visible deck is the middle deck and represents Fisk WI and Pickett WI between Oshkosh and Ripon.

The final deck above what can be seen today will represent Horicon Yard the divison point for the Northern WSOR Division. Trains here will be made up to serve the Oshkosh sub and also to run onto the Waukesha Sub Divison part of the layout to serve places south. There is room to add the Markesan Sub Divison at a later date above the Horicon Yard making this part of the layout 4 decks.

Waukesha Sub Divison Benchwork Gallery

Posted on January 4, 2021 by gordy87

The Benchwork for the lower deck of the Waukesha Sub is constructed from MDF frames mounted on 2×1 legs. It sits approx 55″ from the floor.

Its so high for two reasons, first I wanted my workbenches below and secondly at 6ft tall I dont want to destroy my back working on the railroad.

Above the MDF frame will be added 20mm of foam topped with Cork and foam road bed. The legs will be hidden by a curtain of black fabric and finished with Plywood fascias after the scenery is constructed.

The Waukesha Sub Division in N Scale Lives!

Posted on January 3, 2021 by gordy87

Having now moved into our new home in March 2020, construction of my new layout commenced in July of 2020. The construction of the Northern Divison of the Wisconsin Southern came first and there are now two levels of trackwork down with turnout motors and block detection. The third and final level of that section of the layout will be installed in 2021. That will connect to the Waukesha Sub Division deck 1, the construction of which started over the Christmas New Year Period of 2020/2021.

The Prototype

The Waukesha Sub Division is part of the Canadian National Railway (CN) in South Eastern Wisconsin. The route is over 150 miles long starting in Chicago and ending in Fond-Du-Lac Wisconsin. It sees over 40 trains per day, incorporates the steepest grade in Wisconsin, Byron Hill. Byron Hill is a 0.9% Grade south of Fond-Du-Lac that was double tracked following the take over of the Wisconsin Central (WC) by CN.

It also incoporates a section of trackage rights for the Wisconsin Southern (WSOR) a WATCO owned shortline in South Eastern Wisconsin. This gives the WSOR acces to its Northern and Southern Division. There is a daily transfer run in both directions to connect these two divisions. The trackage rights extends from Slinger WI at milepost 122.6 and runs south to Grand Avenue, Waukesha at milepost 97.2.

There is a further interchange with the WSOR at Ackerville WI which also allows the CN to access their trackage around Milwaukee exercising their trackage rights over the WSOR Milwaukee Sub Division.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waukesha_Subdivision

What are we modelling?

With the inclusion of the Northern Sub Division of the WSOR in the same layout room as the Waukesha Sub Divison it makes sense that we include part of the sub divison with WSOR trackage rights.

Deck one will include Ackerville, Rugby Junction and Waukesha Yard. Waukesha yard will be on scene staging, however hidden staging may be added at a later date.

Trains from the WSOR will arrive on the Wauksha sub behind the Helix between Deck 1 & 2 at Ackerville. This allows trains to run over a removeable section from the WSOR Northern Sub Division yard at Horicon. The Milwaukee Sub Division of the WSOR will be included as far as Rugby Junction.

Waukesha will have a 7 track staging yard with a loco servicing facility. None of these exisited in real life. the yard at Waukesha being 5 tracks and in modern times the yard is gone and just one spur in front of the old depot remains. However this is staging and will enable us to change consists on trains and also add pushers for deck 2. Just beyond the southern end of the Waukesha Yard is Grand Avenue. The WSOR trains will take the Grand Avenue junction and will connect onto the Milwaukee Sub at Rugby Junction. Effectively reversing all WSOR trains to return to Horicon. The Milwaukee Sub division will come under the WSOR dispatcher who is also in control of the whole of the Northern WSOR Division including Horicon Yard and the Oshkosh Sub Division.

Deck 2 will be accessed from a Helix hidden inside the penisula, which could be the home of future hidden staging. Deck 2 is a very simple track plan that represents a section of Byron Hill. Whilst the deck will not be on a grade trains will leave Waukesha and need to navigate the Helix from Deck 1 to 2. Pushers will be used as per the prototype, but as the route is double tracked it will be easy for meets etc and may be broken into blocks to enable the Dispatcher to have multiple Northbound trains but the pushers will always be a choke on Southbound trains with the exception of the local which doesn’t use pushers.

Track Plans

Deck 1 Waukesha to Ackerville

Deck 2 Byron Hill

Wisconsin Southern Northern Division

The Wisconsin Southern Sub Division is in the lower left hand corner of the layout room. It is lower than the CN Waukesha Sub so that shortern operators can use it. The track is also KATO unitrack so its pretty indestructable for younger paws. Deck 1 & 2 are installed but the Horicon Yard is to be added and connected to the CN Waukesha Sub Division. Note deck 3 of the WSOR is at the same height about the ground as deck 1 of the CN Waukesha Sub.