Updates on the 4th Subdivision

Despite dropping the ball on posting to the blog during the past several months, I have been active in model railroading. The NMRA division to which I belong has divided, a long story I will not go into here, and I have taken on a fairly active role in the formation of a new division: Division 12 of the Mid Central Region. This has frankly taken up a major part of my model railroad writing energy.


During this time, much has been accomplished at Willow Springs on the 4th Subdivision. In a post from August, I listed a series of steps in transition towards a focus on scenery and operations. Most of these steps are now complete. In addition to installing and labeling all the bill boxes, I mounted the Willow Springs control panel and installed the final NCE UTP panel. I suspect that creating some sort of shelf or mini desk, for sorting waybills or writing out switch-lists, is a step I will regret skipping.

Tools laid out for soldering the
rail joiners.

While I am still not quite ready to paint the track, most of the steps to do so are complete. In late October, I soldered the remaining rail joints. I also tacked down any loose track and corrected a loose and miss-aligned curve near the box company spur. A few days after soldering, I went back and scrubbed any soldered areas with denatured alcohol and an old toothbrush. The purpose of doing this is to remove any flux or dirt from the track, which will prevent the paint from adhering. I also started the somewhat tedious process of filling in missing ties. Really with just a few more hours work in the attic replacing ties, the Willow Springs trackwork would be ready to paint.

Landforms Around the Trestle--Part 2

Trestle scene ready for ground cover

The initial landforms around the trestle are now complete other than adding detailed texturing with gravel, soil, ground foam, shrubbery, trees, and water. In this post, I will continue to describe the steps I went through to get to get here from where I left off in a previous post.

Fascia clamped in place

While the land forms were roughed in with cardboard webbing and plaster cloth, they needed another layer before I applied paint or ground cover. Since the basic shapes we're present, I went ahead and cut the fascia panel for the bottom of the "U" seen in the photo. While I was cutting that fascia panel, I also cut the ones to finish off the Willow Springs side of the layout. After clamping the panel in place, I noticed that, in addition to gaps appearing between the scenery and the fascia, the cardboard webbing telegraphs through to the surface much more than I liked.

Materials 

My plan was to make a batch of rock castings, apply a layer of Sculptamold, and then apply the rock castings. I started by spraying the rock mold with wet water and mixing up some Hydrocal plaster. I mixed the plaster in a disposable plastic sour cream cup to avoid rinsing plaster down the drain. Following the AAP protocol (Always Add Plaster) I mixed plaster to the water in the cup until it was the consistency of a milkshake. After I filled the molds, I had a lot of plaster left.

This is where I went off plan. I decided to pour the remainder of the plaster into the river bottom and spread it out. While I was not yet really happy with the way it was smoothing out, the plaster started setting up. I rushed out to our driveway and collected some gravel and small rocks. I pressed some of the rocks and gravel into the plaster, pressed the hardening plaster into the banks with a putty knife, and smoothed out a path for the stream itself.

Back to the original plan. I mixed up some Sculptamold using recent dollar store purchases: a plastic bowl and rubber spatula. Then using a combination of the spatula, a putty knife, and my fingers I applied a layer of the Sculptamold to the hillside. My goal with this application was to hide the webbing contours and the mini-holes from the plaster gauze.

Staining the rock castings

After cleaning up the Sculptamold tools, it was time to release the rocks from the mold. I had read in a Dave Frary scenery book that  he liked to stain the castings while they were still "green" or not completely set up. I mixed a new jar of stain with about half and half 70% alcohol and water with a few drops of India ink. Then I used an orange-brown craft paint and a black acrylic to apply additional washes, wet-on-wet, to the castings. As the rocks dried, I experimented with different placements in the cut approaching the trestle and along the creek banks.

Castings on the cut and real rocks in
the stream bed

To attach the castings, I mixed up a small batch of Sculptamold to use as a cement and as a filler around the rocks. I was trying to have the rock castings appear to surface from the hillside rather than look like they were glued to the surface of the hill. When I get to the future step of applying ground textures, I will also attempt to emphasize that appearance. After this photo was taken, I mixed up more Sculptamold and applied more castings to the stream banks. I also built up some more bank at the backdrop to emphasize the appearance of the the creek curving behind the hill rather than meeting the backdrop directly.

After giving everything a day to dry, I came back and painted the hillsides with my brown base color of latex flat paint. For the stream, I used a latex black and blended the two colors for the stream bank. While I had the paint out, I painted all exposed plywood on the rest of the layout with the base brown color. Also, I attached the fascia panel and painted it with the dark Pullman green color I am using on the layout. With the completion of this layer of landform, the scenery is at a point that the track-work and operations plan can be tested before moving on to add additional textures.

Alco RS-3 and Weathering

When the Bachman Sound Value Alco RS-3 was on sale at Walthers last year I added it to my order. It has been waiting for the 4th Division to be ready for multiple trains, so I opened the box yesterday and tried it out. I used the program track to reset its address to 229 (the loco number) and ran it around a bit. The engine sounds cool and it seems to run okay. It has a bit of a lurch going from 2 mph to 3 mph, but I can try to fine tune that later. The "Sound Value" SoundTraxx decoder doesn't have a lot of extra features, but for now I am not using much beyond lights, bells, and horn anyway. In general, I am pleased with it, particularly considering how reasonable the price was.

Today, after reviewing an MRVP how-to video on diesel weathering with Cody Grivno, I tackled weathering the RS-3 with my Christmas airbrush. Well, I started off badly because the Vallejo White, that I intended to use for the thinned fade coat, does NOT thin with 70% alcohol. It coagulates into white splatter dots instead of a thin transparent white. The Microlux Rail Brown does thin with 70% alcohol, so I switched to using it for both a control, fade coat over the initial splatters and as the dirt along the bottom and the trucks of the locomotive.

Since I had a jar mixed up and loaded into the airbrush, I tackled three unweathered box cars. I grabbed them from staging and sprayed the bottom and ends with the thinned rail brown paint for a dusting effect. After cleaning the airbrush, I continued weathering the boxcars with Bragdon weathering powders and a white colored pencil. I brushed rust and soot colors on the roofs, and rust on metal parts and springs of the trucks. I used the white pencil to duplicate chalk marks on the side of a boxcar. Then I gave a quick coat of Dull Coat over the box cars.

Having regained my confidence, I returned to the RS-3. I mixed up a wash of Model Master Grimy Black and 70% alcohol to brush paint into the louvers and other details. After that had a chance to dry, I also used Bragdon powders on the locomotive. While it is a bit more heavily weathered than I originally planned, it certainly looks less toy-like than it did when it came out of the box yesterday. As a bonus, I now have had a little bit of practice with the airbrush.

Curved Pile Trestle--Part 3

Trial fit of the trestle in place.

The trestle is now complete other than attaching the track and ballasting.

Which bent has castings?

At the last trestle post, I left off with the next part being the "fiddly bit" of placing NBW castings in the bent sway braces. I spent hours doing just one bent. So frustrating. The NBWs would spring out of the tweezers, never to be found. The post had to be just the right length or it wouldn't find the hole or fit in the hole I had drilled for it. The tiny bit of CA would transfer itself to my finger or the tweezer--anywhere but stay on the post that was supposed to slide into the hole. All in all, so tiny and super frustrating. A complete gumption trap. Weeks later I ended up just drawing the nut/washer combinations with a Pigma Micron 05 pen on all the rest of the bents in about a quarter of the time I spent on the one with castings. Once I had weathered the bents with Bragdon "Medium Rust" and "Soot" weathering powders, it was difficult to spot the difference between the actual castings and the drawn ones.

Glueing the bents in place was easy since the location was obvious based on only having the deck planks at the bent locations. The only tricky part was keeping track of which bent went where. I was working upside down and other than the two central bents, each one was a slightly different height.

Only two more sections to go!

With the bents in place and after testing the trestle in place, it was back to the workbench. Glueing the rest of the deck planks was not that difficult or even that tedious. I just filled in the gaps between the few that were already in place over the bents. To allow for the curve I needed to split an occasional plank from corner to opposite corner, placing the wide ends towards the outer or longer side of the curve. I also had miscalculated and had to cut and stain additional deck planks. I easily got into a zone: spreading glue on the stringers, placing several planks, and repeating the process.

NBW castings aren't always awful

After completing the deck, the next step was to deal with the guard timbers. I first cut the 8" X 8" scale strip wood to length, marking and cutting each one to fit along the curve. I made sure to keep the two batches (inner and outer curve) separated as I cut and stained the strip wood. After the stain dried, I glued the timbers in place. I chose to inset from the edge of the planking a bit more than necessary because after ballasting, the outer edges of the deck planks will be all that is actually seen. Also, unlike the bents' NBWs, the NBWs on the guard timbers will be front and center. So, I decided to try again. First of all, I went with a larger casting. Grandt Line #5123, with a 2 1/2" nut and a 6 1/2" washer seemed appropriate, and I had an unopened pack of them. While still on the sprue, I painted the casting with Model Master "Rust." I found a technique that worked much better for me. First I drilled the holes in the timber longer than I thought I would need and with a slightly larger bit in the pin vice.   Then I developed a method of holding and cutting the individual casting off the sprue without it flying off the bench or having the "post" too short. I grabbed the post just below the washer with a bent tweezer in one hand and with my left hand I cut the post off the sprue with the cutter "backwards." Normally with a sprue cutter or flush cutter, one cuts with the flat side towards the "good" piece. However in this case there wasn't enough room, and the flat side of the cutter had to go towards the waste on the sprue. Without removing the casting from the tweezer's grip, I dipped the end of the post into a drop of CA and slid it into a waiting hole in the timber. I only lost or destroyed two or three of the twenty odd NBWs I needed for bolting the guard timbers, and while it was not an easy process, it was not fraught with frustration this time. The addition of NBW castings will be a prominent bit of texture on the completed trestle, so I am glad that I tried again.

Landforms Around the Trestle

The plaster cloth is cold to the touch, so it is not dry yet.

To install the trestle (the last step to finish the track-work) I needed to actually start the scenery by creating the landforms around the trestle. In addition to the creek bed directly under the trestle, I am creating the landforms in the vicinity--hills on either side of the creek and a cut through the hill for the track.

A number of techniques are possibilities for creating 3-D landforms: pink foam insulation board, screen and plaster, geodesic foam scenery, paver sand à la Paul Scoles, rosin paper, or glue shell. I have chosen to use cardboard web and plater cloth, largely because I have a bunch of cardboard around the house--Ikea packaging and the seemingly endless stash of boxes from the move across the country. While it has fallen somewhat out of favor, I will describe the process of this old-school technique.

The first step is to cut 1 inch strips of cardboard using a utility knife and a metal straight edge. Then, the framework for the landform is created by weaving the strips into the desired location. The ends can be attached with a staple gun or hot glue gun. To attach the strips to each other as they are woven together, either an office stapler, hot glue gun, or white glue and clothespins can be used. I used the office stapler and hot glue gun to save time; I also burnt my finger with oozing hot glue.

After the cardboard webbing is satisfactory, the next step is to protect any surrounding parts of the layout from the application of the hardshell. While using plaster cloth is a lot less messy than paper towels dipped in plaster, the potential is still there for plaster drips to cause an unsightly glob where you least want it. I covered the track and cork with blue tape and the backdrop with wax paper. This photo shows the webbing complete and the rest of the layout protected, ready for the application of the plaster cloth.

I had a roll of Woodland Scenics plaster cloth on hand. I picked up a budget kitchen scissors at the dollar store for, wait for it, a dollar, and it has become the dedicated plaster gauze cutter. I cut the pieces at 4-6 inches, and piled up a bunch of them before starting. The application is fairly straight forward. Picking up a rectangle by two corners, it is dipped into water just long enough to wet the surface, held above the bowl or paint tray to drip excess water off, and then it is applied to the cardboard web.


I overlapped the pieces by about a third, and then, smoothed out the plaster with my finger at the overlap to adhere the two pieces together. I also used my finger to smooth the plaster cloth down as it joins the plywood. After the plaster dries, I will double check the trestle in location. I may add a final layer of Sculptamold over the hardshell and a rock casting at the vertical face of the cut seen in this photo.

Transition to Scenery and Operations

Since my last post I have laid the track and wired the West (fold-down) staging track.

Folding staging deployed at the west end of the layout.

Now that all of the track for the initial "U" of the 4th Subdivision is in place and wired, my focus will be shifting to scenery and operations. While all the track is in place, some final testing should be completed and some joints still need soldered.

A major part of the transition from a focus on track laying and wiring to a focus on scenery is the trestle and creek scene. It is the one location where some scenery must be completed before the track-work can be finalized. At the least, the initial landforms must be in place for the trestle with its bents rising out of the landforms to be installed. A later post will discuss the technique I chose to use.

For a final test of the track-work I want to prepare for and conduct a first "operations" session. This will require that I complete a few more steps as well.

First Steps for Scenery:

• River bank and hills/cuts around trestle--initial landforms
• Complete trestle
• Track ready for paint
• Paint any bare plywood

Next Steps for Operations:

• Mount Willow Springs control panel
• Final NCE UTP installed
• Bill boxes and labels in place
• Program locomotive 

Willow Springs Under Way - - Last Spike

Extra 27 Westbound meets 288 at Willow Springs

Over the last week, I finished the track-work at Willow Springs; the mainline, passing track, and the four spur tracks are all complete. I did choose to use code 70 and adjust the ties to emphasize the difference from mainline trackage on the spurs. The fold up staging is the only remaining track and wiring to complete.

Today, I ran trains, including setting out cars at each of the spurs. The Willow Springs bill boxes still need to be installed, and all the boxes need labeled. While the track-work and the turnout controls mostly worked very smoothly, I did notice a short between the Baldwin switcher's glad hand and the "Y" at the bottom of the "U" which needs my attention. I will have to determine whether the turnout or the glad hand is at fault.

Now, I get to make the big transition from track-work and wiring to scenery and operations.

Willow Springs Under Way - - Getting Closer

Mainline and passing siding at Willow Springs

With thunderstorms and intermittent rain interrupting our painting of the house, I have been able to work on the layout. The mainline and passing siding at Willow Springs are complete with all six turnouts wired and tested. I have not soldered all the rail joiners yet though; I want to do a few more test runs first. I used one of the internal switches in each of the Tortoises to power its frog, and by the final install, I had the process (described in a previous post) down. I have to say that if I contemplate expanding the layout, I definitely should plan on laying and wiring the track before mounting the section in place. Having the flexibility to work with the section on its side on sawhorses would be so much easier than crawling under to work overhead.

Installing the turnout controls

To control the turnouts, I am using Touch Toggles mounted to a track diagram. In addition to the Touch Toggles and Base Unit, I purchased DC Power Extension Cables and a Wye to run a turnout bus from the original East Staging control panel. Wiring the controls couldn't be simpler. I used bell wire soldered to the #1 and #8 pads on the Tortoise and then ran it to the Direct Base attached to the fascia. As I want the normal position on a main track switch to be for the main, I set up that position to be green on the Touch Toggle LED. It was easy to switch the wires at the blue screw terminals to be consistent with that scheme (if I even needed to change them). In the photo the turnout controls are all wired and the angled supports for the inexpensive frame are glued in place. I have since taped the toggles in place behind the diagram and clamped the frame in place, but I have not permanently mounted it yet. I want to try it out for a bit and pick up black pan head screws and paint the plywood supports before the final install of the frame.

Next up, the spur tracks

The next step is to install the spur tracks, but first I have to make some final decisions. I have the flex track on hand to either use code 83 (like the mainline) or code 70 for the spur tracks. In a recent (July 2017) Model Railroader article, Lou Sassi recommends using "different size rail to help distinguish between types of track" in addition to using different techniques for ballasting. While this is predominantly a scenery decision, the decision does need to be made now. Another scenery consideration is whether I have enough room for the appropriate structures along the Oil Spur. I should decide now whether to shorten the spur in that location. Removing some cork roadbed before laying the spur track will be easier than tearing up everything later.

Curved Pile Trestle -- Part 2

Workbench set up for bent construction

While my wife and I have started a major house project this summer, I am still finding time to work on Willow Springs track-work and build the trestle for the bottom of the "U".

Stringers are complete, glued in place

At the last trestle construction post, I left off with construction of the deck, upside down, glueing stringers to deck planks at the bent locations. I completed that process and cut and stained more deck planks. I decided to wait to glue the balance of the deck planks until after the bents were glued in place under the stringers. That will be done with the bridge upside down again, and these original deck planks will identify the location for the glueing of the bents.

Before starting on the bent construction, I mocked up some cardboard as stream banks on the layout and glued a copy of the bent template to cardboard to figure out the height of the various bents. The two middle bents remained the full size of the original template drawing, based on measurements from the plywood river bottom to the top of the cork height on the layout.

New bent template with bulkhead and
a couple of the completed bents

Using a copy of the original bent template, I drew up a second template including the various heights of the remaining bents and the bulkhead ends. Then, using the templates, I was able to construct the bents after cutting and staining the parts. Typically, I either taped a temporary jig to hold the bent cap in place or taped the bent cap itself to the wax paper covered template drawing. Then I was able to glue the piles in place following the template. Like on the prototype, the sway bars and the bulkhead planks help to stabilize the bents.

The next step is the "fiddly bit" of placing NBW (nut-bolt- washer) castings in the sway bars. After that I will be able to glue the bents in place under the stringers and continue the trestle build.

Willow Springs Under Way - - Track Laying Continued

While I am in the process of scratch building a trestle that will connect the two sides of the layout, I am also continuing work on the Willow Springs mainline and siding track. I have started track between several of the turnouts and with a piece of section track as a placeholder for the trestle, I can extend working track (and running trains) to this side.

In the photo to the right, the first three turnouts and the track connecting them can be seen in place. The next step is to install the flex track curving back to the trestle placeholder and the siding flex track at the ruler location. At that point I will use the sequence I used on the rest of the layout, similar to a pilot's checklist:

• Connect the feeders
• Check visually (joiners correctly engaged, track straightness)
• Check with multi-meter
• Check by running locomotive
• Solder joiners, final install of track nails

At that point, I will install several of the Tortoise switch machines and start the turnout control panel. While I will still have the other end of the siding and all the spur tracks to go, I will be able to use Willow Springs as staging and run multiple trains. 

Curved Pile Trestle

As part of the track-work, I've planned on a trestle over a small creek as a scenic element connecting  Willow Junction to Willow Springs. The plan is to scratch build a curved wooden pile trestle, somewhat similar to one I visited along a Burlington Northern branch line in Washington. While the prototype is not curved, both it and my model have ballasted decks and six pile bents.

I drew up a working drawing of the deck based on a 24" radius section of track as well as a more finished drawing of a bent to use as templates. I planned approximately 12 foot spans between the bents. The pile and bent caps are 16 inch scale stock (3/16" dowels and strip wood) and the caps are 16 scale feet in length. I chose to use a continuous butt pattern for the stringers made from 8" X 16" stock (3/32" X 3/16"). For the decking I am using 3" X 8" stock.

To start construction I stained the stringer stock and some of the decking (pre-cut to 16 foot length) with my Prego jar mix of 70% alcohol, India ink, and raw umber acrylic paint. I set up the working drawing as a template by taping it to a plate glass surface and then taping wax paper over the drawing. I then taped deck planks in place where the bent caps will be located. Then, working upside down, I proceed to glue the stringers in place with Aleene's Tacky Glue. To provide the curvature, the straight stringers varied in length between the bents; some were 12' while others varied between 11 1/2' and 12 1/2' whether they were on the outside or inside of the curve.

While underway with glueing the stringers in place I decided to just use double stringers under the rail and two, rather than three, stringers outside of the doubled stringers under the rails. The prototype, the Milwaukee Road's S-turn trestle in Tacoma, on which I based my bent drawing is a main line, and I am constructing a branch line. More practically, I felt that the underside would be too crowded with stringers if I followed my original plan. Another practical, rather than prototypical choice, was to use several longer stringers to help to tie the whole structure together. At this point I am focusing on constructing a practical model, and hence enabling track-work completion, rather than prototype sincerity. While I am trying to push my quality of modeling with this layout, I am not building this trestle to enter a contest, but rather to complete the track-work and as part of a future scenic feature.

Willow Springs Under Way -- Track Laying Started

Willow Springs side of the layout, with track-work started.

I have started the track-work on the Willow Springs side of the layout, focusing on the mainline and the siding. In addition to positioning several of the mainline turnouts, cutting the track between them, and dropping feeders and frog jumpers for this first section, I went ahead and prepped all the other turnouts. I explained the step-by-step process for hidden feeders on this earlier post, and the process for prepping the turnouts is explained in this video by Luke Towan on Youtube. On this side I will be using slow motion turnout motors. A few years ago, on the layout of one of my Seattle modular friends, we witnessed that the Peco switch rod springs need to be removed when doing this; somehow, with the switch rod spring in place, the timing is off between the switch throwing and polarity of the frog changing which led to shorts.

Underside of Peco Electrofrog turnout with frog isolated (1),
point and stock rails soldered (2), and feeder wire soldered to
frog (4).

Having prepped the Peco Electrofrog turnouts for DCC friendliness on the rest of the layout and made the decision to skip the point rail jumper step, the process goes fairly quickly now:

1. Snip jumper wires connecting center rails to the frog
2. Solder point rails to stock rails
3. Remove the Peco switch rod spring (since I will be using Tortoise switch machines)
4. Solder green feeder wire to underside of frog
5. Check continuity with multi-meter
6. Trim off ties for rail for rail joiners
7. Drill out holes for track nails at the underside dimples

While I had been planning on waiting on constructing the curved trestle bridge, I have decided to start on it as part of the  track-work for this side of the layout. That will have to be a different post.

Willow Springs Under Way -- First Steps

Willow Springs ready for track!

After clearing off the clutter that had accumulated on the Willow Springs side of the layout, I finally prepped for track laying. A how-to description of the details of the process is on an earlier post. Basically, I followed a four step process:

1. cut slots in the cork and drill holes for the switch machine actuating wires
2. cut, sand, and glue on switch stand pads
3. sand the cork bevels
4. paint the cork with a color similar to the ballast.

Because installing a control panel for the Tortoise switch machines and a UTP for the NCE throttle will be needed for checking the wiring, I installed a four foot section of fascia now, rather than after the scenery is started. After cutting, installing, and painting the fascia section, I ran the cab bus wire from the initial UTP , repainted the metal panel, and cut a 1" X 2 1/4" hole in the fascia  to mount the UTP. I also installed two dowels as a throttle holder.

Initial Operations

Initial operations at Willow Junction,
 testing track and operations plans.

With Willow Junction trackwork functional, I am able to start some initial operations on the 4th Subdivision. One conceptual change from my original operations plan is that the interchange track connects with the Northern Pacific (N.P.), not the Puget Sound and Badger River Rail Road (PS&BR). Several factors led to this change: a dearth of rolling stock ready for PS&BR, initial research into realistic shipping possibilities, and prototype possibilities (the freelanced 4th Subdivision would have intersected with the N.P. north/south line to Sumas, WA). In possible future expansion to the east, interchange with the PS&BR will be revisited. Not so much a change, but rather some fine tuning in the original plan, is the notion that the entire original layout is within yard limits with a "local switcher" or "road switcher" stationed at Willow Junction.

As realistic operations is one of my goals, I have begun collecting operating guidelines from a PDF copy of Consolidated Code of Operating Rules and General Instructions.-Revised 1946 as well as perusing several operations guides (How to Operate Your Model Railroad and Realistic Model Railroad Operation). So, for now, what I have come up with is an initial document to guide operations :

Rules Phase One    4^th Subdivision

14.  Engine Whistle Signals
A short sound is designated by “0” and a long sound by a “- -"
0	Apply brakes -- Stop
--  --	Release brakes – Proceed Forward
0 0 0	Release Brakes – Reverse Back
--   --  0  --	Grade Crossing (last long extended)
Ring Bell when public contact possible and on bridges!

83 (B). Unless otherwise provided, a train must not leave its initial station on any subdivision, without a clearance endorsed with O.K., the time, and the superintendent's initials.

92. A train must not leave a station in advance of its scheduled leaving time.

93. Within yard limits the main track may be used, clearing first class trains when due to leave the last station where time is shown.

Within yard limits the main track may be used without protecting against second and inferior class, extra trains and engines.

Within yard limits second and inferior class, extra trains and engines must move at restricted speed.

104.  Unless otherwise provided, the normal position of a main track switch is for main track and must be lined in that position, except when changed for immediate movement through it. Switches must be properly lined after having been used.

As Willow Junction and the east staging tracks are what I have to work with, my initial operations is limited to sorting cars. I have bill boxes, a revised switch list (prototype based), and car cards and waybills set up. Essentially I started with a few cars on the layout and the N.P. interchange with the goal of sorting them into propers (rolling stock destined for Willow Springs locations) on one yard track and Westbound cars on the other. Classification fun!

Bottom of the "U" - Track Laying and Wiring

In continuing the track laying through to the bridge at the bottom of the "U," I tried two new techniques and found that I needed to improve on my basic track-work. As I was learning and practicing how to do this, I will present it in how-to format.

Mainline and Other than Mainline Track

While trying to troubleshoot a mistake in placement for my feeder wires (details will follow later) I found myself remembering the article, "Mainline and Other than Mainline Track," that I had just read in the March 2017 NMRA Magazine. In the article, David Heinsohn discussed a take away from clinics put on by Stephen Priest and family. In short, he suggested treating the mainline differently from other than mainline tracks. To accomplish this he suggested removing random ties and treating the ballasting differently in non-mainline track. As I was going to have to remove a tie from the middle of the spur to correct a mistake, I elected to follow this technique on the spur involved. The tools I used are shown in the photo to the upper left: A hobby knife with a chisel blade, a pair of needle nosed pliers (made here in my hometown), and a rolling die for randomness. Later, when I turn to ballasting the track, I will revisit the article for ballasting and weathering ideas.

Sequence is Important for Under the Track Feeder Usage

So, I learned the hard way that the steps in powering the track with under the track feeders should follow a specific sequence. It is also important to double check between each step!

1. Measure and cut each piece of track to the exact length. Flex track must be bent in its final shape to mark the correct length for each rail. Remember that powered frogs will need insulated joiners; the rails will need a slight gap to accommodate them.
2. Remove the ties and file the rail ends to accommodate the joiners. The bottom should be filed flat, the end filed perpendicular, and the web of the rail filed clean. 
3. Bend flex track into place and identify approximate feeder location. Check under the roadbed: is the area open and will the bus be accessible? Also, if possible, use already existing voids in the plastic connectors between ties.
4. Mark the exact location of feeders on each rail (with a Sharpie) with the flex track bent. Also mark and remove any plastic under the rail. The marking should be correct with any bend in the final track position.
5. With the track in place, mark the location for the holes through the roadbed and benchwork directly under the marked rail feeder locations.
6. Go ahead and drill the holes slightly larger than the size of the feeder wire.
7. Solder color correct feeders long enough (too long is easier to fix than not long enough) to reach the bus. Remember that the track is upside down; my rule of "black out" did not apply in this case. Also remember that one of the rails may slip side to side. Make sure that the location between the ties is correct, not just the location on the rail.
8. Drop the feeders through the holes and slip the track into place with joiners installed. One fix if it is close but not a perfect fit is to remove the track and enlarge the holes through the roadbed.
9. Once satisfied with the fit of several pieces of track, connect the feeders to the bus with suitcase connectors.
10. Check visually, with a multimeter, and by running locomotives before soldering the joiners.

Using Tortoise Switch Machines to Power Turnouts

Doing as much of the soldering as I could before
installing under the layout was one of my goals.

Here at the bottom of the "U" and on the upcoming Willow Springs side of the layout, I will be using switch motors rather than just throwing the turnouts by hand. While I have used Tortoise switch machines in the past, I have not used the internal SPDT switches to power frogs. The process I used on wiring this wye seemed like the way to go.  In general, I will not be describing every aspect of basic Tortoise installation, but focusing on wiring the switch motor.

First of all I created an installation template by cutting out the master from the instruction sheet and mounting it to .080 styrene with double stick tape. Using the template I was able to mark the underside of the layout for the mounting screws. I drilled the holes and mounted the two #4, 1/2 inch screws on the opposite side of the Tortoise location.

The next step was to solder the power wires and the feeder wires to the appropriate pads on the Tortoise printed circuit board before installing the motor under the layout.  As the plan is to control the turnouts with Berrett Hill's Touch Toggle system, I opted to run 18-2 thermostat wire from the turnouts to the future location of the control panel. One issue with this option is that the holes in the #1 and #8 pads had to be enlarged for the #18 wire. Before soldering the red and black feeder wires to the #2 and #3 pads I had to use a multimeter set to ohms to determine which feeder should connect to #2 or #3 to make the internal toggle connection to pad #4, where the green feeder from the frog will be soldered after the Tortoise is in place. First, I determined that in this application, with the throw-arm screw to the left, the frog will need black power and with the throw-arm to the right, the frog will need red power. Then I was able to use the multimeter to determine which pad should be red and which should be black. At that point I was able to carefully solder the four wires to their respective pads. Care must be taken to not cross any of the pads with solder.

Wye Tortoise in place, although the frog feeder wire
could be dressed.

Then I moved to under the layout. First, the green feeder was soldered to the #4 pad under the layout but before installing the motor. By soldering before installation I was able to avoid soldering over my head. After installing the Tortoise and adjusting the fulcrum for solid point contacts, I was able to finish up the wiring. I connected the red and black wires to the red and black track bus wires with suitcase connectors. Finally I drilled holes through the benchwork and ran the turnout motor wire through to the location of the Touch Toggle control panel. 

 I am feeling much more confident about the wiring and track laying for the balance of the layout after fine tuning and practicing my techniques on this wye and spur track at the bottom of the "U."