First Ops-Session and Interlocking Home Signal

Over the last several weeks I have been attempting to get myself out of what I called modeler's block in my last post. In addition to spending time in the attic organizing and adding to my start with scenery, I prepped for and hosted a first ops-session with more than one operator. Last week the MMRC met here and we tried out a version of sequence operations with two crews. In this post I will discuss the steps I took to get ready for that session.

To translate the "fun-for-one" operations to "fun-for-more-than-one," I needed to take care of a couple basic items. I ordered and received a second throttle. Since it was on sale, I splurged on a radio controlled one, knowing that for now it will be used as a plug-in throttle. I also created first draft versions of train instruction cards for each of the two crews: one for the road switcher and one for both the Greenrock Turn and passenger trains 288 and 287. I also took care of cleaning the track, making some wire nut and skewer stick uncoupling tools, and temporarily fixing the loose toggle for controlling the team track switch.

The most involved project that I took on before the session was to install a signal going into the East Staging. Whether going into staging or going into the future town of Nooksack, the scenic divide here at the end of Willow Junction effectively "skips" the junction and crossing with the Northern Pacific mainline other than the recently repositioned fiddle interchange track. An interlock (virtual or actual) according to Tony Koester, "refers to the mechanical and electrical devices that prevent an operator from setting up conflicting routes through interlocking limits." After researching signaling for interlocking at Model Railroad Academy and an NMRA seminar document I concluded that a two light signal as the home signal would be appropriate for the unmodeled interlocking for the junction with the Northern Pacific.

I had the materials needed on hand, so I went ahead with the project. I had a two light (red and green) signal rated for 12-14 volts picked up years ago at a train show. I noted that a black mast was standard in the early 1950s according to Reference Sheet #405 from the Great Northern Railway Historical Society. Using a 9 volt battery I identified the two wires for the red light and the two wires for the green light. I also had on hand a double pole, double throw toggle switch and a terminal block all salvaged from my Seattle modules.

Some wiring needed to be under taken. The toggle switch had been wired to control a Tortoise switch machine, so I had to unsolder the reversing wiring and resolder with the 12 volt inputs coming into the central terminals. Also, while I had a 12 volt wall wart connected to the East staging, I hadn't yet started an actual 12 volt DC bus for accessories. So, I cut some wires, added spade connectors, and mounted a terminal block to the Willow Junction section starting a 12 volt bus. I soldered the tiny wires from the signal to feeders from the toggle switch, protecting the joint for each with shrink tubing before mounting the signal ten scale feet from the edge of the rail. The final step was to create a wooden plate and label for the "N. P. Jct. Interlocking Home Signal."

While the operating session was deemed fun, I learned a lot. The after-action notes are extensive enough that I will wait until a later post to reflect.

Modeler's Block

NP Interchange on the 4th Subdivision

In my last post, I left off with indecision about what to do next, add another layer of scenery here or move on to another scene, after being in "the zone" moving the interchange track. Well, that was a month ago. I am frustrated with myself, or at least my lack of progress on the railroad, and I am attributing my frustration to what I am calling "modeler's block." So, what is this modeler's block of which I speak, why is it happening, and, more importantly, how do I get out of it.

Modeler's block, in my mind, is similar to writer's block. Production and creativity have come to a standstill. I am stuck. As with writer's block, conflicting feelings or aspirations can be a cause of avoidance and/or focus. My paralysis is not primarily caused by over-analysis, but lack of focus. With so many possible things to do on the railroad, I can't seem to focus and instead do something completely different. (Yes, this sounds suspiciously like a form of procrastination!) If I focus on longer-term planning for operations and extensions to the railroad or prepping for visitors, operators, or open houses with infrastructure issues, it becomes overwhelming. Add to that my ongoing issue with preferring to start something new rather than finishing something that I already have started. Part of this I believe is fear of making mistakes or not hitting the standard I am shooting for. While part of my motivation in building this railroad is improving my skills, once I hit a step that I am not as confident about, I am afraid to "ruin" what I have already accomplished. Lance Mindheim wrote an insightful blog post titled Fear of Mistakes that explores how that fear can cause a "log jam of inertia" for model railroaders as well as some solutions to the so-called log jam.

So, how will I get myself out of this "modeler's block"? First of all, I need not search for perfection. Adding a first layer of scenery to what is now painted plywood, won't earn a merit award, but it will make some progress. I need to be very cognizant of my own foibles; don't start new projects, instead finish, or at least make progress on, projects that are already started. Really try to focus on scenery and structures rather than going deeper into operations beyond what I already have planned. The key is to not wait for inspiration, but to create some perspiration. Perhaps, just take the step of scheduling time spent in the railroad attic on a regular basis.

Start here. Add another square foot of basic ground cover. On another day, try ballasting the Northern Pacific interchange track. Don't start planning the scratch-built enginehouse, but instead make some progress on the fueling facility that is already started. Organize the workbench, if the juices aren't flowing. Get the materials ready for the next step of something. It doesn't have to be contest quality, but make some progress. Or not, but spend the time attempting progress rather than avoiding mistakes and procrastinating.

Upgrade to the NP Interchange

The new Northern Pacific interchange track

I had the Meadville Model Railroad Club (MMRC) over last week as part of our new round-robin approach. Eight people did fit (barely) into the train attic, and we painted ties! Apparently though, it is becoming a tradition that with a visit from MMRC members, I make changes to the 4th Subdivision.

Nick Ozorak, the originator of the MMRC, suggested a change in location of the NP interchange track. Originally I planned the interchange to flow into the backdrop at ninety degrees and be reflected with a mirror as seen in the photo from the beginnings of the 4th subdivision. He suggested that it curve into the front corner instead, avoiding all the problems with the use of a mirror as well as following a curve more typical of an interchange into an interlocking connected with a crossing at grade.


Deciding to go ahead with the suggested change, the first step was to pry up the interchange track. One complication was that the interchange track is also my DCC programing track. Between having constructed a "dead zone" area in the programing track and soldering the feeders to the underside of the rails, I decided to keep the existing wiring, rather than clipping and resoldering. This meant that I would need to chisel out a channel for the red and black feeders, thinking it would be easier than rewiring. It worked, and it was easier than rewiring.

Like I had with the original interchange, I carved a scrap piece of cedar shingle/shim to the proper width to make the transition from cork roadbed to the plywood. Then, I smoothed and beveled the edges and any gaps with putty. After the putty dried, I sanded it before applying a quick coat of my brown earth latex paint. After finally dropping and tacking the relocated track in place with a couple of track nails as well as double checking that the electrical connections were still working, I could call the new location as finished as the nearby track work.

However, I was in "a zone" and decided to go further, starting some scenery for this new and improved scene. I glued a scrap of pink foam shaped to create a slope at the edge of the backdrop. I placed several furnace filter trees in place temporarily, and noticed that they cast shadows on the painted "sky." The solution for that problem is to hide the shadows of trees with (wait for it) trees. So, after protecting the track with blue painter's tape and removing the three-dimensional trees, I mixed up some craft paints (a medium green, a gray, and raw umber) and roughed in some background trees. Then I applied some ground goop to create some undulations and hide the former roadbed.

Remembering that one advantage of using ground goop is the ability to apply ground cover while the goop is still wet, I went ahead and applied real dirt and several colors and textures of ground foam. After saturating it with 70% isopropyl alcohol as a wetting agent and applying scenic cement with an eye dropper, I  added a few conifers at the edge of the backdrop.

Now that some basic scenery is in place, I could go ahead and start ballasting. The next steps would be to add some bushes and lower foliage to the scene. Also, the vertical trim at the edge of the scene needs screwed in place and painted with my Andiron green fascia color. Finally, my plan is to have one signal located along the mainline here, representing the entrance to the virtual interlocking. Whether to move along to another area with the basic scenery or to keep building on the start here is a question for another day. Either way, I am quite happy with the relocated interchange track and the nudge into getting some scenery under way.

Research Revisited

Industrial Map of Washington published in 1945

Despite not much happening on my railroad, over the last month or so I have been involved in a number of NMRA activities some of which relate to the 4th Subdivision. In addition to preparing for Division 12's first big event, the Alleghany Western Mini-Meet, I have been thinking about adapting or extending the 4th Subdivision with the Chief Dispatcher AP certificate in mind and using the Golden Spike Award as a motivator and a stepping stone into the NMRA Achievement Program. While these may well be topics for future posts,  I first want to document some additional research into Washington State in the early 1950s and the Great Northern Railroad that I have been doing. In addition to general research that may apply to my model railroad, some of what I found could also lead to adding to the ambiance of the train room in the event of hosting tours or ops-sessions.

The industrial map at the top of this post is useful for both research and ambiance. It was produced in 1945 for school children and published by the office of the Secretary of State. Not only does its visual style capture the time, but it also gives a good overview of the kinds of industry appropriate for my railroad. It reinforces some of the assumptions I have been making in designing the 4th Subdivision as well as giving some guidance as I continue planning additional operations.

By Seattle Municipal Archives from
Seattle, WA - 4th & Westlake, 1953,
CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/
w/index.php?curid=59978095

Another image that could be used to establish ambiance is this photo taken in Seattle. The photo, taken in 1953, shows 4th and Westlake looking north. While I came across it through Google, it is part of the Seattle Municipal Archives, a photo source worth further exploration. The autos seen in the photo and the central Great Northern advertising sign both help establish the time period and the relative importance of the Great Northern Railway.

Some additional resources for researching Washington state history related to developing an accurate operational plan, finding photo sources, or just establishing a sense of time and place are listed below:

• HistoryLink --an online encyclopedia of Washington State History
• Washington State Historical Society --the collections search page
• Mohai Digital Collections --another search page, this one from MOHAI
• Skagit River Journal --a web based collection of local history  

Kake Salmon Cannery

As part of my long range plan is to include a harbor scene at Port Gulick Bay, the fictional western end of the 4th Subdivision, I will want to include logical industries that invoke the Pacific Northwest. One such possibility would be a salmon canning facility. Although based in Alaska, the Kake Salmon Cannery portrays such an industry and is very well documented online. Wikimedia Commons contains a large number of files including numerous photographs and drawings as the cannery was documented for its listing on the National Register of Historic Places. 

Postcard view of the Empire Builder

Building or researching a model railroad includes more than just the setting; it also includes the railroad. Over the years I have found several useful sights specific to the Great Northern Railway:

• Great Northern Railway Historical Society
• Great Northern Railway Page
• The Great Northern Empire Then and Now

Recently, I came across an awesome railroad photography site: RR Pictures Archives. It has an amazing collection of railroad photos. By going into the fallen flags section I was able to go to the Great Northern collections of rolling stock and locomotives. What a selection! Great color shots to have as resources for weathering or detailing models. 

Clearly part of my interest in model railroading stems from an interest in history. In this post, I wanted to not just document some of my recent trips down the rabbit hole of research, but to also keep a record of this collection of internet sources for future exploration. 

West End Extension Continued: Trains Running and Next Steps

In the last post about the west end extension, I decided to keep it simple by focusing on it being a "scenery break." With that decision made, I have progressed on my to-do list over the last few weeks. In the listing of the steps, I will provide links to the initial "how-to" posting of my approach to that step. After attaching the plywood top and creek bed to the grid frame, I painted the underneath with white primer and ran the DCC bus. Then I positioned the west end extension, now to be referred to as the James Creek Canyon, in place. I drew a center line for the track on the plywood and glued the cork roadbed in place. In attaching the legs with carriage bolts, I found that I needed to use a Forstner bit to recess the bolt heads to later attach the four foot staging. With the James Creek Canyon extension bolted in place, the track and feeders installed, and the staging C-clamped in place, a five-car eastbound freight left staging and headed into Willow Springs.

Now that the James Creek Canyon section is operational, the scenic challenges and some "infrastructure" (as Mike Hauk calls it) questions remain. By notching and tapering the end of the valance hardboard I was able to bend it into a parabolic curve and tuck it into one of the sloping roof rafters. I now have a concrete tunnel portal and a Micro-Engineering girder bridge kit to start the scene. Extending and bending the existing backdrop into the scene and creating realistic terrain with the benchwork up against the ceiling remain as a challenge.

The attic trap door and stairs are the "infrastructure" challenge that initially started this whole extension project. Renee, my wife, has made several suggestions to make the train attic safer. One is to create a drop-in floor panel or cap for the top of the stairs. Another is to, in addition to replacing the rope in the pulley system with wire cable, add a second safety cable that clips in place when the trap door will be open for a while. I am also thinking that some form of warning or caution paint could be applied to the upper edges of the trap door. Unexpectedly stepping backward into the abyss of the stairs, having the heavy trap door slam shut, or just banging into the trap door with an elbow are all events I would like to prevent for myself or guests.

Workbench Tool Caddy

I am a “spreader,” and when I get going on a project my workbench is full! Tools, different stages of construction, and different steps all spread out and cover every square inch of the work bench. I desperately needed a way to corral all my small hand tools in one place. In the photo above, one can see the new tool caddy doing just that.   

I saw an article in the July 1998 Model Railroader by Lionel Strang, where he built a tool caddy in a convenient size with scrap wood he had on hand. He built it in tiers with a 2" X 10" base and a 1" X 6" flat on it with a 2" X 2" in the back and then a 1" X 2" in front of the 2" X 2". He built his with holes all the way through, a removable hardboard base, and painted white for a professional look.

I followed his basic concept with what I had on hand, but with two additions. My scale rule had no home and I wanted a place for the ruler to live to be included. Also, I had a Styrofoam block that I could use to store sharps, such as hobby knives, by slipping them into the foam.

Seen from the end, the construction can be easily understood. I started with a piece of 1/2 inch plywood that fit on my workbench conveniently. I glued (using wood glue) and nailed a thin strip of plywood as a stop on the back and glued a 2" X 4" flat on the plywood forming a tight sleeve for the Styrofoam to press fit into (allowing it to be rotated as the blade slots wear it out). In front of the 2" X 4", I glued a 1" X 2" forming another shelf and back of the mini-shelf/slot for my scale rule. Then I glued and nailed a strip of trim along the front forming the other side of the scale rule “slot.”

 After the glue dried, starting with the 2" X 4", I drilled holes of the appropriate size into the surface of the wood to hold the pliers, tweezers, small screwdrivers, files, and nail set that were in use, cluttering up my workbench, without a specific place to live. Larger tools had homes on the pegboard and some specific tools had homes in mini-kits in drawers. But these small frequently used tools now had a home.

I am still a spreader, but with a place for everything, everything now had a place (other than where I last set it down).  While my caddy doesn’t have the professional look of a final paint job, I have room to add more holes in the caddy to add any other tools that start collecting around my work surface.

West End Extension Continued: Scenery vs. Operations?

Now, with the open grid benchwork clamped in place, travel around the top of the stairs is definitely more convenient than it was with the fold-up staging deployed, the problem discussed in the last few posts. The solution is tight, but better.

To get to this point, I glued and nailed the framing together. Working out in the wood-shop in the barn, I set up on the bench. I used a pair of corner clamps after applying wood glue to the joints to hold them square before nailing with a pneumatic nailer. In one area, I clamped and glued a block of wood behind an angled joint to avoid nails poking through to the back. Using the air tool definitely sped up the process of constructing the frame, even with the "travel time" of moving back and forth from the barn to the attic.


When I positioned the plywood top on the benchwork in place in the attic, before cutting out a portion for the creek, I started having second thoughts about my plans for this new area of the railroad. Part of the issue is that extending the backdrop and/or the valance into this area is going to be tricky, at best, no matter what I do. I started thinking to myself, "What about using that area behind the existing backdrop as hidden staging?" This opened up a whole new possibility and a bit of a conflict: will the focus of this west end extension be on scenery or operations?

Snapshot of Iain Rice illustration

One might ask, "How could this tight little S-curve be a focus on operations?" Well, first of all, Iain Rice in his book, Shelf Layouts for Model Railroads, explains his concept of the "bitsa" approach. Three examples are illustrated on page 32 of his book and seen in my snapshot from the book. Rather than modeling the "whole of something," you include only enough to suggest the whole. In my case, I could have a junction turnout leading to an interchange with the logging railroad, the Puget Sound and Badger River Railroad, which hasn't yet made an appearance along the 4th Subdivision. This would be a line to say, Camp Three, disappearing behind the existing backdrop with the PS&BR having trackage rights westward over the GN. Mr. Rice's middle illustration shows a similar junction which opens up the possibility of signals and/or a "tower man" position. Adding another operating position and another train disappearing into a tunnel/nook are two of the main ways David Capron suggests in his video-taped clinic to achieve "Full Operations on a Small, Room Size Layout." Just as an aside here, if one is an NMRA member and has registered on their website, full access to a large number of video-taped clinics from past national NMRA conventions is an awesome benefit!

Despite investigating how a "bitsa" approach could add operating potential, I ended up going back to a scenery-based focus. Remembering why I am doing this, a tight squeeze at the top of the stairs, should remind me that this is not an ideal location for a "tower man" to be located. Also, yes it would be an additional train (or two: one out and one in), but really, it would travel four feet from staging to staging in this awkward location. Another consideration in making this decision is the overall mix of "empty" space or scenery-only space with operations-intense space. The first third of the eventual railroad, which I often call the initial U-shaped layout, currently has only one scenic break between track-work intense areas. Having a scenic break as this western
extension's focus will hopefully lead to more of the kind of balance recommended by railroad planners such as Lance Mindheim. A final fortuitous bit of research in my stacks (my wife refers to them as "those endless piles") of model railroad magazines led me to Reference Sheet No. 390  from the Great Northern Railway Historical Society: "The Tunnels of the Montana Central Railway." In a different section of the Prickly Pear Creek Canyon from the one with the pony truss bridge mentioned in an earlier post, Tunnel 5 is a prototype for a concrete tunnel portal, curved track, and a short girder bridge that matches the terrain planned for this west extension. A snapshot of a page from this reference sheet is seen here, suggesting how to include steep hillsides to hide the sloping roof. This is what Tony Koester refers to as a Layout Design Element or LDE with, in this case, a focus on scenery. I think that I will of necessity compress an already tight scene and change the location, but use a bridge kit and tunnel portal that are closer to the prototype than the ones I have on hand.

With the decision made to go with a scenery-focused extension, I cut out an area for the creek from the plywood top and a plywood creek bed below. I left the bridge area in place until I have a kit and have it started. I also have the two legs cut to length and drilled to install leveling bolts. The next steps in approximate order are to:

• Attach creek bed and top plywood pieces to the frame
• Paint benchwork with white primer and legs with black paint
• Run DCC bus and install European style terminal blocks as needed
• Order Micro Engineering thru girder bridge and "concrete" style tunnel portal
• Attach cork roadbed and track
• Drop and attach feeders
• Figure out curved backdrop, valance end, and terrain
• Bolt the extension to existing benchwork, mount legs, and attach the (former drop-down, but now permanently up) staging.

West End Extension

Cardboard template in place to the west of Willow Springs

Despite the scenery issues raised by positioning the benchwork back from the aisle and coming into direct contact with the sloping ceiling, that appears to be the best approach for navigating around the top of the stairs. The discussion of the problems navigating around the top of the stairs and the trapdoor was the topic of my previous post.

I started construction based on the basic shape of the cardboard template. The first steps were to draw up a plan and make some lumber purchases at the local big box store. I picked up some 1" X 4" pine boards and a 2' X 4' 1/2 inch plywood "handy panel." Although I had thought about using L-girder construction, I decided to stay with the open grid framing I have used so far on the benchwork for the 4th Subdivision. I used the cardboard template to trace the curve on the plywood before cutting it out with my jigsaw. 

Working in the shop out in the barn

Then using both the drawing and the actual plywood "top" as a template under the framing, I started measuring and cutting the framing boards. The one somewhat tricky part involved the angle cuts for the diagonal brace at the curved front of the section as they were not an even forty-five degree cut. Other than that it was just a matter of careful measuring and cutting on the miter saw.

Double checking the plan with flex track

While figuring out the basic construction of this new west end extension's benchwork, I also did some sketching of scenery ideas on paper and full size plotting on the plywood "top." With some flex track, I was able to mock up how the track might fit on what is essentially an S-curve through the scene. While the allotted space did not allow for the 150' Pratt Truss Bridge that I had been thinking about, I still wanted to include a bridge scene. 

I had a small bridge from a collection of HO stuff from my younger cousin, James. Researching bridges a bit, I learned that this was a pony truss bridge (no connection across the top) and although not labeled, it was probably a Life-Like brand model. The bridge has some nice molded-in details and with a paint job, will look good considering its toy train origins. Doing more research, I found a prototype pony truss bridge with several nice photos on Bridgehunter.com: the Little Prickly Pear Creek Bridge, a BNSF and ex Great Northern bridge in Montana. So, with the bridge from James, now the creek, the bridge, and the scene have names; it will be the James Creek Bridge scene.

Having finalized the bridge scene concept, I went ahead and cut away some of the 1" X 4" stock for the grid framing to support the plywood base of the creek. I also have a cardboard template started for the creek base. 

At this point, the next step will be to glue and nail the framing together for this new section of benchwork. Then, I will be able to clamp it in place, figure out the support system (legs etc.), and move forward with additional planning of the trackwork, bridge placement, and terrain construction. A lesson that I have supposedly learned is to complete the cork, trackwork, and electrical work before the benchwork is permanently in place, allowing me to tip the section up on a workbench rather than working from underneath. As I move forward, I will need to keep this lesson in mind.