The New York, Vermont -and- Northern Rwy.

[Bernd]

This thread will be about the layout I’m going to build or should I say try to build? As I build the different sections I need a place to keep all projects together so I can remember what I’ve done and post the next update to. I hope to tie all the loose posts I’ve done so far into this one thread.

Unfortunately I couldn't get everything in the subject line. Here's what I wanted to post.

New York, Vermont & Northern Rwy. - Route of the Black Diamonds

Bernd

[Bernd]

So to start off with I’m going to build a roundhouse. I’ve done some preliminary work in designing my own block stone roundhouse. I’m basing the roundhouse on the John Allen Great Divide one and the South River Model Works block roundhouse.

The first thing I did was to get some dimensions down on CAD. I came up with a length of 120 feet long stalls and a 130 foot diameter turntable. Each stall is 2.600” inches wide at the entrance and 5.500” at the back wall. This could all change as I get closer to building the roundhouse. Here’s a drawing of a 10 stall building with 10 degree increments from one stall to the next.



I’m going to build a mock up using Taskboard since it’s easy to cut with a sharp Exacto knife. This one is for a 6 stall building. May get more stalls down the line. Don’t know that right now.



This gives me a start to actually start building something instead of thinking about it all the time. Ain’t gitin’ any younger.

Bernd

[Michael_Hohn]

Bernd

That’s going to be a very imposing roundhouse.

Mike

[Bernd]

quote:

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Originally posted by Michael Hohn

Bernd

That’s going to be a very imposing roundhouse.

Mike

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We'll see. This is just the beginning thoughts. There's a possibility of it growing more stalls. Also thinking of maybe a couple of shorter stalls. Right now I'm trying to get the feel of how big this build could be.

Bernd

[Bernd]

While the soapstone blocks are drying on the coal stove I worked on some side wall dimensions. I like the looks of five sections of wall such as the stone roundhouse of South River Modelworks.

https://www.southrivermodelworks.com/page160.html

So here's what I came up with. The length is a prototypical 120.5 feet or 16.600" in HO scale.



Next idea is to start with some stone work to get a better idea of the molds I'll need to make for the stones.

Bernd

[Bernd]

A bit of an update on my research for building a freelance roundhouse.

I’ve been going through my old Model Railroader magazines looking for articles on designing or the design of roundhouses. I came up with 5 articles so far.

In the February 1972 and the March 1972 issue Joe Kunzelmann shows construction of a free lance roundhouse based on the early style roundhouses. In the March issue he shows how to build the turntable. Also in the March issue are plans for the Aberdeen S. Dakota round house and 90 foot turntable built in the 1900’s.

In the February 1972 issue is an article by Spike Trail on how to plan a roundhouse. In the April 1967 issue of Model Railroader is an MR Clinic on layout a roundhouse.

So I think I’ve got all the info on designing and building a block/brick roundhouse. Then last month I obtained two Scale Structures Limited Sterling, Colorado’s Roundhouses. I was going to use the SSL kits as a template to build an HO roundhouse. What I didn’t like about the kit’s was that western railroad look. I came to the conclusion that I’ll use the kits for my HOn3 gauge section of the layout.

I’ve also been following John Siekirk railroad adventures on the Modelers Forum as a non member. He’s in the process of building a rather large roundhouse.

I’ve been tossing around an idea that’s been written up in the model magazines several times, and that’s using crumpled foil to make rock formations. I’m going to see if I can make a master using this technique. Right now I’ve got some plaster cooking in a form. By tomorrow I should be able to get it out of the form.

Until then, happy modeling.

Bernd

[David_J_Buchholz]

Have you put thought into what turntable you will use, and how you will control indexing?

[Bernd]

quote:

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Originally posted by David J Buchholz

Have you put thought into what turntable you will use, and how you will control indexing?

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Yes, It won't be a commercial product. I plan on scratch building it. Possibly using two motors. One to drive the turn table and a second for use as a locking mechanism. All manually operated. Still need to work out the details.

Bernd

[deemery]

I've been playing (mostly thinking and reading about) Arduino controls. You should be able to do this pretty easily with an Arduino and 1 motor, along with either a set of sensors or a counting mechanism to tell the motor when to stop. This would be a good place to start to get a sense of mechanisms: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stepper_motor And a site on controlling one with an Arduino: https://www.electronicshub.org/stepp...using-arduino/

dave

[desertdrover]

This is going to be an interesting journey from the sound of it all. Lots and lots of work to be done. And, if nothing else, it is going to be a very technical operation in progress. This I'm looking forward to. Unless you jump around with other projects from time to time, of irons in the fire, this will consume a lot of your construction time. Best of luck with your plans. I know it will be all good things to come!

[Bernd]

quote:

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Originally posted by deemery

I've been playing (mostly thinking and reading about) Arduino controls. You should be able to do this pretty easily with an Arduino and 1 motor, along with either a set of sensors or a counting mechanism to tell the motor when to stop. This would be a good place to start to get a sense of mechanisms: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stepper_motor And a site on controlling one with an Arduino: https://www.electronicshub.org/stepp...using-arduino/

dave

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Nope, no electronics. Strictly mechanical.

Bernd

[Bernd]

quote:

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Originally posted by desertdrover

This is going to be an interesting journey from the sound of it all. Lots and lots of work to be done. And, if nothing else, it is going to be a very technical operation in progress. This I'm looking forward to. Unless you jump around with other projects from time to time, of irons in the fire, this will consume a lot of your construction time. Best of luck with your plans. I know it will be all good things to come!

---

Louis, thanks for the kind words.

Yes it will. I like the looks of block style walls on roundhouses. I knew that there were articles in the model magazines, I just had to locate them. I've got quite the collection of MR's and RMC's from the late 60's. What I was looking for was information on dimensions and how to lay out a turntable and roundhouse. I now have that information. Now that I have the information I can design the roundhouse.

Here's a link to John Siekirks page which shows a wall from his roundhouse he is building. I like the looks of the wall. Scroll down about halfway.

http://modelersforum.com/index.php?topic=4531.945

Here's South River Modelworks block roundhouse. I believe it resembles the roundhouse of John Allens G&D lines.

http://www.southrivermodelworks.com/page160.html

The alternative brick one.

http://www.southrivermodelworks.com/page220.html

Since these kits are no longer made and the ones on E-bay are very high in price, I decided to try and design an build one.

Dave suggests using electronics for animating the table. I'm pretty efficient in electronics, but am not interested in using electronics to index a turntable. I want to do it the old fashion way. An old acquaintance of mine and I came up with a unique way of indexing and locking the position with one motor. I'm going to have to build a prototype to see if it will work.

Right now I'm enjoying the process of research, designing and coming up with ideas on how to go about bringing the project to fruition. I don't look at this as being work. I look at this as being part of the fun of the hobby.

And yes I have other projects to go to if I get frustrated with the roundhouse project. I'm almost done with laying the blocks on my stone crusher building. Two more rows of blocks on two sides and I'm done. Another project I'm working on and possibly submitting an article on is a scratch built power chassis for the Jordan Highway Miniatures Mack locomotive.

So yes I have other projects that'll keep me occupied. At lest I won't be bored.

I did an experiment today to see if I can make a master mold using plater which I then can cut into 18" X 12" blocks that will look like the stones used on the roundhouses I linked to. Once I get good results I'll be posting it in this thread.

Bernd

[Bernd]

Time for an up date to this post.

As some of you may remember the "Armchair Modeler" post back on 6/24/20, I also mentioned I had no ambition to do any modeling. Well, the modeling bug has bitten me and bitten me hard this time around. I've got the mark to prove it. Want to see it? No? I didn't think so.

So anyway I left off with trying out making a rock mold using tin foil. I might have been better of making a tin foil hat. The experiment didn't work out to great for making blocks for a master rock mold. Here are two pictures of the experiment.

The first test was just pouring on plaster on crumpled up tin foil. You kind of pull it apart again to pour the plaster on. I was surprised that the plaster stuck to the foil in some sections. Thus a broken piece. I didn't even try to cut any blocks from it.



I did try out some staining with acrylic paints thinned with water. Another surprise. The water didn't soak in some spots leaving the area white.



At this point my frustration level was quite high. I did contemplate a second method using 1/4" strips of wood nailed to a piece of wood with the tin foil under the strips to make a sort of long mold. Never got to it. To alleviate that frustration I used a hammer to make smaller pieces for rubble use later on. So that's the end of that experiment.

Spent several weeks in the "No Mood Modeling Mode". Then one day I Googled "block walls for HO scale". I came across Oakridge Hobbies website.

https://oakridgehobbies.com/

They had what I've been looking for. So I ordered two of each of four products from them. They carry the "Chooch Enterprises Inc." line of rock items.

NOTE: Oak Ridge no longer carries Chooch Enterprises product. Walthers now carries the product. A quick check of Walthers shows that they do not carry the full line of product I mention below at the time of this update. (12-12-2020)

Here are the four items all together.



Item one: Medium Cut Stone Wall #8262 HO scale.



Item two: Small Cut Stome Wall #8260 HO/N scale



Item three: Large Cobbelstone Street #8658 HO/O scale



Item four: Random Interconnecting Wall #8302 HO/O scale



So the plan is to make a master mold for the roundhouse walls. I'll need to experiment with each of the products to see which will work the best.

It'll be a while untill I get to do some work on the molds do to some family matters of selling my mothers house and getting it ready for the next people to move in. Maybe I'll be able to sneak in a few hours here and there to at least keep the "biting bug" happy.

Bernd

[Carl_B]

I've used the Chooch wall products several times Bernd, and was always pleased.

Interested to follow your mold making experiments...

[jbvb]

Molding based on Chooch textures will have advantages over using Chooch latex/cloth material directly: it won't try to curl, and you'll be able to carve extensions of the texture onto visible edges.