Bullet train layout USA

[Bernard]

To All,
I have been working on my Bullet train layout for the past 3 years. It started when my wife & I purchased a house with a large basement. My agreement with her was "you can have any rooms you want to decorate I just want half of the basement." She jumped at the deal. One of the problems I saw was that there are a lot of storage shelves in the basement and we planned to use them so I had to design a layout that would be in the middle of the room. The dimensions are 16'x12' and in a "U" shape. I decided on a continuous running layout with 4 main lines and a yard. I knew I wanted to model "N scale" because of my interest in Bullet trains and most are manufactured in N, plus it gives me more room to run trains. I went with Altas flex track code 80, combined with Kato Unitrack bridges and viaducts. Here is one of the blueprints for my layout which latter was changed to make the yard bigger and more efficient getting on and off the main lines.

[Bernard]

I don't know if you can see the entire track plan but I decided to use 2" thick foam on a plywood base. The reason is not so much for noise reduction but to be able to cut out river, lakes, and any other terrain that I might want to do in the future. The layout is built on four 4'x8' tables and I drew a grid on the foam tables with a yellow marker so I can transfer my plans. I used WS foam risers and atached them with "Liquid nails for foam projects" and use quilting straight pins to keep them in place until they dried. Here are some photos of the early progress of the West side of the layout. You'll notice that since the bridge in the fore ground is going to be hidden in a mountain, so I made it out of black poster foam board. 

[bill937ca]

Good stuff.  How do you like Woodland Scenics risers so far?  I hope you're not planning any level crossings on your Shinkansen line.

[bill937ca]

Also all your signals will be cab signals.  Human hand eye co-ordination does not allow wayside signals at 250-300 Km/hr.

[Darren Jeffries]

I cant wait to see this layout progress.... looks like a dream layout.

[Bernard]

Here are more photos of the layout in it's early stages, I was playing around with positioning of buildings. In some of the photos the track hasn't been put down.
Bill - the WS risers are great in the fact that they don't take a lot of time to put down. To cut costs, I used 1" or 2" foam for level areas or cutting out level curved sections. One thing I learned when after you put down the risers and they set in place, use hydocal cloth to cover the openings, then lay down the cork roadbed, it makes it a lot easier to ballast. I put down the cork roadbed and then had to cut stripes of hydocal cloth to put between the open area on the risers.
The layout is DCC and I'm using the Lenz system. I use Digitrax & lenz decoder but I noticed that Newhall Station has the Kato decoders for their passenger trains. How do they install them?
Okay, I'll post more photos soon.

[Bernard]

I started working on the large mountain in the upper left corner (or Northwest) part of the layout. If you look at the plan you can see that there is going to be a hidden bridge inside of the mountain, plus all four mainlines will enter it. I needed to design the mountain so that it will be easily accessible in case (and there will be) derailments. Photo #011 shows the inner structure. I airbrushed the walls black and used blocks of foam to support the top of the mountain. One decision I have to make is that since the top is about a 3' round oval do I want to cut it in half for easier or lighter removal and if I decide to do this how will it effect scenery or any other changes I might want to make in the design. Photo #009 shows the track installed on the WS riser and what I said before I wished I had used Hyrocal cloth before laying down the cork roadbed.

[Darren Jeffries]

This is looking great. I take it that the airbrushed black track is to stop reflecting light inside the tunnels?

Are you planning to use any lights other than those on the trains themselves (street lighting, building interiors) ?

[Bernard]

I've been working on the yard and if you look at the original plan i made some major changes from the plan. With the help of some friends, they suggested some changes that would make the yard easier to get trains in and out of the main lines plus I would be able to store a lot more trains. Here are some of the photos.

Oh, and I do plan to light the structures on the layout but that is a ways off, I still have to ballast the tracks, and that is a long process and not one of my favorite. Any members have a favorite method for ballasting?

[Bernard]

Here are 2 photos of the developement of the large flat mountain. After thinking it over, some I realized that some of my older trains were going to be difficult to change over to DCC, so I made this DC oval on top of the mountain. 20/20 hindsight, I wished I did more with this design, but in the end, I didn't leave myself a lot of room to work with. (Maybe a figure 8 going in to the hills of the mountain and being hidden for a while would have had a better effect but the radius would be too tight.)

The other photo show the area covered with hydocal and getting ready for an undercoat. I'm still thinking about running another track, a double viaduct, from the mountain to the city area I'm planning. I'm thinking along the lines of a "tennis racket" shape with and automatic return system, just like shuttle trains to an airport.
Does anyone know of the type of system I'll need? This line will also be DC.

[Bernard]

Here is work on the West/southern end of the layout. I finished building the small mountain and experimented using different materials. It is mostly carved foamboard but I used expanding insulating foam with mixed results. What I liked about the foam in a can is that you can easily shape it and it's quick. Negatives, it smells, it takes longer to cure than I realized, especially in the center area. Personally I won't be using it again.
After I used hydocal, for the first time I spread "scultamold" to make the terrain uneven. I liked the results and it is very easy to use. It solved the problem of having a "flat" look on the layout.
The second photo shows the small mountain with it's top off for access to trains. I put rock casting around the mountain, this will be a country scene to contrast to the city and town areas on the other side of the layout.

[Bernard]

To continue with the progress of the Small mountain area. I used a mixture of Elmer's white glue with a drop of dishwasher soap and water, with water to glue @ 3:1 ratio. I then coated the hydocal with a sponge brush then I sprinkled on the WS ground cover. I experiment with a mist spray of lite alcohol to see if the ground over would soak up the glue, I found it wasn't necessary but I do recommend it when you ballast track. Here are some more photo of the layout. In the last photo you will notice the beginning of a river which weren't on the original plans.

[Bernard]

I started working on the river and since I used 2" foam on plywood it was easy to carve with a bread knife. I then airbrushed in the base colors for the riverbed and then used WS brown talus with model rocks and boulders. For a test I make a gorge next to the 4 main lines on the curve and filled it with rocks. I later fill it with WS Realistic water. Since I never used the product, the gorge will be my first test.

[Bernard]

Anybody have any photos of Japanese bridges for autos? In these 2 photos of the layout I need to scratch build a bridge over the river. As you see next to the RR bridge is the shell of the bridge for cars.
Thanks

[bill937ca]

Anybody have any photos of Japanese bridges for autos? In these 2 photos of the layout I need to scratch build a bridge over the river. As you see next to the RR bridge is the shell of the bridge for cars.
Thanks

This is described as a traditional Japanese style guardrail.  I've never seen this along a road so it must be a bridge railing:

http://regex.info/i/JEF_028479_sm.jpg

You'll find more road pictures on this web site.

http://www.illi-indi.com/JapanRoad-4.html

To model a modern concrete pillar supported bridge you could adapt a Kato or Tomix elevated track support.

[bill937ca]

Bernard, try these links:

http://nekosuki.org/landscape/index2/bridge-river.htm#00001

http://nekosuki.org/landscape/index2/bridge-littleriver.htm#00001

http://nekosuki.org/landscape/index2/bridge-road.htm#00001

http://nekosuki.org/landscape/index2/bridge-rail.htm#00001

[Bernard]

Bill- Thank you for the links to the bridges now I have an idea of what I want to do for a bridge   especially the hand rails.
Here are 2 photos of the river area and the town I designing. I'm going to have to change the buildings which were from a previous layout. Right now they're there for spacing.

[Bernard]

Here is some work that I've done on the large mountain. I've scratched built a curved bridge over a waterfall I plan to make. The track here will be DC for older trains that I've had problems converting to DCC.

[Bernard]

I started making a waterfall to a lake as a run off from the mountain. Here are two photos showing a before and after.

[CaptOblivious]

Nice! What are you using to model the water?

[Bernard]

CaptO,
This is something I've never done before so it's new territory. I've decided to use WS Realistic water. I've heard good things about it and it look fairly easy to apply. I'll test it on a little gorge I've made before doing the lake and then the river. I realize I'm going to have to block up the sides of the river so the Realistic water doesn't flow out. I also have a bottle of WS water accents which hopefully will help the waterfall.

[Bernard]

Here it is, I finally put Realistic water into the river. Has anyone used WS water effects? I tried creating waves on the shore.

[CaptOblivious]

Looks good! How did you add the waves?

[Bernard]

CaptO - I actually found a demo I a DVD I got from Model RR, but here is the link to WS. Go to the "How-To-Demos" on the left side menu and you will see it.
http://www.woodlandscenics.com/

What I did was use WS "realistic water effects" I drew lines of the effects on the shoreline an then used a small paint brush to dapple the lines into a wave formation. Then I added realistic water on top of it. I'm not sure if you add the waves before you put down the realistic water or after. So I experimented and tried both ways, I tell you which way I like best.

[Martijn Meerts]

I don't know how, but I seem to have completely missed this thread until Bernard pointed it out in a different one =)

It looks good so far, I like the new yard (I've always been a sucker for lots of tracks ;)) It might be me, but the scenery strikes me as more European rather than Japanese. Of course, I don't know much about Japanese scenery, so I might be totally wrong here.

Don't think there's really a fast way of ballasting. Or at least, not one that'll get you good results. What I tend to do (I think I've mentioned this before), it to put down the ballast, usually using a brush and my fingers to sculpt it a bit. Then use the water/dishwashing liquid mix to make everything nice and wet, and then thinned white glue (just mix with water, or use scenic cement). You can still move it around after it's wet, just make sure you only use your finger, not a brush.

The secret here is to not use something like Woodland Scenics scenic sprayer. The water "droplets" coming out of one of those would be about the size of a human head if you take scale into consideration, and they'll blow away all your ballast. I use a smaller on that turns the water into a mist. It's kinda like one of those sprayers you see on a bottle of perfume for example. The ballast will move around a little when it gets wet, but that's just because it's settling into place after getting heavier from the water, you're not blowing it away.

The track can get wet without problem, you can even spray white glue on it without problem, it comes off real easy. (Personally, I always quickly sand the top of the rails after rusting up the sides, I always spill paint) To keep the surrounding area's from getting wet (where needed), I just use painters plastic sheet or old newspaper or something along those lines.

[Bernard]

Martijn-I agree, there is no fast way to ballast. The best results take time. After seeing the results of the "quick method", I went back to my old method of a small measuring spoon, a small piece of cardboard to even & spread the ballast out, alcohol & diluted white glue.

Okay, something new: I have an area that I will light but I'll need to be able to remove the top in order to get to the wiring. (photo 1) I decided to make a "clam shell". I used hydocal cloth on the base, let it dry & set. Then I took wax paper and lined the lip and outer wall of the base. (No photo) Then I put the top back on and put hydocal cloth on the top over lapping the base but not going beyond the wax paper. I let the top set. I removed the wax paper and to my surprise it worked. I then put a base coat of paint the base and the top. I will later add ground cover. Here are some photo of the results.

[Bernard]

Wow, I can't believe I haven't posted new photos of work I've done on my layout in some time. (Good reason, I for got to take photos)

Okay here is one area I really put off, ballasting the yard. My reason, after installing all the turnouts now the fear comes that ballasting might hurt the switching operation. Well I have finished all of my ballasting and yes I had to work on the turnouts after I did it.
The photo only show the yard partially done. I ran out of ballast and had to go to my LHS to finish.

[CaptOblivious]

Thanks for the update! I was beginning to wonder. Looks good! I can't imagine how tedious it is to ballast all that: I've only ever ballasted one length of 280mm track, and that was tedious enough! Keep us up to date :D

[Bernard]

Well after I worked some on my project for the party, I decided to work on the layout. The area that has the most done on it looked flat and I know it need trees. So here are 2 photos of the layout with trees but I'm going to need a lot more! (Painted cottenballs mixed in with the trees?)

[Masioka]

Great layout!

[CaptOblivious]

Bernard, my turn to bug you! Anything new to share?

I was just examining your track plans again, and those two loops are lusciously extravagant. No chance you have a video camera (and time) such that perhaps you could follow a train or two through that maze to give us a sense of just how long those loops really are?

[Bernard]

Don - I don't have a video camera any more BUT this might be a good idea for a Xmas gift for my wife ;D (Now I know what to get her, thanks!)

My layout is in Upstate NY and I'm in the NYC area and due to a family illness (not too serious) I can't get up there. (I still have my skyscraper project to finish) But once things clear up I will get back on track (bad pun) : ;D

[Bernard]

Finally I was able to do some work on the layout over the holidays. I didn't like the look of the yard so I decided to put in "roads/access" to the passenger trains so that workers could move vehicles closer to the trains. Here are two photos of what I am about to do, what do you guys think, am I on the "right track" with this idea? Opinions please?

[Darren Jeffries]

Looks good to me. Are you going to put crossings over all the tracks? Also would look good with some yard type flood lights between the tracks for realism.

[mr platts]

congrats Bernard it is looking really good

[Martijn Meerts]

looks good.. not sure how prototypical it would be, but then again, who cares =)

[Bernard]

Darren - If you look closely on the 2nd photo you can see where I cut a piece of foam as part of the road for a vehicle to cross over. I plan to continue the road to have access to the other tracks.

Martijn - wait till you see the town I've built using old structures from an older layout. Talk about not being prototypical  ::)
It gives it that Euro-Japanese look so many architects try to achieve.  ;D

and Mr. Platts, thanks for the compliment.

[Bernard]

Alright, here comes the real shocker  :o (yep that little guy says it all)
Due to "budget cuts" I got fed up with myself for not doing any work on the town I wanted to build. So I said, just do it. I have structures from a previous layout that really wasn't in the Japanese mode but I decided to use them anyway. So here is that Euro-Japanese design that some Architects just dream about (boy am I lying through my teeth ::))  which I have achieved in the following photos. I even decided to put lights in to the structures.
Well here is the town:

[Martijn Meerts]

I have to say, it doesn't look very non-Japanese. The buildings might be European style (not like there's none of those in Japan), but the overall look fits really well in my opinion.

[stevenh]

It does look great... just make sure the little fellas can't walk directly onto the Shinkansen lines in due course :)

The lighting is great too!

[Bernard]

Alright, I'm Upstate and am motivated to work on the layout. I was inspired by all the discussions about Tram lines to add one on my layout. This will be a point to point line with auto reversing. I wanted to connect the two cities on the layout to one another and there was a spot on the layout that I needed to address since it was pretty much empty. When I first started the layout it was suggested by a fellow modeler to think about hiding the trains from view at times so a viewer will be surprised when seemingly out of nowhere a train appears. Keeping this in mind, I decided to make an other mountain with the idea that parts of it were blasted away for the construction of a railroad. I want to have the tram on level ground and not on a built up platform, so I need to raise the first city 2", also I wasn't happy with the results of the "clam shell" for access in the future so I cut out the middle area of the city and set in lips for that area to rest on. The edges are now permanently attached. One other reason I wanted to do this addition is because I've always wanted to work with code 55 flex track. I'm using Peco flex track as a temporary place holder until my order comes in and I only have 2 pieces of Peco and I need 4-5 pieces to complete the line.
Here are some photos of what I'm working on, I'm using WS risers and inclines to accomplish the connection between the two points and I hand making the 2 bridges (why did I do this as my project party?!):

[Bernard]

Here are the rest of the photos, I'm using a combination of styrofoam, newspaper, hydrocal cloth, scult-a-model, and rock models to build the mountain and track bed:

[Shashinka]

I just woke up so I'll think of some meaningful or useful to post in a bit. Until then, I'll ask, how did you cut or where did you find the clam shell dome top of the mountain?

[Bernard]

Aaron - Look at post #25 in this thread it shows how I made a "clam shell" for city #1. Alas I really wasn't happy with the results and totally re-designed the city, the hydrocal ends kept curling up. It is now 2" inches higher and level to the city #2 area.

[SubwayHypes]

cool thread, cant wait to see that yard filled up with shinkansen!

[Bernard]

More work done on the new mountain. In the next photos I started laying down the cork roadbed for the flex track. Also you will see that I planned to scratch build 2 bridges and here are some photos of the start of the bridges.

For flex track I'm a little disappointed with the LHS, they are mostly HO scale and have very little in N scale. So I'm going to go ahead with what I have and I might abandon the code 55 idea (I have enough code 80 Peco flex track to finish the area, but that wasn't my original plan but I have the time now to do it so it's full steam ahead)

[Bernard]

The next step I added Earth tone cover to the hydrocal and the Sculpt-a-mold. I then added WS pigments to the rock faces and stones.

[Bernard]

After the WS earth tone dried I used the WS various ground covers to finish off the hill and the city area. In the last photo I started putting down the Tram track. I have Peco code 80 flex track which I used but I'm still debating ordering Micro Engineering code 55 flex track. I am also looking into purchasing an "auto reversing unit". In my research, since this will be an independent line, it looks like it would be better to go DC. I found 2 companies that sell the units.

One is from Miniatonics: http://www.miniatronics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?

and the other is from Z-stuff: http://www.z-stuff.net/DZ-1240.htm
but after reading the instructions it seems like z-stuff is for Lionel trains, I'll have to call them.

[Claude_Dreyfus]

I must say this does look very effective, especially the ground covering on the mount.

Apologies if you have said and I missed it, but who produces the large white towerblock you have?

[Bernard]

Thank you, as for the building it's made by Heljan and called the Leech Memorial Hospital Building (N Scale)
I got it awhile ago and I haven't seen it since.
I also have an Atlas Skyscraper but now it's too large for the layout.