PRODUCTS

I N F O R M AT I O N S TAT I O N

Getting started in
Proto:87 modeling
 A small layout you can build

Roque Bluffs,
a Maine

T
he various MODEL RAILROADER These are all concepts relevant to a
Planning a “no room project layouts built over the years growing number of U. S. modelers.
have assumed many shapes and Our Roque Bluffs (pronounced
for a layout” layout sizes, and several have introduced new “rock bluffs”) project layout has a U. S.
concepts and techniques. This project setting but explores many European
By Iain Rice layout is one of the smallest yet, and layout ideas, including the use of
Photos by the author the first to be conceived and executed Proto:87 (P:87) HO track and wheel
outside the United States. standards that are closer to actual 1:87
Those of us living outside the U. S. scale prototype dimensions. P:87 is also
have had to become adept at squeezing similar to the British Protofour system.
a lot of visual and operational interest Commercial P:87 products, notably
into very small layouts. Many of our NorthWest Short Line’s superb wheels,
layouts are also portable and make use are now widely available, and most
of lightweight construction materials. aspects of fine-scale modeling can be
 PART 1 1. Watched by a row of curious Sheepscot
gulls atop the rendering plant, Maine Central
U18B no. 403 makes a rare appearance at
Roque Bluffs, our 11⁄2 x 12-foot shelf railroad
built to Proto:87 fine-scale standards.

Seaport
designed around a cassette system,
which allows me to use a common stag-
ing board for the various layouts with
trains that rest on movable cassettes
(see “Staging solutions” in the April
MR). However, conventional staging
would work just as well for Roque
Bluffs – it would just need more space
than I have available.
The display slot in my office has a
permanent backdrop and built-in light-
ing. It is situated 44" above the floor, a
good viewing height. All my layouts use
the same basic control system.
When my layouts are not in use, I
store them on racks in my basement
utility area. My layout-building bench
is also in this area. I have an additional
bench in my workshop (an 8 x 12-foot
garden shed). This arrangement ensures
that I keep messy work out of the living
areas of our small home. It also allows
me to have two layouts “on the bench,”
one set up in my office and two more
stored on the racks.
As a self-contained portable layout,
Roque Bluffs and its cassette staging
board can be set up in any 12-foot-long
space. I designed Roque Bluffs to be the
kernel of a larger model railroad as it
can be easily extended at either end.

The joys of stub terminals

A stub terminal with a fiddle yard is a
very popular subject for compact lay-
outs in Europe. First, it needs a single
set of staging tracks as there’s only one
way out of the dead end. Feeding the
end of a branch line direct from staging
means that trains always depart the
same way, avoiding any problems of ori-
entation. Second, terminals often have
more interesting track layouts and more
complete facilities than through sta-
tions, with runarounds, extra spurs,
engine terminals, and so on. Finally,
accomplished with familiar techniques. Roque Bluffs is one of five layouts they are more interesting to operate –
Our Roque Bluffs project shows you that I’ve built to fit this space, enabling no one gets to highball right on through!
just what is entailed in building a layout me to overcome one of the main draw- Terminals take many forms. In
to P:87 standards, but it can also be eas- backs of small layouts – lack of scope – Europe, the country branchline termi-
ily adapted if you wish to build it to by changing the entire layout. The other nal has long been popular with model-
normal HO practices. layouts are my P:87 1950s Dutch steam ers, but many of these are quite large
tramway, two different British railway and difficult to compress. More recently,
Site? What site? terminals in P4, and a French-prototype cramped city, industrial, and harbor ter-
Roque Bluffs is a “no room for a lay- HO meter-gauge layout. And no, they’re minals have become common small-lay-
out” layout. It sits in a gap between the not all finished! out subjects.
upper and lower bookshelf units in my All the layouts are sectional and Roque Bluffs is the terminal of a fic-
home office. This tight space allows a portable. With the exception of the tional branch inspired by the real East-
total layout size of 11⁄2 x 12 feet, with Dutch tramway, they also all require an port Branch of the Maine Central
height restricted to 17". add-on staging board. My staging is (MEC), which ran south-eastward from
2. A lighthouse is a signature structure of
any Maine coastal town. The Roque Bluffs
Light is an altered Builders in Scale model of
Brandt Point Light on Nantucket Island.
 Roadway Grade up Cannery
Hidden switching Warehouse complex Boiler
Meiner’s Town Rock
lead in staging Top of grade water tank house Roadway Firehouse cut
Diner

1⁄2"
1⁄2"
1 ⁄2 "
0"

0"

Staging tracks Lighthouse

Fish meal Quay Oil depot Harbor Pier
Section joint plant Rip-rap Boatyard 2
1 4 Slipway office
3
Extended version 8'-0" x 14'-6" Compact version 1'-6" x 12'-0"
Extra section Extra section

Inner harbor Approach

Extra
section
ROQUE BLUFFS
Minimum turnout: No. 6
Maximum grade: 3 percent
Minimum curve radius: 33"

Careful detailing of track and

equipment and a well thought-out
operating plan bring a Maine sea-
port community to life on Iain
Staging
Rice’s HO project layout.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF PROTO:87 WHEEL AND TRACK STANDARDS

P roto:87 (P:87) wheel and track stan-

dards for HO scale are very close to
true prototype dimensions reduced to
modern freight cars converted from com-
mercial models, together with scratch-
built 1890s-era equipment.
1:87 scale. The standard was first set Discussion within the SIG covered a
out as long ago as 1966, when the wide range of topics, but it was the
Anglo-Australian Model Railway Study fusion of the European experience with
Group (MRSG) produced workable true- well-established National Model Railroad
scale standards for a number of popular Association procedures and proven mod-
model railroad scales. Two MRSG stan- eling techniques that led to practical
dards have found widespread favor in solutions and put the MRSG P:87 stan-
Britain: 4mm/ft, 1:76 (known as Proto- dard firmly on the path to becoming a
four or P4) and 7mm/ft. 1:43 O scale worldwide norm. P:87 became a viable
(Scaleseven or S7). In North America option for North American modelers with
and parts of mainland Europe, the the arrival of commercial components
related 1⁄4" O scale standard, 1⁄4 AAR or, and gauges. Roger Miener, a P:87 SIG
more recently, Proto:48, has also been Proto:87 standards use wheel and track member, persuaded NorthWest Short
taken up. These standards have been dimensions that are close to 1⁄87 of proto- Line to produce P:87 wheelsets, while
well-proven in three decades of use. type dimensions. member Ed McCamey designed and had
Proto:87 has a much shorter history. NMRA-pattern P:87 gauges laser-cut in
The most notable pioneer was British as locomotive and rolling stock wheel- stainless steel.
modeler Brian Harrap, who built a com- sets, and wheel and track gauges. The Paul Dolkos covered P:87 in his Nov-
plex HO triple-gauge Austrian-prototype availability of these critical components ember 1998 MODEL RAILROADER article,
layout in 1989 using the standard. Brian led others to take an interest. “Proto:Scale – Standards based on the
was followed by other groups and indi- In the U. S., P:87 modeling started prototype lead to greater realism.”
viduals in Europe who decided to experi- with the launch of the P:87 Special Recently, Kadee has started to pro-
ment with the MRSG dimensions; in the Interest Group Web site, which attracted duce its close-to-scale no. 58 coupler,
Netherlands, the Anglo-Dutch Scalefour interest from around the globe. Ideas with other couplers arriving from Ser-
Society set out to build an ambitious were exchanged, and various individuals gent, McHenry, and Accurail. – Iain Rice
Dutch P:87 layout, Portiershaven. set out to see how P:87 would work in a
In the process of evolving their lay- U. S. context. Canadian modeler Rene  More on our Web site
outs, the Dutch modelers commissioned Gourley produced some of the first P:87 To read the November 1998 “Proto:Scale”
British manufacturer Alan Gibson to pro- North American models, which included article by Paul Dolkos, visit our Web site
duce commercial P:87 components such a Canadian National SW12 switcher and at www.modelrailroader.com
3. A truck belonging to Dolkos Oils leaves the
tank farm to deliver early fall heating oil.
4. A Maine Central S1 delivers a tank car of
heating oil. A carefully thought-out track
plan makes the most of limited space.
 A small layout you can build

Roque Bluffs
Lightweight bench

No space for a layout? The shelf units in my office consist

of a 44"-high free-standing lower unit
also 15" deep and spans the full 121⁄2 feet
of wall. This shelf is framed with 1 x 2
Start by looking in and a wall-mounted upper unit. In
between is a 17"-high by 121⁄2-foot-wide
lumber and supported by heavy-duty
shelf brackets, one on every other wall
your office space that’s ideal for a shelf layout.
To make a base for my interchange-
stud, as it carries quite a load – files,
more magazines, and boxes of pho-
able layouts, I installed a 15"-wide piece tographs. It also keep dust off the layout
By Iain Rice of laminated 1⁄2" particle board. Home and supports the layout lighting system.
Photos by the author improvement stores sell these boards as Concealed 35-watt fluorescent lights
shelving. I made sure the board was illuminate the railroad. The 4-foot
level and square before I firmly screwed “slimline” lights have small-diameter

L
ast month I introduced you to it in place on top of the bookshelves. tubes and are mounted sideways on the
Roque Bluffs on the Maine Central, The shelves house my collection of 1 x 2 framing that supports the top
a shelf-type HO project layout built model railroad magazines, which I shelf. I nailed a 4" fascia strip to the
to Proto:87 practices. (You could also keep in large-size laundry detergent front of the shelf to hide the fixtures.
easily build this railroad in traditional cartons. The boxes are efficient and Mounting the lights at the front of
HO.) This month I’ll show how I found cost-free but are not pleasant to look the display ensures that the forward
room for a model railroad in my “no at! Thus, I conceal the soap cartons edge of the layout is adequately lit. Ide-
space for a layout” house and how I behind drapes that run on nylon cur- ally, these lights should be another
built the lightweight and sturdy bench- tain track supported by a strip of 1 x 2 three or four inches out from the wall –
work for Roque Bluffs. lumber mounted under the front edge but there isn’t space to permit this and
of my new shelf-top. As the layouts are still open my office door!
A model railroad slot mostly a tad wider than the 15" top, the I prefer fluorescent lights for model
Roque Bluffs is one of five inter- curtains are effectively set back some displays. First, fluorescent tubes are not
changeable layouts I’ve built to fit an way beneath the layout front fascia. “point” light sources, which dodges the
18"-deep, 121⁄2-foot-wide display space – A perspective drawing of my model multiple-shadow effect that often
I call it the “slot” – in my office book- railroad slot is shown in fig. 1. results from using a number of incan-
shelf system. Because I have a variety descent lamps. Second, fluorescent
of layouts to choose from, I can change Lighting Roque Bluffs lights produce little heat – an important
my model railroad whenever the mood Another particle-board shelf runs consideration when the lights are as
strikes me. above the layout display slot, which is close to the models as these are. And
PART 2
Fig. 1 THE “SLOT”

work Fascia and

side pieces
are dark blue
to match
drapes

Lighting –
4-foot slimline
Upper
Books

bookshelf

Lighting
4"

14"

daylight- fascia
balanced
fluorescent Viewing 12'-6"
tubes aperture 44"

Side pieces
to viewing
aperture

Support
shelf for
layout
Drapes to floor
(dark blue)
Magazine
storage
in boxes

ILLUSTRATIONS BY KELLIE JAEGER

Iain Rice’s Roque Bluffs project layout is one Fig. 2 BASE ASSEMBLY
of five interchangeable model railroads that Secure with 3⁄4"
fit an 18"-deep, 121⁄2-foot wide space in his drywall screw
office bookshelf system, proving that there’s
always room for a layout. Medium-density
fiberboard base
third, the soft-focus, even illumination Mounting blocks
is much closer to the way daylight falls for top board
on a scene, provided you want a soft
northern autumn light and not a sear- Plywood cross-
profile board
ing noontime in Nevada!
1"-square
glue block
Lightweight benchwork and girders
Roque Bluffs is made of three 4-foot Water
sections. This design allows me to easily surface
disassemble and transport the layout.
For any truly portable model railroad,
the benchwork sections must be made Slot to
Rear fit over
small enough, strong enough, and light L girder Hole for T girder
2"
enough to be easily handled. I made the wiring run
benchwork sections of the Roque Bluffs if needed
Hot glue
layout from good-quality 1⁄4" plywood, bead
3
⁄8" medium-density fiberboard (MDF), 3⁄4"fillet also
cardstock, and even paper. I used adhe- 2" makes good
sives, staples, fine steel nails, drywall gluing block
screws, nuts and bolts, and Velcro to Mounting
Small finishing nail
hold it all together. blocks for
Roque Bluffs is built on a surface of Masonite
3
⁄8" MDF, which is smooth, stable, and Front fascia
rather hard. The MDF is supported by T girder
Plywood Add-on support between
mini L girders made from 2"-wide strips splice plate profiles as needed
 of 1⁄4" plywood. My local home improve-
ment store cut 12 of these strips for me,
each 4 feet in length. Slicing them from
a standard 4 x 8-foot sheet of plywood
was economical and quick.
In a traditional railroad layout, L-
girder benchwork is used because it can
support considerable weight across a
long span. For that reason, L girders are
usually made from substantial pieces of
lumber that are glued and screwed
together. However, the essential virtue
of the L girder is that each leg of the L
braces the weak (thin) dimension of the
other leg. That remains true regardless
of the girder’s size.
Since the three sections that make
up Roque Bluffs are only 4 feet long,
Fig. 3. Accurate benchwork. The benchwork of Roque Bluffs varies in height with the sur- the mini L- or T-section girders I made
face features it supports. To create an accurate template for the benchwork, Iain first drew from 1" x 2" and 2" x 2" strips of 1⁄4" ply-
a full-size plan of the Roque Bluffs on the same sheet of medium-density fiberboard that wood provide ample strength and stiff-
will eventually form the three levels that make up the top of the layout. ness for the structure.
I glued the girders together using a
high-strength resin-based woodworking
adhesive. To hold the wood while the
glue cured, I hammered in fine steel
nails and used staples from a staple gun.
Most of the girders are 2" x 2" sections,
but the front girder on the right-hand
board, where the water of the harbor
extends inward to the rear of the scene,
is an inverted 1" x 2" T girder.
I cut plywood cross-members and
glued them inside the L girders to serve
as frame cross-braces and as supports
for the MDF top, as shown in fig. 2.
The 2"-wide girders at the base of the
structure make a good reference surface
and sit evenly on the shelf that supports
the finished layout. For this reason, I
set the support girders a bit less than
Fig 4. Custom-fit framing. With a layout template drawn full-size on the medium-density 15" apart to fit on the width of the base
fiberboard base, Iain knows exactly where he needs to place his L-girder benchwork in order shelf. All track is arranged within this
to support the different levels that will be present on the finished layout. 15" width. The area of the model can-
tilevered outward from the front girder
is scenic foreground (mostly water
areas on the Roque Bluffs).
Correctly shaping the cross-profiles
of the framing is essential. Each part of
the framework supports a particular
area of the model, so the track or other
surface feature determines the outline
of each part of the framing.
Roque Bluffs has three main levels –
the water surface, the land surface, and
the raised roadbed of the cannery spur –
and these profiles have simple outlines.
I just had to be careful that my framing
did not interfere with any of the sub-
track-level features.

Roadbed and water surfaces

Before doing any cutting, I sketched
Fig 5. An even playing field. The L and T girders are made of high-quality 1⁄4" plywood a full-size plan in pencil on my 2 x 4-
glued with woodworking adhesive. By building the benchwork on a level shelf, Iain knew foot MDF sheets. I then temporarily laid
his lightweight but strong framing would also be level and square. all the track using flextrack, overlapped
at the turnout locations, to check clear-
ances and radii. I find this works well,
as it’s easy to adjust flextrack by eye to
get nice smooth curves and transitions
and to make sure there are no awkward
kinks or tight spots. I also find it much
easier to mark track positions on the
boards when I’m using actual track.
I held the flextrack in place with
thumbtacks and marked just outside
the tie ends to establish the foundation
area of the track. The twin lines make it
easy to position the foam roadbed strip.
At the locations where the tracks
extended over the water on the pier and
the trestle, I marked the track position
on the water surface. I’ll build all the
track-supporting structures when I lay
the track. Fig. 6. Site-specific considerations. Iain has set his long main support girders so they rest
When I was satisfied with the posi- solidly on the 15"-wide shelf the layout will occupy. He gained a few extra inches of width by
tion of all the elements on the layout, I cantilevering part of the layout outward from this shelf. While all of the tracks will be sup-
inked the lines with felt-tip markers (fig. ported by the main benchwork, the extra few inches will become a scenic foreground.
3). I used a color code: track edges in
green, structure positions in black, and
cut-lines in red. To make everything
absolutely clear, I also outlined and
cross-hatched the watery areas in blue.
I then used a saber saw to cut the gently
curving front of the layout and carefully
smoothed the edge with an orbital
sander. I used the marked MDF base
pieces as templates for assembling the
framing (fig. 4), knowing that the sup-
port structure would match the surfaces
it supported.

Assembling the benchwork

Benchwork accuracy depends on
careful assembly. Building on a flat sur-
face – in my case, a level shelf – ensured
that the finished base would be both
level and square, thanks to the wide Fig. 7. Finishing the benchwork. With his frame of L- and T-section girders completed, Iain
bottom elements of the L girders resting no longer needs to use the plan drawn on the fiberboard as reference and can cut the board
flat on the shelf, as shown in fig. 5. I to separate the three main levels of the layout and attach them to the top of the benchwork.
assembled the benchwork framing with
woodworking-grade adhesive applied the adhesive cure before adding the rest When I finished gluing the frame, I
with a hot-glue gun. Fine finishing nails of the framing. no longer needed to use the MDF piece
held the girder pieces in position until I had a problem with excess adhesive as a template. I cut out the water, land
the adhesive cured. squeezing out and gluing the sections surface, and raised track areas with a
I set the end profiles first. These together. I should have trapped some saber saw (fig. 7). I glued these pieces on
were made as a matched pair cut from sheet plastic between the adjoining end- the cross-members with resin adhesive
two pieces of 1⁄4" plywood clamped profiles before I bolted them together. secured with 3⁄4" drywall screws. I added
together with 1⁄4" bolts. I left the bolts in I fitted my remaining cross-profiles a Masonite fascia later, after installing
place until all the framing had been in place on the girders and glued and the turnout motors.
assembled. With the whole layout accu- nailed them in place. I made the can-
rately aligned from the start, I knew tilever pieces in front of the T girders Speedy construction
that Roque Bluffs’ three sections would individually to fit their location (fig. 6) The light, solid, and strong bench-
always go back together as intended. and similarly glued them in place. work for Roque Bluffs was not expen-
I built the framing around the end- To reinforce each joint between a sive or time-consuming, and it enabled
profiles and girders. First I lined up the cross-piece and a girder, I placed a glue me to move speedily to the actual con-
girders of the adjacent sections on the block and added additional blocks struction of the layout.
end profiles and glued them in place along the top edges of the cross-pieces Next month I’ll show how I selected
using dots of hot glue on the base where they would join the baseboard and detailed the right mix of freight
flanges of the girders. Then I reinforced surfaces. Once the adhesive cures, this cars to serve the layout’s industries, and
each corner with 1" square blocks glued type of light benchwork is robust and I’ll share some tips for giving rolling
with the resin woodworking glue. I let surprisingly rigid. stock a Proto:87 makeover. 1
 A small layout you can build

Roque Bluffs,
rolling

L
ast month I described how I pre- answer is logistics. Roque Bluffs will be
Developing an equip- pared a location in my home office built with the more true-to-scale
for my Roque Bluffs shelf-type HO Proto:87 (P:87) HO track and wheel
ment list and finding project layout and how I built the rail- dimensions. Track needs to be tested as
road’s lightweight and sturdy bench- it’s laid, and to test P:87 track you need
the right level of detail work. This month I’ll show how I P:87 equipment.
developed a realistic mix of rolling Motive power for Roque Bluffs is a
stock for my fictional Maine Central straightforward proposition, even for a
By Iain Rice branch line. slightly obscure railroad like the Maine
Photos by the author Central. For many years, the Maine
Roque-ready rolling stock Central kept a General Electric 44-ton
“Hold on!” you say. “How come diesel locomotive at Calais to work its
we’re talking about rolling stock before Eastport branch. Alco S-1 and Electro-
an inch of track has been laid?” The Motive SWs were also used. All of these
 PART 3 work lay in bringing equipment from
other – mostly older – sources up to the
same level of detail and finish. While I
do try to make my models authentic,
I’m not a freight-car expert, and I’ve

stock
relied greatly on those who are for
advice. I felt that if I avoided obvious
visual anomalies like molded-on grabs,
the cars would at least look okay to me
and to everyone else except the experts.

An Alco for Roque Bluffs

Choosing a locomotive was my first
step in equipping Roque Bluffs. Initially
I envisioned an SW7 in Maine Central’s
later “solid green” switcher scheme – a
choice helped by the fact that I already
had an undecorated Athearn SW that I
knew was a cinch to convert to P:87.
The work was coming on quite well
when, in search of a Detail Associates
etched SW front grill, I paid a visit to
Henry’s Hobby House in West Boylston,
Mass. Fate was smiling that day, for the
store had just received new models
from Life-Like. One look at Life-Like’s
Proto 2000 Alco S-1 in razor sharp
Maine Central black-with-red-stripe fac-
tory paint and I forgot all about SW7s!
NorthWest Short Line’s no. 27691-4
P:87 wheelsets for Life-Like engines are
easy to install. After I installed a set of
Kadee no. 58 scale-size couplers in
place of the original couplers, the 953
was ready for service.
I added the appropriate details sup-
plied with the model and installed a
pair of Cal-Scale no. 280 brass marker
lights on the nose in approved Maine
Central style. I reworked the paint
slightly to vary the shades of black – all-
black engines are rarely uniform in
color, and using different shades on
When he encountered Life-Like’s trucks, frame, cab roof, and walkways
sweet-running and well-detailed Proto really brought the model to life. The
2000 Alco S-1, Iain Rice knew he had step-well ends on the pilot were picked
found the right motive power for his out in Harvest Gold. I also chemically
Roque Bluffs HO project railroad. blackened the bright sides of the NWSL
wheels and lightly brushed them a
rusty-greasy brown.
All the new paint was brush-applied
Polly S or Humbrol acrylic, and the
locomotives have been produced in ultra-fine details may be prone to dam- engine received a moderate weathering
Maine Central colors in HO. age on an operating layout, but I still with powder to blend the finish and dull
Rolling stock is even less of a prob- wanted an amount of detail that com- the lettering and stripes a tad. This model
lem than motive power, but first I had plemented the finer wheels. is superb and runs like a Rolex. It also
to think about the level of detail that My ideal specifications list included tracks very well in its P:87 form and
would be standard on the Roque Bluffs. P:87 wheels in scale-width trucks, negotiates all the nooks and crannies of
The tread width of the wheels is the where possible; scale-sized couplers, Roque Bluffs without problem.
major difference between a P:87 car with no trip pins; scale wire grabs; del-
and a standard HO scale car with icate ladders, stirrups, and running Finding the right caboose
wheels made to RP25 (the National boards; and realistic paint jobs. Life-Like also supplied the caboose
Model Railroad Association’s recom- Recent equipment from Proto 2000, for Roque Bluffs. The Life-Like model
mended practice for standard HO). But InterMountain, Bachmann, Kadee, Red has excellent detail and quality of finish
there’s a bit more to P:87 modeling than Caboose, and Athearn met my specifi- and is a dead-on match for the proto-
swapping wheelsets. I’ve found that cations right out of the box. The real type – except for its color. It seems that
no two manufacturers agree on the cars that can carry a mix of products. I is a strict no-no in P:87. Trying to get
shade of Maine Central’s Harvest Gold. purchased both a single-dome car and a narrow-tread wheels onto the rails
(Judging by the color variations in pho- three-dome car to serve the customers when they can move around in the
tos of the real thing, the railroad itself at Roque Bluffs. truck frames is almost impossible.
wasn’t too sure!) The dull orange of the This proved to be a problem with
Life-Like caboose is the most extreme P:87 car conversions most original-equipment trucks and
variation I’ve encountered. I may re- All the equipment at Roque Bluffs some otherwise excellent replacements
paint this car, but for the moment I’ve rolls on NWSL P:87 code 64 wheelsets, such as the equalized InterMountain
contented myself with a set of NWSL and about half the cars ride on scale- trucks. Even using the version of the
wheels, no. 58 couplers, and a touch of width trucks from Eastern Car Works. NWSL P:87 wheelset with the longer
paint and weathering to complete what The company also sells P:87 bolsters axle left way too much movement with
was literally a half-hour project. It’s a that fit its standard truck kits. As they most types of “wide” trucks, although
dinky little crummy and it looks currently offer 19 truck types, you some recent castings by Atlas and Life-
absolutely right for Roque Bluffs. should be able to find something suit- Like (the Proto 2000 “Bettendorf” is
able! Most of my stock rides on the very good) proved to be fine.
Choosing the right freight cars common Barber 100-ton S-2 roller- I found that it was possible to adapt
Before buying freight cars, my first bearing trucks. standard-width trucks to take the long-
task was listing the traffic generated by Equipping newer cars with Eastern axle NWSL P:87 wheelsets by drilling
the on-line industries and the car types Car Works’ scale-width trucks and the the bearing seats in the truck frames a
needed to handle this lading. With a tiny NWSL no. 37677-4 P:87 wheelsets on little deeper with a 2mm drill and
layout like Roque Bluffs, there’s a finite .917" axles is generally simple, except inserting brass bearings to take out the
number of cars that can be handled, so on some Athearn cars where the ECW end-float on the axles. The ones I used
I restricted my choice to around 20 bolster gives a ride height that is too are either Peco type R30 or the turned
pieces. My traffic and car-type list is set tall. The Athearn truck mount doesn’t “top hat” type widely used by British
out in the table on page 115. permit lowering, and the alternative – modelers. I purchase mine from Mainly
My predominant need was for box- thinning the ECW bolsters – made them Trains, a mail-order specialist, at Unit
cars – no surprise, as these are usually too flexible. I had to reinforce them C, South Road Workshops, Watchet,
the most common general-service cars. with strips of .060" square styrene strip. Somerset TA23 0HF, UK; the Web site
Looking at pictures of Maine Central The only other snare with the ECW address is www.mainlytrains.co.uk.
trains, though, I was struck by the rela- trucks is ensuring that you cement
tively high number of home-road box- them truly square and flat. I made a A multitude of couplers
cars found in its trains, so I decided the couple where the axles ended up a tad When I started out on this project,
mix of road names would strongly favor skewed, leading to instant derailments. the only closer-to-scale alternative to
the home team. Covered hoppers, on I now assemble the truck sides and P:87 the normal Kadee no. 5 (or equivalent)
the other hand, seemed to come from bolsters on a piece of plate glass using knuckle coupler was the no. 711 “Old
all over the place and fish meal (a fertil- Plastic Weld liquid cement, checking Time” coupler – essentially, the HOn3
izer and a feed for fish-farms) is a gen- the truck alignment with a small square coupler with longer trip pins. This cou-
eral lading not requiring dedicated while the joint is still soft. I make sure pler is, if anything, a tad too small for a
hoppers, so I reckoned I had a free to let the joints cure hard before I gently modern knuckle, but it looks good. I
hand. I went for a mix of older two-bay force the sides slightly outward to ease used this coupler, without the trip pins,
and newer cylindrical and multi-bay the wheelsets in place. for the first few cars I built for Roque
hoppers. Tank cars come in two basic The resulting ECW trucks run freely Bluffs. Getting a no. 711 to fit generally
variants – single-compartment (and sin- without any slop in the fit of the axle requires some shimming to locate the
gle-dome) cars handling one product pinpoints in the truck frames. That’s tiny coupler box at the right height for
only, and two- and three-compartment vital, because any play in the wheelsets modern cars.

Stock HO
to Proto:87
in 5 easy 1 2
steps Remove the truck sideframes by unsnapping Slide a fine, straight-blade jeweler’s screw-
the lugs at the truck ends and withdrawing driver in the middle of one side of the keeper
the central locating pins from the contact molding to gently spring the lugs free of the
strip and truck side. Take care not to damage truck gearbox and remove the keeper plate
the leads from the contact strips and the from the gearbox and set aside.
brake chains on the rear truck.
 Above: Iain decided that Life-Like’s North-
eastern pattern caboose is just right for a
branchline railroad. This model has excellent
fine details right out of the box. All the
caboose needed was P:87 wheels, Kadee no.
58 scale couplers, and a touch of weathering
and it was ready for service.

Left: Iain needs only about 20 cars to oper-

ate Roque Bluffs. Just as real railroads did
in the era he models, Iain updated some of
the older rolling stock by removing the run-
ning boards and lowering the ladders.

3 4 5
Remove the wheelsets from the truck. Pull Note the difference in tread width between Place 1.5mm-diameter by .020"-thick spacer
out the Life-Like wheels with their stub standard HO in front and Proto:87 at rear. washers over the axle ends outside of the
axles. Push replacement NorthWest Short When all the wheelsets have been replaced wheels to take up the difference in width
Line P:87 wheels with stub axles in place in the truck, snap the keeper plate back in between RP25 and P:87 wheels. Place the
and use a caliper to set the back-to-back place on the gearbox. contact strips over the axle ends outside the
wheel spacing at 15.55mm. washers, and replace the sideframes.
 When I was a year into the project, ladders, and a handful of modern cars With NorthWest Short Line P:87 replacement
Sergent, Kadee, and Accurail all that arrived from the builder with a wheelsets, Kadee no. 58 couplers, and a
announced couplers, and I obtained low-ladder arrangement. touch of weathering, this Atlas PS-2 covered
some samples from Sergent and Kadee. The first and the last were easy hopper is ready for fish meal service.
The cast-pewter Sergent looks great – enough to come up with, but moderniz-
and is nearly exactly to scale – but it has ing older cars proved quite tricky, espe-
to be assembled, which is a tad tricky. cially starting with models with cast-on from which the real thing is made, and
The Kadee no. 58 arrives ready to drop ladders. By the time you’ve carved away using four staples sliced off a standard
into a standard no. 5 coupler box, mak- the ladders, running boards, and brake refill strip makes it easy to produce a
ing installation a cinch. Kadee also wheel platform and filled any resulting set of matching stirrups in one try.
makes a no. 78 – an assembled no. 58 in holes, you’ve made quite a mess of the I attach wire details by either drilling
a narrower box. I found that the Kadee factory paint job! Fortunately, the real holes and gluing them in place using CA
nos. 5, 58, and 711 couplers all couple railroads had the same problem, and it (cyanoacrylate adhesive) or by carefully
quite readily with Sergent couplers. was quite common to see modernized melting the stirrup into the plastic with
boxcars with the end panels and ends a small soldering iron.
Era-specific car detailing repainted in not-quite matching colors The new ladders, brakewheels, and
My chosen late-1970s/early 1980s or even patches of oxide red primer. So other plastic details are mostly from
period is at the time of changeover from I touched-in the paint on my conver- Detail Associates, Details West, and Des
traditional freight cars with running sions without worrying too much about Plaines Hobbies. Air hoses are of fine
boards and full-height ladders to the getting an exact color match and wire, and uncoupling levers are bent to
modern standard of short ladders, low- blended the colors with weathering. shape from .012" brass wire and held
mounted brake wheels, and no roof Otherwise, my freight-car detailing – with loops of 40-gauge copper wire (a
access except on cars – like covered such as it is – follows conventional single strand of layout hookup wire)
hoppers – where it is necessary for load- lines. I use Detail Associates pre-formed cemented into drilled holes with CA.
ing. To accurately represent this period, wire grabs to replace the cast-on vari-
I needed one or two unconverted box- ety, and I generally make my own The essential art of weathering
cars with the traditional arrangement, a replacement stirrups using ordinary I regard weathering as essential.
few slightly older cars that had been steel office staples re-bent. I find the Weathering aids realism, helps to inte-
modernized by removing running flat-section staple wire is just about grate equipment into the overall layout
boards and lowering brake wheels and right to represent the steel strap section context, and tones down the over-bright
 TRAFFIC AND CAR TYPES
Industry Traffic and direction Car type

Fish meal plant: Bulk fish meal, out Covered hopper

Bagged fish meal, out Boxcar
Fish oil (in drums), out Boxcar
Fuel oil, in Tank car

Cannery: Canned goods, out Boxcar

Empty cans, in Boxcar
Bulk ingredients, in Boxcar
Fuel oil, in Tank car

Oil Depot Diesel fuel, in Tank car Iain used a variety of scale couplers for
Kerosene, in Tank car his Roque Bluffs rolling stock. This boxcar
Gasoline, in Tank car has Kadee no. 711 “Old Time” coupler
Bunker-grade fuel oil, in Tank car knuckles, which work well but are almost
too small for HO scale.
Boatyard Steel plate, in Gondola
Lumber, in Flatcar
Machinery, in Boxcar

Pier General merchandise, in Boxcar

Chandlery supplies, in Boxcar
Fresh fish/shellfish, out Reefer*

Town: General merchandise, in Boxcar*

*This traffic most likely carried by truck at this date.

Semitrailers may be added to scene in place of rolling stock.

factory finish. Looking at a model is Once I’m happy with the look of the car,
equivalent to looking at the prototype I seal the finish with a dusting of Micro-
from some way off, so colors need to Matte acrylic varnish.
take account of the intervening distance I’m especially careful to weather the
– what artists call atmospheric dilution. front and backs of wheelsets, the axles, Iain likes the Kadee no. 58 scale couplers
The atmosphere is not totally transpar- the truck frames, and the couplers. A equipping this gondola. All Roque Bluffs
ent, so distant colors seem less vivid light dusting of weathering color with rolling stock is manually uncoupled, and
than those seen up-close. the airbrush doesn’t affect the function Iain reports that the various sizes of
In art, colors are modified when of the knuckles and makes these impor- Kadee couplers he sampled as well as
being mixed to account for atmospheric tant items look as though they are part cast pewter couplers from Sergent couple
dilution. This isn’t possible with pre- of the car. To help paint stick to wire or just fine with each other.
painted models, so I start by giving the metal details like grabs or cut levers, I
model an overall thin coat of a dilute treat them with chemical blackening
blue-brown-gray mix of acrylic paints solution such as Blacken-It. This gives a
dusted on with the airbrush or washed good base for paint, and if the paint
on with an artist’s sable brush. I then does wear or flake off, you don’t see
add weathering tones as needed by bright metal.
painting or drybrushing with acrylics. I
am careful to avoid any strong or pure Keeping busy with a small fleet
colors, especially blacks. I never use Equipment for a small layout like
pure black or white in model work – a this offers a lot of scope for modeler
dark brown or dark gray shade for input even if you start, as I have, with
black and a pale gray or cream for stock ready-to-run or kit models. I tend
white always looks better. to gradually upgrade stock over time so
Finally, I use weathering powders to as to keep a reasonable selection avail-
add traces of dirt and rust. The ones I able to work the layout, and there’s still
use are British, made by Carrs, and you plenty of scope to improve the cars The difference between scale-width P:87
can order them from International rolling on Roque Bluffs. wheels and trucks and standard HO wheels
Hobbies in California. Alternatively, Next month I’ll show how I built and trucks really jumps out at you when the
ground-up pastel chalks work as well. P:87 trackwork for Roque Bluffs. 1 two are set beside each other.
 A small layout you can build

Roque Bluffs,
realistic

L
ast month I showed how I selected those narrow P:87 wheels on the
Great-looking handlaid and detailed the mix of freight cars ground. Careful work at this stage will
to serve the industries at Roque reward you with track that looks great
track starts with simple Bluffs, our Maine Central project rail- and trains that operate smoothly.
road. I also shared some tips for giving
tools and techniques rolling stock a Proto:87 (HO fine scale) Precision track
makeover using wheels that are closer Proto:87 track differs from conven-
to scale prototype dimensions. Although tional HO scale track in one important
By Iain Rice I used P:87 for this layout, you could aspect – the turnout flangeway clear-
Photos by the author build it using National Model Railroad ances are narrower in P:87. Otherwise,
Association standards. all the techniques used to build HO
This month we’ll start laying track, scale track work just fine for P:87.
but first a word of advice. Rough spots There are two ways to make realistic
in the track that cause a barely de- track. You can either study full-size rail-
tectable bump in standard HO will put road engineering until you understand
 PART 4

track

Handlaid track and a few simple tech-

how it all works or you can look at pro- right. This is one case where the old niques allowed Iain Rice to accurately
totype pictures of the railroad you’re maxim, “If it looks right, it will work model the down-in-the-weeds look of
modeling and copy what you see – right” applies. Model track that flows a Maine Central branch line.
which is what I did. smoothly through curves and turnouts,
I went through all the 1970s-era transitions gradually between tangent turnouts. The materials I used are stan-
Maine Central photos I could find and and curve, and rises gently onto grades dard fare – Micro Engineering’s wood
took notes. For instance, I noticed the is likely to run well. ties and Micro-spikes, with Peco and
MEC didn’t worry too much about get- Micro Engineering rail in codes 55, 65,
ting their tie-ends neatly aligned! Track materials and 75. For unseen track or track des-
Good track starts with good tools, Good-quality flextrack nicely repre- tined to be embedded in pavement, I
and the most essential tool of all is the sents well-maintained track, but that’s used printed-circuit board for ties and
human eye. Your eye will detect kinks, not the kind of railroad I’d expect in a soldered the rail in place.
doglegs, things that aren’t parallel, backwater like Roque Bluffs. Handlay- In the November 2002 Model Rail-
curves that lack nice transitions and – ing my track also guaranteed that its roader, I described how I marked my
most essential – whether the track looks appearance would match my handlaid track locations using temporarily laid
 boondocks the railroad’s spurs, sidings,
and industry tracks were not nearly as
shipshape. The tie ends didn’t line up,
the rail was lighter and spiked directly
to ties that were often twisted, split, or
chipped. Some ties were considerably
off-center because the section crew had
shifted them to one side to find enough
sound timber to hold a spike.
The ballast appeared to be about 30
percent stone, 50 percent cinder, and
the rest dirt. In most places, weeds crept
right up to the tie-ends.
Accurately modeling less-than-perfect
track is an interesting challenge. I
started by positioning the individual ties
by eye, using a rail that I pinned tem-
porarily in place as a guide.
At this stage in the process, the rail
location doesn’t have to be exact and
Using a marking pen, Iain outlined the location of the track on the layout’s sur- neither does the tie positioning. I spaced
face, then he glued Woodland Scenics foam roadbed in place. The long ties at left and aligned the ties to suit their loca-
are headblocks – the pair of ties that support the switch stands. tions, closer together on the main run-
ning tracks and a bit farther apart on
the spurs and run-around loop.
I also sorted the Micro Engineering
ties as I laid them, copying full-size
practice by using the better-looking ties
for running lines and using the not-so-
good examples for spurs. I welcomed
the occasional chipped or twisted ties
and used them to make my weed-grown
sidings look even more decrepit!
I glued the ties to the foam roadbed
with Goo, one tie at a time. A slow
process to be sure, but it was the best
way of achieving the slightly wayward
tie placement I was after.
I cut turnout ties roughly to length. I
didn’t attempt to produce neatly gradu-
ated ties – prototype pictures showed
the tie-ends staggered all over the place.
I have a typical modeler’s urge to tidy
everything up, and all of this went a bit
Rails are held in place by paired spikes in every fourth tie. At rail joints where a against the grain. But the real world
little extra support is needed, Iain solders the base of the rail to a steel pin that he isn’t that tidy, and the real world is what
pressed into the layout’s medium-density fiberboard surface. we’re supposed to be modeling!
I left most of the turnout ties loose at
flextrack and drawing parallel lines gave me a minute or two to line up this stage to allow me to adjust their
along the tie ends on the fiberboard base things to my satisfaction before it set. positions. The exceptions were the
of the layout. I also indicated the loca- Weights kept the roadbed in place while headblocks and the ties at the extreme
tions of the turnout switch rods with the the adhesive cured. ends of the turnout.
letters “HB” for headblocks – the two At turnout locations, I either laid one
extra-long ties that will support the length of roadbed strip right through Paved Track
switch stand. the turnout and spliced the second Quite a lot of the track at Roque
I used this initial marking to place piece to it for the diverging track, or I Bluffs is embedded in concrete and other
the Woodland Scenics foam roadbed built up the track foundation using sev- paving materials, as is common at dock-
strip, which is 17⁄8" wide. Since my tie- eral smaller pieces of foam. It doesn’t side. You do need to ensure that the rail-
end position lines are 11⁄8" apart, I simply matter if the joints aren’t snug – they heads are a few thousandths of an inch
drew an additional line 3⁄8" outside the will all be buried in the ballast. above the pavement to ensure good elec-
tie-end marking. One line is enough – trical contact and easy track cleaning.
the side nearest the front of the layout Laying wood ties To model paved track, I soldered the
being the most useful. I position wood ties according to the rail to printed-circuit-board (PCB) ties.
I glued the foam roadbed to the lay- sort of track I’m modeling. In the case Ties spaced about an inch apart are
out’s surface with Walthers’ Goo, laying of Roque Bluffs the track needed to look enough for a strong result. Don’t forget
three beads along each strip – up the bad! The Maine Central kept its main that PCB ties require you to cut an elec-
center and along each edge. The Goo lines in good repair, but out in the trical insulation gap in the copper foil
 On straight track use two gauges
facing in opposite directions.
Spike rails between gauges

Outer rail
Inner rail

For curved track use two gauges set with

two points on the outer rail (lay this rail
first on curves)
Gauge widened by this amount

il
er ra
Out

r rail
Inne

Principle of gauge-widening
with 3-point gauges – exaggerated view As is common with dockside railroads, the track will be set in pavement in several
Using three-point track gauges places on the Roque Bluffs layout. Since the ties will not be visible in these loca-
tions, Iain soldered the rails to printed-circuit-board ties.
Illustration by Robert Wegner
surface between the rails. I find it best with cyanoacrylate adhesive, used spar- point side, the base of the triangle,
to cut this gap with a triangular needle ingly, to lock the spikes in place. should always be on the outside of the
file before laying the ties, checking the At points where rail location is criti- curve, as the illustration shows. This
isolation with a meter. It’s a lot easier to cal or where lateral loads are high – as gives automatic gauge widening – the
do this than chase short circuits once at an unsupported rail end or adjacent tighter the curve, the greater the offset
the track is laid. I will describe my to the turnout switch rods – I soldered of the track gauge.
paving techniques in detail in an upcom- the rail to a pin driven into the layout’s To ease the friction between wheel
ing installment of this series. medium-density fiberboard base and flanges and the railhead, the gauge of
snipped the pin at rail-base level. full-size track is eased outward a frac-
Resilient roadbed and tiny spikes There’s no point in having a nice tion on curves. The tighter the curve,
I’ve found that foam roadbed makes springy foam roadbed if you lock every- the more the gauge is eased, to a maxi-
for smoother running, which improves thing solid by ballasting with stone chips mum of around 1⁄2". This may not sound
wheel-to-rail contact and reduces de- and hard-setting glue. I use Woodland like a lot, but it has a dramatic effect.
railments with fine-scale wheels. Scenics ballast – made, they tell me, With the P:87 wheelsets having the
The tiny ME Micro-spikes hold only from ground-up nutshells – held with a same relationship to the track gauge as
in the actual ties, and so handlaying flexible white glue. the real thing, gauge widening of a few
track on a soft roadbed requires a slightly The adhesive I use is low-strength thousandth of an inch has a similarly
different technique than spiking on a stuff intended for use by children, but beneficial effect.
firm roadbed like Homasote or cork. acrylic matte medium would work just
I first set one rail on the ties and held as well. You need only enough adhesion Turnouts made easy
the alignment with straight pins pushed to stop the ballast from coming loose. Starting with ties, spikes, and a pile
into the layout base on either side of the You don’t want to mix a sort of glue- of parts and ending up with realistic
rail. I used a plastic ruler to align the and-ballast concrete! track is a very satisfying process, and
rail for straight track. For curved track, I found it easy to end up with track it’s not too different from the way real
I take advantage of a useful natural that looked too good for the sort of railroads do it – only without the back-
characteristic of the rail – it forms a rough-and-ready branch line I was breaking toil! Next month I’ll finish lay-
smooth curved alignment of its own after, so I used short rail lengths to get ing track and show how I custom-made
accord if you hold the ends in place and the slightly kinked look of the proto- turnouts and crossings (“diamonds”) for
let the rail in between do its own thing. type. In an odd reversal of my usual pri- Roque Bluffs. MR
I drilled no. 78 pilot holes on either orities, I even deliberately arranged
side of the rail base where I needed
paired spikes – about every fourth tie
joints to meet on a curve rather than
going all-out to avoid them!
 Building Roque Bluffs
was sufficient – then I pushed the spikes
in with fine-tip pliers. Some of the ties Automatic gauge widening October 2003: Planning a “no room
were of harder wood than others. To Once the first rail was spiked down, I for a layout” layout
overcome this, I placed the tip of a small gauged the parallel rail from it using a November 2003: Lightweight and
screwdriver under the tie end as a sup- Micro Engineering three-point track sturdy benchwork
port while driving the spike. gauge. On straight track I use a pair of December 2003: Selecting and
To give the finished track more gauges, one facing each way, to ensure detailing the right mix of rolling stock
strength, I reinforced the rail location accuracy. But on curved track the two-
 A small layout you can build PART 5
Roque Bluffs,
handlaid
turnouts
Build ‘em in place for
J
anuary’s installment on building that are available in the larger product
Roque Bluffs, a shelf-type Maine lines such as Shinohara or Peco. But if
free-flowing trackwork Central switching layout in Proto:87
(HO fine scale), covered how to lay
you make your own turnouts, the range
is pretty well infinite, as once you know
plain track by hand. This time I’ll show the basic rules you can build a turnout
By Iain Rice you how to build your own turnouts. for any situation following any proto-
Photos by the author This layout is “Proto:87” because of its type. We’ve become a tad fixated with
track and wheel standards, but if you the common frog numbers – nos. 4, 6,
prefer you could use exactly the same or 8 – but real turnouts come in all sorts
methods to build track to National of odd angles. You don’t really have to
Model Railroad Association standards. care what the frog angle is, so long as it
Most model railroaders become fits the situation on a layout.
accustomed to planning layouts around The rules of turnout construction are
standard turnouts, or at least turnouts actually quite few and basic. The actual
 Toe end
Fig. 1 Turnout of turnout Fig. 2 Check gauge Flanges miss point of
terminology frog by .003" to .005"
–a miss is as good as
Back of wheel just a mile!
clear of frog wing
Headblocks

Switch stand Points

Frog
Back of wheel
in contact with Check
guard rail gauge
Guard rail
Switch rod

Stock rail
Flangeway
“Set”
Adjust the guard rail position to set the
check gauge, using a wheelset as a gauge
(this works for any standard, not just P:87)
“Set” is slight angle
of stock rail to guide
flanges onto point
offset in the curved stock rail just where
the nose of the point touches. This helps
Closely spaced
ties supporting guide the wheels smoothly onto the
heels of points switch. [The “turnout” is the whole
Closure assembly including the frog and the clo-
rails sure rails. The “switch” is the moving
part of the turnout, the points that guide
wheels onto one route or the other. –
Ed.] All of these features are shown in
fig. 1, which also names the parts of a
turnout following full-size practice.

Critical tie positions

Positioning the ties is a big part of
Stock rails
turnout building. In standard turnouts
railroads follow standard tie patterns,
but certain tie locations are critical even
in turnouts built to fit.
Starting at the toe of the switch,
there is always a pair of long ties on
Closely spaced ties supporting either side of the switch rod (the real
closure-wing rail joint name for what model railroaders usu-
ally call the “throwbar”). These are the
“headblocks” that support the switch-
stand or turnout motor.
Wing rails The next critical ties are the switch
heel ties – two ties close together to sup-
port the joint between the points and
Ties supporting frog the closure rails. A similar pair of close-
Wing rail spaced ties supports the joint of the clo-
“knuckles” sure rails and the knuckle rails. Then
Frog there is always a tie beneath the actual
In the fifth installment of his Proto:87 knuckles, another beneath the point of
layout construction series, Iain Rice Guard the frog, and a third beneath the frog
explains how to scratchbuild turnouts rail wing rails. And, lastly, there are usually
Guard
in place, to fit any layout situation. rail close-spaced ties to support the ends of
Here’s the turnout leading to the Wings of frog
the rails at the extreme ends of the
Dolkos Oil track, with the train in the turnout. I usually glue only the critical
background on the “main line.” ties in place to start, and fit and glue
the rest of the ties in place as I go.
frog itself, where the rails cross, is nor-
mally straight. The switch points are Heel end Proto:87 considerations
“housed” into the stock rail, usually by of turnout In Proto:87 construction, the flange-
machining the base of that rail to allow ways through the frogs are to scale, a
the point to fit snugly against it. There maximum .024" wide. To get the rails
is also usually a “set,” a slight tweak or Illustrations by Rick Johnson this close, you need to file the inside
Fig. 3 First stock rail. Iain positions the first stock rail on Fig. 4 Second stock rail. Using track gauges and a
the ties and temporarily pins it in place. The “housing” metal weight, Iain positions the second stock rail opposite
where the point will fit will extend back from the headblocks. the first and pins it in place as well.

base off the wing rails at the frog. The wheelset touches the guard rail, as shown mark the stock rails where the tips of
actual flangeway width is easily set with in fig. 2, the flange of the other wheel is the points will fit, over the headblock
an ordinary feeler gauge as used to gap still on the same side of the point of the farthest from the frog. Form the hous-
the spark-plugs on an automobile frog. The clearance needed is small, only ing to allow the point to fit tightly
engine. Flangeways that are too narrow a few thousands of an inch, but it’s a very against the stock rail by filing away the
will cause problems, but if they’re a bit important few thousandths. Allow that base of the rail on a long taper back
wide I find they’re usually okay. flange to ride over a little too far and it’ll from this location.
The positioning of the guard rails, pick the frog, ride up over, and pow! – Start the actual rail laying by spik-
however, is critical in P:87, as they have you’re in the dirt. ing down the stock rails from the head-
to function exactly as in the prototype. blocks back to where they join the last
Again, you don’t need to bother with Building turnouts in place rails of the plain track, using four spikes
measurements, although a gauge would Except for a Rail Works no. 6 used in every tie to hold everything firm.
come in handy. The important thing is for the cannery spur, all the turnouts in Then select one of the stock rails as the
that when the back of one wheel in a Roque Bluffs were built on site follow- “datum” – usually the straight one if it’s
ing these principles and work fine. I a standard turnout, or the “main line”
determined the locations of the head- or “normal” route through a wye or
Fig. 5 Point of frog Base of rail blocks when first laying out the track, curved turnout.
(shaded)
Railhead
but I located all the other parts of each Spike the datum rail at the far end of
turnout as I built it by rule of thumb. the turnout and then carefully align it
Gap
With the headblock position fixed, back to the headblocks. If it will curve, I
the stock rails can be set in place and allow the rail to take up a natural curve
Frog-point rails can be filed to more than half held by pins pushed into the sub-base between the two fixed points.
the desired frog angle; resulting gap will be
filled with solder (color shading) on either side of the base of the rail, as Pin the rail to the sub-base again to
shown in figs. 3 and 4. Then you can hold its alignment. Then spike it to the

Fig. 6 Positioning frog rails. Iain positions the first frog Fig. 7 Adding wing rails. With a strip of wood helping to
rail from his “datum” stock rail, the far one in this case, hold them in place, Iain solders short strips of brass under
which is already spiked down. The second frog rail is added the frog to serve as attachments for the wing rails.
to form the required angle from the first.
 More on our Web site
See how Model Railroader’s Gordon
Odegard scratchbuilt turnouts on printed-
circuit-board ties. The story is online at:
www.modelrailroader.com

ties, but avoid placing spikes where they

will obstruct the guard rails or points. I
spike the outside of the rail on every tie
in these locations and glue the rail to
the spikes with cyanoacrylate adhesive.

Frog
With the datum stock rail located,
the next job is to build the frog. Start by
filing two rails to form the vee of the
frog as shown in fig. 5. The aim is to
get a nice, snug fit between them to give
a crisp, sharp-pointed angle appropri-
ate for the turnout.
When shaping the taper of the frog
rails, it doesn’t hurt to file away a bit Track in the street
too much inside the angle, as you can
easily open up the gap by a tad and fill
it with solder. But if you don’t file a fine Where track will be paved over in a street, Iain builds with only printed-circuit-board
enough taper, the frog rails won’t meet (PCB) ties supporting the rail. He built this turnout essentially the same way as he
at a sharp-enough angle, and then you’ll does on wooden ties, but the rails are soldered rather than spiked in place and no
have problems. extra brass strips are necessary. The top foil surface of every tie must be carefully cut
I like to cut the two frog rails long for two-rail insulation. – Andy Sperandeo
enough to allow for adjustment of their
exact position. You can trim them to
the final length after everything is trackwork must carry electrical current. standard turnouts offered by Rail
finally spiked down. Allow the solder to flow into and fill any Works use this system.
Once the frog rail nearest the datum gaps between the two rails of the frog.
stock rail is filed sharp enough, lay it in At this stage, I also solder a short Wing and guard rails
place with track gauges from the stock length of brass strip under the two frog With the frog spiked in, you have the
rail to hold its position, as in fig. 6. rails, about 1⁄8" back from the nose of the skeleton of the turnout. Gauge the other
Then lay in the other frog rail and frog. As shown in fig. 7, these are used stock rail from the frog and spike it to
adjust its angle by eye, or maybe with to attach the wing rails and to bond the the ties at the heel of the turnout as you
the help of a straightedge to pick up whole frog into one electrical unit. did the datum rail. Add a couple more
alignments from track already laid. Another good approach is to use ties to support the wing rails, and then
Once the angle is set, spike the frog printed-circuit-board (PCB) ties rather make these. Again, cut the rails long and
rails to the ties, and solder them than wooden at this location, so all the trim them after everything’s aligned.
together using a small iron and paste rails can be soldered into a strong and To get nice crisp bends for the knuck-
flux – rosin flux only, never acid, since reliable unit. The Proto:87 and NMRA les of the wing rails, file a v-shaped nick

Fig. 8 Wing rail alignment. Sighting along the wing and get his eye down to the track. Rolling a truck through the
frog rails is the best way to make sure they’re aligned. Iain frog is another good test. It should roll quietly and smoothly,
uses a small mirror for sighting where it isn’t convenient to and any clicks or bumps mean something is wrong.
  Building Roque Bluffs
October 2003: Planning a Ò no room
for a layout” layout
November 2003: Lightweight and
sturdy benchwork
December 2003: Selecting and
detailing the right mix of rolling stock
January 2004: Handlaying track

Use a scrap of tie stock to hold the brass

strips in place for soldering.

Switch points
I lay the points and closure rails as
one piece. That means that the points
have to flex rather than pivot like those
found in commercial turnouts. With the
Fig. 9 Guard rails. Iain uses a wheelset to locate the guard rails, as shown in lighter rail sections – smaller codes –
fig. 2. The plain wood supports the brass strips he uses to secure the guard rails. this isn’t a problem.
When filing points I take care to get
in the base before tweaking the rail to work in lieu of a feeler gauge. I find a a nicely formed profile. Bringing the
the desired angle with square-jaw pli- small mirror useful for checking align- tips of the points to a truly fine taper
ers. Check the angle by holding it tight ments where I can’t get into position to that will close seamlessly against the
to the frog and sighting along it – the sight directly along the track – see fig. 8. stock rails is essential in P:87 – those
gauge or running sides of both rails At this stage, I also fit the guard rails, little flanges will pick the tiniest of gaps.
should line up perfectly. which like the wing rails need their base I file points over a hardwood block
Once the wing rails are bent, file filed away on the side nearest the stock clamped in a vise. As shown in fig. 10, I
away the rail base facing the frog to rails (HO rail has an over-wide base). file at a shallow angle along the line of
allow for the correct flangeway spacing. Gauge them from the frog (not from the the rail. To help hold the rail while fil-
The ends of the wing rails need a “flare” adjacent stock rail), using a wheelset to ing, I cut a saw slit in the face of the
to gather flanges smoothly into the frog. position them as in fig. 9 so that they block to hold the base of the rail.
Some railroads bend the tips of the hold the wheel flanges on the same side First I use a mill file to remove most
wing rails outward, but others simply of the frog. This “check gauge” is critical of the metal, and then I switch to a fine
grind away the railhead on an angle. for any track standard. second-cut file for the final shaping. I
Positioning the wing rails is probably I aim for a clearance of between finish with abrasive papers to smooth
the trickiest part of making a turnout, .005" and .010" between the flange and away any file marks.
and getting this right is the key to the frog. Too much won’t hurt, but not To provide a firm location to the heel
smooth running. Again, the eye is the enough spells trouble. of the point – the location from which
best tool, aided by a suitable spacer, to Attach the guard rails by soldering the point flexes – solder small pieces of
set the width of the flangeways. In P:87, them to short pieces of brass strip sol- brass strip beneath the stock rails as in
these are only .022" to .024" wide, and a dered beneath the stock rails. This will fig. 11. This is another location where a
piece of styrene or brass this thick will allow you to adjust the check gauge. PCB tie or two might be a good idea.

Fig. 10 Filing Cut this

switch points way
Point
File
Cross section
Hold rail here – a Stock rail with base
thumbtack filed flush with head
works on gauge side
well

Vise

Saw cut for

base of rail
Hardwood
block Fig. 11 Heel anchors. Small brass strips soldered to the
undersides of the stock rails provide secure anchors for the
heels of the switch points, where the rails will be allowed to
flex as the points move.
 Trim the closure rails and wing rails
to allow for an insulating gap between Crossing
them, then spike the closure rails using
three-point gauges to gauge them from
the opposing stock rails as in fig. 12.
Once the closure rails are spiked in
place, the heel of the switch points is
soldered to the brass strip or PCB tie.
This not only anchors it in place, it
makes a positive electrical connection
so dirt or other foreign matter between
the tip of the point and the stock rail
can’t interrupt electrical power.

Switch rod
The last job is to add the switch rod.
Make this from PCB tie strip filed to fit
easily between the headblocks and with
a gap cut through the upper foil surface
for insulation. Solder the points to the
switch rod as shown in fig. 13. This is
easier if you remember to tin the under-
side of the point before spiking the
point-closure rail. Adjust this joint,
reheating if necessary, so the points
close tightly against the stock rails.
For P:87, the clearance between the
stock rail and the open switch point is
around 1⁄16". I use a spare tie as a gauge
for this. It’s okay if the backs of wheels
brush the open point, since it will
always have the same electrical polarity
as the stock rail.
At this stage I like to test the com-
pleted turnout, first with just a single
freight-car truck, and then with a vari-
ety of rolling stock. Make any adjust-
ments required for smooth passage
through both legs of the turnout in
either direction.
Once all is well, the turnout is ready
for ballasting and a point-operating A crossing or “diamond” includes four frogs with matching guard rails. This sequence
mechanism. I’ll go on with turnout con- of photos shows the construction of the diamond where the pier track crosses the
trol next month, along with wiring so boatyard track. We’ll show the wiring for this all-rail crossing next month. – A. S.
you can start running trains. MR

Fig. 12 Point-closure rails. Gauges from the opposite Fig. 13 Switch rod. Iain solders the switch points to a
stock rail help Iain locate the first point-closure rail. The toe length of PCB tie stock filed to slide easily between the
of the point fits into the housing on the stock rail, and Iain headblocks. The cuts through the upper foil surface provide
leaves an insulating gap between the closure and wing rails. the required two-rail insulation.
 A small layout you can build

Roque Bluffs,
wiring and

W
ith the benchwork, track, and Roque Bluffs is built with Proto:87
Simple wiring and turnouts completed on my HO (P:87) HO wheel and track dimensions,
scale Roque Bluffs project rail- although it could just as easily be built
detailed scenery bring road, it’s time to bring this layout to life. using the National Model Railroad
This month I’ll describe a simple man- Association’s standards for HO scale.
our seaport to life ual turnout control, install the layout Proto:87 turnouts differ from normal
wiring, and get started on the scenery. HO turnouts in that the point clearance
(the distance between an open point
By Iain Rice Building manual turnout controls and the adjacent stock rail) is much
Photos by the author I designed this shelf layout for stand- narrower – around 1⁄16" – so the turnout
ing operation with a handheld cab con- throw mechanism must operate in a
trol, and my experience with similar very small range of motion. However,
layouts has convinced me that manual the simple manual turnout controls on
turnout control works just fine on a nar- Roque Bluffs can be used for both P:87
row railroad like this. and standard turnouts.
 PART 6

scenery

Framed by seaweed and the yellowed

For my wire-in-tube system, shown motor tool works fine – just be sure to grass of late fall, a Maine Central U18B
in fig. 1, I used K&S no. 1143 1⁄16" brass wear eye protection. idles on a wooden trestle in the Maine
tube. I also used K&S no. 501 1⁄32" (.032") I secured the tube by soldering it to seaport town of Roque Bluffs. This
music wire to slide in the tube. Music brass pins driven into the baseboard. At month, Iain Rice explains how he wired
wire is springy and it can be soldered, the operating knob end, I passed the the track and created scenery for his
but it doesn’t like sharp turns. free end of the tube through a 1⁄16" hole HO scale project layout.
To prevent the tube from pinching drilled in a small block of wood.
closed when making a gradual bend, I Because I installed all the manual held the wire stiffly enough to keep the
always form the tube to shape with the actuators before I glued the Masonite switch points firmly in place.
operating wire in place. To trim the tube fascia in place, I was careful to locate I purchased the knobs at a hardware
to length, I make a deep nick in one side the wood block and tube a little way store. The hard-plastic knobs are tapped
with a needle file, snap off the surplus, inward from the fascia position to allow to accept a mounting screw, so I drilled
and file the end square. room for the knobs. I also created a a 1⁄32" hole through the screw to accept
You’ll flatten the tube if you use simple “friction lock” at this end of the the end of the operating wire, which I
snips or cutters, but a cut-off disk in a tube by bending the tube slightly, which soldered in place. This allowed me to
 on the top surface of the baseboard.
Removable scenic pieces hide the wires,
and critical parts like microswitches
and electrical junctions are all accessi-
ble. All the wiring leads to two compact
printed-circuit board terminal strips –
one for each of Roque Bluff’s baseboard
sections. The terminals are inside the
lean-to and office of the boatyard, a
structure that spans both layout boards.
The track is divided into four main
electrical blocks because it’s a lot easier
to locate a short circuit if you can
switch off blocks until it goes away.
Then you know that the last block you
turned off is the one with the problem.
In wiring the diamond, I took advan-
tage of the fact that the frogs of the dia-
mond must have the same polarity as
the frogs of the two adjoining turnouts.
I simply wired together these turnout
and crossing frogs as shown in fig. 3.
When the turnouts are set to cross the
diamond, the polarity of the diamond
will also be correct. I have to ensure
that both turnouts are correctly aligned
– even the one the train won’t be using.
Iain uses a simple push rod soldered to the turnout switch rod to operate the But this is no worse than having to flip
lever-action microswitch that changes the polarity of the frog. a switch, and it saves a lot of wiring.

unscrew the knobs from the operating through lever-action SPDT (single-pole Scenery with character
wire to facilitate the fascia’s installation double-throw) microswitches to change I wanted to capture the atmosphere
– removable knobs are also much less the polarity. These switches are available of a working port, a place where the pic-
vulnerable to damage when the layout from electronics suppliers like Radio turesque has to contend with the prac-
is transported. Shack. The best switches must be small tical. True, there are some character-
I then fed the wire through the tube enough to be easily concealed above the filled old buildings like the boatyard
and trimmed it to length using flush- baseboard, where they can be operated and a lighthouse. But Roque Bluffs also
cutters with hardened jaws – music by a simple push-rod off the end of the features brick and sheet-metal struc-
wire will easily chew bites in the jaws of switch rod – usually the end opposite tures, sheet-steel piling, rip-rap fill, and
ordinary wire cutters. I aligned the the connection to the actuating wire. lots of poured concrete.
other end of the wire to match the The microswitches on Roque Bluffs Apart from the built-up dockside,
height of the switch rod and made sure are all located inside structures or hid- what’s left is bare rock – pale, flat-lying
that it was exactly in line with the rod. den by small removable scenic details. granite with pronounced horizontal
The push-pull action of the music wire The same microswitches can be used strata and some frost-shattered out-
needs to be absolutely straight to avoid with powered turnouts. crops – and a few patches of scrubby
twisting the switch rod. I then soldered brush. Vegetation is confined to coarse
the wire to the switch rod. Basic block wiring sea-withered grass and a few hardy
I regard powered turnout frogs as I used a very simple wiring arrange- shrubs, wind-sheared to the odd, flat-
essential. I supplied power to the frog ment, shown in fig. 2. I ran all my wires topped shape of coastal growth.

FIG. 1 Manual turnout control Gaps

Push rod for
K&S no. 501 1⁄32" microswitch
(.032") music wire Switch rod in foil
K&S no. 1143 Microswitch for frog
1⁄16" brass tube

Masonite
fascia
Hot-glue
bead Hole drilled
on angle in
track base

Friction-lock kink
1⁄2" locating block
Plastic
knob Washer soldered
on each side to
locate tube
Illustrations by Rick Johnson
Landscaping with glueshell Dead-end, fed by
I’m firmly in the “glueshell” camp toggle switch
Dead-end, fed
when it comes to landscape modeling. High level Cannery by push button
3
Traditional hardshell uses paper towels 1
1
dipped in soupy plaster to form a thin Main
shell layer. Glueshell is very similar, 4 1 Oil depot
except that diluted common white glue
Staging 2 Pier track,
is used instead of plaster. Fish-meal plant not powered
Siding 1. Main line
Glueshell has several advantages over
2. Siding
plaster-based scenery. Glueshell is light, Gaps 3. High level
but also strong. It won’t chip or crack FIG. 2 Wiring diagram Feeders 4. Staging
like plaster, and it’s controllable if, like Both One
me, you build up your shell with layers rails rail
of tiny pieces of paper applied with a
brush. You can work glueshell right up
to tracks and into corners, controlling
FIG. 3 Wiring a crossing Main (section 1)
the accuracy of application by the size
you tear the pieces of paper towel.
Best of all, there’s no need to wait for
glueshell to harden before adding tex-
ture materials, as these are held in place
by the same diluted white glue used for
the shell itself. Track on pier
I generally work in small areas – typ- not wired
Loop
ically about 4 x 4 inches. By the time (section 2) Insulated
I’ve completed a small section, the sec- gap in both rails
tion I did previously has set enough to
allow scenic texturing. It’s surprising
how fast you can go from bare base- as sound insulation in older autos. You Woodland Scenics field grass in the
boards to finished scenery with this can buy sheets of it from auto trim straw yellow and pale green shades.
method – and there’s nothing like the shops and upholsterer’s suppliers. I selected a reasonable number of
rapid appearance of finished terrain to The felt consists of two layers of strands to make a bunch about 1⁄4" thick.
keep your enthusiasm high. pressed fiber on either side of a plastic I then chopped off clumps with a single-
I used a heavy-duty paper towel of net. I tease up wads of the fiber and edged razor blade and “planted” them
the type often encountered in public chop the mat into narrow strips – 1⁄4" or into blobs of thick white glue. When the
rest room dispensers. The towels are less wide – with utility scissors. I then glue started to set, I lightly fanned the
thick, tough, and not particularly good “crumble” these strips of fiber between clumps out. I then built the rest of the
for drying hands, but as a landscape my fingers to produce a coarse fluff. To grass areas clump by clump using my
medium they’re perfect! round out the basic mix, I add a modest fiber-flock-ground foam mix, applied
Roque Bluffs doesn’t have a whole amount of Woodland Scenics fine turf – with my fingers or a pair of ordinary
lot of topography. What little there is in this case, a mix of medium green and eyebrow tweezers. It may sound tedious
rests on a foundation of breakfast-cereal grass yellow. I also add a good sprin- and slow, but it’s a process I enjoy,
carton, cut into thin strips and woven kling of Noch electrostatic grass flock- secure in the knowledge that this is one
into a lattice using a hot glue gun. ing – dark green with a dash of light patch of grass I’ll never have to mow!
Where necessary, I attached these strips green and a good helping of Heki “win- I then add small bushes, weeds, and
to thicker cardstock landscape forms terboden” (literally, “winter ground”) – low-growing shrubs. My small, low
that I cut to the desired outline. I apply a good dun brown dead-grass flock. I plants are based on brown fiber teased
the paper towel using liberal quantities adjust this mix by eye to give the sub- into small balls and set into dabs of
of thinned white glue and a stiff paint- dued shade I’m after. white glue with the tweezers. A quick
brush. I start with a layer of strips cut to Even here in rainy old England, most blast of cheap hair spray and a sprin-
about 1 x 2 inches, then cover it with grass (especially my lawn!) is burnt kling of suitably colored ground foam
small pieces of towel, picking the pieces pretty much to a dull yellow-brown by provides foliage. I create stouter growth
up with the tip of the brush, setting mid-summer, unless artificially or natu- by using either rubberized horsehair –
them in place, then working the glue rally watered. And that’s even truer of another traditional upholstery material
mix into them. I think glueshell con- grass near the sea, where the salt-laden – or torn-up pieces of kitchen scouring
struction is a satisfying and enjoyable breezes stunt growth and cause wither- or floor-polisher pad, mixed with tiny
process. It’s also an activity you can ing. For the early fall setting of Roque bits of natural growth (roots, mostly)
share with younger members of your Bluffs, I needed grass ranging from pale harvested from my garden. I use Wood-
household, who will tear towels and straw yellow through buff to brown, land Scenics or Heki foliage matting to
“sploosh” glue with vigor! with only an undertone of green. create the leaves.
The other main ingredient of my To ensure that all the various mate-
Rough grass and scrub coarse grass mix is manila hemp – the rials stay put, I finish the job with a
The vegetation on Roque Bluffs is stuff plumbers used to use for packing quick overall coating of hair spray.
pretty limited, being confined to scrub glands and joints. It’s a series of thin Pretty much any firm-hold hair spray
grass, weeds, and brush. The basis of strands in a pale straw yellow that is just will do. Cheap spray is more durable
my “scrubland brew” is felt matting, the thing for making tufts of withered and effective for this purpose than the
which is widely used in upholstery and grass. A good commercial alternative is classier stuff, but be warned, it can
Glueshell scenery in four steps

1 2
Glueshell is lighter and more flexible than plaster-based Make a cardboard-strip lattice. Cut-up cereal cartons work
hardshell scenery. Start by making contour guides from well for this purpose. Secure the strip lattice with adhesive
heavy cardstock. Attach guides with a hot-melt glue gun. from a hot-melt glue or use staples.

smell a bit flowery. The smell wears off I’ve never encountered a modeled wave Block-by-block seawalls
after a while, but it may be wise to that looks good, so the harbor at Roque Seawalls of rectangular blocks of
make sure your wife knows what you’re Bluffs forever basks in the calm of a still granite are a signature feature of a New
doing before the lingering perfume day in early fall. England seaport. After a few experi-
aroma arouses unfortunate suspicions! I started off by making a very silly ments, I hit on a simple way of model-
mistake. I drew out the harbor features ing these distinctive walls.
Water, water everywhere on the baseboard with a permanent felt The granite blocks normally used are
There has probably been more writ- marker, and neatly hatched the areas roughly squared off without being fin-
ten about modeling water than about that were to become water. This proved ished. After trying blocks made from
any other aspect of scenic modeling. It’s to be a Very Bad Idea. I discovered that plaster (realistic but slow) or modeling
something I should be expert at, given permanent marker shows through any clay (even slower), I found that blocks
that pretty much every layout I’ve built – number of layers of paint and varnish. cut randomly from 1⁄4"-square balsa and
a dozen of ’em – has had some water on I finally had to scrape the paint and stained with acrylic paint looked almost
it, and several have had a lot. I’ve tried varnish from the harbor area, then used as good and were very quick to produce.
most techniques over the years and I’ve spray carpet adhesive and heavy paper By cutting my blocks with a utility knife
concluded that there’s no sure-fire way to cover the stripes. I then brushed on with an older (not too sharp) blade I
of hitting the bull’s-eye every time. hobby acrylics in a dark green-blue-gray obtained a somewhat ragged cut, and by
The problem with water is that it’s shade with an undertone of brown. taking care not to get the ends too
almost invariably moving, while on a When the paint was dry, I covered the square and crisp, I could rapidly make
model it’s not (as are many things on paper with lots of thin coats of clear irregular-looking “stones.”
our models, where the trains move real- gloss varnish. The more coats of varnish I colored the blocks with diluted
istically and everything else stands still). I put on, the better it looked. acrylic paint, using a mix of white, gray,
matte earth, and oxide red to give the
warm brown-gray tones of the New
England granite. I mixed small batches
of paint in a deep glass jar, added the
blocks, and stirred. I kept adding blocks
until the paint mixture was absorbed,
then tipped the blocks out onto paper
towels to dry.
I built the walls against a backing of
thick cardstock secured in place with
hot glue. Each course of stones was laid
onto a fine bead of white glue. I split
some stones lengthways to give half-
height blocks and set a few shorter
blocks on end. I also found that the soft
balsa could be squeezed or crushed to
alter the shapes of the blocks, making it
easy to get things to fit.
Not all the seawalls at Roque Bluffs
are this picturesque, however, and the
stone has been replaced at various
Iain found that realistic stone seawalls can be created from blocks of balsa soaked places by more modern forms of sea
in varying shades of gray paint and set in a fine bead of white glue. defense – poured concrete, steel sheet
3 4
Cover with small, torn pieces of paper towel, coarse heavy- There’s no need to wait for the glueshell to dry before
duty towels are best. Liberally brush on diluted common adding foliage. A final dusting of cheap hair spray helps
white household glue. The same technique is used for roads. keep the vegetation in place.

piling, and rip-rap fill. I made the sheet acrylic paint, with a wide brush to get a brush and draped the stuff over rocks,
steel piling from sections of styrene consistent high-tide line. stonework, pier timbers, piles, rip-rap,
Pikestuff box-profile sheet material. I and elsewhere on the shoreline to great
then trimmed the top edge of the panels Cardstock roadways and docksides effect. I added a few drops of thinned
to an irregular outline (to suggest indi- There are extensive areas where white glue to hold it all in place, but the
vidual sheets) and glued them in place. tracks are set in concrete and blacktop stuff is pretty much self-adhesive.
I built the poured concrete areas paving at Roque Bluffs. I established the Other sea-fringe details include sev-
using layers of thick cardstock and hot foundation for my roads from card- eral clusters of clams and mussels made
glue, and brushed on a coat of thinned stock, using thick corrugated material to from Woodland Scenics fine ballast –
tile grout to convey the look of concrete. build up the level between tracks. Thin- dark gray with a touch of brown and
The rip-rap is made from acrylic paint- ner cardstock fills in between this and light gray added to vary the colors. The
stained cat litter laid onto a glueshell the railheads outside the rails, and over clams cling to rocks and piers at the
sub-base using liberal quantities of the ties between the rails. high-water mark. I secured them with
thinned white glue. For reliable operation and easy track white glue and gave them a coat of var-
cleaning, I made sure the railheads were nish using clear acrylic.
Rubber molds for a rocky coast slightly higher than the road by finishing To finish off the shoreline, I brushed
Maine is a rocky state. I used plaster my card sub-base about 1⁄32" below the an algae mixture – made from ground-
of paris and Woodland Scenics C1234 railheads and building up the surface up green, yellow, and orange artist’s
Random Rock and C1242 Washed Rock with layers of paper towels. pastels – onto the rocks, rip-rap, and
flexible molds to make my Maine rocks. I used a hot-glue gun to set the card- timbers, and held the pastel powder in
Rather than casting my rock in place, I stock firmly in place, paying special place with more hair spray. There’s a
persuaded my daughter Bryony that she attention to the edges to make sure it lot of hair spray on Roque Bluffs!
wanted to spend a Sunday afternoon wouldn’t curl when I painted on the
mass-producing plaster rock castings – thinned white glue used to fix the torn- Next month
castings which Daddy then smashed up, paper road surface. With the basic landscape and road
carved, and rejoined to slowly create the paving in place, I can move on to creat-
rocky shore. Suitably slimy seaweed ing the buildings and a small but varied
I used white glue to bind the rock- All seaside structures are affected by fleet of boats – the real heart of a sea-
work together and blended a soupy the harsh maritime environment, which port model like this. MR
plaster mix into the gaps. A little sand causes rust on steel, pitting on concrete,
and some cat litter served for added tex-
ture and rock fragments.
and water staining, seaweed, and algae
growth on just about everything that
 Building Roque Bluffs
I painted the rocks with matte comes into direct contact with seawa-
acrylics, starting with a base coat of a ter. The rust, pitting, and flaking paint October 2003: Planning a “no room
mid-gray-brown followed by a wash of can be represented by normal scenic for a layout” layout
dilute dark gray, which I allowed to set- distressing and weathering techniques, November 2003: Lightweight and
tle in crevices and beneath overhangs. I but creating realistic seaweed is a whole sturdy benchwork
finished with drybrushed highlights in a other can of worms. December 2003: Selecting and
sequence of pale granite grays, the last I found an inexhaustible source of detailing the right mix of rolling stock
one being almost white. seaweed in my garden pond, which pro- January 2004: Simple techniques
All the seawalls, piles, trestle bents, duces alarming quantities of stringy for creating smooth-running and
and rocks around the harbor have a green slime. I dried some slime with a great-looking handlaid track
broad stripe of green-brown wash just paper towel and chopped it into 1⁄4" to 1⁄2" February 2004: Building handlaid
above water level to suggest the high- lengths with a sharp hobby knife. I then turnouts and crossing “diamonds”
tide mark. I applied this, using thinned picked up a few strands on the tip of a
 A small layout you can build

Roque Bluffs,
seaside scenery

Improve your structures

T
his month I’ll show how I modeled of obtaining a good supply of compo-
the boats and buildings that give nents. I still have a lot of parts left even
and modify boats using our 11⁄2 x 12-foot Roque Bluffs HO after building the plant and warehouse!
project layout the flavor of a Maine sea- The “Tylick’s Soup” cannery started as
a few simple techniques port. Most of the buildings on the rail- Walthers’ Golden State fruit cannery.
road are made from plastic kits or bits The plastic kits I used on Roque
of kits, but I used scale lumber to Bluffs are pretty good, but they have
By Iain Rice scratchbuild two structures, and I built quirks that I find hard to live with,
Photos by the author one craftsman-style kit as well. including visible corner joints, chunky
details, and door moldings that are
Tricks to improve plastic kits much too thick. The window frames
Most of the structures on Roque and sash are also too thick, and the
Bluffs, including the fish-meal plant and glazing is set too far back in relation to
the cannery, are heavily modified plastic the framing. Happily, improving the
kits. I made the fish-meal plant from windows is a simple task.
styrene panels – Pikestuff’s Milton A. I first thin the castings by about half
Corp. factory kit is an economical way their thickness by rubbing them – back
PART 7 Occasionally, even after I’ve thinned
them, I find that the mullions still look
too heavy, so I use a small, square nee-
dle file to narrow the mullions further.
This is laborious but worth the effort.
On sliding-sash windows, like those
on the cannery building, the instructions
call for the window glazing to be glued
to the rear of the window frame. How-
ever, a major characteristic of sash win-
dows is that the glass in the upper sash
is further forward than that in the lower
sash. It’s a feature worth representing. I
cut glazing panels from Evergreen clear
styrene, insert the top ones in front of
the window molding, and put the lower
ones in behind the molding. Iain kitbashed the fish-meal plant
Doorways, handrails, steps, sills, and using a combination of Pikestuff
cornices are some of the other details styrene panels from the Milton A. Corp.
that benefit from extra work. Kit manu- kit. He built the structure on-site using
facturers simplify these parts to ease clips, adhesive tape, and Handi-Tak to
toolmaking. I find that adding extra hold the pieces together for trial fitting.
trim in the form of thin styrene strip To finish the complex, Iain later added
makes a big difference. Rix ventilators and several components
Molded handrails can be a little from a Con-Cor grain silo kit.
clunky, and I often replace these with
soldered brass wire or strip, which bricks, I use 135 Black, 144 Terra-Cotta,
looks better and is much more robust. 918 Orange, 941 Raw Umber, and 1033
I’ve also found that doorways are too Mineral Orange. I blend the Karisma
tall on many kits. By re-framing them colors by layering one over the other
or adding steps or sills, I restore the and, if needed, rubbing them together
doorways to more-realistic proportions. with my fingertip.
Where there is an obviously tapered I build up the final effect slowly with
mold draft on the end of a wall panel, I a lot of lightly applied layers, working
file and sand the end square, and fill the across the brick surface with the pencil
cracks and joints with fine putty. held at a 45-degree angle to the brick. I
use black before applying the other col-
Tips for realistic bricks ors just to pick out the odd brick here
Since all of the brick structures in and there; when overlaid with the brick
Roque Bluffs are from plastic kits, I was shades, the darker bricks look as if
able to make the brickwork look consis- they’ve been over-fired a tad. I find this
tent from building to building. My helps break up the monotony of large
favorite finishing technique for brick is expanses of brick.
particularly effective on plastic.
First, I gently rub the surface of the Working with scale lumber
brick with medium-grit sandpaper to Although I’m a fan of plastics for
take away the shine of the plastic parts. most structure modeling – particularly
Then I assemble the building so I can Evergreen’s superb milled siding and
color the entire structure in one opera- sections – I made the timber pier and
This month Iain Rice shares a variety tion. If possible, I also set aside the win- trestle from scale lumber.
of techniques he used in building the dows, doors, and other details for the My first step was to pre-color the
town of Roque Bluffs on his HO scale time being. wood by staining the pieces with dilute
shelf layout, including the scratchbuilt Once the building is assembled I fill acrylic paint.
pier and harbor office and the kit- any gaps and cracks with putty, then For working with scale lumber, I
bashed soup cannery. paint the building a pale mortar color – highly recommend a North West Short
flat white acrylic with a little added gray Line Chopper. Once set, the Chopper
side down – on a sheet of medium-grit and flat earth. This colors the mortar in cuts wood to a consistent length and
sandpaper glued to a flat piece of board. the brickwork and, in the case of build- angle every time. I determined the cor-
Most plastic window castings have ings with molded-in windows, serves as rect length of the piling by mocking up
mold draft – the edges of the piece taper a nice neutral priming shade. the deck of the pier to match the height
from back-to-front to aid release from Then I color the bricks with Berol’s of the rail above the water. I then used a
the mold. Removing material from the Karisma art pencils. The colors of these length of scrap wood to cut a few test
back of the molding not only reduces soft pencils take well on the painted sur- pieces. Once I had my settings locked
the depth of the framing, it reduces the face, and by using a variety of shades I in, I used the Chopper to turn out many
width of the mullions as well. can create a nicely varied and subtle identical parts in no time flat.
Filing the taper of the mold square is brick coloring. The Karisma product The pier consists of rows of piles
often enough to correct the mullions. line includes several useful shades. For joined by heavy lumber cross-braces,
 The tug M. J. McGuirk is the largest
boat in Iain’s fleet. Iain made a new
hull from styrene for a Sheepscot 55-
foot yard tug kit, and updated the boat
with a modern steel mast, radar
antenna, and diesel exhaust stack.

the screw heads to spread the strain.

The screws can’t be seen amid all the
pilings of the finished pier.
The deck of the pier is 1⁄16" hard balsa.
Initially, I cut lengths of stripwood and
laid them board-by-board. After a while,
I decided life was too short and simply
attached large pieces and then scribed
grooves to represent planking. Now that
the pier is painted and detailed I have to
look closely to tell the difference.
I handlaid the spur on the pier and
spiked the rail down as described in
part 4 of this series. In the places where
The soup cannery started as Walthers’ Golden Valley Canning Co., which Iain heavily the rails are set in the board deck, I put
rearranged. To turn it into a half-relief structure, Iain cut the pitched-roof main in a tie only every now and then. The
building lengthwise and used the remaining side and end panels to form a flat- spur is laid with Micro Engineering
roofed addition. Iain wanted the cannery to be part of the background, so he delib- code 55 weathered rail with the top left
erately kept the detailing to a minimum to avoid calling attention to the building. dull. It isn’t wired – locomotives are not
allowed on the pier, so it must be
mostly scale 12" x 12" beams. The deck 5 feet apart. I made sure to set piles switched using an idler car or two. The
is supported by two of these beams set directly beneath the beams that carry pier track will hold two 50-foot cars.
on top of each other. There are five of the load of the track.
these doubled beams – one down each I assembled the pier with hot glue The boats of Roque Bluffs
edge, one under each rail of the spur, used very sparingly. A few Peco track I was looking forward to this part of
and one down the center of the remain- nails at critical points reinforced the the project. I have a soft spot for boats,
ing pier decking. The pier is patterned structure. To make sure that the bottom especially the older and smaller vari-
after one I sketched near Salem, Mass., of the piles would remain firmly in con- eties. I decided that I wanted a tug of
but I made my version a little sturdier- tact with the water surface, I drove a some sort, a seagoing fishing boat, an
looking with closer-spaced piles to sup- pair of drywall screws through the cen- inshore lobsterman’s boat, at least one
port the rail spur. The piles are in rows ter line of the pier and into the frame of sailboat, plus a smattering of rowboats,
on 10-foot centers, spaced roughly 4 to the layout, using large washers under dories, and small motor craft. But when
I browsed the Walthers’ catalog, I was
surprised by just how scarce HO scale
boats are in comparison with most The lighthouse is a Builders in
other types of accessories. Scale Brandt Point Light kit. Iain
Largest and most costly of my mod- scratchbuilt the handrails from
est selection was Sheepscot’s Snapper, a wire and added a weather vane.
55-foot yard tug, very much a crafts-
man’s kit in brass, wood, cardstock, cast
plaster, and plastic. I also chose Blue-
jacket’s no. 300 lobster boat and no. 303
Friendship sloop, but I couldn’t find a
suitable larger fishing vessel. This is
why, on my model of Roque Bluffs, the
fishing fleet is always at sea!
I started by building the yard tug.
This is more a selection of parts and
some helpful suggestions as to what one
might do with them than an actual kit.
The plaster hull former is common to a
number of Sheepscot kits, and I think
the hull shape is rather too racy for a working with craftsman-style kits
humble tug. The directions suggest the
former can be altered, but I figured if I
was going to that much trouble, I might Nearly all the structures on my Roque Bluffs layout are made of plastic – often from kits
as well make a new hull in styrene to a that I’ve heavily modified – but since the layout is set in Maine, I wanted to include at
more appropriate outline – not too dif- least one classic New England-style craftsman structure kit.
ficult for a waterline model like this. Craftsman kits typically feature a variety of materials. The Builders in Scale Brandt
Point Light that anchors the right edge of my shelf layout is a good example. The kit
Building a waterline hull includes a plaster base, laser-cut wood shingles, a cardstock-tube main structure, and
I started my sheet-plastic waterline several cast-metal details.
hull by making its footprint from a I’m pleased with The Builders in Scale kit, but I’ve found that it pays to be selective.
piece of .020"-thick styrene cut to the There is a wide disparity among craftsman-style structures. I’ve found some kits to be
outline of the hull at the waterline. pretty crude. In fact, one or two I’ve seen appear to require more work than would be
Once the footprint was accurately cut needed to build a similar model from scratch!
(I made it a tad oversize and finished it On the other hand, I’ve found that a good craftsman kit, carefully built, produces a
with a sanding block), I cut a series of subtler and more individual model than a plastic kit. In the context of a small, diorama-
openings in it so that solvent fumes type layout such as Roque Bluffs, those are important qualities, ones that justify the
from the liquid cement used to build the extra work. I’m glad I invested the time. – I. R.
rest of the hull could escape. If you trap
solvent fumes in a closed structure, they
can distort the styrene. I used the etched deckhouse assem- The other Bluejacket kit – the Friend-
I built the hull with ribs of .030" bly pretty much as supplied in the kit. ship sloop – was also built according to
styrene, and a central spine former that For the funnel, I used a brass tube. The directions, with a few extra detail parts.
determines the fore-and-aft sheer (the wheelhouse is located on the second I greatly enjoyed building these kits, and
curving slope), the height of the deck, deck by blocks of .250"-square styrene. I’ve ordered more of them.
and the angle of the bow and stern. I I felt that the Sheepscot tug was a bit
used the Sheepscot cast hull as a guide old-fashioned, so I updated it by chang- Operations and finishing touches
for the deck sheer so that the etched ing the detailing. I simulated a diesel Next month I’ll put the final touches
deckhouse would fit. Once the frames conversion with a new exhaust pipe on our project railroad, including signs,
were installed, I added .125"-square exiting inside the original funnel. I also figures, and vehicles. I’ll also talk about
styrene strengtheners at the outer ends installed welded-steel masts, a tubular how I tuned Roque Bluffs for smooth
of the frames to support the deck. foremast with a radar antenna, and for- running, and I’ll share my thoughts on
The last job in building the skeleton ward running light. I also substituted operating shelf-type layouts. MR
hull was to cement the .020" styrene molded-rubber tires as fenders for the
sheet deck in place. I drew around the
top of my waterline hull and cut two
cast metal tires in the kit and made a
rope fender for the bow.
 Building Roque Bluffs
pieces of .020" styrene sheet slightly
oversize, finishing to match the hull by Resin boats round out the fleet October 2003: Planning a “no room
sanding. The second deck layer is an The smaller craft in the harbor are for a layout” layout
overlay into which I later scribed the white-metal castings, together with the November 2003: Lightweight and
deck planking. resin kits from Bluejacket Models. sturdy benchwork
Cutting and fitting the crosspiece Largest of these is a classic New Eng- December 2003: Selecting and
that makes up the stern of the boat was land lobster boat, complete with cut- detailing the right mix of rolling stock
my next job. I made this from .040" away wheelhouse side and the winch January 2004: Handlaying track
sheet styrene, sloped to match the and davit for lifting the lobster creels. I February 2004: Handlaying turnouts
inward slant of the sides of the hull with built it following the instructions and March 2004: Wiring and scenery
the top cut to form a gentle curve. added a few details.
 A small layout you can build

Roque Bluffs,
detailing

A triple layer of details

T
his month we’ll finish our Roque a layout’s finished appearance. It’s too
Bluffs project layout by building easy to just detail everything and create
adds the finishing touch layers of details to create lively,
realistic scenes. We’ll also give the rail-
scenes that are too busy. It’s just as
important to have “quiet areas” in a
road a final tune-up, an essential step for scene as it is to have centers of interest.
By Iain Rice a layout built with Proto:87 (P:87) track I use detailing to call attention to a few
Photos by the author and wheel dimensions that are closer to carefully selected centers of interest,
scale dimensions and less forgiving than while leaving other areas of the scene a
the familiar HO scale standards. little bare to act as visual respite.
In the case of Roque Bluffs, the key
Details done right centers of interest are the areas around
I have definite views on the best way the fish-meal plant loading silos, the
to detail a model railroad. I find that a boat shed, and the pier. Further back in
little thought makes a big difference in the scene are three less-detailed centers
 PART 8

and operation

Iain found that modeling a realistic

of interest: the diner, the oil depot, and overall scene is progressing, and many amount of dockside clutter was one of
the firehouse. I deliberately kept the cen- of my best detailing ideas occur as I the most enjoyable parts of the detail-
ter of the scene reasonably plain – there move the model toward a finished state. ing process. The different floats, for
could easily have been a lot more gen- My first layer of detail consists of example, are made from bits of wood,
eral clutter – while the long facade of the those things that have to be there to con- plastic sprue, and glass beads.
cannery at the rear of the layout is form to the prototype: switch stands, sig-
almost bland. The fall-off in detail as the nals, signs, utility poles, relay cabinets, The last layer I’ve christened “filigree
viewer’s eye moves deeper into the scene grade crossing crossbucks, and fences. detail.” This layer include things that can
creates an illusion of distance. My second detail layer includes the be seen only on close inspection – a man
things I add to suit my ideas of what working under a truck that is propped
The layered-detail approach the scene can be. This layer commonly up on cinder blocks or Grandpa in his
I find that it’s much easier to build includes vehicles, animals, figures, and rocking chair on the porch.
detailing in a series of layers. It gives “mini scenes” – such as a chicken pen Knowing how best to use this sort of
me time to carefully consider how my on a farm or a building site in a city. detail to tell a story or even to add a
A Maine Central switch engine works
the dockside at Roque Bluffs, Maine. fun producing a suitable selection of Many of the problems I found had to
Iain uses varying levels of detail to vehicles for Roque Bluffs. Some of these do with the scenic work, such as ballast
direct the attention of viewers to the are the usual HO scale favorites from or ground foam blocking crossing and
important parts of the scene and to Trident, Busch, Roco, Eko, and so on, turnout flangeways or paint or glue
maintain a feeling of depth on a layout but there are also a few kitbuilt vehicles residue on the railheads.
that is just 18" wide. to add interest and variety. I also looked for equipment flaws. As
As with the figures and animals, I a rule of thumb, the car is suspect if it
touch of visual humor to a particular find that a vehicle placed in a spot derails at more than one location, the
scene is an art in itself. where it should be moving – but obvi- track is suspect if different cars derail at
ously isn’t – strikes a jarring note. I’ve the same location. For rolling stock, I’ve
Avoiding the frozen-movement trap also made a point of giving my road found that the chief culprit in derail-
As with waves, waterfalls, and all vehicles a touch of workaday grime. ments is dirty wheel treads. Those P:87
other things that should be moving but The vehicle I spent the most time on flanges are really tiny and even a small
aren’t, I avoid figures or animals that is the pride of the Roque Bluffs Volun- speck of crud is enough to cause a prob-
are in a “frozen movement.” The gal- teer Fire Department – a shiny Ford lem. I also learned that it is essential
loping horse perpetually stuck in mid- pumper parked on the firehouse drive- that the trucks swivel freely and that at
stride, the workman with his shovel way while the members carry out a little least one truck on each car is able to
half-raised, and the man running to remodeling project indoors. The fire rock from side-to-side and fore-and-aft
catch the train, are all banned from my truck is an Alloy Forms kit, which I to allow equalization.
layout. Rather, I look for figures in modified slightly to follow a fire engine The close-to-scale couplers I used
repose – standing, leaning, sitting, lying, I photographed in upstate New York. required careful installation – there’s no
or otherwise in positions they could Extra detail includes grab rails, lighting, room for error with these tiny coupler
conceivably maintain for some time. In and a full complement of fire hose on knuckles. Even when the couplers are
this way, their lack of movement is not the bed. Alloy Forms kits call for a bit of set correctly, I discovered that manual
immediately apparent. work, but I love them. alignment of the knuckles was often
However, finding figures and animals necessary when coupling cars, but that’s
at rest is easier said than done. Many Layout tune up also true on a real railroad.
HO product lines seem to be populated Any model railroad benefits from a To my surprise, Roque Bluffs proved
entirely by people leaping about and ani- thorough mechanical and electrical more finicky to operate than an earlier
mals at full gallop. I had quite a job find- going-over before regular operation P:87 layout I’d built that used European-
ing enough “in repose” figures for starts. On Roque Bluffs, I spent a good prototype rolling stock. I believe that the
Roque Bluffs – not the most populous many hours carefully test-running all U.S. combination of long cars with
spot on the planet! In the end, I used a my equipment and ruthlessly investi- short-wheelbase trucks has a bearing on
few figures from Noch and Life-Like, gating any derailments, hesitant run- this – my big covered hoppers are cer-
along with some of the less-frenetic ning, or other operating problems. Time tainly more susceptible to track faults
Preiser and Merten figures. spent at this stage determining and cor- than are my 40-foot boxcars. I’m sure
Modeling road vehicles is almost a recting problems is repaid when the lay- that a really free-acting equalized truck
hobby within a hobby, and I had a lot of out is in regular operation. with minimal slop in the wheel bearings
  Meet Iain Rice
Iain Rice has written articles and books
on model railroading for more than three
decades, but Roque Bluffs is his first
multi-part layout project. Iain wishes to
thank his wife Rosalind and daughters
Elsa and Bryony, and friends John
Chambers, Andrew Boyd, and Marty
McGuirk. He also acknowledges the
assistance of Martha Sharp at Train and
Trooper in North Yarmouth, Maine, who
came up with most of the bits and pieces
(often at short notice), and the helpful
staffs of Terminal Hobby Shop in Milwau-
kee, Des Plaines Hobbies in Chicago,
and Henry’s Hobby House in West
Boylston, Mass. Iain, a professional fire-
fighter, lives in Chagford, England.

The vehicles on Iain’s layout are

parked rather than positioned on the
road, and the figures are limited to
poses that they could conceivably
maintain for some time. This makes
their lack of motion less distracting.

would go a long way to ensuring reliable

contact between wheels and rails.

Operating a shelf-type layout

Roque Bluffs is a pure switching
puzzle, and that’s the only practical
form of operation. Short trains, usually
four or five cars, are brought into the
yard from staging. All the cars have dif-
ferent final destinations on the layout.
Delivering them is not a simple propo-
sition. The oil depot and the pier spurs
face one way, the fish-meal plant spur
faces the other, and the cannery spur is
reached with a reverse move.
The other difference from normal
operating practice stems from the use
of narrow P:87 wheel and flangeway The narrow width of the Proto:87
dimensions and fine-scale couplers. work well, but I also know that this is wheels used on Iain’s Roque Bluffs
Working with these more-exacting com- true only because I put in the time and layout look realistic but make it diffi-
ponents gave me a new appreciation for effort necessary to achieve the required cult to rerail cars. Iain made this sim-
the forgiving nature of standard HO! accuracy in the trackwork and equip- ple ramp from thin brass sheet and
I find that switching Roque Bluffs is ment. A lot goes into keeping those tiny soldered wire to solve the problem.
a much slower and more demanding flanges on the rails!
process than switching a normal HO
layout and, in terms of authenticity,
For that reason I don’t see P:87 as a
realistic option for everyone. I certainly
 Building Roque Bluffs
that’s also closer to real-life. Switching wouldn’t care to attempt a large P:87
is often labor-intensive and time-con- project. But in the context of a small October 2003: Planning a “no room
suming, which is why real railroads layout, I believe the better appearance for a layout” layout
regard it as a necessary evil and model of the narrower wheel and flangeway November 2003: Lightweight and
railroaders think it’s fun. dimensions are well worth the effort. sturdy benchwork
My conclusion is that there’s defi- December 2003: Selecting and
Would I do it again? nitely a place in the hobby for track, detailing the right mix of rolling stock
Roque Bluffs is now in the shake- wheel, and coupler dimensions that are January 2004: Handlaying track
down phase. I’m still making all sorts of closer to scale than ordinary HO, while February 2004: Handlaying turnouts
little improvements, and every week the being less demanding than true-scale March 2004: Wiring and scenery
layout looks and runs just a tad better. I P:87 dimensions. I may have a few ideas April 2004: Seaside scenery
have no doubt that P:87 dimensions to try on my next layout! MR
 JIM FORBES

Locomotive splicing
Converting an HO scale Athearn GE U30B into a U18B
By Iain Rice Photos by the author

W
hen I started work on my Proto:87 Maine Central pro- sill that hold the shell to the frame. Again, consult the cutting
ject railroad (beginning in the October 2003 issue of diagram for this detail. On the finished model, the body sim-
MODEL RAILROADER), I wanted a locomotive for the lay- ply press-fits to the frame, so keep in mind that it’ll be safer
out that was unique to the prototype. I found the perfect can- to pick up the locomotive by its fuel tank.
didate in the MEC’s “Independence class” U18B lightweight One other major shell modification reversed the short
road switchers. Built by General Electric in 1975, each of the door and air filter under the inboard end of the radiator com-
ten locomotives was named for people or events associated partment, both of which are molded the “wrong way up” for
with the United States’ Bicentennial celebration. However, as a U18B. To make the correction, follow the cutting and
no one manufactures this distinctive engine, the only way I reassembly directions in fig. 1.
was going to get one would be through cutting and splicing. I also changed a number of molded-on cab and nose
details on the locomotive as shown in fig. 2.
Reworking the shell and frame
My model Independence class U18B no. 403, the General Coupler mounts
Peleg Wadsworth (couldn’t resist him!), started life as an Another unique GE U-boat feature is the coupler box,
Athearn U30B. To shorten the shell and frame follow the cut- which extends part way through the face of the pilot. Figure
ting diagram on page 93. [For a step-by-step description of 3 shows the pilot with the new coupler boxes installed.
how to shorten and power the Athearn model, see Dean Fos- I started by shortening Kadee no. 5 coupler boxes to hold
ter’s article “Kitbashing a GE U18B” from the March 1984 no. 58 scale-sized couplers. After sawing the cast-on coupler
issue of MR. You can find a reprinted copy of it on the mounts from the frame, I built new coupler mounting pads
modelrailroader.com Web site. – Ed.] behind each pilot on the shell using .250"-square styrene with
You can make all the other indicated shell revisions at .040" styrene height-adjusting spacers. Next, I attached the
this time as well, including removing the latches on the side couplers and boxes to the pads with self-tapping screws.
 Remove flare Air filter section to be
Remove four roof vents from both sides reversed (see fig. 1)
Cut out
Fill bell-mounting holes 5'-3"
Remove
headlight
and fill
holes
Remove
drop steps,
both ends

Remove window Remove frame

center posts latches
Cut out File off
1⁄16" 5'-3" Motor-mount holes
SHELL AND FRAME CUTTING DIAGRAM Not to scale

Step 1. Remove Step 3. Swap sides so panel is inverted Step 4. Fill gaps
radiator section and cement shell back together and sand smooth

Step 2. Cut out

panels with air
filters

Fig. 1 LOWERING THE AIR FILTER. As seen in these before-and-after out the panel containing the high-mounted air filter and invert it. He
photos, Iain removed the radiator section of the shell so he could cut then filled any gaps with Squadron Green Putty.

I then filled the coupler cutouts in the pilot with pieces of

.030" styrene. Remove molded-on
grab irons New bell
hanger
Detailing the shell and cab location
Figure 2 shows where I would later install the new bell.
Photographs of Maine Central U18Bs show that the bell was Remove molded-on
mounted on the long hood behind the cab on the fireman’s rain gutter and
Drill holes replace with .010"
side (he must have felt like Quasimodo after a trip over Craw- for MV x .020" styrene
ford Notch!). I made a styrene strip bracket for a Details class
Associates frame-mount bell (a portion of the finished bell lights
can be seen in fig. 5).
I added other detail parts to the shell as shown in fig. 3.
The cab needed some basic interior details; with those big Remove
side windows, you can easily see into the cab. I cemented widow sill
pieces of .250"-square styrene inside the battery boxes below
the cab and built a floor from pieces of .020" styrene sheet on
top of them. This arrangement clears the gear tower on the Fig. 2 CAB AND NOSE MODIFICATIONS. After carefully removing a
truck at maximum swing and covers the drive coupling. I number of molded details from the cab and nose, Iain sanded the
made a simple control stand and seats (as seen in fig. 3) from parts smooth with fine-grit sandpaper.
styrene scraps.
lowing the National Model Railroad Association’s (NMRA)
Tuning up the mechanism Recommended Practice RP-4, I gauged the wheelsets to .613"
Mechanically, my U18B is pretty much identical to other measured from the back of one wheel to the rail side of its
Athearn four-axle road switchers. The only real modification partner’s flange. After installing the wheelsets, I carefully
I made was to replace the original trucks with Athearn’s GP- checked that the trucks would roll freely before clipping them
type (“Blomberg”) trucks to match those on the prototype. to the frame and hooking up the drive shaft. I added only a
Because the model was for my Proto:87 layout, I used few details to the truck frames as seen in fig. 3.
NorthWest Short Line’s no. 376424 Proto:87 conversion Before assembling the trucks I chemically blackened the
wheelsets as shown in fig. 4. The turned nickel-silver replace- steel side plates with a product called Gun Blue, though you
ment wheels simply push into the Athearn gear sockets. Fol- could paint them black instead.
 Air horn Firecracker antenna
Athearn brass bearing

Wire grab
Simple cab irons
interior Axle socket
Proto:87 wheel

Brake chain

Drop New
step coupler
box

Plow
Wire air lines

JIM FORBES

Fig. 3 ADDING DETAILS. In addition to building a simple cab interior Fig. 4 INSTALLING WHEELS. To bring the locomotive up to Proto:87
from styrene scraps, Iain also added the assortment of details seen track standards, Iain added NorthWest Short Line fine-scale replace-
here. This view also shows the new coupler box mounted to the pilot ment wheelsets. The new wheels simply press-fit into the Athearn
(the snowplow is temporarily held in place with poster adhesive). gear sockets.

To improve electrical contact, I soldered power wires

from the trucks to the motor. I also cut down the L-shaped Bill of materials
truck contact strip at the cab end just above the engine
frame to clear the detailed cab interior. Finally, I replaced Accu-Cals decals 9020 .020" sheet
the Athearn headlight with a Train Tronics constant lighting 5807 Maine Central 9030 .030" sheet
system. [If you use Digital Command Control on your lay- road switchers 9040 .040" sheet
out, you will want to install a DCC decoder at this time
instead of the Train Tronics circuit. – Ed.] American Model Builders Humbrol paint
237 Athearn GE U series 11 Silver
Painting and decaling window set 29 Matte Dark Earth
After bathing the shell in mild soapy water to wash off all 33 Matte Black
of the oil and dust from handling and sanding, I primed it Athearn
with Floquil Gray Primer from a spray can. After the primer 3440 powered U30B Microscale
dried, I airbrushed the shell with Polly Scale MEC Harvest undecorated 104 Micro Set
Gold (I add a dash of Polly Scale Clear Gloss to the paint). 42010 front GP power truck 106 Micro Coat, satin
I then masked the model and airbrushed the cab roof and 42020 rear GP power truck 4181 Maine Central EMD
long- and short-hood tops Polly Scale Pine Green. switcher decals
I brush-painted the side sills and frame with Humbrol Detail Associates
Matte Black paint, masking the straight edges. Next I used a 1202 frame-mount bell MV Products
spray can to paint the frame and fuel tank Floquil Engine 1403 GE drop step 19 lenses for marker lights
Black. I then brush-painted the truck frames and details in a 1508 MU hoses
weathered black I mixed myself from Humbrol paints, 2202 grab irons NorthWest Short Line
including Matte Black with a dash of Matte Dark Earth and 2210 safety chain 376424 Proto:87 half-axle
a spot of Silver. 2505 .015" wire wheelsets
After the paint had completely dried, I decaled the loco-
motive with Accu-Cals set 5807. (For the pilot, however, I Details West Polly Scale paint
used the white stripes from Microscale set 4181.) Once all 155 snowplow 404049 Maine Central
the decals were in place and safely snugged down with a 186 three-chime air horn Harvest Gold
touch of Micro-Set, I sealed the decals in place with an air- 404052 Maine Central
brushed coat of Micro Satin finish. Floquil paint Pine Green
130009 Primer 404100 Clear Gloss Finish
Final detailing and weathering 130010 Engine Black
With the painting and decaling out of the way, it was time Squadron Products
to add the final details. To glaze the cab windows, I used Evergreen styrene 9055 Green Plastic Putty
clear plastic cut from a Ferrero Rocher chocolate box, care- 100 .010" x 020"
fully filing the pieces to size. Laser-cut glazing from Ameri- 143 .040" x 060" Train Tronics
can Model Builders would be a lot easier to use (except you 199 .250" square 101 1-bulb constant-
don’t get to eat the chocolates). Figure 5 shows many of the 9010 .010" sheet lighting circuit
other details I added, as well as the chalk weathering I
applied to the finished model. I weathered the engine lightly
as I wanted the locomotive to look newer.
The work to build this rare four-axle road switcher was Iain Rice, a frequent contributor from the United Kingdom,
time well spent; it’s nice to have an engine you won’t see on has written numerous articles for MODEL RAILROADER. Watch
every layout, and these little snub-nose GEs certainly have a for Iain’s multi-part series on building a Proto:87 project layout
lot of character. 1 starting in the October 2003 issue of MR.
 Strobe light New railings Exhaust stack Frame and grills
made from modified from weathered with weathered with
translucent rod Athearn parts artist’s chalk artist’s chalk
Bell
Window glazing

MV class
light lenses

MU
hoses

Fig. 5 FINAL DETAILS AND WEATHERING. After painting and decaling  More on our Web site
the engine, Iain added MU hoses, windshield wipers, and MV lenses For a step-by-step description of how to shorten and power the
in the classification lights. He weathered the locomotive using a light Athearn model, see Dean Foster’s article “Kitbash a GE U18B” from
dusting of various colors of artist chalks. the March 1984 issue of MR at www.modelrailroader.com/