Tough Decisions: Rebuild or Keep On Building? 2 of 2

(Part 1 of this post can be found here.)

Tipping the Scales

The thing that really convinced Chris in the end was exposure to Atlas’s line of code 55 N Scale flex track and #7 and #10 switches.

In September of 2007, Chris and I did another of our road trips, this time from San Francisco to Abo Canyon in New Mexico and back. At the start of our trip, we visited Roseville Ca. and stopped in at the train shop near the UP Roseville Yard.

It was here that Marto saw the Atlas #10 switches in the flesh. In retrospect, the future of his layout was basically determined at that point. The Peco track had to go!! And he was holding the alternative in his hand!

Atlas code 55 #10 LH switch

The fine flowing look of the Atlas #10 is what really tipped the balance in favor of rebuilding. Atlas code 55 flex track has the correct 8’ 6” tie length and 20” spacing. The switches have the characteristic stepped tie pattern found on American switches, the low profile code 55 rail looks great, and the longer switches really have the mainline look about them. They are DCC ready out of the pack and very reasonably priced.

Over the next couple of months, a plan for rebuilding the Arizona mainline came into focus. All the existing Peco track and course grey Highball ballast needed to be torn up, that much was clear. It would be replaced with Atlas code 55 and the course grey ballast would be replaced by Arizona Rock and Mineral N Scale (fine) pink AT&SF ballast.

The Rebuild

By March 2008, Chris emailed me to say the deed was done - the old Peco track had been lifted, and sub roadbed would be next! The combination of glue, cork and ballast proved to be quite challenging to remove from the sub roadbed and, in the end, a lot of the sub roadbed could not be reused.

The existing support legs and supporting frame would be kept and Marto set to work creating the new sub roadbed.

Marto likes 1/2” medium density fibre board (MDF) for sub roadbed. He seals it with primer to minimize the possibility of warpage. Here’s the first piece being measured up (N scale track, 1:1 scale Ruby the dog, making sure it gets done right!).

The new sub roadbed was raised and set on 1x2 risers. N Scale is more sensitive to the viewing height based on it’s small physical size.  For my height (5’ 11”), I think 50” above floor is a good railhead height, especially for a single deck layout.

Chris has set his new railhead height at 52”. Going higher than this can make working on the layout more challenging.  At 52”, Chris can comfortably work on his new layout without needing to stand on something.

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It turned out I was also able to fit in some layout work on my vacation in Australia in July of 2008. I laid the cork roadbed and track and installed some new ANE switch motors over a four day visit. That’s Chris in the foreground and me putting in the new #7’s for the mill lead.

New Track

Here’s how the new track and ballast turned out. The pictures tell the story nicely.

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The track is much better proportioned. The ballast is the right color and so much finer. The subtle mix of colors in the ballast is critical to better looking track.

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Nice stuff. The track is yet to be weathered but is already so much better than the Peco flex with grey Highball ballast.

Making Amends For The Crappy Original Trackplan

I was actually quite glad when Chris decided to redo his track for two reasons. First, it didn’t look as good as both of us knew it could, and two, I had supplied the plan of the town trackage for Chris in 2004 and it was, well, a piece of crap. So I was pleased to erase the old switching area and replace it with something better.  Here’s what we settled on:

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The plan relies on the same double-track main with nice broad curves in the desert section (top) and a new layout for the desert town.  The mainline switches are all Atlas code 55 #10’s and the switches on the secondary tracks are all #7’s.

On the desert town side, there are three scenically distinct switching areas:

• the lead at the front that terminates in two small industrial spurs
• a spur feeding a warehouse and a scrap/lumber/gravel yard (exact industry tbd)
• a lead terminating in two spurs at a grain complex

There is a siding on the inside of the loop which is good for a couple of units and about 10 cars and provides a place for a local to clear the main. There is also a switching lead for the mill tracks that provides the local with plenty of track behind it while working the mill tracks.

This is the before view…

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And here’s the after view…

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In the desert section, there is a spur for ballast cars modeled after one located at Hackberry Az. It is typical at these remote spurs to find a handful of dusty BNSF ballast hoppers. This spur will be infrequently switched. (Sorry the image below is a bit blurred)

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Creating Opportunity from Adversity

Once on the downhill side of the decision to relay the track, Chris progressively embraced additional scenic improvements that would be part of the rebuild project.

The original layout had a flat table look to it that he wanted to eliminate, seen in the picture below.

The original scenery would better capture the desert look if the central mountain was torn out and replaced with lower scenery and a central backdrop.

On the desert side, the sub roadbed was trimmed close to the track alignment, providing places where the scenery could dip and rise above the track level.  The shot below shows the new sub roadbed being cut away and the mountain is already no longer part of the layout.

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Chris installed a new sky blue scenic divider which will have some low scenery against it with some distant desert terrain painted on the backdrop. The space in front of the backdrop is important in emulating the wide-open feeling of the desert. While the mountain had been nicely carved, it’s bulk interfered with the sense of openness.

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Note how the tan color of the painted sub roadbed and the blue of the backdrop provide a general sense of how the completed scene will look.

The desert scene on the front of the layout now features a more common fill and bridge scene found on the desert main. (Pardon the blur, pretend it’s dusk)

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The tunnel on the desert side will be replaced by a road bridge, perhaps like the one at the east end of Abo Canyon seen below.

Bridge at east end of Abo Cyn. (Click for larger image.)

Here’s a view of the backdrop curving around the end of the desert scene where the tunnel used to be. The road will curve up over the track, disguising the hole in the backdrop.

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On the town side, there is now a slight grade on the lead at the front of the layout which was reduced to a single track so as to allow the mainline to be more prominent.

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The small difference in elevation emphasizes the separation between the main and the industrial lead.

Learnings

Before rebuilding, it is worth thinking carefully about what you are trying to achieve. Once the limitation is understood, it is still very important to consider the cost, time and effort involved in the rebuild. The question of “what will it take and will it be worth it?” has to be understood before reaching for the hammer and chisel.

You also need to be clear about what’s the alternative? Atlas code 55 had been around for a while when Chris was wrestling with the problem it wasn’t till he was able to look closely at the code 55 #10 that he was sold.

Chris eventually bit the bullet and wiped away over three years of work from his layout and took it back to the frame and supporting joists. Results are looking great, and he would not want to go back to the way it was. The layout is clearly a source of pride and enjoyment going forward and the improved look is constant motivation to keep working on the layout.

It’s hard to make the decision to go backwards, but if your layout has an irritating flaw, that will not get any better as the layout progresses, and that flaw is not rectifiable any other way, then do it, rebuild rather than build a disappointing layout. Why spend all that future time and effort knowing the results will still be disappointing in the end?

Many well known modelers have done this - Soeborg and Barrow are prominent examples. Even completed layouts are candidates for rebuilding. Daryl Kruse recently decided to tear down and rebuild his complete N scale Rochelle Sub layout after eighteen years in construction and operation. Here’s a video clip of some serious N  scale layout remodeling that’ll bring tears to your eyes.

The common thread here is that rebuilding is the way to go to get to better and better results, especially if your current results are disappointing. It may be unthinkable at first, and a harrowing experience, but it is clear that there are some shortfalls that just won’t go away with time, and if you can afford it, rebuilding is the path to railroading satisfaction.

Constant refinement is also the way of learning. If you can accept this process as productive rather than retrograde, the quality of your end product and the satisfaction of your modeling efforts will increase dramatically. Just ask Marto.

- Coxy