Rail Baron Mo

**Moritz** · 06-25-2008, 01:36 PM

So as not to horde in on someone else's thread, I figure I may as well start my own and share pics of progress.

It is HO scale. I intend to make the right hand side rural and the left a small town along with the far left a rail yard (love rail yards).

Comments and suggestions are welcome.

**Moritz** · 06-25-2008, 01:38 PM

**Moritz** · 06-25-2008, 01:39 PM

Far left side of the room:

**Moritz** · 06-25-2008, 01:40 PM

Left side of the room:

**Moritz** · 06-25-2008, 01:41 PM

Right side of the room:

**mrken** · 06-25-2008, 01:44 PM

Hey, what happened to the table?

**Moritz** · 06-25-2008, 01:46 PM

The above pics were just the basic layout on the floor to see if it would work how I had envisioned it. I purchased boards and started measuring, cut and then just started building. My track layout has been modified some as I laid it out again on the train deck <seen below>. It'll probably evolve into something more as progress.

**Moritz** · 06-25-2008, 01:47 PM

Erected table. I'll get better pics this weekend when the sun isn't cutting through the room (west wall):

**mrken** · 06-25-2008, 01:48 PM

Hey, good luck with all your sanding. Don't envy that task but the train will be fun. lol

**Moritz** · 06-25-2008, 01:53 PM

OH, and the initial proposed layout. Angled door is exit of room, bottom door is closet:

**Moritz** · 06-25-2008, 01:58 PM

The biggest problems sofar is the corroded track/fasteners. They don't conduct electricity and the engines go so far then just stop. Additionally, see that middle space, it's 4 foot from the wall to the edge of the table. And the area to the right of that is even wider (5'). I'm 6'5" tall, and I can reach across, however it's still a long reach. So I'm going to have to cut a trap door in the center of the table so I can reach the back corners.

**cplmac** · 06-25-2008, 03:27 PM

As a kid, my brothers and I used a very fine grade of sand paper to clean up old corroded track. Then we used a cotton ball with rubbing alcohol to keep it clean.

That engine looks old. Do you know how old it is? Most engines I remember seeing over the last 20 years are more the modern diesel types.

**mrken** · 06-25-2008, 03:34 PM

Trap doors kind of suck, but they mean you have more room to play mini battles there.

**Moritz** · 06-25-2008, 04:24 PM

Originally Posted by cplmac

As a kid, my brothers and I used a very fine grade of sand paper to clean up old corroded track. Then we used a cotton ball with rubbing alcohol to keep it clean.

That engine looks old. Do you know how old it is? Most engines I remember seeing over the last 20 years are more the modern diesel types.

I've been cleaning the track with brasso, then a fine sand paper (wrapped around a can). So I think the true conductive problems would be in my track connectors. Most of them are older and the connective surfaces cannot be reached with the paper. So I may as well just buy some new ones (50 for 3 bucks, not bad).

The engine (and cars seen in that pic) was(were) probably purchased when I was 3 or 4 (1972). As was most of the track, all buildings, and all of the other cars/engines were purchased all before 1978. Those will be seen in the future. I have a house that's in such disrepair that it will become a haunted house.

**Moritz** · 06-25-2008, 04:27 PM

Originally Posted by mrken

Trap doors kind of suck, but they mean you have more room to play mini battles there.

A friend of mine suggested installing motors and actuators to simulate earthquakes. Additionally he suggested that I install a large basin of water to simulate a tsunami. I don't see either idea being followed up on.

I believe some mini's would fit an N or Z scale set, which would be cool to have a futuristic setting modeled. For HO scale, I suspect the di-cast Shogun Warriors would fit to scale. Not the 2 foot tall plastic versions.