Railroads and Ice Cream in HO-Scale
While trying to decide which Fast Tracks PointForm tool to buy to make the split-point derails, I ended up comparing the various Fast Tracks turnout templates from #6 to #12. In the previous post on this topic, I determined that the #8 had the correct divergence for the prototype. But I was still curious how…
Read moreOne of the interesting aspects of Le Mars is all the split-point derails: My original plan was to model these by cutting down a standard Walthers turnout and removing the frog. Unfortunately, the Walthers turnouts diverge too quickly, so a little more work will be needed. Since I don’t have on-the-ground measurements, I am relying…
Read moreOver the last few weeks, track laying has been taking place. I am using the new Walthers Code 83 track and turnouts. This is nice looking track (at least to me, coming from the land of N-scale) and appears to be sufficiently robust without compromising too much on the fine detail. I think Walthers did…
Read moreAlthough I could rely on finger-flick turnouts, especially since the Walthers Code 83 turnouts have a snap-action on the points, I want to try something different. One of the products in development over at Iowa Scaled Engineering is a 3D printed key switch. Originally intended for the relaunch of our timelock circuit, I wanted to…
Read moreWhen I last laid down foam, I left a section at the end of the peninsula unfinished. After reflecting on that choice, I decided to finish the foam (and fascia) all the way to the end so that the long side was complete. This simply involved cutting a piece of foam to fit (cut it…
Read moreConstruction of Le Mars has begun. My plan is to start on 18″ shelf that contains the transload and IML Containers. Build that to a reasonable state of completion and, if I’m satisfied with this change in scale and prototype, then continue with the rest of Le Mars, working north. Below is a chronicle of…
Read moreAfter the last journey, I finally found one… a container made by IML Containers. As expected, the Blue Bunny Load’d Sundaes are packed into plastic containers stamped with the IML logo.
Read moreOne of the things I enjoy about planning a layout is the industrial archeology – the research into the various industries served (directly or indirectly) by the railroad being modeled. Recently, I went on a quest to learn a bit more about the packaging industry in Le Mars, IA, and its association with Wells Blue…
Read moreThe track plan for Le Mars is pretty simple. I constrained myself to reusing the existing IKEA Ivar shelves from my previous layout attempt as the benchwork for this layout. It’s basically an around-the-walls style with one peninsula. Starting with the three track yard along the bottom, Americold Cold Storage will be represented along the…
Read moreAfter considerable time planning to model the IAIS in my hometown of Altoona, IA, I recently decided to make a couple major changes to my modeling goals. These changes involved both the scale of choice and the prototype, with the goal of having an operating layout sooner rather than later. No longer was I building…
Read more