The New Project - Part 3 - Adamsville

When we began our model railroad over a year ago, Dave and I really didn't know what direction we would go. After the long process of sorting through and cleaning all that we salvaged from my grandfather's collection, our direction became more obvious.

Many of the buildings we saved had a rural feel to them, so we decided one side of our layout would serve as a place where the people live while the other side would be where they work.

We didn't know what the name of either side would be until we discovered a homemade sign with the words "Adamsville City Limits." Adamsville has always had an "older" type feel to it. Perhaps that's because it's where most of my grandfather's buildings reside.

The new project focused on the side of Adamsville, which meant when it was over, Adamsville would have a different - and hopefully, better look to it. The results were better than we hoped. Now, Adamsville is one section, instead of jetting out like it did in the past. This allowed us to make longer roads and allowed the layout to flow better.





It also allowed us more space to display buildings and scenery. Nearly every person that's seen the new layout in person has commented on how the Adamsville area flows better than it did in the past.

Although Adamsville is where the people make their homes, it's still a busy area.

Some of the features include James W. Adams Memorial Field, a grain elevator, Ogryski's 7-11, a Baskin Robins, Union Station, the Adamsville Fire Dept., the Ruth Adams Memorial Airport, City Hall, a pair of churches, a school house, a drug store, a plumbing supply shop, a cemetery, a bar, a bus stop, a housing construction project, numerous houses, and much, much more.









We also have countless cars, trucks, people and other details to add to the realism.

I have a number of photos to go along with this post, I hope you enjoy.

Next week, I'll wrap up the new project with the other side of our layout, the "Souva City" - "Peter Karle Industrial Area" section. Until then, happy model railroading.

New Project Part 2

The new project gave Dave and I an opportunity to improve on a few areas that needed attention. Along with making our control area easier to access, we wanted to make the room look better.

Doing this was really simple as we covered our exposed shelving with the same black cloth we use to cover the exposed area around the bottom of train tables. This change is pictured today and has been received well by everyone who has seen the new layout in person.

As I said in the very first thread of this blog, any new layout we begin starts with the ball park. Steve and Dave get the credit for coming up with the idea of how to incorporate it into this layout.

They selected place the ball park with the newly constructed section. Instead of just laying it on top of the wood, they decided to cut a hole in the table in order to have the field at table level. Since the field is made with the old green, which is quite a bit darker than the new green, it produces a nice contrast. The track loops around the ball park in this layout and is on a slight grade. Watching the train go around this section is a highlight for Dave and me.



For a moment, we thought about running the train through the field (Brewster's Millions style), but decided not to. Perhaps, we'll do that in a future layout.

Today, you'll see photos of the areas I just covered, along with how the field fits into the new configured Adamsville. Also, there is a nice shot of our new control area.


Next week, I'll take you on the full tour of Adamsville. The week after that, we'll take a look at the new layout for Souva City and the Peter Karle Industrial Area.

Weekend Update

Rick has been asking for some more photos (because he's still finding time to stop in), so I thought since I had an extra minute, I would post a few from the new setup. I don't want to give too much away, but I thought I would share a few.

These are just some random shots, during the next two or three posts, I'll have a full update on the project and plenty of phots. I'll say this, though, it came out better than even Dave thought it would, so that's saying something.

The New Project

This is the first in a series on our Winter Project.

Sometimes, the best plans need a little tweaking. Shortly after we put the finishing touches on our first layout, Dave and I discovered a problem.

When we built the tables for the railroad, it was our intention to incorporate the hinged door so that we could access our operation area. After laying down the green and building up the scenery, it became clear that was never going to be the case. Instead of using the hinged door, we were forced to go under it. Along with this slight problem, was the fact that the layout didn't flow well the way we had it.

Around September of 2007, Dave and I began discussing what could be done to correct our problems. We decided we would add a section while subtracting another. Luckily for us, the way we designed the tables, we could accomplish this without too much trouble. The tables were designed in sections, which allowed them to be taken apart easily (like a puzzle). The section we planned to add was above an area that we may need access to in the future, if the basement floods. Instead of bolting it down, it sits on its supports and if needed, we could have the area cleared and ready to work on in about 10 minutes.

The area we decided to take away would allow us to have a new operating platform. When this area was originally designed, it was done so in order to be a turnout. It served its purpose well, but by taking it down, it would allow us a comfortable place to run the railroad.

Another reason we wanted to do this project was to completely replace the green (grass) we were using. The old grass that my grandfather used was like painted sand paper. The problem with that as we quickly discovered was it would shed all over. The new grass we decided to use was from Woodland Scenics and is called Spring Grass. It's a vinyl mat and much easier to work with - and above all else, doesn't shed. The old green that we used was about $12 per roll. The new green ran about $25 per roll. Although the cost was higher, the results were much better.

I have a lot more to share on this. Next week, I'll show you the idea Dave came up with for incorporating the ballpark into the new layout. It was simple, but turned out very nice.

For now, I'll show you the photos from the start of the project. The photos above show the old green and the mess it left behind. The photos below show the major sections we worked on.

The total time for the project from planning, purchasing the necessary materials took about three weeks to complete

The Finishing Touches

Last week, I showed you the beginning of the transformation, which included finishing the table and putting paneling on the walls. This week, we'll take a look at one side of the D&P Railroad in a very detailed before and after look. The section that you will see today is the Souva City/Peter Karle Industrial Area. What started as just a workbench turned into something that Dave and I are both very proud of.

This area a stark contrast between the Adamsville section. Adamsville is where the people make their homes, but Souva City and the Peter Karle Industrial Area are where they make their living. In future posts, I'll go in-depth on the evolution of Adamsville from just a few houses to what it is today.

For now, I hope you enjoy today's photos.

Also, I have included a few other recent shots (below) just before we began our new project.

Speaking of the new project, it should be done this week, so I hope to start a four or five part series on that perhaps starting next week.