Visited the Colorado Model Railroad Museum

My wife and I headed up to Greeley this weekend to check out the Colorado Model Railroad Museum.  It was very impressive!  I’ve seen large model railroads before, but the scale and quality of their setup is pretty staggering.

It sounds like they’ve been featured in Model Railroader, and I can certainly see why.  A lot of care has gone into the layout.  They also had some model ships (including the Edmund Fitzgerald) modeled in HO scale.

I’ll admit I was a bit surprised / disappointed not to find any HOn3 featured, oh well.  The place was still well worth the trip.  Here’s a few photos I took (many apologies for the poor quality):

One of the massive trestles at the Colorado Model Railroad Museum in Greeley.

Abandoned structure on the giant model railroad at the Colorado Model Railroad Museum in Greeley.

The giant model railroad at the Colorado Model Railroad Museum in Greeley.

As you can see from the last photo, the layout is absolutely expansive.  It’s really quite an accomplishment.  I was also very pleased with the amount of trust they placed in their guests– There really wasn’t much in the way between walkways and the layout, which  allowed for excellent views of their creation.  I had always been used to the HO layout at the Colorado Railroad Museum which can only be viewed through windows.

This visit has me considering joining a local model railroading club.  Once I’m happy with the progression of my engines and rolling stock, I’ll probably start looking.

 

 

One of the wings done

The wings take a long time to assemble on this workbench.  When I designed it, I failed to account for the fact that hinges have actual depth and are not simple 2D objects.  This has resulted in a lot of chiseling as I have to inset them into the workbench posts.

The good news is that this thing is super strong and works as I intended it to.  The bad news is that I’m only halfway done.   As soon as the other wing is done, melamine goes on, then the banding around the workbench surface.

Here’s the wing up and down:

Left wing assembled. That took longer than I thought.

Workbench wing in the “down” position, with supports folded in.

Note the gap between the plywood on the wing and the table surface… This is to accommodate the banding I’m going to add around the workbench surface to protect the melamine edge (it’s just MDF).  I’ve been waiting in a break from the weather / work schedule to finish this off.

Garage workbench mostly done

I spent the weekend putting the together the garage workbench.  It’s mostly complete, although I still need to finish assembly of the fold-out wings / wing supports.  I was able to use almost all the reclaimed material which I was pretty happy about.

All the pieces of the garage workbench cut out and ready to be assembled.

The only new pieces of wood are a couple 9′ 2×4’s and of course the work surfaces.  I went with cedar fence planking for the lower shelf because I liked the rough appearance, and it will blend nicely with the older wood.

I was surprised to find when I was cutting the posts that 3 out of the 4 seemed to be actual hardwood.  Shame to use em on the workbench, but I had no other 4x4s laying around.

One of the wing hinges I made from steel. A pair of these hold up each wing for the garage workbench.

Pictured above is one of the four hinges I cut from steel and drilled.  First time using the drill press (a harbor freight 12-speed model I’ve had waiting in a box for 2 years), and I’m pretty happy with the result.  I used WD-40 as a lubricant and took my time.  

Frame for the top of the garage workbench. I took some time planing out the high points to get a perfectly true surface.

You can just make out in the above photo that my garage is riddled with cracks.  There is nary a level surface to work on in there (thus one of the primary motivating factors to build this thing).  I found one area that was level enough to work on, and built the upper frame.  I built it upside-down so that the plywood would have an even surface to mate to, and even then I had to get out the hand planer to even things up.  I used a 4′ level to make sure everything was true.

Assembling the legs and lower shelf runners for the garage workbench.

Plywood and legs attached to the frame, working on the lower shelf supports.  The metal strapping worked really well to stabilize the legs.  In the background you can see the frames of the fold-out wings.

Workbench mostly complete. Pictured here without the melamine surface or fold-out wings. The lower shelf decking is all in place.

Almost done!  Just the melamine and wing assemblies remain.  It rolls around very nicely, and I’m happy with how the lower shelf came out.  There’s an extra stringer running down the center which supports the thinner boards, and the entire setup feels very sturdy all in all.

I should have this entirely finished by next weekend.

Reclaimed material

I took apart the old worktable the previous homeowner had left me.  Salvaged nearly all the pieces… The most important bits were the 4x4s which I’ll be using for the workbench legs (these are for the garage workbench).  Not pictured here are the hardware and other 2x4s which I’ll be using for the frame:

All that remains of the old work table

I still need to purchase the plywood and melamine surface, but that will be later.  Tonight I’m going sort out my tools (just got a new tool cabinet), and time permitting, start cutting the pieces I’ll need.  I’ll likely start by cutting the 4x4s to length and notching the tops for the stringers.

Workbench… Prime?

So, I got to thinking.  Spending a good chunk of change on some nice hardwood and attempting to make a nice desk/workbench out of it would probably be a fools errand if I didn’t have a good working area / level surface to build it on.

So, enter the garage workbench.  When I moved into my current home, the previous owner left us with a few shelf-type constructs in the garage, but nothing really level or solid enough to build anything on.  At my last place of residence, I built something really nice, but alas it was attached to the wall and stayed behind after we moved.

I’m going to build a solid workbench, ideally suited for woodworking, with a melamine top for the garage.  I don’t have a ton of space to work with, but if I put it on casters and give it foldable wings, I can have an 8′ x 30″ workbench that will fold into a 5′ x 30″ space.

Here are the plans:

Workbench Prime

I’ve already purchased all the hardware, and I have all the materials necessary except for the plywood and melamine.  Once I get the frame built, I’ll go buy the remaining pieces.  Work starts this Sunday (I’m not a big football fan).

Workbench update

I priced out most of the materials for the workbench this weekend, it looks like I’m in for around $300 of materials if I go hardwood.  If I go with construction-grade GDF (Green Douglass Fir), I can do it for around $100.

All things considered, I think the right thing (given that the office will be used for more than just my trains), is to make it look nice.  As for materials, I’ll be using red oak for the legs and framing, and poplar or pine for the table surface.

More photos in the prototype gallery

Huge thanks to Bob G @ ngdiscussion.net for all the detail shots.

Workbench Design

I think I’ve come up with a good, workable design at this point.  Here’s a diagram I put together in Visio:

workbench plan done in visio. note the removal top that will cover track and make the workbench look like a table when guests are over.

The design is somewhat simple… A basic bench with a slide-out keyboard tray plus a drawer.  The drawer may be used for train storage.  In addition, I will also create a removable “top” that will set on top of the workbench and disguise it as a nice looking table.  As I plan to lay the track directly to the surface of the workbench, this removable top will likely need a built-in spacer so that weight is not applied directly to the track.

Some considerations:

• This can be built using hardwood for a nicer look.
• Plywood covered by either a soft wood (like pine) or a soft hardwood (like poplar) will form the workbench surface.  I need a soft wood one way or the other for driving spikes, and the plywood will help provide rigidity.
• I can build the removable top at a later date.  Reducing the immediate scope of the project will reduce costs and get things rolling sooner.

Here’s a quick bill of materials.  It’s pretty unlikely I will find any sort of sheet stock in 2′ widths, so there’s going to be some material left over:

Hardwood:	Softwood:	Plywood:
2x 4″x4″x4′ – legs 2x 2″x6″x8′, 1x 2″x6″x4′ – outer horizontal frame 1x 1″x4″x8′ – drawer / tray fronts 1x 2’x8’x1/2″ – removable top surface 3x 2″x3″x9′ – removable top wraparound	2x 2″x6″x8′ – inner horizontal frame members 1x 1″x4″x6′ – drawer sides / back 1x 2’x8’x3/8″ – workbench surface 3x 1″x2″x9′ – wraparound trim	1x 2’x8’x1/2″ – workbench base 1x 2’x8’x1/4″ – removable top spacer 1x 2’x6’x1/2″ – drawer / tray bases (same as workbench base)

I’m headed to the lumber shop on Saturday to price this out.  If it’s affordable, it will be time to get started!

The Workbench

Until I get a workbench set up, I won’t really have an area to work on these trains.  I’ve thought about it a good bit, and there are several considerations given my situation. Here’s what I’m working with:

• The office is only 9’6″ x 11’3″, so there’s not a lot of space to begin with.
• In addition to my workbench, I also need to provide space for our computer, a file cabinet, and book storage.
• The office doubles as a guest room for a few weeks of the year, and must accommodate a bed (currently an inflatable mattress).  When guests are over, the room needs to be comfortable and presentable.

As I mentioned earlier, I’m going to need to get creative.  My first few sketches have yielded some good results.  The design I think I’m going to go with is in the lower portion of the right page:

Initial sketches on workbench construction for the office.

Basically, here are my thoughts:

• Combine the workbench and the computer desk.  This will involve mounting the monitor to the wall with an articulating arm, so it can be moved aside when not in use.  I’m thinking something along these lines.
• I’ll add a slide-out keyboard tray to maximize work area, and put the PC tower under the desk.
• If the workbench is tall enough (around 40″), I should have no problem fitting our file cabinet underneath it.
• If the workbench is 2’x8′, that leaves enough room to access the closet, as well as set up a bed.
• Book / tool / train storage will be set up as shelves above the work area.

The workbench itself will also have to pull double-duty.  I want it to serve as a work area and as a test area.  Track mounted directly to the work surface will be OK as long as it’s off to the side (but I will have to use a softer material so I can drive spikes).  Track laid towards the front of the workbench (in prime working areas) must be inset into the workbench so as to create a flush surface.

Lastly, if this area is to be presentable, I’ve thought of building a removable cover that could sit on top of the workbench and turn it into a nice looking table.  This would hide the work surfaces and the track.  This bit can come later though… My first priority is to get a work area set up.

As I get closer to a design, I’ll post more sketches.

New “Prototype Photos” Section

Click on the above link in the header to check out the new section.

I started building a gallery of photos and diagrams in preparation of finishing #375.  I’m hoping to grow these photos as much as possible…  This will be an excellent resource for measurements and detailing, both for myself and anyone else who’s interested in this locomotive.

If you know of any additional photos that you would be willing to share, please send them along!