Western Maryland Eastern Sub. Layout

This page will be used to tell the story and progress on my current layout build.

I am repeating here part of the announcement of the layout on my cover page:

The Western Maryland Eastern Sub between Emory Grove and Hagerstown, with the majority of the action taking place at four locations, Finksburg, Westminster, Union Bridge, and Woodsboro. The yards at Hagerstown and Baltimore will be used for staging. The layout will be two levels with two helixes  to allow for continuous running and operations. The staging yards will be on the lower deck and I am considering adding a small tourist railroad on the lower level that will run steam excursions. My plan is to model 1968-1973 and allow for Western Maryland, B&O, and Chessie System. One key thing to note is that part of this line was washed out by two Hurricanes, Agnes in 1972 and then Hurricane Eloise in 1975. For my model we are assuming that the damage was minor and did not interrupt service on the line, when in reality Hurricane Eloise’s damage was so severe the line was left partially abandoned for years and was only resurrected by The Maryland Midland   ( a short line that took over the rails in 1980) when the state stepped in and helped to finance the repairs.

When looking at the track plan below it is important to note that your view in from the back wall looking forward and one would be walking into the layout next to either helix.

Here is an overview track plan for the main level.

 

Update 1 :

Here are a few photos of the space and some of the prep work that has already taken place.

This is unfinished space in my basement and I had already ran conduit around the walls. As you can tell I only painted the block down to the conduit. The benchwork will cover the rest and this still allows the walls to breath and will prevent a water build up over time.

 

 

In the next image you can see I added Tyvek paper to the ceiling to limit the dust and provide a reflective surface for the lights. I would love to have finished off the space but the low ceiling height and the cost both played into the decision to soldier on with the unfinished basement.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally for this update you can see I had started to build what would become the vertical supports for around the walls. In this image they are glued in place so at some point they can be removed as needed. The horizontal arms are cut from 3/4 inch sanded plywood. The holes are for the bus wires and for lights for the lower level.

 

Stay tuned for update 2 coming in a few days.

Update 2 :

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you can see I am moving along and this shot clearly shows the holes for lights and bus wires. I have also added pocket holes with the plan of using them to hold down the plywood sub roadbed.

 

Here I have started to build out the peninsula benchwork.

The peninsula benchwork will support the two decks via cantilevered arms supported by a center divide. This image is the finished base. My next steps will be to build out the divide and attached the horizontal supports. This process will take some time and the bottom level will need to adjust to the floor being uneven. Stay tuned for update 3:

Update 3 :

I built the divder in the shop in two sections and then brought them into the train room. Here you can see section one in place.

In the photo above you can see the second section is in place and we are ready to start adding the horizontal supports for the lower level. I will also add a tie into the ceiling for extra support. Stay tuned for Update 4:

 

Update 4 :

 

Making progress, as you can see I have started adding the horizontal supports to the peninsula and the far left side of the layout.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have finished the horizontal support and after some consideration of aisle width I decided to make a few track plan changes to accommodate wider aisle. This change will make it easier for me to continue the build and have more space for operations. One of the sacrifices I will be making is to make a much smaller helix on the right hand side of the layout. I will start calling this Helix 1. I did a few test on my workbench of some 11 inch radius track and I was able to run a EM1 around in circles. It wasn’t pretty but it stayed on the track. I plan to do about 12.5 inch radius on Helix 1. Helix 2 will be 15 inches since I have some additional space on the left. In update 5 I will be putting up the skyboard.

Update 5 :

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you can see I have completed the horizontal supports and have started to add the skyboards.

Additionally, I have built out the endcap of the peninsula and added skyboard to that as well.  The next step will be to tape and mud the seams of the skyboard. I have also decided to change my decking plan. My original plan called for the use of 1/2 inch plywood for the deck with 1 inch foamboard on top. The problem is the weight of the plywood.  I am  concerned  that  the  plywood  will cause the supports to sag overtime.  For this reason I am going to go with 5mm underlayment with 1 inch foamboard as the subroadbed.