The Truckee project, part 1: Staging yard

[@malbradford3981]

Love your work Peter. Very neat & very organized. Thanks for sharing. Enjoyable as always.

[@scottsmith7051]

Even your benchwork is artwork. Great stuff.

[@mpeterll]

I see it as entirely functional, but they say that form follows function.

[@twrandle]

As always, very enjoyable to listen to your project description and then watch your plans fall into place (along with all the minor modifications that pop up and are required to meet your exacting requirements). Excellent work.

[@normanrowe2831]

Hello Peter, you are a man of many talents. I throughly enjoy watching your videos. You work very hard at what you do. And on top of that, you create informative and interesting tutorials. As well as still photos that recap the videos. Amazing, outstanding! See ya next time.

[@7APT7]

Hi, what a great start to rbi’s layout, craftsmanship at its best, you are a genius at base board building and track laying to, it all looks superb and look forward to watching it’s progress and on to it’s completion. 👍Thumbs Up 👍

[@williambryant5946]

Great video as always. Very helpful to have you and your wealth of knowledge so easily accessible to be able to study and learn from. Thanks for sharing your work with the model railroad community. Its greatly appreciated. 👍

[@andrewellaway9086]

Hi Peter, Great woodworking skills, I like the jigsaw radius jig you’ve made makes the curves easier to do. Cheers Andrew 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

[@robertschmidt6383]

The semi circle looks interesting.

[@joeraderblackrockcentralrr]

Looking forward to watching this build. Always enjoy your work

[@erichzutter1838]

Top 👍👍Greets from Switzerland 👋

[@wilzdart]

Learned a lot , the bench work photos were was a nice touch, just started watching your channel. Have a lot of catching up to do.

[@austinyingst5902]

Temperatures above 100 are rare but there's always humidity. Welcome to Tennessee.

[@ericceulemans1532]

very nice job greetz from belgium

[@jsrogers6464]

You do very nice work.

[@tomroehl5126]

I had to do some googling to track down you web site so you may want to add the link in your About section so people can find you! Great work!

[@jackiejones8248]

This is a very talented man an artist with the scenic experience of a genius I would like to know how I can get start pricing for getting an ho layout done. Thank you for your videos

[@mpeterll]

Thank-you for the compliments. Have I interpreted your comment correctly in that you would like me to build one for you. If so, please contact me via my website superiormodelrailroads.com and tell me more about what you are looking for.

[@bobfuller]

What is a creeper, and how is it used? Ah, just googled it. Is it a flat rolling trolley like garage mechanics use to work under cars? So you can lie on your back whilst you install the baseboard wiring?

[@jolliemark6294]

Looks great, I always enjoy seeing how you do things, you have some great ideas, looking at how you did bench work at the end was great too....thanks for sharing....Jack

[@derekalexander4030]

Congratulations on the new home and workshop. In watching some of your early videos, I saw that you used the Digitrax command control system and am interested in your opinion of it and if you would still choose that system with all of your experience now. In addition, I would like your opinion of the best length of soldered track you would use before using an expansion joint on a layout with signaling in a humidity controlled layout room. I am considering after every 3 sections of soldered flex track but would like your professional opinion. Thank you for your input and for sharing your expertise in the videos.

[@mpeterll]

I am pretty happy with my Digitrax system. The only part I've had trouble with is the PM42 circuit breaker. This worked great until I tried using it for a reversing section. I ended up using a tam-valley dual frog juicer for the reverser and just kept the PM42 for straight polarity. The only other system I've used is NCE. NCE is easier for programming decoders but I don't like the big clunky throttles. I once read through a lengthy forum discussion on this topic and it seemed that the vast majority of users were very happy with their system. It was basically the Coke-Pepsi or Ford-Chevy debate with Digitrax/NCE users. Regarding expansion gaps, I tend to tut them about every 6-8 feet where possible, while avoiding curves.

[@Dappa_Bonja]

Hi Peter. I'm brand new to your channel so have a lot of catching up to do. Looks like it's all been said before but - oh my word! - your craftmanship and attention to detail is wonderful to see. Your videos which I've watched so far have certainly given me plenty of food for thought and inspiration...! Would you mind answering two questions for me please - and my apologies if they've been asked and answered before... Please can you tell me what materials you use? Ie. what sort of timber and plywood, together with the dimensions? Also, does that particular plywood you're using bend naturally when upright within the curve or do you have to do "something special" to it to achieve that? Many thanks in advance and I'm looking forward to binge watching your videos - my wife may not approve though...! 🫣

[@mpeterll]

For structural benchwork, I rip 3/4" cabinet grade plywood into strips. The tops are also the same grade but 1/2". Until recently, I've been using a Lowes product called "whiteface", but that isn't available everywhere. I've now switched over to "Baltic Birch", which is the best product for the job if you can find it. Do not use construction plywood. The more plies, the better. Look for a minimum of 9 for 3/4" and 7 for 1/2". The curved piece standing up is called "wacky wood". It is only good in non-structural situations, and this is the only time I have used it. When I need structural curved benchwork, I laminate 4 pieces of 3/16" plywood.

[@Dappa_Bonja]

@@mpeterll That's great - many thanks.

[@aussiefrenchman-hobbytable9960]

Will you be doing the scenery? Your wood work looks great, im starting a n scale layout and after watching your video I will make my table stronger, thanks for sharing ,from Australia

[@mpeterll]

Yes, strong, rigid and stable benchwork is a must for any layout. There is no scenery on this project as the customer wants to do it himself.

[@kyleaskew3377]

Hi Peter, Love your work. Wish i could afford you lol. Can i please ask what the radius is of those 4 curves ? Cheers Kyle from Australia.

[@mpeterll]

You can ask, but that doesn't mean that I remember. From memory, I think the overall benchwork width was 68", so allowing for 2 1/4" track spacing and 1 3/4" between the outer track and the fascia, that would put the inner track at about 25 1/2" radius.

[@kyleaskew3377]

@@mpeterll Thanks peter. Love your work mate.

[@mpetersen6]

One question. What kind of allowance do you use for height adjustment. After how level your floor is has no relationship to how level somebody else's floor is. Especially if you are installing in say the basement of an older home

[@kummer-racefield]

I wonder how you did all these perfect curves

[@mpeterll]

The still pictures at the end reveal exactly how.

[@williambryant5946]

Would you show and explain in one of your videos how you do your expansion joints? I'd like to learn from a professional. I'm sure it's a very simple thing but if done incorrectly could cause large problems in the future of the railroad. Thanks. 👍

[@mpeterll]

Thank-you for that suggestion. I will do that sometime. In the meantime, let me offer you this description: Expansion gaps are easy. Just insert the rails into the joiners as you would on any other joint, but then pull the rails back out about 1/16" before gluing or pinning the track in place. Do NOT solder these joints. On most brands of flex track, one rail is generally free to slide easily in the tie strip. It's best to alternate the sliding rail side-to-side on each length. Also, if you find you are inadvertently closing up your expansion gaps, try putting something in them temporarily - a short piece of .060x.060 styrene strip works well. If you find that you need to add more expansion gaps after the track is laid, simply cut them with a dremel cut-off tool. The disadvantage of this method is that it's not always possible to insert rail joiners, so you may have to rely on the plastic tie web to hold the rails in alignment. I generally leave expansion joints about every 6-8 feet where possible. Try to keep them well away from curves as a lose joint on a curve will result in a kink. The flexibility of the roadbed allows the track to move sideways to take care of expansion on curves.

[@williambryant5946]

@@mpeterll Thank you for the information. I wouldn't have thought to alternate the sliding rail because I've never realized that only one side slides in and out. Also I didn't know the space expansion joints had to be apart and that you don't do them in curves. Thanks so much!

[@thefullgonzo]

Can you disclose what type/ thickness plywood used for the decking, what wood type/size used for legs/stringers please?

[@mpeterll]

Sure, The decking is 1/2" cabinet-grade plywood. Everything else is cut from 3/4" cabinet-grade plywood. Most framing members are 3" wide; legs are 2 3" strips laminated to give 3" x 1.5"; bracing is 2" wide. I must stress again; this is all cabinet-grade plywood, not the basic builders stuff. It is typically at least 7 ply and faced with hardwood (usually birch). It is quite expensive, but still a lot less than buying decent quality 1x4's (which will still warp). For convenience, I have the lumber yard rip the 3/4" plywood into three 16" panels as this is a lot easier (and safer) to handle on my table saw than a full sheet.

[@thefullgonzo]

mpeterll thank you, I have very small room 8x10 and have an N scale single deck horseshoe layout now. Going to tear it down and start over! I like the idea of a double deck staging yard bottom with a layout on top. The leading edge incline will allow enough height to separate the two decks I hope.

[@FostoriaOhiomodelrailroadclub]

When you glue the role bed down I would use some tax That's what I use

[@williambryant5946]

This man builds layouts for a living. This is his job. I think he has built 3 or 4 layouts this summer maybe more. He knows what he's doing. Trust me. 👍

[@mpetersen6]

Da UP! Peter, you don't sound much like da Yooper. For section alignment of benchwork that needs to be knocked down for shipping what if you use dowels to align the sections? Also I would swear that is the same work space for the unconnected upper deck the customer wanted for display running of his passenger trains

[@mpeterll]

There's no advantage to adding dowels as the bolts serve the same purpose (provided they are in tight-fitting holes). For a commercial build, every step has to be justified as even a few minutes on each section adds up quickly. During assembly, I tighten the bolts just enough to hold the sections together, then a light tap with a hammer takes care of any slight adjustment necessary before I fully tighten the bolts. Yes you swear correctly - it is the same layout, although the upper deck plans have been "shelved" - I couldn't resist that pun. It has been replaced with a very high-level shelf for a simple G-scale loop. Too bad as I was looking forward to doing the scenery on that part.

[@mpetersen6]

@@mpeterll I for one would be interested in how you do your wiring runs underneath the bench work. I'm more used to industrial panels but then everything is either in conduit or sealtight. Although a proper electrical cabinet is something I think would be a very good idea. With a proper schematic of course.

[@Vman7757]

Good job. Did you laminate the plywood to make the curved walls? Love the look. I need some thing just like this. I just don't have the money to have you build it for me.

[@mpeterll]

No, the curved sections are a product called "bendy-board", although two layers of thin plywood could be used if you can't find a supplier. As for not having the funds to hire professional help, don't worry, just learn all you can from me and others who publish their work. Then try as many different techniques as you can and see what works best for you. The vast majority of model railroaders will never hire anyone to work on their layouts, but if a few people learn something from my videos, my goals will have been achieved.

[@Vman7757]

@@mpeterll I learn tons from you. And I follow everyone of your videos. Thanks again.

[@1Celltech]

How did you curve the plywood for the back stop?

[@mpeterll]

Magic! No, seriously, it's not normal plywood. It goes by various names: "bendy-board", "wacky-wood", and others. It's quite difficult to find a supplier. This sheet was provided by the general contractor for the project.

[@cdjhyoung]

If you are interested in doing the same thing (curving a free standing backdrop) and can't find a supplier for bendable plywood (what it's called around mid-Michigan) you could use 2.8MM plywood that is currently being sold at Home Depot as under layment. Cut it to your needed height on the four foot long edge and it will wrap down to at least a 12 inch radius. You will probably need to plan on four layers of the 2.8MM plywood glued together to get the strength your looking for.

[@mpeterll]

@@cdjhyoung Yes, good information. Even one sheet curved sharply adds a lot of rigidity to thin plywood, so less thickness is needed on curves than on straight panels. The main reason for using the bendy-board for this project is to provide some thickness for holding screws.

[@charlierumsfeld6626]

Where were you in Michigan? I am in Midland.

[@samiam619]

Charlie Rumsfeld He said in the UP on the shore of Lake Superior. FYI, I’m 50 miles south of the bridge in Charlevoix County.

[@frankhellman6879]

Why do you prefer Walthers turnouts to Pico? Serious question.

[@mpeterll]

I don't think I necessarily prefer Walthers over Peco. It's just that I've not used Peco turnouts until recently. The general contractor has always used Walthers, but when the supply ran out, we had to use something else. There's generally a time-saving with using what you already know, and on a commercial project, time is money.

[@AffordableModelRR]

@@mpeterll This is James from AffordableModelRailroads.com and we usually provide Peter with Walthers turnouts as they look better (more prototypical) and they are longer than the Pecos'. We are just about out of our stock of Walthers turnouts and they are saying they won't be back in production until 1st quarter of 2020 so we have been using Peco's as a successful substitute. They work well, just aren't quite right on the look.

[@nickb.1095]

Would this by any chance be a Virginia and Truckee layout your building for your customer?

[@mpeterll]

No, it's entirely freelance.

[@nickb.1095]

@@mpeterll Ah. It looks incredibly neat though! Love the construction so far.

[@derekalexander4030]

Thank you. Diet Coke, Chevy. Lol

[@mpeterll]

No you've got it all wrong. It's mountain dew and ford. :-)