Ian Holmes Posted April 3, 2023 Share Posted April 3, 2023 Before I got distracted by Eagle Street on the New Orleans Water and Sewerage Board Railroad (Micro Model Railway Dispatch Spring 2023) I was working on ideas for a Micro inspired by the Plymouth Industrial Park Railroad that surrounded me at my old workplace (see the map below). I was going to use Prof. Klyzlr's Chicago Fork as the basis of the layout. The Dispatch and the article about the NOSWB RR has now been published, others have taken an interest in using my research in their own layout, so I've pretty much got it out of my system. I started to revisit the old Plymouth Industrial Park research. There are, as you've come to expect from me, some blog posts about it already. https://smallmodelrailwaylayouts.blogspot.com/2023/04/minneapolis-fork.html https://smallmodelrailwaylayouts.blogspot.com/2023/04/minneapolis-fork-part-2-developing.html Ian 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Holmes Posted April 3, 2023 Author Share Posted April 3, 2023 Some discourse on the buildings that would feature on this layout. https://smallmodelrailwaylayouts.blogspot.com/2023/04/minneapolis-fork-part-3-setting.html 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Holmes Posted April 4, 2023 Author Share Posted April 4, 2023 Warning! This next blog post contains a baseboard photograph https://smallmodelrailwaylayouts.blogspot.com/2023/04/minneapolis-fork-part-4-first-steps.html 3 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted April 5, 2023 Share Posted April 5, 2023 On 03/04/2023 at 01:53, Ian Holmes said: The Dispatch and the article about the NOSWB RR has now been published, others have taken an interest in using my research in their own layout, so I've pretty much got it out of my system. Glad to see that you haven't got O Scale out of your system, though!! 🤣🤣👍 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Holmes Posted April 5, 2023 Author Share Posted April 5, 2023 Well, it looks like I might be building a new layout… http://smallmodelrailwaylayouts.blogspot.com/2023/04/minneapolis-fork-part-5-baseboards.html 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Holmes Posted April 6, 2023 Author Share Posted April 6, 2023 Perilously close to the start of the construction of a building https://smallmodelrailwaylayouts.blogspot.com/2023/04/minneapolis-fork-part-6-does-it-all-fit.html 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Holmes Posted April 13, 2023 Author Share Posted April 13, 2023 A blog post about the problems constructing this building is ready to read. https://smallmodelrailwaylayouts.blogspot.com/2023/04/minneapolis-fork-part-7-first-structure.html 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Holmes Posted April 14, 2023 Author Share Posted April 14, 2023 Bad news! https://smallmodelrailwaylayouts.blogspot.com/2023/04/minneapolis-fork-part-8-back-to-cutting.html Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Holmes Posted April 19, 2023 Author Share Posted April 19, 2023 Clear my mind. https://smallmodelrailwaylayouts.blogspot.com/2023/04/sobering-thoughts-minneapolis-fork-part.html 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Holmes Posted April 25, 2023 Author Share Posted April 25, 2023 After a setback, tentative steps are made to get back on track with my O scale Micro https://smallmodelrailwaylayouts.blogspot.com/2023/04/tentative-steps-minneapolis-fork-part-10.html 3 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted April 25, 2023 Share Posted April 25, 2023 (edited) Very encouraging to read your last blog there, Ian. 👍 'Modern' O scale buildings that look worthy of rail service do end up being long objects, even if they're low relief. I had a 'friend of a friend' do some laser-cut thin MDF 'blanks' for me as almost a scratch-aid for some of my industrial buildings. Just two units together are 46" long!! With a third next to them, slightly recessed, the whole building is 69" long - getting beyond true Micro Layout dimensions!! Edit - the MDF has been braced with ordinary 2x1 & 1x1 softwood, using lengths that were as straight as possible! Edited April 25, 2023 by F-UnitMad 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Holmes Posted April 25, 2023 Author Share Posted April 25, 2023 Nice structures. I know what you mean. This building of mine is already longer than some of my previous micro layouts. Ian 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Holmes Posted April 28, 2023 Author Share Posted April 28, 2023 The warehouse is pretty much ready for the paint shop. https://smallmodelrailwaylayouts.blogspot.com/2023/04/a-structure-as-big-as-some-of-my.html 5 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted April 28, 2023 Share Posted April 28, 2023 Do tell us more about it's construction! What glue for the plasticard, so it doesn't warp, distort or melt, but does actually stick??!!?? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Holmes Posted May 1, 2023 Author Share Posted May 1, 2023 (edited) On 28/04/2023 at 12:10, F-UnitMad said: Do tell us more about it's construction! What glue for the plasticard, so it doesn't warp, distort or melt, but does actually stick??!!?? It’s a fairly simple set up. Nothing too clever. The structure is 35” x 10” (890mm x 250mm) . The sheet of 6mm foam core was 20” x 30” (610mm x 760mm). So I had to graft 5 extra inches onto the length. You can see the joint was reinforced with a strip of paper on either side. Once the board was framed with 20mm strips of 6mm foam, it was strong, flat and square. I used Gorilla Glue woodworking glue to glue the foam core and Devon contact cement for fixing the styrene to the foam core. The only other thing I did was rough up the backs of the styrene sheets before gluing them to the board. I’m still a bit concerned that the ridged nature of the upper section of the building means that there’s not enough surface to surface contact for glue faces. But it seems OK at the moment. Ian Edited May 1, 2023 by Ian Holmes 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Holmes Posted May 3, 2023 Author Share Posted May 3, 2023 A very sturdy sector plate has been made https://smallmodelrailwaylayouts.blogspot.com/2023/05/goings-on-minneapolis-fork-part-12.html 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Holmes Posted May 12, 2023 Author Share Posted May 12, 2023 A new locomotive has been added to the roster. Read about it here https://smallmodelrailwaylayouts.blogspot.com/2023/05/in-mailbox-minneapolis-fork-part-13.html 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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