ETMRC HO Scale Layout

Redesign of North Dexter to add "wye"

In January of 2018 Bob T started a redesign of North Dexter to add a "wye" to turn locomotives.

Rob D's Blog 11 January 2018

Bob T has been working on some ideas for changing some of the tracks in the Dexter yard area, the one with the pen on it is the most likely at this point in time. However later discussion brought forth some more ideas. Here is a close up of the best plan from the initial salvo. The little squares are one inch. Bob is planning on spring switches for the wye so we will not need switch machines. That is subject to change depending on what works.

This is part of the area that the wye would be in, next to the wall.

Rob D's Blog 03 June 2018

As can be seen it does not take long for our crew to get after a project. Tracks are being lifted as is sub roadbed. Joists will be examined with consideration given to relocation if need be. Structures were quickly pulled and the work begun. Paul is pulling material so a new section can be fabricated and dropped into place. It will be built on tables in the back and then installed in the layout. This might be a near toma concept, we have used before we just did not call it that.

It was used in the area of price yard for the extension, the new throat addition on the clubs big yard, and the area being reworked between skull mountain and east onion breath.

Rob D's Blog 11 June 2018

As can be seen the demolition prior to rework is on going. When supports were found to be in a bad location or a seam would have been under a track longways modifications were made to the plan.

Dave G got drafted into soldering some wires so they could be extended a bit due to the expansion required for the bench work. The wires had no slack in them, not a practice I recommend.

This is where the tail track for the wye will be and it is possible it may extend as far as the tunnel mouth. Access that is comfortable will be important!

Rob D's Blog 23 June 2018

Bob is fooling with some printed scale track diagrams to check the fitment of the yard throat on the roughed in bench work. A foam template has been put in on a short term basis. It will be used to cut the homosote later.

More of the plans laid out to be viewed and checked out.

Rob D's Blog 24 June 2018

Here we have the new area in Dexter being readied for plywood that Paul was working on today.

Rob D's Blog 17 July 2018

When finding evidence like this it can only be the work of one man. Bob T.

He has more of these on the way for the new addition.

Rob D's Blog 18 July 2018

Bob is working on another panel and we can see that the laminates are attached to masonite. Backside of the panel before wire.

Rob D's Blog 20 July 2018

Some track being put down in the new Dexter yard. At this point I am advocating the removal of the track and then sanding the homosote to get it flat as there are lots of irregularities in it.

Bob T still working on the track.

Rob D's Blog 20 July 2018

Robert T. Rob asked me how the panels are made. Well, I have a Mac Mini and use primarily 2 programs. One program is Empire Express which does the track planning and some very limited graphics.

Secondly I use Graphic Converter as my drawing program. Panels are designed full size in a .tif format. Panels that can be printed on 8 1/2 x 11 inches paper are printed at home, then taken to Staples (an office supply store here in Greenville TX) and laminated.

Panels larger than 8 1/2 x 11 inches (but less than 24 inches high) are converted from .tif to .jpg and taken to Staples to be printed and then laminated.

Our carpentry club members make the wooden/masonite panels and the laminations are attached by contact cement. The panels are then drilled, populated, and wired.

I also enjoy reading Rob's blog, as I like to see myself doing stuff.

Texas Bob Webmaster comment — Texas Bob is also the webmaster

Rob D's Blog 22 July 2018

On another note another comment from Bob via my email.

For your blog: Bob T likes to build track and turnouts. He is a frustrated civil engineer, who when he sees a river in a gorge, says “Dam it”.

Three views of a 3 way turnout – if you don’t have a fixture – make one.

I have a few pictures of Bob's work making switches. Webmaster comment — Fast Track template from handlaidtrack.com, pasted to 2 pieces of 1/16 inch cardboard. Slots cut through 1 sheet of cardboard at tie locations. Second template used to cut rail pieces to length.

One of the really great things about my club is the way we get along with each other and how all of us are willing to help each other do things. There is no fear of something new simply because there is someone in our group that knows how or can figure it out. Webmaster comment — Fast Track QuickSticks Laser cut ties were used for this turnout.

Bob is working on some track that was lifted from the homosote that was placed in Dexter. Sanding is underway in Dexter to get rid of the lumps in the material.

Rob D's Blog 29 July 2018

Now it is a bit easier to see why correcting surface issues before track goes in is important. There are many things that contribute to derailment free track work, one is preparation of the surface so it is smooth and does not cause the track to twist in the horizontal plane.

Paul is popping through the new improved access hatch and will begin some sanding on the section that has not been painted yet. Removing the bumps from the route of the wye tracks seems like an important task at this point in time.

Getting right is worth the effort. Paul is getting after the bumps and humps in the surface of the material. The hose connects to a shop vac that is catching lots of the dust.

Rob D's Blog 09 November 2018

Dexter yard and the modernization program is under way. (it is much farther along now).

New control panels are being installed.

A look at the yard throat from the far end.

The partially completed Dexter area showing new control panels and layout skirts, ready for our series of open houses. I believe I was there for the Bois D'Arc bash and it rained very hard. Normally we would have 30 plus visitors for that event and I am not sure that we had one due to the monsoon type rain we experienced.

Rob D's Blog 11 November 2018

It appears I had a bad photo file that was not letting me upload it. I have never had that happen before. I will be running out of room before long so maybe I can get a bigger file for photos as I have been putting them up here for more than 4 years.

Below is the new Dexter yard section on a table in the back where Bob T is working on it.

Here is the photo that was giving me so much in the way of trouble. I copied it and pasted it and this time I was able to upload it to the website go figure. As can be seen Bob is serious about wiring things up.

For those of you that do not know Bob as well as I do he will have a bundle of wires going through everyone of these holes between the control panel and the layout.

While Bob is back in the next room wiring away Paul thought it would be nice to put in a temporary yard so we could use it instead of having a hole in the top of the layout. It works out rather well.

Rob D's Blog 13 November 2018

This is the layout side of the Dexter yard Bob T has been working on. The turnouts are made with the aid of Fast Tracks tools and some were built by using paper templates. They can be made to look like commercial turnouts and blend in nicely with flex track.

One of Bobs control panels. Webmaster comment — The lighter gray patch in the lower left hand corner was a change from the original design. A 3–way turnout was added to make a run–around track for the ladder.

Bob T Update 23 Jan 2019

Left most side top view.

Bottom view (photo has been rotated). Black stripes locate existing track board supports on the layout so wires can be routed without being pinched.Tortoises are wired tp control panel and fully tested at this point.

Newsletter April 2019

Webmaster note — the newsletter picture has been sustituted for a better one. Bob T photo March 23, 2019

Dexter is growing – In the top photo,The new yard (far (background) and wye (foreground, right) are in the finishing stages.

In the lower photo above, the new yard wye will fit in the far right corner against the background wall all the way to the corner, and the new yard will replace the temporary one in the upper right of the photo. Elsewhere are the new buildings new locations for most of the older buildings, so now the town covers most of the peninsula. The town is small no longer.

Bob T Photo 14 September 2019

Webmaster note — North Dexter Yard installed.

Webmaster note — Ballasted version of 3–way turnout.

Webmaster note — Engine house within wye, and warehouse flat on spur behind right hand wye track.

Time to return to the main Dexter and North Dexter page.