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What is the J&C Studios O Gauge Archive?

J&C Studios O Gauge Archive


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What is the J&C Studios O Gauge Archive?
(Guest)   JCS Archive   Matthew B   Benchwork
 
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Benchwork
Matthew B
Joined: Jan 20, 2014
Topics: 3 Replies: 6 Topics: 3
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posted Jan 22, 2014: 
Below is the bench work for a 5 X 8 display. It sits atop 14, 4" ball casters so the display can be easily moved to allow access to the bedroom closets. You can see the bottom of the table top in the background. It's wrapped in moving blankets to protect the Styrofoam, track and hallways when it was moved from the garage to the upstairs bedroom.



Here is a handle that was attached to the gridwork under the tabletop with C clamps to make it possible for one person to move a 5' X 8' tabletop alone without damaging anything.



Below is the orientation of the 8 loops on 2" Styrofoam that will make up the 5 tier display



These last two pictures are hopefully the final mockup of the display before everything will be disassembled and glued together filling in the gaps along the way.
 
JohnBoy
Joined: May 14, 2008
Topics: 110 Replies: 517 Topics: 110
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posted Jan 22, 2014: 
Very nice! What an interesting geometry these stacks of ovals create.

What kind of layout will this be? Is there a theme you have in mind?

John
 
Matthew B
Joined: Jan 20, 2014
Topics: 3 Replies: 6 Topics: 3
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posted Jan 22, 2014: 
Thanks John Boy,
Theme? Not really just trying to get as many trains in an 8 1/2' x 5' space as possible. I know there are six points where I have to cross over the valley below. I was thinking of creating arch bridges for these points building from the bottom up to the first two tiers and starting to build from the third tier up to the top. I'm also contemplating cutting out the center of the table top and replacing it with some type of glass and try to figure out how to illuminate from beneath with some type of slow glowing blue and green lighting.

I've always called my creations the Cheesy System because I do as much as I can with whatever I can repurpose. Traditionally I build a new display every year for Christmas and transition it after the New Year for a year round display. This is the first year I started with all new materials for Christmas



If you scroll through this web page... http://colemancoyne.com/Trains.htm you can see how things have evolved from my first Cheesy System with two loops on a 4 X 5 piece of plywood. Back Then my favorite engine was MPC era Milwaukee Road diesel with no horn. So I kept one of those wooden train whistles nearby to add realism to playtime and leaned Kite against my dresser for a the train to run under as if it was going through a mountain tunnel. Pretty Cheesy.
I mostly run Milwaukee Road and Southern Railway. Dad retired from the Soo Line after working for the Milwaukee, Soo Line, Bessimer & Lake Erie and EJ&E, Grandpa retired from the Southern

Best regards John and thanks for the space
 
JohnBoy
Joined: May 14, 2008
Topics: 110 Replies: 517 Topics: 110
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posted Jan 23, 2014: 
Super-cool Mathew. That's got to be the most distinctive and innovative Christmas layout I've ever seen. Do you have any video of it? I bet that's a sight to see, with all those layers running at the same time.

John
 
Matthew B
Joined: Jan 20, 2014
Topics: 3 Replies: 6 Topics: 3
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posted Jan 23, 2014: 
Here are some videos from this years Christmas display


 
JohnBoy
Joined: May 14, 2008
Topics: 110 Replies: 517 Topics: 110
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posted Jan 23, 2014: 
That is AWESOME! Thanks for sharing Matt!
 
Mark Boyce
Joined: Nov 3, 2012
Topics: 0 Replies: 17 Topics: 0
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posted Jan 25, 2014: 
Matt, That makes a very impressive Christmas display. I think my wife would not let me do something similar. ;-) She is very supportive of my trains, but one under the tree is enough for her. Otherwise, keep them in the basement. Bless her!

Happy Model Railroading,
Mark Boyce
Butler, Pennsylvania
 
Matthew B
Joined: Jan 20, 2014
Topics: 3 Replies: 6 Topics: 3
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posted Mar 9, 2014: 
Getting ready to start painting. I still have to figure out what I'm going to do about the four lower bridges. I think I'm going to cut away all the 2" Styrofoam from those crossings lay some 1" X 1" under the track and support the bridges with arches similar to the upper supports. I'll have four piers instead of the current three so the center view will be framed to look through to the trains crossing the gorge at the back of the display.


 
JohnBoy
Joined: May 14, 2008
Topics: 110 Replies: 517 Topics: 110
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posted Mar 10, 2014: 
That's fantastic Matthew, and it's going to be even more beautiful. Looking forward to the updates!

John
 
Matthew B
Joined: Jan 20, 2014
Topics: 3 Replies: 6 Topics: 3
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posted Mar 26, 2014: 
TA DA! Painted and topped off the mountain peaks.

To suppress the sound I cut away all Styrofoam that wasn't structurally necessary and laid a rubber lattice type shelve liner between each tier. It cut down the noise quite a bit though it did add nearly an inch to the finished height.

Still have to build the four bridges for the lower levels. But that may have to wait until later.



 
JohnBoy
Joined: May 14, 2008
Topics: 110 Replies: 517 Topics: 110
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posted Mar 26, 2014: 
Sweet!
 

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