ered it with wax paper (to protect from dripping glue) and began an- other layer. When the entire stack was complete, I drilled through all the layers and inserted threaded rod, nuts, and washers to raise the helix. My wife declared it a piece of art and was dumbfound- ed when I covered it with upper deck scenery and fascia. It can still be admired, but you have to endure crawling under the layout. For the sub-roadbed, I used 5/8-inch plywood and ½-inch Ho- masote. Main line tracks were elevated with cork roadbed. Al- though most areas are level, ris- ers were used to support the sub-roadbed. Nearly 60 Tortoise switch machines were installed to control all the main line and branch line turnouts.
I needed to get creative in the design of the support for the up- per deck to maximize the space between the upper and lower deck. While overhead four-foot fluorescents provide lighting above the layout, I needed to sup-
ply light to the areas shaded by the upper deck. I installed standard light sockets and CFL bulbs with a similar color temperature to the overhead bulbs and am pleased by the even light they provide. Since the upper deck is nar- rower than the lower deck, I com- pleted the trackwork, wiring, and switch machine installation on the upper deck first. For the lower deck, 2x2 legs were set back from the front edge wherever possible to provide less clutter in the aisles. Tempered hardboard is used for the fascia and valance. Black gar- den weed block is used as skirt- ing. It is attached to the lower fas- cia using Velcro for easy removal. A Golden Spike graciously made by fellow modeler and jew- eler Dick Argo was driven in Octo- ber 2011 and operating sessions started shortly thereafter. While the trackplan was pretty well test- ed, several minor changes have been made to reduce bottlenecks and allow easier switching in the yard.
Electronics, electronics, electronics
I’ve tinkered with electronics since I was a kid and went on to earn a degree in Electrical Engi- neering. As such, I’ve integrated lots of electronics into the layout. The backbone of the DCC sys- tem consists of a Digitrax Zeph- yr command station, a 20 Amp booster providing power to five power blocks, and five auto re- versers to handle the reversing loops on the layout. To prevent future electrical problems, I con- nected lead wires to nearly every piece of track, including the turn- outs, and tied them to 14-gauge bus wires.
I used one rotary switch and circuitry based on the diode ma- trix control of slo-mo motors from Alan Gartner’s Wiring for DCC website (http://www.wiringfordcc. com/
sw_ctl.htm) to simplify the selection of ten possible routes into the engine terminal. Rob Paisley has another great electron-
NOVEMBER 2015 47
Wolf
Hollow A string of loaded hoppers crosses Wolf Hollow Creek destined for delivery to Ohio as some anglers cast into the eddies along the creek.
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