A. Louis Ertz's West Tennessee Central OST Interviews Reed Artim ...

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Craftsman
September ’02 • Issue #4 • US $8.00
A. Louis Ertz's West Tennessee Central
OST Interviews Reed Artim, O Scale Realty
Working Windows
& Hatches... Part 4
Detailing a Weaver
GP 38-2
Chicago Contest
Photos
New Column...
Proto48 Modeling
And lots more...
US $8 • Can $10
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Louis Ertz's
West
Tennessee
Central
Railroad
A. LOUIS ERTZ, JR.
History of the West Tennessee Central
Railroad, An O Scale Model Railroad
The addition to the house (24' x 57')
was built in 1980 after many track plans
were drawn. The idea was to have a layout
that I could be inside the railroad
with a walkway along the main and
have no “duck-unders.”
One main line is a “folded dog bone”
and the second main is a simple loop.
The two “mains” can be interchanged at
the Dead Wood grade up from the
lower loop main to the longer folded
dog bone loop. There are several lift out
panels for service to the layout area
where it is impossible to reach from the
outside of the bench work.
The bench work is L-girder construction
with 2"x4" joists, screwed up
from the L portion of the box grid, into
the 2"x4". Risers then were screwed
and glued to the 2"x4"s up to the proper
level of the subroadbed and fastened to
the plywood (3/4" birch) subroadbed
4 • O Scale Trains
with screws, using a 1 1 ⁄2" x 1 1 ⁄2" x 3"
long aluminum angle at each joint. The
roadbed I used was a milled spruce
piece with beveled edges 6' long. To
make all the curved roadbed, I sawed
slots in the road bed and screwed and
glued this to the subroadbed.
Next, all the ties were hand laid by
spreading thinned Elmer’s Yellow Glue
over a 10'-15' long section of roadbed
and then placing the ties. I used wax
paper over the ties and a piece of ply-
wood cut to match the curve and placed
a weight on the top of the plywood at
several locations. This was done to
insure that the ties were seated in the
glue and the top of the ties would be
ready to receive the rail. All the rail is
hand spiked, using 4 spikes per tie.
Nickel silver code 148 rail was used
with steel rail on the grades.
Turnouts were then located (most
were built by Earl R. Eshleman) and
lined up with the track and then spiked

down on roadbed cut to match the
turnout. Turnout switch point links were
then installed. I used KTM, twin coil
switch machines (82) and to this date,
after 22 years, have had no failures.
Scenery
The scenery was the most enjoyable
part of building the layout. As an architect,
it was easy for me to envision the
topography, the mountains, rivers,
ponds, roads, building locations,
bridges, and tunnels. So I set to work. I
used 1"x2" wood for strength on the
cardboard vertical contours of the hills
and cuts. These cardboard contours
were spaced about a foot apart, forming
an outline of what the mountain, cut or
hill would look like. Then pieces of
cardboard cut into 1 1 ⁄2" wide strips were
glued to the cardboard contours, using
staples to hold the joints until the glue
dried. Over this a cardboard strip was
placed 90° to the horizontal strips, forming
an apple pie crust design. The cardboard
strips are placed about 4" apart.
Over the horizontal and vertical cardboard
strips brown craft paper was
glued to the maze of strips. Most pieces
of craft paper were cut to fit one or two
openings, then glued into place. (Note:
Butcher’s brown paper, not the wax
coated type, makes the best material)
After the craft paper was glued in
place, I then gave it a coat of varnish.
After the varnish dried, I then applied a
coat of Elmer’s White Glue (thinned).
The hydrocal plaster will stick to the
glue finish, but not the varnish which
was used to waterproof the paper.
Now for the fun part... plaster work! I
used hydrocal plaster giving you a 6 or
7 minute work time before it starts to
harden. White hydrocal gypsum cement
provides exceptional strength for producing
ornamentation with durable fine
detail. It is recommended for thin castings
and those made from intricate latex
molds. The rock face was made by
making a latex rubber mold from a large
piece of coal about 2' long x 1' high
thereby giving a natural structure to the
rock face. The molds were curved or
bent to give a different shape to the rock
face as needed. Then the coal face was
broken off and another mold made to
develop a new rock face and so on. Care
was given in joining castings so as not
to look like pieces of plaster molds were
just stuck together. Plaster fill was
inserted as needed when rock moldings
were set and strata lines were carved
into the joint plaster and into the two
adjoining castings. Rock castings were
placed by pressing the rubber mold
(with wet plaster inside) into place and
holding until you could feel the warm
set-up reaction. All plaster was dry
mixed with color in the plaster (you can
get many choices of colors at the local
O Scale Trains • 5

ick yard - black, brown,
red, etc.). Buff gives a
good clay look on cuts
and hills where bushes,
trees, and grass was
applied. Lichen gathered
from the hills of Tennessee
in large pieces (
about one foot square)
was cleaned and soaked in
a mixture of glycerine and
water with some color
(acrylic artist paint in tube
“Hunter Green”) was
added. This was spread
out on newspaper and allowed to dry. The lichen today, after 20 years, is still soft to the touch. Trees were built from sage brush
and foliage was added using Woodland Scenic material. Grass was sprinkled over a brushing of Elmer’s White Glue using
Woodland Scenic Grass. Over the years I have added
trees from both local plants and shrubs to give some
variance to the type of trees. Only God can make a
tree. A good tree on your layout is not easy to make.
Structures
As an architect, drawing plans to 1 ⁄4" scale was a
help so I drew up buildings, made copies and built the
building on the plans. The coal tipple at Dead Wood
was the last structure built. The deep shaft mine on the
hillside and the conveyor bridge with operating mine
cart over to the 2 track tipple was built right off copies
of the blueprint. Many buildings were purchased at
train meets and some were built by other model railroaders.
Ken Anz and Joe Anz have built several
buildings with interiors. Johnnie Reid built the station from C & O plans of the prototype with all interiors, people, and lights.
The location and site planning of all structures has been an important element on the layout. Foundation elevations vary as the
topography varies, that is
some buildings are located
at different levels even
if on the same street. The
streetcar runs around the
town of LaGrange and
the tracks are set in brick
and the street is asphalt
with concrete curbs and
sidewalks. The Ritz Picture
Show (theater) is on
the first floor of a four
story building. The marquee
was built from brass
6 • O Scale Trains

sheet and 280 fiber optic
strands light up the marquee.
The light source is a projection
bulb at the other end of
the bundle of fiber optic
strands with a color wheel
and a black striped wheel
overlapping the color wheel.
This gives the on-off of the
lights and the color of the
lights change—white, green,
yellow, and red. In order to
give the “V” chase pattern on
the marquee, the fibers were
individually checked for
light and then mounted in the marquee. Two reduction motors are mounted in the projection box under the layout for the color
wheel and the on-off chase pattern.
The turntable was kit built (i.e., you do all the
work). Mylark O Scale turntables were available in
1980 and have since gone out of business. The electrical
portion was pre-wired (not connected to anything)
and indexed. The pit and turntable was built on a table
in the layout room. The turntable is powered by a
Pittman can motor and reduction gear and is indexed
to stop on the center line of each track that you program.
Incoming tracks are powered and controlled
from the panel. The tracks to the roundhouse and other
service tracks are controlled by the position of the
turntable and no locomotive can be backed out of the
roundhouse unless the bridge is lined up with that
track. The turn table bridge has no wires to it. Power is
transmitted to the track from a large brass disc 18" in diameter and approximately 1 ⁄4" thick with wipers. The bridge is held in
position on the center line of the track with pre-drilled holes in the brass disc and a solenoid, which engages the hole, as selected
on the control panel. The roundhouse
is Kober built in 1983.
Wiring
In 1980, when the layout was started,
the state of the art control systems
was Dynatrol. I installed it with 13
separate locomotive control units and
8 hand held control cabs, which had to
be plugged in at various locations on
the fascia of the railroad. It was great!
Locomotives could go anywhere on
the layout, no reverse loop problems,
and the headlight was constantly bright
O Scale Trains • 7

at full speed and standing. Problems developed when passenger
cars were added. About 30 passenger cars with interior
lighting used up the AC/DC power assigned to the locomotives
and they just sat on the track with a low hum. A block
system was necessary to kill the passenger car lights when
they were sitting at the station and then a few other blocks
were added for other cars with lights, such as cabooses, work
trains, and others. I then decided to use the old standard
power supply. A Variac Power Supply System was installed at
each control panel and PFM sound was installed. I could then
switch from Dynatrol to the Variac or to PFM sound on either
loop with DPDT switches. Wiring to me was the most work
and without the help from a fellow model railroader, James
Cain, it would never have been installed as professionally as it
was. With all the blocks, power options, and signal interface
with the panels, I have over 70,000 feet of wire under the railroad,
all color coded and tagged. Turnouts are controlled with
push buttons mounted in the panel on a schematic track plan,
with indicator LEDs. Signals along the right of way are also
duplicated with LEDs on the control panel. There are seven
control panels, with one master panel, that has control of the
entire railroad and can give the other sub-panels control over
their portion of the railroad.
Background & Ballast Work
The wall background was a sky blue color rolled on. Then
the clouds were painted on with acrylic artist paint using a
broad brush. White with a touch of blue was used, twisting
the brush as you go. If you make a mistake simply roll over
8 • O Scale Trains
with the sky blue background paint.
White was air brushed on last to make a
distant haze in the background at the
horizon line. The foreground was
applied using sponges dipped in acrylic
artist paint, using a pie pan as a palate, to
simulate trees, foliage, and bushes.
Using Hunter Green with a touch of yellow,
I tried to match the foreground
lichen with the background. The ballast
work was done before the scenery was
done around the track. First, an application
of Elmer’s White Glue was applied
on either side of the sloping roadbed and
then sprinkle the ballast on this area and
let dry. Then the remaining ballast was poured on the ties and
spread out with an artist’s brush. When the ballast was in the
proper place, water spray was applied with a small amount,of
detergent added. While wet, I used a large toy plastic syringe
to apply thinned Elmer’s White Glue. Use plenty of glue and
let it get on all the ties and rail, After this portion of the ballast
is in place, carefully wipe off the glue from the rails and the
inside face of the rails. The white glue on the ties will dry and
will not show, as it will be clear and have a flat finish.
Every Saturday morning the local “O” Scale model railroaders
have an operating session running the equipment on
the West Tennessee Central and their prize pieces of equipment.
After the morning get-together, it’s off to the local barbecue
shop where more railroad shop talk continues. Then it’s
back to the railroad for some final switching.
There is always some new project to start and I look forward
to finishing the ones that I have already begun. ◆

53"
24"
West Tennessee Central R.R.
Layout Details
Name: West Tennessee
Central
Roads Modeled: Freelance
Room Size: 24 x 57
Style: Folded Dogbone
Layout Height: 42 inches
Benchwork: 2 x 4 “L” girder
Mainline run: approx. 155
feet
Roadbed: 3/4” birch plywood
sub-roadbed, milled
spruce w/beveled edges as
roadbed.
Track: Code 148 Nickel
Silver and steel
Turnouts: Earl Eshleman,
#8s in yard, #12s on the
main.
Min radius: 72 inches
Controls: Dynatrol and traditional
Variac w/PFM sound
O Scale Trains • 9