Union Project: Adding Aldershot - An Unplanned Layout Addition

Welcome back. In the last video, I successfully installed infrared detection units in the staging yard of the Union layout. This unplanned project was fun, but necessary, as the staging yard has zero visibility. With that, I assumed I would next be working on control panels for the layout. But sometimes things change. A real fast update. So I've got all of the staging tracks installed, the wiring's done, the switch machines are all working. It's working great. And I was getting to this last section here where I've got one last turnout to put the switch machine on before I can think about installing the second deck, the upper deck, and get to where Union Station is. And I was thinking about this spot right here, and the way that the tracks were trailing off, and asking myself why I didn't bother to take advantage of this eight foot stretch here. For some reason I thought I'll just keep the layout tight against this wall, and I'm starting to think that I would really like to use this bit of space right here. So I'm going to change my track plan. I decided to move forward with the layout expansion. I would add an 8 foot by 34 inch teardrop extension, filling the corner of the room. I knew that I wanted to model the Aldershot station, but rather than thinking about the track plan, I decided to move ahead and add the bench work, as the weather was excellent and I had leftover building supplies, and I didn't want to work on control panels. I constructed the bench work similarly to phase one, but I took the time to use edge lap joints for the baseboard supports. It was well worth the effort as the results were more solid and robust than my first attempts. I fashioned a connector block to join the new bench work with the old, ensuring the modules could still be disassembled if needed. I shimmed and anchored the bench work to the wall until everything was level and true. I added the plywood top and started thinking about a track plan. Aldershot station was first built in 1882 by the Great Western Railway, purchased by the Grand Trunk Railway, and it's now a multi-use station utilized by both Via Rail and GO Transit. Aldershot serves Burlington on Via Rail's Quebec City-Windsor corridor route between Toronto and Windsor, daily commuter trains for GO Transit, and the joint Via-Amtrak-Maple Leaf train connecting Toronto and New York City via Niagara Falls. The passenger platforms are adjacent to the Canadian National Marshalling Yards. The combination of CN freight and passenger services makes for an exciting prototype to model. That said, there's only so much you can do with eight feet, even in N scale. As I'm prioritizing passenger services, I decided to focus only on the passenger terminal and platforms. There are three platforms, two of which serve GO Transit and Via Rail, and a third abandoned platform built by CN. I tried a series of different track combinations before I settled on a straightforward arrangement of three parallel tracks with 12 foot wide passenger platforms between them. The track plan can accommodate trains with five passenger cars, which mirrors my requirement for Union Station. Admittedly, this is a compact representation of Aldershot, but it'll provide a great second destination for trains. The loop that once allowed trains to climb from the staging yard to Union Station has been extended to create the long teardrop. Trains on the staging tracks cross under Union Station and pass along the front of the layout where they arrive at the passenger platforms, after which they climb a hidden two percent grade along the back of the layout until arriving again at Union Station. I transferred the track plan with a chalk line, homemade compass, and printed number five turnout templates. I removed the grades from the original loop and bridged the gap between the two modules along the back of the layout. I'm still deciding how to treat this area scenically, but I will likely add highways to camouflage the tunnel portals in the loop. I glued down brown paper in some areas to prevent ballast from dropping between the gaps in the benchwork. Roadbed and track installation was as before, using a combination of acrylic caulking and super glue to keep the tracks in place. Unlike the staging yard, the Aldershot turnouts had ties installed. The ties were cut, inserted beneath the rails, and then superglued in place using a very thin CA and an ultrafine spigot to direct the adhesive. Since wiring the first staging yard, I've modified how I approach turnout control and power. Rather than use a single switch to control each turnout, I've paired the turnouts so that a single button throws multiple points. The Aldershot addition and new track arrangement creates two reversing loops so that eastbound or westbound trains can select platforms 1, 2, or 3 when they arrive at the station. As this layout is DC cab controlled rather than DCC controlled, I have to have a way to route the power correctly for each of the tracks. I added a pair of relay switches to the Arduino controller. They automatically switch between the two power blocks depending on how the switch is thrown. Stomp the button, the turnouts are thrown in pairs, and the relay automatically changes the power cab. Stomp the button again and everything returns to its original state. Although this looks messy, and it is, it will save many headaches not having to wire a series of toggle switches. I'll be using this approach for the Union station yard. After several weeks of work, the Aldershot station is done. I'm still testing trains and tuning the track as the next step will be adding the first half of the upper deck and closing in some of the staging yard. Everything needs to run flawlessly before I seal things up. I should start building control panels, but I'd rather complete the main line so I can have some continuous running trains. We'll see what happens next. Thanks for stopping by. I'll see you soon.