# Building the Pacific Inland Express



## benshell (Oct 1, 2008)

Hi everyone, I'm starting a g railway build thread mostly due to the encouragement and questions asked by BigRedOne and SD90WLMT in the thread "What got you started in large scale?".

To recap what I said there: I'm 32 now and have been wanting to build a garden railway since I was a kid. I starting receiving Garden Railways Magazine in 1991, attended the 9th NGRC in 1993, and have been slowly collecting trains ever since. 

We started planning our railroad in 2010 before we closed escrow on our first house by drawing potential track plans over scaled satellite views of each house we considered. When we bought our house here's what it looked like:










By July 2011 we'd completed a retaining wall to raise the layout and vegetable garden and an initial 150 foot loop of track:



















More from July 2011: https://www.flickr.com/photos/benjaminshell/sets/72157627007285843/

By February 2012 we were working on the concrete mountain and planning our water feature. Our friend, neighbor, and fellow Sacramento Valley Garden Railway Society member Bob Dean has helped us a lot throughout the progress of building our garden railway. As those who have seen his railroad (and others he has helped with) know, he loves concrete and taught us a lot about different products and techniques!










More from Feb 2012: https://www.flickr.com/photos/benjaminshell/sets/72157629279406817/

By June 2012 we got the water feature running.



















More from June 2012: https://www.flickr.com/photos/benjaminshell/sets/72157630351884686/

In August 2012 we hosted our first open house, with the SVGRS. We'd just barely "finished" our mountains and installed custom bridges from Mainline Bridges!




























In 2013 we didn't accomplish as much without having a deadline, but did install a new grape arbor, paint the water feature using Behr solid color concrete stain (I also use blue pond colorant: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000P8AOSA), and started planting some succulents and ground colors. The railroad is slowly starting to mature:














































More from September 2013: https://www.flickr.com/photos/benjaminshell/sets/72157635353869227/

To be continued...


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## benshell (Oct 1, 2008)

In July 2013, when the SVGRS decided to host the 2014 West Coast Regional Meet I started working really hard again. We hosted a club open house in April 2014 as an additional deadline, and just barely completed our long-planned 500 foot mainline with 20' diameter curves, wrapping around the back of the house to the front yard.

Here's the full set of photos from April 2014, but the next set of photos is similar: 
https://www.flickr.com/photos/benjaminshell/sets/72157644012405964/

On June 22, 2014, we were open for the West Coast Regional Meet. Two of the major things we did between April and June were:

1) I FINALLY got our trains running reliably. We started in 2011 with an underpowered HO scale power pack. In 2012 we switched to an old 75 MHz Aristo-Craft Train Engineer which had no antenna range (and I mean like 1 inch of range). In late 2012 and much of 2013 I used a homemade DC throttle using Bluetooth from my phone (see specs: https://github.com/benshell/ArduinoTrainController). I also had a brief experience with a OpenLCB and an lo:duino as a DCC command station, but the software was in flux too much with no end in sight. Finally I got some MERG DCC kits and was successful with them for awhile, until the day of our April open house and I couldn't get it to work! I ended up running trains that day via my QSI Programmer! It turns out it was my fault the MERG kits failed: I had missed the note about terminating resistors on the bus. What's amazing is that it worked perfectly for the first few months. But that wasn't the only problem. When I suddenly expanded from a 150 ft mainline to a 500 ft mainline I started having mysterious problems with DCC. I could only run a short train, and just one train. Otherwise the trains would either go very slowly or just stop. It turns out I had also not read up on how to properly wire a layout for DCC (see http://wiringfordcc.com/track_2.htm). I had a 100 foot of 10 gauge bus just to get out to the layout. I knew about voltage drop, but not about inductance. Again, I'm lucky (or unlucky!) that DCC worked so well at first despite my poor wiring design. I now have three DCC boosters out near the track, so my bus runs are much shorter and the longer ones are twisted to reduce inductance. I have yet to find the limits of this new wiring scheme. I've run up to five locomotives on a single booster district, and I ran continuously for nine hours on June 22! (I now also have a backup MERG DCC system, just in case!)

2) I finally got my USA Trains Big Boy running reliably. The short story is that I bought this engine at the ECLSTS in 2013 via the organizer of the USAT G Scale Group. UPS dropped it in shipping, and rather than buy expensive parts from Charles Ro I fixed it myself. I've written about this extensively at http://www.gscaletrainforum.com/index.php?/topic/188-the-saga-of-my-usa-trains-big-boy/ and http://www.usatgscalegroup.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=3516&sid=90d804ce03c47abd862296d01fdea7ef. I was literally up past midnight the night trying to get it to stop derailing when I found the tender was resting too low on the front trucks. I'd forgotten a washer when I put it back together, and couple extra washers helped it balance even better. It ran perfectly all day for the meet!

So here are some photos of how my layout looks today:



















As the train exits the more established area, it's on pretty crude concrete and pressure treated roadbed which I haven't yet turned into a rugged mountain cliff:



















We have additional raised garden area (eventually another track will go behind the garden, and there will be a mountain facade there too creating the illusion of a tunnel):










There's another form of temporary roadbed as the track goes around some redwoods (eventually there will be a lot more concrete mountains here including a volcano and another water feature, and a concrete viaduct for the upper track):










The track goes behind a large hedge and comes out in a side corner of our front yard, where we just installed a new footbridge, pathway, and dry river:

BEFORE (April 2014):










AFTER (June 2014):




























Here is the train as it comes out from behind the hedge (this area is sure a pain to work in, but the hedge provides such great privacy I didn't want to remove it):



















On the return here's the 6 foot long temporary bridge, built with aluminum angle screwed to a big piece of scrap steel. Eventually I want to order a laced arch bridge from Mainline Bridges. You can also see the switch where the lower track will go behind the raised garden (this is probably one of my next projects: I have the concrete, track, and rail joiners; I just need to do it!):



















And here are a few more shots:


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## benshell (Oct 1, 2008)

There's one more thing we did just before the 2014 West Coast Regional Meet: We named our layout! The name Pacific Inland Express (P.I.E.) pays an obvious homage to the Pacific Fruit Express (which we also honor with a full-sized agricultural theme), but beyond that we settled on this name to describe our location and type of railroad. We're in California so that's Pacific--sort of--but we're in Sacramento so that's Inland, and even more localize our house in uniquely located in the middle of a block behind other houses, so we're inland from the street too! And then the Express part... well, we don't stop for any stations or yards, we just keep running in circles!

Here's the logo I designed and printed on host t-shirts for our event:









When I took all the pictures above I also took videos, which are now hosted by the USAT G Scale Group channel as a "thank you" for buying the Big Boy on my behalf at the ECLSTS:

Big Boy Run-bys:





Big Boy Layout Tour:





Pacing the Big Boy (with a GoPro):





So that brings us to today. I haven't done much since last month! But perhaps with this build thread as motivation I'll find time to get back out there and keep going. I plan to be open before or after the 2016 NGRC in the Bay Area, and I have a lot more I'd like to accomplish!


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## rntfrmme (May 23, 2013)

Very nice, It looks great. Certainly an inspiration for those of us just starting out.

Bill


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## jimtyp (Jan 2, 2008)

Ben, how do u make your water look so blue? Great looking layout!


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## ewarhol (Mar 3, 2014)

Ben-

You mentioned QSI. You using a Titan decoder in the Big Boy? If you are, are you using the new ET steam files? If so, how's the sound?


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## catherine yronwode (Oct 9, 2013)

Cool photos. I love your track plan -- lots of room to run, with wide-area views of looooong consists. Very nice! The name PIE is great too!


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## SD90WLMT (Feb 16, 2010)

Jim..he answered that?

Look above again..till you find the grape arbor pic...read the section above that pic...

Paint...

Pond water dye...

2 items working together

Dirk


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## Homo Habilis (Jul 29, 2011)

Ben:

A long, long, time ago I did some work for Pacific Intermountain Express, usually known as PIE. I got a tiny bit nostalgic when I saw the name.


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## noelw (Jan 2, 2008)

Very nice layout.. Like to know some stuff on your Mt. build maybe some time if around Rio Linda for a chat or to. Great looking layout. 
Oh.. you said something about your R.R. name and like **** H. said " P I E." Had to laf.. Here is my early day with them and with no power steering either is what I did on week ends.. 












Ya.. we know... It's not trains.  Noel & Jane


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## dieseldude (Apr 21, 2009)

Fantastic layout, Ben. Great videos, too.


-Kevin.


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## pete (Jan 2, 2008)

You folks have one great looking layout. Thanks for posting and sharing your story. The picture of the big boy coming out of one tunnel into the other is great !


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## benshell (Oct 1, 2008)

ewarhol said:


> Ben-
> 
> You mentioned QSI. You using a Titan decoder in the Big Boy? If you are, are you using the new ET steam files? If so, how's the sound?


Yes, I'm using the new Q3 articulated sound files and I really love it. It's a huge leap beyond Q2, and every other steam sound card I've heard. My video camera mic with ambient noise doesn't do it justice, but you can hear it in all three of my videos of my Big Boy. I also did a sound test video while I was installing the QSI:


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## benshell (Oct 1, 2008)

Thanks for all the kind words everyone!

And yes, Noel I'd love to come over sometime and talk about concrete mountains. You're also welcome to come over here sometime.


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## ewarhol (Mar 3, 2014)

benshell said:


> Yes, I'm using the new Q3 articulated sound files and I really love it. It's a huge leap beyond Q2, and every other steam sound card I've heard. My video camera mic with ambient noise doesn't do it justice, but you can hear it in all three of my videos of my Big Boy. I also did a sound test video while I was installing the QSI:


Sounds great! I'm working on installing a Titan in a USAT SD40-2. I've only been able to install the board and do a sound test. The Q3 files are nice. I haven't made much progress with wiring lights because of a nice summer. To hard to sit inside and miss out on some nice nights. 

Who makes the (for lack of proper terminology) "roller barring locomotive track tester things"?


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## benshell (Oct 1, 2008)

ewarhol said:


> Sounds great! I'm working on installing a Titan in a USAT SD40-2. I've only been able to install the board and do a sound test. The Q3 files are nice. I haven't made much progress with wiring lights because of a nice summer. To hard to sit inside and miss out on some nice nights.
> 
> Who makes the (for lack of proper terminology) "roller barring locomotive track tester things"?


Awesome! I've only upgraded one diesel to Q3 but looking to do others soon too. My rollers are from Bachmann, but other companies make them too, like Accucraft and Aristo-Craft (well, past tense there). The Bachmann rollers work great though.


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## ewarhol (Mar 3, 2014)

Thanks Ben!

Went back and looked at the video and now that you say Bachmann I can see the Bachmann "B" on the rollers.


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## noelw (Jan 2, 2008)

benshell said:


> Thanks for all the kind words everyone!
> 
> And yes, Noel I'd love to come over sometime and talk about concrete mountains. You're also welcome to come over here sometime.


Thanks guy. 
If around tomorrow, Joel H, Elden B, Geo N. and Myself will be on Good day Sacto TV sometime off and on around 8am to 10am for live show of our R.R. Hope you can get to a TV and go to channel 31 here in Sacramento. 
Talk Later Benshell. Noel


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## tmejia (Jan 2, 2008)

Ben,

Wonderful layout.

Thanks for the link to the blue pond colorant. I liked it so much I ordered some . Added a little bit to our front yard waterfall.










Tommy
Rio Gracie


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## benshell (Oct 1, 2008)

noelw said:


> Thanks guy.
> If around tomorrow, Joel H, Elden B, Geo N. and Myself will be on Good day Sacto TV sometime off and on around 8am to 10am for live show of our R.R. Hope you can get to a TV and go to channel 31 here in Sacramento.
> Talk Later Benshell. Noel


Thanks for the heads up Noel! I was able to watch your show last week. I was impressed, but it's also kinda funny to hear the way "outsiders" talk about our hobby. 



tmejia said:


> Ben,
> 
> Wonderful layout.
> 
> ...


Thanks, and I'm glad to hear you like this product too! Your waterfall and pond look great!


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## benshell (Oct 1, 2008)

For anyone who missed it, be sure to read Gary Woolard's article about visiting my layout at the West Coast Regional Meet.

After taking a break (sort of) after the meet, I've started working on the railroad again. I had some concrete in my garage waiting to start some more roadbed which I didn't get to before the event. The technique I use is to trowel out dry concrete mix to form the roadbed right on the dirt--no forms necessary. I try to put in rebar, if I have some, but I'm not consistent about this. I use levels and really work with the dry mix until I'm happy with it. Because it's dry there's no rush to finish. In dry weather I've even been known to work on a long stretch of roadbed over a few days. Then I lightly wet it with a garden sprayer and step away for a bit. When I come back the outer part of the concrete will be hard enough to really soak it with a hose. I'll usually soak it again a few more times later to be sure there is no more dry mix. And I'll also be careful to avoid walking on the roadbed for a least a few days.










For anyone interested in this technique, one suggestion I have is to use the concrete mix from Lowe's instead of Home Depot. I have no idea why but it makes a big difference! The Home Depot stuff seems to have more aggregate and it's harder to shape it dry.

Bob Dean (also featured in Gary Woolard's article linked above) showed me this technique and at first I was hesitant, but now I have roadbed up to two years old done this way and it has held up perfectly. There's one section (where I didn't even use rebar) where I didn't lay track right away and pushed many a wheelbarrow load of dirt and rock over the roadbed, without even as much as a hairline crack. (Speaking of which, see the hairline cracks in the roadbed in the foreground? That's stucco on top of wet mix concrete--a combination of techniques I don't recommend but done because I was in a hurry prior to the WCRM.)

Anyway, I only just got started and made it about 10 feet the other day (out of about 40 feet), but it's something. I also realized this area is so tight to work in that I'll probably start on more concrete (stucco) mountains in this area next, before I lay track which I'd be stepping on and dropping stucco on.


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## noelw (Jan 2, 2008)

*Ben.. I agree... They were late getting here and the time was short. They really never had a chance to talk to the guys or really see the layout other that a few short shot. I told them you need to send someone out that has the time to really set down and see what our hobby is. So we keep trying by making the videos for them to see. There was so much animation and detail that was over looked like most Garden R.R.'s are by guest also. *

*This is why clubs need lots of videos and open houses to get out to the public and keep doing it. That one reason we did a TV slot.*
*I guess we are starting to fade out.*

*We need to get it back like when the Erector sets and Chem. set and Elect. trains set use to be nbr one.*


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