Final checks before the convention

It's now down to less than 2 weeks before the 39th Narrow Gauge Convention in Sacramento where we will be running the AsiaNrail layout.  I have now stopped further scenery work on the modules to work on the other things that I need done before then.

All three modules that will be part of the convention layout were put together in my train room in every possible configuration and thoroughly tested both for track and electrical.  I am satisfied that these will work correctly.

As we will be setting this layout up at the 51 inch height, the 40 inch width of the roll of table cloth material we have been using as a skirt will be too short.  So I have cut the roll into 25 48 inch lengths so we can use the longer length vertically and pin them to the bottom edge of the module frames.

From a scrap of plastic I made an alignment tool  by cutting a pair of grooves that match the rails. 

Here the block is shown with the grooves up. 

Here is the block how it is used with the grooves down over the rails while the modules are being clamped together from underneath.

This does seem to help get the track aligned between modules when I was setting up the modules by myself.

And I have been running all of my trains back and forth over the 3 modules which total about 11 feet in length.   No derailments at all anywhere and I ran all of the trains I am bringing to the show.

Details for the Tomix condo building

The Tomix condominium building has lots of potential for adding details and scenes within the building itself or around it.

There are 2 units on each floor with all but the top floor having a balcony.  The top floor are smaller but have a good sized patio area instead of the balcony.

Each unit has planter box.  I suppose the inner wall could be cut away to make the balcony larger but I wanted to try to represent some plants.

I found that some left over beams from a RIX Products bridge kit cut to the correct length fit right into the planter.   The tops of the beams were painted brown and some scenic material added.  Then grass tufts were added to represent some plants.

Here is one of the completed planter box units inserted into a planter box in one of the top floor units.  The patio furniture for comes from Preiser set 79554.

On the other top floor patio I used one of the laundry line parts from an Preiser unpainted figure set that I have had around forever.

In reality a more modern building like this one would likely have a washer and dryer in each unit.

In the raised area at the front corner of the building I added some grass, shrubs, and a Woodland Scenics tree.  Some school children from a Kato set bring some human life to the scene.

There is still much more that can be done with this building but for now I need to stop and get other things ready for the convention layout.

Using Kato DioTown detail parts

Kato offers several sets of street and utility details as part of their DioTown series.  These are primarily meant to model a Japanese scene but many of the pieces fit in just fine on an American prototype layout.

In this scene I am going to use parts from sets 23-213 and 23-215.  Some guardrails from set 23-213 were already used on the highway module.

These are meant to be plugged into specific holes on the DioTown bases but can also be adapted to use anywhere.  This photo shows holes I have drilled in the sidewalk outside the Tomix condo building.

The utility poles are square on bottom where they would plug into the DioTown base.  These can easily be rounded with a file.

Most city utility poles in Japan are steel so I painted these a light gray and added a couple of the optional transformers provided.

So here is some of the fence, a utility pole, and 2 street lights painted up and placed in front of the Tomix Condo building.  Another utility pole was finished and is just to the right out of the photo.