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dictated, in part, by Brian to Mat...

Pipsqueek 1 was a father-son project, and a way to get Brian involved in the club. Most of you have become accustomed to seeing my son Brian’s layout under the main layout. Some of you have been gracious enough to host Brian under your modules. We thank those of you who have done this, as well as all of you who have tripped over kid stuff inside the layout and never complained. This, to me, is another sign of our club “gumbiness” 

Construction began with a 1”x2” frame which was sized to fit between the legs of my original module (Boulder Junction). We fastened a 2’x4’ piece of Homosote on top of this frame and cut out the corners where the 4 legs of my module would be. This assembly rests on 1”x3” braces fastened to my module legs. I did not think ahead for the need to place Brian’s layout under other modules, but some have worked very well; Leonard’s and Jeff’s even luckily have supports in just the right locations. 

The track plan consists of two independent loops at different levels. The lower loop has a hidden staging siding in the rear and some spurs in the foreground. We layed this lower loop of track right on the Homosote base. The staging tracks are both electrically isolated; either can be switched on while the other holds a train. 

Next we pre-built the upper level of track on another piece of Homosote. We tested all of the trackwork before any further work. Then we built up layers of foam, mounted the upper track level, and continued upward with foam where we desired. In this process, we left enough room between the track levels to access the staging area. We also built a mountain big enough to conceal the dual power pack on top of the upper track level. To save weight, the power pack is removable by means of alligator clips. 

Then the real fun began: scenery shaping and texturing. What kid wouldn’t love this? (author included). We shaped the foam, carving out an area for a stream, and creating the need for a bridge. Then came sculptamold, paint, real dirt, real pebbles, and ground foam. The stream water is gloss medium and the roads are painted joint compound. Most of you probably have not noticed that Brian has his name carved in the road just like full sized kids do with prototype wet concrete. We initially made trees with weeds, but now have mostly lichen trees because they are more durable. 

Brian has built one of the structures: a haunted house. He had fun modifying the kit to look beat up. He also made a few ghosts out of paper that appear to be emerging from the windows. The most recent modification is the racetrack, named “B & S” after Brian & his sister Stephanie. Brian is actually more interested in autos than trains, so this highlights his special interest (hint: this interest may reappear in Brian’s future modeling efforts). 

Not surprisingly, Brian’s favorite trains are his auto racks filled with race cars (thanks to Jim Altobello for the help) and his military train (which he painted & decaled himself). Brian has recently added graffiti decals to some rolling stock.