It starts to come together...

Welcome,

     As a quick note to all viewers, I have left the comments area public so I welcome your questions and comments.  If you do not want it to be public feel free to email me Click here. Thanks. I have finished the road surface, sanded down, and painted with the OEM Faller road paint. There may be other options but I am very happy with the Faller paint. It needs the right texture for the vehicles to perform well so painting with a small roller works great. I also really liked the color.

I also had a chance to add traffic markings and light weathering with cheap chalks. After that I started installing sidewalks and a traffic light which is controlled by a Faller controller which controls all light functions and up to four stops even though only two are currently used. The only draw back to using the Faller controller is the Germans light pattern is slightly different. If anyone knows how to change that without changing the whole controller let me know!

At this point I've been able to start fitting buildings and keep installing sidewalks. Also started to install stop points and sensors for the bus stop. Check back soon!

Lessons learned...

Hello all,

     After the trouble I ran into with the magnet band I decided to go back to a method I had much more experience with. The OEM Faller car system wire. (Note; I have heard good things about the magnet band that is produced for the car systems.  I was using a cheaper, generic magnet band which could have been the problem.) I cut my groves using a Dremel tool (I suggest any model builder should have) with a grout cutting attachment and the smallest diamond bit I could find.  All available at home depot for a reasonable price.

 

Once the groves were laid out I cut them, starting with the long straight sections first. It is important to use smooth, graduated radius for any turning if possible because the vehicles will not look right traveling along and making abrupt staggering movements. I used small pieces of masking tape to hold the wire in the groves then used superglue to hold the wire in. 

 

With one module done (in the background) I applied the Faller road surface or "strassenbaumasse." I found I liked this better then the woodland scenics smooth it road surface but seemed to be a very similar product. In the foreground you can see some "stop-stelle" or stop points installed. There is a few ways to home make these but since I had some OEM Faller units laying around l just used them. In my opinion they work the best but are just a little more expensive. Here is the wire and road surface materials I used.

It was worth a shot..

Hello all,

Once I had tore down the other modules I had made from foam and built a better base out of more sturdy wood the real fun could begin.  A quick note; working with the magnet guided vehicles such as Faller Car System takes a lot of patience. You may have to test and redo things quite a few times. Don't get discouraged,  it happens to all of us.  I tried a "6 mm magnetic band" which I got pretty cheap. I then cut it into 3mm × 30 cm strips. It saved having to cut groves and had adhesive back so it was quick. I was then planning on 0.05 styrene roadways, that is why you see the wood strips to level it across.  I learned my first lesson here however. The magnet band held vehicles on track very well however it became a problem where magnet band met at the ends and in junctions or intersections. The magnetic poles could appose that of the vehicle steering arm and send them off track. I had reached a major road block. Especially for future expansion possibilities. 

Module Standards:

The height from the base to the level road surface I am starting with is 6". This dimension allows display possible with the 1-87 vehicles clubs' Route 87 display standard. I find it also helpful for leaving roughly 5" open for wiring and components.  Thinking ahead I drilled holes in the dividers to allow wiring between modules.

The Route 87 Module Standards

The 1:87 Scale Vehicle Club Website

And so it begins...Again...

The two modules I started with are roughly 24"×40". I used plywood and masonite to construct the base. I was actually much further along with the build. With roads, buildings, and moving vehicles I was finding the extruded foam base I first built to provide unreliable operating of the vehicles.

Welcome!

Hello All,

      This is my first post here so I would like to thank all of you for visiting. I will try my best to keep up with the updates as I go. I was inspired to start this blog by all the questions and interest I saw at a recent show and by reading Chester Fesmire's great modeling blog here. It is really interesting how every model he makes seems to tell a story. I will be posting my work and experiences with the Faller Car System and other 1:87 scale Electronics and RC models. My goal is to connect with others in the United States and all over the world to help promote this great and interesting hobby! I will try my best to post information and links that I found helpful.  I hope to get more people involved by explaining how it works and the lessons I've learned.

Enjoy!