Playing with Grandpa's Lionel (1987)

While going through some old pictures from my grandparents, I found this one. It has a lot of great memories for me. The train is probably a Lionel #1543 set which came with the Lehigh Valley #627 44-tonner engine (perhaps the start of my love for GE centercab switchers), a flat car with pipes, a gondola with red canisters, and a caboose. The sets were released around 1956, though I don't know what year my grandparents purchased them. They bought two sets, gave one to my Uncle, and gave the other to the neighbor's son who couldn't afford one. They were low cost sets. I don't know how much my Uncle used it, but whenever I visited my grandfather he pulled out the plywood board painted green with a simple loop of track and one remote control track and off I would go! 

My grandfather later purchased some additional cars, including a red M&SL boxcar and a US Air Force boxcar with missile firing mechanism. Oddly, there was also an unidentified HO engine which is shown on the flat car that I later learned was a "Sakai" brand engine.

The Guidancetown buildings were also a lot of fun to put together and take apart every visit. Also pictured are some other notable accessories: giant orange, purple and yellow alien creatures (I think they belonged to my other uncle); a stuffed animal dog and Boo Boo; and and American flag. Oh the adventures we all went on.

Sadly, almost everything on the table is now gone. The train disappeared after my grandfather passed away, likely by a visitor who thought it was worth a lot. None of my immediate family would have taken it as they all knew I loved it. I have faint hopes that someday it will turn up. The buildings and aliens are long gone, as are the stuffed animals. But, in 2018 when visiting I removed the track from the plywood board. It was as rusty as sixty year old track can be but I managed to save most of it. I cleaned it up and use it today under the Christmas tree. So, part of it lives on.

Train show bounty

Two recent train shows allowed me to purchase some supplies that I needed for future projects. 

At the Polish Community Center show, I bought a set of sitting passengers from Woodland Scenics (A2759) for my Atlas passenger station project. I wanted some people that weren't dressed like they came out of the 1950s, or something too modern either, so hopefully these will look more 1960s-1980s.

I am always on the lookout for scale size freight cars and two friends were selling ones that I wanted. A MTH RailKing boxcar is scale size but has molded on details like grab irons and such, but once weathered I think it will look fine. I thought it was Penn Central but actually it was New York Central, so I may try and patch it before weathering. The other car is a MTH car lettered for Ralston Purina and I bought it because I think the red/white checkerboard emblem is sharp. I am planning on putting an Agway on my layout so this car might be a good fit for that industry.

At the second show a couple of weeks later, the Great Train Extravaganza, I spotted a Hornby O scale passenger car for $5 that looked lonely. It joined a few other cars I purchased this past spring at a train show in Toronto. A friend of mine also had an old Weaver troop sleeper car that I desperately needed for the trucks so he brought it for me. The Weaver cars are notorious for warping and zinc rot on the wheels and frame but this one was surprisingly in okay shape. I considered myself lucky to acquire it.

No one had any new Gargraves track but for $20 I found a pile of used track that I can hopefully find a few decent pieces in. If not, there is always Springfield in January.

Harrison was not forgotten, and between my wife and I we purchased a Thomas bedtime story book, many wooden Brio-compatible trains (a lot of oddball characters and freight cars to be sure, as we have most of the "main characters" by now) and  $5 Marx crossing gate for his Lionel layout that he will happily manually push up and down.

The highlight of the show was that my friend also brought a set of 710/712 pre-war passenger cars especially for me. I cannot afford a standard gauge Blue Comet set, nor do I have the space to run it even if I did own one (though my wife suggested acquiring it and sticking it in a display case... bless her!) so these are the next best thing. They were made by Lionel between 1933 and 1934, so they are possibly 90 years old. They are in nice shape considering, but I plan to have another friend give them a good look over and clean and repair them. But that is a future project.

Finally, this last picture is a bit of a reunion of sorts. In 2010 I saw an FM Trainmaster painted for the Delaware and Hudson #100 and thought it was really sharp even though it wasn't prototypical. It was a Williams engine custom painted by Frank's Roundhouse. I soon wanted to buy one (despite being an N and HO scale modeler) and looked online for more information. An inquiry on the CTT magazine forum provided some information. In 2011 I purchased one on Ebay, but since I didn't have an O scale layout I gave it to a friend a couple of years later. Now I have a layout and wanted it back, so I made arrangements with my friend to reacquire it.

Some of my purchases were inexpensive, and some were not. However, I have been writing articles for publication in magazines which has provided me some extra train spending money. I am very thankful for that, as well as for a supporting wife who encourages my hobby splurging.

That's all for now, as Christmas is nearly here and there are other priorities. But so far it has been a good hobby show season!

Project: telephone poles

I like short weekend projects. Since my layout has barely been started anything I work on generally needs to put aside for later. Telephone poles are a neat detail that adds a lot to a scene without much effort. For my smaller scale layouts I purchased plastic poles and painted/weathered/detailed them, but for O scale I thought scratchbuilding them would be fun. 

As it turns out, while this was on my mind I randomly pulled a back issue of O Gauge Railroading magazine (February 1998) out from my shelf (of about 100 that I have) and I couldn't believe it when it featured an article on building telephone poles! It was Divine intervention. What's more, the inspiration for the article was based on the reader seeing a layout as a child in Rochester, NY (my hometown).

The basic supplies are 3/16" diameter wood dowels; 1/8" x 3/16" stripwood for the crossarms; green seed beads (size 8/0)' and some metal pins. I calculated the cost to exactly $0.82 per pole with two crossarms and 16 beads. They might not be the cheapest poles to make, and they might not be 100% perfect compared to real telephone poles. But I think they came out great, they were fun to build, and they fit into my budget.

I started by ordering a pack of twenty 3/16" wooden dowels on Amazon, which cost me $10.79 shipped. Thankfully most were straight with only a few bending a little. I set them all aside one another and marked out 8" from one end (the total height), as well as the four spots which would indicate where the notches for the crossarms would go. My little bandsaw made quick work of cutting them down, and then I used my belt sander to slope the top part of the pole 45-degrees (to allow rain to run off and prevent the pole from rotting). The speed of the sander burned the tops of the poles black, which may prove a problem later during staining. But it sure was quicker than cutting with a razor saw. 

Then, I marked and notched each pole... twice... for the crossarms. This was the most tedious and frustrating part of the project. I tried razor saws, a Dremel tool, three types of hobby knife blades, and the edge of a file. What worked best was to use a razor saw to make the notches, and then whittle the area between with a #11 blade. It is hard work as you need to get in close to see what you are doing, and hold the pole near the top to steady it for the cutting, but you also don't want the blade to slip and cut into your finger. I did all 20 poles in two sittings.

The crossarms were cut using a razor saw to 2" in length, and then I used a sanding stick to clean up any rough edges. They aren't all perfectly the same length and that is okay. I miscalculated while cutting them and ended up with twice as many as needed.

Next, I marked out the four spots where the insulators will go. 

Then, I stuck thin quilting pins into the crossarm at those spots until they stuck/wedged into place. Finally, all four pins were cut to length by eye (enough to hold two beads but not much more) with cutters. Once cross arm at a time. I later put a drop of thin superglue into each wire joint to hold the wires firmly in place. Don't use too much glue or it will interfere with the staining of the wood later.

Then, I gave each pole and crossarm a good brushing of Minwax "Special Walnut" stain. As expected, the stain didn't penetrate where the superglue had pooled around the wires but that's okay because the glass beads will hide it later. 

After letting the stain dry, I used wood glue to assemble the crossarms onto the poles. Fitting them into the notches wasn't too bad though some notches were bigger than others. I made sure the crossarms were generally pointing in the same direction on both poles. Then I let it all dry. Later, I applied drops of thin superglue into the notch joints from behind for further reinforcement.

Then I looked at the poles and was dejected. The crossarms stuck out too far from the poles instead of being flush. Maybe I should have cut the notches deeper? Had I done so, though, the poles might have broken. As I drove to a picnic later that day I looked at the poles I passed and saw that the crossarms were not notched into the poles but were bolted proud of them. Feeling better, when I came home I gave everything another coat of brown stain to darken them more.

If one coat was good, two wasn't better. It dried shiny in places which didn't look at all realistic. So, I sprayed them with Dullcote and several days later game them a black oil paint wash. Then I thought they look more like old posts that would have been exposed to smokey steam and diesel locomotive exhaust. 

However, once they dried they looked worse. The mineral spirits reacted to the Dullcote and superglue and left huge areas of white residue. Some might look like sun bleaching, but the result was terrible. As a last ditch effort I brushed everything with another coating of the walnut stain. This worked to hide the bleaching, but then the stain had dried in spots leaving shiny areas. So, another coat of Dullcote was sprayed on and I called it good. They might not be perfect, but I just need to get out of this cycle.

After a couple of days I glued on some small green beads to represent glass insulators. I used Aleene's Tacky Glue because it dries clear and filled any excess space inside the beads. It was a bit tedious trying to pick up each bead with tweezers because they were round and not cylindrical, but in the end I only lost a couple to the rug. I made sure to line up the beads on top of each other as best I could so they didn't look wonky. A few areas only got one bead if I left the wire too short, resulting in a "broken" insulator.

For the V-shaped metal support brackets that go underneath the crossarms I took regular staples and cut them in half, then glued them on. The next day they were painted with brown paint.

The last detail was to add the bolts holding the crossarms to the main poles. I tried using cut track nails and tiny pins but they without predrilling the hole I risked the pressure of pushing them in would knock the crossarm off . So, instead I used thick black craft paint and a toothpick to apply a small blog where the bolt should be. 

The total time involved was about 10 hours, or 30 minutes per pole. I could probably do it faster next time, but 20 poles should last me for a while. While they aren't perfect, I am happy with the results.

Acquiring used Ross Switches

One of the reasons I delayed starting this layout for several years was the fear that I wouldn't be able to afford to build it. I don't have much disposable income as I used to, and there are different priorities right now. I need only about a half-dozen switches for my layout, as well as a crossover. But they are regularly about $100 or so new, which while reasonable still adds up. So, I have been on the look out for deals.

I found a pair of new-in-box LH switches with motors (which I don't need) from a fellow Bridge Line Historical Society member for $20 each! Another pair (two RH) came from an OGR Magazine forum member for $45 each. Each one helps me fill out my track plan.

I am still on the prowl for deals, and I am not in a rush because train show season is coming up. Hopefully, the mainline will all be in by Christmas.

Gargraves track

When it came time to pick the track for my layout the choice was clear: Gargraves. I like the look of the wooden ties, I like the tie spacing, and I especially like that it is manufactured right outside my hometown of Rochester. The fact that it matches in appearance Ross Custom Switches which I also plan to use sealed the deal. Many people say that Ross switches are the best brand made today.

For two-rail layouts in N or HO, the go-to choice for many years was Atlas. Their sectional track was what every beginner started with, and their flextrack opened up so many options for track planning different bends and curves that didn't fit into the rigid geometry of their snap track curves. Atlas also currently makes three-rail section track that looks incredible, complete with tie plates and spike details and properly shaped rail profiles. In fact, their O scale 2-rail track and 3-rail track are pretty much identical except for the middle third rail. See the picture below. 

The problem is that to my eye the illusion is wrong. O scale 3-rail trains have oversize flanges, larger clearances underneath for the trucks and couplers to swivel, and other compromises. I fully concede that they will never be as realistic as their 2-rail companions. But, when properly weathered and ballasted it can look pretty good. I experimented with this a couple of years ago.

But when you stick a third rail onto a piece of track with prototypically spaced ties, rail size, and other track details such as the Atlas track, it all becomes very jumbled. The ties look too skinny and too close together. I am not sure if I can adequately explain it, but it is much too busy looking. Even if you paint the middle rail black (which I think also looks bad) it still stands out. Lionel Fasttrack has the same problem.

The best solution in my opinion is to use track that has larger ties spaced a bit further apart. This gives the middle rail more room to breathe and in my opinion it looks better overall. That is why I am using Gargraves track and Ross Custom Switches on my layout.

Installing cork roadbed

I knew I wanted my track at multiple elevations, with the mainline raised up a bit and sidings dipping down (or going up in the case of the coal trestle). I have used cork, foam, and vinyl roadbed in the past and prefer Vinyl stuff the best because it is firm enough to not bend when you lean into the track to clean the rails, but soft enough to remain pliable for years. But the Vinylbed supplier (Hobby Innovations) changed their formula several years ago to a more foam-like material so for this layout I chose cork. Cork is also split down the middle which makes forming curves easy... though to be fair, foam and vinyl can easily be split with a knife too.

But there is an international cork shortage due to the droughts in Portugal, where most cork come from. It is not only affecting the model train hobby but the wine business too, as companies are switching over to plastic caps on their bottles. I found stores selling cork online but including shipping it would be about $80 for 75 linear feet. That seems steep when I only need about 20' feet right now.

Serendipitously, while visiting a hobby store during a bus trip near Boston I asked the owner if he had any O gauge cork road. He dug out a box of stuff that was ripped open, partially broken, and clearly used because at least one piece had paint on it. But, at $1 a piece (or $20 for the box after I counted it) it was an excellent deal. He also had a case of old-style Vinylebed too... but the cork was a lot cheaper. 

The cork came home with me, and it is probably enough for the entire layout.

At the baseboard joints I wanted to make sure that the track stayed in perfect alignment. Relying on cork glued to foam didn't seem a good idea, so I looked on Amazon for some laser-cut plywood pieces were 3/16" thick (to match the cork) that I could glue at each joint. Craft stores probably have something similar, but I found a bag of sixty pieces (each 2.5" x 3.5") for $14 delivered. At less than a quarter each, they were perfect. 

I marked a center line and then glued them to the foam with lots of Aleene's tacky glue and let them set up for a while. To make sure that they didn't extend too far off the edge of the benchwork (my roughcut foam lines weren't good enough to measure this) I used a piece of gatorfoam to line everything up. I actually pulled each piece back a smidge to give myself a little extra security. 

Since I already had a full-size paper template of the trackplan on the foam I only needed a toothpick to punch little holes along the centerline. I took a marker and connected them and soon the trackplan was transferred. I used the tacky glue to also attach the cork to the foam. It was held in place with 1.5" long T-pins until the adhesive dried. The pins were pretty flimsy but at $5 for 100 I should have expected that. I jumped around here and there as I worked on the mainline and passing siding, and when I ran out of pins I went upstairs for a break.

I planned to use HO scale and N scale cork on the sidings to represent less built up foundations for the track. Imagine my surprise when I pulled out some old HO cork and discovered it was 3/16" thick... the exact same as my O scale stuff. But, I can still use it under some tracks where its smaller width will force the track ties to extend over the edges of the cork, resulting in a much smaller ballast pile shoulder.

I only did the mainline and passing siding now because I am still trying to figure out what type of turnout I should use at the left end where the siding branches away. I need clearance for the station, which might mean a wye switch would be a better choice. So, I played around with templates and full-size switches to see what would work best. The limiting factor is the third switch just to the right of these two that I cannot allow to straddle the benchwork joint. 

I love laying roadbed and track so I took my time over the course of a weekend, working on it here and there until I ran out of T-pins and had to let the glue dry. I did all of the main line and the start of some sidings, but left the rest undone until I have finalized the types and locations of my industries.

Initial track plan ideas

I enjoy drawing plans, but usually it is just an academic exercise that goes nowhere. Here was a chance to do something I had never done before: design a layout in O scale. Unfortunately, after all of operational faults of my previous HO layout I was concerned I would make the same mistakes here, so I first looked in 40 years' worth of Model Railroader magazines for ideas. Not many were in O scale, but I figured an HO scale plan fitting in an 18" x 72" space would be the same. But that didn't help.

Next I looked at pictures I had taken of other layouts I operated on for town areas that I could copy in my space, but that didn't work either. I did get lots of ideas for structures and industries, though. So, I reached out to Ross Switches (the manufacturer of the O gauge switches I plan to use) and they sent me full size switch templates I could print out. A friend with a large printer then made me a 12' long piece of paper with 12" squares laid out, and I was in business!

I wanted this section of the layout to be a "Layout Design Element", meaning a complete small town would fit on the layout. It may later be expanded but for now it could survive on its own. I added a passing siding and some spurs which would allow trains to pass and some switching. I don't know if I will I ever really use it as a switching layout, but I enjoy scratchbuilding structures so some of the sidings were just excuses to build industries or park train cars there. As a child, my favorite track plan feature was a diamond crossing, especially when it is formed by two sidings branching off from the main line and intersecting each other. So I made sure to include that too. 

One day in August 2021, I mocked it up full size on the floor and it all fit. But a 12' long piece of paper is unwieldy so I drew it up to scale with 1" = 1' on a pad of oversize graph paper.  

I realized that the main line runs parallel to the front of the layout in a very straight lines, but there is room to add a gentle curve to it. Also, I need to be careful so that the switch throwbars don't line up with the benchwork crossbeams or mounting underside electrical motors will be difficult later. 

Over this past winter I then took my 1" = 1' diagram and built some scale benchwork using stripwood. Bits and pieces of wood and styrene were painted to represent industries, and some Monopoly houses and hotels were cannibalized to make more structures. On the right is an open lumberyard (like the old Atlas kit) and a coal trestle/dealer, and on the left is a creamery and then some sort of red brick factory or mill. An old grounded boxcar and handcar shed are on the front left. I want to include a passenger station too.

My problem is that I don't really enjoy doing scenery, and can't visualize how to make a layout "work" scenery wise. Few of my layouts ever get there, and on my previous D&H layout I only had to copy the prototype which meant the "design" work had been done already. For this layout I am just taking New England-ish scenes and trying to combine them into something cohesive. I did leave a lot of space on the back of the layout for either a forest, a hill, or a road with some additional buildings.

Much of the final planning will occur over the next couple of months and I won't finalize the track arrangements until I have a better idea of what will fit where. I also need to plan for the structures now. For example, I am thinking of incorporating an Atlas O passenger station but to do that I will need to shift one siding a bit more. 

I also realized... three years after designing the plan... that it would be a tight squeeze in the basement. I only factored in the 3' x 12' layout sections I had planned first (shown in red below) and not the turnaround curves on the ends or the back two sections. I want to use 054 diameter curves (O gauge track always refers to diameter, not radius) but this will mean my layout will be very close to the walls, a support pole (shown as those black dots) or the basement steps. If only that one support pole on the right wasn't there! At least my layout is on wheels and can be rolled around. 

But, at least I am off to a good start.

Benchwork: insulation foam

I topped the plywood with 2" thick extruded insulation foam, which is common place now for layouts. It is extremely light and strong and it is easily carved. This is important as I want to model the rolling terrain so common in New England.

Unfortunately, I own a small SUV so I had to cut the 4x8 sheet up in the Lowes parking lot with a knife and metal yardstick. The people driving through must have thought I was crazy. I searched everywhere for foam handy panels (2x4) but they don't seem to make them anymore. But it all arrived home safe. I needed 36 square feet, but a 4x8 sheet yields only 32, so I purchased a few extra 1" thick 2x2 panels that I can laminate together.

I used DAP acrylic caulk with silicone to attach the foam, laying down generous beads and spreading them out with a putty knife. Two tubes wasn't enough but I had a leftover half-tube on my paint shelf so I used that too. I still ran out and had to buy another tube, which still wasn't enough, and I finally grabbed some other caulk from my supply to finish the job.

I used some heavy weights to hold pieces down and did it in stages over the course of the day (because of the numerous hardware store runs for caulk) and it went pretty quick. 

I needed the ends to be perfectly square and flush because additional layout sections would be joining up (concerns that wouldn't apply if I was building a large solid table top) so I cut up my foam into squares and did the ends first, then filled in with other pieces. 

The back required a long strip that was about a foot thick. All of this resulted in numerous gaps which I attempted to fill with foam scraps.

Scenery will hide it all so it isn't a big deal, but I decided not to fill them in further with Sculptamold or "Ground Goop" at this time. I plan to use a foam cutter to sculpt the foam and it probably won't go through any hard binders so I will wait.

Then, I gave it a clean slate so to speak by painting it a dirt brown color that I matched at the store to the actual dirt I plan to use. 

Benchwork: plywood tops

There are several good reasons to use thick plywood for layout baseboard construction, though it comes at the tremendous cost of money and weight. Another school of thought advocates for 1" or 2" insulation foam (pink or blue) alone as a baseboard, but that has its drawbacks too such as it is tough to mount things to the underside of it and trains running on it can be noisy.

I wanted my layout sections to be lightweight, relatively strong, and easily modified for scenery. I don't need my layout to support my weight and I don't plan to walk on it. Nor am I concerned about it sagging between the cross braces. So, I went with a combination approach: plywood and foam.

The first layer is some thin sanded 1/4" plywood. This ties the wood framing materials together and it easily bonds to the top of open-grid benchwork with wood glue. So, after going to several big box stores to purchase plywood (it took several to find a store with a working saw to cut it 3'x6' so that it would fit in my car) I brought it home. I laid it on top of the my benchwork and marked the location of the joists with yardstick. 

Then, I applied a layer of wood glue to the top of every joist and around the edges and set the plywood on top, being careful not to slide it around or it would squeeze the wood glue out of the joints. Finally, I used 1" long panel nails to hold everything until the glue fully set. I didn't use screws because they would require pre-drilling every hole or else run the risk of splitting the plywood box frame.

The only casualty was a brand new T-shirt that got wood glue on it when I leaned over the benchwork to nail on the far side.

No matter how I skewed it, the plywood wasn't a perfect rectangle and it extended slightly over the benchwork edge. This could cause interference with future layout sections and it had to be removed. A power sander would make quick work of it but I didn't want to get sawdust all over everything. So, I clamped my yardstick to the edge and used a utility knife to cut away the offending plywood. Since it was only 1/4" thick, it was easy.

Next to come is the foam.

Ballast test track

In March 2022 I wrote a construction article about an O scale caboose I had scratchbuilt, and since I didn't have a layout then I decided to build a small test track to use as a photo diorama. The project would also allow me to experiment with ballasting O scale track. 

I obtained piece of Gargraves track from a friend, and I supplemented it with a piece of Lionel tubular track to get the necessary length of the board. Then, the track was sprayed with Rustoleum camouflage paint to unify the color of all three rails (I dislike it when the middle rail is painted black).

A gentle hill was formed behind the track with some crumpled newspaper, and that was covered with paper towels dipped in a yellow glue and water mixture. A bit unusual, but it was during the pandemic and I didn't want to spend a lot.

Then, everything was covered with a layer of Ground Goop. After that came a bunch of ground foam and various greenery. I noticed right away that it is difficult to glue down large bushes and stuff, something that wasn't an issue when I was in HO scale.

I bought chicken grit for ballast (which was recommended online) but the brand I bought had a lot of red-pink pieces in it. Most of the pictures I saw online were pure gray, so this was annoying. But, a stone company is literally about 30 seconds down the road from me and they gave me a free cup full of gray stone that I sifted down until I only had the smallest rocks. This I used for ballast and it worked okay, but I don't think I will take this route on my layout.

The left-most portion of track isn't ballasted, and that is where the Lionel track is. The rest is Gargraves, which I like better. All and all, it was a fun diversion, though in the end I never actually used this to take pictures with. 

Project: Fast Acting Circuit Breaker

Today's model trains are more sophisticated then ever, relying on complex computer circuit boards and lots of easily damaged LEDs and other components. The old reliable Lionel postwar transformers had internal circuit breakers but they were only good to protect the equipment from that era. They won't protect today's trains, and it is very likely that a short circuit from a derailment would fry your internal circuit boards before the transformer's breaker would trip. Replacing burnt out electronic boards is expensive when they are available surplus, and impossible when they are out of stock. A simple in-line external circuit protector system is cheap peace of mind. So, I built one as a fun project.

I found plans on the OGR's Youtube channel for a fast-acting circuit breaker box. This is an upload of an older video that I believe originally was filmed about 15-20 years ago. As designed, it had four sets of banana jack binding posts on each side for the input and output wires (a Lionel ZW has four sets of outputs) and it all just barely fit.  

When I priced everything through the video's updated recommended parts sources, the banana jack plugs alone were $90! Since I don't even use that style of connector, I asked on the OGR forum if they were required and found out that they weren't. So, I switched to using inexpensive terminal strips and saved a lot of money. 

The parts I used were: 

(1) fast acting circuit breakers (W28-XQIA-10) that I sourced from Ebay. The numbers in the circuit breaker part number designation actually represent something... the last "10" means 10 amps", and not being an electrical wizard I decided not to deviate from what they called for here. They were $3 each.  

(2) heavy duty terminal strips from Ebay for about $8 total.

(3) a project box. The plans called for a box that today costs $25 and it was only barely large enough to fit everything in it. In fact, you had to solder it all up and then bend the wires out of the way. I looked on Amazon and found a substitute box that is a roomy 8"x5"x3" with external mounting tabs for about $10. Larger, cheaper, and more convenient. Sold!

(4) Red and black 16g wire. I bought a five foot long piece of red/black speaker wire on Ebay for $6.

(5) 14/16g wire terminals. I bought a box of 20 for less than $4.

I started with a scrap of plywood I found in my garage that I cut to size and sanded smooth. I could have left it natural but I decided to paint it black. The project box was marked by placing blue tape on the sides and then laying out the four 1/4" clearance holes for the wires on each side. Because the box is so large, I had a lot of flexibility in where to locate things. I probably could have located them lower down on the sides. I found the drill bits constantly grabbed the plastic box, and the only solution was to very slowly drill down through the side walls. Then, I spun a hobby blade around the holes to remove the burrs.

The project box was screwed to the wood. Then, I attached the terminal blocks to the sides near the holes I had drilled.

The top of the box needed four holes to mount the breakers, and each hole had to be about 5/8" diameter. My largest drill bit was 1/2", but I did have a spade bit that was 11/16" which helped. I should have been smart and bought the correct size bit, or a tapered reamer, but I did neither. I mostly used my metal burr bit to make the holes. As a result, one of my holes was slightly too large and the breaker rotated in it slightly once installed. To prevent this, I glued small strips of styrene around each breaker just to prevent movement. I later painted them black.

The five feet of wire allowed for each of the four channels to be 15" long, which was just about perfect. Honestly, though, another couple of inches of red wire would have made things easier later on. There is plenty of space in the box to cram the extra wires.

Wiring it up was pretty simple. The black wires had some spade terminals crimped on their ends and then they were screwed to the corresponding terminals on each side of the box. For the red wires, I clamped the lid onto the side of my workbench to hold it in place and then soldered on the eight wires. After that, I used some heat-shrink tubing for security. It wouldn't short if the two red wires touched, but they would just jumper over the circuit breaker and defeat its purpose.

Right before I screwed it all up, I took a picture for posterity. 

Well, upon screwing it together I discovered the circuit breakers wanted to pop up out of the lid. My holes I drilled were a little too loose to retain them, and there was so much extra wire down below that it acted like a spring to push them up. I pushed them down and screwed down the lid, but if I were to do it again I might install them on the front of the box as its depth is longer than its height. Or maybe just buy a proper reamer for the holes. 

I haven't tested it yet, as my layout is still in the benchwork stage. But, it was a fun project to work on in the meantime.