CP Scarborough Harbor Branch Line - HO Scale

CP Scarborough Harbor Branch Line - HO Scale - Printable Version

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Re: CP Scarborough Harbor Branch Line - HO Scale - Gary S - 01-04-2010

Geez, you guys that handlay your own track intimidate me! And I am in awe of your dedication. For me, flex track is the easy way out, because no way do I have the patience or attention to detail to handlay.

Great job Tetters!

Re: CP Scarborough Harbor Branch Line - HO Scale - tetters - 01-04-2010

Thanks Gents. I appreciate the kind words and encouragement. I started working on getting some feeders in tonight, but after about an hour or so, my heart just wasn't in it. So decided to snap off a few pictures just to give the over all impression of the layout progress. You'll have to pardon the mess...it was clean before I started working... :oops:

[Image: DSC03438.jpg]

Looking at the East wing of the layout you can see the large harbour area. Starting at the bottom is the roadbed for one industry siding awaiting the installation of wood ties and track. immediately to the right of that is spur track (I like to think that it goes somewhere else further off layout.) Following the track up is RH t.o. switch # 13 (lucky eh!), which goes into a 15 car siding. Along the "main" or middle track are switch #'s 12 & # 11. These will service industries for the layout. A little further up you can see a piece of unpainted Homasote roadbed. I was debating whether or not to include this orignal piece of track in the plan, and decided this weekend that I would. Switch # 14, not yet installed will provide the means to switch for this siding. Both tracks will service one large industry. The six beer cans at the far back are there to represent the brewery that will occupy that spur. For those with good eyes, there is a beer called "Devil's Pale Ale 666" made by a local brewery. I didn't like it. Too bad really as I like to support local brewers. I pan on lettering a couple of refrigerator cars specifically for the brewery with local brew fonts and logos. Steam Whistle and Mill St. are also on the top of my list....but I digress...

[Image: DSC03440.jpg]

Lastly, around the bend, looking at the West end at the very top you can see the Brewery. Following the track downward is the double x-over, which based on my "play-time" with the locos is getting a great deal of use. Perfect. The track at the far left will double as a yard lead for switch the harbour as well as pulling freight off the float. It will also act as a way for the engines to get to the future site of my Engine Shop. In the second photo you can see a piece of rail sticking out to the left of the steamer. That is switch # 19, which will service the Engine Shop. Continuing downward on the right is another double track industry siding which will service another large industry and lastly the siding to the left of the middle or main track. The stack of books in the first couple photos actually gave me some inspiration to perhaps model a small to medium sized pulp and paper / lumber mill on the layout and use these two long siding for it. It would be a neat way to get flat cars or logs on the layout and spot cars with finished lumber product for shipping off the layout.

So many ideas...

Here's to staying motivated! Cheers

Re: CP Scarborough Harbor Branch Line - HO Scale - cnw1961 - 01-05-2010

Your trackwork looks fantastic Thumbsup

. I like the idea of an engine shop. Keeps the engines on the layout if they are not in service.

Thank you for the layout tour.

Re: CP Scarborough Harbor Branch Line - HO Scale - LiveSteamer - 01-05-2010

Looking real good tetters. Cheers

Re: CP Scarborough Harbor Branch Line - HO Scale - tetters - 01-05-2010

I reached a major milestone tonight! Big Grin

I wired up the three t.o.'s ran a whole whack of feeders, got them all soldered up and fired up the Power Cab. Once I confirmed that the wiring was sound, no shorts, I was able to successfully test run a loco from one end of the layout to the other on the first attempt. No derailments, and the track work is nice and smooth through the newly installed t.o.'s and straights. I'm feeling pretty good about the way things are finally starting to progress now. Now I cannot wait to get the remaining bits of track work in. Then I'll probably take a breather for a week and start planning on painting the track. Good times. Cheers

Re: CP Scarborough Harbor Branch Line - HO Scale - doctorwayne - 01-05-2010

Congratulations, Shane, but I was sorta hopin' for some kinda golden spike ceremony, with maybe some cocktails 'n' eats to follow. Cheers

Wayne

Re: CP Scarborough Harbor Branch Line - HO Scale - tetters - 01-06-2010

doctorwayne Wrote:Congratulations, Shane, but I was sorta hopin' for some kinda golden spike ceremony, with maybe some cocktails 'n' eats to follow.

Wayne

Sorry to disappoint Wayne, but the caterer was not available on such short notice so I've had to hold off on the ceremony, but it's getting there. Misngth

Re: CP Scarborough Harbor Branch Line - HO Scale - OBJack - 01-06-2010

Well done Tetters. Looking at the level of craftsmanship on your tracks throughout these posts I would have been surprised if anything had not been "right to go" first time out.
Certainly gives a nice feeling to the soul when you see that first train make an uninterrupted run on a new line.....
Especially when you have hand laid it all. I takes me hat off to you. Cheers

I will have a celebratory drink for you anyway.

219

Re: CP Scarborough Harbor Branch Line - HO Scale - Trucklover - 01-06-2010

That Carfloat/Harbor scene is going to be something else Shane! Im exited to see it come together, and with your excellent hand-track laying skills, im sure its going to look just that much cooler! Thumbsup

Re: CP Scarborough Harbor Branch Line - HO Scale - tetters - 01-16-2010

Not much to post in the way of progress. Every time I go down there, I end up working a train. Misngth

I am also waiting on a few last little bits to pretty much keep me occupied on the pier over the next few weeks of winter to come.

Not to mention, the simple fact that plunking down almost $1000.00 on vehicle maintenance has a way of sucking the life out of just about anyone... Nope

I've also been toying with the idea re-doing / re-routing a section of the track work on the West leg of the layout. Figure I better do this now before I commit to painting and ballasting. The re-do would involve the moving three of the tracks. I've "moved" a small section in another area and was surprised how easy to was to take up the road bed with a putty knife after it had been tacked down with PL Construction Adhesive. So I'm encouraged by that. I'll also get to try out my method of turnout out preservation and try using the cookie cutter method of removing a turnout, roadbed, and plywood deck and then relocating it to accommodate the shift in the track work. Should be fun, its gonna take some work though. I also hope it will give me an opportunity to experiment with a curved building and box car loading/unloading dock. Something which I hope will be visualizing interesting as well.

Once I make some progress, I'll take some pics and post up.

Re: CP Scarborough Harbor Branch Line - HO Scale - tetters - 01-17-2010

Orders came through today to re-route the track work on the west end of the branch line.

First all rail was removed and then the road bed was graded level. Misngth

Ha. A putty knife underneath the Homasote was pretty much all it took to lift it off the plywood decking.

[Image: DSC03451.jpg]

Eyeballing the new track route...

[Image: DSC03452.jpg]

Removal of Switch # 21. I didn't even remove the Tort or the feeders for the frog or rails. Conveniently everything was right under the t.o. So it all came out as one piece.

[Image: DSC03453.jpg]

Once I figured out where the t.o. was going to go I cut out the plywood deck...which sat right over top a structural member for the bench work. Wallbang

I used my drill to drill out holes 3/4" down and notched out the width of the member. A mere annoyance by the end of it all.

[Image: DSC03455.jpg]

Installed some 1/4 cleats and glued and screwed them to the underside of the layout deck. Then a test fit for the t.o. Hmmm...how to fill that hole left by the turnout...

[Image: DSC03456.jpg]

Oh yeah...the piece removed from the other spot!

[Image: DSC03457.jpg]

Test fit the roadbed.

[Image: DSC03458.jpg]

Fill in some of the gaps using some blue foam insulation I had kicking about. Secured the turnout and filler piece by using PL Construction adhesive and pressed it firmly in place. There is still a bit of a gap next to the t.o. I'll pick up some of that minimal expanding foam insulation and squirt a small amount in there to plug the hole.

[Image: DSC03460.jpg]

New roadbed in place. Glued down with more PL Premium and screwed down. I remove the screws once the adhesive has had a chance to cure.

[Image: DSC03462.jpg]

I had a couple of reasons for doing this, besides trying to make more work myself. One. The dryer vent goes up through the layout. On the original track plan the spur goes all the way to the end. In its present location it was stopped short and it was driving me nuts that I couldn't use it to its fullest effect. Now I can park four box cars on it, no problem.

Two, and this is the big one. The layout encounters a corner in this part of the room. By pulling the track to the front, the main track and its siding clear the corner now. I've been toying with the idea of making a cassette about 3 ft in length to act as some secondary staging for the layout. Another way to provide some operational interest to the layout.

I expect to have the track work et'all operational before mid week. I should be able to glue the ties down tonight and get them sanded tomorrow.

Smile

I think I'll just keep tacking on to this post until someone posts a comment. Seeing as how these photos are all related to this particular job on the layout...

Ties glued in place prior to sanding...

[Image: DSC03464.jpg]

Spiking the rail back in place.

[Image: DSC03465.jpg]

I'm looking forward to getting the track work finished. Just a couple more spurs and that's all. Should take me the better part of the week to get all of the rail spiked down on the whole layout.

Re: CP Scarborough Harbor Branch Line - HO Scale - ocalicreek - 01-23-2010

Does that dryer pipe generate alot of heat?

Galen

Re: CP Scarborough Harbor Branch Line - HO Scale - tetters - 01-23-2010

ocalicreek Wrote:Does that dryer pipe generate alot of heat?

Galen

It does actually. I was wondering if someone was going to say something about it or offer some advice on what I can do with it.

Re: CP Scarborough Harbor Branch Line - HO Scale - doctorwayne - 01-23-2010

tetters Wrote:
ocalicreek Wrote:Does that dryer pipe generate alot of heat?

Galen

It does actually. I was wondering if someone was going to say something about it or offer some advice on what I can do with it.

If you want to hide it, why not put a roofless multi-storey building around it? Make the building tall enough to keep the pipe out of sight in photos of the area. You'd need to model only the visible sides, and the open top should eliminate any problems caused by the heat. Leaving a couple of open loading dock doors (paint the pipe black) will allow cool air to enter, replacing the heated air which will rise and exhaust out through the open top.

Wayne

Re: CP Scarborough Harbor Branch Line - HO Scale - BR60103 - 01-24-2010

I think you should get professional advice on clearances around the pipe. Is the dryer under the layout as well? That could lead to interesting expansion problems.