Bonus Room Shelf Layout

[ocalicreek]

   

Andrews is named for my first son as well as paying homage to the Gorre & Daphetid. Andrews will need to be switched by the road crew of the time freight coming and going, since there's no runaround. There will definately be a small ore mine. The other two sidings will most likely be a team track (parallel to the main, with the station to be in between) and a pipe dealer or some other small industry.

The tunnel is a device to hide the run to Pinto. The creek serves to separate the two scenes. A bluff or hillock along the creek would allow a small mirror to be placed beneath the bridge just outside the tunnel mouth to extend the creek around the bend without anyone seeing their reflection (or any train's reflection).

Pinto will be slightly elevated, thanks to a grade in the tunnel. This is another visual trick to separate the scenes. Industries in Pinto will be a little more rural, with a produce shed and livestock pen (I'm thinking pigs) in addition to the passenger and freight stations. The track in front of the passenger depot will be the interchange track with the Big Tujunga (Ta HUN ga) Lumber Company. The imagined idea is that off the layout there's a turnout connecting the two parallel tracks, when for the purposes of this end of things that won't be necessary. It'd be nice, but it would also be right at neck level in a hallway so I doubt it'll get built like the staging turntable.

The BTLC ships mostly finished lumber out in box cars, on flats, in gons, however, and receives mt's. There's the occasional load of balast (gotta run that Hart Gon somewhere!) or fill dirt, and maybe even some coal hoppers. Otherwise there wouldn't be coal on this layout anywhere, and that's just a sin in this part of the modeled world! If there were a coal branch that connected there that could suffice.

The dashed line for the 'module joint' is just for benchwork purposes. This is a 10' segment and I want to put the gap somewhere that it wouldn't split a turnout. More than likely the benchwork, once it's upstairs and joined together, will not need to be separated until we move or the layout is changed somehow, hopefully many years from now.

Okay, that's all for now. Whaddya think?

Galen

[ocalicreek]

Hello....hellooo....anybody there?

:hey: I know folks have been looking, but this is just a bump to get SOMEBODY, ANYBODY, to comment - good, bad or indifferent, on the plans I posted a few days ago. I realize it's not as exciting as dirt (nice tutorial, btw), but I'd like your thoughts about the changes I made.

In case you're just tuning in, the full plan and first detail section is at the bottom of pg. 6.

There have to be some operation-minded folks on this forum somewhere, right? Or am I in the wrong place? Benchwork may not be eye-candy, but I'll post a few shots of that too...eventually...if anybody ever comments...

Galen

[faraway]

You made a remark about the intentional omitted run around. Why do you put such a serious constrain on both Andrews and Pinto?
I would like to have a run around at both locations but may be I am just to lazy to do switching without them? Do you have a operating concept that does not need them? Would be nice to read your thoughts.

[ocalicreek]

You made a remark about the intentional omitted run around. Why do you put such a serious constrain on both Andrews and Pinto?
I would like to have a run around at both locations but may be I am just to lazy to do switching without them? Do you have a operating concept that does not need them? Would be nice to read your thoughts.

I guess my reasons are a couple, cost and space. Turnouts are pricey and the passing track takes up space I'd like to use for scenery. Still, I tried hard originally to include them but it just seemed to be too crowded on the plan. Also, Andrews and Pinto are small towns. There may be too many tracks at Andrews even now!

I can get away with it at Pinto as long as trains are shoved uphill, and crews will just have to work Andrews depending on which way the train is headed. But it would be nice to have a runaround at both locations. I could maybe include a trailing point spur at Pinto that way.

Danke schön, Reinhard!

[ocalicreek]

One of my LHS's is having a 'retirement sale'. I spent May's mad money allowance (and a wee bit more) on turnouts today since the closing discount is down to 35% off. The store will be open until mid June sometime and the discount will continue to drop until then, but who knows what will be left? Code 83 flex is long gone unless you like concrete ties (or can use them hidden away).

Now that I've got a #6 L, I could lay the staging tracks and begin to work my way around towards Pinto or Andrews. I'd like to have more track componants in hand before getting into Watson and I need to make sure the staging area will be bulletproof before any sort of scenery goes up.

But heck, it's getting to be late Spring/early summer around here so I'll need to do some work outside (gotta get that garden blog going), plus I haven't even gotten the ply cut and mounted yet let alone the fiber board subroadbed, nor installed the lighting, or begun to work on the bridge sections between sides...

Galen

[Gary S]

Galen, sorry for not commenting earlier. Please continue posting your thoughts and layout progress pics, because people ARE interested. Most of the long layout threads go through "reply" dry spells. Look at Charlie's and my buildng threads. Sometimes we post stuff and no-one replies. While it can be dissappointing and discouraging, as if nobody really cares, don't ever think that. The folks at Big Blue DO care. Just keep posting!

Now... concerning the absence of the run-arounds. I agree with your thinking that a tiny town with just a few spurs may not have one. This can lead to some operational interest. There are shortlines which operate by the following theme: The local freight is an "out and back in a day" kind of thing. As an example, say we have a shortline that starts at location WEST, goes to MIDDLE, and then ends at EAST where it turns around and comes back through MIDDLE and then ends its job at WEST. (WEST has a run-around, MIDDLE does not have a run-around, and EAST does have a run-around)

On the way out, when they arrive at MIDDLE which has no run-around, they do the set-outs and pick-ups at only the trailing point spurs. Now, the cars going to facing point spurs can be handled in one of two ways. Ideally, they are dropped off at any unused spurs or empty spots on the trailing point spurs. The other option is to take the cars with them on the trip to EAST. The train continues on its morning run making its way to the EAST turn-around destination were there is a run-around. The train makes whatever set-outs and pick-ups there which are needed at EAST, on both trailing and facing spurs by way of the run-around. Once done at EAST, the train heads back to MIDDLE where it does all the spurs which are now trailing point spurs. Any cars from EAST that need to be set out at MIDDLE facing points will be left there to set out the following morning when the train is again heading east.

Does any of that make sense? Alternatively, two trains can do the same as above. The one heading east does its trailing points and leaves cars for facing points. When the train headed west comes through, it completes the set-outs. Kind of a "you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours" kind of thing.

Disclaimer: I am not an authority on railroad operations. I just heard about this somewhere.

[Gary S]

Oh... I've also heard that if the facing point is close to the originating yard, the engine may actually shove the car the entire distance to where it needs to be set out.

Can anyone comment further on this? Has anyone seen it done? What restrictions would there be?

[Steve]

I realize it's not as exciting as dirt

What can I say....dirt sells

It looks like a nice plan to me. Obviously, space and money constrants have to always be dealt with. Perhaps after you get some track laid and see it for real. other possibilities may present themselves (like a run-a-round). You know better than anyone else that I can't track plan........but for what its worth, I like it

[ocalicreek]

Steve & Gary - thanks for posting! I didn't mean to imply that folks weren't interested or that The Gauge isn't a friendly place, but after I went back and reread the post I could see how it might seem that way. :oops: I was just a little concerned that perhaps folks may have missed the bulk of the plan on pg. 6.

Anyway, Gary - that's what I'm thinking. I knew Watson wasn't big enough (nor was staging) to be able to run a time freight straight through from Staging to Watson, then run a peddler/local from Watson to Andrews & return. That'd be nice, but it should be plenty interesting to run it as planned.

Anything destined for the facing point siding in Andrews will have to travel to Watson first before being switched on the return trip. Likewise, anything shipped from Andrews to staging (like the ore loads from the mine will be) will have to travel to Watson first. If that mine were large enough I could run a caboose hop or mine run out of Watson to do that work, but then that engine would have to live at Watson...a shay or climax, perhaps, given the size of the facilities. We'll see. I could add a second track there if I pushed the mountainside back toward the line to Pinto in the tunnel....hmmm....

Steve - I've no expectations of brilliant layout-planning insights, but you never know! When you've got your face in a plan for so long you can lose sight of some dumb mistakes that anyone else can spot. (That's another reason I bumped the thread). OH, and your wild grass clinic is pretty cool too. It's not just dirt that's interesting.

Thanks, guys!

Galen

[Gary S]

Galen, I usually don't make many comments about track plans because I don't feel I have the expertise to give advice. All I know about operations is what I've read in various books and publications, are garnered from Big Blue. I do think you are doing some good work and planning though. I'm glad you're putting in the time to make an interesting layout.

[Gary S]

Gee, where is Brakie when you need him?

I made a huge mistake in my explanation of no run-arounds up there ^^

The cars for the facing points must be taken to the next town. They cannot be left on the trailing points because there would be no way to get behind them on the return trip.

DOH! :oops:

[ocalicreek]

Gee, where is Brakie when you need him?

I made a huge mistake in my explanation of no run-arounds up there ^^

The cars for the facing points must be taken to the next town. They cannot be left on the trailing points because there would be no way to get behind them on the return trip.

DOH! :oops:

That's alright, I heard what you meant!

Thursday night is train night....not sure what I'm going to work on...

Galen

[Russ Bellinis]

Galen, I like the layout plan. I know it is going to be a freelance design, but what geographical area are you planning to model? I just presumed you were going to model Appalachian coal mining, Tuhunga sounds very So Cal! Do they have names like that back East or is it just a little modeler's license? I know they have some unpronounceable indian names on the East Coast, but I think that one is Spanish/California Indian.

Also what era are you modeling, or are you going to shift eras depending on your mood? I don't know much about Applachia, but didn't the coal haulers often back into or out of branch lines going back into the hills to remote coal mines?

[ocalicreek]

Galen, I like the layout plan. I know it is going to be a freelance design, but what geographical area are you planning to model? I just presumed you were going to model Appalachian coal mining, Tuhunga sounds very So Cal! Do they have names like that back East or is it just a little modeler's license? I know they have some unpronounceable indian names on the East Coast, but I think that one is Spanish/California Indian.

Also what era are you modeling, or are you going to shift eras depending on your mood? I don't know much about Applachia, but didn't the coal haulers often back into or out of branch lines going back into the hills to remote coal mines?

Thanks, Russ! I still like the plan too, which is a good thing since I'll be progressing with adding the ply top and subroadbed soon.

Era will be firmly in the 20's & 30's...mainly...unless I want to run a few 1st gen diesels.

Geography will be Appalachia/Blue Ridge Mountains. I just like the sound of the name 'Tujunga'. My in-laws lived there for a time, in fact, I think my wife's grandmother still does. It is a very SoCal name.

Ocali, as in the Ocali Creek Railway, is from my boyhood town of Ocala, Florida. Ocali was a chief in one of the Florida tribes, IIRC. So there's some native words creeping into the story line.

Pinto reminded my wife of the car. My folks used to have a green Pinto hatchback, but I barely remember it. The name actually is an anagram of the word 'point', as in point to point operation. I was sketching late one night and playing with letters to create town names when that one came to me. Pinto beans are an appalachian staple food. Especially poured over a hunk of cornbread with a spoonful of chow chow on top. But I think native Americans rode Pinto horses, didn't they?

I'm half tempted to add a siding just before Pinto that would disappear behind a ridge and run straight along the backdrop. This would be a mine run siding and hopper trains would run up the branch onto the siding and hide for a while. Loads would be added to the empty hoppers then the whole shebang would return at some point. But I don't know that it's worth crowding the little burg of Pinto any more than necessary in order to gain an additional operating feature. We'll see.

Coal will be delivered to a coaling station in Watson, and up the branch to Pinto for the BTLC. The mine on the layout is for rottenstone sulfate ore, a product used by Gern Industries Ltd. Ocali Creek Ry has exclusive haulage rights for this valuable seam located at Andrews, although a G&D ore car was spotted there once...

Galen

[ocalicreek]

Hello All!

Been a while since I have made any progress on the layout. If the weather holds I may be able to pull out the plywood and make a few baseboards for the framework.

That said, I've been thinking about how to attach the framing to the wall brackets. There are places for a screw or bolt to go up through the bracket into the framing, but I'm not sure I want to completely depend on that for stability. Both 'bridge' sections between the major layout sections will be removable although the section against the wall will be more semi-permanent. The section that crosses the center of the room will need to be removable at any time in order to facilitate access to the computer, couch, etc. under the layout without having to constantly duck under. So the layout on either side of the bridge needs to be pretty well secured.

I have considered putting a scrap of 1x4 on the intermediate studs that did NOT get wall brackets, right behind the framework, and screwing the framing to them. The horizontal metal brackets would still bear the brunt of the layout's weight, but the layout would be attached to the wall.

Any thoughts? Anyone have some experience with this situation?

Thanks,

Galen