New York Harbor Model Railroading

[CAR_FLOATER]

Thanks for the kind words, Bob.

I can't take all the crdit for it though, I have some good friends that have contributed time and effort to it.

I know I have said it before, but my freind Dave Ramos' layout is an inspiration to me, and what I strive to emulate. - <!-- w --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.nyhrr.com">www.nyhrr.com</a><!-- w -->

RAH

[CAR_FLOATER]

Since I didn't want to keep hijacking Stein's thread between Tetter's, Stein's and my own ballasting "tests", I thought I'd continue things here, since I am not on any one topic at the moment.
So anyway, it turns out I have some photos here at work of my previous ballasting efforts with the charcoal-colored sanded tile grout.









As you can see, there is a whitish cast to the dried grout that I have spoken about before. We'll see if a wash of ink or paint fixes things. For more info on this in case you are new to the discussion, check out Stein's thread at - <!-- l --><a class="postlink-local" href="http://www.the-gauge.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=183&start=150">viewtopic.php?f=46&t=183&start=150</a><!-- l -->

RAH

[tetters]

Since I didn't want to keep hijacking Stein's thread between Tetter's, Stein's and my own ballasting "tests", I thought I'd continue things here, since I am not on any one topic at the moment.

I wouldn't worry about it...like Stein said, its a discussion that could benefit us all and it is relevant to the thread topic.

That said, I like your attempt. I'm sure the white-ish colouring could easily be remedied by a quick shot of some thinned india ink applied by an airbrush or a wash might do the trick.

[CAR_FLOATER]

Well, still no ballast "tests", but rather I have been busy getting ready for my first "shakedown" session in February. I would suggest that anybody who plans to have full blown operating sessions do this first, because you could be in for a world of aggravation and embarassment if you don't! (trust me, I have seen it happen firsthand on a certain layout that a few of you have referenced in your posts to me here). Anyway, I digress......I have been bust completing the extension to upper staging, so let me share some photos with y'all........

First, here is the elevated extension. This represents the (mostly) elevated National Docks Branch (NDB)of the LVRR. Yes, those are Lionel tressle bents! To be more prototypically correct, I should have used Micro Engineering tressle bents, but I didn't because I did not have the room for them, I didn't have the money to spend on al lthat I'd need, and I REALLY didn't have the patience to build them all in the time I wanted to complete the project! I plan to come back and weather and detail them eventually. This now has track on it and I have run a train out onto it, but I still have to wire it to the bus.


Here we see the ramp from the West Yard up to the elevated NDB. As you can see in this and the following two photos, it is very steep. In fact, a P2K SW-9 is rated at only 3 cars! Even my super heavy Atlas S-2 that weighs at least twice as much as the P2K engine (and as we all know, weight usually translates to "tractive effort") can only haul 3 cars before it spins its wheels half way up the grade. I say oh well, it makes the job a little more involved. trains going up the grade will only be maybe 9 cars at most anyway, so it'll be OK.






If you look real close in this prototype photo, you can make out the ramp in the weeds as it climbs out of the yard.


Here's what happens when a too steep grade meets a too long car - My 65ft gon doesn't bottom out on the rails, but the trucks do against the floor of the car! I guess there will have to be an equipment restriction!


Next, one more slight grade to get over the bridge(s) that cross the wye and the mainline. This actually bothers me a little, but because this way built long after the original elevated section went in, I didn't match up the hight correctly, so I had to make an "adjustment". At least it runs smooth!


OK, and onto the "island" that spans the area between the two bridges. The small "deck girder" didn't really exist in real life, but tmy space constraints made it necessary.


Due to the tight radius, I had to use a two track Walthers truss bridge to carry the tracks over the mainline, so I wouldn't sideswipe cars at either end. This bridge originally did carry two tracks, so I don't feel like I cheated. Much.




This section is elevated over top the CNJ branch underneath. I used a piece of Gatorboard cut to fit instead of an open elevated section, because the CNJ was actually located on the other side of a fill here (see map in the next photo)




As you can see, I originally wanted to use these foam wall sections that can be gotten from Scenic Express, but they are rather crude, and rather thick, so for a few other reasons, I abandoned the idea. But you get the idea of how I want to hide the CNJ track here. (you can see the CNJ branch sneaking out in the bottom of the photo)


The bridge in the last two photos represents the Communipaw Ave bridge, which crossed OVER the mainline, but over the NDB at grade. There was also tower here that I will build eventually. As you can see in the this photo, the track curving across the bottom of the photo is the wye track that joins the main just to the right of the photo and on the other side of the bridge. I thought the bridge would provide a good scene break, but it may just get in the way of hands and errant elbows during operating, we'll have to see.


So, after I abnadoned the "foam wall" idea, I instead cut a piece of my bacdrop material in one big piece to form a long continuous curved wall (I had to curve it, since I had cut the "upper deck" too close to bottom track curvature to have the walls meet at straight angles) But that is OK, (not like I have a choice).....I then took phot-realistic files of walls that I Photoshopped, and I will paste it to the vynyl "wall".




That's all for now...More soon later this week!

RAH

[e-paw]

Great job on the LV/CNJ stuff, I grew up in Bayonne and spent a lot of time in that aria, It's a good representation of it. Can't wait to see more.

[CAR_FLOATER]

Thanks, e-paw, I have have tried very hard to stick to actual track arrangements using all the maps and photos that I have of the area, into the space I have available. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't!

I feel the gratest achievment/gratitude that a modeler, especially a prototype modeler can make is to have a guest come to see the layout and go "I know where that is" or "I really feel like I am in the middle of ____(insert location here)" or something similar. I feel that means you nailed it, or at least really caught the flavor.

RAH

[Sumpter250]

"Here's what happens when a too steep grade meets a too long car - My 65ft gon doesn't bottom out on the rails, but the trucks do against the floor of the car! I guess there will have to be an equipment restriction!"

We do easements of curves (horizontal), and there are also easements of curves (vertical). Just make the vertical change a little less abrupt, going into or out of a grade change.

[CAR_FLOATER]

Sumpter -

I would if I could, but there just isn't enough room (length) to do it. No other cars "bottom out" here, and 65ft is the longest car (or engine, come to think about it) that will ever run on this layout. Actually, I am glad - As I said, it injects (prototypically or not) an equipment restriction, and that makes for interesting ops in my opinion. When I saw it happen and figured out what was happening, I thought it was kinda funny, because I was surprissed that a 50ft car didn't do the same thing. (now THAT would have been a problem!)

RAH

[steinjr]

If you look real close in this prototype photo, you can make out the ramp in the weeds as it climbs out of the yard.

Along the left side there - between the high line/masts and the lower yard ? That is a pretty steep ramp you got there. So how are you planning to get 9 car trains up there - triple the trains up the ramp in three car installments, or use some extra engines for extra power up the ramp ?

Smile,
Stein

[CAR_FLOATER]

Stein -

Yes, you are right, that's it........Actually, my model grade is SUPER-steep, because back in the 1930's, they used to move a full-sized passenger train up and down this thing (that's another story)! So in other words, it mustn't have been that steep of a grade. I won't be attempting that train manouver, btw!

But yes, 3 car cuts at a time is right......Not like I have a choice, but it therefore makes the job last longer, which increases "play value", which is a good thing in my book......I actually tested it last night with 2 heavy Atlas S-2 units consisted together, and they still had trouble, but I also am not attempting these tests with 100% optimal electrical or roadbed conditions - Feeders still need to be run, track joints soldered, and track secured to the foam. It's no wonder they can't make the grade (and they probably should be able to)! I was a too excited to play with things before I made them "right" first, though!

RAH

[CAR_FLOATER]

Thought I'd share a shot of my new laser-cut wood Howe truss Float bridges!



RAH

[Ralph]

Those are beautiful! So intricate!
Ralph

[CAR_FLOATER]

From one Ralph to another, thanks! They are pretty nice, but the one that was scratchbuilt up at the NMRA Hartford convention this past summer was REALLY intricate! All the correct truss rods and nut and bolt castings, hardware, ect. A true work of art, mine are mere (but nice) stand ins. Wait till I give it a dose of stain, rails and other basic hardware, and THEN it'll be 1/4 as intricate as Tom Griffith's contest model. His was built to be admired, mine is meant to played with!

RAH

[Sumpter250]

Wait till I give it a dose of stain, rails and other basic hardware, and THEN it'll be 1/4 as intricate as Tom Griffith's contest model. His was built to be admired, mine is meant to played with! RAH

Which, by no means, reduces its chances of being admired. Looks like a very good start, to me.