My "Southern Rwy & Graham County RR" layout

[Tyson Rayles]

Congrats on the new additions to your loco fleet !

[Waldbahner]

Good morning,

well, my girlfriend is on a vacation trip to her dad and I'm sitting alone at home and got bored...
So I went to the hobby store, got some more wood and a new propan bottle for my workshop-heater and get finally started with the GCRR division.

I bought plywood to build the first two segments "Interchanga Yard" and "Gap & Vegetables" but the remaining plywood was enough to build the curved modules "Tulula Creek" and "Cow Corner" too. Tracks are laid and a first test run was held on Sunday 10pm to the entrance of Robbinsville.

I tried to capture typical scenes of the old GCRR in my modules and I'll give you a short overview.

"Interchange Yard" : First module of the GCRR division, featuring a simple run around to switch the cars at the lower end of the line. In- and outbound cars were stagged in the curve between the yard and the SOU mainline. The landscape will raise and the line bends around the mountainside to represent the railroads climb out of the Nantahala Gorge.
Prototype photos: GCRR Yard, Nantahala Gorge


"Gap & Vegetables" : The next module continues the mountain side and leads the rails through the Tulula Gap into the high valley of the Tulula Creek. The railroads passes some fields and farms and this is represented by the modules name too.
Prototype photos: Fields along the line Gap


"Tulula Creek" : Curved module with 15" radius and 72,5°. The railroad passes the Tulula Creek on a simple bridge.


"Cow Corner" : This is another curved module with 15" radius and 45°. It's not used in the home layout, but very usefull for show. By adding this module to "Tulula Creek", I can place Robbinsville to different places. A willow with cows will be shown here later.


And at least a clip of the first train run up the GCRR division.
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Next I'll build the module for Robbinsville and lay the tracks there too to get the whole divison ready to run.

Cheers, Gerd

[Tyson Rayles]

Good to see you are back at it Gerd.

[Waldbahner]

Thanks Mike,

to day, I just made the remaining legs to get this part done. As you can see on the photos above, the new extension is on standard module legs instead of a solid superstructure as used on the SOU-division.
As I started to build the Robbinsville module, I tried to figure out where the turnouts will be placed to concider this during construction and I ended back on the kitchen table, working on a new track plan.

What do you think?
The tank cars are marking the fuel dealer and In front of it is the engine shed.
The run a round track is very simple with just the team track including the freight depot. The track length is the same as in the yard and will hold 3 54' cars + caboose.
The saw mill is placed in front with a two spot loading track with over head crane and boxcar loading. The area between the timber loading and run around track will be filled with timber stacks. Maybe I'll add some light railway system with hand carts.
There's also a woodchip loader near the power house.

This feels to be the 205th track plan I designed for Robbsinsville.

Good night, Gerd

[Waldbahner]

Hello !!!

Spare time was rare the last days. But here's a short update with some photos.
All trackwork is done, switch mechanisms are installed and weathering and wireing is done too. Meanwhile I had the first operation session and tested the layout. I'm happy with the new design. The hills are added with foam board.

First the Interchange-Yard, followed by the Gap




Final Version of Robbinsville. The saw mill is located at the front. The power house is already build. The left track in front of the saw mill is for the woodchip loader, the right one for timber loading. I'll place an overhead crane too for large timbers.
In the distance, you can determine the engine shed left to the main line and the fuel dealer to the right. The runaround track will holt a team track and freight depot. The head shunt is very short and can hold just one car or loco. This will be difficult in switching


And here's the over all view of the new extension.


I hope to get some more time for further progress soon.

Cheers, Gerd

[Tyson Rayles]

[Waldbahner]

Did some progress this weekend. Terraforming is done on three modules and the tracks are ballasted too. This week I can start with ground textures and vegetation.







Cheers, Gerd

[Tyson Rayles]

Slow down you are making the rest of us look like slackers !

[Waldbahner]

Sorry Mike, I'll get this layout done within this year and nobody knows what the summer time will bring. So I'll keep busy at the moment to have the whole layout finished for the show in october.
I rearranged some scenes and therefore I renamed two modules. Cow Corner becomes Veggie Corner, while the cows will move to the Gap module. I guess I'll have new pictures by the end of this week.

Gerd

[Waldbahner]

Hello,

the last couple days, I was very busy as you may see on the following photos.

GCRR-Yard
54 trees, some bushes and grass... That's what turns this module into a real backwoods scene somewhere in the Great Smokies.
Meanwhile I added switch stands and a water collumn with some scenery around.

[Waldbahner]

Part 2

Gap & Cows
Some more trees were arranged on this module. After the climb ouf of the Nantahala Gorge, the tracks will run through the gap into the Tallula Valley and further down to Robbinsville. The train crosses a gravel road and passes some grasing cows. Some old photos are showing exactly this scene with the power pole and gravel road. I tried to capture this scene on this mdoule. If you like, you can count the cow sh*ts on the meadow...

[Waldbahner]

Part 3
Veggie Corner
Meanwhile the shack is painted and the second field got some other greens on it. No idea what is growing here... but the farmer will know...

That's all for now.
On Gap & Cows are some cross bucks missing at the rr crossing. All module boxes have to get painted, but I'll do this when the remaining two modules are done too to get them all done in one paintjob.

Cheers, Gerd

[modelsof1900]

Each time better! Congratulation, Gerd!

[Tyson Rayles]

Very nice looking !

[Waldbahner]

Thanks guys,

I look forward to get Tallula Creek done next. It will be the first module with water on it.
But first I have to model the landscape with plaster. Maybe 2 weeks and this module will be done too.

Cheers, Gerd