Texas Southeast Belt

[sailormatlac]

Busy week so not much new here. Did set a few cars on the yard tracks for some test switching. Results were OK but some of the couplers need a bit of tweeking. Engine pulled/pushed as many as 10 cars through all the turnouts with no problems, slipped and stalled a bit with 11, but would not pull 12 at all. All the cars have Kadee #158 couplers, Kadee metal wheelsets, and are all about 1/2 oz over NMRA standard.



I have decided to put the track planning on hold for a while and concentrate on some buildings and scenery for the yard.

Thanks to all who have looked & commented! Your comments & feedback are greatly appreciated!

Now you just hooked me on your project with these strings of OSB boxcars! Your ballasting job is excellent so far, there's always something special about brownish ballast, maybe because all I see in my area is light gray limestone. Brown seems exotic! ;-)

Matt

[Len Turner]

Thanks, Matt!

The old boxes are left-overs from the 1930's sawmill project. The new layout will be early 1950's and although some of these old cars were still in use after WWII, I'll be adding some more "modern" stuff as I get along with the layout. As for the ballast, everywhere you go nowadays you see "gray blend" ballast, both on prototype and model. I can remember when you saw a lot of agate and flint ballast on East Texas tracks, hence the brown ballast... Outside the yard I'll probably stick with the brown, but a bit lighter.

THANKS! for your interest & comments!

[sailormatlac]

Thanks, Matt!

The old boxes are left-overs from the 1930's sawmill project. The new layout will be early 1950's and although some of these old cars were still in use after WWII, I'll be adding some more "modern" stuff as I get along with the layout. As for the ballast, everywhere you go nowadays you see "gray blend" ballast, both on prototype and model. I can remember when you saw a lot of agate and flint ballast on East Texas tracks, hence the brown ballast... Outside the yard I'll probably stick with the brown, but a bit lighter.

THANKS! for your interest & comments!

It's what I like about 50s, there was a lot of variety in freight car (steel, wood, composite, length, height, etc.) that makes it interesting.

I suspect ballast was produced locally back in the days. Today, they get it from large quarries and aren't bound to local economy anymore. If I wanted to be really prototypical in the same manner as yours, mine would be a bluish gray. Unfortately, each time I tried with the real crushed stone, it turned too dark.

Matt

[Len Turner]

Been a while since we posted, so a little catch-up...

Track work for the East End switching spur...









Diesel service area, Southside Yard....
A Walthers kit, cut down and bashed a bit...





Thanks everyone for taking time to look and comment!

[doctorwayne]

Nice work, Len. I especially like the unassuming look of the servicing facility - nothing overwhelming, just the necessities: very prototypical-looking.

Wayne

[Ralph]

Very nice, pleasing model! I like how all the structures are the same color and all of the details like the light fixtures, hoses, valves, and drums really make it. I want to use your loco service area as a model for improvments on mine.

[Tyson Rayles]

Nice work Len, very realistic !

[faraway]

The colors are blending perfect

[Steamtrains]

...with all the above....Great "atmosphere" with those buildings....Are they kits, bashed or scratchbuilts..??

[Len Turner]

Wayne, Ralph, Mike, Reinhard, Gus, THANKS! for the interest and comments! I follow all of your threads and posts and greatly admire your work.

Gus, the corrugated building in the background is from a Walthers sawmill kit - its just temporarily occupying a bare spot. The other two utility buildings are Northeastern Scale model kits - I added the loading docks.

Again, Thanks everyone for the interest and comments and for sharing your own work!

[fast car]

Len,

Very nice job. I really like the layout plan.

Larry

[lears2005]

Are you using central valley tie kits if so how do you like them. I got a box I have thought about using.

[Len Turner]

Thanks Larry and lears2005!

I don't want to mislead anyone on the track work...
Most of the track work outside of the Southside Yard is ME c/70 flex track and ME c/70 #6 turnouts. I'm using the CVT ties, proto87 frogs/turnouts and some c/55 rail on just a few of the spurs, mainly to use up some stuff I had left over from a previous project. To answer the question - the CVT ties and turnouts look nice and work well, but I found I prefer the convenience of flex track and ready made turnouts. Plus I think the ME stuff looks as good or better than the CVT ties & turnouts.

Thanks everyone for your interest and comments!

[mountaingoatgreg]

Len,

Those are some great looking structuresm they have the "just right" look to them. Between the materials you used and the arrangment it looks like you just plucked it off a branchline and plunked it down on your layout. I am not sure where the curved track goes on your layout, but I might suggest moving the buildings further down the track to keep the area from being to crowded and giving the track some seperation.

Keep up the great work and keep us posted.

[Gary S]

Gotta agree, the service area looks fantastic!