Logging Locos, Logging Track Plan, Logging Mill, Mainline Pick-up
#16
Potential Bridge Substitution

I need to plan on providing enough space for a Central Valley Bridge to be placed into that same spot I am initially going to place that Roco Curved Cord bridge. After all it is a leg on my mainline that is crossing that logging pond, and the CV bridge is a mainline style bridge,....and I have several of these very nice kits.
In here,...

[Image: DSCF4419.JPG]


My work on the layout will perhaps stop for a fews days or weeks. I broke a small bone in my foot this past weekend, so have to keep weight off of it. And my crutches don't fit so well in the train shed.
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#17
(08-05-2019, 10:47 AM)railandsail Wrote:


....My work on the layout will perhaps stop for a fews days or weeks. I broke a small bone in my foot this past weekend, so have to keep weight off of it. And my crutches don't fit so well in the train shed.



Here's to a speedy recovery, Brian.   Cheers

Wayne
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#18
Did my images show up on this subject thread?
They did not on another thread even while appearing to me??

Weird software on some of these train forums.
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#19
Update: Constructing those Elevated Tracks
I started out using those cheap plastic pier sets and long square alum tubes to try and get my various elevated tracks to the best grades possible, while intersecting with one another, and the existing helix tunnels I had already installed. It was a CHALLENGE, as each time I would adjust one end of a tube, the other end changed in height and that would mean readjusting that end, that in turn would mean readjusting the other end AGAIN. Then I was trying to bring several of them together so I have a nice smooth surface for the 'Y' turnout at that one location, and the twin double curve turnouts at the other end, and the bridge location,...and the tight left hand turnout I had planned to pick up the saw mill's cut lumber and move it over to a milling and rr car packing area,.. got confusing especially as I tried to include the heights of the cork (maybe, maybe not) as well.

I finally decided I was going to build the subroadbed and the risers all out of that expanded PVC foam board material,...the roadbed itself out of ¼'' stuff, and the risers out of ½” stuff. I was lucky enough to have a nice chop saw with a fine tooth blade, that made cutting nice square, straight edges very easy. Did the cutting on my 'outdoor work table' and that kept the numerous plastic shavings out of the layout room.
So here are some photos,..
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Looking towards the other corner,..
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I decided that all that fancy measuring I had been doing with the previous mock-ups was just unsustainable. I determined my exact heights of my roadbeds at their two end points and cut my 1/2” risers accordingly. Then I laid my 1/4” pvc roadbed across them, then my long square alum tube across the top of PVC roadbed. That meant when I brought the sagging PVC roadbed up to the bottom of the metal tube I had the exact height and grade of my elevated track. I just went along every 6” or so and measured the height of the riser I would need to push the roadbed up to meet the bottom of the alum tube. To fix things in place I simply put a small amount to old time plastic model glue on the upper edge of the riser and moved it into place for a firm fit. I will likely flip these 'grade structures' upside down and put some hot melt glue in the seams between the risers and the roadbed.
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#20
Modifications to Saw Mill Scene
Invariably one change leads to another. It started out at the 'Y' turnout. I had to twist it around a bit more to get a good smooth 27” radius track to feed into the helix tunnel opening. That meant the track going down the grade to the other side of the layout needed be angled back towards the rear wall a bit more,...and that meant I might have trouble fitting in the very sharp turnout I was thinking of to service the saw mill with a small switcher to move cut lumber over to the planning mill area.

Original idea,..
[Image: DSCF4385%281%29.JPG]
...and to tell the truth I was not real excited about have that small Peco 'set track' turnout along that mainline, nor making an abrupt change in height to reach down to the saw mill.

I decided to eliminate that turnout off the mainline up there, and rather have it join in with the other track I had coming into the saw mill location from a lower point,..
[Image: DSCF4498.JPG]

Here the track comes into the sawmill area on a track that splits to serve the turntable, then two other tracks. One of those will be a flat car loading track to carry cut lumber stacked up outside the saw mill over to the planing mill in the far corner. The other track will be the chip loader (white paper flat) that can handle at least 2 cars at a time.
 
The reason for that servicing track to be located as it is with respect to the turntable is so that a connected logging consist (loco and cars) could be pulled directly across the turntable, into, or out of the timber servicing area.
[Image: DSCF4503.JPG]
 
This sawmill service track will connect back into the mainline with a double curve Peco turnout, just barely visible at the bottom in this photo,..
[Image: DSCF4497.JPG]
 
BTW: I have become quite enamored with these Peco curved (I term them double curved) turnouts. There are 3 right in this area, and I believe I have a total of something like 8 so far.
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#21
That's really coming along quite nicely, Brian, and that grade looks very manageable.  Nice work. Applause Applause  

Wayne
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#22
Yesterday I got out a few of my logging locomotives to do a little measuring, and to see if they could operate on minimum radius tracks.
I wanted to see what sort of minimum length turntable bridge might accommodate the locos I had. I chose a couple of my longer ones,...
1) 2-6-6-2 brass Toby
[Image: DSCF4275%281%29.jpg]
 
[Image: DSCF4277%281%29.jpg]
 
2) 2-6-6-2 Mantua
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3) Rivarossi Heisler w/tender
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It appears as though the Heisler will require the longest turntable bridge,...8” should do it.
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I'm hoping to put in at least one 'gallows style' turntable at the tip of my logging peninsula
 
The smallest radius fixed track I had was 18”r. It appeared that all 3 of these locos could negotiate that radius.
[Image: DSCF4278%281%29.jpg]
[Image: DSCF4279.jpg]
[Image: DSCF4280.jpg]
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#23
15" radius vs 18" radius

This afternoon I was working on the track that would be entering the 'saw mill / gallows turntable' area of my logging scene from one of the mainlines. It appears as though I need 2 sections of 15" radius track about 18-20 inches long each, to fit things in the way I am hoping.

I believe I recall that most of the 'plastic loggers' will just barely negotiate the 15" curves (the brass ones maybe not)?    I think even the articulated Mantua 2-6-6-0 will fit??

I would drag out some track and the locos and do some testing, BUT I only have a single 9" long piece of 15" r track.

This is where I was looking to utilize those 15" r  track segments,...to service that gallows turntable,...
https://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/node...ent-402915
 
[Image: DSCF4502.JPG]
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#24
Congested Interchange & Logging Track Plan
 
I've been tackling a combination problem with my track plan. It primarily involves the 'intersection' of 2 mainlines with the container yard and the logging area. Originally it was a bit simpler,... involving a crossover between the 2 mainlines at the base of a reversing loop of track that extends out into the helix. Thus a train could go either way around that loop, and when it came back to this crossover it could take either of 2 routes back thru the container area. It utilized a pair of Peco double-curve turnouts.
[Image: DSCF4289-crossover-hi-lited.jpg]
 
clean look....
[Image: DSCF4497.jpg]
 
Then I came along and added some complication,...3 more tracks connecting with the 2 mainlines in that area,...congestion. Two of those tracks are for container cars to enter and load in the container yard, and the third (if wanted) is a parking track for a pair of Santa Fe diesels dedicated to working the container area. Then at the bottom there is the access turnout/track leading off to the left to the logging saw mill and logging turntable.
 
...cluttered up...
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[Image: DSCF4612.jpg]
With all of this extra congestion and tight grouping of turnouts I had to depend not only in lining up the paper templates, but also on physically getting the actual turnouts out and connected them together to assure that I could make this plan a reality. I was dealing in angled tracks (non-straight) and double curves, and each little twist here was an awkward twist somewhere else. It was a puzzle. I ended up making good use of those Peco dbl-curves. I also discovered one spot that was better off with a std turnout.
 
Since two of the tracks running thru this congestion are 'mainlines' I wanted to keep the curved tracks as broad as possible. The use of the dbl-curve Pecos and the large radius std Pecos does that, and the connecting tracks are in the range of 26”-29” radius. The container track feeders have some 24” spots in them, but generally that is the smallest radius curve in any of this area.
 
There are 4 dbl-curve Pecos in this photo,....nice flowing configuration
[Image: DSCF4650.jpg]
 
This next photo shows some of that same 'congestion', plus 2 tracks off to the left. The one with the logging engine siting on it is a holding track for the gallows turntable.
[Image: DSCF4651.jpg]
That other track is the entrance track to the logging area. It comes off the mainline with another dbl-curve then makes a 15”r curve around to the left to that 'Y' turnout.
[Image: DSCF4649.jpg]
 
[Image: DSCF4652.jpg]

That little switcher engine...
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will be servicing the chip loader, and will be picking up rough-sawn lumber and taking it on a zig-zag route over to the milling plant in that corner (flat or a photo on that wall) where it will be packaged and loaded onto mainline lumber cars ….centerbeams, thralls, etc.
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