Full Version: Pacific South Eastern Railway
You're currently viewing a stripped down version of our content. View the full version with proper formatting.
Pages: 1 2 3
To summarize from a previous thread... I am building a fictional rail line based on CN/CP operations in British Columbia. The theme is transition era with steam being the primary form of traction, and water and mountains. A big inspiration for my layout is this movie:

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-U81eun5OA">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-U81eun5OA</a><!-- m -->

In fact I hope to recreate some of the scenes. Big Grin

Progress today is this.... since revamping my track plan I have decided there is no reason for my layout to have this small tunnel underneath the terminal. So I've taken out the planks of wood rising it up to drop the terminal down.

Before:

[Image: 3008621214_9c0bc36c2d.jpg?v=0]

after:

[Image: 3119155092_01bcac2d12.jpg?v=0]

you can see how much it dropped by looking at the paint swipes across the wall... hehehe


I think I'll start expanding the bench work next weekend...
Not much of an update... Just got a new piece of traction in the mail today!

[Image: 3131997897_8c169e9c15_b.jpg]

[Image: 3131997169_a4605ab9dd_b.jpg]


isn't she pretty?

USRA 2-10-2 from Con-Cor.

I haven't run her yet as I don't have a spare decoder for her, but xmas is only two days away! Hopefuly I get the sound decoder I've been asking for!

I'll be kit bashin this one into a CPR Selkirk 2-10-4
Very nice i love the steam locos you got there Thumbsup
The engine terminal looks good.
Nice collection of steam engines.

I still cannot visualise how you wanted to have a tunnel underneath the terminal.

Jacques
Biased turkey Wrote:The engine terminal looks good.
Nice collection of steam engines.

I still cannot visualise how you wanted to have a tunnel underneath the terminal.

Jacques

It was to be a pair of staging tracks using Kato unitrack. Just to hide trains when their supposed to be doing their mainline runs. But I change the plan quite heavily from the old plan and now it is no longer needed...but lowering the layout is... thus what you see now.


Thanks! I take pride in my steam. I've always loved steam in railroading...

I got a pretty big roster:
3 Mountain class (2 heavy, 1 light)
1 Mikado
2 Northerns (1 daylight, 1 jclass)
1 Hudson
1 Santa-Fe (to be kitbashed into a Selkirk)
1 2-truck Shay
1 0-8-0 switcher
1 Challenger
1 Consolidation

I plan on adding at least one more Consolidation, one more Mikado, and a USRA Northern I can convert to Canadian spec. In fact all my locos will be converted to Canadian spec sooner or later (most likely later) but those updates will be in the kitbash forum.
You have some real nice engines there.
Long 9 hour day in the room brings us the most progress since the beginning of November... So take a seat, this will take a while. Popcornbeer

*disclaimer* *all pictures were taken using a fisheye lens, so while they are distorted slightly, they are also showing such a wide angle that you can see more of the room than normal*

To start it off, I decided to build my Union Station I got for xmas... yes, I finally cracked it open!

[Image: 3246828976_cf7d25ece1.jpg?v=0]

[Image: 3246003477_97ebff18c6.jpg?v=0]

The station went together really really well! infact I was so hyped that I finished it I decided to take out my unfinished Modern Coaling tower... all I needed to do was put the walkways/ladders/misc detail parts on it... Unfortunately I ended up breaking those lil supports for the railings and walkways that it's now impossible to finish the model properly. Nope

Next... I started to complete the benchwork for the rest of the lower level of the railroad. In fact, this was going to be a test of what I learned last time building the first part of the layout... Budget has dictated to me that I only had $40 to spend on benchwork, and another $40 on actual layout stuff (to be expanded on later!) $40 bought me:
(3) 1 inch thick sheets of extruded pink foam sized 2x8
(10) 2x2x8 spruce dimension lumber
(2) 1x3x8 spruce dimension lumber
(1) box of 2x6 wood screws - 100 pieces

Last time... the terminal section was constructed of 4 sheets of foam, 8 2x2x8's, and 4 of the 1x3x8's. So the attempt was the finish my benchwork using pretty close to the same amount of material that I used for the main terminal! I had some leftovers, enough to make one pair of legs... and since I 'lowered' the terminal 4 inches, I was able to regain almost all the 1x3x8's I used on the first part of the bench... I cut these 1x3x8's into 2 foot sections for use as the lattice for my layout. the 2x2x8's provide the legs and long braces for the bench...

My plan worked! And I didn't even use the 1x3x8's I bought today!

pics of the benchwork!:
[Image: 3246005111_3f9eaa29f6.jpg?v=0]

[Image: 3246006587_373869c935.jpg?v=0]

[Image: 3246005899_77319a7fcb.jpg?v=0]

Reviewing the benchwork.... I've realized that even though I didn't go as crazy with the cross braces (in fact...there are none this time around!) the benchwork is actually sturdier and can handle more weight! My only issues was...that my new plan calls for the terminal to be higher than the rest of the layout, by about 9 inches. The drawback to this is that I never considered now low the rest of the bench would be...especially infront of the door to get in! It's a dangerously low 3 foot clearance to get into the room. Being 25 and slightly nimble it's not bad for me or my wife of similar age/build. But my dad (who plans to operate with me) is going to have a royal pain getting in and out... oops! Wallbang


I think started laying the foam base for the layout and planning out the risers/track for the West section of the layout (the west wall is the wall the door is on). Heres the pic of that!

[Image: 3246007253_bd8b6e72a4.jpg?v=0]

Once I was happy with placement of the initial risers, it was time to putty up and star laying some track! I ran outa store bought sculptamold and tried making my own home made stuff from flower/water according to directions I found online... didn't work so well. But here's pics anyways!

[Image: 3246008327_72c80db384.jpg?v=0]

[Image: 3246008941_e09e90bb62.jpg?v=0]

Finally, I started making the tunnel for my branchline...

[Image: 3246835678_788c169b42.jpg?v=0]

[Image: 3246012271_2a8f293bc6.jpg?v=0]

And a couple of pics to end the post!

[Image: 3246836584_8ed0cf3614.jpg?v=0]

[Image: 3246009743_c165809ced.jpg?v=0]
Progress is looking good Luke!!

I like the tunnel you are making, im looking forward to more progress on it and the rest of the layout Thumbsup Misngth

BTW, the station looks great too!! Thumbsup Thumbsup
If you have cork, just glue that to the top of the WS inclines and risers and later come back and put the WS plastercloth up to the edge of the cork. This way, you don't need to make a big mess with the sculptamold.
TrainNut Wrote:If you have cork, just glue that to the top of the WS inclines and risers and later come back and put the WS plastercloth up to the edge of the cork. This way, you don't need to make a big mess with the sculptamold.

I'm using the WS roadbed... it should work the same no?
While I've never used that product of theirs, it seems like it should. My apologies if you are already doing that. I did not see it used in any of the pictures and so assumed you weren't using roadbed of any kind.
no, I haven't used that method... I'll give it a try.
Today was a day of track laying... I laid a good 12 feet or more of track today, providing a little more than 2/3s of the mainline run. I stopped laying track because I thought I'd test whats been laid so far, and proceeded with wiring it all up... it was then that I noticed I forgot to 'gap' the rails so I could put in my auto-reverse decoder... I think I got that fixed, but my brain is thrashed already today so I'll do that later.

I sceniced one small section which will be a branchline station/town...once I get the track and buildings. Goldth

I've also started to plan out where things are going to go... but I need to put in the other cliffside first on the other side of the layout before I can do that.

Anyways, here's some pics.

[Image: 3256303399_9ae9f4219d.jpg?v=0]

Most of the track along the wall in the above pic (in fact all of it) will be behind a cliff side.. this is my 'hidden' track that I can hide a train on if I want too... There will be a seperate section of bridges and hills built over here... should be interesting, I don't think I thought of this throughly and might run into an issue. Tongue

[Image: 3256302217_edbe82873b.jpg?v=0]

Just a pic of what will eventually be a tunnel running toward the branchline station.

[Image: 3256301537_c0c70cdc40.jpg?v=0]

This is a picture of where a small town will be located. I don't know what I'll have for industry over here, but it'll be small. Probably the Dayton Machine Co. from Walthers.cornerstone will be the major building.. ALong with a freight house and small terminal
If its a small town, depending on the era you're modeling, maybe a coal or fuel oil distributor.
DOH!

I completed laying and wiring up the track last night for the section of the layout mentioned above and went ahead and proceeded to test the trains!

The Bachmann Heavy Mountain done in 6060-scheme is a decent performer, and will be my star of the road so to speak, so I got it to do the first run. Well, I gotta clean her wheels because she stalled a few times. Her consist was 8 microtrains CN box-cars (2 runner packs), Lifelike caboose, and a pair of Athearn Express baggage cars.

She can't get back up the mountain... heavy mountain loco my butt! It ends up that it can only take half the consist up the mountain, at full throttle...moving very slowly!

I tried the original consist with my Kato Daylight. No problems up or down, either direction.

Then the Athearn Challenger, which could handle my 6% grade with 20+ cars on my last layout.... FAILED!!! Miserably too.

I gotta relook at my grades, I musta done them wrong, I did some stacking but didn't think it would be this tough for the locos. So I'll tear it all up and restart this phase of the layout... I'm gonna keep it under 3% from here on in I think.

I'm also thinking I'll buy another Daylight and see if I can kitbash it into the CNR 6060 U1f because of its performance. It'll be more scratchbuild than anything, but I think it would be one heck of a loco when done too! The drivers are more prototypical as well.
Pages: 1 2 3