This weekend I completed laying about 16 feet of track, officially opening my HO scale Baltimore & Potomac Railroad for business. This is the first time I have had a layout in close to 20 years.















I am using a Digitrax Zephyr operating system, and currently only have 5 locos out of 30 or so that are DCC equipped. At some point I plan of selling/trading those CR locos so I can equip my home road locos with decoders and use them.

I anticipate plenty of fun little projects to keep me occupied, now that I have a layout to play around with.

Looking good Dave, have fun!

Way to get back into it Dave!!!
Ralph

This photo shows the very basic construction of the layout. A simple 24" deep shelf made of 1x4 lumber, screwed to uprights that are screwed directly to the wall studs. The uprights will also serve as backdrop supports. On top of this frame I have a layer of 3/8" plywood topped with 2" foam. I am using HO cork roadbed for the code 83 mainline, 1/8" cork for sidings, and for spurs and other secondary tracks I am using code 70, laid directly on the foam base. I acquired a bit of code 100 track as well, I plan on using that in the yard... eventually. Total layout size will be 12x17, I currently have 3 sides of the benchwork done, 24" deep, but only one side has the foam base installed.



Here is an overview showing a portion on the layout that has skirting installed. The skirting is black fabric that I sewed into the proper size and added shower curtain eyelets. This is in turn mounted on a closet rod, of sorts, that allows me to slide the curtain out of the way to work on the layout, and to access the items stored under the layout. Finally, a fascia will be added that hides the edges of the layout and the top of the skirting. The backdrop will be about 24" tall and mounted to the uprights on the wall.



On more pic showing some of the fiddling around I did with buildings and such. I plan on having this section of layout have a small station, the rears of a bunch of buildings along the backdrop, a team track, station spur, and one or 2 industries. Soon I will be painting the foam base and working on extending the main line around the corners.

Dave

Good to see your start again a layout! And a large one too! Do you have some track plan or concept?

Matt

Looks like you are off to a fast start !

I do not have a track plan available as of yet. As far as concept... the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad, or Potomac Line, is a small road located between Philadelphia, Pa. and Alexandria, Va. It connects with the Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad on the south end and the Pennsylvania and Baltimore and Ohio on the north end. The section I just built is based on trackage in La Plata, Md. in the 1940's, with an additional spur added. While the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad was real (absorbed by the PRR in the late 1800's/early 1900's) and the locations are real, my railroad will be VERY LOOSELY based on the prototype and will more free-lance than prototype.

Got the benchwork almost completely finished. Friday I hope to get the 3/8 plywood surface installed and start marking down the tracks in the industrial area of Spring Hill. That will be located on part of the 4x8 island in the left side of the photo, which will be divided in half with a backdrop and a freight yard on the other side.



Here is a view from the opposite corner of the room.



I did get some hardbaord backdrop installed, will continue with that and with fascia this weekend.





Here is a view of my storage shelves and the benchwork for my staging/storage yard. Little by little the room is becoming more organized.



Dave

Nice space, looks like you are really making time.

A great room for your layout

ps. You should not glue the tracks on the foam. Just a nail ever 16 inch will be fine (as directed )

Very cool stuff!

Love that Conrail caboose!

No progress on the layout as the nice weather has me outside doing things all season. I have started a few freight car projects...

As shown in the remembering biL thread, here are some new LS&W hoppers. Some LS&W boxcars will follow eventually.





My latest project involves a couple of covered hoppers. Can anyone identify these industries?





Dave

Nice!

Seinfeld...George Costanza's "Unemployment" fake job interview company("And you want to be my salesman.") and Kramer's fake company, to cover having an intern from NYU do all his work for him("...That may of may not involve a chicken...")

Two good episodes.

The Vandelay logo is great!!!!

Cold or cruddy weather marks the time to start construction again. Over the last few days I have managed to get the Spring Hill Industrial area laid out, as well as the Rosslyn Subway and the part of the subroadbed for Potomac Yard.

Here is an overview of the Spring Hill Industrial complex. The way I see it, there are 7 independent industries, with 30 individual spots. To the right the boxcars disappear between the Styrofoam, each of these yet unnamed industries has 3 spots. The industries will be low relief or flats, and the spots will be hidden behind the backdrop and under Potomac yard, which will be going on top of the white foam area to the right.


I purposely crammed some of the track, as I want that urban feel, along with the tight clearances and sharp radii of a railroad built in a city that was already developed and crowded, as a lot of east coast cities were. The track with the B&M boxcar is 15" radius, the track behind it is 12" radius, and can only accept 40' or shorter boxcars. the spur with the PC boxcar is accessed via a switchback, and only 1 car can be pulled or placed at a time, with 3 spots inside the building. I have heard how unrealistic switchbacks are, but I was surprised to find just how common they were in the east.



Behind the PC boxcar are 2 loading dock spots, and behind that is another industry that will take 3 cars inside the building.


Each of the spurs that goes to the left are to be elevated spurs...