GEC's Layout Progress

[Green_Elite_Cab]

YOU'RE MAD CHRIS! MAD!!!!!!

Indeed I am!

Reason #1) I've begun buying more train stuff. I probably shouldn't (god knows i have to many locomotive kits), but i've lucked out. The girl i've been dating really wants to try and build some models, and she really did seem excited about it (she could tell i was skeptical, lol). so now I'm excited to get back to work.

I have just recieved Magic Pan Bakery, and a yellow/black Conrail X73 (better known as a FGE insulated boxcar). The Boxcar i'm holding for my girlfriend, because its a good kit to get her started. This leaves the bakery, which leads to...

Reason #2) I'm removing ALL of my industries from my layout, and replacing them with Magic Pan Bakery. Why? When i originally planned the layout, i had hoped to have a nice mixe of rolling stock. I planed to have An oil refinery (Oil Loading racks), Geo. Roberts Printing (never found the kit until las summer, used American Hardware Supply instead), and a Plastic pellet transfer.

First the oil industry didn't fit all that well, so i had planned to replace it with a loading dock. That has not worked out yet. it pretty much limited my layout to a billion boxcars and then some hoppers.

However, i finally bought Magic Pan Bakery, and as it turns out, the main structure fits perfectly in the space American Hardware Supply stands, and can realistically fit two 50' boxcars (instead of one), and requires a great variety of rolling stock.

This way, i can have insulated/clean box cars, Pressuraide or Airslide Hoppers, as well as at least 4 different varieties of corn syrup tank cars (1,600 gal. funnel flow, 8,000 gal. "soda cans", etc.) and maybe a vegetable oil car.

where once i had three different kinds of cars, i now have a huge and colorful choice for what i want to run. The silos for the bakery will go where the silos for the Plastic pellets were. I'm pretty sure the contents of those siloes can be pumped that far. Where i originally had the loading racks for oil, i can install Pumps for draining out the contents of tank cars. Unlike the oil-loaded tank cars, i'm sure these don't require as much space between them and nearby structures, so they fit better.

Reason 3) I've moved my layout to a new part of the basement, opening an 8' X 11' area to build in. If i reposition some stuff a little more, i may actually have a longer (still 8' wide) area to work with. While i'm still not sure what i want to do, i am getting closer to a solid idea. I won't even bother asking for idea, because space and requirements change so quickly for me that who knows what they'll be tommorow. Hopefully, i'll finally be able to build that refinery scene, and i'll have to re-use my old stuctures, as well as the geo. roberts printing and the refinery cracking tower.

I also have a Ford Auto Assembly plant, Stamping plant, and an additional Distribuition center kit being held at my hobby shop that i'm picking up a little at a time each trip i make (the kits cost to much for my weekly spending budget to buy individually at once). These might be to much to add, but i'll keep them in mind.

I've decided that the greatest priority is under-layout staging and continuous running. If i can accomplish that, i'll be happy with whatever space is left on the top deck and long as it looks nice.

Reason 4) I might switch to electric traction (leave diesels for the addition). My layout is better suited to things like 44 tonners than it is even GP40-2s. However, i love my electrics, most of which are big. I would have liked a model similar to Niagara Junction's E10B (which is small but still Heavy Duty), but i cannot find such a model. If anyone knows a good heavy electric switcher locomotive, please tell me.

I'm not entirely satisfied with the steeple cab switchers available. They all have trolley poles and such, and i'm looking for something with a big pantograph, like a PRR B1, or the aforementioned E10B. However, if a trolley will run with heavy electric (PRR/NEC style) catenary, i'll be fine with it. worst comes to worse i'll just slap on a bigger pantograph.


anyway, thats all thats new for now.