My "Southern Rwy & Graham County RR" layout

[Waldbahner]

Hello folks,

in one of my first postings, I showed you some of my custom rolling stock for the Southern and Graham County Railroad. Today, I'like to show you my first layout concept for my home layout. It's based on standards for modular layouts bei FREMO americaN and will be build in small steps. First may be the fiddle yard and Topton station modules.

In this post, I'll introduce you to the whole layout concept and will explain some features. So here's the layout plan :

   

The journey of a SOU-train may start in the fiddle yard at the right, running thourgh the underground for the first step and will enter the layout through a tunnel portal. After a short distance of valley style main line, the train enters the station of Topton.

Topton i's actually a small station with a plattform for passenger service and some industrial spurs. The run around track was designed only for switching freight cars to the spurs. In earlier days, the train would continue up to Murphy, the end of the line. But today, the train will turn at Topton and run back. The siding alows to run around a train of 3 passenger cars, 2 passenger with 2 freight cars or a freight train with 4 50' cars and caboose. Those trains are long enough for such a small layout.
In freight service, the SOU has to deliver pulpwood cars to the wood landing, boxcars for the grain elevator and mixed freight cars to a team track.

On the way back from Topton, the train will stop at "Graham County Junction" where a small spur is running into the woods. After a short distance, the train enters a small interchange yard of the GCRR. The SOU will interchange freight cars with the GCRR and continues the run back to the fiddle yard.

The GCRR owns just a 70t 3-truck Shay and a caboose. The locomotive picks up the freight cars at the interchange and starts to climb the hill. The big module with the U-turn features a 4% grade to get the train to a level of +2 inches. Now the train enteres the small station of Robbinsville. The GCRR is just a freight hauler, operated by the Shay from a former logging railroad. At Robbinsville, freight tank cars are spotted to a fuel dealer and pulpwood is loaded. The GCRR line continues to a area called Milltown, where a furniture plant and the Bemis Lumber Mill is connected to the railroad. At the mill, woodchips are loaded into hoppers and cut lumber to boxcars. Boxcars are also spotted to the furniture plant to pick up goods. At the Bemis Mill, the old engine house is still used for the GCRR Shay.

The whole layout is designed in N-scale to meassueres 2,7 by 2,1 meters in over all size. Nearly each module joint is designed to match the FREMO-americaN-standards so it's possible to set up a different style of this layout or to add more modules. It also allows me to start with 2 or 3 modules to get a first operational small layout, that can be expanded to the final size as shown above later. All station are named in refference to real stations along this lines, but the track plans are different from the prototype. In Topton, I added some spurs and I simplified the GCRR stations.

Today, I'm not sure if i'll ever will build this layout. But I know, that I'll build modules with scenes of the Southern Murphy-Branch arround Topton and the Graham County Railroad.

Comments are welcome.

Cheers, Gerd

[FCIN]

Gerd;

Very interesting layout plan! Like the way you are able to include both the SOU and GC into the operation.

The Graham County Railroad was certainly an interesting operation, using a Shay for motive power into the 1970's. Recall a nice article in MR (I think it was) about this line some years ago.

[Gary S]

I like the operating concept. It's good to put the thought into it before starting. But now that you have spent the time designing, you pretty much have to build the whole thing, right?

I am wondering about some of the elevations though. Where the track from the fiddle yard goes under the furniture spur, how do those elevations and grades work out?

[Waldbahner]

Hello,

good to read some comments =)

The Graham County Railroad is a very cool railroad for Shay lovers, freight train operaters and short line railroaders. There was a good article with many details and some track plans in the book "more railroads you can model". I got mine from amazon a while back.

The elevation maybe no problem. the SOU-trackage will run on 0 level only. There are no grades planed. The bis U-turn modul will feature a 4% grade. This works good with my Shay and 3 freight cars plus caboose. So the Robbinsville and Milltown area will be on +6cm from the SOU level. Substracting 10mm base board and 10mm more for stiwch mechanisms and wiring there are still 4cm space. That's enough to allow the SOU trains to pass under it.

Well, I was also curiously how the layout may look... So I started with the Topton module yesterday. Here is photo of the module so far. Meanwhile I started with the switch mechanisms.


Click on thumbs for large pictures.

Cheers, Gerd

[railohio]

Great plan! I'm really looking forward to seeing your progress.

[Waldbahner]

Good morning,

yesterday, I finished the wiring stuff and the first train was running at Topton. Next I'll finish the buildings before I'll proceed with the scenerey.
But before, this weekend I'll meet a friend for a model railroad session and will test the module for the first time. I'll show you photos next week.

Actually, I'm not sure if I'll ever build the whole layout as shown above. I'll go forward module by module and will see where I'll end up.

Bye, Gerd

[modelsof1900]

Look s great, Gerd. Very nice plan and many possibilities for switching.
Good success!

[Brakie]

MR did a "A Railroad You Can Model" article on Southerns Murphy Branch and I have always like that concept and liked the Southern..

[Waldbahner]

Hello guys,

here is an update on my first module.
I spend the last weekend by a good friend for pure model railroad fun. We made good progress on his yard modules and also on my Topton module.
We also had some hours for running trains and I tested the Topton track plan successfully. In fact of the short tracks, switching can be very difficult.

So, what happend:
After weathering the tracks, balast and ground vegetation was added. I also finished the buildings from Walthers-kits. Both are hand painted and kitbashed. So here are some photos of the progress so far.

The buildings and rails.


The actual progress :

Click on thumbs for large pictures.

We also decieded to add a shorty 20cm module at the end of the station to lengthen the tail track for the run around loop. This would be better in switching operation, especially if a mixed local with coach and baggage has to be switched for the return trip.

I hope I can show you some more progress soon.

Cheers, Gerd

[Waldbahner]

Hello folks,

during the first operation session with Topton as end-of-line station, we determined, that the tail track in front of the depot is very short for some good switching moves. So my model railroad friend Stephan came up with the idea to add a short end-of-line module with some more inches of track to get more capacity on the tail track. And here we are.

The module is only 20cm long and the last 5cm of track will represent abandoned trackage.



So it's time to do some more scenery on these modules.

Cheers, Gerd

[Waldbahner]

Hello again on this layout,

i finished the fiddle yard today. It's a short 100x27cm module with a 70cm long train traverser with 4 tracks. the yard features 6 spurs to park engines and cabooses as also a on-railer to get cars on to the tracks very easy and fast (the yellow area).



To get the traverser locked secure in each position, I installed a mechanism, operated by a push button inside the side sills of the module. By pusing the button, the lever will turn a 8mm brass rod, connected to a second lever below the traverser. This second lever operates two bolts that will fit into notches, milled to an aluminum channel. These channels are mounted on the traverser. Springs are used to hold the whole mechanism in closed position.



Now I was able to set up the first operation session with my modules at home. I had a sharp 90° emergency corner on hand to set up a L-shaped layout. Here are some photos. Next I've to continue with the vegetation and landscape. I just added a new structure and some vehicles. The trees are just placed for the photo. I'll determine their final position tomorrow and plant them.



The photo quality is not so good as there's bad light in this room... But I can lock the door and keep my little cats away from the model trains ;-)

That's all for now. Maybe I'll have new photos during the next days...

Cheers, Gerd

[P5se Camelback]

Whoa!

Now that's a way-cool idea!!!!

That transfer table in your fiddle yard is just the ticket to solve a problem I came up against in my planning when I decided that a "return loop" under the proposed layout in "hidden staging" was no doubt a.) Asking for trouble, and b.) Probably not a good idea anyway, due to my general lack of ability with any kind of electrical stuff!
Plus getting down to go around it involved a convoluted journey that was only inches shorter that the visible mainline trackage! :?

Thanks! Great Idea!!! With mechanical stuff, I am infinitely comfortable, no matter how complicated, but even the "simplest" electrical stuff gives me short circuit fits! Everyone says straight DC is simple ... right!

[If I even just look at an electric device in my car, I will have a short circuit somewhere on the car before the end of the day!]

[P5se Camelback]

Whoa!

Now that's a way-cool idea!!!!

That transfer table in your fiddle yard is just the ticket to solve a problem I came up against in my planning when I decided that a "return loop" under the proposed layout in "hidden staging" was no doubt a.) Asking for trouble, and b.) Probably not a good idea anyway, due to my general lack of ability with any kind of electrical stuff!
Plus getting down to go around it involved a convoluted journey that was only inches shorter that the visible mainline trackage! :?

Thanks! Great Idea!!! With mechanical stuff, I am infinitely comfortable, no matter how complicated, but even the "simplest" electrical stuff gives me short circuit fits! Everyone says straight DC is simple ... right!

[If I even just look at an electric device in my car, I will have a short circuit somewhere on the car before the end of the day!]

[Waldbahner]

Hello again,

meanwhile, the first modules are finished. I just have to add some wood and a loading crane to the pulpwood landing. The crane (GHQ Bucyrus 30-B) is actually on my workbench and will be finished soon.

Here are some photos of the finished modules "Topton" and "end-of-line"... I hope you enjoy them. Next I'll build 2 curver modules, but first I've to do some progress on my big Shay.


Click on Thumbs for large picture.


Click on Thumbs for large picture.


Click on Thumbs for large picture.

Cheers, Gerd

[Harry]

great work Gerd !!!!!