My Grande Valley Railway in the "N"ormal scale

[Tyson Rayles]

Now you just need to paint up a couple hundred people and turn them loose on the streets!

[Catt]

Got some people,just don't want to plunk them down till I have finalized the building layout.

[Catt]

More downtown pics

[ak-milw]

That's going to be a good sized town.



8-)

[Catt]

I'm working on a new layout plan to replace this monster in my basement.I've finally accepted the fact that the current layout will never get done in my lifetime.Not planning on checking out to soon but I will be 70 in January and I am a long ways from done with this one.So anyway here is my preliminary plan based like the Onandaga sub on a HO plan but this time a real railroad.So anyway enough chatter here's a drawing of the starting point of the layout I will be starting on next spring. :mrgreen:



^ This is the open side , the other 3 sides are snug to the walls. ^
Some stats for the new plan are 10'6" wide x 9' deep x 52-54" high,and yes it will be DCC.

[Catt]

I'm actually looking forward to the destruction of this layout as I know it.Over the first 3 months of 2015 I will get the new benchwork sorted out and materials bought as needed.Aside from the size of the layout ,the scale of the trains run on it, the only thing written in stone is the fact there will be a river ,a small city ,and both rail and non rail served industries.

The real given is the railroad is set in today.As I have no fond memories of steam as I was 6 weeks old the first time and 6 months old the last time I rode behind steam and I am less than two weeks from being 70. :mrgreen:

[Catt]

Well nothing I said in my last post happened,but yesterday I removed the buildings from Bel - Aire and today I ripped up the streets and the track looping around the town (I have pics :mrgreen: ) Everything from the retaining wall out down as far as the phone is history .It has been so long since I did this part of the layout I had forgotton that I already have 18" wide benchwork just waiting to come in from the cold.I can actually finish the bench work with four !' x 3" 8' long.(plus the extruded Styrofoam but I already have that available).





Hopefully by the time the week end is over there will be more progress pictures.

[Tyson Rayles]

Good to see you are back on this Catt.

[Catt]

I'm wearing myself out but I want to get to the point of being able to run trains as soon as possible.(ain't gettin' any younger)

[Catt]

Today's progress

More "de/reconstruction" pics. This is the new location for Bel-Aire.Current thinking is to run the mainline right down the middle of Main street.Anyone got any thoughts on that idea.This area is 9' long ,I'm thinking about four maybe five feet of that for the down town.

[BR60103]

Running down Main Street will at least make the interesting side of half the buildings be visible.
In Niagara Falls, Ont., one of the lines ran at one side of a major street and on the other side of the tracks there was a hill that ran down to the river and the falls. (I am not suggesting that you model a major river.)

[faraway]

....Current thinking is to run the mainline right down the middle of Main street....

Be aware not to model the buildings at the front side of the street running in a form of canyon. I had that and it is extreme uncomfortable to switch a train visibly hidden behind a string of buildings.

[Tyson Rayles]

While it's true it can be a pain to switch or uncouple cars in a canyon or valley formed by buildings or landscaping the effect of that area can be quite stunning visually and for a lot of people worth the trade off.

[ak-milw]

Moving right along Catt.I might of missed this but why did you take that part off. I think running down the street will give you great pictures taken from the end of the layout.

[Catt]

I'm getting to old and to crippled up to ever get the large layout done,plus I want to bring my big (for) Z layout inside out of the cold I started this layout back in the 1990s but due to one thing or another I just could not get down stairs to work on it.That's not the end of the layout Andy just the end of that benchwork,but you know your right that will give me the opportunity for some great pictures. :mrgreen:

The only thing that will slow me down is there is quite a bit of ballasted track to pull up.