Rainbows in the Lehigh Valley Gorge

[TMo]

Here we go....  my thread on this forum for my model railroad.  Hope to add to this - paralleling my website devoted to the same subject.

I'll start at the beginning in Armstrong fashion by filling out the Givens and Druthers:

This is the “Givens and Druthers” that the late John Armstrong used when designing layouts for people. It’s a very useful way to clarify your thoughts about what you want to do with yoThis is the “Givens and Druthers” that the late John Armstrong used when designing layouts for people. It’s a very useful way to clarify your thoughts about what you want to do with your model railroad.

Givens and Druthers

"Rainbows in the Gorge"
Scale:  HO
Gauge: Standard

Prototype: The section of the ex-Lehigh Valley mainline running between Jim Thorpe through White Haven, PA, now known as the Lehigh Valley Gorge.  The trackage rights were owned by Conrail, but the Delaware and Hudson also had rights on the same tracks during the period I'm modeling. 

Era: Summer of 1976
Region: Lehigh Valley Gorge
Railroad: Conrail and Delaware and Hudson

Space:

The layout runs around my office, which is a wierd space in my basement.  Diagram is below:

   


Governing Rolling Stock: Primary trains running through the gorge included the Apollo TOFC trains on 89' flat cars.  I also run a coal drag and a local cement train running from Allentown to Wilkes Barre.

Relative Emphasis: (move the V)

|___________________________________V__________|
Track/Operation .................................................. ..Scenic realism
|____V_________________________________________|
Mainline Running .................................................. ........ Switching

Operation Priorities: (rearrange as required)

1. Main-Line Freight Train Operations

Typical operating Crew: ___1___

Eye Level (Owner) _63__In.



Add to this any features required or intolerable (e.g. duckunders, multiple levels).ur model railroad.

Features include sharp turns and grades running at around 2% - 2 duckunders were deemed necessary to allow the office to function.  Eye level operation and freedom below the layout for storage and access.  I wanted to store trains on the lower level and have them magically appear on the upper level using a tunnel (there is one in the gorge at Rockport) and some cleverly disguised buildings in the town of Hazleton.

Next post will be my track diagram (circa 2006 in pencil).

[TMo]

So, I had this weirdly shaped room and a vision of what I'd like to model.  It was going to be mainline action in a very remote and scenic wilderness.  I'd include the town of White Haven, PA and a little bit of Hazleton, PA.  I'd also include the Mud Run curve, Rockport tunnel, the railroad bridge over the Lehigh just south of White Haven, and Penn Haven Junction.  But I really didn't know that for sure - I got pictures of these areas and looked for design opportunities to add each.

I made a lot of wild plans that included helixes, peninsulas jutting into the room, etc. before settling on a plan that works for this room:  (this was on two pieces of graph paper)

   
   

There's some overlap on the drawing, sorry about that, maybe I'll try to cut it down.  Someday I'll also make a better color representation. 

This diagram is oriented the same way as my "floor plan" presented in my previous message.  There's a doorway into the room, a duckunder to the middle of the room, and then in the lower left corner, another duckunder to get to my library.  I've only had a few "run-ins" with the duckunders, but they are memorable.

Anyway, this is just a very basic "twice around" loop on two levels.  The exterior loop runs down to the storage level and joins the second interior loop at two switches (one at Penn Haven Junction near a bridge over the Lehigh, one inside Rockport tunnel) which force the trains to the upper level.  As the exterior loop runs down, the interior loop is running up to allow for headroom for the trains running on the storage level.  The highpoint of the layout is just before a bridge over the Lehigh River just south of the town of White Haven.  At some point very soon I'll share a video I took of a train running all the way around the layout.

The storage level has 4 parallel tracks at it's widest point - three sets of ladder switches that allow for trains to run around the ladders.  Unfortunately, I've found that the outer two segments of the ladder are the only ones long enough to house my TOFC and coal drag trains, so they really clog things up down there - I should have provided for longer ladders, but too late now.

The whole idea was to allow me to run trains all day while I work in my office.  If I got bored, I'd switch out a train and run another.  One of my other interests was actually trying to do some scenery to model the lonely old gorge.

I could have modeled double track operations through the gorge since it was still double-tracked in 1976.  Today it's a single track, and that's what I decided to go with to allow for more room to model scenery.

[ezdays]

Step one is always the hardest, not sure how any of us gets our layouts started, but it looks like you're on the right track (pun intended)....

Keep us posted on your progress

[Charlie B]

I like your plan and it should work without any major problems. 
I started drawing layouts when I was in grade school and running American Flyer. If I had a dime for all the layouts I have drawn over the years I could buy a steak dinner. My current layout is the first one that I built from a drawing and I still changed it significantly during construction.  I need to make a revised drawing to post to my layout thread. I look forward to your posts and thanks for contributing. You are helping to fill a void. 
Charlie

[TMo]

In my last installment of this thread I promised some video.  The link below is a video taken earlier this week with a camera mounted on a flat car and pushed by one of my trains.  The film starts exiting the Hazleton end of the storage yard, rises through the Black Creek to Penn Haven Junction, runs through the Rockport tunnel and up through Mud Run Curve and White Haven, PA before heading back over the river and emerging back on the other side of the switch at Penn Haven Junction, goes through the tunnel and down into the storage area.  Some of the coverage is in dark sections of the storage area - my apologies.  I've been meaning to install some LED strip lights down there but haven't procured the hardware.  Enjoy!

https://morristhemoosetm.wixsite.com/rai...collection

[Charlie B]

Outstanding. Your scenery is beautiful. 
Charlie

[tompm]

Awesome video!

[TMo]

Glad you like that.  Still quite a bit to do.  I'm concentrating my efforts on the areas between the track and the backdrop when I get a little free time.  In the spring and summer months, that free time is in very short bursts.

[TMo]

A couple of years ago I built my son a desk.  L-shaped, pretty big.  He wanted something he could put two big monitors on for gaming.  His finishing touch for the desk was to add LED strip lights.  I thought they were pretty neat but not much more than decorative.

Well, as I've been adding scenery to the upper (viewing) level of my layout, the lower (storage) tracks have become shaded to the point of being dark and murky.  Trying to make up trains in the storage area was getting tedious if not impossible.  Had a set of under-cabinet puck lights and installed them in a couple of strategic areas down there but didn't nearly have enough.

Saw Home Depot had 15- and 30-foot long LED strips for sale.  I got to thinking that those strip lights might be just what the doctor ordered...

Found a cheap set 15-foot long on ebay and got 'em for cheap.  Adhesive backed, stick nicely to plywood - not so well to cardboard.  Joined them to a 12V transformer and there you have it, instant light with no impact to layout headroom!

   

[Charlie B]

That is a good idea, I have 45 feet of them in my drawer and they were waiting for a good idea to use them. I don't have two layers, but I am anticipating many hours under the layout redoing switches and installing the wiring for the buildings and this will be a good use for them. Thanks for the idea.
Charlie

[doctorwayne]

A couple of years ago I built my son a desk.  L-shaped, pretty big. 

I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only one building desks for our kids.

My youngest daughter wanted one for her artistic endeavours, so several years ago, I built this one with large deep drawers...

   


...and the centre of the top flips up to act as an easel

   

To move it, (it weighs at least a couple hundred pounds)  the entire top is removeable as one piece.

This one, at right, was built last year, and does double-duty for her to sew her custom-made saleable "Shanimals" for younger children, and also allow her own two young children to attend on-line schooling during the pandemic...

   

As you can see in the photo below, there's a roll-out set of storage drawers in the corner

   

Wayne

[TMo]

Ah, the things we'll do for our kids! Well done, Wayne! Recently moved my son's desk to his apartment - we're empty nesters again!

[UP SD40-2]

GREAT WORK, so far Todd  , loved the vid  .

Your D&H engines are Awesome! , love that color scheme 

[TMo]

Thanks! I need to redo the video now that you can actually see the lower level courtesy of the new lights...

Yep, the blue and gray with the lightning stripe is nice. Did up an undecorated C628 a few years ago, and the scheme was a bit of a challenge. Laid out my masking tape and then cut it to the profile of the "Z". Turned out nice after applying the decals. It was a bit of a revelation after doing research on 1976 to discover that there was a "run through" agreement between Conrail and the D&H and that the D&H asssumed the running of the Apollo trains between New York and Buffalo. When I found that out, I had to have D&H power and TOFC operation. Started with my first RS36 and I've steadily added power. Would like to get one of the Ex-LV GP38's one day. I also have an opportunity to turn a EL SD45 into a "gray with blue stripe" D&H unit, but I haven't sold myself on doing it yet.

[Charlie B]

Todd, here are a couple photos of the Apollo that I took in April, 1978. Maybe of some use to you. One head end and one caboose.         Charlie