Building a New Layout

[jonathan]

Thanks, John!

Regards,

Jonathan

[jonathan]

I have enough trackwork/wiring done that I can play with a little scenery.  The next several shots show some of the progress.

A friend gave me a couple of old backdrops he found in his father's attic (had a date of 1974 on 'em).  So, I...

Cut the sky out (from the backdrop);

Mounted the drop to the sky-board with matte medium; and

Blended the edges with some of the paint that was used for the sky-board.

Finally, I put some ground foam and trees (the dead one is real) in front of the backdrop scene.

The shots start in close and move back so you can see the effect from a normal observing distance:


The retaining wall is represented by some card stock, as a place holder.  Will put some kind of flexible retaining wall in there eventually.


I won't ballast the mainline until every locomotive can make it around without derailing, in both directions.  The Bachmann locos work just fine.  Now I'm tweaking the track so even my most sensitive brassie can run the gauntlet.


Up to 14 on my stall-O-meter.  Only three to go.  All the tracks are wired.  This is where I'm using up my old ballast.


The mainline will have a very nice, light buff-colored ballast.  I'm mixing medium and fine grain together.

Regards,

Jonathan

[rogertra]

Coming along really nicely.

Meanwhile, mine's dragging it's heels. 

Cheers

Roger T.

[jonathan]

Thanks roger!

Regards,

Joanathan

[ebtnut]

Isn't it amazing what just a little bit of scenery will do for a layout?  Good stuff, Jonathon.

[jonathan]

Thanks ebt!

Regards,

Jonathan

[on30gn15]

Looks like that'll work!
While we're talking roundhouses and turntables - how about a minor tangent from earlier today of where this one in Greece has the stall approach track area around rails leveled with concrete and painted yellow. http://www.railpictures.net/photo/592033/

[RAM]

Most  if not all tracks in engine serves areas are fill in up to the rail heads.  Just think,  there are all kinds of worker walking back an forth,  Some of them pulling carts, Trucks moving here & there.  I see you have some locomotives backed into the round house.  Locomotives pull into the round house for two reasons, The smoke vents are in the back, and most work is done on the locomotive,

[J3a-614]

Most  if not all tracks in engine serves areas are fill in up to the rail heads.  Just think,  there are all kinds of worker walking back an forth,  Some of them pulling carts, Trucks moving here & there.  I see you have some locomotives backed into the round house.  Locomotives pull into the round house for two reasons, The smoke vents are in the back, and most work is done on the locomotive,

I bet RAM is saying "Phooey!!" or something he can't print, thanks to editing problems!

Locomotives pull into the round house for two reasons, The smoke vents are in the back, and there is more room where the stalls are wider, the light is better from all those windows, and with most work being done on the front of locomotive.

I'll also add that a lot of roundhouses and other facilities, including some on the B&O, had wooden walkways or sidewalks, including some running parallel to the front of the roundhouse, between the roundhouse stalls and the turntable.

Just another option to consider!  

[jonathan]

Indeed, I have been considering filling in up to the railheads around my roundhouse.  Half the locomotives that will park there are brassies, which are incredibly sensitive to all kinds of things.  I am hesitant to get the tracks more prototypical around this area, for fear of not being able to get the brass out smoothly.  Operability is more important to me here.  Still, I will probably add more ballast as I get braver.  I will stop when things get dicey backing out of the roundhouse.

As for backing in... All the locomotives will eventually drive in forward.  Right now I'm just trying to keep them out of the way while smoothing out the trackwork.  Funny, I thought larger radii would solve most of the running problems of my locomotives.  That works to a degree.  I'm finding my biggest problem is laying used track and roadbed. This has led to unforeseen humps and dips.  I'm getting the last few cleared up.

Planning a couple of short tunnels, and I can't have any issues with track when areas become unreachable.

The real fun will be scratchbuilding triple track tunnel portals, as there are none on the market... and triple track tunnel portals are really, really rare in the real world, too.  I have found one so far in my searches.

Regards,

Jonathan

[Len]

You could use code 70 rail to create flangeways on the stall tracks to keep ballast away from loco wheels. Or use basswood strips to simulate 'timber' walkways between, and along side, the stall track rails.

Len

[RAM]

J3a I was half asleep when I wrote that.  In fact I would wake up and have 4 or 5 lines of the same letter.  I should have deleted it and went to bed.

[J3a-614]

J3a I was half asleep when I wrote that.  In fact I would wake up and have 4 or 5 lines of the same letter.  I should have deleted it and went to bed.

That can happen to the best of us.   

[J3a-614]

The real fun will be scratchbuilding triple track tunnel portals, as there are none on the market... and triple track tunnel portals are really, really rare in the real world, too.  I have found one so far in my searches.

Regards,

Jonathan

Like bridges, tunnels in triple track country are usually in pairs, one single, the other double, usually as a result of a new tunnel going in at some point next to an older one.  Don't know how you might tackle this given the relatively minimal track spacing you have, but that might be something to look at.

[jonathan]

Yep.  Now that my layout is half the size of my old one, I'm having to compromise a bit.  Hard to pack as much action into a smaller space. The whole idea of three tracks was to allow for switching operations while trains were moving past.  And I love that area moving through Sand Patch/Cumberland.  Some of the best photos of old B&O was along that mainline... which happened to be triple track along part of that route. Anyway, I'm afraid I'm going to have to live with three tracks in one tunnel.  Soooo....



These are made of 1/2-inch plywood.  I traced the pattern of a double track portal and stretched it.  Adding a little detail to them, to keep them from being too dull.

Regards,

Jonathan