cuyama With the many facing-point and trailing-point spurs and no runaround, this layout would range from extremely tedious to impossible to switch.
With the many facing-point and trailing-point spurs and no runaround, this layout would range from extremely tedious to impossible to switch.
Two locomotives would be needed so cars could shuttled between locos to service all spurs.
Mark
markpiercebut tunnels were extremely rare on logging railroads. They weren't usually long-lived enough to justify the expense of tunneling.
I agree but they did exist.
from Brian
Another thing that distinguishes the Kerry line from most other logging railroads was its 1875 foot long tunnel. It was one of the longest of the few logging railroad tunnels that ever existed in the Western U.S. and Canada. And one of only three logging railroad tunnels in Northwest Oregon. The other two are the Westport Tunnel and the Portland & Southwestern Tunnel. In addition to the Deep River logging tunnel in Southwest Washington, two Spruce Production Division tunnels near Lake Crescent, Washington and the twoMarble Creek logging railroad tunnels in Idaho.
"The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination."-Albert Einstein
http://gearedsteam.blogspot.com/
cuyama But it might be helpful to note the pluses and minuses of plans when recommending them.
Byron-read this slowly okay?
Geared Steam A member here entered this layout as part of a Spacemouse contest, it's On30, and was limited to a 4x8 sheet o' plywood. It could be expanded and converted to On3 quite easily. I hope to build it some day.
A member here entered this layout as part of a Spacemouse contest, it's On30, and was limited to a 4x8 sheet o' plywood. It could be expanded and converted to On3 quite easily.
I hope to build it some day.
With the many facing-point and trailing-point spurs and no runaround, this layout would range from extremely tedious to impossible to switch. The 15" radius is possibly adequate for On30, but a lot of On3 equipment is stiffer and might not operate well on that radius.
Like many plans constrained by the gimmick of cutting up a single sheet of plywood, it neither makes good use of the overall space nor offers a very engaging operating experience. If your interest is in a mostly static scenic diorama, might be a different story. Although, as Mark noted, real-life logging railroads very rarely had tunnels.
Since the original poster has not returned and never gave any indication of space (and since his previous posts are all related to N scale), this may not be a serious inquiry anyway. But it might be helpful to note the pluses and minuses of plans when recommending them.
Byron
Layout Design GalleryLayout Design Special Interest Group
Geared Steam A member here entered this layout as part of a Spacemouse contest, it's On30, and was limited to a 4x8 sheet o' plywood. It could be expanded and converted to On3 quite easily.
... but tunnels were extremely rare on logging railroads. They weren't usually long-lived enough to justify the expense of tunneling.
West Coast S If I were to model a logging line it would be the Lake Tahoe Railway & Navigation Co., a narrow guage operation that connected Lake Tahoe with the SP interchange at Reno. ... bear in mind this was a profitable operation with much tourist traffic in the summer which is why SP purchased and standard guaged the line in 1924.
If I were to model a logging line it would be the Lake Tahoe Railway & Navigation Co., a narrow guage operation that connected Lake Tahoe with the SP interchange at Reno. ... bear in mind this was a profitable operation with much tourist traffic in the summer which is why SP purchased and standard guaged the line in 1924.
The line ran between Truckee, CA and Lake Tahoe, following the banks of the Truckee River. From the start, it was a tourist operation, and narrow gauge operations followed the tourist season, operating from May to November. There was little freight other than forest products. (David Myrick, Railroads of Nevada and Eastern California Vol. 1)
The SP acquired the railroad on October 15, 1925 and standard-gauged it soon after, beginning standard-gauge operation by May 1926. Pullman sleepers were operated on the line. Operations included passenger and mixed trains, but stopped upon the outbreak of WWII, and the branchline was abandoned on November 10, 1943. ... The SP provided pace trains for dog sled races. With the Depression and encroaching roads, railroad activity was reduced in the 1930s. (John R. Signor, Donner Pass, Southern Pacific's Sierra Crossing)
The Grand Canyon Railway, a subsidiary of the ATSF, was also principally a tourist line but served logging and livestock activities. It still operates as an independent, tourist-only line between Williams, AZ and the South Rim.
While both railroads had connections with independent logging lines, I wouldn't consider the Lake Tahoe or Grand Canyon lines to be logging railroads. Nevertheless, they would lend themselves to be more interesting layouts than a pure logging operation.
Check out the Narrow Gauge and Short Line Gazette as it has track plans and a lot of information on logging railroads.
Sir Madog Kalmbach, our host, publishes a book about logging railroads, which, IMHO, is a must for anyone interested in logging railroads. There should be plenty of inspiration for you to design your own layout! (I know there is - I have the book!) Take a look here
Kalmbach, our host, publishes a book about logging railroads, which, IMHO, is a must for anyone interested in logging railroads.
There should be plenty of inspiration for you to design your own layout! (I know there is - I have the book!)
Take a look here
If I were to model a logging line it would be the Lake Tahoe Railway & Navigation Co., a narrow guage operation that connected Lake Tahoe with the SP interchange at Reno. Their modest fleet of oil burning 2-6-0's were virtual dead ringer for the Bachman models, bear in mind this was a profitable operation with much tourist traffic in the summer which is why SP purchased and standard guaged the line in 1924. The LTR&N interchaged at Lake Tahoe with several independent companies and it was a transload point for finished lumber shipped across the lake by steam ship
There was also a first class resort located here with a attached dock for passenger steamer service . No rattle trap log cars for this line, they used typical for the time 40 foot standard guage steel flatcars with narrow guage trucks, 3/4 Jenny couplers with custom log bunks that could be removed allowing the full deck to used for loads such as finished lumber which was the vast majority of the outbound traffic.
Bachman is also dead on with the passenger equiptment. With the aformention attributes I for one can ignore the On30 to On3 variance.
Dave
By applying the proper modifications, almost any track plan can be considered suitable for a logging road. The logging theme is developed, for the most part, by the scenery surrounding the track and the rolling stock using it.
Proper modifications?
The logging roads I've seen, on both sides of the Pacific, had a general 'feel' of, "Don't spend any more than you have to." The main stem would be solidly built, but temporary branches to temporary camps were put in as cheaply as possible. In many cases "...dodging the bigger stumps..." was literally true. That's the approach I'm taking with my own logging subsidiary.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - with a 30 inch gauge forest railway)
Moseman,
As a suggestion, you may get more responses if you provide more information about what you are looking for in a layout. Answering a few questions might be helpful.
How much and what space is available for the layout?
Do you want continuous run or switching?
Other than logging what is the broader theme of the layout?
Just a suggestion,
Sean
Good Morning,
Does anyone know a good source of free track plans for logging in on3?
thanks,
MOSEMAN