Port Allen like it's tomorrow waiting in a big box to be open in summer
I open this post for the on the way planning and future construction of the extension of my Maclau River in N scale.
I have already mentionned I live now in Québec; the room for my layout need big works which are not started for now,; You all know the winter is heavy here in Canada and the room is not well heated.
I hope to begin to work for the room early in summer; contractor has already take appointement to put a new heating system and isolate the building which was an old wood workshop; big cleaning, painting, some walls to condemn like Windows are the modifications on the list too; a drop ceiling already exist but need to be heavily cleaned for dust and new lighting like electricity specificaly for the layout need also to be put in the room.
My extension for the layout is the achievement of my dream empire layout which has run in my head since 45 years.
Since a few months I work ( unfortunately slowly because lack of time due to my new installation) on a new track plan.
I will share my layout plan, my benchwork construction which is not usual, electrical arrangements,and scenery construction
And I wait for your comments of course !
Concept background:
The Maclau River is a fictitious line in Virginia parallel of the NW which start at Corinnesburgh with her Port Allen (which already exist) and end at Cincinatti; the company has many exchanges with the N&W and the C&O for transportation.
The one deck layout philosophy is a long mainline with some double track but also big siding and one track main; the main doubled to itself starting at a big town, one part going "down" along the Maclau River and one part going "up" in the hills, probably two branch line will be included in the design
The line cross numerous villages with big and small industries like many small port towns along the River; my other blog about Fos wharf is the future of Port Elisabeth, the biggest town along the River.
I am fortunate enough to have had the chance to keep my Port Allen all these years with me, even if my life was not a quiet river with numerous moves; thanks dad to design the layout transportable in a big module fashions 45 years ago.;his last move was accross the atlantic to live with me in Quebec.
The philosophy:
The operational theme is first coal transportation and steam is primary power, but also mixed freight.
Coal will be really transported with really operating mine and the coal trains will be decharged on real working coal dumper ( see my other blogs about them).
This include a good timetable and quiet a lot of local switching, but I don't ask to go to far in "real operations"
Sure two yards will be included in the layout, I like yards.
Design:
The basic design is a walkaround layout along the walls with two big peninsula, no depht over 3', I try to maintain all track at 2.5' from the edge.
The design includes curves not under 18" ( in Port Allen some are 15" this is part of my old design 45 years ago)
The rule is to use the broadest curves as possible, I prefer to adapt my scenery to broad curves; I will use the Yardstick method to trace the track and cut the roadbed; on long run may be spline will be used.
Staging will be included under Corinnesburgh to simulate Norfolk and an another one simulating Cincinati and probably a third one in the middle of the hills sub to allowing exchange with N&W et C&O but also to open the company to the "real world"; I try to include return loop in the staging
Track is only ME code 55, turnouts on main are #8 even some #10; industrial and yard are for the most #6, curved are #8; except Port Allen which use Peco code 55 turnouts and track, , new track turnouts will be Fastrack home made turnouts with a few piece of Peco track like double slip.
Switch machines are Tortoise on the main but I will probably come back to Hankscraft display motors which I already use in Port Allen ( more than 25 without any trouble since 30 years) because they are cheaper.
DCC (now Lenz) will be upgrated probably to Digitrax with CVP handled throttle, power shields and accessories.
I'm not avid and don't now a lot about electronics, so the layout will be quiet simple in some aspects and some may be will say it's a vintage conception but I need to maintain and understand how my layout work
Grade is maximum 2.5%, river route will go down on no more than 1.8%
Only main turnouts are motorized; all local are manual, all yard turnouts are motorized.
To operate turnouts,local panels and probably a centralized one will be used.
Benchwork is my own design build in modules; I use only plywood but fixed on a iron frame like my Port Allen; this allow to have a minimum of foot under the benchwork and extreme rigidity in construction.
Benchwork level "0" is at 53" from the floor.
All plywood and cutting work will be done out of the room and wood benchwork will be painted.
I'm a iron worker by formation and will use many standardization for iron frames modules and support construction and also template to speed up construction
Backdrop will be hanged linoleum, not often used in US and probably in Canada but often used in Europe; quick to build, easy to put in place and without any cracks in the future and no dust in the making of.
Layout lighting is only led with night effect concealed in a valance; all the valance, ceiling and contours of the layout will be black painted to make a lighted layout box showcase.
Valance will contains curtains to protect the layout when not in use from dust
Scenery hardshell is Red Rosin Paper to avoid dust with already molded rocks glued on; vertical scenery will be used to make big hills where the N scale trains snake
Big project of around 15 years to be completed I beleive; benchwork is around 4 months work, track laying in two years and the rest...... just a whish
But I want to complete main first before anything else so trains could run along the layout, this is my primary goal
STEEL FRAME AND STEEL SUPPORTS FOR WOOD BENCHWORK
These little plans explain my concept of steel frame.
Course, to build them you need to have the skills to solder steel
The plan show the use of 1.5'' x1.5'' x 1/16''; I will probably use a smaller tube like 1,1'' x 1,1'' x 1/16''; I feel they are strong enough.
The frames of modules are all bolted together, with 1/3'' nuts; I already use this way with the existing parts of my layout; this give an extremly rigid construction.
The peninsula post will be connected together with bolted tubes on which the frame will be bolted too.
The 1/2'' plywood is screwed and glued on the steel frame; cross members are screwed on these as necessary; I use a standard format for the plywood which is 3'' X 1/2'' of thickness; the wood construction follow conventionnal construction.
Since I'm an iron worker these steel frames are easy and simple to do and are fast to do if I build a Template.
Advantage are less foot Under the layout and rigidity; they allow to have the layout to be disassemble easily for a move if necessary; this conception has give me the opportunity to save my layout after severals move and keep it with me here in Canada.
Wouaw guy's I can only say the weather is cold here in Québec, snow comes and go, but for now everything is frozen heavily.
I was coming in Québec last february but the weather was quiet comfortable at this time compared of what we have now.
I have had an appointement with the contractor last week which will do some heavy work on the building where the future layout room is, these few days work will start in the coming summer
He will make some roof repairs, some isolation work and modify and condamn some doors and windows in the train room and get out a small wall in concrete which hidde an old toilet out of use; I will reduce the entrance of a sliding hanged door room in half, it's now 10'' width; I ask a door entrance of the layout room of 3' to have place to enter wood panel or layout construction piece easily; I will build a metallic door myself for this special entrance with rubber join to limit dust entrance in the room; there are special profile for this and I can found them easily here in Canada
It's now evident that the layout construction is delayed to the autumn or even next winter because there is lot of work and wheather now didn't help to begun them
This update of the room need first a big dust cleaning, the room was an old wood workshop, cleaning include the suspended ceiling, a big an difficult work, It need probably to dissasemble the ceiling; the updates are new ceiling lighting with leds ,new wall paint, new floor paint, floor vinyl may be later and new heating system.
All will be done by myself with maybe the help of a friend in part of the work.
There is also a high electrical power line which run along the wallS with severals high voltage plugs and deviceS which were used for the wood machine in the workshop; this line need to be tear down completely including accessories.
I estimate a three days labor to dissasemble the ceiling; dust will be blow of with compressed air to extract the most of the dust from the ceiling but probaly too on the walls.
After will come a light spray wash of water and let dry everything with some heating a couple of weeks
Paint will goes quickly because I will rent and use a high pressure professional airbrush to paint wall, floor and may be the ceiling tiles; I have already used these in Europe and you are able to cover with paint square miles in a day with such device.
Clever arrangement of the new heating system, it will be placed strategicaly following the implantation of the layout, I do it myself because again I have do it severals time in Europe for working purposes.
There is an existing ventilation system in the room which seems working very well, and also seems brand new, but I will try to put on a filtering system to minimize dust income in the room, some exhaust need to be displaced to not blow directly on the future layout.
The ground is not well leveled, it seems the previous owner had pour himself the concrete for his workshop, there is some dump and up in the floor level and a difference of more than 2" from one side to the other side of the room but when you walk in the room this is invisible, without any feeling but I need to follow exactly the layout level to not make any mistakes with the non straight level of the ground.
Cleaning will start soon and some old stuff need to be displaced to the trash; dissasemble of the suspended ceiling is probably and unfortunately the first necessary work to obtain a well cleaned room, any craks in the wall or eselwhere is full of wood dust to not say of ibs of wood dust !
If I disassemble the ceiling t's also the occasion to learn and put attach for the future valence of the layout , run the wiring for the layout lighting and paint the ceiling tile of these area in white or blue; I will test it.
I hope also to begun to build the three or four templates I need to solder my metallic support and frame; this is for the coming weeks if weather permit it; I have found a good lumberyard not far from here and a saler of metallic profiles; good news he is able to cut the tubes for me for a bargain price included in the order.
Some will say it's a gigantic works, yes course, but most of these works were part of my professionnal work in Europe and I know how to do and work quickly with organisation about them.
Because I will update the electrical existing installation of the room, I will do it to my use and particular needs for a train room
Course new electrical installation for powering the room, I ask to include an electrical system which completely isolate the room electricaly from the rest of the building; the room electrical power need to be completely switch off and will be protected by his own power fuses.
From there I would to have four lines for powering the layout room, one for the lighting of the room, one for the power plugs, one for the layout lighting, one for the layout needs like DCC power, transformer accessories and all the rest dedicated for the layout.
Ventilation could be cut off too like the heating system of the room.
And all the four layout room electrical lines will have they own power switch and protected by they own fuse beside the centralized ones of the room.
Power plugs for layout construction will be also strategicaly placed in the room, but I don't want to have a plug with a between distance of more than 20'
I will do it myself because this was also part of my work in Europe, but in final the lines will be controled by professionnal and anyway all these lines will be mounted following the Canadian electrical appliance, stuff I'm in the way to learn.
I used such electrical divison for my layout in Europe, it's very flexible and safe for any electrical dangerous potential.
See you next time
This is a not to scale sketch of the future home of my layout.
The first sketch show the room as it exist now and the second how it will be after some work.
Windows and some doors are condamned, new place for a toilet and some arrangement of the space including a small guest room for future visitors
One option is to replace the three supporting post which are of course not at the good place to work with my plan, by two I beam side by side, the kind of 1.5' height
The second floor of the building is just a wood floor with nothing on; I will may be transform it in the future as a small appartement for my dochter in law; anyway this mean not an extremly heavy weight.
I have also done such replacement with I beam in Europe whithout any trouble;and here to be sure, because of the 46' lenght I will use two beams side by side, I have ask an offer about it.
I think is necessary to put the little "backstory" of my railroad company which to give him a somewhere real existence.
My railroald in N scale is freelance, but need a story to be credible and to explain his existence.
Norfolk and Western railroad birth in the 1850's, come from a merging of around 200 very small trains companies (this is the real story of the beginning of the N&W) in Virginia.
I'm a big fan of the N&W and the way how this company was managed allowing this company to be concurential with big first class railroads but also by maintening steam power extremly late without no concurrential trouble
Here comes the story of the N scale Maclau River.
The N&W failed to obtain rights on a small line along the Maclau River in the 1850's ( fictitious river in Virginia, which is similar of the Ohio river and can be navigate from the seaside at Nortfolk to far in the country .
But under the pressure of the neightboor N&W, the managers of the MR rr line have struggle hard to put rail along the Maclau River and join Cincinati but they also put rails in the surrounding hills of the river to serve the numerous coal mines and small industries in this country; finaly this small company become the Maclau River RR.
The line was strategicaly placed with an alternate route going from Norfolk to Cincinati and really parallel of the N&W main route to the same destination.
When in the 20's, the N&W become a really class one railroad, it was evident he can't manage his traffic with only his private route.
So after big negociations, an agreement comes between the two companies to use the Maclau River as a transfer and alternate route for some N&W trains, but also the possibility to the MR rr to use some N&W coal facilities at Norfolk.
Finaly the maclau River was an excellent brother of the N&W because it allowed the N&W to have an alternate route to Cincinati for some overbooked train scheduled on his system.
The Maclau River is just along the Maclau hills which are also rich in coal and populated by severals mines and small indusrties in small village; the river itself has a few ports along with dock facilities or rotary coal dumper to haul coal or merchandises to Norfolk; with the agreement some are hauled with N&W power on the line.
But finaly the Maclau River company merged with the N&W in 1947 just after WWII, when his president died in a big train crash along the river.
This story allow me to set my railroad in the late thirties, I love this period
I love to model old ship steamer of this period, I like small rural port of this period all heavily serviced by trains, but also the coal transportation and train facilities for train to ship transportation like coal dumper.
Coal transportation is the first revenue of the company but also transfer transportation for the N&W; this allow me to use equipment of the N&W on my railroad like locomotives and specific cars without to be enclosed in a prototypical modeling of the N&W; this exchange is the opening to the real world and the credibility of staging yard.
It also allow me to modeling the beautiful Virginia scenery which is very similar of a part of my country Belgium what we call " les ardennes" ; I will model it using the vertical scenery concept which is impressive in N scale.
The railroad has two division, one called the river line along the Maclau river which serve severals ports; the second the hills route which go in the country to pick up coal from the mine, merchandises in small industries and bring it back to the river; both sub lines crossover in the town of Corinnesburgh.
Maclau river name comes from the association of parts of my first name Marc and parts of the first name of the mother of my childrens Claudine, I used only Ma and Clau giving Maclau and pronounced Mac-lo river.
It seems a Maclo river exist really somewhere in the US but not sure about it.
Now living in Canada Québec, the railroad is in a box after he has crossed the atlantic and wait summer to be installed in a new big room for a future big extension
Marc - if your new layout comes close to being nearly as good as your "old" one, it is going to be one of the best layouts I will see (on pictures). I am glad that the old layout is still alive!
Happy times!
Ulrich (aka The Tin Man)
"You´re never too old for a happy childhood!"
CONCEPT AND ENVISIONED OPERATION
Translating all my views of the railroad which is in my head to a page of paper and make it working is an another pair of shoes.
But following the back story of the Maclau River I can start the job.
I have been operator on European layout, they used a fast clok for sessions, a day was around two hours or three hours, enough to make a full turn on the layout for a train.
So my layout will work with a fast clock and scheduled trains.
May be a CTC will be build but I would try to use the "eyes" of the operator on signals and protected block by signals; when a signal is green the operator can start and run his train and stop at the next red signals.
These red signals will be repeated with flashing red leds along the fascia.
Revenues of the company; a railroad need revenues to exist, this is the main purpose for his existence
The revenues of the Maclau River could be defined as following
Transport of mixed freight and coal are the vital revenues of the company
Second revenue is exchange or connection with other railroad; they are a plus to allow a company to grow.
A company which own his own facilities to dispacth his transport is also a plus and a winning revenue for a train company; this includes port coal facilities owned by the railroad to make the transfer to ships
Schedules for passenger trains help connection between town and are a a service with revenues
N&W trains have priority because of commercial agreement; there are two branch which connect the Maclau River with the N&W, one coming from Roanoke to Ellezellesburgh and one at Norfolk where there is a terminal of the Maclau River in Norfolk named Port Allen
The road which is divided in two sub, one east the hills sub and one west meet at the town of Corinnesburgh
This mean in my story, severals industries along the line, severals small town and ports whith train facilities to switch, train transportation to ship which I like to model; big coal transportation which was vital at the time I model in the 30's, working coal dumper in some of the ports
Transfer transportation for an another neighbour company especialy the N&W
This mean, I need scheduled coal trains, scheduled mixed freight, scheduled local passenger trains and scheduled transfer train from the N&W
Coal comes from the hills road and is dispatched along the ports on the river road; the two sub roads crossover in the town of Corinnesburgh.
On the hills road mines are served by local trains on some branch lines like some small industries but mines exist along the main too; most of the coal trains on the hills route are formed at Ellezellesburgh ( named after the town were I lived in belgium) were a yard exist, other comes directly from the end of the lines were big coal mine exist and also a lot of coke ovens; there is also some wood industries there with the big Virginia forest and exchang from train reaching Cincinati, N&W, C&O, NP routes and PRR
In reality, train coming from Cincinati run on the hills sub, reach Corinnesburgh 600 miles further and begun to follow the Maclau River to reach Port Allen which is the opening of the river on the Atlantic but which is only from 25 miles of Norkfolk.
Unfortunately even If I have a long run possibility, my modeling needs and dreams, oblige me to build two parallel line one going up in the hills, the second going down along the river and meeting at Corinnesburgh.
Why ?
Because I ask for a long big run of my train.
I 'm a bit influenced in this case by the GD concept and the schematic of the line John do in a well know sketch which show train coming from Andrews, going through the Akinbacks mountain, reaching the town of great divide and terminate at Port
The three incoming track of the N&W on the system allow to impose scheduled train transfer on all the system, some will comes from Cincinati to Corinnesburgh along the river road to reach Norfolk but some will go from Cincinati to Roanoke transfered by Ellezellesburgh on the hills road, this mean a staging yard featuring Cincinati, one at Port Allen for Norfolk and one at Ellezellesburgh for Roanoke, but since I schedule only 4 to 6 trains each day on the system from the N&W the staging doesn't need to have a lot of track., may be I will include an extra transfer train some days in the schedule to complicate operation.
The rest of the trains on the line are usual day coal train, mixed freight and some local to make a peddler job and bring back cars next to the main, course, there are loaded trains and empties for the coal transportation; in my case the mine will really load scale coal in the hopper and coal dumper will empty them to transfer coal into ships.
Switching is a big part of the operation and dispatch and construction of train are made at the big Alexander yard next Corinnesburgh for all the system, just where the two sub meet
But a yard will be exist at Ellezellesburgh, one at Port Allen and one at a still unamed town which is the end of the line before Cincinati; maybe I will model open view staging yard
Since I use a walk around design with two peninsula in the middle of the room, the two sub run along themselves, one going up and the second going down along the river; both sub have nearly the same length.
I'm working on a full main road which is around 560' divided in the two sub of around 280' each
Plan of the river sub is near completition; I will share it soon
ALEXANDER YARD PLAN
This is not a new plan, I already designed this yard inspired by a Santa Fe yard some years ago.
The plan was published in MR years ago by the late Mister Sperandeo; the original was smaller, and has different arrangement in the run around and cabooses track; none locomotives terminal is adjacent to the original Santa Fe yard.
I modified the arrangement for my own tastes and put it with more yard tracks.
All the tracks are big enough to countains a minimum 20 cars and a steam locomotives.
The two plans show the east and the west side of the yard.
But because everything evolded, the yard will be probably put in a corner, and splited half - half around the corner, so I will not condemn a long part of a wall to place the yard, It will be next of Corinnesburgh along the part of the mainline which is going along the River.
If I use (probably at 90%) the curved design, the smallest radius will be 18"
All yard turnouts are #6 and curved #8 with 18" Inside radius (custom Fastrack turnout)
The implantation of the tracks around and servicing the turntable are not still well defined
West side
East side
I have worked on this small part of the yard some times ago and it's already constructed
FOR YOUR EYES ONLY
Because of some request here are a few pictures of my layout; unfinished; this is how it exist today
Very, very impressive, Marc!
You do a wonderful job with your scratchbuilt structures and landscaping.
I hope your layout building remodeling goes well, and you can get everything the way you want it.
Keep us informed. (I also model in N Scale. I have NOTHING to compare with your work!)
York1 John