Theoretical underpinnings of surveying a railroad like real railroaders do

[FJ and G]

Scenery first



Tracks last





Scenery first, tracks last

After deciding to hand-lay my tracks, I decided to take it one step further and finish my scenery before laying tracks-just like real railroaders do? After all, real railroaders don't put down the track and then erect streams and mountains.

From a model railroader perspective, there are challenges with the scenery-first approach. Erecting the roadbed and wiring the track, for instance, are much easier without scenery in the way. But I will shortly point out some of the advantages I found in creating scenery first.

My original intention for the layout was to model a 25-foot-long shelf layout that represents a portion of the Santa Fe's single-track Abo Canyon route, in New Mexico on the Belen Cutoff. I spent several months studying photos and other information about Abo Canyon, and even purchased a video of the route and corresponded with railfans who visited the site.

After amassing a large quantity of material, I went to work, creating mountains that were three feet tall, using 4-foot-thick industrial white-beaded Styrofoam that a company had thrown away (got permission to use it). Incidentally, I don't know where to obtain this from but you can make thick Styrofoam using the layering method, with glue that doesn't react to the foam. The big advantage of using Styrofoam is that you can sculpt and re-sculpt the terrain as many times as you like.

After completing the scenery, I suddenly realized that although it looked spectacular, those tall mountains took a lot of valuable real estate away from the layout, and that the single-tracked layout wouldn't really satisfy my thirst for some switching.

To make a long story short, I chopped down the mountains to about a foot high and created a double-tracked mainline with spurs. If I hadn't created the scenery first, I would have indeed been in a bind! Sometimes, even with the aid of computer programs, you really can't visualize the layout until the scenery is in place.

Another thing I noticed after the scenery was completed was that there was no room for trackside industries between the tracks and the mountains. Placing industries there would severely affect the illusion of distance I was trying to create, using forced perspective.

So I decided to add industries to the sides of the fascia, mounting them on Styrofoam blocks with Velcro attachments (for easy removal since the layout is in heavily trafficked hallway). This entailed locating two spurs along the edge of the fascia. Again, without putting the scenery first, I would have had to rip up both tracks and scenery to do this.

Perhaps the most fun (and work), involves surveying the line and building the right of way, which may need to include cuts and fills. You can really gain an appreciation for real railroad construction this way, as well as learn to solve some tricky problems.

My entire layout is built on a 2.25-degree slope, to simulate the grade at Abo Canyon. There also is a canyon river running the length of the layout. These two items posed a challenge for survey and track laying.

I needed to move the river in a couple of spots where I wanted the mainline to go. In a couple of areas, I had to cross the river, which I did by adding a fill (pieces of Styrofoam held together with joint compound and thinset (both sold at building supply stores). Fortunately, the desert river is dry but culverts will need to be added fairly soon before the spring floods begin!

The steep grade posed additional surveying problems. Although the layout itself slopes a constant 2.25%, the terrain itself is undulating, with a ruling grade of about 3% for a short distance and some relatively flat stretches. I needed a roadbed that would be strong, yet flexible enough to follow the contours of the terrain. I found that masonite works well. Most of the track and turnouts are on masonite, except for a few turnouts that are on lauan. Both masonite and lauan are type of pressed boards about _ inch thick that can be obtained in most building supply stores.

Another difficulty with the near-constant grade is finding a way to keep the spurs level. While a sloping mainline is fine, spurs should be relatively level so that parked freight cars don't run away. I had to add fill for my team track and for an industrial spur and on another spur, I had to dig a cut by removing Styrofoam. I checked the work with a level. There still is a problem on the mainline when I want to do some switching and leave a cut of cars there temporarily. To solve this problem, I'm going to add wheel blocks, just like they do on the real railroads, so that the cars remain in place. If toy trains had functional handbrakes, I'd use those as well, but they are, unfortunately, just there for decoration.

The last challenge was finding a way through the deepest part of the canyon. I did many surveys. At first, I was going to run a bridge across the canyon. Then I changed my mind and was going to run a track on each side of the canyon. I finally decided to go around the canyon and model an abandoned spur crossing a flood-ravaged bridge, indicating a line change. Real railroad surveyors have to make these decisions too.

Lastly, there were the wiring challenges. Since I'm using very thick Styrofoam as a base, I used a rotary hammer drill with a 15 inch long bit to penetrate the scenery to allow for wiring to be mounted on the underside of the layout base, which is particle board.

While scenery first, track last is not for everyone, I've had a lot of fun doing it “backwards” and learning a lot about railroading in the process. For me, at least, putting the cart before the horse-or in this case, the scenery before the trains-has been an enjoyable and educational way to build a pike.

[jonadel]

That's a really interesting idea that I had never thought of but it does make sense. As I think about the next and last build, I'm going to consider this idea.

Thanks for taking the time to post your progress, this one is going to get printed and filed away for future use.

Jon

[eZAK]

That's great Dave!

But how did you see through the scale size transit level for surveying?

[cnw1995]

The only hobbyists that do this consistently are garden railroaders. This looks like fun and is laudable - in my circumstance and many others - you just have to work backwards from the real estate available. I like your working from 'un-flat' landscape. I had a bit of that simply because my foam boads were laid atop rocks that weren't graded flat.

[Dr. John]

I am aware of only one other model railroader of note who took this approach - the late John Allen, builder of the HO Gorre and Daphetid. He would put in roadbeds and fairly detailed scenery (complete with stacks of ties and barrels of spikes) before hand-laying his track. Some great shots of his "surveyed" route can be found in old issues of MR or "Model Railroading with John Allen" by Linn Wescott (Kalmbach, out of print).

It certainly adds an element of realism as you build a photographic history of your railroad. It also requires more advance planning (not a bad thing at all!).
I don't think I would attempt it myself, but I can understand why you did it.

Thanks for sharing the photos of your progress - very well done!

[FJ and G]

thx guys for the encouragement.

[Frank53]

I really admire the depth to which Dave analyzes his undertaking. This is just one of many in-depth posts he has made on a number of subjects, each one with a really interesting insight and perspective.

[tschmidt]

I'm impressed with the way you did this. It looks great from the pics you posted. Thanks for sharing it all.

Tom

[1688torpedo]

Dave, Your desert layout looks very realistic.You sure have plenty of talent to do a layout like this......................Keith

[Buckeye Riveter]

Dave, your layout looks great!

[Roger Bielen]

Dave, I still want to know how you get that terrific yellow cast on your photos that truely looks like a tequilla sunrise.

Looking at the title for this topic I thought you were getting ready to write a graduate thesis for an advanced degree in railroading.

[FJ and G]

thx guys, Roger, I'm using incandescent and halogen lights; that and the desert terrain itself, coupled with the backdrop of the sunrise perhaps gives the yellowish cast.

I do not use any filter or color correction in photoshop. I like the feeling of morning and a new day and in the desert, sunrise and sunset are always my favorite parts of the day when the features are more colorful and 3-dimensional

I've still got a ways to go with the construction and then the industries, real running water that only comes on during a storm and 2 more shelves of construction, one of which I want to be trees and possibly a canal or something really special.

but, I'm not really working too fast on everything; I've got a novel and a screenplay I'm trying to polish up as well, as well as spending a lot of time w/BB the rabbit-hunting beagle.

she rousted out 2 really chubby rabbits this evening, btw, near a townhouse community; the neighbors came out to watch BB do her thing. Most of the folks were amused and entertained but a couple didn't like her howling despite their own dogs barking

[Anonymous]

Your colours are spectacular Dave, Thanks for sharing Steve

[jkerklo]

Dave,

I really like the way your use of a wire on posts for the center "rail" looks. You have described this in previous posts, but I don't think I appreciated the effect until these pictures. Your hand-layed track and wire center rail looks better than any track system I have seen.

Really good job.

John Kerklo
TCA 94-38455
www.Three-Rail.com