The saga of my ever shrinking railroad

[vsmith]

Try it again,

My bad, the original link included these (1) parenthesis that the conversion program automatically adds, it confuse the computer.[:I][:o)][%-)][D)][:-^]

[Anonymous]

Vic, i guess I'm a computer idiot, somewhere in my browser setting it's set for image preview instead of theat open with window, not sure how to change it.
I tried posting it as a pic but it won't read it.

[aljay]

[(-D][(-D][(-D][(-D]

Thanks, got it now. This is what happens when you don't read the link ...

[vsmith]

Some pics of some new buildings for the layout. Just had to fini***hese to clear off my workbench.

http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/vsmith/Warehouse1.jpg

http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/vsmith/3%20new%20facades.jpg

[Anonymous]

Vic, as I said on MLS I can't wait to see them in place. Amazing they are architecturally correct![:D]

[vsmith]

Latest news from the Borracho RR construction reports.

Had to rework some trackwork YET AGAIN, but this time its for the better. The track plan on the south yard was simply not working, it was too forced and I had NO room to move anything bigger than a small Porter and an HLW minicar. Not good when I have some 20 footers. So after a lot of reworking on the Cadd I finally got a plan I liked , finished reworking the track last weekend, pretty easy change as it's much simpler but far more functional.

http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/vsmith/GarageStudyDOWNSIZEnew%20studyD_3-24-05%20Model.pdf

It now more resembles the yard on the north end and allows for a true passing siding to be built. After the wiring is completed I am locking the program layers containing the track plan ..NO MORE CHANGES!

I will say one thing, if your planning any kind of layout with operation in mind, use the track in that configuration for a while before you lock it in concrete. I learned a whole heckovalot about layout planning with this experience, and if you can have the patience, leave your benchtop bare for a while (or you garden)and determine if this layout truely works for you, if not - change it, get it right, then do the finish work. I made a kiester load of mistakes and dead ends on this over the last year, but each time it gets a little better. But now I'm pretty comfortable this will be the last change.


...at least for now! Later Vic

[Anonymous]

I found reading the saga of your railroad fascinating vsmith. I'm having to face the fact that my first 'G' layout is going to be in my bedroom which is 9ft x 11ft last time I checked. The garden is my Mum's domain and she is very protective of her garden, - so I figure having a bit of a practice for a start in my room so I can show her what I'm about would be a very good idea. Studying your plans as they have evolved has been useful for me too as trying to fit 'G' scale into a space I was using for '0' gauge previously requires some mental gear shifting along the way. I'm hoping to use multilevel techniques as I do want some grades for my logging locos to climb, but the biggest problem is whether or not I can get away with running a tunnel through my wardrobe. If not I'm going to have to run a removeable section across the front of the wardrobe door (sigh). I'm going to use Bachman indoor track and switches/points at least for a start because I've got them already and once the trackplan is properly firmed up I can make a change to something better if I want to.
My Mum builds dollshouses to 1" to the foot scale and I'm sure she's going to love it once I get to building structures. Again your building are wonderfully inspiring and give me a good guide as to what is possible. Most structures I'll be building will be based on the simple timber and corragated iron buildings common in New Zealand tramway practice. Unfortunately any representation of the mill buildings is going to have to be in the backscene fronted by a little low relief modelling (sigh), but I can live with that.

Thanks again for your inspiring saga.

Annie

[Anonymous]

Vic, psst! Turntable crank[:p][:D]

[vsmith]

Couple pics of my fuel tank, made from an HLW minicar tank, some LGB bridge piers left over from the Big Shrink, and some detail parts.
http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/vsmith/fuel%20tank%20front.jpg

http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/vsmith/fuel%20tank%20rear.jpg

http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/vsmith/fuel%20tank%20right.jpg

PS Matt , not quite ready yet for the turntable crank, hopefully this summer.

[John Busby]

Hi Vic
thats coming along very nicely will have to have a good read when i get a chance to see what i have missed.
Hi Annie
If your Mum makes dolls houses ask her where you can get the less common 1/2" parts
you will find them most usefull.
Do a web search on garden railways and find the ones that have been well done. and blend in well with the garden you may be able to convince her to allow you to do a small trial set up and if you get her to help with plant selection you could be on a winner
just a thought
regards John

[vsmith]

Well on a recent trip back east, the boys in the Borracho Railway front office got a sight of the shiny new ALCO FA-1 that are becoming very common on them East Coast lines, They resolved that they HAD to have one! Unfortunately someone told them that A: it was the wrong gauge, or B: that it was way way to large for the small industrial tramline. Well, not willing to be told No by anyone,the head office managed to get ahold of a set of plans with orders to the shop foreman "make it work or else!" Here's the proud final product of those industrius lads, the FA- 1/2!!!! Next stop, the paint shed, although there is some debate as to what colors to paint the future proud hauler of the Borracho Varnish !![:p][;)][8D][:D]

[nalts]

Vic-

I love your FA- ½! It reminds me of that car commercial where averyone is driving around town with ½ of a car. Very cool!

Chris

[Anonymous]

Vic, I'm impressed, that's one top diesel and ideal for the branch line RR. I'm slightly concerned how big the coaches are going to be, 3 or 4 passengers per coach?
Cheers,
Kim
[tup]

[Anonymous]

Kim, keep in mind Vic could ba***hem all out of one bachmann car![:0]

[vsmith]

Bump*
Not much progress on the layout, reason being that we may tear down the existing garage and build a new larger garage! No fear, If this happens it will be a good thing. For one I can get a space that can be insulated and A/C'd. If this happens, no changes to the layout, it will come out in sections and be put back in as same, however I should be able to correct a few things about my current set up that I really dislike.

1. I can raise the (reduced) overhead storage loft area to 7' giving me headroom to walk under the layout (I have to stoop under now) and...
2. I will be able to add a bit of area for scenery at the rear instead of it being pushed right up to the backdrop.
3. I will be able to integrate workshop and layout together, in an area with A/C, TV, sofa, & a small fridge.
4. Best of all, maybe I wont have to do battle with big ugly spiders anymore

Even though I've been more productive in the workshop than on the layout, I havent forsaken it, I have begun to consider serious operations set ups for my layout. Now considering I have never done operations, I have a ways to go in my education, but, I have committed the current layout into a form that makes organizing said operations along realistic lines.

Here is the Borracho RR in a linear diagramic form, with each spot labeled and each siding and spur labeled with its capacity (Somewhere I read this was important).

http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/vsmith/GarageStudy_OperationsStudy_LineDiagram.pdf

I will probably repost it in the operations forum at MLS and over in the MR forum after I do some more reading on the subject.
Later, Vic.

[Tom The Brat]

Sounds pretty nice!

[Anonymous]

Vic, sounds great! Are you the architect on this project?

[vsmith]

QUOTE: Originally posted by carpenter matt

Vic, sounds great! Are you the architect on this project?

Even though I'll end up doing most of the drawings and development, my wife would dissagree with that observation.[;)]

[Anonymous]

Sounds like your just working for another client then! LOL!

Maybe post some before and after construction photos of workshop area and layout area.

[vsmith]

I recieved a request to post the pics I use in my siganture so that it can be copied, althought I think it can be done straight from the signiture pic, I'll post it here as well as a second related pic. Both are from the long gone Mt Lowe Scenic RR from here in lovely Pasadena Ca. I hope you like them...


The circular bridge with Echo Mt Station in the left background, that "roadcut" is the ROW


An early trolley crossing a trestle at Los Flores Canyon, elev 3500'


The Incline RR from Rubio Canyon in Altadena to Echo Mt.

Some historic photos
http://www.aaaim.com/echo/v4n1/v4n1oldpwrcasa.jpg
Echo Mt circa 1930

http://www.aaaim.com/echo/v4n4/V4N4EMHPC.jpg
Incline RR at Echo Mt circa 1900 with the the original hotel resort

[vsmith]

Announcing a SAD day for the citizens of Borracho...

I, Victor Smith, as CEO of the Borracho RR CO, its my sad duty to report that after 3 years of planning, building, rebuilding, and yet rebuilding again, that the indoor Borracho Springs RR will be dismantled probably right after Christmas.[:(]

This is due to the eventual demolition of the RR current location, the garage.

However...[;)]

The new replacement garage will allow for a larger layout in a far more comfortable housing that will include insualted walls and AC.[:D]

Also I will be using track pulled up from the indoor layout to expand the outdoor Fubar & Snafu branch, so that something very positive! [:p]

I will post progress prints of the demo and rebuild and of the expansion to the outdoor layout.

Not an END, just a new beginning! the futures so bright, I gotta wear...[8D]

[Tom The Brat]

Progress must be made!

[vsmith]

With any luck and some clear weather lets see how much of this I can get done before New Years. Should go fast if I can keep SWMBAWS (She-Who-Must-Be-Accompanied-While-Shopping) at bay.

The "expanded" outdoor Fubar & Snafu branch line of the Borracho RR.

http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/vsmith//Outdoor%20Layout-2-Expansion%20Plan.pdf

The current tiny layout is shown on the right side. Still small, but at least its still there. To be built to the same low quality standards the citizens of Borracho have come to expect

[Anonymous]

Dare I ask, I do. Will the current track plan change or just be built with longer straights/runs inbetween the current configuratuion?

[Tom The Brat]

I think you'll have to change the title of your thread to:

"The Saga of my Suddenly Expanding Railroad."

[vsmith]

Matt

If your asking about the outdoor loop, I just extended the existing straight sections a bit and added the 1/2 dogbone into an area I was going to pave, but what the hey? I might as well use it for track as the only person who steps there is the dog.

If you were asking about the eventual reinstallation, same plan but deeper in depth so I can do more effective scenery. Right now everything is jambed up against the backdrop.

We'll see, I'll be pulling up some track inside this weekend[:(]

[bman36]

Vic,
Is your current outdoor layout along the garage? If so demolition and reconstruction can be havoc. You might want to wait until the garage is done so the guy on the Bobcat doesn't run it over! Later eh...Brian.

[FJ and G]

Vic,

Glad to hear things are going along good. Your signature photos remind me of a book I purchased from Howell-North Publishing back in the 1960s called "Crookedest RR in the world." It was about that RR.

I once drove up that mt back in 1979, but didn't see any remains of the line.

[vsmith]

Brian

If you look at the drawing link above, the garage would be in the upper left corner, we are going to rebuild against the back wall of the yard well away from the layout. But once the garage is finished, the outdorr line will come up as the house extension will be almost up to where the tracks currently are. I have space for another "permanent" outdoor loop between where the garage will be and where the house will end up.

Dave

I have that book too, it's on the Mt Tamapalis RR in San Francisco. The Mt Lowe RR was in Pasadena, right above where I live, and is chronicled in the book "Mt Lowe, the Railway in the Clouds"

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0870950754/qid=1134579969/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl14/102-9872484-5196965?n=507846&s=books&v=glance

They were both very similar RRs from the same time period, The difference being Mt Lowe had an incline and electric trolleys, where Mt Tam had steam Shay's and "Gravity Cars" on the way down, that had to be fun! I wish BOTH had managed to survive till today, cause I know I'd be a volunteer motorman on the Mt Lowe anyday they could use me!

I know the Library of Congress film archive has old Edison films of the Mt Tam Shays in action on their website.

[vsmith]

Well time for an update here, as of last weekend we rented a storage unit to clear out the garage. So over the next few weeks I'll be clearing out the garage of everything and reluctantly that includes the indoor branch of the Borracho RR. I'll be dismantling the benchwork once the stuff stored under it is packed away. It's not yet determined when and how long it will take to build the new garage as we have to dismantle the old one before they can start. Hopefully by mid-summer I'll be able to start rebuilding. Already considering a few changes I want to make when I reinstall it. So till then I'll have to be content with the smaller outdoor branch.

One real positive is that winter is nearly over (still getting rain this weekend) and the time has shifted, it will now be getting lighter and warmer in the evenings and begin to enjoy being outside after work.