KVRWs' Whitton Branch: Building of a Shelf Layout. Update: 6/19

[canazar]

steinjr

 Hi John --

 Your shelf Kiva Valley is already looking very nice and interesting to switch!  I really like the way you have the industry tracks peeling away from the running track along the rear of the layout - you are getting a lot of industry spurs in there, without industries getting in the way of each other.

 Are you using just #4 turnouts or a mix of #4s and #6 turnouts?  How long is that switchback lead for the industry tracks (at the left, second from wall) - enough for the engine and three 40-foot cars or so?

 Smile,
 Stein

 

Thanks Stein.  I have been working on the track plan for awhile.  I wanted enough to keep me busy but not get "over crammed".  As it is now, I think its close.    

The way the yard is set up with the run around, i can get about 3-5 cars at a time.  Which, means I can roughly make up 4-5 different trains to work.   With that, it helps keep me from getting bored an doffer lots of operating schemes.

I think the track you are reffering too is around 30 or so inches longer.  There is a enough room for 3 50' cars and the SW7 switcher.  I think there is more room but I will have to double check. One of the next rainy day projects will be draw up a track plan for it.

The switches are all the "snap" switches from Atlas, I think they are #4's.  Makes it tight but saves room for track.  From time to time I will put on some of my big road power, as in pulling in the train to the yard, but most of the work will be with my SW7 and GP units.

[HaroldA]

Big John

I read your story and all I can say is WELCOME BACK!!  Your layout looks great.

And for Ulrich - hope all will be well with you too.

H

 

 

[steinjr]

 Hi John --

 Your shelf Kiva Valley is already looking very nice and interesting to switch!  I really like the way you have the industry tracks peeling away from the running track along the rear of the layout - you are getting a lot of industry spurs in there, without industries getting in the way of each other.

 Are you using just #4 turnouts or a mix of #4s and #6 turnouts?  How long is that switchback lead for the industry tracks (at the left, second from wall) - enough for the engine and three 40-foot cars or so?

 Smile,
 Stein

 

[Anonymous]

 Big John,

this is going to be a mighty fine layout, which will give you a lot of fun to build and operate. It will surely help you to overcome the awkward situation you are in.

For different reasons, though, my situation is  not really funny either. I have lost my business, my income, my house, but fortunately, I have not lost my wife & family. I am right now slowly moving back into becoming an active MRR again. I wish I had those 11 1/2´ to build a layout! Mine will be a little over 7´by a little less than 1 1/2´, following British prototype, as it is not only a lot cheaper than US outline equipment here in Germany, but it also looks nice - a little exotic.

You know, the fun in model railroading is not correlated to the size of your layout or the cost of your equipment!

I am looking forward to seeing more pictures - hang in there!

[canazar]

Knowing that is a temporary place for me and being limited to what I can build/mount to the walls, etc, my options are pretty limited.  As it stands now, I might keep this layout in the future if it really continues to progress, but I know, I will want to build again to the biggest size I can get away with.  Hence, why I think this one is going to be a "fling".

 

Plan?   Well, I have one but I use that word loosely. 

 

First trick was to figure out where to put it and after wandering around my parents house, my room seemed the most logical.  While they don't stay here much any more, they still have all their stuff so the house is full.  So with some quick measurements, I chose to go 24" deep and 11.5 long.  Basically, the length of the room. And, the only place I could put it, was over some furniture.

 

So, now to build it.  One part was easy. I used 2" thick white foam. Its what I used for my last layout and I had great luck with it.  (Im lucky and buy it from a construction company.)  Its fairly stiff so you don't need a lot of support under it. 

 

So now, that leaves the bench work.  I will say this, its probably the lamest, goofiest, bench work to ever grace the web pages of Model Railroader.  But, it works for now.   I lined the 2 sections up, (a 8 foot piece and a 3.5 foot piece,) and glued them to a 11.5 piece of wood angle trim.   Keep the front glued solid, adds some rigidity to it and keep the foam from breaking off.   Then, I scientifically, methodically, and with great precision.... chopped and lopped a bunch of PVC to form stilts.  With the foam now wedged between the walls, it really couldn't go anywhere and propped it up over my book shelf and dresser.  I do have some plans to build some better supports.  I am leaning towards something like you would use for modules.  But, what the heck, its working for now.

 

 

Here is a overview shot how it looks in the room.  Dresser has my clothes and makes for an impromptu work bench. The book shelf has my boxes of train stuff.  I am slowly bringing stuff in from the garage and moving it inside.

 

(Oh, and before I get to crazy with the pictures, I am sorry for the poor quality. I lost the camera in the, um, move.  So, I all have for the moment is my cell phone camera.) 

 

 

 

 

After I got it up, the fun began.  I went back to the hardware store, got a small can of tan paint and gave it decent coat to put down the scenery background color.  Its a fairly close match to our local dirt here.

 

My track plan.. (ugh, there that "plan" word again) was more of a concept.   I wanted a layout the leaned heavily toward operations. I know I get bored and wanted something that could offer a lot.  Heavy, congested, industrial feel was what I knew I had to go with. 

 

I was lucky in the sense that I all ready have more track than I could ever use and I had a bunch of buildings that I coulc drop in, right away.  Using Atlas track nails and your standard pins it was easy to secure the track down to the foam for the short term.  So, over the course of January and most of February, I would lay out the track and operate on it, more less squeezing as much as I could out of my space.

 

Here are some shots toward the end of the "planning process".  A couple things I am doing to keep it interesting.  Some of the building will change out so I can change the "look" of the layout. I am also trying to keep some of the industires, "type-neutral" so I could use different types of rail cars.  I also want to run this layout, like my old one, in dual era. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In this picture, you can see whatt I think I am most excited about. A small yard that  (located on the west side)is big enough to switch in and hold cars for operation.  The Ops plan is simple.  Trains come in from the east and bring in the empties or fulls and switch them out.  Switch is many as I want, or as few.  Most places are 1 or 2 cars.  But I have 3 industries that take multiple cars. 2 grain silos that take 3 cars each and 1 wharehouse that takes  up to 4 box cars.

 

 

 

In the next update, I have the final track plan figured out and "paint the road bed"

 

Any questions, feel free!

 

Thanks for looking.

 

 

 

 

[Missouripicker]

Wow!  Really sweet.  Lots of ideas for all of us with this.  Thanks for the sharing all of this.

 

 

http://www.family-friendly-music.com/

[emachins]

cool

[canazar]

Howdy all,

 Here is the background on the project.  For almost 5 years, I had been working a large, garage based HO layout. It was 14 x 19.  It was my little bit of heaven. You can visit a picture and history thread I posted here back in 6/08.  It was my own creation of a freelanced railroad.

The Kiva Valley History and Pictures. 

But then one day in late Nov of 2009., I came home from work and faced a very sudden and unexpected seperation and divorce.  Skipping all the gory details and sticking with the "trains",she moved out,I lost the house garage and layout.  All the good stuff, track, trees, structures, rolling stock, etc was saved.  The layout, in the land fill.   You can read more of the story  and see some more pictures.

End of the Line for the Valley

So, out of the old house into a new place.    I was very, very fortunate to be able to move into my parent's house which has been vacant as they are are out of town due to my step dad's job.  Great place to call home and allow me to get back on my feet. I have a 12 x 11.5 sqaure foot room that is mine and as soon as first moved in, my wheels in the head began turning.  Room was limited due to bed, dresser, etc, but I still wanted "a lot". Its a trick downsizing like this but I have what I have.  After grinding out a bunch of ideas, I finally came up with plan and began  building late in Dec.

I was lucky to have the space of the old layout but now what I have is much more "normal" and I know  a lot of what I am doing applies to others either limited on space or looking maybe to get their feet wet on a quick layout project .  This my first time trying something like this, posting as a go in a build thread, but for me, it will add more fun to the project.

All my updates and pictures will be in this thread.   I should have some pictures up mid week.

Here is the overview of the project

Prototype: My free-lanced railroad Kiva Valley.  Interchanges with all southwestern railroads.

Era: Dual: 1956 and Modern Day

Location:  Central Arizona

Theme of Layout: Modeling the end of the "Whitton Branch."  Going for the heavy, congested industry.

Track Plan: Using a lot what they call "selective compression". I want a layout that can have all kinds of operating fun.  It will have a small yard, run around track, and alot of industry to keep me from getting bored when it comes to operating.

DCC and Track: I will be using my NCE Power Cab and my Atlas Code 100 track from my previous layout.

Layout Build Specs: 11.5' x 2'.  Built on 2" white foam.  Bench work will be skecthy at best. The big kicker?  Cant do anything permenant.  Could last 6 months, could be a year. I will be building this pretty quick using some tricks I learned from my last go around.

Be in touch!