I like the adjustment to the track plan. Smoother and less complex is better. More compact with more room for scenery.
You could change the extreme lower left turnout from a LH to a RH and it would both eliminate the S curve and start the lower curve sooner, providing a more graceful flow and more space for scenery.
- Douglas
SpaceMouse I need to build about 30 turnouts. The plan is to work on the track until I need to come in, then make a turnout or two.
This all sounds good and exciting. I am looking foward to more updates.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
All signs of structure building are gone from the dining room table. Meyer's Lumber is finished and awating trackwork on a shelf. I spent some time and sorted through everything that I have that could be useful to scratching or bashing. Took 5-6 hours, but it was time well spent.
Part of what I did was rummage through my "to sell" pile and I found a M.T. Arms Hotel kit. Now I recently added a hotel to my scratch-build wish list. I imagined something about 3 x 4 inches, three stories high. The kit is 8" wide x 6 inches and four stories high, and 2 3/4 deep, with half of that two story maintainance. So I have some major bashing to do.
The table now is ready for making Fast Tracks turnouts.
Those of you following the "Can You Date this Loco" thread in General, might have noticed the Prairie, the transformer, and the piece of track. When I get bored I thought I might solder that broken wire and see how she runs. I also included my son's Hogwarts engine that took a 3.5 foot header into the sea of concrete and lost some linkage--if I'm still bored.
Actually, I should also show you pictures of Meyer's Lumber. You might not be following the Building a Lumber Yard thread.
Buiding a Lumber Yard
I put that in in html code, but if it doesn't link, the address is: http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/11/t/284131.aspx
After I took my son to work at 3, I opened XtrackCAD to put together a 1:1 printout of my layout. At my wife's insistance, I took out all the structures, benchwork, and anything else that might use up the toner in my wife's printer. It will only be 150 pages or so.
But I got side tracked. As I was looking at the yard, a couple of things bothered me. I didn't really have enough room to landscape the layout the way I wanted with the ice platform where it was. And the passenger train had to use the A/D track to reach the station.
THe solution was simple. I deleted the icing platform and its siding, making the main, seem much smoother. And I put in a crossover so the passenger train can bypass the A/D track and go directly to the station. Let's face it, the only reason I had the icing station siding in the first place is that the model looked really cool.
I could use a double crossover.
I guess you guys should see what I'm talking about.
It's actually better without the double crossover. And I'm following my own resolution to avoid unnecessary agrivation.
I did finish the pdf file with nothing but track and table borders. Depending upon when my wife gets around to printing the file, I can start cutting out the turntable and the grade to the upper level in a day or two. In the meantime, I need to build about 30 turnouts.
The plan is to work on the track until I need to come in, then make a turnout or two.
Finally, getting the track installed is in motion.
Chip
Building the Rock Ridge Railroad with the slowest construction crew west of the Pecos.
While I was getting my layout plan ready for 1:1 printing, I realized that if you didn't read part 1 of this post, you wouldn't know what the heck I was talking about when I talk about my layout.
So I thought I might run through it. It is set in the town of Rock Ridge which is on the Southern Pacific mainline between San Francisco and Eureka in 1895. The SP runs the passenger station and icing platform. The RRRR (Rock Ridge Railroad) runs the yard and service facilities.
The layout is the better part of half a two car garage. If you notice when I take pictures, there is a lot of stuff stored underneath. This is part of the deal I made with my wife. The stuff is shipping materials for shipping paintings, and some of the artwork that may get shipped.
That's not how it looks now. The wiring is done and it's ready for track. It looks like this:
All that is to say it is sort of an 8 x13 U-shape.
I digress. The thing you should get from the Plan above is that you are looking at the lower level only. The dotted lines represent track in tunnels. Most of that is reachable because it is visible from the side. It will be finished as if the train is running in a tunnel (go figure, huh.) It will be lit by a string of LEDs and probably be the best lit part of the layout.
The lower underground yard is staging, again visable and easily reachable if I have to fiddle.
Note the lone turnout to the left of staging. That is the start to a 3% climb to the upper level.
Most of the action (work) occurs in Rock Ridge.
Let's get something striaght from the get-go. Rock Ridge is not based on the Movie Blazzing Saddles even if the town has a Black sherriff named Bart. In fact, Rock Ridge, named after leading citizen Randall "Rock" Ridge, was founded in 1890, that's 80+ years before the movie. The town may have been the basis for the movie--I mean, there is a guy named Mongo and the councilmen put a toll booth on the road to town. I should probably sue MGM and Mel Brooks.
Back to the layout. Starting from the bottom, you have an icing track. SP tops off its refers before continuing north taking food to Eureka. The next track is the SP main.
The next track is a multi-functional AD track, runaround with the main, and entrance to the town of Rock Ridge's industrial district, and passenger station. Oh, and caboose storage at the far right.
Next we have a 3-track classification yard--local, north-bound and south-bound.
Moving clockwise around the U, we have a passenger station on the left with a small-freight service, platform, and Western Union/post office. The engine service area to the right has fuel service, (wood and oil), water tower, and sandhouse. The turntable turns locomotives for return trips and feeds the engine house and RIP track.
Continuing clockwise, Rock Ridge has 6 industries serviced by rail: Andersen Freight, Meyers Lumber, Bear Whiz Beer Brewery, and cattle pens--mostly from Rock Ridge's Lazy R and the G&D Ranch, owned by Al Gorre and Ben Daphetid.
The two major insdustries are the Rock Ridge Lumber Mill and the Ridge Refinery. The mill has 5 tracks: the log dump at top, three splitting six rows of different sizes of Redwood and Douglas Fir lumber. The last track is for boxcars filled with completed orders. A switcher is required full time to move the boxcars from place to place to fill these orders. It gets its timber from Rock Ridge Lumber camp.
The refinery gets its silver from the Ridge Mine. Both the mine and refinery are owned by Douglas "Duke" Ridge, Rock's younger brother. The three tracks are for full ore cars, empty ore cars, and outgoing shipments of refined silver.
Going to the upper level.
Starting from the turnout I mentioned to the right of staging, you climb a 3% grade around the larger pennisula and above the Rock Ridge Yard to the upper levels. First you come to A, Ridge Mine then around to B, Rock Ridge's lumber camp.
This is the railfan part of the layout because I plan to have scale Redwood Trees--2 1/2- 3 feet tall.
My Motto: Small Steam, Big Trees.
Well, I didn't put the corners in--yet.
I spent the day making mock-ups of the kits I intend to use and the scratch-built buildings I have to have.
I was able to come up with a plan that showcases my efforts instead of show us their backsides.
Anyway, I think I succeeded.
I didn't make a mock-up of the lumber yard because the real thing should be here in a week or so.
There are 4 models I'm not going to use here. The two L-shaped ones are cheap snap together kits from the paleolithic age, labeled US Marshal and Western Union. I could paint them up, change their signs and make them good in the back somewhere, but the L-shape is not easy to work with. And I've never really liked them--except as space holders.
The second row contains the first model I ever built, a small house, and I got to see today, what my weathering looked like then. The other building in that row is a run-down small store. Both of them are going across the tracks to Shanty Town.
Along the track, to the right starting at the top are Anderson Freight, Meyers Lumber (coming in a week or so), a mock-up of Bear Whiz Brewery, and the cattle pens that I'll build sometime when I'm bored.
The row after my first model contains two of my favorite structures from my first layout. The one on the left is Lucky Larry's: Saloon, Games of Chance, and debacary with Mary Six-toes. "Larry, Laurence Ridge, is the shady brother of Rock and Duke Ridge. The second building is a boarding house, with "Rooms" painted freehand above the window in white paint.
Behind those structuresare two space holders.
After that, in my opinion, things get interesting. Starting from the right we have the undertaker and doctor's office. Which is pretty convenient if you think about it. The next building is a mock-up of the California Hotel. It is three stories high and has a balcony on each floor that surrounds the building. How would you like to stay in a luxury hotel that offers views of two yards and a turntable.
Continuing along the front are the General Mercantile, Rose's Cafe (a mock-up), the Sherriff's Office. the jail, and the livery stable.
Along the back row, right to left, is the Flattened Penny Saloon, the Merchantmen's Association (mock-up), Les Fleurs, the Rock Ridge Bank, the Rock Ridge Register (mock-up), and a combination Assay Office and Clothing Store (mock-up.)
Now that's more than you ever wanted to know, I'm sure.
Now I just have to draw everything in XtrackCAD.
hon30critter Position the buildings with their good sides visible. Then see where the roads might go.
I spent the evening doing just that.
hon30critterOne thing I would suggest is that you 'cove' the inside corner of the benchwork.
I like this idea.
I'm planning to spend tomorrow working on this. I did have the streets planned based on the track. Tonight I placed the structures on the layout and saw reality. The track served industries were right on. It's the town that needs work. The structures I used in the planning software were smaller than the ones I built.
I really want to get in the garage and lay my track. But even tonight at 9, it was very hot out there.
SpaceMouseThe problem is you can't see the good side of all my custom structures.
Hi Chip,
I get the impression that you have already decided where your roads in the town will be located. I'm going to suggest a different approach. Position the buildings with their good sides visible. Then see where the roads might go.
For example, if you were to face the livery stable and the adjacent buildings towards the aisle, then your main road might end up right on the edge of the fascia. The second row of buildings could also face the aisle with a road between them and the first row of buildings. There is no rule that says you have to have buildings back to back. However, if you have the space, you could create a row of shallow 'dummy' buildings showing only the backs. That would give a better impression of having two separate streets.
One thing I would suggest is that you 'cove' the inside corner of the benchwork. In other words, put a small triangle of plywood into the corner to create a curved fascia. That will allow you to model the road on the edge of the fascia curve more naturally.
This just me thinking out loud. I may be totally out to lunch.
Cheers!!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Thanks Dave.
Acording to plan, this is the way the structures are supposed to go on my layout.
The problem is you can't see the good side of all my custom structures.
I'm going to have to solve this problem before I build more things you can't see.
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/11/t/284131.aspx
There ya go!
Today, I started my lumber yard structure--if starting means milling the pieces I need. You can follow the day-by-day progress on topic:
Either Cut and paste this or some Samaritian might quote it and make it active.
Here's the photo from the box.
Oh, and for those of you on pins and needles, it turns out I can fit Bear Whiz Beer Brewery in. It will be the most ambitious scratch build for me yet, though no comparison to some of the steel mills and ship yards I've seen people build. Some of those were years in the making.
hon30critterI simply copied your post and removed the "quote user="SpaceMouse"" from between the square brackets and replaced it with "url". Then I went to the end of the link and replaced the word "quote" with "url" between the square brackets, leaving the "/" in place in front of the 'url'. Bingo!
Hmmm. That works but typing [url} {/url] doesn't work--but fix the [].
Randy--I think you're right. Sounds like a bug. They probably want to discourage people trying to siphon of users. And someone on here found a back door.
It seems to only work on a repost of the original. You can put it in EXACTLY that way on a new post, it comes up as a link, LOOKS like a link when reading the post, but it does nothing. Then someone will come along, repost the SAME link - and now it works! It's just a bug in this forum software.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
SpaceMouseLet me guess. You opened "Source Code" under tools and inserted html code?
Nope! I don't even know what the phrase "Source Code" means!
I simply copied your post and removed the "quote user="SpaceMouse"" from between the square brackets and replaced it with "url". Then I went to the end of the link and replaced the word "quote" with "url" between the square brackets, leaving the "/" in place in front of the 'url'. Bingo!
If you want a more detailed explanation, please ask. However, I have never been known as a person who could provide simple explanations! I guarantee that the long version will boggle your mind!
hon30critter http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/11/t/284028.aspx Hi Chip, Made your link clicable. Dave
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/11/t/284028.aspx
Made your link clicable.
Thanks.
Let me guess. You opened "Source Code" under tools and inserted html code?
Well, the livery stable is done. You can see how it was made on this thread:
You're going to have to cut and paste it.
Next up will be a retail lumber outlet--kinda like an 1890's version of Home Depot without the toilets and microwaves. This will be the last structure I build for a while, although I'm planning to add the Bear Wiz Bear Brewery if I can make it fit. I will have to compact Home on the Range Depot a little to make it happen.
Anyway, after the lumber outlet I'm going to switch over to making turnouts. I've let it be known I'm just doing structures until it's cool enough to work in the garage. I really, really want to start laying track so I can run some trains.
rrinker Homeowner has some money, both by having a dog house in the first place and then by matching it to the real house. --Randy
Homeowner has some money, both by having a dog house in the first place and then by matching it to the real house.
Very astute. It belongs to Douglas "Duke" Ridge who owns the Ridge SIver Mine. He'd been living in one of the buildings at the refinery, when he decided he'd let go of some of his profits and move into a nice place. It's got a nice sized bedroom and he has an office in the loft. You won't see it until the light is on, but he has velvet drapes and a stained glass window. His girlfriend Sally McPhearsen added a lot of suggestions to the design. Duke doesn't know a dresser from an armoire, but he new he wanted something nice. More will come out when it is landscaped in.
(And it is part of another backstory.)
TF--Thanks
Great job on the buildings Chip
TF
Built another house today.
Tomorrow I start framing my livery stable. I think I'm going to start a seperate thread. Anyway, here's the framing plan.
Materials are once again popsicle sticks and coffee stirrers.
I've got to read you one of the instructions for the 1890's house:
Muir Models Instructions Frame all three walls using #3. Keep the top plates down far enough so that the roof rafters will rest on them and come to the top of the wall. There should be a stud at each corner and one in the middle of each wall. Paint the walls Depot Olive.
That's it. No diagram.
Cottage? So far it's the biggest house in town.
Nice looking little cottage!
Mark P.
Website: http://www.thecbandqinwyoming.comVideos: https://www.youtube.com/user/mabrunton
Well, the Muir Models kit is done with the finishing of the house. Let me start by reminding you what the house was supposed to look like. The house is the one on the right.
I changed it a little.
I made the deck bigger, lowered it closer to the ground, deleted all that awful trim, and added the flower boxes.
Now I know why no one in their right mind makes HO scale wood flower boxes.
The reason for the flower boxes is because I didn't use all that awful trim. The cutouts for the windows were over-sized, out of square, and depended on you using the trim to make things right. I had to put pieces of wood back into the walls to make the openings so you couldn't see through them. The flower box covered a big gaping hole below the window on the right.
But I digress. Here's another shot.
Next I'm going to scratch-build a livery stable. It will be near the front of the layout, so I will add more details--and I'll make this one run-down.
DSchmittNicely done model. Much better than your wood jail.
Hon30critterI have to comment on the roof of your stone jail. It looks great! The two layers of roofing and the uneven edge are really effective! They look very realistic.
Thanks guys.
Chip,
I have to comment on the roof of your stone jail. It looks great! The two layers of roofing and the uneven edge are really effective! They look very realistic.
SpaceMouse Still, the stone jail fits my town better than my wooden jail.
Still, the stone jail fits my town better than my wooden jail.
I agree. Nicely done model. Much better than your wood jail.
I tried to sell my two cents worth, but no one would give me a plug nickel for it.
I don't have a leg to stand on.
DSchmittActually there are prototypes for wooden jails
DS,
Great pics, but with the exception of the log jail, they seemed pretty flimsy. All relied on a hasp and lock on the door--which may be effective at keeping people in, but not so much for keeping cohorts out. I guess if they suspected cohorts, they'd post a guard or a Sharps in the trees.
SpaceMouse I didn't realize it at the time, but what was bothering me is that no one in their right mind would build a jail out of wood. A crow bar and a sledge could get a guy out of there in about 2 minutes flat.
I didn't realize it at the time, but what was bothering me is that no one in their right mind would build a jail out of wood. A crow bar and a sledge could get a guy out of there in about 2 minutes flat.
Actually there are prototypes for wooden jails
Log jail
Bodie California
Another wooden jail
And another
hon30critter Hi Chip, The second attempt at the jail looks much more authentic! Nicely done! Dave
The second attempt at the jail looks much more authentic! Nicely done!