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Moving the N Scale Juniata Division

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  • Member since
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  • From: Colorado Springs, CO
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Moving the N Scale Juniata Division
Posted by Dave Vollmer on Sunday, November 7, 2010 9:07 AM

 

I've been busy this weekend, that's for sure.  After boxing up I don't know how many cars and locos (200 or so, maybe?  I need to start an inventory spreadsheet!), the Juniata Division has been denuded of anything not permanently affixed with glue.  We leave for my new assignment in the Florida Panhandle (Hurlburt Field) in two weeks.  This will be the third home of the Juniata Division, and my 7th Air Force assignment in 15 years.

The layout travels quite nicely in a U-Haul trailer which is how it will get to Florida.

The layout plus my workbench:

Will eventually come to rest in this 10x12 back bedroom in our new home in the Land of No Basements:

This is why PORTABILITY is the single over-arching factor in the layout's design.  This is our second tour in Florida.

 

Modeling the Rio Grande Southern First District circa 1938-1946 in HOn3.

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Posted by quietstorm454 on Sunday, November 7, 2010 9:30 AM

 Your layout has been an inspiration to me! I find myself amazed each and everytime I see pics of it. Good Luck with the move of the family and the wonderful layout Dave!

Jeff Norfolk Southern/Conrail fan N Scale Modeler HO Scale collector
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Posted by galaxy on Sunday, November 7, 2010 9:50 AM

Good to hear from you again Dave!!!!

Good luck with a SAFE move, and the new assignment!

You are moving to FL just in time for a warmer winter! {Unless it freezes there like it did last year}

Swell expansion section! {I don't recall seeing it before- only the narrrow mini yard you had}

Maybe you will hop on over to the "N scale Door layout Plans" thread and offer some advice if you have time?

-G .

Just my thoughts, ideas, opinions and experiences. Others may vary.

 HO and N Scale.

After long and careful thought, they have convinced me. I have come to the conclusion that they are right. The aliens did it.

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Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, November 7, 2010 9:52 AM

A safe arrival at your new post to you and your family. I hope your new location has sufficient space to un-box the PRR Juniata Division and get it up and running again!

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Posted by R. T. POTEET on Sunday, November 7, 2010 10:16 AM

 

Boy, you sure didn't stay at Awful Air Force Patch very long did you? I wish you the best of everything in your new assignment.

It's always nice to see photos of your layout, Dave; You added the yard extension during this concluding assignment; might you be considering any further modifications on this new assignment?

From the far, far reaches of the wild, wild west I am: rtpoteet

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Posted by Dave Vollmer on Sunday, November 7, 2010 10:23 AM

RT, I have some ideas, but you can see how limited my space will be.  We'll see.  Been thinking about relaying the original layout with code 55; at that time I could rearrange the track such that I could move the yard into a more space-saving position like so:

Modeling the Rio Grande Southern First District circa 1938-1946 in HOn3.

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Posted by BATMAN on Sunday, November 7, 2010 10:28 AM

Good luck on your new posting Dave. Does that new room have space for another door??? I always enjoy following along on your new projects. Good luck.Cowboy

 

                                                                        Brent

Brent

"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."

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Posted by R. T. POTEET on Sunday, November 7, 2010 2:23 PM

 

You know, Dr Dave, you are to be commended for recognizing--and planning for--certain liabilities of your career--you recognize that as a career active duty member of the armed forces duty is going to require frequent relocations and you have planned accordingly by keeping your layout portable. If I remember correctly you have even designed this with some sort of a cover that fits over your platform to allow it to be transported when you move. I will take it that you have done the same with the new section built since your relocation from North Carolina.

A recent post either here or over on Atlas involved  dismantling and moving a layout from one location to another. The poster of this querry found himself in the predicament of wanting to salvage his existing layout when he relocated. This subject is almost certain to crop up at least once each year. Many of us have found ourself with the necessity of moving for a great variety of reasons; for me, like yourself, it was because our great Uncle frequently up and said :Go!" I'm two moves ahead of you; I relocated eleven times in 20 years and I was in the process of making my ninth PCS move when I reached  when I reached my 15th service anniversary. As I have said in other postings--except for occasions where I was a member of a club--I spent the last ten years I was on active duty assembling a fleet of die-cast locomotives.

Based upon my experience I tender the following piece of sage wisdom: IF YOU THINK YOU MIGHT NEED TO MOVE A LAYOUT DESIGN AND ASSEMBLE IT IN A MANNER THAT FACILITATES DISASSEMBLY AND TRANSPORT!!!!!

 

From the far, far reaches of the wild, wild west I am: rtpoteet

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Posted by Dave Vollmer on Sunday, November 7, 2010 2:26 PM

BATMAN

Good luck on your new posting Dave. Does that new room have space for another door??? I always enjoy following along on your new projects. Good luck.Cowboy

 

                                                                        Brent

 

No...  In fact, the two I have will barely fit.  A person of large girth will probably not fit in the room with the layout.

Modeling the Rio Grande Southern First District circa 1938-1946 in HOn3.

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Posted by dknelson on Sunday, November 7, 2010 5:44 PM

A tribute to advance thinking, careful planning, and solid design.  There is another thread on the forum along the lines of, would you ever buy someone else's layout and move it.  My experience is most layouts -- even fairly small layouts -- are purpose built to their space, and are not built with any thought of dismantling and moving.  Even moving across the room in the same house has been death to some layouts!

Good luck on your move.

Dave Nelson

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Posted by R. T. POTEET on Sunday, November 7, 2010 6:45 PM

dknelson
. . . . . . . . . . Even moving across the room in the same house has been death to some layouts!

Been there-----done that-----bought a T-Shirt for memories!!!!!

LAYOUT (START) #1  Having gone through a 3 month long professional remodeling project I settled down to build my self a 4 X 11 N-Scale version of the HO Railroad that Grows. Twelve months later I had just gotten past the point where trains were running across the Airline  when my wife got a wild hair that my train room could be put to better/different utilization and I could have another room for my hobby. This new room had about 10 extra square feet so I didn't object too strongly.

LAYOUT (START) #2  So-o-o-o-o-o-o what happened? Because the measurements were different in this new room my 4 X 11 layout could not be made to fit so had to be discarded. I was able to save most of the solid lumber I had used in benchwork construction. Five months later and with my new benchwork done and subroadbed/roadbed in place and about 25% of my mainline down and ballasted my wife got another wild hair that she wanted to put things back as they had been so down came layouit #2. I was able to salvage most of the solid lumber from this layout also. Since I was now back in the space where layout #1 had stood less than six months before, I toyed with the idea of redoing 4 X 11 HO Railroad that Grows but decided against that in lieu of a shelf layout for LAYOUT (START) #3.

I started three layouts . . . . . count'em: three . . . . . in 19 months.

From the far, far reaches of the wild, wild west I am: rtpoteet

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Posted by tomikawaTT on Sunday, November 7, 2010 10:36 PM

Congratulations on escaping from Nebraska.  I hope the Florida weather will be cooperative while you're there.

If you can ever finagle an assignment to Nellis, most of the houses here have garages.  Don't know about base housing, though.  My wife (not our favorite Uncle) choreographed our last-in-this-lifetime move to the Dessicated Desert.

As always, your modeling is an inspiration.  Good luck with your new assignment.

Chuck [MSgt(ret) USAF, modeling Central Japan in September, 1964]

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Posted by Anonymous on Monday, November 8, 2010 1:53 AM

Just want to wish you the best of luck getting everything moved into your new home. I really enjoy the pictures of the layout.

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Posted by BerkshireSteam on Monday, November 8, 2010 2:48 AM

Dave Vollmer

 

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_-7fiN5heOQo/TKKcc-geJlI/AAAAAAAAMOU/mKr46AUECCE/s640/Mod1.jpg

I like  the addition of the wye. Easier to turn locomotives, and with the other track enough room to turn entire trains. Sorry for any weird typing, I use a wireless keyboard and it likes to act up.

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Posted by colesdad on Monday, November 8, 2010 8:16 AM

Dave,

Good luck with your move, and thank you for your service to our Country. If not for the men and women who serve our Nation, we may not be able to enjoy the lifestlye and hobbies we have.

let's not forget our Veterns this week

Learn something new everyday!
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Posted by aloco on Monday, November 8, 2010 11:10 AM

What types of  locomotives do you use to switch the yard on your layout?

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Posted by jrbernier on Monday, November 8, 2010 3:13 PM

Dave,

  Good Luck with the move and new assignment.  From a veteran to a future veteran - Thanks for your service on Veteran's Day!

Jim

Modeling BNSF  and Milwaukee Road in SW Wisconsin

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Posted by Dave Vollmer on Monday, November 8, 2010 10:29 PM

aloco

What types of  locomotives do you use to switch the yard on your layout?

 

Smaller steam such as PRR H-series consolidations (I kitbashed an H10sb) or my L1s 2-8-2 kitbash seen below:

For Conrail I use an MP15DC:

Modeling the Rio Grande Southern First District circa 1938-1946 in HOn3.

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Posted by Packer on Monday, November 8, 2010 11:12 PM

galaxy

You are moving to FL just in time for a warmer winter! {Unless it freezes there like it did last year}

Dunno, It's kind of early in the year for it to get into the 30s.

Vincent

Wants: 1. high-quality, sound equipped, SD40-2s, C636s, C30-7s, and F-units in BN. As for ones that don't cost an arm and a leg, that's out of the question....

2. An end to the limited-production and other crap that makes models harder to get and more expensive.

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Posted by West Penn Nscale on Wednesday, November 10, 2010 6:57 PM

Dave good luck on your move !!!! Looks like the AF gave you a good duty station.... Hope to see you up and operating soon ...

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Posted by Dave Vollmer on Sunday, November 21, 2010 2:43 PM

Prepping the layout to move to Florida this week in a U-Haul trailer.  First, two shots of it without trains or vehicles in the now empty basement.  I also took down the lighting fixtures, so the lighting plus older iPhone makes for poor quality:

The two pieces are separated as cleats and bolts are removed.  Also removed are the decorative skirts, the DCC control station, and the enginehouse roof (I made it removable in case I derail inside the enginehouse).

Modeling the Rio Grande Southern First District circa 1938-1946 in HOn3.

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Posted by Dave Vollmer on Monday, November 22, 2010 8:26 PM

Loaded and ready to go tomorrow.

Modeling the Rio Grande Southern First District circa 1938-1946 in HOn3.

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Posted by Ponti on Tuesday, November 23, 2010 5:11 AM

You have some well travelled trains Wink  Nice layout, and happy moving.

Horsepower is good.

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Posted by tgindy on Tuesday, November 23, 2010 6:24 PM

Dave Vollmer
Loaded and ready to go tomorrow.

Looks like this might be "the second time" you've done this move -- Happy motoring!

Conemaugh Road & Traction circa 1956

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Posted by cowman on Tuesday, November 23, 2010 7:12 PM

Best of luck on your move.  Looks like pre-planning has paid off more than once for you.

My son was assigned to Hulbert for a while.  I didn't get there, but his mother said it was a very nice place to be in the winter.

hope your move goes smoothly.

Thank you for your continued service.

Have fun,.

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Posted by Dave Vollmer on Saturday, November 27, 2010 9:41 PM

The N scale PRR/CR Juniata Division arrived safely at its new home in the Sunshine State this afternoon.  This is our second tour in Florida, and both of my children were born here.  In many ways it feels like a homecoming.

Unfortunately, Florida is almost devoid of basements.  Not so good for model railroaders.

The good news is I chose a house with a nice, well-lit back bedroom that will fit the layout (and not much else!).

Modeling the Rio Grande Southern First District circa 1938-1946 in HOn3.

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