Test Tracks and More

Hi All,

All this N-scale locomotive restoration and rejuvination I'm currently into prompted me to get the 2 modules I constructed for HO use out of storage. Each one measures 5 x 1 foot, composed of two 2.5 x 1 foot submodules, and they can be joined lengthways (10 x 1 feet) or sideways (5 x 2 feet).  They are made of 6mm Baltic Birch, laser cut, with tenon joints, 15" centers.  Holes for cables, wiring. Ends reinforced for C or D clamps. No screws or dowels. One of them fits nicely on an ironng board, which saves the hassle of building legs or base-units. The 2 modules are stored in a walk-in closet (cupboard) when not in storage. The photos below show the better looking of the 2, the other needs a bit of work as one end has a stream bed that will need removing. The tops are covered in 2mm cork placemats from Ikea, no longer available, but I have a few unused left.

No track plan yet, although if I have them side-by-side I can have a tail-chaser, with 11" radius curves. That's tight. A linear arrangement is more realistic, as I can have a turntable at one end. And nearly all railways and railroads were or are linear. For those interested, 10 x 1 feet in 1/160 is equivalent to 21 x 2.1 feet in OO. Either way, not bad for what is essentially a mobile shelf. I need another ironing board! If I am going to have a loop at one or both ends (to make a dog-bone layout) I will need an additional 3 x 3 feet module at one or both ends. I'll think about that.

I'm going to use the layout to explore some ideas I have for the club modules. An amalgation of the track plans at Stearns, Kentucky and Conrad, Montana, given I model the Southern Railway and the Great Northern Railway.

Stearns was a company town, principal activities coal mining and lumber. It was situated on the Southern Railway line running from Cincinatti to Chatanooga. It had a branch line running to a number of coal mines and mining towns along the Columbia River, and lots of timber reserves. One of the coal mines, Blue Heron, is a tourist attraction, with a seasonal train ride down from Stearns. On the bucket list for this year. Very hilly terrain, lots of deep cuttings, bridges over rivers, and tunnels. The Columbia river gorge was deep. Conrad was originally a railway town, halfway between Great Falls and Shelby, originally built as a refuelling point for the then narrow gauge railway that ran from Great falls to Lethbridge in Alberta, Canada. It also had a branch line, running to Valier. Lots of "prarie queen" grain storage towers and cattle yards. Flat as a pancake country. Both Stearns and Conrad had small yards. In the days of steam both had coaling tracks, Stearns over the main lines tippler, Conrad via a ramp and tower track side.

Thats quite a disparate storyboard, I'll be taking elements from both.

First job is to get the second module into the woodworking shop and do some refurbishment. Pictures below of the first module.

Cheers,

Nigel










 

Looking forward to see how you get on! 
Lots of potential. Do you think you will follow through and do it in HO or make something in N to use your new projects on?
Also, yes, it really is quite flat out here in the Canadian prairie 😵‍💫 sometimes I pretend that the clouds on the horizon are mountains, just to make myself feel better. 

Hi Darius,

I live in a small condo, and have focused on N rather than HO (or EM or OO, which I regard as narrow gauge anyway). This way it's an inglenook (not that I have an inglenook in which to keep it). The home layout is going to be more of a test track, but I might as well give a passing nod to some areas of North America that I've done a lot of research on. Montana's a bit too far, Kentucky is an easy days drive. I've been to Stearns in the fall during the week, next trip down will be over the weekend when the heritage line is working. Blue Heron has lots of potential, there was a narrow gauge line that moved the coal from the mines to the tipple, from there it went to the interchange sidings at Stearns on the standard gauge. I'll try and fit in the coal mine tipple at some point. It helps that Walthers do an N scale kit that is very similar.

I have a sizeable collection of Great Northern HO scale locomotives, we have a local modular HO group that I am considering joining. I really don't have the space for an HO layout at home (other than a shunting puzzle).  N scale gets me close.

Nigel

Interesting piece of history Nigel, following along.


Ed

Hi Ed,

I think it helps to have some bones to a layout. The body may not be what was planned, I blame evolution.

Track is an issue. The modular club uses code 80, which is a tad off scale to put it mildly. It does allow old stock with pizza cutter wheels to run, but is entirely wasted on modern stock. The choice of turnouts is limited as well. essentially #6 and #8. I'll be using code 55 on the home layout (all my stock gets tested on code 55), and even there turnout choice is limited. So it looks like some DIY using Fast Track tools and jigs. a company called Micro Engineering does some nice turnouts, but production is erratic.

I've been planning on a layout based on Blue Heron for a few years, if I can get some elements of the mine and town, as well as the Cumberland (mea culpa, it's the Big South Fork of the Columbia River) gorge and the narrow gauge railway over it in the layout I'll be happy.

The branch line from Stearns was intended to be the Kentucky & Tennessee railway line. Never completed, and used as a mining line until the late 1950s. it's currently the Big South Fork Scenic Railway. Conrad depot was a lot more interesting than the one at Stearns, so that may well be the only contribution from Montana, along with the tipple.

I'll see if I can find some photos. If not, I'll be down there in May for a short vacation (and a train ride of course).

Cheers,

Nigel

Hi All,

Came across this recently. Gotta have one of these, even though I have no plans to run steam. That could change for the home layout…..


Tipples both sides of the double tracked mainline just to the north of Stearns. Note the deep cut (looking south towards Stearns Depot). The tipples were on an embankment, deep cuts either side. I have 2 N scale coal tipple kits, it will need some modifications to get something like this.

From the Hawkins Rail collection.

Cheers,

Nigel
 

Looks and sounds like a lot of fun to be had. I'll be back periodically to see how you get on!

ATB

I've always thought that coaling facilities along with maintenance depots need to take up a lot of room, to look reasonably realistic.

I've seen layouts with TMP/MPDs squeezed in small spaces between tracks and they just look right to my eyes.

It's probably just me 




Ed

Hi Ed,

I have one ready to put together. The footprint is around 5 x 5 cm. Two together across the tracks are around 5 x 17 cm. I found a later photograph (1936) showing only one tipple serving both mainline tracks, with a water stand opposite the tipple. The Southern used a pair of ALCO diesels on this route in 1941 when there were plenty of steam passenger trains around. The Southern was not 100% diesel-powered until 1953, so an E6 or even an E7A would not be out of place. Models of the ALCOs in N scale are around. There were two tipple loading tracks, one for full coal cars and the other for empties. Logically the Stearns coal facility would be supplying the coal, and shunting the coal cars around. If I use just one tipple it's one for home, one for away. Should make an interesting cameo.

Nigel

Hi All,

I retrieved the second baseboard from storage, and spent yesterday at the community woodworking shop doing some refurbishment.  I had originally planned on a crossing over a small stream, I removed the HD closed cell foam and plaster cloth I had used, and replaced them with a single sheet of Baltic Birch underneath. I now have a shallow river some 35-65 mm wide and 5 mm deep - 17.5-32 feet wide and 2.5 feet deep not counting the banks. The cork is a bit worn, but basically sound. You can see where there were HD closed cell foam scenic hills and a second layer of cork as track bed. I also reinforced the frame corners inside with some 1 x 2 inch wood. One corner had failed glue, I sanded and re-glued.

So, a blank canvas 10 feet long and 1 foot wide. Track and turnouts to order after I come up with a layout plan. I currently have enough code 55 for 1 line and no turnouts. I was contemplating whether to have a decent river and gorge. Methinks a separate module 1.5 foot long x 1 foot wide with a decent depth of say 50-60 scale feet (100-120 mm). Need to look at a "drop module" design for this. [I'm using 2mm = 1 foot, actual in 1:160 is 1.9mm = 1 foot].

Cheers,

Nigel

PS. The black lines are not marker pens - they are from the insulating foam - Pink Panther brand.