Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Loco No. 2
Yesterday I took apart my Rex 0-6-0 and cleaned and lubed it. The commutator and brushes had quite a bit of gunk on them and the tender wheels in particular needed cleaning. Then came the test run, and things went well. The locomotive is nearly 20 years old and has served me well!
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Trial Run
Yesterday I completed wiring the track laid so far, and fired up the NW-2 for the first time. It runs smoothly, very smoothly, even at very slow speeds. I'm very pleased with it. It was a good test of the trackwork, because no matter how many times you push a string of cars or a truck through switch frogs, etc., there's no test like actual running.
Other than a few minutes' worth of minor tinkering at a couple of turnouts, no adjustments were required. It sure was fun, after an 18-month hiatus, to run trains again!
My next task is to get my Rex 0-6-0 ready to run by doing some routine lubrication, since it has been packed away for a year and a half.
Other than a few minutes' worth of minor tinkering at a couple of turnouts, no adjustments were required. It sure was fun, after an 18-month hiatus, to run trains again!
My next task is to get my Rex 0-6-0 ready to run by doing some routine lubrication, since it has been packed away for a year and a half.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Atmosphere: Back To The Forties
Without hitting visitors over the head...well, not hitting them too hard...I want to convey the time and place of my railroad. Of course, structures, signs, vehicles and above all, rolling stock should take care of this. However, a few other hints can't hurt when recreating April 1947.
The top photo is a "company calendar" I cooked up for my Gulf Harbor Terminal Railway, which is in the entry to the model railroad room.
The next three photos are ads I've cut out and mounted. They are from the April 1947 National Geographic and include the magazine cover. I was fortunate to find a copy in an antique store during a visit this past summer to Clear Lake, Iowa. Six of the pages advertise railroads' passenger services, with a Coca Cola and Texaco ad thrown in for additional atmosphere.
Monday, September 21, 2009
The Wiring Begins
I've started wiring the layout. The first task was to build a control "desk" to hold my Tech II power pack and Atlas block switches. This will be the third layout this equipment has served.
There's still some track to be laid in this section of the layout, but I've got enough in place to do some running. When I've tested the track I have so far, I'll continue laying more and install the turntable and roundhouse tracks. The turntable is scratchbuilt and served on my Idaho layout.
There's still some track to be laid in this section of the layout, but I've got enough in place to do some running. When I've tested the track I have so far, I'll continue laying more and install the turntable and roundhouse tracks. The turntable is scratchbuilt and served on my Idaho layout.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Darrell's Comments and My Concept
Darrell had some comments on my layout plan and I thought it might be useful to respond, as well as discuss my overall concept. He cited personal experience with a similar layout in identifying some limitations.
Among his concerns were lack of mainline running, no provision for moving cars "off layout" and lack of room for scenery, other than piers and building flats. All valid concerns, depending on what you're aiming for. He feels I simply don't have the space to do all I want, and that operating the layout could grow stale.
While I appreciate his comments and a good discussion, I must respectfully disagree, and my disagreement is based on my personal preferences and experience. Allow me to clarify.
First of all, my layout is intended to be a relatively simple switching layout, with no mainline running; the short stretch of track representing the mainline is simply to suggest a connection off-layout, in effect a "dummy" track (that can also serve as a switching lead). One of the yard tracks will represent both an arrival and departure track; cars will be assembled for departure and then will "arrive" via a card-order system, to be delivered to the various industrial sidings.
As for scenery, my idea is to represent a limited portion of a small city, through use of building flats and a few semi-flats and full structures. There won't be any attempt to reproduce "open country." I like the creativity involved in detailing scenery in a limited space to give the feel of a particular time and place. In a way, it's not unlike a movie set. A small layout is in some ways an "operating diorama."
Now, as far as experience goes, my previous layout, when we lived in Idaho, was based on exactly the same type of scheme. In fact, the track plan was in many ways quite similar to that of my new layout. Take a look at the photos of my old layout in my June 29th posting. Notice how I included just portions of "main street" and the edge of a residential area to suggest more beyond. My old layout was 8' x 10', while now I have 11' x 13' to work in, which I've used to expand my curve radii a bit. I saved my structures and building flats and they should all find a place on my new layout, though some may be modified or cannibalized (such as grain elevators).
I've had larger layouts in the past that included mainline running and plenty of scenery, but I had the best time with my last layout, that small switching pike. I operated it for six years and never grew tired of it. The arrival/departure track and card-order arrangement worked well, as far as I was concerned. I would occasionally tinker with the scenery here and there and add rolling stock, but I was pleased with the overall situation.
In short, I am in many ways duplicating what for me was a layout that I thoroughly enjoyed, using ideas I have tested. I actually considered recreating the same Idaho-themed layout here, track plan and all. However, as a Seattle native, I have always thought it would be interesting to depict a waterfront railroad. And it seems only fitting, since we now live in Texas and are near the Gulf Coast, to model this region. Thus, the Gulf Harbor Terminal Railway!
Again, I do appreciate Darrell's comments and I hope my response has clarified my objectives a bit. I think we all have our individual preferences in model railroading and that's great. The variety of approaches is what I like most about this hobby. I always learn a lot by seeing others' layouts and hearing their ideas.
Among his concerns were lack of mainline running, no provision for moving cars "off layout" and lack of room for scenery, other than piers and building flats. All valid concerns, depending on what you're aiming for. He feels I simply don't have the space to do all I want, and that operating the layout could grow stale.
While I appreciate his comments and a good discussion, I must respectfully disagree, and my disagreement is based on my personal preferences and experience. Allow me to clarify.
First of all, my layout is intended to be a relatively simple switching layout, with no mainline running; the short stretch of track representing the mainline is simply to suggest a connection off-layout, in effect a "dummy" track (that can also serve as a switching lead). One of the yard tracks will represent both an arrival and departure track; cars will be assembled for departure and then will "arrive" via a card-order system, to be delivered to the various industrial sidings.
As for scenery, my idea is to represent a limited portion of a small city, through use of building flats and a few semi-flats and full structures. There won't be any attempt to reproduce "open country." I like the creativity involved in detailing scenery in a limited space to give the feel of a particular time and place. In a way, it's not unlike a movie set. A small layout is in some ways an "operating diorama."
Now, as far as experience goes, my previous layout, when we lived in Idaho, was based on exactly the same type of scheme. In fact, the track plan was in many ways quite similar to that of my new layout. Take a look at the photos of my old layout in my June 29th posting. Notice how I included just portions of "main street" and the edge of a residential area to suggest more beyond. My old layout was 8' x 10', while now I have 11' x 13' to work in, which I've used to expand my curve radii a bit. I saved my structures and building flats and they should all find a place on my new layout, though some may be modified or cannibalized (such as grain elevators).
I've had larger layouts in the past that included mainline running and plenty of scenery, but I had the best time with my last layout, that small switching pike. I operated it for six years and never grew tired of it. The arrival/departure track and card-order arrangement worked well, as far as I was concerned. I would occasionally tinker with the scenery here and there and add rolling stock, but I was pleased with the overall situation.
In short, I am in many ways duplicating what for me was a layout that I thoroughly enjoyed, using ideas I have tested. I actually considered recreating the same Idaho-themed layout here, track plan and all. However, as a Seattle native, I have always thought it would be interesting to depict a waterfront railroad. And it seems only fitting, since we now live in Texas and are near the Gulf Coast, to model this region. Thus, the Gulf Harbor Terminal Railway!
Again, I do appreciate Darrell's comments and I hope my response has clarified my objectives a bit. I think we all have our individual preferences in model railroading and that's great. The variety of approaches is what I like most about this hobby. I always learn a lot by seeing others' layouts and hearing their ideas.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
The Plan
I'm sorry about the quality of this photo, which I'm afraid is due to the quality of my track plan drawing. It was done in pencil and suffered by the usual erasures and revisions, as well as scribbled notes, etc. But, despite these imperfections, it's probably good enough for a quick tour of the layout I have in progress.
On the lower left is the yard, including roundhouse and turntable. Just above that is the passenger depot, and just above the depot is a spur for a freight house and team track. Heading to the right, the upper track, which represents the main line, disappears "off stage" behind a screen of trees. In front of that track is a spur for a coal and oil dealership, and another for a lumber company. The lower right portion of the layout is dominated by two large public freight piers, each of which will have a warehouse. Along the right edge of this area are a couple of industry sidings.
The upper right corner will be a residential area, and the center portion will have businesses on either side of the tracks.
I like the way Model Railroader has a box with its layout plans entitled "The layout at a glance." As a review of where I hope to go with this layout, I'll do the same...
Name: Gulf Harbor Terminal Railway
Scale: S (1:64)
Size: 11' x 13'
Prototype: freelanced terminal switching line
Locale: medium-sized eastern Texas seaport
Period: April 1947
Style: U-shaped shelf
Minimum radius: 36"
Minimum turnout: no. 6
Maximum grade: none
Benchwork: sectional
Roadbed: white pine
Track: handlaid code 100 on balsa ties
Control: block
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