Oh no! I'm Having THOSE Kinds of Thoughts Again!

[davefoxx]

Edit: I've started a new mini-blog for you over on my track plans pages: http://whiteriverandnorthern.net/plan-18.htm

Thanks, David!  I'll try to remember to get my digital camera from my other house this week and get better pictures for you.

Now, I've got to go order some materials...

DFF

[davefoxx]

Just a minor update.  I finally bought a jeweler's saw and was able to cut the rail gaps around the frog on the code 40 turnout that I built a few months ago.  The jeweler's saw works great, and I managed to cut the gaps without breaking a blade.  I installed the blade, so it cuts on the pull stroke.  The key to get the sawblade started without breaking a blade is to use push strokes until a kerf is started.  Then, the sawblade will cut easily without hanging up.  I also had to do a few push strokes to finish each cut, but each cut only took mere seconds.  Nice.  I used an Xacto blade to make sure there were no cuttings crossing the gap.

With that completed, I installed the code 40 turnout and transitioned to the code 55 track with the crimped rail joiner method.  Here's how the rail joint turned out.  The rails are flush and gauge appears to be fine.  Preliminary testing of the frog shows smooth operation there.  I'll need to extend the rails to be able to really test the operation of the points, but so far, so good.







I need some Pliobond applicator tips (on order) and some wood ties (I ran out after the order was placed with Fast Tracks- go figure) to finish the track.  But, I have several turnouts to build, so that will take some time anyway, especially at my pace.

DFF

[extra7000south]

Nice work Dave!!  

Just in case you are interested;
I just read a article in Model Railroader (May 2011) on page 42 called Build a headquarters for your railroad.
It's about building the Aberdeen & Rockfish General Office building in HO scale.
There's a nice story along with photos and a materials list.
Even though its HO you should still be able to salvage some ideas.

[davefoxx]

Nice work Dave!!  

Just in case you are interested;
I just read a article in Model Railroader (May 2011) on page 42 called Build a headquarters for your railroad.
It's about building the Aberdeen & Rockfish General Office building in HO scale.
There's a nice story along with photos and a materials list.
Even though its HO you should still be able to salvage some ideas.

Thanks, Glenn.  I will need to build that building someday.  Our host, John, clued me in on that very article a few weeks ago.  However, working at the snail's pace that I do, I'm a long way from building structures.  But, I'll keep that article handy for the future.

DFF

[Philip H]

Dave,
 I fI read correctly somewhere today you need some tiesm I am in possession of a bag of 1000 "weathered" regular length ties from ,icro Engineering. Since I am not handlaying track at the moment, they are yous if they will help. PM for details.

Otherwise, I hope I can get a tutorial one of these days - this stuff looks fantastic!

[davidgray1974]

I agree.  Everything is looking great so far.  Any updates as of yet?

[davefoxx]

I agree.  Everything is looking great so far.  Any updates as of yet?

Thanks for asking, David.  Unfortunately, I have nothing new to add for a couple of reasons.  First and foremost, I am still waiting on a Fast Tracks order with some materials I desperately need.  Also, I just sold my townhome and we've been busy with a move.

I hope to be back at it soon.  Philip sent me some ties he wasn't using, so I can now finish installing the ties.

Thanks again,
Dave Foxx

[davefoxx]

Updates since the last post.  I decided to use the code 40 flextrack that I ordered for the HCD generation of the A&R (before it was scrapped and I started this layout) and which finally was received after many, many weeks due to a lost order by the USPS.  So, I scraped off the wood ties that I glued down and have started to mess around with flextrack.  Micro Engineering flex is much more difficult to work with than Atlas, especially when flexing down to an 10" curve!  I still need to build three more turnouts.

Today, I finally got over hemming and hawing and added the small two-track yard seen below.  I wanted this element of the HCD layout but needed to add width to the layout.  However, a mere 4" in depth was all this required.  The yard is the SBD/SOU/A&R interchange.



Apologies for the poor quality of the picture.  I will try to locate my tripod and get some better shots.

DFF

[davefoxx]

Hey, all.

It's now October 2011 and I thought that I would like to update everyone on where I am.  With the move into my wife's townhome last year, which is waaaaaaaaaaaaaay too small for us, especially with two houses' worth of furniture and all of our possessions for three (soon to be four!) of us crammed in here.  Our baby is due in December, so our plans are to rent a house by February 2012, so we can move out of this townhome and do the renovations it requires to sell it as soon as possible.  At a minimum, we're going to need to replace the vinyl floors in the kitchen and three bathrooms, replace the exterior windows and front door, replace the kitchen countertop, sink, and faucet, and replace the bathroom cultured marble tops and faucets.  Just too much to do while we're living here, and I really don't want to expose my family to the dangers of serious renovation by trying to live around the remodeling.  If it seems like a lot to put into the house just before the sale, you're probably correct.  Although, there are presently several townhomes in our neighborhood for sale, so the competition is stiff.

Anyhow, with the tentative move to a new house in the near future, I'm hoping that I can make enough room for my hobby and finally get back to a HCD layout.  I obviously will have to keep it portable, especially if we're renting.  A HCD layout fits that bill, and I really have been missing the Virginia Central lately.  I just flat-out lost interest in working on my tiny 2' x 4.5' layout: the A&R 2.0.  I really tired of hving to get out the materials and work on the kitchen table, only to have to put it all away when I finished.  So, to be honest, it's already been scrapped.  In short, I just need something larger, and a HCD layout suits me perfectly (especially when outfitted with a yard on a 12" HCD as staging).

So, I find myself starting over again.  I still love the plan we came up with for the Aberdeen & Rockfish and think it may be one of the most interesting plans I've ever seen on a single door.  It actually allows a decent amount of ops.  But...

Problem #1: When I started building the A&R 1.0 on a HCD layout, I found that the scenic possibilities were rather sparse.  The A&R didn't cross any significant waterways with interesting bridges.  There were no tunnels.  There's really no interesting feature that screams A&R or the sandhills of North Carolina.  I couldn't figure out how to create a layout that was scenically interesting and pleasing to the eye, and I really missed the river crossings on my old Virginia Central layout.  Yes, I had one small creek planned on the A&R, but I didn't like how I had to shoehorn it in.  But, perhaps, with some planning, I could make some scenic revisions or possibly apply some artistic license to add some interest.

Problem #2: I still have all of my C&O, SBD, RF&P rolling stock and locomotives, and I'm really finding myself wanting to run them more.  I've been spoiled by the big-time railroading on seusscaboose's NKP layout in our ops sessions, which I'm not going to get modeling the A&R.  So, do I move the modeled area back north to Virginia and finally try to figure out how to put a tiny piece of the RF&P on a HCD?  Hello, Doswell, Virginia!  Or, do I stick to Aberdeen, North Carolina and change the plan, so that the A&R is the interchange.  Either way, I would have to model double track on the HCD.  Normally, I would rule that out, but Dr. V has pulled this off successfully with his Juniata Division.  If I do decide that I'm being called back to model something in Virginia, at least I don't have a huge amount of cash invested in the A&R fleet.  The freight cars can still be used, and I love that A&R paint scheme.  I would occasionally use the locos in run-throughs, explaining it as some sort of repayment to SBD for horsepower hours (the A&R did lease or borrow locomotives from SAL and SCL at a time, so this is not a complete stretch of the imagination).

My current brainstorm: Figure out how to model Doswell, Virginia on one side of the HCD, allowing me to run RF&P on the main loop with an interchange to the C&O.  This makes practically everything in my fleet relevant again, because SBD, SCL, even Conrail (YUUUUUP!) in later years were run through on the RF&P.  On the backside, I could either model a great river crossing on the RF&P's many bridges, or I could model Fredericksburg for ops possibilities, or I could model the C&O's Piedmont Sub (if I could figure out how to disguise the double track loop) which would punch through the scenic divider to interchange at Doswell.  The RF&P had trackage rights on the C&O to a paper mill, and there was also a gravel pit that the C&O served with some of those cars being interchanged (and some loaded by truck) at Doswell.  If space allowed, I would put Acca Yard on a separate door, and I would love to be able to model Bryan Park Terminal (obviously selectively compressed) where locomotives were serviced.  I loved railfanning Bryan Park Terminal when I was in college from 1988-92.  I saw all sorts of interesting locos and rolling stock, and Bryan Park Terminal makes for great photo ops for roster shots.

Decisions, decisions... I really want to plan this one out better, so that I stop wasting time and supplies building something that doesn't make me happy and gets thrown in the trash.  I had the Virginia Central for years, so I know I can be satisfied by a HCD layout.

DFF

P.S.  Ed K., this is partially your fault, because you wrote earlier in the week that your NCR layout received trains from Pot Yard.  I have always thought that it was cool when fellow modelers model two separate areas but consider the others' layouts in their ops (the AM, VM, and V&O come to mind).  If I model the RF&P, not only can I finally run the Juice Train legitimately, but I can forward cars to Pot Yard where they can be sent your way!

[wm3798]

We could re-establish the Greenspring branch between Lake Roland and Owings Mills to pick up a connection to the WM, too...  it would need a time warp wormhole though...

Glad to see you're getting back in the saddle.  One consideration, instead of a traditional HCD with a loop, look at the possiblity of stringing together a couple of more or less modular narrow HCD's for a  more linear railroad, with a 36" HCD cut in half to create return loops at the ends.  If ever there was a linear railroad, it's the RF&P...  And the Richmond station was built on a loop anyway, so there you go.

It would also allow you to build it as a shelf style layout along two walls tucked in the corner of whatever the new space is, and supported simply on a couple of Ikea shelves (or even cheaper Walmart or Staples book shelves).  The only wildcard would be the corner module, whether it would wrap around an outside corner, or be tucked into an inside corner.

I see, north to south, Doswell and the C&O interchange as the north blob, which if space permits, could be a full 3068 door to maximize the C&O and perhaps a small storage yard.  Next would be 12 to 16" wide HCD carrying your main 6'8 down the wall, turning the corner on a customized module as described above, then another 6'8 x 16" to run down the next.  You could do one of the shelf modules as open country, or your river crossing and the other as an urban setting with some switching duties.  At the south end would be another 3068 door with Richmond Terminal in it's ragged out late 70's appearance, that can be used as a triple track return loop staging with an extra track for a short Amtrak train.  Back at the north end, you could build on another 16" L with a stub yard to represent Pot Yards off in the distance.  In the end, the effective track plan would be a point to loop, but a simple cut off on the north pod would give you continuous run opportunity.

On the surface, this sounds like a lot, and you may have issues getting a land grant for the whole thing all at once, but if you think modular standards at the connecting points, you could start out with one panel, then gradually add as space and resources permit.  Should you flesh the whole thing out in the time you're renting, when it's time to move, you still have a simple modular design that can be easily transported, contracted or expanded when you get to your new space.

Lee

[davefoxx]

You have a lot of good suggestions in your last post, Lee.  Thanks for taking the time to consider my dilemma.

A shelf layout would be ideal, but I'm just not sure I could build (and finish!) a room-sized layout like you, Eric, and John.  A HCD may be more my speed.  That said, I have long thought the same thing about modeling from Richmond to Doswell, as you suggested.  But, considering we'll likely be going to a rental house for an undetermined period of time before we finally buy a home, the shelf layout's likely not a possibility.  At least not yet.  It's these problems that have kept me from building an RF&P-themed layout to date.

But, I must find a way.  The RF&P's double track racetrack is going to be difficult to do well on a HCD, but I do want a roundy-round.  If I can run a train, I'll be more likely to work on the layout.  I like the idea of Doswell and the C&O interchange.   Maybe if we try to steal the elements of Aberdeen on the A&R 1.0 HCD layout plan, we could model the RF&P running through the door lengthwise and try to figure out how to model the C&O Piedmont Sub as the roundy-round within the confines of a 36" x 80" HCD.  With a provision to expand the layout, the double track could be extended to a future shelf layout, and the C&O would remain it's own railroad within the RF&P layout.  Sure, this wouldn't allow me to legitimately run the Juice Train yet, but it would be suited and more plausible on a HCD.

DFF

[davefoxx]

By the way, the most exciting part of modeling the RF&P is that it solves the problem that I have always had.  I like too many southeastern roads that it's difficult to pick one.  The RF&P interchanged with a lot of other railroads and saw a number of run-throughs and shared/pool power.  In the era that I choose to run (1983-86), I could use RF&P, SBD, C&O, and Conrail legitimately.  If I choose to do as Dave Vollmer has done and push back the clock occasionally, I would settle in the 1950s for those cool ACL and SAL paint schemes.  The RF&P saw anything from locals to those crack Florida streamliners.  Don't forget the Orange Blossom Special (intermodal) and the Juice Train.

DFF

[wm3798]

Start with Doswell, and build a roundy round loop into it, but have the RF&P double track go to the edge of the table for future use.  Finesse Doswell to the point that it makes you smile, then get the second narrower door.  Make the first one your switching area, so now you have your roundy round with an interchange track or three that can serve as a yard, plus a shelf for some extra switching action.  Once that's installed, go around the corner, OR, build Richmond so you can do a longer roundy round utilizing the "racetrack" portion on the switching layout.  If you have room, time and resources, add the second shelf, and if necessary, the corner unit to tie it together.

In the bigger scheme of things, look at the townhouse renovation in terms of how much time you anticipate renting.  If it's a two year project, plan your temporary layout accordingly.  Draw up the four door concept as the best case scenario, and just keep your track geometry standardized to the point where you can add pieces as time and resources permit.  I'll whip up some diagrams later to illustrate what I'm talking about.

Lee

[davefoxx]

Here's a track plan from 1969: http://www.piedmontsub.com/maps/DoswellMap.jpg

Obviously, I would omit some extraneous track to keep from spaghetti-ing the layout, but imagine that this plan fits on a door that is vertical overlaying this plan.  The RF&P double-track mainline parallels the right side of the door.  The loop is connected by one single track that swings away from the RF&P at the upper right corner of the door.  The C&O tracks would continue around the backside of the HCD from the crossing and form the loop.  The C&O/RF&P crossing is pushed as far to the bottom right as possible and allows a 12" shelf to be added perpendicularly, extending the C&O beyond the HCD and allowing the addition of the Bear Island paper mill and/or staging. 

The RF&P tracks could always be extended away from the door layout in the future at both ends of the first door.  The backside of the layout could have a C&O industry such as the quarry at Verdon: http://www.piedmontsub.com/maps/Verdon1963Map.jpg

[wm3798]

Exactly!