Tehachapi, BC

[Chris333]

Holy update Batman 

[sizemore]

  Looks awesome!

The S.

[SAH]

"most technically challenging part of the layout build"

A bit of an understatement that.  Beautiful work Gary.

I'm pretty much helix-phobic, but also realize that to get the AC&Y layout in my head a reality in the space I have available I'll need to build one.  Your efforts are inspiring.

Steve

[jagged ben]

Not a bad novella.   Especially with how you turned it all into a tribute to your dad.

Now I'm looking back in thread for your trackplans to figure out what you can do in your operating sessions now.  It's all so complicated.

[C855B]

... helix-phobic...

Yeah. Me, too, but it looks like one is in my future. I will say sending out the bits for CNC cutting is a beautiful solution.

[basementcalling]

Layout DNA.

OhmyfreakingoodlordsweetbabyJesus.

It definitely IS the quiet ones who are dangerous.

[Bendtracker1]

Excellent work there Gary!
You learned from your father like I did, nothing better than free advice!  Well almost free....

As you already know, CNC routers are our friends!  A buddy and I built not only his two helixs on a router, but the entire layout.
He used AutoCad and drew everything up and then to put the icing on the cake, he drew all the track center lines.
I chose to use a tool path with a 1/4" shank "V" bit so the router marked all of the center lines as well.  Worked like a charm!  Everything fit like a glove!

Looking forward to seeing the pics from the session.

[ednadolski]

One of the best decisions I made in this build was to have the remaining loops of roadbed cut from 1/4" Baltic birch plywood on a CNC router.  I was able to make a simple line drawing in xtrakcad, export it to pdf, email it to a local maker shop, and pick up the parts a few days later:

It would be way cool if the shop could cut a rabbet into the edge of the roadbed pieces, so that they could be joined without adding any thickness.  A plus for a helix where clearances can be a concern.

Ed

[GaryHinshaw]

Thanks for the feedback guys.  I value it greatly.

Frankly, I am exhausted just reading and looking at what you have been working on.

Me too!    In fact I often think about the GC&W when I'm toiling away at my puny 10x20 ft layout.  You're so brave to take on an industrial scale project!

Now I'm looking back in thread for your trackplans to figure out what you can do in your operating sessions now.  It's all so complicated.

But excuse me, who ballasts track in a helix???
Otto K.

LOL.  I've grouped these quotes because they raise a point I didn't make above.  I knew that the Vortex would be complicated for operators to grasp, but I really needed a solution like it to achieve the scope of layout I was looking for in a 10x20 space.  The two mainline loops that share a footprint with the staging helix were needed to get all the vertical clearances and grades to work out in this very vertical plan.  The lower (Bakersfield-Edison) loop will remain visible in the finished layout because I'm trying my best to avoid hidden track, hence it is ballasted.  I am thinking I will have a very simple photo backdrop divider representing the outskirts of Bakersfield situated between it and the un-ballasted helix track in that loop.  I'll probably need some type of LED lighting strip make that turn more visible.  I still haven't decided how I am going to mask the helix itself, though given how nicely the CNC parts worked out, I'm not finding it too much of an eyesore as is.  I'm thinking of some kind of translucent treatment - suggestions welcome.

The upper mainline turn in the ortex is required to bring the lower deck to the elevation of the upper deck.  It represents the remote Cliff/Rowan section on the prototype, and it is intended to be hidden track.  However, for the operator's peace of mind, I left a window in the fascia so that they could monitor their trains as they traversed this section. In an attempt to clarify the arrangement, I decided that ballasting it would make it more obvious to guests that this loop was part of the mainline run, not the staging helix (that and I just like the look of ballasted track...).  To my credit though, I did not paint the Pandrol clips nor add the characteristic ballast ridge down the middle in there!   

I think we should run a competition to see who's layout room gets into a bigger mess while we are busy with construction.

I win so far!    Since I work in many short bursts, I find it impractical to clean up between work sessions, but the flip side is I'm constantly looking for where I put a tool down… As the Vortex progressed, that problem grew worse and worse as the number of new surfaces proliferated.

I chose to use a tool path with a 1/4" shank "V" bit so the router marked all of the center lines as well.  Worked like a charm!  Everything fit like a glove!

I thought about trying to do that, but I didn't really know the full capability of the tool.  Glad to hear it worked like a charm - I'm really sold on this approach.   Don't fear the helix!

1. How long does it take for a train to climb the helix/vortex at typical speed?
2. What's the average number of hours per week that you spend on layout construction?
3. The photo backdrop behind the Loop looks great, esp. the multi-layer effect.  Did you print that all out on some kind of heavy paper or cardstock?  is it all on one sheet, or did you combine multiple pages?

1. Each turn is ~13 ft = 0.4 s-mi and there are 6.5 turns for a total run of ~2.5 s-mi.  At 20 s-mph this takes just under 8 minutes.  But note that this is a staging helix, so operators will not, in general, be making this portion of the run themselves.  See below for some usage notes.  (Fun fact: overall there is 6.7 s-mi's of track in the Vortex, counting the mainline loops.)

2. Fluctuates wildly.  Over the past two years it has ranged from a low of a 1-2 hours per week up to 20-25 per week during some weeks of this summer.  The Vanrail deadline was very motivating!

3. Glad you like the photo backdrop - I do too.  Sadly it is still just the test print I did a long time ago: my son helped me make a panorama in Photoshop, then I printed it on 8.5x11 sheets with my inkjet and taped them together.  It was mostly intended to verify sizing so I could get them professionally printed.  That will still happen someday!

Not a bad novella.   Especially with how you turned it all into a tribute to your dad.

Thanks jb.  That last photo still makes me verklempt.

[Smike]

To my credit though, I did not paint the Pandrol clips nor add the characteristic ballast ridge down the middle in there!

Hehehe... a glimmer of sanity emerges 

[GaryHinshaw]

Finally a few shots of last Saturday's "ops" session. Really, it would be generous to call it an ops session because I didn't really have time to properly stage all the trains I wanted to, so mostly we just exercised the Vortex and ran trains around.  Without further ado, here are some shots with credits as noted:



2/3 of the crew.  L-R: Bill, Mark, René, Andrew (photo by John Green).



L-R: Mark, René, Andrew, John, Gary, Bill (photo by Scott Calvert).



L-R: Mark, Gary (photo by Scott Calvert).  The Loop shelf is a real magnet. 



A northbound UP manifest descending the Loop (photo by John Green).



A northbound vehicle train approaches Summit near Monolith (photo by Scott Calvert).



The rear of the same vehicle train splits the signals on the east slope.   (Wrong signal bridge for that location, I know...)   (photo by John Green).

Two views of the Vortex by Mark Dance:





(I like how the backdrop looks in the first shot. I can't wait to get a permanent version put up and start some scenery there.)



L-R: (Gary), René, John, Bill, Scott, Andrew (photo by Mark Dance).  But who's running trains?     Finally a fun video from Mark:

Thanks to the crew for helping bring this machine to life!

[GaryHinshaw]

Here is one more quick post with a slightly updated schematic:



I think this one makes the Vortex and staging connections a bit more clear, but I welcome feedback.  The basic plan is twice around the room, once on each level; the tracks in blue are not yet built (Bakersfield and the lower deck mainline) while the tracks in black and grey are now in place (tracks in grey occupy the Vortex).  For an ops session I will typically have 5-6 trains staged in each of Bakersfield and Mojave (including locals), and will have 3-4 ready in the storage yard if needed.  There will probably also be 2-3 out on the line. The storage yard is easily accessed from either Bakersfield or Mojave as needed, to handle overflow traffic.  In the Mojave helix, operators would be expected to originate and terminate trains at the top of the helix, while the terminal manager brings them up & down the helix and to/from storage as needed.

Next up in the build sequence will be Bakersfield, and finally the lower deck main line.  I'm still looking for a way to build another industrial area off of Bakersfield (something like a refinery with many car spots) to add a bit more switching to the job list.  Now that I have more experience with crowds, I think I can make it work.

-gfh

[Cajonpassfan]

Hello Gary,
watching the progress on your amazing railroad has become a favorite Railwire pastime for me. The concept and execution are simply marvelous, your progress is impressive, and I always look forward to your new "installments".

Your backdrops look great! As someone who is building a model of another well known real place (Cajon), I understand the importance of backdrops to set the stage. I am also using photoshopped photos of actual locations. One thing I learned over the years is that while my backdrop photos look great straight on, when photographed from an oblique angle, the camera captures a horizontally foreshortened/compressed image, resulting in steeper peaks and unnatural contours. Because there are many areas on my layout where the most common lines of sight are not perpendicular to the backdrop, I try to compensate for this by "stretching" my photos about 20% in photoshop. Of course, this doesn't solve the problem completely, but places the optimal viewing angle a bit off the perpendicular. (I also filter out a lot of detail, but that's another conversation). Just food for thought, before you finalize your prints.

Keep the pics coming please!

Kind regards,
Otto Kroutil

[Santa Fe Guy]

How about some more pics of yours too Otto.
We starve down south.
Rod.

[GaryHinshaw]

Thanks Otto, you're too kind.

How about some more pics of yours too Otto.
We starve down south.
Rod.

Agreed!  I would love to see a real spread on your layout, including some examples of your backdrop techniques.