The Port of North Jersey Railroad

[VonRyan]

I already had the transfer bridge in mind. 

I might consider adding a bit of grade separation if it is simple enough to be done. It might mean that I'll have to use foamcore board rather than just 1" thick pink extruded insulation foam.

I'm definitely glad that I had the track plan printed in full size. At least for me it helps get the best feel possible for how things will look at least in terms of trackwork.


-Cody F.

[Lemosteam]

Just make an ever deepening cut into the one inch foam down to 1/2" at the ferry, then taper the sides of the cut.

[Ian MacMillan]

I will really like seeing this progress. Very nice port side switching and the spaghetti bowl feel would be appropriate for this area.

[DKS]

Just make an ever deepening cut into the one inch foam down to 1/2" at the ferry, then taper the sides of the cut.

Tapering the sides of the cut won't work--the whole freight terminal needs to be level with the ferry slip track. If you can find 1/2-inch foam, that would be great. In fact, instead of using 1/2-inch foam for the freight terminal area, I'd put the 1/2-inch foam on top of the 1-inch foam across the rest of the layout. Cut away all of the 1/2-inch foam for the freight terminal, except for the curve, which would be tapered.

Like this:



Tan is the surface of the door (or roughly water level); blue is +1 inches; pink is +1.5 inches; purple is tapered for the grade.

[VonRyan]

Tapering the sides of the cut won't work--the whole freight terminal needs to be level with the ferry slip track. If you can find 1/2-inch foam, that would be great. In fact, instead of using 1/2-inch foam for the freight terminal area, I'd put the 1/2-inch foam on top of the 1-inch foam across the rest of the layout. Cut away all of the 1/2-inch foam for the freight terminal, except for the curve, which would be tapered.

That makes sense. I might go with two layers of 1/2-inch foam depending on the thickness of the car float.


-Cody F.

[DKS]

That makes sense. I might go with two layers of 1/2-inch foam depending on the thickness of the car float.

Reload the page to see my edited post above.

[VonRyan]

Yep. That's what I was thinking.

I'll probably start making a jig for the pilings once I have the door set up with the foam all squared away and the trackplan glued down.


-Cody F.

[VonRyan]

Some of you may be wondering what ever happened to this project.

Well... When I finally got rid of my old door (about a week after my last post) the local ReStore was closed and my schedule was backed up for the next few weekends.
When I was finally free, I would have had the door up on top of the pouring table as temporary benchwork, but before I even went out to get the new door, I see that the whole area I had dubbed to be my modelling area was taken over by a few pieces antique furniture wrapped in contractor bags and stacks of ceramics molds occupying the Formica countertop. Needless to say, I couldn't even do some needed cleaning let alone get a new door in there.

So whilst I'm in limbo, I am occupying a lot of space in the studio with what my grandmother refers to as "all this junk you never do anything with!"

Needless to say, no work involving the layout is being done, plus I am now debating whether or not a switching layout is the best idea for me since so many buildings means I'll need to make a major investment and also means I can afford no mistakes.

I'm seriously considering adopting the two-scene continuous-running layout that DKS came up with in the same thread as this plan.

It offers me more variety while still retaining a good bit of switching.
I'm also finding that there are some moments where I just want to let a train roll through scenery while there are other moments when I want to work my trains.


Such is life I suppose.

I have been trying to talk myself into sticking to the original status quo so as not to seem as though I can never make up my mind and stick to it, but in fact it is more that I am trying to nail down my priorities.


Alons-Y!


-Cody F.

[MVW]

Needless to say, no work involving the layout is being done, plus I am now debating whether or not a switching layout is the best idea for me since so many buildings means I'll need to make a major investment and also means I can afford no mistakes.
...
I have been trying to talk myself into sticking to the original status quo so as not to seem as though I can never make up my mind and stick to it, but in fact it is more that I am trying to nail down my priorities.

-Cody F.

Don't overthink it. Two points:

1) A model railroad doesn't have to be a work of art ... immediately. Scratchbuilding can be less expensive than making a "major investment" in structure kits. If you don't have experience scratchbuilding, here's the opportunity to get some. If you need to eventually replace some buildings, big deal. (And if you're already a master modeler, I apologize for sounding like an idiot.)

2) A guy could spend the rest of his life doodling track plans. I'm not saying that's a bad way to spend your time, but if the goal is building a model railroad, sooner or later you have to actually start building it. You have a damn nice track plan to work with here, and it would be fun to see you bring it to life.

That's my totally unsolicited opinion. I'll shut up now. Good luck!

Jim

[VonRyan]

I'm all for scratchbuilding and kitbashing, only problem is if I start "another project you're never going to finish" I get bawled out by my grandmother.
She expects everything to have a use before it enters the house or it gets thrown out.
She doesn't throw my stuff away, or at least she hasn't tried to yet, but even if I get something for free heaven forbid it enter the house.
The funny thing is that she complains that I do all sorts of projects and yet have no layout to use them on, yet she is the reason there is no layout in the works.
She also expects everything I own to work together (I.E. Go together on one layout) yet that is absurd since I have two vastly different interests, those being PRR in the 40s-56 and the GWR pre 1948.
If it is being bought with the future in mind, even the very near future, you'd think I'd sold the house to pay the mortgage (that we don't even have), even if the price is amazingly cheap.

As it is now, there probably won't be a layout for a long while.
I'll be lucky if I ever even get my GWR branchline station N-Trak module finished.

The most I have done in relation to the layout is spread  the full-sized track plan out on one of the two studio tables I occupy (before more things came to take residence) and stage some rolling stock, some #5 turnouts and some pieces of flex-track.


-Cody F.

[PRRATSF]

I feel your pain Cody, but let me tell you a little story. Way back in "87", it seems like so long ago, I moved in with my Grandmother after getting out of the Army. This arrangement lasted a little over a year, and I experienced a lot of what you describe. Flash forward to 2012, and at 97 she finally came to the conclusion that living by herself was to much. Being that my Mother passed several years ago, and I'm the only Grandchild able to tend to her needs, She moved in with my Wife and I last October. Wanting her to be comfortable and maintain a bit of privacy, the obvious choice for accommodations was my recently completed train room with attached bath. My train memorabilia still hangs on the wall, at her insistence, but everything else is packed away. Her worries about frozen water pipes and how dark it is in her back yard have gone away, but now she obsesses about my work schedule and how much sleep I get, or don't get as the case may be. I wouldn't change a thing. Hang in there.

Sam