G scale Rio Grande Southern Engineering Report

[Dave V]

DKS, I was thinking the same thing...even though the RGS didn't have a single tunnel!

[wm3798]

Save yourself some time.  Enjoy the money you spent in terms of the rolling stock, and build a nice display shelf for the cheesy engine that comes with the set.  The plastic running gear is only the beginning of the problems.  It also features the self exploding nylon gears Bachmann perfected in the late 90s, and a motor that's rated to last about 15 minutes.  The track, as you've noted, is crap and won't last overnight out doors.  You might gain some extra value from the set if you let the cat play with the styrofoam box.

If a 4-6-0 is your desire, then chase down the Anniversary edition.  It is genuinely head and shoulders above the trainset version, and maybe the better part of a torso.  And I think others will agree, Annie has a NICE torso!

Metal Walschaerts valve gear, a superior electric motor, and detailing that's realistic and well executed compared to the cartoony trainset edition. 

It's like getting the quality of the DRGW outside frame consolidation, at a price closer to our part of the atmosphere.  (I bought two Annies, one from $150 and the other for $125)  Well worth it.  I didn't get what I wanted when I sold them, but I didn't do badly.

For track, consider your climate.  I used Aristocraft brass, and it was a pain in the arse in my hazy hot and humid climate.  You may have better results out there in Rocky Land, assuming you can still find AristoCraft track... I've heard they've folded their tents.

Neato idea, I like DKS' suggestion of a tunnel, but remember, there's no benchwork to climb up under to clear a wreck...

Otherwise, have a ball with it!

Lee

[davefoxx]

Lee makes a good point about track.  Bachmann's track won't hold up outdoors and will probably rust.  If it were me, I would use stainless steel rail and handlay my own track.  It wouldn't take that long to do, and you won't need a lot of turnouts.

DFF

[Dave V]

All good commentary...  I'm a bit nervous about the quality of the engine the more I read online.  That said, I can pick up an RGS Annie for under $200 if it comes to it.  If I really wanted to do it right I would shorten the smokebox and replace the cab with the wooden cab.

I'm also a fan of the narrow gauge lines that ran north of Silverton and might be interested in one of the outside-frame 2-8-0s.

I'm avoiding doing anything too permanent, since much depends on whether gainful employment can be had here in the Springs for someone with my skillset post-Air Force.  I'm becoming more and more certain this will be my last tour of duty for reasons including health, but if I end up moving back East afterward I want to be able to recover most of my stuff.

My intent is to use brass track, although I may play a bit with the steel track outside in the meantime.

[pjm20]

If you do not want the beefy look of Code 332 track, Sunset Valley (and others) have Code 250 rail (including Stainless): http://sunsetvalleyrailroad.com/. You can get assembled track in multiple configurations and gauges or just plain rail. Sunset also sells a railbender and switch points if you want to go the handlaid switch route. They also have operating pneumatics for your switches! (Yes, I am a Garden Railway nut.)

[eric220]

Have you considered going battery driven? My dad went that route, and not having to clean track is a major benefit that he loves to rub in my face when I complain about cleaning mine.

[Dave V]

Radio control perhaps someday...

In the meantime, I picked up the RGS set which was not in as "like-new" condition as I'd been led to believe.  The locomotive is every bit the basket case you guys said it would be.  In addition to missing the fireman's side third driver brake shoe and front coupler lift bar, something very heavy is quite loose inside.  In spite of that, it still ran.  I failed to check to see if the crosshead sat squarely on the guide on the engineer's side, and as soon as I applied power *snap* went the chinsey plastic crosshead guide.  I repaired it with ACC but I don't expect the repair to last.

Have no fear, though... Bachmann has the Annie-quality chassis on sale for $50 a pop, which solves all of my missing part problems as well as giving me metal Walschaerts valve gear.  Ordered!  It won't necessarily fix the gearing problem (and she runs like a jackrabbit on fire!) but will give me some reprieve until I can convince Patricia to let me buy another locomotive.

Anyway, the afternoon high altitude sun evaporated our morning dusting of snow, so I took some pics of the RGS roster after I got back from the train show in Denver.  It's interesting to note that the 6,800 foot above mean sea level contour passes right through my backyard.  We're considerably higher than Denver.

[MichaelT]

Gonna be fun to watch this layout evolve! Large scale railroading is lots of fun!!

[rodsup9000]

 Dave, It great that you are entering the large scale world. Great choice on the Annie chassis.
For track, you need to look at AMS narrow gauge code 250. It is reasonably priced and works well.
Battery-radio and track power debate is like DC and DCC in the small scales. You really need to look at battery-radio now.
Track cleaning is needed if you are going with any track except stainless or nickel silver. They cost a lot more than brass and the savings will more than pay for the battery-radio setup.
 Here my thread on my 20.3 layout that I've been working on for about 5 or 6 years now.
All my loco's (now over 20) are battery powered with CVP's Airwire and Phoenix sound.


http://www.largescalecentral.com/forums/topic/12080/our-20-3-layout-with-lots-of-pic/view/page/1

Rodney

[Dave V]

Rodney,

That is insanely awesome!  I'm getting some AristoCraft track from Russ to start me out, so I'll go with that for now.  I'm not planning anything nearly as ambitious as what you have!

[rodsup9000]

Thanks Dave,
 My problem is that I model too many scales. The last few weeks I've turned back to working on my N-scale layout that I've not really touched in 5 or 6 years other than run trains. I need to start a thread over here but here is a thread I started on another forum.
Both layouts are a very big under takings, but there are lifetime projects.

http://www.nscale.net/forums/showthread.php?32521-My-Feather-River-Canyon-%2826-8-quot-X-50-8-quot-%29

Again thanks for the comments.
Rodney

[Dave V]

That is some project!

I'm probably alone in this sentiment, but when I see a layout that's almost 30 x 50 feet with multiple levels I feel overwhelmed.  I couldn't imagine the sense of dread going down into the basement and see all those scale miles of bare plywood roadbed and track waiting to be ballasted and scenicked.  Some folks can pull it off, and good on you if you can take it to completion (guys like Todd Treaster and even our own John Berger can do it).  To me, I think I'd be excited while building the benchwork, but probably lose it by the time I'd gotten most of the track laid.

I've always felt that even if I had all the room, time, and money I needed I would probably never go more than 15x20 or so, and even that's a lot for me (unless I moved to a larger scale).  I like detailed scenery and it's just really hard to do on that sort of scale.  You are certainly correct in that it's a "lifetime project."

The other side of the coin is that I often complete my tiny layouts so quickly that boredom can set in.  I think the happy medium for me, anyway, is a bedroom-sized layout which I can change periodically to suit my needs.  The Juniata Division gets periodic "facelifts" and that seems to scratch my building itch.

I think we all get programmed to think that more is better.  We see the likes of Ken McCrory's barn-sized Penny/Penn Central and think that's a universal dream for all of us.  It certainly is for some.  Money is obviously a big barrier for most of us who would dream that big.  Time is the other.  For me, though, I tend to dream a little less big.  I wonder, too, if the fact that I have spent my entire adult life moving every 2-3 years would mean that even if I retired from the service and knew I was in my "forever house" I would still subconsciously think small and portable.

[davefoxx]

You're not alone, Dave.  Anything much larger than a HCD layout is too much for me.  Look at how I still have a largely uncompleted layout, despite groundbreaking in June of 2012!  I think I enjoy benchwork and track laying best, so I get bored and unmotivated to do scenery work.  Many of my layouts have stalled at the scenery stage and, ultimately, I moved on to the next layout.  I'm really hoping that I don't do that with the Seaboard Central.  Plans for expansion keep me interested.  This might also explain why I keep going back in and tweaking the completed track plan.   

On a separate note, here's some things that I did with my Big Hauler set to improve them.  First, get rid of the Bachmann boxing glove knuckle couplers and replace them with body-mounted Kadee #1 scale couplers.  They work great, and, of course, look much closer to scale.  It's been almost twenty years, since I installed them, but I think I used the #820 couplers.  I used the #1 scale couplers, which are closer to scale than the G scale couplers.  I also mounted the coupler at a height in the tender that matched the prototype and used this as my gauge to set all of the couplers heights on the rest of the fleet.  I don't recall what coupler I used, but I did install a working coupler in the pilot of the ten wheeler.  I could shoot a picture of that to give you guidance, if you like.

On the bobber caboose, I also added styrene "glass" to the windows, upgraded to metal wheel sets, and removed three non-prototypical vertical braces in the sideframes.  The sideframes are plenty rugged without them.  By the way, the bobber caboose is based on the ET&WNC's four-wheeled caboose.  With the exception of the oversized plastic handrails and the minor modifications I just discussed, Bachmann nailed this caboose:


DFF

[Dave V]

Fortunately there are accurate large scale models available for every caboose the RGS ever owned, but in the meantime I plan to make the same mods to my existing caboose.  I also plan to paint the handrails silver per RGS practice.

Although the short RGS cabooses which came from the D&RG all started as bobbers, they were 8-wheel cabooses through the "modern era."  Sister caboose 0402 is seen here on Wikipedia:

[rodsup9000]

"Overwhelmed" is very true, but I still have the vision of the layout completely done someday. Once all the trackwork and wiring is done, I have some pretty good friends that will help on the scenery and should go pretty fast. I plan to semiretire in about 3 or 4 years and that will help. My wife likes to help and run trains too. She claims the outdoor layout as hers.
 I think the amount of "time" you have to spend on whatever project is the factor that determines how big or small one should go.
For me, most of the time I'm at home (48 to 72 hours a week) is spent on train related projects. So I can devote more time on the layout if I so wish. If all goes well, I'll have all the mainline done in a month or two.

Rodney