Colorado Midland Railway Engineering Report

[John]

you need this for the layout room ..

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1896-RARE-COLORADO-MIDLAND-LOCOMOTIVE-BELL-RAILROAD-MTRR-59-2-8-0-/400765943084?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5d4f82fd2c

[davefoxx]

 . . . but you'll first need to hit the lottery.   

DFF

[lajmdlr]

Tonight before the snow starts I liberated over 4 pounds of Colorado dirt:

What are you going to use this CO dirt for? Most real dirt usually looks way out of scale on a layout by 100 to 1000 times. You can use the bigger stuff to represent small stones & boulders. If you can "see" the dirt on a layout then it's TOO large. Most dirt is only 0.0001-0.00001. In Ho if divide that by 87. can he dirt really be "seen"? And it's not usually going to be "in your face" but 2'-3' or more away!

[Dave V]

What are you going to use this CO dirt for? Most real dirt usually looks way out of scale on a layout by 100 to 1000 times. You can use the bigger stuff to represent small stones & boulders. If you can "see" the dirt on a layout then it's TOO large. Most dirt is only 0.0001-0.00001. In Ho if divide that by 87. can he dirt really be "seen"? And it's not usually going to be "in your face" but 2'-3' or more away!

Lots of things...  I plan to sift it thoroughly.  It's actually quite dusty and silty when dry, but in the photo it's wet and clumpy from snowmelt.  So the fine silty stuff would be dirt, but if you've ever spent time in Midland country you've seen all of the glacial rock debris scattered everywhere.

This view of the Midland's grade approaching Buena Vista demonstrates the variety of ground cover sizes and textures:

[Dave V]

More Midland fun...

We salvaged the 2.5' x 5' benchwork from the old Apex layout:



I painted the underside with the dirt color we'll be using.  Why?  Because it was painted in the old tan color we'd used for Apex and had gotten a little beat up, so I like starting with a clean slate.  The color is Afternoon Tea by Glidden.  It seems to have just the right amount of red without being too red.  It's a dead match for the rock colors near Buena Vista.



Next up I laminated 5" worth of extruded Styromfoam to the table using Loctite PL300 foamboard glue.  This raises the base 5" above the tabletop. The mainline will sit 1/2" above that, with the branchline climbing to 2.5" above the top of the foam here for a total of 7.5" above the table top (which will be the lowest river level).



Lastly, here I'm weighting down the foam to make sure it laminates completely.  My Model Railroader collection is good for more than just inspiration!  The stack of Rio Grande Southern books and the full paint can indicate a particularly stubborn corner.



The cheap Costco folding table in the background is the rest of the benchwork.

[Dave V]

Test fitting track and bridge locations on the Colorado Midland.



Bear in mind that there will be 3 main levels of track.

I love this stage...it's like a blank canvas.

[wm3798]

Now just carve away everything that doesn't look like a model railroad!

Lee

[Scottl]

Looks like progress.  Hopefully trains will be running in less than 16 more pages of posts 

[Dave V]

Started establishing grades:



There will be more vertical than I was hoping for, but I think it's unavoidable given the size of the layout.  The Midland used a lot of dry stack stone so I may have to figure something out.  I think wood cribbing would look at home too.

Assembled the steel bridge.  Now the reason for the Styrofoam depth should be apparent:



I'll be channeling my inner John Allen...  The most dramatic--and the most model railroady--scene will be here where the steel trestle stands close to a curved wooden trestle climbing a grade just behind it.



This will be painted oxide red with some generous black wash for weathering.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

There will be more vertical than I was hoping for, but I think it's unavoidable given the size of the layout.

Nope, it's unavoidable given the amount of stuff you're trying to fit into a layout of the given size.

If that inner loop went away, you'd be able to give everything much more breathing space, and make it a good bit more realistic and less "model railroadey".

[Dave V]

Nope, it's unavoidable given the amount of stuff you're trying to fit into a layout of the given size.

If that inner loop went away, you'd be able to give everything much more breathing space, and make it a good bit more realistic and less "model railroadey".

Perhaps...and it is tempting...

Then again, looking at Chris' photos, he hides the vertical pretty well.  I may be able to give a little more breathing room by opening up the outer loop a hair.  I'd rather have more slope than retaining wall if I can help it.  I also want to bring the upper branch passing siding in more, away from the lower mainline some.  I'll put in a switchbacked wagon road there.

I knew going in this would look model-railroady.  That's OK.  This is meant to be fun and interesting for the local train show circuit.  Ed, you're probably going to vomit in your mouth when I'm done with the bridges over the canyon.   

EDIT:  Remembering, of course, that this spaghetti bowl is not a deviation from prototype:

[eric220]

you need this for the layout room ..

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1896-RARE-COLORADO-MIDLAND-LOCOMOTIVE-BELL-RAILROAD-MTRR-59-2-8-0-/400765943084?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5d4f82fd2c

And you'll need a shelter to put it in.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/221162679883

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I knew going in this would look model-railroady.  That's OK.  This is meant to be fun and interesting for the local train show circuit.  Ed, you're probably going to vomit in your mouth when I'm done with the bridges over the canyon.   

EDIT:  Remembering, of course, that this spaghetti bowl is not a deviation from prototype:

Lol, probably... it's why I was afraid to lose you to the CO stuff... it lends itself to model railroadyness, and then provides lots of cover for it.

Yes, there's lots of track, and lots of looping around (more so than the Middle Division, and the railroading I'm most familiar with), but none of it is that "tight" together.

I guess I was just hoping for something more cliche-busting, but I understand the desire to do something actually doable. The struggle around that is the very reason I don't make faster progress on my own stuff.

[Dave V]

I can't find it online, but there's a great photo in the Dan Abbot book of the Midland and the D&RG side-by-side in a deep canyon on the Arkansas between Buena Vista and Leadville.  The D&RG narrow gauge got there first, so the Midland had to build their grade up higher and with a series of very short model railroady-tunnels, to wit:



Just to the left and below where the line pole stands is the now standard-gauge (and railbanked) D&RGW Tennessee Pass line.

So yeah, it's actually even model railroad tight!

[Chris333]

That steel bridge looks much better than stock ME model. In some of the real photos that red bridge looks almost pink like it has faded a lot. Push Ed over the edge and paint it pink    Kidding.