NKP-ish

[seusscaboose]

George
John (Berger) found this and passed it on

Are you modeling Bellevue?


http://towns-and-nature.blogspot.com/2016/10/bellevue-oh-unique-signal-mast-at-nkp.html?m=1

[nickelplate759]

No, I wasn't planning to model Bellevue, but that's a nice shot.
Oddly enough, I'd kind of settled on Calumet (condensed) for the engine terminal. In part because Calumet actually had (has!) the roundhouse inside a return loop.  Also, it's near Chicago, and that end of the layout will be fairly urban w.r.t. scenery, even thought Calumet yard itself doesn't seem very urban .

I've been busy laying track and installing Tortoises, and it's going MUCH slower than I'd hoped.  Still having fun though!

[seusscaboose]

Did any other RR’s go through Calumet?

I’m sure RR Lines were thick as fleas there

Did anything parallel the NKP there?
Any interchanges?

[nickelplate759]

There certainly were and are plenty of other lines nearby. I haven't dug into that yet.

[seusscaboose]

you need to go to page 37 here

http://www.nkphts.org/databooks/nkp/nkp_physicaldata_1954.pdf

[nickelplate759]

It's been a long haul, but I finally have the main-line loop completed.  Track is in place (not ballasted or painted yet), a dozen Tortoises installed and tested,  and DCC (from NCE) is installed and working.  Wow, that took a lot longer than I expected!  There's still a lot of track (sidings, yard and branch) and Tortoises and wiring to do, but I ran a engine all the way 'round in both directions several times with no problems.

Going slow, but having fun, and a welcome distraction from actual work.

[btrain]

Congrats! I'm quite a ways off from that mile post in my progress, but it's funny how little or simple things can take up time in this hobby. Do you have any recent photos?

[nickelplate759]

Here are a couple of pictures.
Yard and engine terminal area (neither of which are laid yet) with loop.  The risers are for the branch:
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DCC, track feeders and Tortoises mostly wired up (same area as in an earlier photo of Tortoises).  The actual +/- DC to move the Tortoises isn't in place yet.
[ Guests cannot view attachments ]

[nickelplate759]

Well, after getting the LAST feeder in the mainline, I was cutting some gaps in the rail with a cutoff wheel in a Dremel, and this happened :
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Gonna have to rip out some track and redo some feeders <sigh>.

Any tips on how not to do this again?  I practiced on some scrap first with no problems, but the scrap was straight, this was the outside rail of a 16" radius curve (Micro Engineering code 55).

[OldEastRR]

Go see Chris 333 for advice on gapping track. 

[nickelplate759]

The gaps in this case are for insulation, not expansion (I put those in when I laid the track). 
Just to be safe, I think when I redo this I'll cut the rail before it's laid, and use an insulating joiner.

I still don't know why the tension on the rail was high enough that the ties couldn't hold it.

[GaryHinshaw]

It almost looks like that section of rail got hot and melted the spikes.  Does that seem plausible?  If so, could that have happened when you soldered the feeder to it?

[Chris333]

Using Atlas flex track? The loose rail is notorious for being too loose. Sometimes you can knock it right over. I stripped all the ties off my left over pieces and used the rail to make turnouts.

[GaryHinshaw]

Using Atlas flex track?

...this was the outside rail of a 16" radius curve (Micro Engineering code 55).

[Chris333]

   oops!