HOn3 Rio Grande Southern First District 1938-1945

[davefoxx]

If you're going to do it, you ought to do it correctly.  My vote is for post-fire/post-1936, so no tower and two windows in the dormer.

DFF

[Dave V]

And my roster grows still.  At the Denver Toy Train Show today I bought K27 #461 for under $400!  She spent most of her later life leased to the RGS, who then bought her outright in 1951...in time for one stock rush and then to haul the scrap trains.  Here she appears as she would have in happier times...circa 1940.  The Rico depot is the damaged one I built some 25 years ago.

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In the meantime preparation for grading the right-of-way continues...

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[Dave V]

Follow this link to a better shot of the Rico depot in its post-1936-fire configuration.  The off-color shingles on the wall are brownish (I have tons of color photos in my book collection).  I don't care for the sloppy appearance the random brown shingles give on the side of the structure...but they were there.  I suppose it violates my "Alles in Ordnung" gene...but then so should the narrow gauge in general.   

http://ngtrainpics.photoshelter.com/gallery-image/RD140-RGS-Burns-Canyon-to-Rico-2/G0000_JI2BlAWziA/I0000P_MgIk1XP0o/C0000Vd2qoA2MbNU

[Missaberoad]

My vote is for the Post 1936 appearance... It tells a story and will help avoid the look of a bunch of perfect "models"

[Ed Kapuscinski]

If you're going to do it, you ought to do it correctly.  My vote is for post-fire/post-1936, so no tower and two windows in the dormer.

DFF

My vote is for the Post 1936 appearance... It tells a story and will help avoid the look of a bunch of perfect "models"

QFT

Do it right there MFer (Malcom Furlow, not the other...).

[Dave V]

QFT

Do it right there MFer (Malcom Furlow, not the other...).

Sir, yes sir!   

Something else I'll need to do is acquire a trestle jig from these folks: 

http://www.blackbearcc.com/BBCC_Home.html

The RGS had its own trestle design, distinct from what the adjacent D&RGW narrow gauge lines were using.  So, if I'm gonna do this MF-er right, it's gonna mean scratchbuilt trestles!  At the very least I need to build Bridges 45A and 45B at Ophir (I'll shrink 45A down a bit, as it was the RGS' longest trestle by far).  I'll probably toss one in between Lizard Head and Rico representing either one of the Gallagher trestles or the Meadow Creek trestle (Bridge 58A, also the only RGS trestle with complete cross-bracing on the sides).

I was nervous about scratchbuilding trestles in N scale when I started the Colorado Midland layout...but I think I'm up to the task in HO(n3).  RGS trestlework is pretty simple in a relative sense anyway.  Still nervous about handlaying the track on the deck, though!

[OldEastRR]

"When the floor moves"? You mean earthquakes, or shifting subsoil on a grade?

[wcfn100]

"When the floor moves"? You mean earthquakes, or shifting subsoil on a grade?

If you look at Dave's photos, you can see the floor is made in sections.  They will individually settle over time.  I looked at one real nice house a couple months ago and one of the basement doors couldn't even open as it hit on a particularly high corner of one of the sections. 


Jason

[wcfn100]

Still nervous about handlaying the track on the deck, though!

If you get a chance, give the Pliobond method a try.  I can be messy, but it's easy to do and adjustable.  And if the track is in a reachable area, it can fixed easily with a soldering iron if something happens.  The biggest issue to me would be how visible any glue might be on an open trestle.

Jason

[Dave V]

If you get a chance, give the Pliobond method a try.  I can be messy, but it's easy to do and adjustable.  And if the track is in a reachable area, it can fixed easily with a soldering iron if something happens.  The biggest issue to me would be how visible any glue might be on an open trestle.

Jason

This exactly.  Holding the gauge isn't so much the issue.  It's visible glue marks everywhere.

"When the floor moves"? You mean earthquakes, or shifting subsoil on a grade?

It's part of Front Range building code.  The soil composition in Colorado Springs and Denver is such that it's prone to significant swelling and contraction based on varying moisture.  Our current house has a floating wall by the staircase too, and I can tell you the floor does move throughout the year.  In fact they really don't like to do tile in basements around here because they'll crack.  When I hand-tiled the bath in our current basement I used the little mosaic tiles and that seemed to do okay.

[Chris333]

I lay the rails on the bridge and draw lines on each side of the rail base with a sharp pencil. Then I have lines to follow with the glue. Plus I use those needle tips on the Pliobond tube.

[Cajonpassfan]

This exactly.  Holding the gauge isn't so much the issue.  It's visible glue marks everywhere.

Dave, I wouldn't worry too much, the beauty of Pliobond is that's it's a rubber contact cement. Whatever oozes out can be easily removed after it dries. It just peels off. And I have some code 40 N scale turnouts I glued down some 40 years ago that still stick.
Otto K.

[Dave V]

Good, then I feel better about it.   

[Dave V]

Inspiration.  This is how I hope my HOn3 RGS will look.  The photo is the "cover photo" for the Banta Modelworks Facebook page.  I would credit it if I knew whose work it is.



This is Lizard Head Pass on the RGS, specifically the southern (Durango) side looking east.  I plan to include Lizard Head on my layout because it has operational interest.  It's where helpers would be cut off and where a "doubled" train would part its first half while retrieving the second half.  I imagine someday I'll want to include some sort of "pop top" snowshed, but at least at first it'll include a passing siding (7 cars and a loco?).  Lizard Head lies at 10,222 feet above sea level (10,500 according to the RGS) and sits between Rico and Ophir, so it's a good fit for my plan.

Lizard Head also had sheep pens.  Note in this photo the sheep...and the cool HO Border Collie.  Would love to include an HO model of our own Border Collie, Ranger.

Ironically years ago I scratchbuilt the section house and bunkhouse shown here...and sold them off in 2002...   

[narrowminded]

Inspiration.  This is how I hope my HOn3 RGS will look.  The photo is the "cover photo" for the Banta Modelworks Facebook page.  I would credit it if I knew whose work it is.

Would you be wanting a running example of that speeder?   I need a challenge. 

I follow this thread (as well as a few others) because your stuff is always so outstanding.  Anxiously awaiting the sawdust.