HOn3 Rio Grande Southern First District 1938-1945

[Dave V]

Good point, but it uses vertical terrain (rock walls, rock walls everywhere) in their place.

The scene Dave posted is nice open and rolling. It's not "mountains right next to the tracks" the way that much Colorado railroading is presented in model form.

A significant portion of the RGS ran through open ranch land between Durango and Dolores:



http://digital.denverlibrary.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15330coll22/id/75215

Of course, the RGS had its vertical rock walls too in the vicinity of Ophir.  And for most of its length between Ridgway and Dolores it was in a canyon carved by either the San Miguel or the Dolores River.

So...lots of opportunities for different types of terrain, but it's my hope that I can pull off the open spaces as well as I can the cramped canyon stuff.  Much of what you see in the model railroad press (such as the most recent Great Model Railroads) is narrow gauge not based upon the prototype but based upon a model...Malcolm Furlow's impressionistic depiction of the narrow gauge.  There are some modelers out there with ultra-realistic representations of the RGS because they're based on the real thing.  I hope to join them.  But, I'll be honest...there was a time in my young past when I thought the Furlow look was the shizzle, and I'm going to have to exorcise those demons to do this right.

[Chris333]

The Furlow thing can happen when you only have so much room to try and model in. Just a single mile in HO scale is 60 feet, ain't nobody got time for that!

[Dave V]

The Furlow thing can happen when you only have so much room to try and model in. Just a single mile in HO scale is 60 feet, ain't nobody got time for that!

...which is part of why my Colorado Midland has a slight Furlow vibe.  Partially out of nostalgia, but mostly of necessity.  Now, I'm not planning on making the RGS a basement monster, but I do plan to use backdrops to try to convey a sense of the enormous desolation of the RGS.  Out on the RGS main you could imagine you were on a planet devoid of any human life with vistas that stretched beyond any Easterner's imagination.

I like to challenge myself when it comes to scenery, and so I think this may be the biggest gamble I've taken...how to make my HOn3 layout look like what was once called "the loneliest railroad in the world" and yet fit it in a modest space.  I may not do the real thing justice, but I promise it'll look more like a real railroad and less like a ride at Frontierland.

[wcfn100]

Photo backdrops would be killer.


Jason

[Dave V]

Photo backdrops would be killer.


Jason

So there's this:

http://www.larcproducts.com/ColoradoBackdropFolders.html

Hell, some of these backdrops were shot from--or of--the RGS right of way.  There are backdrops for the Ophir Needles and Dallas Divide.  I'll definitely be investigating these further!

[Cajonpassfan]

Dang! You Colorado guys have it too easy... Wish somebody did all this work for me...
Beautiful stuff
Otto K.

[davefoxx]

What is that in the foreground at right in this photo?  It looks like a stub switch with no second route! 

DFF

[wazzou]

What is that in the foreground at right in this photo?  It looks like a stub switch with no second route! 

DFF

Derail?

[eric220]

Derail?

Given that it appears to be thrown in that photo, I'd say that's the most likely explaination.

[Dave V]

Given that it appears to be thrown in that photo, I'd say that's the most likely explaination.

Of course derails could be found at any point on the mainline of the RGS at any time...just not deliberate ones.  But yes, you're looking at the "house track" at Mancos station, and that derail protects the main--which is easily distinguished by its weeds.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

But, I'll be honest...there was a time in my young past when I thought the Furlow look was the shizzle, and I'm going to have to exorcise those demons to do this right.

And that's why I'm here with this to keep you on the ball.

[ Guests cannot view attachments ]

[Dave V]

And that's why I'm here with this to keep you on the ball.

(Attachment Link)

Love it!  All I need to do is heat all of my cars and give them such a swayback that the truss rods scrape the railheads.

Back on track now...  The builder already framed out the basement, but alas when my wife went by today she didn't have a tape measure with her.

However, I'm starting to think that a cockpit style layout might be perfectly suited for this application.  It shouldn't be too difficult to construct a single-track lift-out section and keep everything aligned.  Then run-though staging becomes easier too.  I figure on needing staging to represent Ridgway and Durango, and probably a dedicated Goose track.

For those not conversant in RGS geography, here's a reference:



My segment is the First District between Ridgway and Rico.  Ridgway had a junction with the D&RGW Ouray Branch and was home to the railroad's shops.  It was a fascinating place crying out to be modeled, but unfortunately is also very spread out and a huge space hog.  Rico is relatively compact and has the added benefit of having its depot available as a cheap plastic kit (which can be upgraded with Grandt Line castings), so Rico will be my "terminal" of choice.  It was also the division point.  Most RGS traffic wasn't through from one end to the other, but most if it originated at, terminated at, or at least passed through Rico.

Yes, there's a town called Stoner on the RGS...  This is Colorado after all.   

[wcfn100]

I don't envy trying to pick which scenes to include. 


Jason

[Dave V]

I don't envy trying to pick which scenes to include. 


Jason

Ophir's a given.  I have the depot kit and a kit for the "Quality Store" next to the tracks.  Ditto on Rico.  The rest I think should be mostly "negative space" in @Ed Kapuscinski's words.  I do want at least on mine or stamp mill (Ophir and Rico have that covered) and at least one stock pen.  Rico had stock pens but the big ones were at Placerville and Lizard Head.  Ophir will ensure I have a few trestles.  Otherwise I'd like to have some high-country running devoid of anything but a single weedy track and spectacular vistas.

[wcfn100]

So what's the radius at Ophir and do you want to show the tracks double back on each other?

Jason