HOn3-mo

[John]

Isn't all of Colorado out in the middle of nowhere? 

It used to be .. now all the people from Cali are moving in and corrupting it

[Mark W]

This all looks amazing! 

I'm curious about in-laying the cork roadbed into the foam,  I see most people just lay the track directly on the board.  What is your rationale for the extra effort in counter sinking?

~Dennis

Thanks Dennis.

Aside from making the track ground level, track on cork on foam is significantly less noisy than track directly on foam. 

Earlier this week, I was able to get the first part of track wired up and run the first train!  I always love seeing the feeder wires sprouting.

https://i.imgur.com/BzDYuca.jpg

Yesterday I exchanged a few curse words for a 3 way turnout.  That center frog is a real...  pain! 
Nonetheless, it works! 

https://i.imgur.com/oPXdt4t.jpg

One more turnout and the turn table itself is all that's left for track work in Dunwell. 

https://i.imgur.com/91hOWqI.jpg

[Hawghead]

Yesterday I exchanged a few curse words for a 3 way turnout.  That center frog is a real...  pain!
Nonetheless, it works!

Should have used a stub, much easier to make.  It's all looking great.

Scott

[Mark W]

Looks like it's been a month since my last update.  It's sure been busy, so I'll make this quick!

Started off getting a quick base coat of color down on Dunwell. 


https://i.imgur.com/XAcwDRX.jpg


Nine freight cars were soon delivered!


https://i.imgur.com/S4USIgR.jpg


Immediately got to work on Iron Bluff.


https://i.imgur.com/ZSzWEjz.jpg


Wired up the turntable.  (Just finishing up the gallows today)


https://i.imgur.com/Zz9tcXR.jpg


Made some temporary cardboard buildings.


https://i.imgur.com/IAabUqj.jpg


Finally, added a short curve between the two terminals earlier this week, and have just been whatever that acronym is ever since!


https://i.imgur.com/8wFQJGk.jpg

[Chris333]

Where did you get the Barnhart log loader?

[Mark W]

That came with a box of goodies I received via trade with a friend.  A bunch of old HOn3 track and kits for some N scale engines and custom 3D printing.

I'm still not exactly sure what I want to do with it.

[Tom Todd]

About Barnhart loaders, in N Scale I bought one from Shapeways a couple of years ago.
Tom

[Chris333]

If the loader is plastic it was made by IHC and they might be rare:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/IHC-HO-OO-BARNHART-LOG-LOADER-CRANE-WOODSIDE-TIMBER-COMPANY-NOS-MIB-K621/164492828213?hash=item264c895e35:g:KWEAAOSwi9VfpB32

If it is metal it is from Keystone Locomotive Works.

[Mark W]

If the loader is plastic it was made by IHC

It's the plastic one.  Thinking I might rig it up to a stepper motor someday to give it even more life.  But that's a ways down the track yet. 

I didn't get much progress done the past few weeks because I've simply been running trains instead!  I finally decided to get back to work and started by installing the gallows and rigging up the turn table.  There's a few more braces and planks that need to be glued in before stain/paint, and I'm 3D printing some bolt head and rigging details to top it off. 


https://i.imgur.com/7qjdA1a.jpg


Next up, terrain!  Roughing out the classic tunnel on a curve here. 


https://i.imgur.com/yVBMAgB.jpg

And a few small rolling hills to cut through.


https://i.imgur.com/Xez4Dpf.jpg


I'm also on the hunt for an engineer and fireman to populate the cab.  Either pre-made or for 3D printing, if anyone has any recommendations.  I'm imagining the engineer leaning on his arm out the window. 

[davefoxx]

And a few small rolling hills to cut through.


https://i.imgur.com/Xez4Dpf.jpg

This is cool.  I love terraforming.  One suggestion would be to model fills between your cuts.  My understanding is that, in a perfect world, the amount of material from cuts equals the amount of materials used for fills, minimizing construction labor.

DFF

[Mark W]

This is cool.  I love terraforming.  One suggestion would be to model fills between your cuts.  My understanding is that, in a perfect world, the amount of material from cuts equals the amount of materials used for fills, minimizing construction labor.

DFF

Yep, that's the plan!  I have about 1 inch of depth to play with below grade as well.   

[Dave V]

At one point the Denver & Rio Grande system had 1,861 miles of 3-foot gauge trackage in Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico.  And yet...very few tunnels.  By 1900 the only narrow gauge tunnels in use on the Rio Grande were the two that still exist today in close proximity to one another on the Cumbres & Toltec.  The RGS had none.  The DSP&P/DL&G/C&S had Alpine of course, but not really anything else.  Then, of course, the Colorado Midland and its standard gauge line had over a dozen.  The Denver & Salt Lake, later part of the D&RGW, also had plenty of tunnels on the ascent of the Front Range...also standard gauge.

I think it has to do with narrow gauge construction also having a speed/economy component to it...meaning it was faster and cheaper to lay a dozen miles of track over a pass than to tunnel a mile underneath it.  This is my way of saying beware of tunnels for tunnels' sake when modeling Colorado narrow gauge.  It seems like there should have been vastly more than there really were.  Tunnels are very useful from a model railroad scene-blocking perspective but it's a hand that's easily overplayed.

Of course freelancing is a whole other ballgame.  I would recommend if you're freelancing a D&RGW line to take cues from Rock Tunnel and Mud Tunnel on the C&TS to maximize believability.

[Mark W]

Very informative Dave, I appreciate the insight!  Now I'm glad I shared before anything was glued.
I have to admit when laying out the pieces there was more "for the sake of a tunnel" than "practical surveying" happening, but that is always the case when fitting things between endplates. 

The other idea I had was similar to the narrow cut just outside of Rockwood on the Durango and Silverton. 

[Santa Fe Guy]

 AndIan Models have HO scale engineers that are 3D printed.
I purchased some crew for my HOn3 layout back in 2019 at the Australian Narrow Gauge Convention and had the painted on the spot by a fellow modeller.
Try andianmodels.com
They scan real folk for their models.
Trust this helps.
Rod.

[Mark W]

Thanks Rod!  Their figures look amazing!  The website says they have some options for Americans, so I've sent an email.