AC&Y - Litchfield to Spencer OH

[SAH]

Geez.  A month since my last post.  I haven't been entirely idle though.

Here are two photos of the first design (Yes, it has since changed).  I think the stacked section concept will work but may tweak the lighting some.





The right angle turn always bugged me.  I can shoe horn a 15" r in there but I think it will look funny.  The 90 deg section is a pain to build too.  Sooooo.  Out went the 90.  I lose a little bit of track length in the revised design but not enough to make a difference I think.  It will be easier to build the section too.  I'll likely end up with curved turnouts at the east end of Spencer but I think I can build them.

[conrail98]

Could you put up a view block, like a Bellina drop, to "hide" or mitigate the appearance of the 15" radius if it really does bother you? It'll also give you some visible separation/scene blocking for each side of the aisle. Just a thought,

Phil

[sirenwerks]

Steve,

The stations look incredible and I can't wait to see the industries. Very inspirational! As for the 15 degree radius, not sure what the locale calls for, but how about an outside light screen of trees to make the eyes work more on keeping track of the trains than noticing the ends of those 86' boxcars?

[SAH]

Both good suggestions guys.  Thanks for the depot comments.  And yes, I'd like to see the industries too.   :  Hopefully some day.

As is usually the case there's more to the story than meets the post.  I toyed with lots of ways to disguise the hard turn.  Redesigning the end solved the visual issue and opened up the room some too.  The passage from the back door into the house goes by the 180 turn section.  It's amazing how 6" more space made the path seem less cluttered.  I like less clutter.

I guess the lesson I still haven't learned is that if it bothers you at the start, don't always press on figuring all will work out in the end.  It rarely does.  I'd have done better to redesign the corner of the false wall to make a more gradual turn.  I think the current solution will work just fine.

Steve

[SAH]

Here are some photos of the new transition section from the existing Spencer module to the 180 turn.





The entire layout is built such that it can be dismantled and moved.  Stud wall and all.  I also wanted a way to secure the stud wall without drill holes in the ceiling or the floor.  I came up with this idea.  1/2" carriage bolts with nuts countersunk into the studwall plate.  The carriage head rests on a 1/2" washer resting on a 2x4 scrap.  Use the wrench to raise the wall plate until friction holds the wall in place at the ceiling. The top plate has a length of weatherstripping contacting the ceiling - for finish protection and added friction.   It seems to work.  I've had to snug the wall up 1/2 turn to account for contraction since I installed the wall in the summer and it's now cooler in the basement.

[SAH]

Still moving forward.  This is lightening speed for me.



Preparing to cross the Black River

[SAH]

Starting at Litchfield:  The team house track to the elevator is shown temporarily tacked in place. 



Moving west I plan to put a fuel dealership on the other side of OH St Rt 83 which crosses the tracks immediately west of the depot.  There is no such thing there in reality but old maps show the space as the location of a rolling mill (grain) WAY back.  I’ve been itching to use the Walthers propane industry kit parts like, forever.  It’s now or never I guess.  The topo rises above the Black River basin quickly here.  I think I’ll break the scene with a heavily forested stretch between the east bridge abutment and the fuel dealer.



I’ll use the 3/16” square bar to stiffen the track and keep it all in the same plane as it crosses the river.



Here’s the S-curve going east from Spencer.  I think this will become a favorite train watching spot.  The transfer track (closest to the backdrop) will be 7+ ft long.  The passing siding will be close to 9 ft.  Should be plenty of room to pull some decent cuts of cars.  So far I’m pleased with how things are turning out.

[SAH]

All of the third deck has been installed, which means the 2nd level is now fully illuminated.  To say I'm pleased is an understatement.  I've never made it this far before.   :  Here is Spencer - The only section with scenery.



Turning the corner you can see all three levels.  The bottom level is 12" below the middle level.  8" between the top and middle.  I discovered 8" between the bottom and mid was not enough for my 6'-1" frame to view comfortably. 


Crossing the Black River.


Litchfield and off to the helix down to the bottom level.  Or to a roundy device for now more than likely.


While the Spencer section looks fine with the light intensity I've selected, it's 16" deep and fully scenicked.  The rest of the layout is 8" deep and looks a bit bright.  OTOH there is no scenery and lots of reflection from surrounding surfaces.  I'd rather error on the side of too much light rather than not enough.  My eyes are not getting any better.  In any event it looks like I'll be laying some track come the new year.   ;D  Steve H

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Steve, can I come move in?

I can sleep under that and indenture myself to operating it??

[FrankCampagna]

I wouldn't be so quick to ditch sharp curves. The real railroad was a former narrow gauge line. Sharp curves were part of it's charm. I'm dealing with a similar problem. Broad curves don't look right on a mountain railroad famous for it's sharp ones. I'm thinking minimum 11-13 inch mainline. Looking very good so far. 

Frank

[SAH]

Steve, can I come move in?

I can sleep under that and indenture myself to operating it??

Hmmm.  Move in?  I dunno Ed.  Something tells me you're a pretty big eater.   

What's new with your layout plan?  I was going to post some thoughts when you first put it up but was in the middle of shutdown preps & execution at work (12+ hour days) and didn't have the energy or presence of mind to post something after a long day. 

[SAH]

I wouldn't be so quick to ditch sharp curves. The real railroad was a former narrow gauge line. Sharp curves were part of it's charm. I'm dealing with a similar problem. Broad curves don't look right on a mountain railroad famous for it's sharp ones. I'm thinking minimum 11-13 inch mainline. Looking very good so far. 

Frank

Thanks Frank.  Yes the AC&Y averaged better than a curve per mile - Odd when you consider it ran through miles of open farmland.  However it was a Class 1 RR moving big tonnage.  I'm trying to keep 15" min radius more for operating dependability and aesthetics.  I don't miss removing the sharp 90 benchwork sections one bit.  I've been able to reconfigure them for the S-curve sections too, so nothing was wasted.

[SAH]

It appears I haven’t posted since December.  That’s embarrassing, but there are reasons of course.  Here’s some photo evidence that tells part of the story.





Yet another dismantled layout.  Building in sections has again turned out to be a very good idea.  All is not lost.  I was able to prove a lot of concepts that have been bubbling around in my brain for some time.  For example, I like the 8” depth and the integration of the lighting into a section to light the level below.  I’m not sure integrating the backdrop into the module is such a good idea however.  The idea was to hang the section with screws driven through the top edge of the backdrop.  While this works, and allows the backdrop to go with me to the next location I’m not sold on the idea and can’t explain exactly why.  Painting the wall blue and hanging the section on it might be a simpler route with not all that much lost should a move be required.  I also have yet to test the plan to bring all wiring to the front of the layout and cover it with a fascia board.  I’ll try that on the Litchfield section.

After operating on a few of the great layouts here in central North Carolina my goals have shifted somewhat too.  I could write at some length about this subject but it boils down to focusing on what is important from an operating standpoint.  Considering I’ve been a scratch builder and model detailer up to now (which is OK if there is no layout to work on) this is a major shift in emphasis for me.  Partly driven by the fact that I’m not getting any younger and partly because N scale models look and run so darn well these days, I think I can build a reasonable replica of the AC&Y that I can live with.

For the foreseeable future I’ll work on getting a fleet of rolling stock up to uniform operating and appearance standards, using off the shelf stuff as much as possible.  We’ll see if time allows.

Steve H

[Sokramiketes]

Oh no!

[SAH]

It's not quite as bad as it looks.  The section are in a storage locker and I still have the Spencer OH section hanging on a wall during this limbo period.  It's a good thing Ed didn't come to live under the layout though (12/28 post).  He'd be homeless now.   ;D