Idaho Belt Freelanced plan

[Scottl]

Now the fun begins!  That should be a nice scene, looking forward to seeing it develop.

[basementcalling]

Weekend work was limited but finally managed to settle on a redesign of upper deck supports after "months of testing" under load showed unacceptable sag in bracing for the wall mounted shelves. We may be slow on the Idaho, but we are thorough. 



The basic idea now is to have a longer vertical piece that screws into the 1x2  wall strips to spread the load better. These new supports are also cut from plywood instead of 1x2  pine furring  strip.  This one is a large with a 16 inch horizontal, whichecks will leavery 2 inches up front underneath for lighting for the lower deck.



Here is an overall shot of the new pieces clamped into place for some adjusting and also for measuring slots that will need to be cut in the backdrop material. This scene will have mostly tall hillside with some occasional sky on the backdrop, so the Masonite needs to be installed before scenery, though you can see some stray foam pieces that will serve as the hillside the tracks cling to as the run upcanyon.

Thanks for looking.

Pete.

[basementcalling]

Track planning the old fashioned way.

Scene is 18 inches deep, which is probably 6 too much. Narrows to 6 inches on right side as lower level wraps around outside of helix. 11 inches table top to bottom of upper deck.

Below you are looking back towards the narrow edge of the shelf. A thin valence/fascia will hide the upper deck supports here. I am thinking the track closest to the front should not be there, and will likely terminate it at a turnout at the far end. The hole in the backdrop will be inside a chip loading she'd for a sawmill for possible load swaps to occur on the far side of the peninsula.



Here is the "operator angle standing in the aisle at the Correct distance from the layout to run a train.



This area will have a stud sawmill against the backdrop. The tracks to the left will curve into staging, probably a short transfer table style yard to handle this branch terminus.  I am contemplating having the short line RR interchange and run through, allowing the Idaho Belt to switch the kill, but we will see.

[M.C. Fujiwara]

I dig the curve of the backdrop!
And the height looks fine--the "deep" space just allows you to invest some realistically-massive industries along the back.

Always a fan on loads in / empties out, so looking forward to seeing how you work that.

Any way the mainline can undulate a wee bit back from the edge of the benchwork?
Pulling even just a 1/2" or 1" towards the interior will produce curves smooth enough to make even Baywatch slo-mo cameramen jealous.

Looking forward to seeing the scene come together!

[basementcalling]

I dig the curve of the backdrop!
And the height looks fine--the "deep" space just allows you to invest some realistically-massive industries along the back.

Always a fan on loads in / empties out, so looking forward to seeing how you work that.

Any way the mainline can undulate a wee bit back from the edge of the benchwork?
Pulling even just a 1/2" or 1" towards the interior will produce curves smooth enough to make even Baywatch slo-mo cameramen jealous.

Looking forward to seeing the scene come together!

MC,  loads in /  empties out will likely be a double track cassette staging set up  that rests under the scene on the other aisle.  One of my goals even  though I have a 19 xoxo 20 space is to use some of the techniques Ian Rice highlights for smaller layouts in his books to make the industrial operations and switching more effective.

I have the space to bump out the bench work a couple inches around that curve. That would give me more than the 6 inches in width I have there now, and let the tracks flow through the scene at an angle. I don't like the parallel to the edge look either. A nice 36 24 36 set of curves might be a tad much though. 

[M.C. Fujiwara]

I have the space to bump out the bench work a couple inches around that curve. That would give me more than the 6 inches in width I have there now, and let the tracks flow through the scene at an angle. I don't like the parallel to the edge look either. A nice 36 24 36 set of curves might be a tad much though.

As the famous layout designer Sir Mix-a-lot said:
Only if the benchwork is at 5'3" 

You can bump the benchwork out (you can even keep the tracks straight and "clamp on" or add a soft bump into the aisle).
But I was just thinking of keeping the benchwork as-is and having the mains undulate slightly towards the backdrop.

[basementcalling]

As the famous layout designer Sir Mix-a-lot said:
Only if the benchwork is at 5'3" 

You can bump the benchwork out (you can even keep the tracks straight and "clamp on" or add a soft bump into the aisle).
But I was just thinking of keeping the benchwork as-is and having the mains undulate slightly towards the backdrop.

Benchwork is 49 inches off the floor there on lower level. "We can all do the bump, bump, bump." 

I think changing the turnout configuration would let the tracks angle. If the tail end is about 1 1/2 inches further in the scene than in the distance the angle is a nice one. I have very few places on the plan where the tracks parallel the edge of the universe, but nothing is on the computer here. Haven't hit on the right configuration yet, so I went to the jigsaw puzzle piece method.

Sawmill buildings will definitely be of the larger variety, with low sloping rooflines that peak at the backdrop.

[M.C. Fujiwara]

Instead of having the roof peak right at the backdrop, consider sloping down the other side a little before the backdrop:



The larger building left is almost a full roof to backdrop, while the smaller building next to it (with Flotsam Brewery sign) has maybe 1/2" at most of opposite roof slope.
Creates a little separation between peak and backdrop and makes the building seem bigger, IMHO.
The flip side is that it does create a shadow on the backdrop depending on the placement & angle of lighting.
Know you still have a ways to go to get there, but food for thought.

[basementcalling]

A few odds and ends.

Backdrop seam covers with cove cement and vinyl sheet. Thanks you MRHM  for the great article in Dec. 13.

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A couple were corners .

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Paper mill scene playing around. Might decide to make the one loop helix from plywood instead of foam.

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Looking at expanding branch traffic options with a 4 track transfer table for staging.

[basementcalling]

More boring right of way development issues.  With a few snow days to put to use I've precision engineered (Read as hacked and  cut) the IBRR  into the outskirts of the fictional town of Klugman,  ID.  I am always pleasantly surprised when the line engineer actually remembers to survey 3 times and cut only once. I'm even more impressed when he does so correctly, especially during our largest snowfall of the season.  Lucky for him a few crew members snapped shots of the work or I would not have believed the reports.

Nary a crack in the line. With some screws to lock things down this will be a perfect fit.
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The work went exactly up to the edge of railroad property, preventing the need for expensive additional ROW  aquisition.
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Supporting fill and structure work is sufficiently braced.  Now on to town for some chili from The Crock Pot Tavern.

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Then it's  time for more work shoring up expansion at the integrated paper mill complex a few miles away.

[basementcalling]

Bouncing around this week from task to task worse than a toddler, but a I started playing with some ideas for an Idaho Belt logo. Feedback welcomed on the drafts.

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[basementcalling]

With 6 snow days in 2 weeks in Virginia (Don't ask. We do snow Southern style here.), I've had some layout time, though I'm at a stage where lots of things are in progress. Although I accomplished a lot of little things, there isn't much photo worthy progress as that is spread all over the layout. I think I need better project management and the foreman needs to develop a punch list in order of priority for getting some trains running again.

I didn't have much time tonight so I tackled a simple job: laying out the turnouts for an as yet to be named junction. This is a busy location in a town where the main yard lead will tie into the main, then a crossover allows some dispatcher flexibility when things get busy, which they will. This is also where a wye will branch off to carry the Plummer Branch to the other side of the backdrop and towards Plummer and it's wye junction with a short line.

The main is Peco code 55 concrete tie. I acquired a couple Atlas #10s that I finally took out of the package and hooked up. I really need one more LH #10 but some re-engineering of the junction will be called for to allow the yard lead to branch off through a #10. A #7, however, fits perfectly.  Every turnout on the mainline, the crossover, and the diverging route into the short line yard is a #10. I expect the cars running through (All mainline trains and plenty of 73' Centerbeam flats will look fantastic taking these turnouts.

Looking Northbound here. The wye to Plummer branches off on the roadbed at right.

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Here's a helicopter shot of the trackwork here.

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Here's a SB direction shot headed into the town of "Junction." Pardon the mess. The two track yard behind the main and passing siding will feed the Plummer branch and hold cars for a large grain mill set to open this summer in the space where the foam sits. The upper "deck," really just valance here, opens up due to the 15 inch height of the prototype mill being modeled.

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There are three different roadbed heights here, with the main elevated on Woodland Scenics foam roadbed on top of cork. The passing sidings and yard lead are on just the WS foam, and the secondary yard tracks in the background left are on just the underlaying cork, which is sanded down to bare plywood level in the body of the branch line yard. So far, test operations at the other end of the scene show no problems with the various heights. Ideally, when a train comes through on the passing siding, the trucks and wheels will be partially obscured by the mainline if you get down to eyeball level. The effect will be more pronounced for cars sitting in the branchline yard.

As always, thoughts and feedback welcome.

[C855B]

Your feet in the "helicopter shot" made me laugh out loud, Peter. It's an inside joke between Robyn and me... she was a book designer, and one of her authors who did architectural histories constantly had his feet in overhead shots, usually positioned so they were difficult to crop out. I see it's catching.

Yes, I'm with you on the #10s - gorgeous in the way they flow. In the GC&W I've designed around #10s this way, but do allow for #7s in low-speed situations directly off the main, such as industrial spurs or your yard lead - just as long as the main is on the straight. It's a pretty reasonable compromise.

[basementcalling]

Today was backdrop work. Dull, painful even, as my hands have permanent carpel tunnel damage from an old data entry job way back before repetitive stress was a known issue.

Jammed to the 80s all afternoon down in the basement. Once it started snowing here around 1PM, I decided to make things a little whiter inside as well. I've been all over the place on my projects for the layout but today was all about sealing the MDF paneling backsides I am using for backdrops with Kilz2. Nice stuff. Easy clean up, but no way it covers in one coat. The MDF sucks this crap up quickly.

I now have a couple waves in one section of backdrop and a piece of birch 3/4 inch plywood warped some even before I could coat both sides, but neither looks like a big deal. I can flip the plywood and once screwed down the warp seems to want to vanish. A couple horizontal 1x2 braces along the top and bottom edge of the backdrop between the furring strips should solve the waves.

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I also sealed the valence where I have added cabinet space above the central peninsula of the layout. By the time I got done coating all this linear footage, it was time to start a second coat back on the other aisle. I hope the white background will help somewhat in reflecting more light into this dark aisle. I need to install a light fixture above here because the high backdrops block the two lights in this half of the room from shining in here. All this light is from the phone camera flash.

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M. C., if you read this your sexy curved backdrop section reflects light a heck of a lot better now that the backdrop is sealed white, and the bottom of the upper deck is now white as well. The backdrop will be important where the tracks curve around the helix hidden behind that paneling.

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I also managed to organize some kits for work this weekend, make a pot of delicious chili, tweak the track plan some in the paper mill area which also got it's 2 coats of Kilz2, and saw that the two eBay purchases I had shipped to work to be easier to get, were in fact delivered yesterday after I left school, which means they will sit there all weekend because we are closed again tomorrow. 7 inches of snow pretty much paralyzes this part of Virginia, especially when it falls in about 4 hours.

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[basementcalling]

Crappy tablet photos show the construction of a new paper mill on the Idaho Belt.

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First up is an overall view of the mill, with digester and recovery boiler in the distance. They may move to the right side in the narrow shelf area so I can make the warehouse and mill building look included in the scene instead of domination it so much. Feedback very much welcome.

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Another shot of the linear portion.

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The raw materials end. Moving this to the skinny shelf (13 inches wide) might be better space use and allow the warehouse to be surrounded by an office, entrance, and parking.

As always, thoughts appreciated.