N Scale Hi Rail - Retro Hollow Core Door Layout

[wm3798]

At present it is "Cornersville Junction".
I haven't really worked out how the new scenery treatment will work.  I've added to the conundrum of the multiple upper level tracks curving over the curving mains below by planning a wye.  But I have the old Magnusen Merchant's Row ready to deploy somehow or another.

The wye will come together to head west behind the new lower yard so I can do some staging for the upper loops.  This will be more important, since there's actual switching opportunities on the upper loop, so a couple of proper yard tracks will open up the possibility of staging and operating an actual local or two on the layout.



As much as I love running loops with my ancient fleet of survivors, I do enjoy switching cars and running in a point to point scenario.  This addition will enable me to do a bit of both.

Lee

[wm3798]

With thanks to @Lemosteam , the fourth OEM jewel case arrived today.



And with that, the band is back together!  This is the PC set that I repowered with a Tomix trolley drive with the help of @randgust .



They have assumed a place of honor in the "What Do I Feel Like Running Tonight?" Department.

Thanks again, John.
Lee

[wm3798]

Started monkeying around with the WM yard.



Just a test fit really.


And the BL2 has the honors of the first point to point spin.

[Lemosteam]

With thanks to @Lemosteam , the fourth OEM jewel case arrived today.



And with that, the band is back together!  This is the PC set that I repowered with a Tomix trolley drive with the help of @randgust .



They have assumed a place of honor in the "What Do I Feel Like Running Tonight?" Department.

Thanks again, John.
Lee

Glad to be of service!  When I picked up my two at a recent show, they were the first I'd ever seen at a show and I knew I had to buy two to up-date the LIRR IS for photos on the extension of a commuter under the wires.

[Point353]

Needs the original style of pantograph that was fixed in the extended position.

[wm3798]

I've got it in a box.  It's my concession to being a runner and not a preservationist.  On a four car set, two pans up, two pans down.

Lee

[wm3798]

The empire creeps inexorably into the frontier...

The upper fiddle yard for the WM traffic starts to take shape...

Lee

[Lemosteam]

So. Many. Track. Re-railers.  Love them.

[wm3798]

I realize I have an old Trix double slip switch... I'll have to see if I can work it into the yard throat...

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Go look at the track section of this at the bottom: https://conrail1285.com/for-sale/

If any of that looks useful, it's yours.

[wm3798]

I'll contact you to make the necessary arrangements...

[wm3798]

Experimented with some antique hardware.


The geometry works out okay, but there's a reason these now reside mostly at the bottom of our junk boxes.

I'll be putting the Pecos back in today.

Lee

[wm3798]

Rework of Cornersville Jct underway.


Not quite as versatile as the double slip, but functional.  Did some minor modification to the track through the old Atlas girder plate bridge to get everything to flow.  Min radius maintained at 11".


Clearance check.  Please keep your head and arms inside the car at all times.




Kinda has a Perryville vibe.  I think it will be fine.

The next big job will be to pull the layout away from the wall so I can power the turnouts in the back and clean up the track alignment on the lower loop.  I also need to cut in the crossovers on the front, and separate a couple of electrical blocks and build the control panels so it all works.

Lee

[Dave V]

This is entirely too cool.

My dad dabbled in HOn30 many, many years ago and I remember he had a box full of N scale snap track. We were an HO family through-and-through, but I used to really enjoy connecting the N scale snap track on a bare tabletop imagining "what if."

Lee, you've captured that "what if" with that same spirit I had as a young kid. These days, I don't make a move unless I have three dozen prototype photos to work from, and while that's fulfilling in its own right, I don't think it's nearly as adventurously fun as what you're doing.

This is one of my favorite build threads of all time, even if I don't have much I can contribute. Carry on, sir.

[wm3798]

Kind words indeed, @Dave V

Truth is, your Juniata Division was the primary demonstration case that I didn't have to fill a room with track to have a satisfying layout.  When you added the Enola bit with the yard and shop building, it reached my definition of critical mass:  A place to shuffle cars and display locomotives, and place to run them.

This small addition will help me achieve some of that.  As for tinkering with snap track, is there really any other way?  Sure, CAD can draw an accurate thing, but until you can squint your eye and marvel at the approaching headlight as it flickers through track joints that aren't soldered yet, what are you really doing?

Thanks again.  Trust me, I'm enjoying it as much as y'all are.

Lee