The Southern Railway Memphis division circa 1975

[p51]

I think it's great that anyone is modeling the 70s, which is hardly considered a 'golden era' by anyone other than for some of the neat steam operations in the south (and the Freedom Train that year).

Some more 1:1 planning as the walls dry.

Interesting to see real-time paper layouts of the track in place. I did that on my own On30 layout when I was still messing around with how I'd lay the track, but that was a much smaller room and less track than your plan, by far.
I my own case, it was well worth the trouble so I could visualize the whole thing in the ground before I started cutting lumber. I saved myself some grief from things I discovered doing that, as well...

[MDW]

I love seeing the messy process of designing, mocking up, building, testing, ripping out, adding on, etc.... ultimately so much more effective than trying to solve everything on cad program/computer screen.

Michel

[Specter3]

Lee

Thanks, laying it out 1:1 has been helpful in many places. I can draw the lines, measure centers and lay actual turnouts on the paper and really see how it is going to be. A couple places that I thought would be crowded are not and this approach early on led me be sure I could have 12 inch deep shelves for quite a few places and still have some good railroading going on.

Michael

I have tried a couple of the programs and could get Xtrackcad to work ok on something small like an Ntrak module. But start going up in size and I could not get comfortable with it. Pencil and paper has always worked for me and after doing it for so long I can draw it out pretty accurately freehand once I measure out the benchwork.

Thanks for looking!

[MDW]

I have tried a couple of the programs and could get Xtrackcad to work ok on something small like an Ntrak module. But start going up in size and I could not get comfortable with it. Pencil and paper has always worked for me and after doing it for so long I can draw it out pretty accurately freehand once I measure out the benchwork.

I get it.  I have a couple of cad programs on my computer but prefer sketching out ideas - first on paper then on the plywood.   Just makes it so much easier to understand the design in 3 dimensions.

Michel

[Specter3]

Yes, drawing things for me allows much more to settle into the brain as I get a much better understanding of what I am trying to do. Here is the bridge drawings I made while working on the Spring Creek bridge.

[ Guests cannot view attachments ]

[CRL]

It’s refreshing to see someone with the same level of drawing skills as myself.

[Specter3]

Well some more updates. I got a second building made up for the cotton warehouses in Tuscumbia. Also found further mention of them as being cotton warehouses on the net so purpose is confirmed. Not that I had a reason to doubt my grandfather. He was postmaster of the place after all and literally knew just about everybody. It is a strange shape but it looks like it was one of those here is the size of the plot, fill it up. The aerial pic in the above post shows it as the left end of the darker roofed object towards the top. It is actually two separate buildings. The main piece of it is older than the rest of the buildings there and I believe it is a wooden structure similar to the first pic below. These warehouses were built by the same railroad in Decatur and the shape and roof are right for what is in the picture.

I received some more supplies and got the main line crossovers in Sheffield in. I also got all of the sidings in Sheffield in and was doing some 0-5-0 shifting testing out what is there and seeing if my ideas actually worked like I think they should. I am contemplating moving the tracks toward the backdrop to reduce the curve of main 1. I would loose the three buildings that have the one lonely spur going toward them probably reducing them to low relief on the backdrop. Since I don't even know what they were for I am not wedded to them. They are on the list of "figure out what they are/were". The track and the space between it and yard three will be removed trackage. Ballast, ties, tie plates, joiner bars, etc.

Got a piece of bridge track for the Spring creek bridge and man, does it make a difference.

Thanks for looking!

[Specter3]

Update

In browsing through the photos I have I found the first one below. Notice the 3 lines across the roof of the building I have been most interested in lately. This shows that the roof is tin and flat just like the odd shaped building next to it. Since it runs off the edge of the layout I made the end blank and it will be painted black.

Once that building was rigged up I turned my attention to the packing supply place in Sheffield. This building will be straddling the support pole. So it has to be built around the pole. It will have two loading spots. Once the building is close to finished the pole will be sky blue above the building and black below the roof line.

[MarkInLA]

Hi.
I know i'm late to this thread..I saw it today and was compelled to add: I am a Point to Point MRR aficionado. No continual* or roundy-round for me. I welcome the extra proto work turning engines/cars at one or each end via turntable, wye, or (only found at huge terminals) balloon track (or 0-5-0 in staging as well)..
According to reply#8 it appears this layout is point to point, and deservedly so due to the abundance of main line in between the ends of the line...I don't tho, see any turning devices in this blue print (if you will)..But perhaps OPer is just going to have run-around tracks and run only diesel (though even steam ran in reverse back home on some short lines and short branch lines)...
Anyway, unless I'm jumpin' the gun here, it's very nice to see an all too rare point to point MRR underway....

*Please note I in no way pass judgement on those who prefer continual running..I know well it's just a hobby..So whatever floats your boat.
Or, should i say, barge !?! M   

[CRL]

Personally, I like operations...

But occasionally you just want to watch’em roll by.

[Vince P]

Following with much interest

Really like the bridge scenes

Are you going to have Kudzu everywhere

[Specter3]

There will definitely be kudzu. It will be operated staging to staging with through trains and locals. Progress is definitely going to slow now that soccer season has started. I coach and ref and along with my day job of teaching middle school science time just evaporates. So now it will be a lot of info gathering, continued research, and construction of a scene binder. To keep up with pics and dimensions and research I am going to put together a 3 ring binder for the major building projects on the railroad. The flooring has been selected and I will probably do that over Christmas break. Once the floor is in the benchwork can become more permanent.

[Specter3]

Just to prove it hasn’t died. Luxury vinyl plank is in. Benchwork is being reassembled but with a level. Hopefully wont have to take it down again. Tacked up the top deck temporarily to get a feel for what it will look like. So far so good. 11 school days until break.

[Vince P]

Looks great

[MDW]

Nice - lots of good looking work going on in those pictures.
Michel