Feather River Canyon in N-scale

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Rodney, I just want to say, I am very impressed by the scope and scale of what you're doing here!

[milw156]

Rodney, Thanks for the opportunity to visit your layout and run a train! Really like what you have accomplished, especially after visiting the 1:1 version at last years convention! I am looking forward to following your progress, and to the NMRA in 2018. Mu wife and I were really impressed by the quality of layouts at this years NSE, all are works in progress, but impressive none the less. I will bring her by the next time we are visiting her parents.
Rick

[rodsup9000]

 
  Thanks Ed. At times it seams a little over whelming to get anything done. Sometimes, when I go into the layout room, I just stare and look around the layout, trying to decide what to do. Sometimes it takes a hour or so just to to get something started.


 Rick, thanks so much for your help manning the layout. I really appreciated your help. Please do stop by with your wife next time your down here. Let me know early enough when your coming and I'll try to get a few others to come out and we'll do a ops session.

[rodsup9000]

 One of my goals is for the railroad is to have a lot of industrial switching so I can keep people busy during OPS sessions.  I got a lot of feedback from people at the convention. So with that in mind, I've started changing some trackwork around Oroville.

 Here is coming out of the helix.


 Before


   



 Now


 






  And by moving the backdrop, I'll add a lot of real estate. I'm thinking a scrap dealer, feed and grain store and a warehouse or two.


 

[rodsup9000]

 
 
 
 All of this has changed too.
 
 Before
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Now
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 This grade will continue on through the backdrop
 
 
 
 



 
 

[rodsup9000]

My birthday is next weekend and the wife wanted a gift list from me. So I listed all the stuff that I need to get my laser cutter built. I'm building a 80 or 100 watt laser with a 24" x 48" bed to do 20.3 large scale stuff besides the n scale stuff.  I even told her a few times that I might just buy one of those cheap lasers and use it for for now on N scale stuff. But this was before the convention and being that we way overspent there, I told her I didn't want anything else. 



   Well Friday, she really surprised me when a fedex van showed up and he unloaded this 


 

   


  Wife made sure I opened it up and checked for damage before the fedex guy left.     A cheap 40 watt laser from China.


     




     








Well the first thing I checked was the mirror alignment as this is one of the big problems with them. It was dead perfect on the min and max movements.   Within a few hours I did some trial cuts. 



   



Now the bad thing about these super cheap lasers is the very weak software. Being I'm not a computer wiz, it's not too bad for me to just learn their software.  Once I get the workflow figured out, it shouldn't be too bad. I think once I get the workflow figured out, it won't be too bad.   
   
The price was unbelievable at $315 shipped to our door from ebay.

[C855B]

... I've started changing some trackwork around Oroville.

Uh... Rodney... are you telling me that deviation from the track plan is allowed, even after construction has started? How can that possibly be?

The new laser cutter is great. How are you managing the cooling water?

[rodsup9000]

Uh... Rodney... are you telling me that deviation from the track plan is allowed, even after construction has started? How can that possibly be?

The new laser cutter is great. How are you managing the cooling water?

 For now, I'm using a 5 gal bucket. I went and bought a cheap heater core from OReilly's that I'll add a fan to, and it'll be on the return line going back into the 5 gal bucket.

 From what I've read so far, most just use the bucket of water.

[Cajonpassfan]

Rodney, congratulations on both the laser cutter and the wife!
Once you've had a chance to test the cutter, I'd be very interested in a write-up....either here or elsewhere on TRW.

As to the additional switching, I think it's a very good move, even if moving a bit from the prototype. As impressive as your layout is and will be, there needs to be more than just running to keep people's interest up. I struggled with my Cajon layout as well and added some switching areas that "could have been there" as well as industries long gone by my timeframe (like the WW II era US Quartermaster Depot). Also think of your yard as a place for multiple (mostly) stationary operators to break, reblock, and make trains...(this takes physical space in the isle). This is rarely done on anything but the largest model railroads, and it's like switching on steroids.

The only comment I'd make on your new trackwork arrangement is that to me, there's something a bit odd about the way the switch lead crosses the double mains and heads up.... Perhaps there ought to be a diverging switch on the uphill side to prevent runaways from crossing the mains (and perhaps to allow another industry parallel to the mains?)

Anyway, I always thoroughly enjoy your updates, keep them coming please!
Regards, Otto K.

[rodsup9000]

Rodney, congratulations on both the laser cutter and the wife!
Once you've had a chance to test the cutter, I'd be very interested in a write-up....either here or elsewhere on TRW.

As to the additional switching, I think it's a very good move, even if moving a bit from the prototype. As impressive as your layout is and will be, there needs to be more than just running to keep people's interest up. I struggled with my Cajon layout as well and added some switching areas that "could have been there" as well as industries long gone by my timeframe (like the WW II era US Quartermaster Depot). Also think of your yard as a place for multiple (mostly) stationary operators to break, reblock, and make trains...(this takes physical space in the isle). This is rarely done on anything but the largest model railroads, and it's like switching on steroids.

The only comment I'd make on your new trackwork arrangement is that to me, there's something a bit odd about the way the switch lead crosses the double mains and heads up.... Perhaps there ought to be a diverging switch on the uphill side to prevent runaways from crossing the mains (and perhaps to allow another industry parallel to the mains?)

Anyway, I always thoroughly enjoy your updates, keep them coming please!
Regards, Otto K.

 Thank You, Otto,

 I've been told very many times that I'm lucky to have a wife that likes model railroading. And my response is that it's not luck cause I wasn't going to get married again unless it was to someone who likes what I like.

 Yes, I'll do a "review" and "how to" post somewhere. It'll going to take me a while to learn the software/workflow that will be efficient and once I do, I'll post.

 As this is going to be a OPS layout, I'm adding as much "work" in as I can. And with these changes, I'm adding a lot of real estate for industries. 

 As of right now, I can see two to three people working just the Oroville yard.

 Great idea on the siding along the main for runaways and another industry.

[MichaelWinicki]

Very cool laser!

Rodney has many operators do you anticipate for a regular ops session? 

Not a special event where they "unload the bus" kind of thing– but a regular session?

[rodsup9000]

Very cool laser!

Rodney has many operators do you anticipate for a regular ops session? 

 
 I hope to get 8 to 12 on a regular basis.

[MichaelWinicki]

 I hope to get 8 to 12 on a regular basis.

OK, that's quite a few.

Just something to think about– Have a plan in place to be able to run the thing even if you only have 5 show up...

If you have a yard where you could keep 3 folks busy, say you only have one person assigned to that yard for the evening– some variables have to be tweaked so that person doesn't become overwhelmed.

[soo]

All the changes are cool!!

Why can't I live near cool people that model N scale??LOL

I have had the chance to op on some intense layouts in the DFW area. I always ask for the hardest assignment,, more fun to me.

People ( modelers) should not be afraid of change,, sometimes it is hard,, but necessary for the greater good. How else can we learn and grow?

Keep up the great job,, And to follow suit with other fourm members,, congrats on the wife and laser.!!

See ya, Y-it

[superchief]

Rodney, congrats on your new toy!!!   I like the changes you have made. thanks again for hosting us before the convention, after rail fanning the canyon in 2012, I can say you have "nailed it" on all the major spots on the route. you planned well and have lots of staging and like the way you laid out the first yard.  I think you will have a great "operating" layout. look forward to visiting again. thanks, Gordon