Woodbine Industrial Track

[Spades]

Homer Simpson is a truck driver and sees a train leave the rails, rolls 360 degrees and lands back on the rails, turns to Bart and utters the line:

 Homer: Nothing beats flying across the country on a train.

That last one... on the far right... is for the Back to the Future, Part III, levitation train?

[conrail1973]

Lee,

I haven't attached the track, so the foam could be a project over the holiday break. There are few You Tube videos that haven given me a few ideas for the terrain.

Thanks,
Adam

[wm3798]

I'd start with a grade separation project at the road crossing.




Then vary the elevations of the buildings, add foundations so you can bring truck traffic in at a lower level, with the rail traffic at grade...






Use negative space, stands of trees, grassy slopes, a stream etc. to transition from one level to the other.  The roads don't have to connect to each other on the layout, but they should logically approach and serve the buildings.  They should also follow the landscape up and down grades more logically.

The best advice I can give you is to go out and look at old industrial areas in the geography you're modeling, then bring what you see back to the work bench.

Lee

[wm3798]

Found another foundation reference shot for you...


Lee

[conrail1973]

Thanks for the advice Lee!  The grade separation project would be a nice project to tackle once I add the 2" inch foam panel.  I think a family trip up to Steamtown might be in the near future for some research.

Thanks,
Adam

[conrail1973]

After stopping at the train show to pick-up some freight cars today in Timonium, I stopped at M.B. Klein and picked up a turnout and shorter pieces of track for my attempt at a runaround track today.  I ran a train with 7 cars today, and it worked perfectly!  I don't know how may times I've tried to make this work in the past, but it did.  Another victory with Atlas Code 65 Track!

[conrail1973]

Good Morning,

I look at some of these layouts, and I'm amazed on what can be done in N Scale!  I do have to take a break from adding a thicker insulation board and more realistic ground cover (spending money and time is going towards my kids interests and work right now), but I did get a chance to complete Walthers State Line Farm Supply and Hole-In-One Donut Shop.  I also decided to have the back of the buildings face the track because it looked a little more realistic, and I rearranged the team track because I didn't like the arrangement of it.  My layout construction might be moving slower than I want it to, but I'm enjoying some solid 30-40 minutes of operatation each night.

Thanks,
Adam

[wm3798]

Where are you located?  If you're in Maryland,  I've got a mountain of 2" foam scraps that are yours for the taking.  If you're not, check with your friendly local insulation installers, and ask if they have any scraps you can pick up.
A nice fresh sheet is always a pleasure to work with, but at over $30 a sheet, that pleasure can be short lived... 

Also check places like your local Habitat ReStore, or other architectural salvage place.  And if push comes to shove, go to Lowe's or the Depot, and see if they have any fork-lift damaged pieces you can get for less than retail.  Reduce, Recycle, Re Use!!

Lee

[davidgray1974]

I'm really liking the progress so far and think everyone has given awesome feedback.  Believe me, these guys know what they're talking about and helped me from making a lot of beginner mistakes.

As for scenery, have you decided on what time of year you are modeling?  This will play a big part in what type of scenic material you will need to buy.  I've flip flopped on this and have a lot of scenery material to prove it.    There are also some great "Best of" topics in the scenery section that have a ton of "How to" information that have been put together over the years.

Looking forward to more updates and welcome aboard!

David

[conrail1973]

Lee,

I appreciate the offer and ideas!  This will probably a spring project that I will be tackling.

David,

I'm glad you brought up seasons because I have some fall trees that were a gift from a while back, but I don't know if that's the season that I'm locked on yet. 

The other thing is that I'm trying to go with a generic feel of an Urban Mid-Atlantic city that can have a little bit of everything scenery wise.  There have been a lot of You Tube videos on the Chicago Terminal Railroad that run along Goose Island, and I like the urban feel to that area with the older buildings.

Thanks,
Adam

[conrail1973]

Hello Everyone,

I ventured with my kids today to the train show in Timonium, and I picked up 7 complete years of Trains Magazine from the 1990s for free! I couldn't find anything on my wish list, so I ventured over to M.B. Klein, and I picked up the Walthers Allied Rail Builders kit because it has captured my interest over Vulcan Manufacturing during the past two days.  It wasn't on my radar for M.B. Klein because it wasn't showing up on their website, but now I'm the proud owner of one.  I can see it as a repair facility for my layout, but has anyone used it for other purposes with the original kit or kitbashed?

Thanks,
Adam

[conrail1973]

Slowly but surely I'm making progress with my layout.  I decided to make the Allied Rail Rebuilders a non-rail served building next to the Paragon Heating kit that has been sitting on the shelf for a while.  Behind those two buildings, I've designated that track as the team track.  I've also brought up Red Wing Mill from storage, and I have it designated as a baseball bat factory (2 boxcars/week).  I don't think I can commit to focusing on roads and scenery until I figure out the final plan for industries, but I like what I have for the time being.

Thanks,
Adam

[jmarley76]

You've got a pretty good start, Adam! look forward to seeing how your layout develops.

[conrail1973]

Thanks Jeff!  I'm just taking everything one step at a time, and I'm enjoying the operations while I'm at it!

Thanks,
Adam

[jpec]

Looking great so far. I would suggest you pick up a copy of Lance Mindheim's book on operating a modern switching layout. Lots of great operations tips in it. You can get it from Amazon and Klein's used to stock it. I don't wander that far in to the store any more, I try to order ahead of time and pick it up at the counter; it's either that or wrap my hands in duct tape and wear blinders to avoid leaving far more money there than I intended.

Jeff