NKP-ish

[nickelplate759]

NKP 646 inexplicably meets the Morning Daylight on the Blue-Foam prairie.

Mainline is functional again, after that errant rail was replaced!

NKP 646 is a 1st-generation Model Power USRA 2-8-2, with a modified Rowa tender and a step pilot (barely visible) from a Model Power 2-6-0.
It has DCC, but I didn't run wires to control the headlight so it's always on.

[nickelplate759]

Slow progress, and a reminder not to take shortcuts.   I am recycling some old Atlas Code 55 turnouts and hadn't been testing each one.  It turns out that a couple of them had failures of the electrical connection to the frog.  I caught one before I installed it, but that prompted me to go back and test all the rest, and sure enough one of the installed turnouts in the mainline had the same problem.  Just finished replacing it with a brand new one.

[nickelplate759]

I need to trim back a 3" section of 1/8" thick aluminum flange (part some bracing on the layout frame) to clear a Tortoise machine.   There's not enough room to really work a hacksaw there.   There is enough room to work a Dremel tool.      What kind of bit should I use?    I tried a carbide cutting wheel, thinking it would be quick, and it didn't work well.   It might be my lack of skill, of course.

Suggestions?

[C855B]

Aluminum clogs abrasive disks, as you discovered. I generally have good luck with burrs like the 193 or 194 high-speed cutters.

[nickelplate759]

Most of the main level (non-branch) track is down. I've gotten to the engine terminal part, and I'm not quite satisfied.
I've got two service tracks that lead to the turntable, and a track for servicing the coaling tower, like this:
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The dashed lines represent tracks that are not readily moved.   What the diagram should show is the two engine service tracks, a track to the coaling tower and the grey rectangles represent the coaling tower, ash dump etc.  The reddish & brown building below the third track is the sand house.  the small reddish rectangles are meant to suggest a couple of buildings. that don't pertain directly to service, but were found in Calumet between the steam and diesel service tracks.

I'm mostly trying to suggest the NKP Calumet engine terminal.  I like the fact that the roundhouse was built for both steam and diesels, and was inside a loop. However, Calumet had 2 steam and 2 diesel service tracks, and I don't have room for them all.  I'd appreciate some suggestions as to how I could modify the service area to  better accommodate mixed steam and diesel service.    I'm willing to leave out some elements (like the sand house, for example), but really do want to keep the turntable, roundhouse and coaling tower at a minimum.  I'd like to work in a ash dumper (just 'cause they're cool), but could live without it.

Here's a plan of the relevant part of Calumet:
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Suggestions?

[btrain]

I'm almost done with my engine servicing scene, which is very similar to yours. It looks like you be able to fit two steamers each on the in/outgoing tracks. The only thing I'd be tempted to do is to have one track come off the turntable and hook into the loop. That would give you some relief when trying to get inbound diesels onto the inspection pits in the roundhouse when steamers are clogging up the coal/water docks.   

[nickelplate759]

Some tinkering looks like it will get me enough room to squeeze the diesel road engine track in. No room for the switcher track though.
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[seusscaboose]

That’s darn near perfect

Given your space restraints

It’s very true to the original

[nickelplate759]

This week I finally completed the branch routes through the junction - so I can run test trains in a figure 8 if I want.   All wired up with DCC auto-polarity-reversing from DCC Specialties (the PSX-AR is magical!). Electrically everything is fine, but now that I'm testing track routes I hadn't tested before I've got Lots-O-Derailments.    They are all caused by something picking switch points - but some are Atlas Code 55 switches, others are Micro Engineering Code 55.    Debugging time!

Some switches are tight - I think I know how to fix that, but one curved is wide in gauge just ahead of the points.  The points themselves seem to be in gauge. How can I narrow the gauge without just replacing the turnout?

[nickelplate759]

I'm adding a bridge. It's not going to be visible, and it's a long span, so I used a piece of aluminum channel. Nice and sturdy!

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[nickelplate759]

I haven't been working on track in quite a while, but got back into it this weekend.
I need some switches closer together than normal on the leads to the engine service area, so I modified these two Atlas Code 55 #7s.



On both turnouts, where they join I removed the last two "ties" that are cut out for rail joiners.   On the right turnout I also cut the rail back so that two more ties have no rail.  Here's what they look like assembled.  About 1/2" shorter.



Do this a few times and it really saves space.

[LIRR]

Nicely done

[nickelplate759]

Here they are installed.  Note that the same shortening has been done where the turnouts join at the right of the picture.

[OldEastRR]

You realize all of your early pics and diagrams have disappeared from this thread.

[MK]

They all show for me.  Even the first post on this page which dates back to Feb 2018.