HO somewhere in Appalachia.....

[LIRR]

Starting a new thread for my new HO effort. I had contemplated a freelanced early-to-mid 1960s INTERSTATE-type, regional/large short-line railroad in coal country that interchanges with the LN, Southern, Clinchfield and/or NW. But I’m not coming up with a suitable name, theme or paint scheme tho. I keep kicking around all three. Recently surfing appalachianrailroadmodeling.com, a few things appealed to me and I’ve narrowed it down to a fictional portion of SOU, LN and/or NW with the other(s) having trackage rights. Maybe some cameos from the Clinchfield. The location is the southern WV / western VA panhandle / northeast TN / southeast KY neck-of-the-woods. I’m partial to the SOU, but both NW & LN would be easier for repainting locomotives.
 
Envisioned yet still evolving operating scheme is a thru train from staging to drop and pick up cars at a very small 3-track yard. Perhaps a train in each direction in the future as I acquire more equipment.  The yard area itself has 3 spurs to switch. I’m not sure what they’ll be yet. A turn from this location in each direction to work small towns. Perhaps 2 turns to the east as this end has two stub interchange tracks into the closet under the stairs.  There’ll be 1 coal tipple on-line and there’s already a tipple at the end of a coal branch that requires an interesting caboose-first back-up move. So there will be 2 mine runs as well.
 
I am reusing the existing bench work as as-is as possible, removing the existing down to the sub-roadbed. I’ve nearly completed track-laying. I’ve been working from 2 directions and need to complete the turn-back blob to connect the ends. After that, I need to complete the staging in the wood shop behind the train room. That’s a bit of a challenge as the closet under the stairs doesn’t work as it did for a 15”radius in N scale. I need to snake a curve thru some pipe risers near the furnace to provide a continuous run option. If this doesn’t work out I will still have stub-end staging at one end of the layout and the track already extended into the other room by the furnace can be another industry or staging opportunity.
 
The completed trackage is operational. I’m liking this DCC thing. I have an NCE Powercab system and I just added an SB5 booster. I use suitcase connectors and the only soldering I need to do is feeders to the rails. Always hated the wiring/soldering thing.
 
Photos to come....

[Mark5]

Should be fun. As I am quite familiar with the region I am looking forward to updates.

[LIRR]

maybe there won't be photos.....uploader is full...?

[LIRR]

[LIRR]

Maybe there will be photos after all

[LIRR]

Tipple at end of coal branch

[nuno81291]

The flocked trees look great! Interested to see how you handle that transition to the photo backdrop, are you going to leave the little man there?

[LIRR]

nope...his days are numbered. normal viewing angle is low. Normally, I can barely see the tracks. I have a 4x4 on the floor I stand on when I switch the tipple

[LIRR]

Two interchange tracks into the closet to the right. This is the closet where the n scale track turned back. The track curving thru the wall will loop around the furnace to a staging yard...

[3DTrains]

But I’m not coming up with a suitable name, theme or paint scheme tho.

How about "Louisville Interstate" (LIRR being your user name afterall) and using both the colors of Clinchfield and L&N (yellow lettering over grey) or late Clinchfield and early N&W (yellow lettering over black, blue or maroon)?

Cheers!
Marc - Riverside

[davefoxx]

@LIRR,

You know I'm interested in following along with your build thread.  Keep it coming!  We HOers gotta stick together 'round here. 

DFF

[LIRR]

I always liked the Long Island Rail Road smoke grey & burnt orange paint scheme, but if I used those on freelance scheme, I would always know it was the LIRR and it wouldn't seem plausible for my railroad

[LIRR]

modified Central Valley truss over Blue Creek...

[davefoxx]

Yummy!  What's going to happen to the track in back where the creek would intersect it?  Or will that track be hidden?

DFF

[LIRR]

it will hidden in a way....from my normal viewing angle, the tracks here and at the tipple this track leads to (to the right) aren't visible, but a train is. so when I work the mine run, the train is the focal point and the foreground fades from attention. similar to a play, when watching the actors on stage, you no longer notice the furniture is 2-dimensioanl paintings on the wall...