BarstowRick's H&P Layout Restoration

BarstowRick Sep 15, 2020

  1. MK

    MK TrainBoard Member

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    My R400 is discontinued. The R800 looks like the current replacement, available at BestBuy for $250.
     
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  2. BarstowRick

    BarstowRick TrainBoard Supporter

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    The Coal District, what to name it or should I leave it alone?
    Yampa Valley Coal District.
    Craig Sub.

    I started experimenting with the Coal District shortly after I got it installed. My D&RGW train engines were a bit sparse as in I didn't have any...yet!

    A Santa Fe train of Empty Coal cars leaves it's own tracks and heads into the district.
    Santa Fe Coal Trains 056.jpg
    Above:
    The S curve and switches was a part of the main on my Dad's original N Scale layout. I liked the the arrangement, the configuration appealed to me and I thought I'd give it a go. Check it out.

    Santa Fe Coal Trains 059.jpg
    Above:
    Here are the empty coal cars cresting the summit and heading down into the helix-i. Look closely and you can see a train of fully loaded coal cars coming up inside the helix plural.

    Santa Fe Coal Trains 060.jpg
    Above:
    End of train So far everything was working as I had hoped.

    Santa Fe Coal Trains 064.jpg
    Above:
    Having drifted downgrade and dropping down to the second level the train is about to meet the opposing coal train, full loads headed uphill.

    Santa Fe Coal Trains 068.jpg
    Above:
    A train meet. It as arguable that the Zebra Stripes never worked with the Yellow Bonnets. On the other hand the Pin stripe or Book End Santa Fe Business Blues yes they did do that.

    Santa Fe Coal Trains 046.jpg
    Above:
    Having drifted downgrade we are now at the bottom of the helix-i. Pardon me if I ended up doing a victory dance.

    Hope you enjoyed that. You should have a better understanding of the coal district. Now to pick a new name.

    I got quite a bit done yesterday. Cleaned out all the stuff that seems to gravitate toward and collect under the train layout. Got the trash out, literally. I got to try out the Capri wire strippers. Nice, but hard to see. I need to get my reading glasses fixed. Should be good to go after that.

    Later all !!
     
    Last edited: Mar 2, 2021
  3. BarstowRick

    BarstowRick TrainBoard Supporter

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    Should I manage to get that far you will get to see videos of the layout as trains start running. The clock is ticking and I'm on the short's. Age alone does that. So, we shall see how much I can get done.
     
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  4. BNSF FAN

    BNSF FAN TrainBoard Supporter

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    You'll get there Rick and when you do, you will realize it was worth every minute of it.

    Now about remaining the coal district, maybe you could modern times it and call it the wind and sun district :D
     
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  5. Doug Gosha

    Doug Gosha TrainBoard Member

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    Frozen wind and sun district. That's REAL modern!

    :D

    Doug
     
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  6. BarstowRick

    BarstowRick TrainBoard Supporter

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    BNSF fan and Doug G.,

    I like it, I like it, :LOL::):D That certainly describes the feelings of the Moffatt Men.

    But...Uhh...err modern isn't quite what I'm looking for. :sneaky::whistle:;)

    Something that fit's in with D&RGW back when they were a land locked railroad. Before they merged with the Southern Pacific. If you get my drift.:confused::cool:

    Still thinking!!
     
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  7. Mike C

    Mike C TrainBoard Member

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    How about Monarch branch ?
     
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  8. BarstowRick

    BarstowRick TrainBoard Supporter

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    Occasionally I run into another hobbyist who captures my attention. Here is one of those.



    Go to You Tube and you can learn more about the owner and the layout.
     
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  9. BarstowRick

    BarstowRick TrainBoard Supporter

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    I liked the idea well enough to check it out. Thanks.

    I did an oogle google search on the Monarch Branch. There indeed was one.
    Primarily served by GP's to serve a limestone mine. 4.5% grades. Not quite what I have.

    I then looked up the Craig Branch line.

    My attempts of modeling this location will be more of a hint, a freelance copy. Craig Branch fits my scenario but may over state the obvious. Wrong expectations. But then so does most of the layout. Go figure.

    You can see details at the following link.
    See: https://history.denverlibrary.org/news/yampa-valley-little-train-couldn’t

    So, I'm still pondering. Which can sometimes be half the fun.
     
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  10. BarstowRick

    BarstowRick TrainBoard Supporter

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    Thanks for your confidence.
    I keep telling myself, self you built this to begin with you can rebuild it!! Just not as easy this time around.

    If hindsight is foresight. It was back when this got built the first time. I'm trying to remember the first time as this layout has been one that has grown, shrunk and grew again. Anyway the time I built this version. I was thinking, I don't want to have to do this again. That just proves my crystal ball didn't work so well.

    Funny, isn't it? How things turn out.

    Later! :cool::cool::cool:
     
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  11. BNSF FAN

    BNSF FAN TrainBoard Supporter

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    Here is an idea for the branch name. Mind you, I'm going to throw it out there and just slowly back away...…

    You should call it the "George Branch"

    ……………………………………………...
     
  12. mtntrainman

    mtntrainman TrainBoard Supporter

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  13. BarstowRick

    BarstowRick TrainBoard Supporter

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    Haw, haw, haw!!! You better back away slowly. Aiiyiiyii !! :whistle::whistle::whistle:

    Putz Turn, would work out better. You know Grumpy Old Men. If George is Putz then you know who I am. Moronic isn't it?:D:D

    Leaning heavily toward Craig...something or other. Branch, district? Craig Coal District. I like the Monarch Branch. George has a nice ring to it. Giving it some thought. Very little thought.:sneaky::sneaky::sneaky:

    George Bridge, George Tunnel, George Yard, George Turn, George's Curve, George's Engine Maintenance Center, George Control point, George's Communication Center, George's Railroad and George's Dinner. How about those ideas?:eek::confused::sick:

    Okay, I got it. George's Truck Stop. Hey, hey, hey!

    I'm working on it, I'm working on it. :p:p
     
    Last edited: Mar 4, 2021
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  14. logging loco

    logging loco TrainBoard Supporter

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    How about Morticians Gulch. That has a SW ring to it.
     
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  15. BarstowRick

    BarstowRick TrainBoard Supporter

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    Mortimer Snerd's Funeral Home and Cemetery. Yep, that might work. :confused::confused:

    Funny, well sort of. My Dad and I were given a N Scale model of a Mortuary and Crematory. To go along with it a Casket Company? I think someone gave us a Mercedes Hearse. Oh and before I forget Headstones and Arch to go in a Cemetery. Too!:oops::rolleyes:o_O

    We both shook our heads. Thought it was funny. A real hee-haw. :sneaky::sneaky::whistle::whistle:

    Later a good friend asked me if I'd mind his opening up a Howland Funeral Home on his HO train layout. Sure why not? He did. I think I missed my chance to get pictures of it.

    Say What? :eek::eek::sick:

    Be cool :cool::cool: run trains.
     
    Last edited: Mar 4, 2021
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  16. BarstowRick

    BarstowRick TrainBoard Supporter

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    What to call the Coal District? Something is going to click here before to long.;) The Pueblo Connector? D&RGW to the Santa Fe. Humm?

    Did you know the people of Denver help pay for and build a tunnel to No-where. Well, at the time it was to no where. Here's a hint. The Denver and Salt Lake Railroad. Now what tunnel was it?:barefoot:
     
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  17. Keith

    Keith TrainBoard Supporter

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    There were 2 on Rollins Pass. And 1 that was started, tailings in Yankee Doodle Lake.
    Don’t know who attempted that one, without searching through several books.

    Actual Monarch Branch also had 1, possibly 2 switchbacks.
    The Rio Grande Odyssey VHS/DVD shows some of the action
    on the line, including how steep the grade was!! With 2 GP30’s
    and up to 36 GS gons. Even stopping, and crew going to lunch.

    As for model name: Nampa Valley district of the DRGW??
     
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  18. badlandnp

    badlandnp TrainBoard Member

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    Sooooo . . . The Howland George Route? Or Howland Gorge?

    :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
     
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  19. BarstowRick

    BarstowRick TrainBoard Supporter

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    I do appreciate this name game. Pretty cool ideas.

    I bumped into yet another layout that caught my attention. Street running in an L.A. Los Angeles type of suburb. I have a Mini-City that also needs a name where I have a Trolley Loop. Resembling what you are about to see next.



    I like the idea of street running and would like to do something similar on my layout. You can see more about the Hobbyist and the layout by going to You Tube.

    Now back to all the name calling.
     
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  20. BarstowRick

    BarstowRick TrainBoard Supporter

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    :D:D:D

    My own name is already on the layout. You did catch my attention. The Royal Gorge Route but then I'd have to build some sort of Gorge on the layout. Humm!! There's an idea.

    Leaning heavily toward Monarch Division. Branch line isn't going to work here. This is a run through connector.

    Still looking at. When I see it, I will know it's right.(y)(y)

    Sitting here thinking about the things I have to do. Now that spring is here I need to get out of Winter mode and get into high gear and get things done. Of course for me that will be compound low. :cry::cry:

    There is a type of game that we used to play via the phone and internet. We would hand off trains between one layout and the other without physically handing them off. Did that make sense. Probably not. And we only did it a few times.

    We'd report back to each other. Hey, I had a derailment. Sorry to slow the freight orders down or passengers are okay, they are being checked over at the local hospital. That kind of stuff.

    The idea was for example: Let's say John across town had a Santa Fe Mail Train. I have a Santa Fe mail train. I would run my train the route of the layout and then hand off to John. He would run his mail train the route of his layout. Then he'd hand off to someone else who had a Santa Fe Mail Train for the same purpose. And so on.

    It doesn't have to be across town but anywhere you have a willing participant :) these days.

    You can hand off to any scale, any layout and keep those trains running.

    Today with virtual media, we could set up camera's to send images of each mail train to all participants and keep trains running on screen for hours.

    Can you see that?:confused:(y)

    Another for example. George's wife has a passenger train. She runs her train on screen over her layout. I then run my train of similar make up on my layout. The Rick B. does the same with his layout and Russell Straw does the same on his layout.

    Not to worry guys and gals. I just grabbed at names out of my hat. The point is anyone and everyone could participate. And we'd never have to leave home.

    Just an idea that flashed through my less then brilliant gray matter.;):cool:
     
    Last edited: Mar 5, 2021
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