Rock Creek Canyon & Gunnislake Yard

GEfan Nov 12, 2018

  1. fordy744

    fordy744 TrainBoard Member

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    Nice to see you are progressing.

    I think it would be very exhibition-able when done!
     
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  2. GEfan

    GEfan TrainBoard Member

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    Cheers David,
    I managed to acquire an afternoon off courtesy of a lunchtime hospital check-up (all good thankfully!) so with a decent afternoon and temperatures not being too cold in the sun, i’ve pushed on with a bit of help from my father and got the missing baseboard (rear of the scenic boards) for the hidden Sidings built. Just needs the baseboard top adding. Never know might get some track laid later this week! I am on leave after Wednesday!
     
  3. GEfan

    GEfan TrainBoard Member

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    Cheers Fordy, you are putting a lot of faith in my scenic abilities! It could be a complete disaster yet!
     
  4. GEfan

    GEfan TrainBoard Member

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    Evening all,
    Well tomorrow hopefully the first track will go down. The boards have been erected and the 6ft long, narrow board finished this afternoon, with its baseboard top on. Tracklaying of the hidden sidings is first, I estimate I can can get seven in with room for fingers, or eight if I really want to push it! I think seven will be the option however. Never know might even be able to post a video of a loco moving tomorrow!

    This is the new board that when running is hidden behind the main scenic boards. I didn't add the two end boards that form the turning circles today, as they weren't needed. The first image was taken before the second top board nearest the camera was screwed down, hence the appearance of a height difference between the two boards.

    IMG_9331.jpg

    IMG_9332.jpg
    The underside framework.

    Also, my third loco arrived on Thursday, in the form of a Kato GE ES44AC 'Gevo' in BNSF livery. As a DC only model, I also purchased separately a TCS 'drop in' decoder. I have to say, compared with UK model decoders, I was totally amazed at how simple and easy this process was. The British manufactures could do with learning some lessons here! The new model has been tested (both on DC and now DCC) and works perfectly. I'll need to get to grips with adjusting the various values so that all three are running around the same speed, but thats a job for when there is some track down and not just a meter-length of Flexi track on the dining room table!

    Hopefully I'll get an update posted tomorrow, but if not, to everyone reading have a very Merry Christmas. I hope Santa manages to spot the odd box car with goodies close to you!
     
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  5. GEfan

    GEfan TrainBoard Member

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    Happy Christmas all!

    I hope everyone has had a happy and enjoyable Christmas Day. My family managed to totally surprise me this year and proved that perhaps they do actually listen when I am waffling on about things! I was given my fourth locomotive, one of the Kato UP SD70M 'Flag' units, DCC fitted, along with a rake of eight Kato UP coal hoppers, and a set of three Kato double-stack container wagons! While a good friend has presented me with a digital subscription to Model Railroader! Overjoyed was not the world :)

    So not only do I now have four locos (a pair of UPs and a pair of BNSFs) but also each pair has its own train! Admittedly the container set is somewhat short, but from little acorns as they say, it allows me to build and I am very grateful to them for the pressies. It has given me a bit more incentive to try and push on with things :)

    In case I don't get chance to post again in the next few days, can I wish everyone a very Happy New Year and here's to a positive and good 2019.
     
    Onizukachan, mtntrainman and MK like this.
  6. MK

    MK TrainBoard Member

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    That's excellent! I'm jealous! I didn't get anything train related. :(. But I didn't really ask for any. :)
     
    GEfan likes this.
  7. fordy744

    fordy744 TrainBoard Member

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    nice to know your subtle hints worked!

    and as you say it's a start and you can grow it from there, alternatively they know what to buy you for birthday...
     
  8. GEfan

    GEfan TrainBoard Member

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    Wow, hadn’t realised it was so long since I updated this thread. Sorry guys. Things are progressing slowly. The last 18 months have been hit and miss with modelling (can’t think why!!) but I am back on with things a bit now.

    I am still progressing the Canyon model,but a few health issues with my back have caused me to go back and look at things. My layout has to be portable, as there is no permanent home for it at the moment, that may change in 12-18 months but remains at the moment. The learning points from this layout have been that I made the scenic boards too heavy, lifting them onto trestles is difficult and bolts for alignment was another a wrong choice.

    So I am going back to square one, taking a lot of learning onboard and starting a scratch with bespoke laser cut baseboards, designed to fit the railroad. The layout will be double sided, with the canyon scene on one side and a busy interchange yard/refuelling facility on the other, drawing a lot of inspiration from the Bellin and Barstow webcams! It will also give me 5ft diameter curves, a bigger scenic section, better inter-baseboard connections and the trackwork will be relaid in hand-built Code 40 rail.

    The fleet list continues to grow. I now have 14 locos, all are DCC (not sound) fitted, and the wagon fleet numbers over 80! Ive just added another Kato coal gondola set to the three I already have, and I keep watching for modern day manifest and trailer-train wagons, although the latter seem very scarce in N gauge.

    Hope everyone is keeping well.

    Rich
     
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  9. Shortround

    Shortround TrainBoard Member

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    Welcome back. Sorry if I didn't miss you but I've been rather irregular for the past few years. Trying to get back to it but in N gauge rather than HO. It's not cheaper but it fits better.

    Rich
     
  10. SDVike

    SDVike TrainBoard Member

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    [QUOTE="GEfan, post: 1191604, member: 35214"The fleet list continues to grow. I now have 14 locos, all are DCC (not sound) fitted, and the wagon fleet numbers over 80! Ive just added another Kato coal gondola set to the three I already have, and I keep watching for modern day manifest and trailer-train wagons, although the latter seem very scarce in N gauge.

    Hope everyone is keeping well.

    Rich[/QUOTE]

    Your reference to “wagons” on a American themed railroad made me laugh. Not because of confusion of terms but because I’ve heard that term just a couple days ago from my 14 year old son. He was adopted from Latvia 4 years ago. The other day he said he really liked my new “wagons”. Some days I forget his past and hearing him use a European term reminds me how far he has come.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  11. GEfan

    GEfan TrainBoard Member

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    Hi all,

    I felt for a long time that N was too small, but having modelled it for a couple of years now, I am really happy with it! Hope you get the enjoyment from it.

    Haha! Sorry I must remember they are cars! Fair few more will be needed, but I am currently trying to come up with some storage ideas that makes putting them on and off the layout, really quick and easy.

    Rich
     
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  12. Shortround

    Shortround TrainBoard Member

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    Such 'terms' are used here as well. I always felt it was from the farms.
     
  13. GEfan

    GEfan TrainBoard Member

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    As I hadn't previously updated the thread I thought it might be worth showing where I got to before the decision to restart took place. The bridges over the 'Rock River' are Kato examples, and these will be transferred to the new layout.
    IMG_3569 (1).jpeg

    And the canyon side had begun to come together. This is just cereal packets cut into stripes as the under base, then covered with plaster strips.

    IMG_3574 (1).jpeg

    The new boards need to be smaller (2' x 14") where as the previous boards were each (3' x 18") and made from a 1"x1" framework with a solid top. The new boards will be laser cut from 3mm or 6mm ply for the outer box, and then the supporting crossmembers will be 3mm ply laser cut, constructed on an open frame premise, with the trackbed being the only solid section. An image of the first new baseboard, in the 3D CAD design programme follows..

    IMG_0134.jpeg

    These will have magnets and dowels to provide alignment and keep everything together. The internal cross-members are not shown in the above screen shot.

    So things are moving forward slowly.
     
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  14. fordy744

    fordy744 TrainBoard Member

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    Good to see you back at it, been up and down the modelling for a lot of us the last 18 months.

    certainly laser cut boards is the way forward, the particular ply we use is particularly lightweight, maybe half to a third the equivalent in MDF.
     
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  15. GEfan

    GEfan TrainBoard Member

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    Thanks. Its interesting of course, in that the original plan for the layout was specifically to make use of the boards that I now need to take out of the equation. The result, means that I have a bit more of a free reign as to what I can do. Specifically to make more scenic use of the end curves, which with this new system hopefully can be 6ft radius. There is also the 'potential' (emphasis on the 'potential' to make it 16-18ft long, in a dog-bone shape, rather than the 6ftx18" scenic section within an 11ft x 2.5ft area that I had originally.

    Trying to come up with a track-layout that achieves realism, makes best use of the space while "TRYING" to keep with the less is more theory, but that can be built and detailed, along with the scenery being completed, in sections that are manageable, but will still allow me to run trains, is challenging me at the present time!
     
  16. GEfan

    GEfan TrainBoard Member

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    I have been spending a lot of time watching the Barstow webcam recently, and hours pouring over Barstow on GoogleMaps, trying to design Gunnislake Yard for the new boards! I also came across a DJ Trains video on YouTube, showing Conway Yard, Pa, which provided a lot more thought.

    I have no intention of trying to create a hump yard - gravity does not scale - but I am looking at taking similar principals to develop a flat yard. If anyone has any images (postable or links to websites) showing flat yards/engine servicing facilities etc, I would be delighted for you to post them, as all information helps,
     
  17. GEfan

    GEfan TrainBoard Member

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    Morning guys,
    Finally managed to push the design work for the new laser cut baseboards on a bit. I am following a new (for me) way of doing these. These will not be the cheapest baseboards going, I acknowledge that, both in time and money, but with my back issues, I am hoping they will be lightweight and easy to both handle and store. Currently the first board is designed, and the exported screenshots from the CAD software show the first board, with the track base for the second board added on.

    Because the trackwork is on a 2.8% grade in and out of the hidden sidings, it has been drawn for the full 180 degree turn - which is 7.5 feet in diameter, and this is then cut into smaller pieces for each board. Hence, why the base is showing for board 2. The full layout, despite being portable, will be around 20 foot long by 9 foot wide.

    Rock Creek Curve 2022 v5 - 18112021 - 1.png

    The bottom track, passing through the rectangles in the cross members will be hidden by scenery on this part of the curve, but still accessible from behind if needs be. Around 2/3rds into the curve, the position changes and the bottom track (at that point climbing on to the layout) comes into the scenic area, while the top two dissappear off scene to the hidden sidings and are hidden from view. The second two, show the scenic divider between the two top tracks - the line at the front in this view, runs up the front through a country/town scene, while the one at the back runs up the back through the yard, before they both meet at the far end of the layout.

    Rock Creek Curve 2022 v5 - 18112021 - 2.png

    End view


    Rock Creek Curve 2022 v5 - 18112021 - 3.png
    Rear View

    I am treating my initial baseboards as something of an 'out of the box' project and a trail. As I am looking to store the boards in storage boxes to keep the dust off them, I am going to look at adding the 'end keeper plates' by magnets when its not in use - that way its an easy on, easy off idea. We'll see whether it works or not! These views show how the keeper plates sit to protect the track ends and scenery at the end of the baseboard.

    Rock Creek Curve 2022 v8 - 19112021 - 1.png

    Rock Creek Curve 2022 v8 - 19112021 - 2.png

    The eventual full layout forms a balloon loop on the top level, and a dog-bone on the bottom level where the hidden sidings are. Still plenty to do - the carpenters dowel holes have to be added, magnet spacing, electric pass through etc, and some bits left to sort out with the woodwork, but I am progressing. The current plan is to get the first three boards designed, then send the various drawings for laser cutting, to see how they work and perform.

    My hope is that the reasonable grade, easy curves and multiple locos on the front/middle/rear will mean that I can easily portray the American style of long trains, especially given the layout size in N gauge!

    Richie
     
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