The Hartwell Railroad in N Scale

fritch Nov 21, 2012

  1. ken G Price

    ken G Price TrainBoard Member

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    Looking good.:)
     
  2. fritch

    fritch TrainBoard Supporter

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    Laying more track

    The progress on the railroad in August seems slower than previous months. A short vacation away from home was nice, but then work seems twice as difficult as you play catchup for the absence. The Fast Tracks order arrived and construction of about 24 turnouts has started. That has consumed a lot of the available railroad time. The eventual yard with require about 3 crossover switches since as a single yard it services both "ends" of the layout.
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    A small diversion was the completion of the the Wye on the branch line, as well as a runaround track added with artistic license to the engine house. I thought this would be needed for reversing short 2-3 car trains being switched north of the engine house on facing switches on the way down from the Toccoa yard where they interchange.
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    I received a power booster and the PM42 cards to start wiring the new addition to the existing DCC network.
    I'm hoping to get the mainline done and start running trains again by October.
     
  3. fritch

    fritch TrainBoard Supporter

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    There's always one more thing

    The last rail joiner has been placed to resume mainline running. A smile of satisfaction marked the occasion. But now the bus wires had to be placed, the feeders has to be connected, the p42's connected, and the additional power district connected to the loco-net. When it was all said and done....nothing runs on the new district. The ohmmeter shows no shorts on the 13 new bussed sections (I broke them up for future signaling). I tried the quarter test to short the p42's and nothing happens on any of the sections. When an engine runs up to the new district however, it abruptly stops as if there is no power, but the bank of p42's start clicking and blinking as if the whole district has shorted out. I'm sure I just need to recheck all the wiring on the buses and feeders, and also the p42 connectors but after all that work this weekend, it will just have to wait for another day. A bittersweet victory none the less.



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    The last rail joiner on the mainline. Yeah!

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    The new digitrax power supply and manager

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    Three p42 boards. 2 for short circuit protection, 1 for auto reversing. They lose their little minds when an engine shows up on their district.

    Hoping to be back running by next week.
     
  4. fritch

    fritch TrainBoard Supporter

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    Power on. Starting to run trains again

    Solved the power problem (a reversed pair of wires between power districts) and broke out a few engines to try out some of the new construction. I put together a short consist of 2 GP-38's and 4 cars and set out to switch a few locations.

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    Armed with a soldering iron and a file, i tried to tune some of the turnouts due to numerous picked points, tight frogs, and uneven insulating gaps. Finally I made it to the previously scenic part of the layout, which has aquired quite a large amount of dust from the construction.
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    Setting out a boxcar on the branch line recycling plant
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    Then another boxcar at Gem industries (still under construction)
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    Finally leaving the branch for the return trip set out of a grain car at Fieldale, I see I need to rework the crossing gate mechanism.
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    Oops, low overhead. I guess Ill need a base for clearance at the elevator at the Fieldale North yard
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    And finally back home with the locos to the still under development yard space.
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  5. mgilger

    mgilger TrainBoard Member

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    Fritch,
    I see in several area's it looks like it's completely covered in Cork. Does that stay down after the track, buildings or what ever gets placed, or do you trim it all out after placements?
    Thanks,
    Mark
     
  6. fritch

    fritch TrainBoard Supporter

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    The yard area is the only area where I laid the large cork sheets placed side by side. I used a latex adhesive caulk to adhere it to the plywood and it seems to be pretty much fixed in place. In a pinch you can use a metal scraper to get under the cork to remove it, but it usually tears the cork up pretty badly. I plan to put a yard ladder down each side, so only the corked area between the 2 mainline tracks will be excavated for ballast drainage, the other yard tracks will be ballasted pretty evenly. There probably wont be much in the way of buildings in this area except to an engine servicing platform and a station on the edge of the yard.

    Larry
     
  7. mgilger

    mgilger TrainBoard Member

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    Fritch,
    Thanks for that info. I was also going to make my yard and the main track at two different level, only ballasting the main and leaving the yard all at one, lower level. I was originally thinking of just attaching everything in the yard to my Pink 1 1/2 foam top. I like the idea of the cork as it might quit things down a bit as I was concerned about the foam amplifying the sound from the engines and cars a bit. The cork should work good for that.
    Thanks,
    Mark
     
  8. Primavw

    Primavw TrainBoard Member

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    This photo looks very realistic. nice work!
     
  9. fritch

    fritch TrainBoard Supporter

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    September updates

    Its nice to have some mainline trains running, but the remaining work is almost an attention deficit nightmare. Do a little over here, then over there, fix this problem, add to that. I have a new short in the branch line that seems to have mysteriously appeared after adding ballast to a small section, but I suspect its actually farther up the line. Possibly a rail gap at a switch, but those are Atlas switches and not the fast tracks turnouts I made myself. I have been cutting the copper clad rails on the bottom of the fast tracks turnouts after discovering some shorts after soldering the feeders to the switches.

    I started trying to transition the hillside to more of a scrub growth from the forests near town.
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    You can see a little bit of red Georgia clay I got from the backyard and put on the hillside on the left. Its even darker than the brown latex paint Ive been using on the plaster scenery. (OK, I photo shopped a blue sky where my painted backdrop ended to cover up the concrete basement walls but it does make it look nicer.)
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    I also put together my first brass kit, a woodchip loader from TrainCat to check the spacing on my plant sidings.
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  10. Route 29

    Route 29 New Member

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    Excellent work! I really like the wood chip loader. :cool:
     
  11. fritch

    fritch TrainBoard Supporter

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    I was really impressed with the Traincat loader as well. It may be a little pricey (I think maybe 70-80 bucks), but its etched brass and has many delicate details to assemble. It took a little getting used to putting a brass kit together with CA glue. I never tried one before but the results are really nice.I think it will make a fine loading scene on the short line. I also picked up a auto loading ramp but haven't put it together yet. I saw the Traincat models displayed at their booth in Atlanta and they really look impressive.
     
  12. DarylK

    DarylK TrainBoard Member

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    Very nice railroad. Its always fun to see the progression of a layout from the start.

    Have you ever thought about finishing out the basement? Concrete and bare joists are great dust generators.

    Daryl
     
  13. fritch

    fritch TrainBoard Supporter

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    I have noticed a good amount of dust collecting on scenery of the older area of the layout, but with all the new construction and more plaster work, I'm not sure how much of this I am causing and how much is coming from the basement environment. I also haven't figured out what to do about lighting yet either.

    The first section has an overhead canopy of 6 incandescents on a dimmer switch to blend the white, red, and blue bulbs to simulate morning, day and night lighting, but this appears to be impracticable now that the layout has expanded. It would likely take over 50 bulbs which would be 2000 watts and need a 16 amp circuit of its own. The thought of finishing the walls seems daunting as I tied to put one wood stud into the concrete and realized that conventional concrete bits don't seem to be worth a hoot. I think an impact drill would be required to place studs for a drywall covering, but maybe some kind of textured sealer/paint might be an attractive option.

    The open overhead joists will have to wait a while for a lighting decision, although I think a drop ceiling may be a possibility, depending on how and where the layout lighting is done. That area is probably the biggest dust source in the basement anyway. You make a good point about the dust however so I guess I just need to add some extra tasks to my to do list.

    bench.JPG
    This is an early photo of the original corner of the layout that shows the concrete walls, open joists, and general environment along with the overhead canopy idea that I don't think is practical anymore. The vertical supports could support the backdrop, but any front ones will be in the way and I think a wood frame is probably too heavy to support with just back braces. This could be eliminated by suspending the wooden light frames for the ceiling. The frames could also be covered with some thin Masonite to make a type of dust cover over the layout. For right now I'm just trying to get the track work reliable enough for some good train running.
     
  14. fritch

    fritch TrainBoard Supporter

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    Year end 2013

    A little late with the end of the year update. The railroad got alot bigger this year with the completion of the benchwork and mainline trackwork. The yards and spurs still need to be added. It ended up to be a backwards Z shape with a helix on one end and a loop on the other leading to a double mainline return on the front of the fascia.
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    Basement filled, mission accomplished

    The 2013 award for tool of the year is the oscillating saw I got last Christmas. A great addition to the tool collection. It can be used to cut openings and shave wooden ledges when adjusting scenery without needing to drill holes and using a keyhole saw.
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    2013 Tool of the year

    I did discover that with all the construction, dust is a real problem on the original part of the layout. I'm thinking of putting a canopy with led light strings above the layout as a cap, with a blue cloth attached with Velcro behind to allow access from the backside of the layout if needed. Still in the planning stages.
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    Dust settling on the original part of the layout

    Lastly the Train board boxcar made its appearance in 2013, hauling recycled cardboard on the shortline.
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    2014 looks like alot of track work debugging, slow progress in expanding the scenery around the layout, and filling in the mainline industry spurs.
     
  15. alhoop

    alhoop TrainBoard Supporter

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    Didn't this thread start out to show modeling the Hartwell Railroad from Elberton to the interchange at Toccoa? I haven't read
    all of it but it seems like you are adding a lot of the Southern trackage. Still very good modeling - since I grew up in that area
    I should tell you it's Lavonia not Li..
    Al Hooper
     
  16. fritch

    fritch TrainBoard Supporter

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    You are correct Al. The branch from Toccoa to Elberton is in the foreground with a mostly double tracked Norfolk Southern mainline running behind at a slight elevation. This is the mainline where I can generate and pickup traffic from the shortline, plus it also gives me a way to run the Crescent passenger service through Toccoa along with those big 6 axle NS desiels when the mood strikes. Also I confess to being a bad speller and Lavonia is in fact the intermediate stop for a grain elevator and an industrial spur on the Hartwell, which still has some life left in it for a small railroad..
     
  17. alhoop

    alhoop TrainBoard Supporter

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    Fritch
    It all looks good - if you have enough basement area left you could model the Tallulah Falls Railway that ran from Cornelia to Franklin, N.C.
    It was featured in two movies - The Great Locomotive Chase and I'd climb the Highest Mountain. Would give you reason to buy some
    Civil War Railroad equipment.
    Al
     
  18. fritch

    fritch TrainBoard Supporter

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    I'm glad you mentioned the TFRR. I was at the gift shop at the gorge 2-3 years ago and thumbed through a book describing a local railroad set in the late 1800's and early 1900's. They ran to tourist sites in the mountains and I believe there were some tuberculosis sanitariums up there as well. A few months later I thought "I'm going back to get it" and of course it was sold out. I haven't seen a new copy since then and couldn't remember the subject railroad but now that you gave me the railroads name, I found a copy on Amazon. I have seen the caboose at the Cornelia station but didn't make the connection. This is really not a good idea since it sounds like a great shortline to model and I really shouldn't be moving off into conflicting era's and locations, but what the heck, I could probably manage a small area somewhere when the mood strikes.
     
  19. fritch

    fritch TrainBoard Supporter

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    February update

    I know winter is model rail time, but its friggin cold in that basement. Running a few trains now and then to keep the dust off the track.
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    Hartwell 3021 leads a small freight through Toccoa

    Building down to Lavonia and Gainesville, a pair of bridges need to be placed over the eventual I-85,

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    Test fitting a Central Valley Truss bridge on the Norfolk Southern crossing of the highway. I plan a simple plate bridge for the Hartwell in the foreground.

    That ACFX covered hopper just looked too clean, so I tried my hand at a pair of graffiti decals and what I thought was a light coat of powder weathering. I'm not yet satisfied with the result
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    Hopefully a warmer spring will let me get more time on the railroad.
     
  20. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Yikes. I didn't think it got that cold in Georgia. :(
     

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