evolution of a track plan

 While I am slowly working on the wiring for the main standard gauge layout, I started working on an HOn3 switching layout.   There have been way to many interruptions while working on the wiring for the main layout.  

The HOn3 layout will be 2 feet by 8 feet and is a modified timesaver.   The original plan came from a shelf layout plan book and is one leg of the L shape.  see below.  I increased the original sections length and width.

This plan is a modified version of John Allen's timesaver switching puzzle.   A reversed image of that puzzle is shown below.

This modified plan adds an extra two turnouts and spurs on the right side of the plan.   I also added an extra turnout and spur to the upper left spur and shifted the entire plan to the right providing additional length to the tracks on the left.  The water feature on the left half was moved closer to the bottom edge and reduced in size to a stream.  Other minor changes were made to some of the spur locations.  

Track will be code 55 HOn3 from MicroEngineering and turnouts have been sourced from EBay and Jamestown Trains.  I have four #6 turnouts that I found on EBay and Jamestown Trains is building four #5 turnouts.  I have glued down some N scale cork roadbed for the track arrangement using FastTracks turnout templates as a guide for locations.  The spurs have a capacity of 24 30 foot cars.   I plan to use one locomotive and about 20 assorted cars on this layout.   I have a pair of Southern Pacific narrow gauge steam engines and have made a reservation for a narrow gauge Bombardier (ALCO/MLW) DL535 from Northbound Model Works.   They may still be taking reservations for this locomotive and no down payment.   Hopefully this will be shipped later this year.

 Progress has been slow.   I hate wiring.   Plus, like keeps interfering.   I have been able to go to the California Central Model Railroad Club lately though.   They have a very nice layout in the old Agnews Sp station in Santa Clara.  It was featured in Model Railroader and Railroad Model Craftsman magazines and on TSG Multimedia YouTube channel.   

The photo below is of my AC-9s 3810 and 3811 at the Tuolomne station from the meeting on the 6th of January.   

New YouTube Channel

 I have been slowly wiring the layout, installing switch machines and control panels.   A lot of other projects around the house have reduced the amount of time available for the layout.   

I have created a YouTube channel and posted some videos there.   (70) MODOC AND LASSEN - YouTube

Layout Update.

It has been a while since I posted.  Due to the high temperatures, I have not been able to work on the layout as much as I would have liked to.   Wiring and turnout motors are slowly being added.   Also, I have to clean and treat the tracks with no-ox-id to improve conductivity.  The older DC locomotives are getting decoders, current keepers, and speakers.   I also got a replica of Gorre and Daphetid #34 on EBay.   Some of the locomotives have been sent to a local locomotive repairer for new motors and a couple of  minor repairs.  I have added a video of a brief test of #34 and of a DCC installation in a Southern Pacific whale back tender.   The tender still needs to have the painting finished.

 

February Projects

 While I did get all the track laid and power feeds wired for Middleton, I was unable to install the turnout motors and control panels for it.   Hopefully, by next month.  I did make a test video of my C636 running on one half of the town.  

I also made a revision of part of the junction trackage, replacing the #6 right hand turnout that goes to  the staging loop a #8 right hand turnout.   This also allowed some minor track adjustments for the industrial spurs in the middle of the wye.

With the icehouse, sand house, fuel oil dock and engine house base made I was able to lay out all the yard tracks.  This led to the elimination of one yard track and repositioning the engine house and servicing facilities.  This is shown in the track plan below.

My Division Point Weyerhaeuser #108 2-6-6-2T arrived this month also.  A photo of it along with one of the NWSL 2-6-6-2Ts #6 and the Mantua 2-6-6-2T #13 is below.   The other NWSL 2-6-6-2T #4 is in the shop right now.   The two NWSL loggers are models of the Black Hills Central locomotives 108 and 110.  NWSL made these years ago and they need the open frame motors replaced along with adding decoders, keep alives, and speakers.

The next two photos are of the Sugar Pine Lumber company 2-10-2T.   This was used on their common carrier Minarets and Western railroad running from the logging camps to the mill.   This was the only one of this type built.  It served along with four 2-8-2Ts.   According to the data on this one it had greater tractive effort than the Mallets.  

The last two photos are of Willamette #25

January projects

 While I wasn't able to make any real progress on the main layout, I was able to accomplish a few things.   I started constructing some of the building kits that I have.  The first ones are for the yard area.    These include the engine house, fuel oil tank, sand house, icehouse, water tank, and maintenance. buildings.

I also bought some HOn3 flextrack and N scale cork roadbed for a 23 inch radius circle to test the narrow gauge engine that I purchased.  

After playing with it for a short while, I decided to convert it into a 2 foot by 8 foot shelf layout.   This will be based on one of the layouts in the book Shelf Layouts by Reid.  This will be the lower left part with a foot added to the bottom as shown below.   This section is similar to a reversed image of John Allens Time Saver layout which is also pictured.

I also added feeder wires to the frogs of the older DCC friendly Walther's turnouts that I have.   The new ones have a tab on the side that provides an electrical connection to the frog.  On the older ones the frog is isolated without power.  I removed the plastic under the frog between two of the ties and soldered the wire to the bottom of the frog.   I did the soldering on a metal rack for a heat sink to prevent the plastic around the frog from melting.   The photos show one of them with the plastic removed and another one with a short feeder soldered to it.   As can be seen in the photo of the top of the frog area the plastic was not affected.

I need to spend the next few months getting back on schedule for building the main layout and getting it running.  I also ordered some more flex track so I could finish.   

    

       

December Christmas Present

 I was not able to get any work done on the layout in December.  However, I did treat myself to a new locomotive.    It is a Southern Pacific narrow gauge 2-8-0.   The Southern Pacific had two narrow gauge 2-8-0's, number 1 and number 13.  The number 13 was manufactured earlier.  Most of the other narrow-gauge locomotives were 4-6-0's or 4-4-0's with a few 2-6-0's.  Westside imported three versions of the 4-6-0's, numbers 8,9, and 18.  All of them have been preserved.  They also imported this 2-8-0 in two different runs, one with the motor in the cab and this one with the motor in the tender.  There were 300 in both runs.

The 4-6-0's also were imported with the motors in the cab and then in the tender.  Pacific Fast Mail imported the motor in the tender version of #9 while Westside only imported the motor in the cab version.  

The version of # 1 that I have has the motor in the tender.   Of course, I will be purchasing a few cars and some track to run it on.   In addition, I will be adding a decoder, keep alive and speaker.  There should be enough room in the tender for everything.

November Construction

 This will be a short post.  We got a new dog from the shelter that has Kennel cough and has developed an attachment to me.  She gets anxious if I am out of sight, so I have had to spend quite a lot of time taking care of her this past month.   I was able to take the base boards for the midpoint town and work on them with her near me.  I glued the cork roadbed in place and spiked the track in place.  Hopefully she will get better and join the other dogs which should reduce her anxiety.

October Construction

Wiring is progressing.   I have connected all the feeders to the buss for the staging tracks and two lift outs.  control panels for the lift out turnouts and junction are being wired and a 12-volt power supply for them is being ordered.  Five of the switch tenders from Micro Mark have been installed.  18 feet of flex track have been laid from the junction up the grade to the second town and 12 feet of flex track on the top loop have also been installed.  Feeder wires for them are also in place.  Also, the rest of the track for the junction has been installed.

Installing the switch tenders for the left outs was easy, but I will have to go under the layout to install all those for the junction area.  The image below has the track that is installed for the junction half highlighted.

September Construction

 Laying track, but it is taking much longer than I hoped.  I am using track nails and have to drill a hole in every fourth tie of the flex track.  This is about one every inch.   The staging tracks total a bit over 55 feet or 660 nail holes to drill in the flex track.  I am using a #61 drill bit and bought a tube of ten of them in case they break, being very thin.   I got all the track for the Southern Pacific main line in place and am drilling holes an inserting nails as fast as I can.  

I then need to connect the feeder wires to the main buss line and install the switch tenders.  A power line will need to be run to the triple pole - double throw switches that will cause the points to move and provide power to the turnout points.

The attached track plan shows the track that has been laid, except for the staging, in orange.  This will be divided into two power blocks with the lift-outs and staging tracks being one and the junction and yard the other.   The track leading to the end of the line town and the third lift out at the other end of the town will be part of a third power block.  The midpoint town and upper loop will be a fourth power block.  I am using disconnects for the buss lines between lift outs and the other parts of the layout.

After I test the SP main and staging, I will then add the rest of the tracks at the junction.   Followed by the grade up to the second town, the lift out leading to it, and then the tracks for the midpoint town.  This is on two eight-foot-long sections that I will secure in place after the track is laid.  

The final phase of track laying will include the lift out from the midpoint town to the upper loop, the upper loop, the lift out from the upper loop to the end point town, and the tracks for that town.

August Construction

 Construction is proceeding slower than I hoped.  Except for the yard area I have glued down roadbed on almost the entire junction half of the layout.  I also found a few more code 70 #4 turnouts.  This has allowed me to make a few revisions to the plan for the yard area.  Revised plan and photos below.

For September I hope to have the staging loop track installed, wired, tested, and running.   I purchased some constant on switch motors from Micro-Mark. Sweep sticks from FastTracks were also purchased to help with the track laying. Track for the yard area will be placed loose so that I can make any adjustments needed for buildings.

View from south end.  Track going to right top is for the wye to turn engines.

Overview of junction.  Elevated track in back will go to midpoint town.  Cardboard rectangles are building place holders.

View of the wye/ Tracks in middle of wye are for the meat packing company.  Far end of wye leads to staging.

North end of junction.  Both curved turnouts are #8, 36 and 32 inch radius code 83.  Spur tracks are for the team track (front) and furniture company (left back).   I still need to join the curve leading to the midpoint town that is laying on the board in back to the elevated track.