Friday, May 17, 2024

Layout Update 5.17.24

 

The first 4 sections of the layout are assembled. Next is painting the legs and facia. Yes, at some point I will need to finish the ceiling and the walls, but I want to get some trains running sooner rather than later.


Here is the first test section.  Fine tuning the assembly and construction.

This is a view of the curved section under construction.

The full layout plan.  You can click on the image to enlarge it.

The North end of the layout which is staging, but will have some scenery and structures.

The next section includes some staging for interchange railroads (the yellow tracks).  Things may change, and I am open to suggestions.  At the moment I am planning on using cork roadbed on the mainline and passing siding, and no roadbed under any sidings.  The dark blue is the mainline and the light blue is the passing siding.  Woodyville will be all Woodland Scenics Pewter cast metal building kits.

This 60 degree curved section starts with rural scenery and moves into city.  Many of the buildings in this section will be kitbashed Tyco structures.  There is a short 2% grade on some sidings on this section.

This is the city of Joplin section.  The mainline has no elevation through the first four sections.

Hopefully I will feel well enough to take the sections outside and paint them soon.










Saturday, June 24, 2023

Layout update 6/11/23


The basement has walls, and hopefully the roof goes on the house this next week.  Here is a picture of the layout area as is it right now.



Here is how I have arranged the layout at this time.   

If you click on the drawing a large version will appear. 
Since it has been a while, here is the list of Givens and Druthers.  I believe I have 
Givens 
1. It is 1949. 
2. HO scale standard gauge main line. 
3. Line runs from North Staging (KC) to Car Ferry Dock at Van Buren, AR. 
4. Within reason, modular specifications to meet Free-Mo standards 
    a. http://www.free-mo.org/standard/ 
    b. 42” minimum radius on the main line 
    c. #8 Turnouts on the main line 
5. Main cities of Joplin, MO & Springdale, AR. 
6. The town of Splitlog must be represented. 
7. 3’ narrow gauge line (Trees Unlimited) somewhere south of Springdale a. associated with a large sawmill. 
8. 30” narrow gauge somewhere 
9. 18” operating mine railroad 
10.Interchanges:
    a. ATSF, MKT, KCS, MoPac & Frisco in Joplin. 
    b. Frisco in Springdale
    c. MoPac, KCS, Frisco in Van Buren 
11.Joplin Union Station will be massively compressed, flat on the back with taller building flats attached to the back. I will have to do a drawing to make that make any since. 
 
Druthers 
1. Gulf Oil refinery somewhere south of Joplin. 
2. 36” aisles 


The layout sections are 26' in depth except for at Van Buren where it is 33".  Almost all section of the layout can be operated from both sides.  The only exceptions are this time are Joplin and the section with the large sawmill.  The concept for those two sections are shown below.

For some clarification on the Joplin section, here are some concept drawings.


The station and hotels will sit where indicated.  The Joplin station track side will have some depth to it, but the hotels will be flats.  I will have to get an artist to draw the hotels, as pictures of the back of the hotels are sketchy or non-existent.  I plan on mounting the hotel drawings on black foam core to give them some semblance of depth.  The total depth, as currently planned, will be about 6", and the length will be somewhat longer the 12", and about 7" tall.  The dark blue is the main line, and the light blue are passing sidings.


Between Joplin and Springdale the elevation of the main line will rise 3-4 inches, and this module is just south of Springdale.  Again, the standard gauge main line is in dark blue.  With the exception of this section, the layout could be run as double track, as there are passing sidings the entire length.  The 3' gauge track and the sawmill are on the upper portion blocked from this side by trees, lots of trees.  Viewing from this side, there is an 18" (Z scale track) mining railroad at zero elevation and it loops under the standard gauge and the sawmill.  Also, at the far right, you can see a small red section, that is the 30" gauge railroad that will be hauling the mined product away.  What are we mining, maybe unobtanium, maybe Vibranium, maybe?


Saturday, August 13, 2022

New basement coming in 2022-23, Layout pln

Kansas City, Fort Smith & Gulf Railroad, The Splitlog Route

 I am working on basic plans for a new layout, as soon as the new basement is available.  A couple of points of interest: our previous home has not sold, the first sale fell through, so ground has not been broken on the new house yet.

Here are some plans I have sketched out, and a short list of "Givens & Druthers".  All are subject to much editing over the next several month, and I am soliciting feedback.  Lots of drawings to follow!

I will be posting a link to this in the NMRA Layout Design Special Interest Group, along with several other Social Media sites.

Here is an overall view of what I currently envision for the benchwork, along with a few dimensions.  Click on the pictures to enlarge them.




And what might be the most important piece of information, the givens and druthers.  I am sure there will be many additions over the next several months.

FCFS&G Givens and Druthers, 8.13.22 
Givens 
1. It is 1949. 
2. HO scale standard gauge main line. 
3. Line runs from North Staging (KC) to Car Ferry Dock at Van Buren, AR. 
4. Within reason, modular specifications to meet Free-Mo standards 
    a. http://www.free-mo.org/standard/ 
    b. 42” minimum radius on the main line 
    c. #8 Turnouts on the main line 
5. Main cities of Joplin, MO & Springdale, AR. 
6. The town of Splitlog must be represented. 
7. 3’ narrow gauge line (Trees Unlimited) somewhere south of Springdale a. associated with a large sawmill. 
8. 30” narrow gauge somewhere 
9. 18” operating mine railroad 
10.Interchange with ATSF, MKT, KCS, MoPac & Frisco in Joplin. a. ATSF & MKT would be minimal. 11.Joplin Union Station will be massively compressed, flat on the back with taller building flats attached to the back. I will have to do a drawing to make that make any since. 
12. 
13. 
 
Druthers 
1. Gulf Oil refinery somewhere south of Joplin. 
2. 36” aisles 

Here is the linear plan, but obviously it is not legible, so I have broke it down into small pieces.  Each numbered section represents 4'.  



This will obviously be backwards to some, as it is right to left.  As currently planned, the bottom of this section would be the first thing you see as you come down the stairs.  This is the north end, KC/staging.  I am planning on some scenery even though, for the most part, this is staging.   Dark blue is mainline trackage, and light blue is passing tracks.  As this is very much a work in progress, siding may be colored or may just be a straight line.



8' of rural to industrial area between KC staging and Joplin.  The benchwork also increases from 24" to 26" to accommodate double track mainline.  You can click on the images and enlarge them. should you desire to do so.  Dark blue is mainline trackage, and light blue is passing tracks.  


Joplin.  Union Station and some building flats associated with it will create somewhat of a view block.  At the moment, this is the only view block on the layout, but that could change.


Section 7 is a city to rural transition, although I love structures and will probably fill all the space up.  Section 8 is the small town of Splitlog, named after the patriarch of the railroad, Mathias Splitlog.  A real person, and a real town.  I will add some fictitious history in a later post. 


As we leave Splitlog, we go through Woodyville, all Woodland Scenics small buildings, and to the Gulf Oil Refinery. I have narrowed this down to 24" wide at the refinery, and moved the mainline to one side to make more room for the refinery.  I can see the need to keep this section wider, among other possible changes.


Springdale is a major city on the layout.  I need to add Frisco interchange trackage.  I kept the track to one side, the east, for what it's worth, to give more room for structures.  I think I will add a long passing siding to the narrow side, probably going back to the refinery.


Now it get a little complicated.  Somewhere in sections 13-16 I need to add a tunnel through the Boston Mountains. Sections 13 has the standard gauge mainline running along the east side and the mainline gets back to the center on section 14,  The darker green areas is raised several inches and there will be a large on the plateau.  How much it will be raised has yet to be determined.  The dark orange track is the 3' gauge Trees Unlimited, and runs through the mountains for several sections.  The light orange track is the ECH 18" mining line, and I am planning on running it under the mountain, but over the standard gauge mainline. We will see how that works out. The red trackage that starts in section 14 and continues south, is the J&N 30" gauge line hauling the Unobtainium mined by the ECH, and lumber from small mills along the line.


Section 15 and 16 are mountainous, with an uphill grade starting in 16 or 17 and ending at section 13.  These sections will take hundreds and hundreds of oak and hickory trees.  The multicolored brown stripe is the cliff between the mainline grade and the logging branch.  The mainline will most likely be in a valley between the two narrow gauge lines.


Section 17 is the HOn3 interchange with the standard gauge.  Section is rural and widens out to have a short passing siding.


Section 19 is the HOn30 interchange, and more rural industry, and section 20 is more industrial, and transitions into Van Buren.


Getting to the end, and I am looking at a couple of options.  Here is the lineal plan, and my original idea.  I was going to end it at the water front, and have a Frisco interchange.  I am going to have multiple car barges that will serve as south end staging.  As I got to laying out the benchwork in the basement plan, I realized I could put in a large reverse loop.


This certainly gives a lot more room for industries and scenery.  42" radius mainline fits on this and still has 12" to the outside.  I still need the river and barge dock, but maybe I can find a way to add a representation of the Frisco bridge over the Arkansas river, and still get in a reverse loop.  
It would seem that it would be idea to have a reverse loop at the south end and a turntable on the north end.

Feedback is welcome, but keep the Givens and Druthers in mind.


Where is the KCFS&G?  Some maps to hopefully help you orient yourself. 
The KCFS&G runs from Joplin, in the southwest corner of Missouri, located in the Ozark Highlands Ecoregion, #39, through the Boston Mountains, #38, into the Arkansas Valley ecoregion, #37, where Van Buren and Fort Smith are located on the Arkansas River, nestled up against Oklahoma. Van Buren on the north side of the river, and Fort Smith on the south side. 




Friday, December 25, 2020

Dixie Garage, Carolina Craftsman Kit

I have not been posting for over two years, and the main reason is I would rather spend time modeling than posting about it.  Therefore, don't expect any detailed descriptions, as not much time or thought is going into posts going forward. 

 The parts of the kit.

I am adding a garage door to the back wall, so I cut an opening using the front door opening as a template. 

I am using the scrap piece to fill in the old window opening.

I applied paper printed studs to the inside wall when the wall could be visible through the large doors.

The back patch came out pretty well.  As I recall, I used the rubber cement method for the pealing paint.  Dab some rubber cement on the siding before the finish coat of paint, then when the finish coat of paint is completely dry rub of the rubber cement.

I used a decal for the "GAS" sign, but all the others are printed on paper and glued to the building.


There a wood stove below the chimney, but it has obviously never been used, since the chimney is clean,

The truck cab is from Sylvan, and the bed and winch were 3D printed, as were the barrels, rusty fender compressor, gas bottles and wall fan.  The scuppers and downspouts were 3D printed using copper infused filament, and were weathered naturally using salt and ammonia. 

Thanks for looking.

Thursday, December 24, 2020

Just for Giggles #9, HO details

Some odds and ends I have been working on.



Bleachers

I designed these for a friend. I did some simple internet research to get the standard dimensions, and then played around with some of the cross sections until I was able to get a good 3D print.

I used wood for the benches, but if you are modeling a more modern era, styrene strip painted aluminum would be more appropriate. 


Ships Boiler

I based this on a boiler for a large ship.  But then it turned out to be too large to fit on a flat car as an open load.  So I scaled it down to fit an HO scale flat car.


Drawn in SketchUp, it was easy to resize.  I broke it up into two pieces for optimum 3D printing.



Wood Water Tanks

This is a kit from Built Rite Models, a small water tower.

A nice simple one evening wood craftsman kit.  It is available in HO and O scale and could be used in any number of scenes.


Traffic cones

I did a little Internet research to get standard sizes.   I drew several different sizes in SketchUp, and

printed out a bunch of them.


A great addition to a street scene.