Away We Go! Steel Mill Layout

Penner Mar 9, 2021

  1. Penner

    Penner TrainBoard Member

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    Thank you so much, Trainz! :)

    And there is no shame in selective modeling compression!!! My dream layout would have been in one in a nice basement, but those are virtually non-existent here in SoCal! So I've learned to make do with what I have (even though I really wish I had a cool basement!). ;)
     
  2. TrainzLuvr

    TrainzLuvr TrainBoard Member

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    Well, I kinda have a cool basement...what I lack is adequate knowledge/experience of how to fill it up.

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    Since I opted to maximize straight runs, I sacrificed both the bench and the aisle space, so putting steelworks into 12" of benchwork here wouldn't do it justice. And, seeing your work and of many other modelers, the bar is set so high that I constantly fear I'll screw it all up. :)
     
  3. BigJake

    BigJake TrainBoard Member

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    WOW! What a canvas for a masterpiece!

    One thought that comes to mind is that currently, your scene dividers appear to run straight down the middle of each peninsula.

    What if they were offset to one side, or better yet serpentined, to create more depth on one side of the peninsula, and less on the opposite side? That might give you more depth when needed to represent the mill, and less elsewhere for scenes that don't need as much depth.

    The variety of scene depth would also make the layout more visually interesting, while taking nothing from it's length.

    You might even look at removing the divider on a peninsula, and treat the whole works as a spur, using the whole, undivided peninsula, while the mainline passes by that peninsula at its root, connecting with a wye.

    Never having built a layout larger than a hollow core door (N scale), that's my take on it. Your Mileage May Vary...
     
  4. TrainzLuvr

    TrainzLuvr TrainBoard Member

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    @BigJake

    I don't want to steal Penner's thread here, but yes, I did adjust one peninsula depth by offseting the divider to make more room for a main classification yard. I also removed the dividers on both blobs, which opened up those areas, now trying to figure out how best to use them.

    My spouse had the same idea of fully removing a divider on one peninsula. That would definitely make the whole space (15' x 24") big enough for steelworks. I fear that would be a terrible "side quest" for me, as I would have to live up to what I've already seen here.

    I also felt that making a peninsula into a stub would force an operator to have to go all the way around to catch their train on the other side (of the root), and I think it's preferable to follow the trains around all the way.
     
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  5. TrainzLuvr

    TrainzLuvr TrainBoard Member

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    @Penner I've been looking at your latest layout plan (because I'm still intrigued by the steelworks) and wonder about some of those grades, they look pretty steep to me?

    How do you envision this playing out, e.g. will there be a double-header switchers working the steelworks, because many of those grades seem to be in the excess of 2.5% which sort of limits the cut of cars you can pull up.
     
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  6. Penner

    Penner TrainBoard Member

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    Quick update, since it's been a while. Last month my son ran into some life events that forced him to move back into the train room. Of course, Murphy strikes again! :eek: Unfortunately, for him, that means he's stuck sleeping on a blow-up mattress on the floor, since there is no longer any room for a bed. :p Unfortunately for me, I am now a bit constrained with respect to my progress. :mad:

    Since then I've been mainly relegated to researching/studying track laying and wiring practices. However, I also finished laying out the remaining track on the steel mill property (as well as the 95% of the main line in front of the mill). I also laid out templates of the remaining steel mill structures' footprints, so I 100% certain the mill property layout will not run into any clearance issues.

    What's next? Well ... if all goes well, i want to have this track secured with caulk within the next two weeks. Then I will begin installation of the feeders. But we'll see! What is that saying about the best laid plans of mice and men? Here are a couple photos of progress to date (the paper you see are the footprint templates for the unbuilt structures):

    2021-08-07 track 1.jpg


    2021-08-07 track 2.jpg 2021-08-07 track 3.jpg
     
  7. Penner

    Penner TrainBoard Member

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    Well, the steel mill property has no grades (it's all at 50 inches elevation), so that won't be a problem (the latest track plan is below). The "mountain" main line has a long 2.2% grade and a 3.5% grade, plus a 2.5% grade on the branch line to the steel mill high line; the "valley" mainline has a long 2.2% grade and a shorter 3.1% grade. Those grades are worst case, taking into account the curve radii.

    Trains traveling clockwise get to take advantage of the long gradual grades going up hill. Of course, that means in the steeper counter-clockwise direction I will probably have to have two or three (or more?) locos to pull the longer trains -- which I want to have! I'm really hoping I can run a unit train of 25 coal hoppers or 40 ore cars! :)
    Model 7R.png
     
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  8. Penner

    Penner TrainBoard Member

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    Well ... that hiatus took a bit longer than I anticipated. :sneaky: My son moved out this week, so after a 20 month break, I will be getting back into the swing of things again.

    First question: Anybody have any tips on removing dust from their buildings with the least amount of damage possible? :)
     
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  9. BigJake

    BigJake TrainBoard Member

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    I take it you didn't get a chance to cover the layout ahead of the interruption.

    Large, soft, makeup brushes, with a small vacuum nozzle close behind, remove dust pretty well. A downdraft table would work well, but small details knocked loose would be quickly lost (same with the small vacuum nozzle too.)

    If you value your health and spousal relations, do not borrow your wife's makeup brushes. Besides, they likely already have makeup on them, and could discolor your models.

    Perhaps even a power-ventilated paint booth would work. Of course, that could later even be used for it's constructed purpose!
     
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  10. gmorider

    gmorider TrainBoard Member

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    An ostrich feather type duster has fine feathers. Might be a solution.
     
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  11. MetraMan01

    MetraMan01 TrainBoard Member

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    Recommend you cover the end of the vacuum with pantyhose or something like it. Should work well enough as a screen to keep any loose details from making their way into the vacuum.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  12. Penner

    Penner TrainBoard Member

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    I've been remiss again in providing updates. In April I carefully dusted off all of the buildings. Since then I've been gradually installing 14 Tortoise switch machines that control: 1) what will eventually be hard-to-reach areas in the steel mill (due to structures, etc.); 2) the mainline in front of the mill, including the mill arrival/departure track.

    Back in May I asked a buddy of mine if I could make use of his 3D printer to create the turnout control panels and a power system control panel; he graciously agreed and so I downloaded a free 3-month trial version of Rhino and then spent a couple weeks learning how to use the software to design the control panels and create the stereolithography STL files for the 3D printer.

    Once the panels were created, I took about a month to run the electrical. Then I installed the fascia panels on about 80% of the layout.

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    The power panel is not completely hooked up yet. For example, the digital ammeter for the 12V auxiliary bus doesn't have a load on it yet, so I've not hooked it up.

    IMG_0230.jpg

    I have divided the layout into three power districts, one for the mill spurs, one for the mainline, and one for the two branch lines. The are controlled by NCE circuit breakers.

    There is a dedicated bus for the tortoises; I used a bi-polar bus with two 12V supplies. The voltage for the tortoises is supplied by two wall warts, as is another 6V auxiliary bus. The other 12V auxiliary bus is powered via an ATX power supply.

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    Okay ... that's all for now. Time to gin up some dinner for the fam. I'll share some more about my wiring adventures at a later time.
     
  13. BNSF FAN

    BNSF FAN TrainBoard Supporter

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    Great update Penner. Really like those panels you created. Nice work.
     
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