Nittany and Lock Haven HCD Layout

Primavw Nov 21, 2013

  1. modle-a

    modle-a TrainBoard Member

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    nice work my friend I'm going to keep up with this build hope your running trains soon.
     
  2. Primavw

    Primavw TrainBoard Member

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    I haven't had a chance to update this recently as I have been distracted by a Loksound install. I did manage to get some more work on the layout done recently, although my work schedule has prevented me from making great strides.

    I did manage to wire my turnouts to aid with better performance from my DCC locos. I will finish wiring the turnouts once I get some wired groundthrows for the frogs.

    Also, in order for me to "finish" track work, I need to put some time into completing the bridges over the Little Juniata. I decided it was best to all but finish scenicking the scene so that I won't have to work around the bridges later. I managed to cast a few abutments for the girder bridges. I did this by building simple styrene forms and pouring hydrocal into the forms. While they were drying, I made some final adjustments to them to ensure the rail bridges fit snugly. I then turned my attention to detailing them.

    Using WS concrete stains and watered-down acrylics, I managed to get them just about right for my needs. I had to cut into the abutments a bit to get the bridge to fit snugly, but once they are in place you won't see the cuts I made.

    West abutment:
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    With the bridge added:
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    I do plan on "rustifying" the bridge a bit to add age, and I need to fit the bridge shoes before they are permenantly in place.

    And a shot with some locos for good measure:
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    I have been doing some research on how to create the water for the river. Hopefully I haven't painted the creekbed too green, but I have been working from this image, so I'm hoping it doesn't look too "toxic waste pond". To combat this, I blended a bit more peanutbutter brown into the shore lines, I also added a very dark forest green to the deeper portions of the creek bed. I then took a step back from my creekbed project for a bit. My main reason for doing this was because I had no topography to reference so that I could finish carving the area around the creekbed. So my next obvious step was to build hills.

    So I cut foam ribs and glued them down, then I laid newspaper balls and plaster strips. It all came out pretty decent.

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    I didn't do the entire layout, and I decided just a plotted line on the foam for the future placement of a background divider would suffice for now. I do plan on at least cutting and fitting one soon, but I most likely won't make it permanent until most of the scenicking is done.

    I also figured one big problem I had with my previous layout were my hills were just plain short. So I kept that in mind. I do plan on carving rock faces into most of the vertical portions of these hills, and I hope to model the rock faces to appear to have been "drilled and blasted".

    And before I forget, I don't plan on having the creek just stop dead at the foot of the mountain. When ready, I plan on modeling a man-made creek tunnel such as this:
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    Yep, that's the creek tunnel portal from Horseshoe Curve.

    And some more work tonight.

    Teaser:
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  3. Primavw

    Primavw TrainBoard Member

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    This week I have been working third shifts, so between my kiddo going to bed and work, I spent some time building. I focused on rockfaces on the newly constructed hills. This time around, I wanted to avoid using the old WS rock molds. Not that I didn't like using them, but no matter how you turn the molds or attempt to change the way the plaster is poured, you end up getting a bit of a pattern effect as you go. Not only that but blending could be a bit tedious and leave you with mediocre results.

    So, I decided to try my hand at hand-carving my rock faces. I used a lightweight spackle after experimenting with Hydrocal. I found that Hydrocal sets much too fast. The spackle isn't truly hard for several hours, but it is ready to carve in 15-30 mins.

    I mainly used a wire-brush, an Xacto with a chisel tip blade, and a razor blade to carve my rock faces.

    My first attempt looked ok, but after deciding I wanted to go with shale (common to the area I'm modeling), rather than a generic looking rock face, I tore them down and started fresh.

    First attempt:
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    I was initially pleased with it, but I decided to try to model shale near my creek scene, and it would look kind of odd trying to blend the two variations together.

    So I used some reference photos I found on the old interwebs:
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    I took me several hours between laying the medium, sculpting, and painting, but I came up with this:
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    The cave in the background will have the Little Juniata flowing from it, down a small, stepped waterfall and into the creekbed below. Not exactly proto, but it beats the heck out of having the creek dead-end into the scenic divider.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 3, 2014
  4. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Great reference photos. They sure start a person thinking!
     
  5. SinCity

    SinCity TrainBoard Member

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    Hey Vortexer, the revised rock faces look great and love that cave!
     
  6. Primavw

    Primavw TrainBoard Member

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    My work schedule has again been psychotic, but I managed to get to work on a few things here and there.

    About a week ago, I started adding gloss medium (Mod Podge) to my creek bed to model the creek. The first layer took about three days to dry, and the second... well that took four. Lesson learned: thin layers dry way quicker than thick. I guess it frustrates me to know I could have the seventh layer drying right now instead of the third, but I guess its all relative. Big thing for those who haven't tried this before: don't add another layer until all the "milkiness" is gone.

    A quick photo of my creek (layer #3 drying in this photo)
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    Last night I kitbashed an Atlas deck girder bridge by adding resin castings of the girders to the inside plus triangular supports. I think it looks pretty good, although the thickness of the girder is bugging me a bit. I'm thinking about using filler to smooth the seams and then file at an angle to make them look a bit less "meaty".
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    A shot of all three bridges laid down and the creek-in-progress
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    And finally, I bit the bullet and made a quick change to the track plan for operations-sake.
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  7. Primavw

    Primavw TrainBoard Member

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    I have been working on things lately and plan on sharing more pics, but here is a quick teaser video to commemorate completing the track work over the creek scene...

    Early morning on the N&LH
    [video=youtube;5c0LIIvanxs]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5c0LIIvanxs[/video]
     
  8. Stickboy

    Stickboy TrainBoard Member

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    This is looking great!!
     
  9. randgust

    randgust TrainBoard Member

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    I live not too far away from Tyrone.

    The station/park area there has an interesting story. The original big brick PRR station was on the outside of the curve; futher up it than the current buildings, pretty much right at the loop in the street. There was a derailment there in the 40's that's in the Robert Reed "Train Wrecks' that went right into the building. That's the essential problem of having a passenger station on the outside of a sharp curve.

    The little "Amshack" is the official 'station' and has been there for years. This is the former US Rep Shuster's district (who also headed transportation) so he managed to find funding for the "Bud Shuster Intermodal Transportation Center" building there that is the new hip-roofed building on the curve that looks like a little station. It was intended to be the Amtrak/Bus depot. Problem was, nobody told PADOT rail or Amtrak or apparently Conrail/NS; there was never any design made for the platforms to their standards or the funding to do it. The railroad put up the fence to make SURE it wasn't used without an approved platform design, and the Amshack stayed. Hence the fencing all around it.

    Last time I was down there the "Bud Shuster Intermodal transportation center" sign was off the building, It wasn't a bus stop either, it had been converted to a museum of sorts, and it was closed. The Amshack is still the official stop. It's still 'sort of' alive as a museum: http://www.tyronehistory.org/museum.html but it's not the train station even though it looks like it, pretty much a $400,000 monument to ....

    Tyrone's a great place to watch trains from; the curve is there, the vintage cabooses are in Railroad Park, easy interstate access, parking, fast food available less than a mile away. You can go east along the railroad through great scenery or go on down to Altoona. There's ample public space to watch trains without tresspassing.

    The RJCP coal operations in the Clearfield district are unlike most coal operations modelers imagine. Trains are run with power on them (often at both ends), and cars are not switched loads-for-empties at the site. The empty trains are loaded, rapidly, from a huge front-bucket loader on an enormous stockpile, with the local crews simply pulling the cars forward as needed. Trains are typically unit-train sized, although it's not uncommon to split a train to get it back to Clearfield due to the grades and curves in the area, and reassemble it there. Power stays on the trains (often including some NS power) and when it's loaded, away it goes. There's neither a switching activity or a 'tipple', and in some locations, not even a passing siding to run around the train as it's run with power on both ends. Trains run on an irregular schedule, and much of the coal is both spot market and export.

    Because of that....I'm going to suggest something, maybe not feasible at this point, but think about it. With the way you have your backdrop and scenery, see if there's a way to connect the ends of the Tyrone 'spur' with the end of the Clymer 'spur', even if it involves an otherwise absurdly-sharp curve around the end of the backdrop inside the hill that would be hidden. That would allow two prototypically-correct situations to happen; the NS unit coal trains 'through' Tyrone up to Lock Haven on the N&BE branch out of Tyrone and the equally-problematic situation of long coal trains in and out of Clymer that are front-end loaded as a unit. You can have a 'one track loads for empties' using a train here, and be entirely prototypical, 'if' you can still jam a curve under that hilll somehow that the Kato units can handle to connect the two. Power on both ends means you don't have to run around it, either. I'm really not sure that's possible, but you're so close to actually simulating this I just have to bring it up! While a 'tunnel' isn't necessarily right, I can tell you from personal experience that the 'green tunnels' exist on the ends of most of the RJCP spurs beyond the tunnels; lines disappearing into the trees for half a mile beyond loadouts, and on the Tyrone end maybe you could hide it behind something tall like part of the paper mill.

    Another thing to look at is the line from Cresson to Fallentimber, same thing, same methods; single track to Fallentimber. Only difference there is that there's at least a conveyor loader at the end of the railroad and over PA53 to make it look a little more interesting. The track goes beyond the tipple, no passing siding, nothing, up and dies at the end into the trees and changes to a bike trail. When I first became familiar with all these lines back in the mid 90's I was surprised that there weren't storage sidings, or empty cars parked, or ANYTHING, just a line out into the wilderness, a coal pile, and a single track waiting for a unit train.

    Here's a great Tim Wakeman video of the Clymer operations: http://youtu.be/z9hL8g9QIeM


    I like where you put the 220 bridge, relationship to the town, etc., nice concept overall, and the rockwork is phenomenal. Reminds me of the cliff along Rt. 22 on the east side of the river across from Duncannon. Don't forget slide fences!
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 1, 2014
  10. Primavw

    Primavw TrainBoard Member

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    Randgust,

    You sure have given me a lot to think about. That video is definitely a great reference! Its great to see that coal conveyor in action and will be a great reference when I attempt to scratchbuild it! I will have to give the layout a good look to figure out if it will be possible to connect the two spurs, although the radius will be impossible unless I make a giant bell shape, and that may require expansion of the layout.

    Having never visited Tyrone or Clymer, there are pieces of the puzzle missing for me. With that in mind, I will continue to do my research as I build. I do like the idea of a "green tunnel" and may use that idea to hide the tunnel as it enters the mountain. I have also been toying with the idea of using the 220 overpass to hide the tunnel on the other side. Obviously things have been compressed heavily to make this all fit on a door, so I have had to take liberties with track work and scenes. I do hope to nail the coal ops scene and the Tyrone Amtrak scene though. Keep the great ideas coming and I am open to opinions!

    I would be willing to re-work the spurs to make it more proto... any chance you can provide me with a quick sketch?
     
  11. randgust

    randgust TrainBoard Member

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    See PM for contact.

    I'm 'assuming' you've got somewhere in the neighborhood of 13"-15" radius on the mains for the HCD plan. Question then becomes 'how far back' toward the center you'd have to go to connect the spur ends with a nearly-completely-hidden link of 9 3/4 between them. The Katos should actually get around it, remember you're creeping anyway, question becomes whether you'd derail the first car following, that's the problem and the feasibility. The 9 3/4 connection would be a buried in trees and backdrop as possible.
     
  12. Primavw

    Primavw TrainBoard Member

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    Wow, it has been a little while since I added an update. Recently I installed a Masonite scenic divider and built up the hills with foam, newspaper and plaster cloth.

    An overall pic of the Clymer side of the layout which is still drying.
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    The Clymer Coal scene. In front along the rails will be two small ponds which represent the real ones. In the middle I built a small riser for a land bridge.
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    Dixon Run Creek and the future spot for a stone bridge over the creek. On the right will be the town of Clymer, with Route 403/Penn Street on the riser just in front of that.
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    And the mocked-up bridge which I kitbashed from an Atlas viaduct kit.
    [​IMG]
     
  13. Primavw

    Primavw TrainBoard Member

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    Wow, I can't believe I haven't updated in almost two months. Even though the layout hasn't changed much, I have been keeping busy with other things. I work two jobs so train time comes at a premium, but I do try to get something small accomplished on a daily basis.

    Anyhow, sometime in April I attempted to build a highway bridge overpass by making castings from Hydrocal. It really didn't look right after all of that work so I scrapped it. I ordered a few Rix kits and they are waiting to be built.

    I then began work on the Clymer Coalveyor. It is completely scratchbuilt from styrene and other items. Here is a photo of my CSX Dash 9 next to the Coalveyor for scale:
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    Next, I spent about another month building, detailing and finishing an RJ Corman SD40-2. Corman motive power is used to bring empties to the coalveyor and drag them out when full. They will meet up with NS power later on down the line. I will eventually build one more for a lashup.

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    This brings us up to recently. I built another mountain base from foam and let that dry. Tonight I laid plaster cloth and unfortunately I ran out of plaster cloth. But here are a few photos anyway.

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    And a view from inside the tunnel access port. I'm trying to think of a way to block this port to keep the light out.... suggestions?
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  14. Primavw

    Primavw TrainBoard Member

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    Time to update this thread.

    I decided the hill that will be home to the town of Clymer needed a bit of editing.

    I took my jigsaw to the "cake-like" riser which would have a road atop it. I then used thin foam to make a flat and level pad for road and buildings for the town.
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    I then mixed up some tinted scultamold and slathered it down. While it was wet, I sprinkled two shades of unsanded grout on top for texture. Then I just couldn't contain myself and added some ground foam and static grass.
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    This portion of the hillside will have forest, and the tunnel portal will be completely obscured by treetops. I have to do some work around there still. I sprinkled some super old "sawdust" for fallen dead leaves.
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    And the static grass along the main. This is where I always get writers block when it comes to scenicking. Its almost TOO perfect. Once the grass dries and I have more time to work on things, I will add some weeds and other vegetation.
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    Glamor shot with my latest finished loco
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    I finished scratchbuilding these concrete uprights for a rix modern overpass bridge kit.

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    I still need to trim the bridge from both ends. The bridge will be lower than what is mocked up. I'm also waiting on some streetlights to arrive before I can paint and weather.
     
  15. Primavw

    Primavw TrainBoard Member

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    So quite a bit of time has passed since I posted for this layout. I recently (well, October '14 anyway) landed a dream job and haven't done much with the layout since. We also had our second daughter in August, and she's a handful. But I always had the urge to get something done with this layout, just haven't had the energy.

    The other night I said to myself "self, just start putting something together and it will fuel the fire again". So I grabbed my matchsticks and built a retaining wall.

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    I will attempt to slather some sculptamold behind the wall hoping it will seep in between the beams of the wall giving it the impression that coal material has been discarded there. After, I will stain the timber and add fine coal-like material.

    A shot of NS 9969 which still needs a few details before completion.
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  16. KevinTheSPF

    KevinTheSPF TrainBoard Member

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    The layout looks great and those NS and RJC units are incredible.
     
  17. Primavw

    Primavw TrainBoard Member

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    Thanks for the kind words! I am hoping to build another RJC unit for a lashup. It was a fun change of pace from the old "black is the new black" NS units.
     
  18. UP_Challenger3985

    UP_Challenger3985 TrainBoard Member

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    Looks great! Gives me some motivation to continue work on mine! :)
     
  19. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Wow. To get all those tiny decals on that NS unit- You must have really steady hands, and a lot of patience.
     
  20. Jim Wiggin

    Jim Wiggin Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Your layout is coming along nicely, making me home sick for the East!
     

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