Call for advice: operational scheme

That's where I got the date. The most common misconception I've encountered is that the end of Class 1 steam was April 1960 on N&W, followed by the belief that it was 1963 on DM&IR. Few people think of 1962.

 

OK, back on topic once again.

I've placed and ballasted the track for the Myersville engine service facilities.



Based on the generous input you all have provided, I've nailed down my structure placement plans for this area.



The yard office will have to be a partial structure; that is, only the front portion of the building that fits between the fascia and track will be installed. Effectively, it will be a low relief structure facing away from the viewer.

This position of the yard office makes the most sense to me. It provides a clear view down the main both ways and a clear view down the yard ladder. If I were sitting in there, that's what I'd want to see. Thanks, Barry, for educating me.

I plan to use the Stewart Products diesel sand and fuel columns between the two new sidings. I'll keep a tanker and a PS2 hopper parked there on the outer track. The remainder of that outer track will provide room for a caboose or two. Now that I think about that, I can place a few small sheds there for caboose servicing.

I'll scratchbuild my engine house using Evergreen corrugated stryrene. If needed, I'll scratchbuild the yard office. But I'm open to suggestions.

Can anyone recommend a suitable structure for kitbashing a yard office? Yes, I've seen Walthers' new masonry yard office, but I don't think it will fit my site very well.

 

Todd:

Your layout is really coming along.

A couple of suggestions:

BLMA makes a dandy little yard office although a bit modern this type of steel building started appearing in the late 1950s early 60s.
Another alternative is a wood laser kit of an old Illinois Central yard office, not sure who makes it but it would fit right in your scene.

Keep up the good work. Maybe one day I will have some layout pictures to share.

Barry

 

This is looking very nice, indeed!

 

Thank you, gentlemen, for your kind words.

It finally occurred to me that the foreground structures I intend to place at the Myersville yard will risk inadvertent damage if I install them before building out the Ellicott area beyond the yard. So, I've jumped in with both feet on the Ellicott tipple.

Here's what I've got so far from 4 hours work.





So far, these are just the basic structures. I have many more structural details to add.

I had forgotten how much I enjoy scratchbuilding.

 

Todd:

As usual very nice work. A man always does well when he is doing something he enjoys.

Keep up the good work.

Barry

 

Here's my latest progress on the Ellicott tipple.





As this represents a coal structure built in the early 1960's (the era I model), this structure is clad in painted steel siding. Many of the photos I've found show other exterior surfaces painted to match; a rather spartan, monochrome approach designed to reduce construction and maintenance costs, no doubt.

In these photos, the gravel road surfaces are still wet with glue. As I see all this come together, I'm anxious to make and plant more trees to complete the isolated, backwoods scene.

For details, I plan to add tall weeds, vehicles, power poles, possibly some fencing, waste piles, a sign or two, and a few people.

Are there other essential details I need to make this all believable?

 

I went to the Decatur Train Fair last weekend and picked up a few deals on Pikestuff buildings. I have to admit that the images in their advertisements did not impress me. However, when the price is right and the item is in my hand, I'm more likely to try something new.

I was pleasantly surprised with the details and the possibilities these kits provide. Most of all, when painted they look much better than the advertisement photos.

Here's the new enginehouse at Myersville.







I weathered this building lightly with an airbrush, just enough to remove the new paint look.

The first photo also shows the Pikestuff yard office. That's just a temporary location until earthwork for its new site is completed. I have to admit, though, that it does look good there in the photograph.

PPUINN and BOK, your advice has been really helpful. Thanks a bunch!

 

Todd, your layout is on the way to become a pleasure to look at. Still, it is already.

Wolfgang

 

Todd:

As usual fine work and I like not only the engine house but the realistic grassy yard. When the railroad sprays for weeds an engine needs to pull all the yard tracks so the spray train or truck can spray each track. Looks like yours is about due for spraying or it has been a wet spring/summer. All in all it looks fairly well maintained and utilized.

You folks are a real inspiration. If the railroads I work for would finally get a full complement of locomotive engineers and conductors we could reduce the training schedule a bit and I might just have some time to work on my small, shortline layout.

In the mean time thanks for showing us how it is done.

Barry

 

Thanks again, all of you, for your generous encouragement. It's great to get constructive feedback from peers.

I've been playing with weathering and trees lately. Here are some of the results, by no means complete.





I need to add some spilled coal, undergrowth at the tree line, power poles, and a few figures to make this a little more believable.

The 33 ft hoppers are from the new MT runner pack. They weathered up nicely.

 

Now that gardening season is over, I'm back in the man-cave working on the railroad. Here are a few pictures of the coal washer plant I'm building based on BOK's suggestions.





I really like this view.





I still have to grade and place crushed stone for the access road and build a concrete bridge for the road over my mainline. I'll try to include photos of the bridge construction.

My next challenge is to make the sitework look right. I'm thinking of using crushed black and grey pastels to add coal dust and spillage to the ground surface. Can anyone suggest a cheap (homemade) way to simulate spilled coal?

 

Hi Todd,

This scene looks great!

Although not homemade, you might want to check out the November '08 issue of Model Railroader, pages 60 - 61. David Popp used Woodland Scenics crushed coal to create a good looking effect. You might be able to make your own with a coffee grinder (dedicated to your modeling use, not for grinding coffee).

 

Todd:

Your layout looks great as usual. Well thought out, a nice base of detailing and it looks like it would be fun to operate.

I like the new coal washer... a good use of kits and kit bashing.

Keep up the good work.

Barry

 

Todd:

A little bit more on the suggestion of using steam locomotives after 1960.

I realize that most if not all steam was dead after 1960 but there was still enough of the engines around to "justify" using one or a couple in service particularly around coal mining where the fuel was cheap. A Bachmann 2-8-0 would fit right in your scheme for handling a mine run especially if outfitted with a backup headlite and footboards on the tender for reverse movements without turning facilities. I remember reading about/seeing operations of this kind on the Midland Coal Co. operation over west of Peoria and the Bevier & southern down in Misssouri...so aside from the purists who weren't around back then, I figure it's okay to run a steamer now and then. And don't forget to haul it and the combine out, all spiffed up twice year: once for the annual picnic train (include a gondola for sightseeing and a bright red caboose for the kids to ride in) and the Christmas train Santa needs to arrive in the small coal mining communities in style.

Just a couple of thoughts to make your operation more colorful and fun.

Barry

 

Todd,

Phenomenal job thus far. Reading this thread for the first time today allowed me see a modelling project become alive.

What type of radii are you mainly using? My space is very similar to yours and a track plan similar to this would work.

Again, great job!

By the way, what is Banneker making? Widgets?

 

Strasburg,

Thanks for your kind words.

My radii vary between 12" in one place up to perhaps 30" over the high iron bridge. Since my longest rolling stock is 50', all runs just fine and looks good too. I believe that the trees closely lining the curves tend to disguise the tight curves somewhat. In retrospect, I can see now that using trees to separate those tight curves from nearby scenes keeps the eye focused on those scenes instead of on the curves.

Banneker Mfg. (read about Banneker here) currently makes fertilizer or some other bulk material in 35' cover hoppers. The brick structure is probably overkill for a fertilizer plant, but that's my current story. Any suggestions that might be more believable?

 

Thanks, Phil, for your kind compliment.

Indeed, I saw the coal David Popp used. To get the streaking effect of spilled coal in the roadway, I need something pretty fine that will blend believably with the sand and crushed limestone I use for gravel surfaces.

I enjoy being cheap, so I've crushed about a dozen charcoal briquets down to a very fine powder and screened out the chunks through an ASTM No. 60 sieve. (I have access to soil testing equipment at work.) I'm anxiously experimenting with the black charcoal powder now. It may take a while to create the right look.

I'll certainly post more pictures when there's something worth sharing.

 

Since it is kind of mountainous terrain and there are a lot of trees, what about a syrup or molassess manufacturing plant?

It can also be an electronics or parts distributor of some sort.