It has been way too long since a post has been here on the "Q". Lets get those fans of "Everywhere West" attention. For the past few years I have been working on my B&M N scale layout but never really got to the stage of where I was happy. Someday I'll have a layout with B&M equipment from the era I remember. Since moving to Illinois back in 1998, I fell in love with the BNSF, watching at the time Cascade Green SD9's work the yard in Galesburg, watching the SD60M's pull through with stack trains and occasionally talking to a few of the people that run operations. Naturally, a New Englander like me got fascinated with the BN then after a bit more research, the CB&Q. Flash forward to present day. I have never really cared about running my trains in circles or really enjoyed my table top oval B&M when it was almost done. I have had a thing for operations for years, so a small, shelf like switching layout is more to my liking. While at Galesburg RR Days in 2013, a good friend of mine and fellow CB&Q fan and I talked about how great it would be to complete a Galesburg area modular layout together. Over the course of a year, we debated topics that ranged from the Galesburg mainline to the old Peavine narrow gauge. After a few months, I developed a 18-inch wide X 48-inch long module that was light weight, easy to transport and relatively cheap to construct. With modules finalized and constructed, it was time to select a modular layout that could fill a few goals: Allow the modules to be easily transported to shows with a small SUV or minivan Easy set up at shows Be as accurate as possible to a specific area of Galesburg and the Q Use code 55 track on a sub-roadbed made or 1X3 risers and 1/2 plywood with 2-inch pink foam for scenery base Be a stand alone layout in our respective homes yet still come together seamlessly at shows to produce the "big picture." Be DCC Allow joint periods of building as well as solo work, my friend and I are separated by 6 hours and two states. Originally we had lofty ideas of dual main, super elevated 54-inch curves and working signals. We quickly realized however, those corner modules would not fit in Jess, my Railfan Jeep Wrangler, or even my Jeep Cherokee for that matter. Nor would I be able to have them in the area that houses my layout, a small home office. Hmmmm. With six of those 18X48 modules done, I remembered the area in Galesburg called, "The City Job." At one time, this small stretch of track between the former Santa Fe main and CB&Q main served, Galesburg Soy, Butler Buildings and it's complex of track, Galesburg Manufacturing and Galesburg castings just to name a few. Add the potential of joint trackage rights between the two class ones, oh and how about making the operations perform on a section of mainline that was originally the Rock Island Southern? Now add to the fact we can model this area with a minimum of the dreaded "selective compression." Sounds like a winner! The bad news? Well after 2013, this stretch of track is simply a connection between the two former roads. Galesburg Soy became ADM and this plant closed in 2013, Butler in 2004. The other industries are long gone too, but for CB&Q, BN and early BNSF era? Yup! I've attached the map of the area we are modeling. Roughly, I have three modules, so does my friend. Once connected, we have a L shape set up that starts at Henderson St and goes to the Santa Fe main north of town. If any of you Q fans grew up in this area and have pictures or more, please, by all means POST! I hope between the two of us to produce an example of what Galesburg looked like from the mid to late 1960's into the 1980's.
Thanks Neal. To date, I have module one completely done with track and a test run with a DCC locomotive yielded great results. I added plenty of drops and so far this has paid off. The two turnouts have servo controls by Tam Valley and need to be installed as well as two Tam Valley Frog juicers. I'm about 75% done with track laying on module two. Three more turn outs, two for Butler Buildings and one for Galesburg Castings, a few spurs and Module two is done. Module three is easy, continuation of the main and siding with one turnout for an industrial complex. Hoping to have the majority of track down by the end of January. February goals: Install Servo controls for turnouts on all three modules. Current count is 8 with the industrial ones being manual. Install Frog Juicers in all turnouts. Crossing gate electronics installed for Henderson Road March goals: Lay down 2-inch foam for the open areas. Plan out and paint the front fascia for the CTC board. Fascia will be Gray with lines in white, LED's installed indicating turnout direction. Base scenery of paint and some ground foam. Install Henderson Road and 4th street. April goals: More scenery, ground foam, roads etc. Building structures! May goals: Build the transport box in prep for taking the modules to the Columbus Ohio N scale Weekend. Continue building structures. Install layout skirt. Signage for modules. June goals: Last preps before the big show. Head to Galesburg and show it off and hope I get this all done!
Bummer. Sure makes the landscape barren. Much less to model for people who prefer keeping up-to-date. Seems rather uninteresting to me. I'm curious as to seeing what 'once was'...
Ken, I guess that is why about ten years ago I backdated from BNSF to CB&Q. On the industrial side, the current landscape is something out of a post apocalyptic movie set. Even in the 15 years I have been going to Galesburg for RR Days, I have seen a lot of changes, not all for the better. Maytag was a big employer and provided the average middle class a decent wage to live comfortably and healthy. Now with Maytag, Butler and even ADM gone, these same folks try to make an eager living working pay check to paycheck sometimes working three jobs and driving to work in 10 to 15 year old cars. It's hard for me to go on without this becoming political but greed really is the new "god" of some. Fortunately, this layout will depict a better time, filled with industry, trains and the sound of the Beatles, Beach Boys and The Kinks playing in the background!
Hey guys, I'm hoping to have an update this weekend. Got lots to do and that clock is ticking, louder and louder....
The pink foam was cut and laid out the other night. Module one already has the pink foam glued down as most of the electronics have been mounted. Another late day at work so by the time I got domestic duties done it was 9:15. I ran a quick switch job to inspect my track work and was really impressed with how the track came out as well as how nicely the Tam Valley turnout controls work. I'm hopping tonight to install Henderson road on module one. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Well, got an e-mail last night that really knocked me down more than a few notches. In fact at this point the viability of me continuing on with this project is questionable. Right now I'm ready to abandon it and just throw it all away. Extreme? Yes but I want it done right, not wrong as I have here. I'm probably going to take the Facebook page down this weekend and if anything happens to the modules, it will be the lifting of track, assessing the situation and budgeting of time and money. It's safe to say that these will not be done in time for Galesburg so for now I'm filing this project under abandonment and moving on to other things.
Well, I sure wish you'd change your mind. The Santa Fe will be very lonely without the Q! I say, "just bring what you have. They will want to see it." I took my bare bones layout to a show once and still had fun. "Sign me up Santa Fe"
Hi Jim, Newb here. I am wondering if this is n scale? I also am into the "Q", but never made it much past buying rolling stock and Locos - none DCC so far. Thanks in advance.
If you can make it to the Galesburg RR Days train show on the 27th or 28th, you can see it for yourself. Informed sources have been told it will be there, despite postings to the contrary. It is a very good show. Besides, Galesburg was once a very big hub on the Q. A bit of a drive I grant you, but worth it for rabid Q fans.
Yes sir, this is N scale, set in around 1965. If your the social media type, you can keep tabs on it by selecting the Galesburg City Job link below in my signature.
Okay, despite the doom and gloom of a few weeks ago, I pulled up my big boy pants and went to work. I was rewarded with a layout that has a lot more switching interests and is now PDA (pretty darn accurate). Here are some pictures to show what has transpired. The first image is the transition from Module 2 to 3. I had originally placed a dual curve here and had the industries west of this curve on module 2. Now the curve is one track per the photograph and the industries are now on Module 3. When I studied the photograph, suddenly the bits of track I had found last fall on my expedition to the area made sense....A "Ah-Ha!" moment. The second is the complete rework of Module 2, the bulk of Butler Buildings track. I basically had to rip up 90% of the track and roadbed. Fortunately, the three end pieces stayed and within a few nights I had everything going where it should. The third image is the Tam Valley Dual Frog Juicers, Octopus servo controller, Octodecoder (allows DCC operations of turnouts), servos and servo brackets and push button controls. Forth image is the servos. Fifth is the image of everything installed with the exception of the control wires from the servo to the turnout. I got one servo working last night before going to bed. I have a new job and I'll have time to hopefully get all the servos working this afternoon. Like Neil said, it will be at Galesburg next weekend. Stop by and check it out!
Actually, thats not quite its full size as I saw it. There is more planned for the future... stay tuned.
