ello all, I've been MIA from posts and comments in the last 4 months...precious little modelling time at all; a new job and home projects have taken any spare time....however a little progress has been achieved in the area of the 'Santa Fe room' layout AND layout room itself...along with a tiny bit of progress in modelling the ATSF's "Fast Mail" (I've gathered some more fodder for projects in this build...so much so, that I should be able to represent almost any consist No. 7 and No. 8 would have seen duiring the year 1957, with very few exceptions (a couple of foreigh roan cars and ATSF rebuilt wood side reefers). As for the Santa Fe Room and layout- I've made a few changes in the original trackplan and set up....driven by a change in furniture for this spare bedroom turned 'office/train room'. I acquired a brand new queen size bed, office desk and hutch, and a nice chest of drawers...and, even though these were not the furniture pieces I had planned on putting in this room, I decided, after a little thought, that I could make them 'fit' (I WILL replace the headboard of the queen bed with a more rustic 'southwest style' version, and the desk and hutch will get a 'distressed' turquoise paint finish... The chest of drawers actually became the most welcome piece...it will now be the foundation for the layout!...I will have to add framing to the top of the chest (raise it one foot)...the layout will simply lay on top of this raised framing. This will give the layout a very sturdy platform, provide storage underneath, AND will allow the layout to be moved quite easily. I will still add the Southwest fabric curtains around the layout, hiding the chest of drawers. This still gives me a very nice office/train room, AND doubles asa full guest room with a double bed! One of my train buddies in Austin has already called 'dibs' on this room whenever he and his fiancee visit from time to time (he calls it the 'Turquoise Room'!) Along with the change in furniture and layout base came a change in the basic trackplan.... The inspiration for the change goes back to my original idea for this door layout-having a double track plan featuring the Santa Fe in the desert Southwest, but modelling (on the most visible side) a section where the east/west lines seperated from each other to provide the best grade for each respective direction. I certainly had the room to allow this- remember I had added 4-6 inches on three sides of the door to allow more scenery- but this extra room was taken by my representation of route 66 skirting the outside of the track plan. I really wanted to have two trains travelling the same 'route' but on different levels. One area, in particular, on the Santa Fe where this feature is showcased well, is Kingman Canyon; my original inspiration. So, a little foam digging and cutting later, and some careful fitting of Kato Unitrack to 'rough out' the track plan, and Voila! The 'lower' track descend from parallel trackage on the far side of the layout, will cross the arroyo on a series of bridges-Truss and plate girder-, then ascend back up around the curve to the far side. I've set Kato track (minus the bridges) in palace, wired them, and ran trains around these curves to troubleshoot any problems that any of my equipment might have on the inner radius (15 inches with easements everywhere). All of my long passenger equipment, and more importantly, my 'Fast Mail' heavyweight equipment with body mount couplers and brass step ladders (which restrict the 6 axle truck swing). I like the changes...I still have a double track mainline, but now with a little extra viewing excitement...I'll still model a bit of route 66 on the front end corners, but the truss and plate girder bridges will now feature trains! Respectfully, Bruce
Nothing like getting some track down, getting the trains out and running them. Now you can start to visualize what the rest of the layout needs to look like. Seems to me I see some artsy craftsmanship in your passenger cars. Some nice work there. Looking good.
Thanks for the update. Was starting to wonder if you had fallen off the edge of the planet or something. Santa Fe...All The Way.
Rick...you're correct...being able to put trains on the track helps with inspiration!...Those passenger cars, however, are stock Kato Super Chief cars...not too much room for improvement, seperate roof and door grabs...aluminum painted trucks...that's about it..! Russell, Thanks...just contacted Roberto with another order of sides...building up the 70 ft baggage-express fleet...also going to put out a 'wanted' thread... I'm looking for a source of those really distinctive roof ladder grabs on the heavyweights...roberto includes a spare set on his new chair-smoker, coach, and partitioned coach cars...BUT...not reproduced by any other manufacturer. Perhaps we can persuade him to produce a Heavyweight grab and ladder grab set?...I'd be 'in' for QUITE a few by myself! Respectfully, Bruce PS...Russell....I've had to slightly alter the wide steps on my M&R sides' converted cars (I've 'bent' them out very slightly to give the truck swing a little more leeway) to be able to negotiate 15 inch radius curves...have you had any problem with 15 inch curves?
I have had to put a slight "Z" bend in a few of the stirrups below the baggage doors so the trucks will swing out without contact. I imagine that using the new MT cars with their off center bolsters will cause different contact points than the old Rivarossi stuff I am using. Gold Metal Models sells a set 160-56 that includes ladder grab hand rails for roofs.
Thanks Russell...I do have a bunch of those sets...however, the heavywights seem to have a bunch of the type...very unique... Roberto has included them in his latest three ATSF heavyweight releases...chair, chair-smoker, and partitioned chais cars... I need BUNCH! Repectfully, Bruce
It's a wonderful thing how foam layers so easily represent sandstone and other southwest geological features. What you've accomplished so far is right on the money and I will certainly be looking forward to updates on your layout. As an Arizona native I have to say "well done".
Tested the viability of the lower track with the Unitrack....put the El Capitan on the Lower line and the Fast Mail on the upper (tighter radius)...everything tracks beautifully... took a quick video with the old Canon..(forgive the shakiness) Bruce http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=as25Iu6QlXQ&feature=bf_prev&list=UL2GqX5e9nxI8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=as25Iu6QlXQ&feature=autoplay&list=UL2GqX5e9nxI8&playnext=10 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=as25Iu6QlXQ&feature=bf_next&list=UL2GqX5e9nxI8 A quick video taken with the old Canon while testing the Fast Mail on the upper track around the 15" radius curves...no problems... Forgive the shakiness...hand held the first one... Bruce
Hello all... because of the shift in locale and theme of my little HCD layout, I have the opportunity to model some really neat scenes on both sides of the layout...in fact, the other side will have as much, if not more scenic interest as the other side does... I'm going to represent the area around Holy Moses wash in Kingman Canyon on the other side..actually a combination of various scenes...again, the object being to 'represent' the trackage and feel of the area...even with selective compression, I don't feel I could model the area prototypically withing the space I have, so I've determined to model a Kingman Canyon-like scene! Here is some of the rough landscaping I've done on this side-as you can see, the tracks here are more widely seperated...the upper track will have a couple of deck girder bridges in the area where I've cut a 'gap'....the lower track will have a ballasted deck timber trestle in the area of straight track...a slight wash area will be cut into the foam once the area is more defined, the terrain will be refined with celluclay/sculptamold, along with rock outcroppings built and carved from foam. Kind of a combination of this and this.... The lower trestle will be a timber version. and a large central ridge will still divide the two sides, the geology will just represent this area rather than the previous area I had test built. Here are some pics of the landscaping in progress... continued...
the other side, the side originally concieved with a route 66-style highway in the foreground is being re-done to better represent more of this area...a couple of small timber trestles will now ford the original wash/depressions; the lower track now crossing the lower valley area on an elevated/'causeway' style roadbed that is prevalent in the canyon...
Count me in with the "I Like It's". I had to slow it down so I could scrutinize each car in your mail train. What you trying to make me jealous? Mighty fine, Atchison Topeka and the Santa Fe.
Hello all... With the storm approaching..very little time to work on the layout and model...and...knowing I'll get to the layout scenery only here and there...I decided to just give the layout as it sits now a little 'pick-me-up' in the way of color... even thought he rough contours below the higher level track are in, I decided to go ahead and cover the pink and blue with my diluted generic 'earth' color flat latex paint...too dark for Kingman Canyon, but it gets rid of the unnatural foam color and allows me to visualize better how I want to mold and carve the large central divider to represent the topography in this canyon. posing my sample 'New Mexico' foam practice carving in the center helps me visiualize what I need to do... Of course, none of this color will remain...more carving, sculptamold and celluclay, PLENTY of rocks and boulders will eventually cover all of this, but the improvement in appearance is incredible...I even painted a piece of foam black to represent the deck girder bridges that will be in place. Thanks for looking, Bruce
yep...Isaac....I'm on the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay...so we might be right in the path...ya' never know with these things...I'm a Hurricane veteran, being from New Orleans... Thanks, Bruce
