First off, happy Friday everyone! My next update is on the Central City area. I would actually like some input on this one. My track arrangement is finalized but I need some opinions on my street/town layout. Currently, the depot is located on the longer spur and the mine is located on the shorter spur. The mine fits well in this area. The depot is a temporary placeholder (for now). Masking tape marks street boundries. I have the track almost street running through the main intersection of the town, what do you all think about this? The first photo shows where the depot will be and the three sticky notes show where three retail stores for the town will be. I plan on adding fencing between the track and the road along the depot area. The 2nd shows the center of the town and the mine track in the background. I have yet to determine what will go in the lot between the street and the depot track. The 3rd photo shows how the track runs through the street for a short distance. It also shows where I plan on placing a row of miners cabins. What do you all think of this arrangement. Please be honest, better to get opinions now rather than after I start work. Also should I do paved or dirt roads, this is supposed to be a freelanced Central City between 1936-1941. Central City did have a few paved streets by this time and a new highway had just been completed between Idaho Springs and Central City via Clear Creek canyon (which led to the railroads downfall and abandonment of the remaining Clear Creek lines in 1941). . More to come. Alex
Were the streets of Central City in that time frame asphalt paved? Or oiled? Was it a prosperous site? Or mining in decline, so upkeep was minimal?
I have also started working on various structures. I completed the Forks Creek pump house a while back, but now have also completed the Forks Creek Depot and the miners cabins. Both the mine kit and the eventual Forks Creek water tower are under construction. I also have a small ice house from Woodland Scenics completed but I am unsure if I will use it. The new Forks Creek Depot is in its place on the layout. This is the first structure in its permanent place. The bridge behind the depot will be reassembled once scenery is done. I thought this kit turned out very well, it is a Classic Miniatures kit based on the Forks Creek depot prototype. The actual depot was gone by the time period I am modeling but it was just to interesting of a structure not to include. There was also an eating house located next to the depot at Forks Creek, but it was removed when excursion service began to decline in the 1920's. The depot was most likely removed when passenger service ended in the early 1930's. Here is a shot of the Forks Creek depot and pump house. I have painted the pump house red since the last time, as the prototype building was painted. Here is the half built mine. The mine is the Idaho Springs mine kit from Campbell Models. I cannot finish it until I figure out the final layout of Central City. Here is the eventual Forks Creek water tower, which is coming along nicely. It is a Banta Models kit, based on the Boreas Pass tank on the South Park line, and I plan on changing it a little to resemble the Forks Creek tank. I also assembled three small miners cabins from Lineside Structures. I really liked these kits, they were simple to build, using an adhesive for windows and wood trim, and the walls went together like puzzle pieces. I plan to place these near the Central City mine. I painted them bright colors to add interest, my pretend story is that the mine company painted them like that to boost worker morale. All three cabins are now complete, but the picture below is while I was still building them. Alex
I honestly don't know what the streets were made out of, it is a question I have been trying to figure out. Many were still dirt, but the major ones during this time period were made of something else, it looks like a rough pavement from photos I have seen. Central city had certainly seen better days. It was once known as "The Richest Square Mile on Earth" but it had declined by the late 1930's. The railroad, which used switch backs to climb up from Blackhawk, to Central City proper was abandoned in 1931. Mainly because it was easier and cheaper for shippers to truck freight to Blackhawk which was directly below Central City and then load it onto trains (and once the highway was complete freight started moving more often by truck while only low grade ore went by rail). Also the railroad didn't like operating the switchbacks. I would call Central City by the early 1940's in decline, but mining was not dead yet, and because of space restrictions it was a fairly dense town when compared to other Colorado mining towns. Alex
This is the last post for this update, thanks everyone for the kind words! Here is the newest addition to my roster, D&RGW C-19 #345 by Blackstone. This locomotive was a gift and a great suprise to say the least. Technically #345 did not have a back-up headlight when on the C&S nor a flying Rio Grande herald, but I like both features and will most likely keep the locomotive as is with the addition of a Ridgeway cinder catcher. With the addition of another DCC equipped locomotive, the temptation to switch to DCC was to much to resist. Here is the control panel, now with one DC power pack gone, replaced with a Digitrax DCC system. I will retain one DC pack, in case I ever need to run two DC locomotives. C&S #9 is getting neglected with all the fun I am having with 345 and 346, I might consider upgrading #9 to DCC. Here is #346 and #345 under the control of my new DCC set-up turning on the wye at Forks Creek. You may notice that I have filed down the ring at the top of #346's stack. I am in the process of installing a ridgeway cinder catcher on the locomotive, and this needs to be done so it can fit on top. One final pic, here is #346 and #345 waiting for train orders outside the Forks Creek depot. Alex
Well here is my summer update for the layout. I will start with my completion of the Como depot, this structure turned out very well and I am happy how close it is to the prototype. This is the depot trackside. The depot at Como had a storm annex over one of the front doors so people could get in and out of the building in deep snow which was common in the south park. The odd building on this end of the depot was the yardmasters office. More to come...
I decided that the one siding and spur were not enough so I added a third storage track of the roundhouse lead. It has helped a lot, and I don't even have half of my rolling stock on the layout. The Como yard, this will be the last place I do scenery. It also allowed me to line four engines up side by side. From left to right, 68, 345, 346, and 9. The only locomotive not pictured is 58 which is awaiting a paint job and rebuild. I also added a Ridgeway (Bear Trap) stack to the top of #346. Still needs some paint but I think it turned out well. The Colorado Railroad Museum added a Ridgeway spark arrestor to the actual #346 just a few days ago because it was a coal burner and the city of Golden wanted some sort of system to prevent it from sparking fires. So besides the green boiler jacket, #346 now looks the way it was while operating on the C&S. Here is a link to the CRRM August update page: http://coloradorailroadmuseum.org/drgw-steam-locomotive-no-346-and-the-rider-car-project/ As a side note, the CRRM has also found that D&RGW K-37 #491 may actually be serviceable, with the replacement of the boiler jacket. It was stored that way by the D&RGW and after doing a hydro test the boiler is in good shape and so is the running gear. #491 would be the first K-37 to operate since #497 was pulled out of service in 2004, and only the second since the close of the San Juan extension in 1968. Alex
The Forks creek area has most of its scenery work complete. I still need to finish the water tank, but other than trees and water this area is nearly complete. I also completed the road into Central City. This required cutting away the foam Central City sits on and sanding it down to form a ramp. The road in the grassy area is built on top of a layer of Woodland Scenics Mold-a-Scene plaster. I also used this material for the cut as the road goes up into Central City. The highway is meant to look brand new as it was in the late 1930's, and it will soon kill off the narrow gauge. Speaking of Central City, I made a lot of progress on the town. The three large stores are all Woodland Scenics pre-built buildings which I modified and weathered. The mine is the Idaho Springs mine kit produced by Campbell Models.
Here are some other various shots of the layout. The high bride now with cross bracing. I am working on this tunnel portal, it still needs a coat of paint and ballast. Overview from the Central City side. Overview from the Como side. Train time at Forks Creek. Descending the 4% on the highline. Running high over Clear Creek. That wraps up this update, thanks for all of the support and kind words, enjoy the photos! Alex
I can't believe I just found this thread. Great work on the layout. I love On30 stuff. One of the best things to happen to the hobby in the past 15 years IMO.
Nice job on the layout. Giving it's your first, your efforts are especially impressive. Glad you found inspiration in the HOn3 Annual if not the track plan. The Annual is published for exactly that reason. Chris Lane Editor-Hon3 Annual
Hello everyone, My layout is coming along, albeit at a slower pace in recent months. I will post an update in the coming week. I have recently finished the Central City depot area, and the ballast on the approach to the lower Alpine tunnel portal. I have also built a few structures and I am about to start the process of building the Como Roundhouse (a project that I have been looking forward to and dreading at the same time). The Model Masterpieces kit for the roundhouse is truly a craftsman kit and it should push my skills to the limit (any tips with this kit would be appreciated). I have also been tinkering with the turntable, as this presents a whole new technical challenge for me. I plan on ramping up my progress in the next few months as my schedule (hopefully) dies down. My next update will include prototype photos to help give historical context to the layout I am constructing. Thank you everyone for your comments, Alex
Well I completely lied on the timeframe for my next post but better late than never. I have done a lot of rolling stock and electrical work, but I have made some strides with the layout, so here is my layout update. I completed the scenery along the edge of the road heading into Central City. Having a little fun with a photo editing app. Here is my newest addition to the fleet, C&S 4505, made by micro-trains, in front of the Central City depot. An overview of Central City. I have completed the station area, the detail work on the mine, and most of the buildings. The Saloon is complete and my next project is to finish the scenery around the saloon and the mine.
The Como depot is in place and the ground cover around it is mostly complete. View attachment 64428 Overview of the station area. View attachment 64431 Front of the depot. View attachment 64432 Another fun photo, C&S #9 waits for the highball for its short train to Central City. View attachment 64433 Como yard slowly receiving ground cover. View attachment 64434 Roundhouse preliminary construction. View attachment 64435 View attachment 64436 That's it for now, my next update will most likely be in July after I return from a trip overseas. Alex
I keep looking at the black & whire photo. My mind wants to recall seeing the photography of men such as Otto Perry.